Page 35 of Gone With the Rogue
His gaze caressed her face with concern. “You should have brought him with you. He could have played while we talk.”
Julia’s heart softened, knowing he meant what he said. She was pleased he didn’t mind her son being with them. “Thank you, but it was best he not come this afternoon.
“Perhaps the duke has received your letter and has already dispatched someone to take care of Mr. Pratt.”
“That would be wonderful, but I’m certain it’s not true. I kept looking behind me, fearful that Mr. Pratt was following me.”
“So you think he might be a spy, too?”
“I wouldn’t put it past the duke to watch my every step. I’ve always thought he does anyway. I know he did when I was married to Kitson. He always thought he was going to find me being unfaithful. I would never have done that.”
“I know,” he said with conviction. “Do you know why the duke would be so distrusting?”
“Not for sure, no. I mean I haven’t discussed it with him. I do know from gossip and Kitson that the duke’ssecond wife, a beautiful lady, left him for a man much younger than the duke. Apparently she couldn’t abide by the duke’s iron rules. The man she ran away with was a known charmer and gambler who’d somehow wormed his way into Society. That happened when Kitson was still a little boy so he didn’t know much about his father’s second wife or the man she ran away with. I’ve never heard the duke speak about her and it’s certainly not something anyone would ever ask him about.”
“I can see why. Was his wife ever heard from again?”
“I guess it’s possible, but not that I heard. Now, tell me do you think the man you had in mind can figure out what is written in the ledger?”
“He’s not sure yet. All Mr. Urswick can do is try. He’s very good with figuring out discrepancies in shipping logs and remembering what ship is carrying what cargo. I have hope he can find the pattern that was used. Once he knows that, he should be able to read it. Mr. Ashfield has already started copying the documents so the duke will know for sure you have the originals. I have no idea how long that will take him. All of it will be kept in an iron chest I have in my office. It would not be easy for anyone to break into it even if they should somehow learn the deeds were in there. But I do have some more information you might like to hear.”
“Yes, anything,” she said, scooting closer to him.
“I found more proof that you were right and the duke has secret companies bought in the names of men who don’t really exist.”
Hope rose inside her and she leaned toward him. “That’s wonderful, Garrett. What did you find? How did you discover it?”
“You and I didn’t take time last night to examine all the documents that were in that hidden packet under the desk. I didn’t even look at them when I returned to the inn last night. Today, when Mr. Ashfield was thumbing through them, I recognized a name on one of the documents.”
“What company was it?”
“Not a company. It was a deed for transfer for the house where I grew up. The house I want to buy. The man whose name is registered on the deed is Mr. Peter Moorshavan. When I asked my friend Wiley about the property, he told me the owner had all but vanished. No one seems to know where Mr. Moorshavan went. I have a feeling he hasn’t been found because there is no such man, and we’ll find proof he’s as fictitious as Mr. Eubury.”
Julia tried to tamp down the excitement that made her stomach jump. “That’s welcome news, Garrett. Now you believe me that the duke has secret companies and obviously secret homes, too.” She stopped and gave him a curious look. “I can understand why the duke might want to keep his ownership in suspect companies a secret, but why would he need a secret home?”
Garrett’s mouth narrowed and he gave her a short, whispered laugh. “First, I have never doubted you, Julia. And the house I want to buy wasn’t a home for anyone. It was a business. He had turned it into a hidden brothel.”
“Oh,” she whispered, unable to think of anything else to say immediately. She knew about such places but had never had a reason to talk about one. That subject was as off-limits for a lady to discuss with a gentleman as was money. “The duke is so morally rigid Ifind it hard to believe he’d have anything to do with a brothel or a gaming house. It simply doesn’t fit with the man I know.”
“Chances are more of the companies and properties he owns will turn out to be places like this and places that illegally store hordes of gunpowder in stores on busy streets.”
“But I’m still left wondering why would he do this?”
Garrett shrugged. “Men usually do things for either power, money, revenge, or love. I’m hoping we’ll find some answers in the ledger.”
“Sometimes I think people do things simply because they are miserable,” Julia offered. “He seems a very unhappy and trite man. Especially when no one other than me is around. Chatwyn is the only one who can bring a natural smile to his face, and I do think it’s because he wants to believe Chatwyn makes him think that Kitson is still alive.”
“That’s probably why he has such fear of losing Chatwyn. Tell me, did you find anything else in your search of his office that might have bearing on the secret companies?”
“No.” She looked out over the garden, suddenly feeling pensive. “All the other papers in his office were correspondence-type letters, invitations to various events, or of a political nature. I had thought to search his bedchamber and dressing rooms if nothing was found under his desk. He could have a secret compartment under his bed or chest.”
“I can see the idea of doing that doesn’t appeal to you and I don’t think it’s necessary at this point.” He reached over and skimmed the back of his fingers over her jawline to behind her ear, where he lightly caressed the soft skin. There was soothing warmthin his touch. “We may need to do that, but why don’t we see what Mr. Urswick is capable of doing with the ledger first.”
Julia gazed into Garrett’s searching eyes. The sun was warm on her back, but a light breeze had kicked up and was cooling down the air even more. “I don’t know how much time we have. I told you in the letter Mr. Pratt brought me that he was feeling stronger. At least strong enough to engage the tutor for Chatwyn. I know he will come to London as soon as he’s able to travel. He wants to see a new physician that he’s heard about and a new apothecary in hopes of finding a tonic that will help him feel young again.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We will find a way to prove what the duke is doing and confront him about his wrongdoing concerning the explosion in Manchester. In the meantime, this is a safe place for us to meet.”
Her gaze swept down his face to his lips. “Yes,” she said hopefully. Talking to him made it easy for her to believe they might actually pull this off and bring down the duke.
