Page 74 of The Viscount's Silent Pugilist

“Aren’t we waiting for Mr. Robinson?” Ivan asked.

“Unfortunately, he is not able to join us,” Jonathan said. According to Franny, he’d had to work. Although Jonathan enjoyed the lawman’s company, this was probably for the best since it meant there was more room for the rest of them in the tight quarters. Thankfully, the duke sent his personal carriages for Roseanna and the male fighters.

Nicolas nudged Josie toward the carriage. He clutched her hips and lifted her onto the mounting block.

“I might be pregnant, but I’m not an invalid,” she snapped. “I can climb into a bloody carriage.”

Nicolas grinned at her. “Beautiful, pregnant, and feisty, just the way I like my ladies.”

Although Josie scowled at her husband, her eyes sparkled.

“Gen, go on ahead of me,” Franny said. “I need to speak with Lord and Lady Davenport for a moment.”

His mother, who’d insisted on seeing them off, wrapped her arms around Genevieve. “Good luck, my dear. You will be marvelous. I am so very proud of you.” She pecked Genevieve’s cheek with genuine affection.

Gen bussed her back, then waved goodbye as she and Floppy climbed into the carriage.

“Oh, how I adore that girl,” his mother said, her hands over her heart.

Marvelous news since she would soon be Genevieve’s mother-in-law.

“What do you need, Franny?” Jonathan asked.

“Edward actually left the city a couple of days ago, and he asked me to give you this if he didn’t make it back in time.” Franny withdrew a note from her coat pocket and handed it to his mother. “Good day, my lady.” She bowed and then entered the conveyance.

His mother regarded the missive with wide eyes. “Whatsoever do you think this is about?” she asked, feigning ignorance.

Jonathan rolled his eyes. “Perhaps the investigation we both asked Robinson to look into.”

His mother winced. “So, you know about that?”

“For over a week now.” He didn’t have time to decipher the note whilst a carriage full of travelers waited for them. “What does it say?”

His mother unfolded, then skimmed the missive. “Edward says that the doctor and his wife have no relationship with anyone named Gen, although they believe a young woman named Genevieve once lived in their house with her family. They recently bought their townhouse from the Bailey family.”

“Hmm.” Jonathan murmured. “Do you know the Bailey family?”

His mother stared past Jonathan. “Now I remember,” she said once her gaze focused. “The Earl of Shipley is a Bailey, and he has a sibling. One brother was said to be kind and gentle, the other was a despicable scoundrel. The earl hasn’t been seen in London society in at least a decade. I once heard a rumor that the brothers are estranged. I ignored the tittle-tattle, so I’m unsure what caused them to fall out.”

“But that would mean that Gen is—”

“The earl’s niece,” his mother finished for him. “I assumed she had aristocratic blood in her.”

“For how long have you suspected she wasn’t a misused servant or a mendicant?” And why hadn’t she shared her suspicions with him?

“Since the first time I met her. The way she carries herself. The way she eats—”

“How does she eat?” he asked.

“Like a lady. Unlike Josie used to.”

Memories of the effort it had taken to turn Josie into a lady came to him. The peerage lessons. The etiquette lessons. The backboard. They’d never had to do any of this for Gen. And once she started talking, she had a clear and cultured voice.

Well, slap his cheek with an oversized pickle. The truth had been there all along, and he’d been a clueless dolt. “Why didn’t you say something?”

His mother shrugged. “I assumed you would figure it out on your own. Besides, I did not want to influence you.”

“Meaning?”