Page 40 of Only Pleasure Will Do

Reginald strode outside, the reek of gunpowder overpowering him and making him cough. The garden, or what was left of it, was reminiscent of a battlefield. Smoke still clung to the air, thickening it, leaving a peculiar taste on the tongue. A small crater had been gouged out of the ground. The earth all around it was scorched, with streaks of soot slashing the white marble of the nearby fountain. Of the marble bench that Kat was fond of sitting on there was no trace whatsoever.

Automatically, to keep from thinking about that awful moment with his cousin and her husband and their child, Reginald measured the diameter of the shallow crater, writing the dimensions in his notebook. Next, he knelt and felt the earth, still unpleasantly warm to the touch. The detonation hadn’t been more than an hour ago. If only he’d disregarded Pearl’s fears and pressed home quicker… No, that way lay madness. He could not have forced Maddy’s child to endure that nightmare ride at a full gallop. God forgive him, but his choice had born consequences as well.

Tompkins came up to him, bringing a lantern to combat the gloom as the sun set at last. “Is there anyone else you need to speak with, Sir Reginald? The staff’s right shaken up. Might be best to question them tomorrow after they’ve had a chance to calm down.”

“I don’t need to talk to them, Tompkins. I already know who did this.”

“You do, sir?” The astonishment on the Runner’s face was comical. “How do you know that?”

As a nobleman’s son, Redmond might be difficult to prosecute. Lord Edgemont would certainly have influence with the courts. He’d best tread lightly for the moment. “Suffice it to say I do, and I will be certain he comes to justice one way or another.” If he had to act as judge and executioner himself, he’d see his cousin avenged. On Redmond, at least, but on Maddy, who’d had no choice in the matter… A deep sigh escaped. Better think of that later, once he’d talked with her. “For now, have someone posted here all night, to keep the area free from people who wish to gawk at the—” Dear God. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. This was one duty that would haunt him, he was sure, until his dying day. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and peered calmly at the Runner. “Where are the bodies?”

“Bodies, Sir Reginald?”

Mustering his will, he fixed his face into impassive lines. “Of Lord and Lady Dalbury and their son. I was given to believe that all three perished in the blast.” Damn Tompkins for making him say the words. Imagine the sight. “Where are the remains?”

“I don’t think there were any remains, Sir Reginald. They were…blown up.”

Irritation setting in, Reginald pushed his face into the Runner’s until they were nose to nose. “Even if they were, Tompkins, there would still be remains. A whole body does not disintegrate completely. So where are the pieces that remain so that the family can bury their dead?”

He swallowed hard. He was their family. Him and Jack, Lord Manning. Perhaps Manning had had the bodies removed already, although that would’ve been quick work indeed. Still, Grayson had said Manning knew of the tragedy. It would not be very unusual for a man of his position to have access to such services so quickly. “Did someone else—an undertaker perhaps—take the bodies to be prepared?”

“I don’t actually know, Sir Reginald.” The Runner shrugged. “With all the confusion, someone may well have taken them away. Shall I go ask the butler?”

Shaking his head, Reginald decided to let it go for the night. He’d put the inquiry off as long as he could. As he couldn’t be in two places at once, he’d elect to visit and condole with Manning in the morning. Tonight, he would seek out Maddy at the House of Pleasure, the one place he could almost guarantee she would run to after committing such a heinous deed. He didn’t rightly know what he planned to say to her when he saw her again. Or do to her, for that matter. All he did know was that he must find her and tell her Pearl was safe, and that he might very well be the magistrate who would condemn her to death.