Chapter Thirty-Two
T revor hurried into White’s where he’d been told Trey and Dominic were spending their leisurely afternoon. Other lords greeted Trevor, and he nodded to be polite, but never replied. After searching through two rooms, he found Trey and Dominic playing cards with three other men.
Slowing his pace, Trevor strolled to the table so as not to draw any attention to himself. He waited patiently—though he wanted to drag the two out of this room by their ears—until the card game ended and a winner was announced. Trevor sighed in relief.
“Kenbridge, my good man,” Dominic said cheerfully. “Would you enjoy playing the next game with us?”
“No, I do not wish to join. What I would like, instead, is to talk with you and my brother. In private, if at all possible.”
Hawthorne and Trey traded glances before they pushed away from the table and muttered excuses to the others. Trevor led them out of the room and into another more private.
“You are out of sorts again today, aren’t you?” Trey asked.
“Actually yes, but for different reasons this time.” Trevor walked to the window and glanced outside but didn’t really see anything. There was too much on his mind to concentrate on other things. “I need your help.” He looked back at the other two. “I need to find Louisa.”
Both men gaped—their eyes widened.
Trey shook his head. “You are not talking rationally, my brother. Are you not the one who told her to leave the other night?”
“Indeed, I did, but I was wrong. Dreadfully wrong.” He handed the letter to them and waited for them to read it. When they both looked up, surprise registered on their faces even more than before.
“She really is the Danvers’ daughter,” Hawthorne muttered.
“Yes, she is. But what is worse, is that Macgregor was stabbed in an alleyway last night.” Trevor shoved the newspaper at them. “I’m worried Louisa will get blamed for killing the man.”
“No, it could not have been her.” Trey skimmed the article. “She would not do that, but even if she did, I would not judge her.”
“Not me, either,” Dominic quickly added.
“Another thing that worries me is the witness who claims to have seen a woman running away from the stabbing.” Trevor pointed to the newspaper. “I don’t trust Miss Watson. Her actions the other night at Mother’s dinner party proved she is hiding something.”
Dominic grumbled and slammed his fist against a chair. “I feel the same frustration, Your Grace. What is it that you wish us to do?”
“Somehow we have to find her and protect her. She cannot go to the gaol for a crime she did not commit.”
Pushing his fingers through his black hair, Trey walked to a chair and sat. “What about her family? Should they know?”
“She does not wish them to know,” Dominic argued as he flipped his finger against the letter.
“I debated over this issue as well,” Trevor said. “I think I know why Louisa doesn’t want them to know—because of her criminal past.”
“A past she had no control over.” Dominic huffed.
“I agree, but she is not thinking that way.” Trevor shook his head. “I believe her family would want to know if she was in danger so they could help.”
“Will Louisa be put out with you for telling her family?” Trey asked.
Trevor shrugged. “That is a chance I will have to take. Right now, I fear for her safety.” He switched his attention between Trey and Dominic. “Are you with me?”
“Always.” Trey stood.
“Right beside you, Your Grace.” Dominic nodded. “I will do anything to help that poor woman.”
Trevor scowled and pointed his finger toward his brother’s best friend. “Do not think about charming her, do you understand?”
A grin stretched across Hawthorne’s mouth. “I promise not to seduce her, just as long as you admit you are in love with her.”
“Augh!” Trevor threw his hands in the air. He couldn’t count how many times he wanted to punch the insolent lord in the face but resisted. “Fine. I shall admit it now. I love her. I have loved her almost from the first day I brought her to my home. There. Are you satisfied?”
Trey chuckled and patted his brother’s back. “No need to get so upset, Trevor. Hawthorne and I knew you were in love with her all this time. We were just waiting for you to admit it.”
Mumbling curses, Trevor swung around and marched toward the front door. A smile tried to tug at his lips, but he refused to allow the other two lords to see how uncomfortable this made him. Admitting he had such feelings for a woman—since he’d never had them before—was new to him and he wished Hawthorne and his brother hadn’t witnessed his weakness.
Nonetheless, Trevor did love her and he’d do anything to help her.
Trey caught up to Trevor and tugged on his sleeve. He stopped and faced his youngest brother. A smirk played across Trey’s face. “Not to worry, my dear brother.” Trey grinned. “Hawthorne knows how to make the Worthington men confess things they don’t normally do. If not for Nic, I would not have admitted to loving Judith.”
Trevor arched a brow. “Indeed?”
“Oh yes. Nic even went as far as to kiss her—in front of me, no less.”
A chuckle sprang to Trevor’s throat. “I can believe that. But if he tries that on Louisa, I swear I will call him out.”
“Oh, I’m quite certain Hawthorne will not do that to Louisa. Or to you. Nic knows me well, which is why he attempted to make me jealous.” He shrugged. “It worked like a charm.”
“Good.” Trevor turned and hurried out the front door as a servant ran to fetch the horses.
Hawthorne stopped beside Trevor and nudged his arm. “Are we going to talk to the Danverses now?”
“Yes.”
“I wish we knew more about Miss Watson. I, too, don’t feel she is being entirely honest.”
Trevor glanced at Nic. “Well, considering her uncle is the very man who kidnapped Louisa, I think that right there will give the Danverses enough doubt to start questioning her as well.”
“Good thinking, brother.” Trey nodded.
The servant brought the horses around, and each man grasped the reins. Just as Trevor mounted, another horseman rode up to them and stopped quickly. The dust around them puffed into thick clouds, and the wind didn’t assist matters any, either.
As the dust cloud cleared, Trevor recognized the rider. “Tristan. It is good to see you this afternoon.”
“Trevor, I’m glad I caught you. I was just at the gaol, and—”
“You were at the gaol?” Trevor’s voice rose. “Why? What happened? Do I need to hire my solicitor to represent you?” He shook his head. “I cannot believe they think you guilty of Hollingsworth’s death.”
“Trevor, that’s not why I was there. But as I was leaving, the police were bringing in a prisoner.” Tristan leaned over and touched Trevor’s arm. “They have arrested Louisa.”
Trevor’s heart cried out and buzzed through his already pounding head. His chest ached as panic surged through him. He glanced at Trey and Hawthorne, whose angry expressions mirrored the way Trevor felt.
“Go tell the Danverses,” Trevor instructed. “It’s extremely crucial for me to talk with Louisa now.” He turned to Tristan. “Will you help me?”
“Yes. What do you wish me do to?”
“Find Miss Watson. She is behind this somehow. I need to know.”
Tristan shrugged. “I can help you with that one already. Miss Watson was the one who turned Louisa in to the authorities.”
Trevor’s curses mixed loudly with Trey and Dominic’s. “All right, so the woman is more vindictive than we thought. I shall ride to the gaol immediately. Hopefully Louisa can shed some light on this.”
Trey and Dominic kicked their horses into a run as Tristan followed. With a heavy heart, Trevor rode toward the gaol, knowing not what he would find, or even if Louisa would speak to him. He had been wrong to judge her so quickly the other night and he would always be sorrowful for his actions. But right now he must make amends by finding Macgregor’s true killer.
He rode his horse hard, only stopping when he reached the building. Quickly, he dismounted and threw his reins to a servant boy who hurried over to assist. Trevor’s long strides ate up the distance between him and the gaol until he walked inside. Many people milled about, and he turned to the first policeman he found.
“Please, sir. I need to speak with the magistrate or governor of the facility,” Trevor demanded.
“Neither are here at the moment. How may I assist you?”
“I am the Duke of Kenbridge, and I heard you brought in a prisoner. A woman by the name of Louisa Hamilton. I would like to see her, please.”
The other man arched a gray bushy eyebrow. “Why, may I ask?”
“Because she works for me, and I think she is innocent. I will hire my solicitor if I must, but she will not be sent to the gallows for something she did not do.”
“I shall allow you to see her, but only for a few minutes.” The jailer turned and walked down a long hall.
The stench of unwashed bodies and rotten food had Trevor gagging. He withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket and lifted it to his nose. “Has her trial been set yet?”
“No, it has not,” the man told him over his shoulder. “Perhaps tomorrow when Magistrate Templeton arrives.”
Trevor could not let Louisa stay in this godforsaken place overnight. There had to be some way to get her released.
As he passed the rooms lining tightly along the way, he noticed the damp walls and floors. Mice scampered across the floor as if they owned the building. Bile rose to Trevor’s throat. These conditions were not tolerable. He must get Louisa out—even if he had to sneak her out.
The jailer stopped at a door and withdrew a set of brass keys, Trevor peered into the small window. Sitting on a cot facing the wall with her black cloak wrapped around her was the woman he loved completely. Her hair flowed long over her shoulders and back and much too tangled for his liking. Her appearance almost reminded him of when he had brought her home, the only difference being her clothes were not tattered. His heart wrenched with sorrow.
As the jailer unlocked the door, Louisa turned her head toward the opening with widened eyes. The man took one step inside. “You have a visitor.” Then he backed out and motioned for Trevor to enter. Taking a deep breath, Trevor walked in.