Chapter Ten
“G eorge, you must know that these pieces are no bounty found randomly at a dig.” Adeline kept her voice low. “These are priceless items kept in pristine condition. They belong in a museum.”
George frowned as they waited in the front hall for their parents to come downstairs. He stepped closer to her. “Addy, Father has expressly asked me to help set up an auction to sell the items as soon as possible. He needs the money. Who cares about some musty old Greek artifacts? Think about it this way, if he can sell them for a pretty penny, he will be less likely to pressure you to marry quickly.”
That gave Adeline a small pause. She was still cross that she was the one to be sold off when George was the older sibling. He should be picking out a wealthy bride to solve their problems.
Still, her conscience rankled. “These items were most likely stolen. You must have realized this, too. You both could get into a lot of trouble for having them, let alone selling them.”
“Why do you think they are stolen? Father said they were part of the shipment. He invested in the voyage. This was his payment.”
“George, are you being deliberately obtuse? When you invest in a commercial venture you make your investment back in the profit of the goods sold. You don’t get paid in random artifacts. These items are ancient; they belong in a museum.”
Her brother looked affronted. “You don’t know everything, Addy. Just let me handle Father.” His expression softened, and he patted her arm. “Things aren’t so bad. We still have income from the estate. Which is plenty to live comfortably.” Adeline caught his quiet mutter as he turned toward the stairs. “If I could only keep Father from throwing it all away at the tables.”
She twisted her white satin gloves in her hands. George did his best to mitigate their father’s bad behaviors, but she feared that he did not understand how truly awful Father was. Her eyes had been opened to the terrible things he was capable of, and she worried that this newest ploy would ruin both men.
“My dear, you look lovely in that shade of pink,” her mother said as she descended the stairs. “Doesn’t she look lovely, Roger?”
Adeline’s father nodded. “Yes, dear.” He hardly spared Adeline a glance, but she didn’t mind. If he didn’t pay attention to her, he wouldn’t fuss about her spectacles. She slid on her gloves, and her mother helped her with the buttons. “You look lovely as well, Mother. The jade green is beautiful.”
“Thank you, dear. I am looking forward to an evening out.”
Her father tugged on his cravat and then pulled out a handkerchief to blot his brow. “Shall we go?” he said testily.
Two footmen hurried forward with their wraps, and soon, the four of them were climbing into the carriage. Her father glanced around, apprehension written across his features, as George helped their mother into the carriage. Adeline observed him carefully as she settled in across from her mother. Her father’s eyes darted to the square before he climbed in behind George. As he sat across from her, she could see sweat beading across his forehead. Was he feeling ill?
Her mother must have noticed as well because she patted his hand. “Are you feeling well, dear?”
His eyes snapped back to his wife. “Yes, fine. I am glad you are feeling up to accompanying us tonight.”
“I am also happy. Now I won’t have to spend the whole evening watching over this one.” George elbowed Adeline gently in the side with a grin.
Her mother sent her brother a reproving look.
“Just kidding, pet.”
Adeline sent George a glare, but mostly for show. He really was a good brother. From across the carriage, her mother smiled indulgently at the two of them. Adeline couldn’t help but notice her father take out his handkerchief again and mop his brow while he stared out the window. Where were his thoughts tonight?
She stayed quiet the rest of the ride to the Jansons’ grand townhome in Berkeley Square as her mother and brother chatted animatedly. Perhaps she should tell George about the threats she overheard the thugs give her father. She wrung her hands. She wasn’t one to believe in intangibles like intuition, but nevertheless, a sinking sense of anxiety over the upcoming evening sat sour in her stomach.
*
Malcolm did as instructed and kept to the card room at the Janson fete. He watched Lord Rawlings, who sat across the room, drinking brandy like it was water at a vingt-et-un table. The big square room held eight gaming tables filled with men avoiding the dancing and womenfolk in the ballroom. Malcolm wished the opposite. Flirting with Lady Amberley would be much more pleasant than choking on cigar smoke and pretending to laugh at the ribald jokes told by the three other men at his table. At his turn, Malcolm laid down a pair of aces. All the men at his table groaned. “Sorry, gentlemen. Guess luck is with me tonight.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lord Rawlings rise and move toward the doors that led back to the main corridor. Malcolm scooped up his winnings. “Think I’ll leave the game while my luck is holding.”
He pocketed the coins and left the room a few minutes behind Lord Rawlings. He cast a glance in both directions. Blast, his timing was off, and he couldn’t see Rawlings anywhere. This was precisely why he would make a terrible intelligence officer. After one more look around, he headed back toward the ballroom instead.
Inside, he spotted Danby standing near the doorway. The man paced in front of an empty bench next to a curtained alcove. “Ho, Danby.” Malcolm strode over to his friend.
Danby’s habitual grin was absent. “Iveson. I didn’t know you’d be here tonight. Good to see you.”
Malcolm glanced around. “Are you waiting for someone?”
“Oh, no, not at all. Just taking a breather.” He paced away but then spun around on one heel. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyebrows lowered. “Malcolm, can I ask you a favor?”
“Anything,” Malcolm assured him. His friend seemed strung tight as a bow.
“There you are, dear. We wondered where you were hiding.”
Malcolm turned toward the new voice and was pleased to find Lady Adeline Amberley and an older woman who, with her similar dark hair and wide brown eyes, must be George and Adeline’s mother.
Danby ran a finger along his collar. His gaze met his sister’s. “I haven’t been hiding, Mother.”
Malcolm watched a silent conversation flow between the siblings. Like the other week when he first met her, Adeline’s expressive features conveyed some frustration with her brother. But she soon turned her attention to Malcolm.
“Mother, may I introduce Lord Kingsbury. Lord Kingsbury, this is our mother, Lady Rawlings.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Lord Kingsbury.” Lady Rawlings extended a hand.
Malcolm bowed over it. “A pleasure to meet you, Lady Rawlings.”
“I have heard so much about you already. You are in London after a long absence?”
“Yes, ma’am. I command a ship in the Royal Navy. We have been at sea for the past nine months. Our assignment is to track and deter smugglers from bringing contraband into Britain.”
“That sounds exciting. Do you catch many criminals?” Lady Rawlings asked.
“Yes, ma’am. I am very good at my job,” he replied.
Danby froze in place. His hands clasped tightly in front of him. “I did not know that was your job, Kingsbury.”
“Yes, normally. But I am on leave currently and focusing on pleasurable pursuits.” Malcolm smiled at Lady Amberley. “Do you have any space on that dance card for me tonight?”
“I’m sure I do.” She stepped forward and held her hand to offer him her dance card.
He penciled his name in for a slot later in the evening. “I look forward to discovering what subject we might debate this evening.”
“As do I.” Her lips curved into a small smile.
Like her quiet chuckles, the lady seemed to always moderate her expressions of pleasure. The urge to make her grin wide and toothy, like she had the other evening at the Hartwicks’ dinner party, thrummed through him. Whenever she was near, this need to bring her pleasure consumed his focus. And there were so many ways he could think of to pleasure this lady.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Lord Rawlings walking past an open door. Malcolm mentally shook free of his increasingly carnal thoughts. He needed to focus on his assignment.
He gave Lady Amberley and her mother a short bow. “Please excuse me. I have seen a gentleman I must speak with.”
Before he exited the ballroom, Danby grabbed his sleeve. “Meet for a drink later? After hours at the Blue Angel?”
Malcolm nodded. If Danby wished to talk, then he would listen. He’d like to believe his friend wasn’t involved in this investigation; regardless, it was his duty to find the missing items and return them. He exited the door he’d seen Rawlings pass by and turned in the direction he had seen the man heading. A long corridor stretched out in front of him. This one flanked the other side of the front hall, opposite the hallway where the card rooms were. The plush carpeting muffled his footsteps as he walked and peered into darkened rooms.
Halfway down, he paused when he heard voices. The fourth door on the left was ajar, and a slice of light spilled out. Malcolm slipped into the room across from it and closed its door halfway. Standing in the dark, he hoped he was hidden enough to go unnoticed if the men were to exit. From his vantage point, he saw Rawlings pacing in front of the ajar door.
“Listen, we must sell the pieces immediately. I have debts to pay. They are not the type of men to wait politely.” He ran a hand over his mostly bald head before walking out of Malcolm’s line of view.
“We cannot,” a much calmer voice replied. “It is too soon, and the pieces are too rare not to be noticed. We must be prudent if we want to get the best price.”
That voice niggled at Malcolm’s brain.
“I tell you, it can’t wait. I should have never listened to you,” Rawlings grumbled. “What was I thinking investing in stolen goods?”
A hand landed heavily on Rawlings’s shoulder. “You won’t regret the investment. I tell you that there are collectors who will be salivating to add these pieces to their collections. They will bring us all a pretty profit. The contraband tea was an unexpected snag. The ship’s captain saw an opportunity for himself and got greedy.”
This was it. All that he needed was to see who the other man was, perhaps one of the other lords? Neelum or Fenwick?
“But what about now? I need the money now.”
“Hmmm, I’ll tell you what. I will give what you need to pay off your creditors if you finally say yes and give me that lovely daughter of yours in marriage. You have been dodging the deal for weeks now.”
“Yes, of course. If she is what you want, you can have her.” Rawlings shook the other man’s hand, sealing the agreement.
Malcolm sucked in a sharp breath. Adeline had been right about her father. He had just sold her off, without a second thought, to pay off his debts.
“Excellent. Come see me at my home tomorrow afternoon, and I will write you a draft. Now, perhaps you can arrange a dance with the girl?”
“Of course,” Rawlings replied.
Malcolm stepped back into the shadows as the door opposite opened all the way. Rawlings exited first, followed by Lord Bellamy. Malcolm pursed his lips. Crafty bastard. Playing both sides. He leaned back against the wall next to the door. The plot thickens . It was unsurprising that Rawlings was complicit in the theft; Malcolm had his suspicions from the start. But Bellamy? Although now that Malcolm thought about it, as foreign secretary, he would have the connections to know what artifacts to steal and from whom. And the status to procure hapless investors. Using men like Rawlings, who were always on the edge of bankrupting their coffers.
But to use all this to also get himself a young bride? True villainy. Malcolm would talk to Danby tonight. Lay out what he knew and give his friend a chance to fix things. Perhaps if Danby agreed to hand over the items to Malcolm, then he could return them discreetly and keep the family from scandal. It would not solve their father’s debts, but that was not Malcolm’s problem. He would talk to Admiral Daniels about Lord Bellamy, though, and make sure that the man could not get his hands on Adeline Amberley.