Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
MORRIGAN
They now knew why no one had been able to locate Madame Laborde after Sir Rupert took her away in his carriage from Barn Hill. He didn’t put the artist in a tavern or in some cramped room at an inn. He moved her into his own residence.
Once Morrigan discovered the approximate location, Searc’s people were able to find the house Sir Rupert had taken on Huntly Street, a cobblestone lane that ran along the river. Searc knew the house. It had belonged to a successful old smuggler he’d done business with years ago.
Looking out the front windows of the grey stone building, one would see the exact alignment of the Old Bridge and Castle Hill, just as she’d drawn them in her sketches.
Searc’s people were also able to discern that no one went in or out of the house without Burney’s approval.
A burly footman turned away all callers whenever a passing vendor happened to go knocking.
Only the occasional glimpse of Madame Laborde at an upstairs window confirmed she was there.
While they’d tried to find a way to meet with the artist, Morrigan sent a letter to Burney containing the information they’d decided on.
The duke is coming to Inverness. He plans to meet with the son of Scotland.
A letter had immediately come back to Dalmigavie addressed to Morrigan.
Where? When?
Morrigan responded with her own demand.
Give back my father’s letter.
That left them at a standoff. Morrigan imagined that, despite her handful of good deeds, she wasn’t trusted. The man had to know she would never betray Isabella and her husband. All of this worked perfectly into their plans.
When Morrigan, Aidan, and Sebastian left Dalmigavie with a contingent of men to accompany the carriage, a white blanket of snow still covered the ground. Before they even reached Inverness, however, she was surprised to find the countryside was frozen but free of snow.
Their plan was simple. The back of Sir Rupert Burney’s residence opened out onto a lane that ran parallel with the river.
On the far side lay a large field that Searc referred to as Fairfield Park.
They’d discovered that Madame Laborde left the house nearly every day in the midafternoon and walked briskly around the park. They would approach her there.
They waited for her at the edge of the park when she emerged for her daily jaunt. As she passed the carriage, Morrigan stepped out and approached her.
The artist was immediately alarmed. “I can’t speak to you. They watch me. One of his men always follows when I go for my walks.”
Morrigan already knew that. Sebastian was overseeing a diversion that coincided with Madame Laborde going out.
“We know.” She motioned to the waiting carriage. “Come with me.”
The artist looked back at the house. “I can’t. My money, my jewels. It’s all I have. I can’t leave it behind.”
“Just talk to us. Here. We can arrange for a time to free you when you have your belongings.”
“We?”
“Mr. Grant and I.”
“The barrister. I know of him.” Whatever doubts Madam Laborde had, they seemed to disappear. With another glance back at the house, she followed Morrigan to the carriage.
Introductions were brief as they climbed in, and Aidan ordered the driver to walk on.
“I can’t go far,” Madame Laborde told him.
“I know this neighborhood.” He called up to the driver, “Go as far as Wells Foundry and turn around. And take your time.”
“I knew you’d find me.” The artist turned to Morrigan. “I was certain you’d come.”
“What happened that day at Barn Hill?” she asked.
“I told him everything, but I had to in order to save myself. Your name, why you were there, your offer to help me. What I left out was that it was at my urging that you ran.” The gloved hand twisted the tassel of her reticule.
“He ordered me to go with him immediately, that I was in danger. I had no choice but to go.”
Morrigan had little doubt the relationship between Sir Rupert and Madame Laborde extended beyond her artwork. Aside from being closely guarded, she showed no signs of physical abuse. With the hat and gloves and heavy coat that she wore, of course, it was difficult to know for certain.
She had learned from Wemys that Sir Rupert Burney was a widower.
He didn’t know what caused the death of his wife, but Burney was not averse to occasional acts of violence, despite his calm demeanor in public.
Wemys said the man took a particular pleasure in interrogating the poor souls who found themselves in his clutches.
In the surgery on Infirmary Street, Morrigan had tended to the wounds of his tortured victims.
Her mind flickered to Fiona. She’d been a prisoner of his. But Niall’s sister still refused to speak of what happened to her during those long months. Morrigan hoped nothing evil had befallen her. Perhaps fear of the lieutenant had been enough to keep her safe.
“You have an arrangement with Sir Rupert that appears to suit you. Why do you want to leave?” Aidan’s question was direct. The kind, amiable gentleman had disappeared, leaving the serious man of law in their company.
“I have no illusions. What I have now is not permanent. As I told you before, it is a matter of survival.”
“Why not wait six months, a year? Certainly, what you’re being paid for your artwork should allow you to return to France a rich woman.”
“Ah, but what if I don’t live so long?” She pulled at the collar of her coat, burrowing deeper into its warmth.
“The day I met Miss Drummond, I had no choice but to go with him. Since I arrived at this house, however, I’ve been in his power.
I am no better than a prisoner here. I’m told what to do, what to draw, who to entertain, when to smile . . . and . . .”
She stopped and stared out the window. No one had to guess at her other duties.
“We can help you get out,” Morrigan told her. “The offer I made before still stands.”
“But you don’t understand. Sir Rupert is cunning.
He has his ways. He’ll find me. I know so much more about him now than I did when I was at Barn Hill.
I’ve heard things. He is dangerous. And he is driven by revenge.
” Her eyes moved from Morrigan to Aidan and back.
“I want to leave, but I am also fearful he’ll find me. And when he does, he’ll kill me.”
“Not if you destroy him first,” Aidan suggested.
“That’s impossible. He’s too strong. Too shrewd. What can I do?”
“To some extent, at least, he trusts you. You can use that. As you say, you’ve heard things.”
Morrigan took her hand. “You already know that the Duke of Clarence is coming to Inverness. You gave us the clues in your caricature.”
Madame Laborde’s look showed her approval. “I knew you’ll discover the clue.”
“What is Sir Rupert’s reaction to this visit?”
“He is furious about it. He offered to provide for the duke’s security, but he was flatly refused.
He feels slighted, snubbed. This is the most important visit to Scotland by a member of the royal family in a hundred years, and the director of Home Office operations in the Highlands has been excluded entirely. ”
No doubt Morrigan had added fuel to the fire when she informed him the duke was meeting with the son of Scotland.
“What if you were to help us, without jeopardizing your situation as it is?” Aidan suggested. “What if we worked together to eliminate Sir Rupert?”
“Eliminate?”
“With your help, we shall expose him to the wrath of his own masters. We shall make him look like a traitor. He will suffer the consequences, and you will be amply rewarded.”
“And free,” Morrigan added.
Madame Laborde’s gaze shifted from her to Aidan, where it lingered adoringly. She didn’t blame the woman. She felt exactly the same way when he had explained his plans to her at Dalmagavie. She felt that way when they weren’t making any plans.
“Is it possible?”
“Absolutely. He has already fallen out of favor with Lord Sidmouth. He failed to stop a meeting from taking place between Queen Caroline and the son of Scotland. Their confidence in him is nearly gone. He’s teetering on the edge of an abyss. With your help, we can give him that final push.”
Madame Laborde sat forward in her seat, her eyes flashing with excitement. “What can I do?”
“Two things, to start.” Aidan glanced out the window. They were turning around. “You must pass on to him, in a very casual way, a rumor that you learned from one of the servants. The cook perhaps. Or your maid. Something they heard on market day.”
“I decide on the menu. I speak to the cook every day. What shall I tell Sir Rupert?”
“Tell him there’s a dinner and reception being given at the home of a Captain Kenedy,” he told her.
“The captain has a fine house down river, not far from here. Sir Rupert knows him. The dinner will be taking place next month, on the second Friday of February. Mention that the party is being touted as the event of the winter, so grand that one might think the king himself is attending.”
“The second Friday.” She thought about it. “But that coincides with the Duke of Clarence’s visit.”
Morrigan exchanged a look with Aidan. “Exactly.”
“Is the duke to attend?”
“One would assume so.”
“I know that Sir Rupert Burney has not been invited. And he won’t be. He is never asked to attend such receptions.”
“The Mackintoshes, however, will be attending.”
“The son of Scotland as well?” she asked.
“Perhaps,” Aidan suggested.
“Oh, that will destroy him. He’ll be so angry.” She cringed. “He’s so preoccupied with arresting and prosecuting Cinaed Mackintosh. If Sir Rupert thinks that deals are being made behind his back, he’ll lose his mind.”
“That is when we hoist him on his own petard.”
Madame Laborde smiled with satisfaction at the thought. “That would be lovely, Mr. Grant.”
“Tell me, madame, how good an actress are you?”
“Proficient.” She gave a casual shrug and looked at Morrigan. “I was able to let you walk away unharmed, and I’m still alive. That says something.”
“Do you have any influence with Sir Rupert?” Aidan asked.
She colored. “To some extent.”
“Does he listen to suggestions you might make? Your ideas?”
“He thinks I am very clever. He enjoys my caricatures immensely.”
Aidan leaned forward, his voice a soft caress. “Could a casual suggestion be made about how horrible, how unnatural it would be if the duke were attacked while he was visiting Inverness?”
He paused, letting his words sink in with their new ally.
“Perhaps while he was dining at an event like the one at Captain Kenedy’s house,” he continued.
She brought a hand to her chest in shock. “Highlanders attacking the brother of the king? It would mean war.”
“Precisely.”
Madame Laborde looked at them in silence as she pondered this. Finally, a smile pulled at her lips. “I understand. If Sir Rupert were to thwart such an audacious plot, he would emerge as the hero. He would save the duke and seize Cinaed Mackintosh in one fell swoop.”
“Can you do it?” Morrigan asked.
“I can play this part.” The artist pursed her lips. “But I have one condition. I must be taken from here the night of Captain Kenedy’s reception.”