Chapter 17
The chilly dampness of the alley’s brick wall seeped through Theo’s jacket as he stood in the dark, watching the people entering and exiting the Fox and Hound.
For the past three weeks, Theo had gone into the pub at different times and days, deliberately maintaining an irregular pattern of visits, while varying the direction he took to reach the small tavern.
Simpson’s visits to the Fox and Hound had never been regular, and Theo hadn’t expected the man to make an appearance right away. But he was certain the bastard had eyes everywhere, which meant Theo’s route was being tracked from the moment he entered the East End.
He’d enlisted Teasdale to act as an acquaintance he met often at the pub.
It provided a reason for visiting the pub on a regular basis, while allowing him to pass on any information he collected to C through the field agent.
Before and after leaving the Fox and Hound, he spent one to two hours watching the pub from one of the two alleys that gave him a clear view of the tavern’s entrance.
The alleyways and his taking up residence in a boarding house near Melton Imports were the three major flaws in his efforts to keep Simpson from tracking him.
Despite the danger, it couldn’t be helped.
Theo wasn’t about to give up the location of the safe house, nor could he risk Simpson discovering his real identity and putting his family in jeopardy.
Choosing to rent a room at a boarding house created the appearance that he lived near the wharf because of his work.
He varied the places where he had dinner and altered the times he arrived and left Melton Imports.
On occasion, Theo had even had an early dinner, gone into the boarding house as if retiring for the night, only to slip out the window of his room after dark to make his way to the Fox and Hound.
He wasn’t sure how effective the tactic was when trying to avoid being followed, but it did add to his unpredictability.
All he knew was that if he wanted to track Simpson and the man’s haunts, he needed to follow the bastard after the man left the Fox and Hound.
Last night Simpson had arrived at the pub late, and Theo had already left his watch post. Frustrated that he’d missed the bastard, he’d broken his usual habit of never going to the pub more than three times a week.
Theo had entered the Fox and Hound shortly after arriving in the East End from the Melton Imports offices.
He’d taken his time drinking his ale, chatted with Teasdale, and acted as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
An impression he was surprised he’d actually been able to pull off.
When Simpson didn’t appear after an hour, Theo had left and circled back to the alleyway that gave him the best view of the tavern’s entrance.
Since beginning his vigil, Theo hadn’t visited his parents, and he’d missed the past four family dinners.
Jamie had been covering for him, saying Theo had been working long hours at Melton Imports, but that excuse had been shaky at best. When his father had first purchased the shipping import business on Theo’s recommendation, the earl had put him in charge of overseeing the import business.
Wanting his father to know the import business was running smoothly under his oversight, Theo, or his business manager, prepared weekly reports for the earl’s review.
He knew the last three reports sent to Melton House contained nothing of importance to justify Theo’s continued absence.
In all likelihood, the reports and Jamie’s excuses for Theo had been the reason for father growing suspicions that there was something else keeping him away.
Then, two nights ago, he’d missed his fourth family dinner.
A couple of hours later, his cousin had sent word through Teasdale hours that the earl had questioned Jamie and Vincent at length as to his whereabouts.
Unfortunately, Jamie had erred in telling the Earl of Melton that Theo had taken a mistress.
It was the kind of error his cousin rarely made. His father knew Theo was in love with Genevieve, hell, most of the family knew that. It was why the earl’s reaction made it clear he knew his nephew was lying.
Jamie had sent word through Teasdale several hours later, along with his apologies as to what had happened.
His cousin, along with Vincent, had been covering for him for more than three weeks now, and Theo knew the Earl of Melton could be quite tenacious when getting to the heart of a matter.
Jamie wasn’t one to make mistakes while working for the Crown, but lying to an acquaintance of a suspect wasn’t the same thing as lying to a Rockwood.
Theo knew his father could be a persistent force when firing off question after question in pursuit of the truth. Jamie had to have been desperate for an excuse to come up with a mistress as the reason for Theo’s absence. But the damage was done, and Theo knew what was coming next.
Lord Melton made it a habit to visit the wharf every two or three months, but he always told Theo in advance he intended to drop by the office.
Given his absence from Melton House and family dinners, his father’s interrogation of Jamie and Vincent, and his cousin’s error, Theo had no doubts his father would visit Melton Imports without any notification.
It was the reason he’d spent the last three days at the office braced for his father to appear unannounced.
By this afternoon, he’d begun to relax, thinking he’d been worried for nothing, until his father had appeared in the accounting office doorway.
The moment he’d seen the Earl of Melton’s tall, distinguished figure, Theo knew his reprieve hadn’t been a reprieve at all.
From his father’s expression, Theo knew the earl hadn’t come to check on the business.
The Earl of Melton’s visit signaled his intention to have a conversation about something entirely different.
Perhaps the worst thing about the earl’s arrival was how his father’s tall figure had blocked Theo’s view of his Uncle Percy standing behind the family’s patriarch.
His heart sank the moment Theo saw his father’s younger brother.
Bloody hell, why would Uncle Percy be accompanying his father?
As his uncle entered the office, Percy Rockwood closed the door behind him.
An image of Genevieve’s face filled Theo’s head before his rapid heartbeat became a violent rhythm in his chest, and his mouth went dry with fear. Had Simpson found Genevieve?
“Genevieve. Something’s happened,” he choked out. “Is she all right?”
Laying his hat on the corner of the desk, his father sank down into one of the chairs in front of the furniture, while Uncle Percy took the other. Lord Melton gestured for Theo to sit down, while Uncle Percy reassured him with a wave of his hand.
“Genevieve is fine, other than walking around the house with eyes red from crying. She says she’s not sleeping well, but we’ve heard her sobbing in her bedroom,” his uncle said.
Relief sped through Theo, his heartbeat slowing to a normal pace.
A second later, his brain absorbed the entirety of Uncle Percy’s reply.
For Genevieve to even walk around with red eyes from crying was virtually unheard of.
It indicated how distraught she was. If there was one thing she never allowed anyone to know, it was how worried or upset she was.
The night Simpson assaulted her, Genevieve’s fear for his safety had been undeniable beneath her anger.
She’d tried every argument she could think of to keep him from returning to the East End to confront Simpson.
From her vehement demands C be told by Jamie and Vincent that he should not be allowed to return to the East End, to her own pleas he not go before he’d left the parlor that night.
All of it proved to him that Genevieve loved him without her saying the words.
When this was all over, he’d find a way to make her see that he didn’t care if they never had a child of their own. At least they’d be happy together. The most important thing at the moment was the fact she was safe. That was the only thing that mattered at the moment. She was safe.
His fears alleviated, Theo looked at his father, startled to see anger darkening the earl’s face. Whatever he’d done, his father was definitely unhappy with him, and Theo steeled himself for an inquisition.
“I would like an explanation for your behavior, Lord Selbourne,” his father said in a voice crisp with disapproval.
Christ Jesus, his father never used his formal title unless it was in public or when he was about to castigate Theo for a serious transgression.
He swallowed the knot that had taken two seconds to form in his throat.
Bloody hell, had they discovered he’d made loved to Genevieve, not once, but three times?
Had she told her parents about all that had transpired between them?
No, she wouldn’t do that. If she did, the family would insist she marry Theo.
Genevieve wasn’t about to agree to that, at least not until he had a chance to convince her otherwise.
Perhaps she’d confessed to one of her sisters, or maybe Imogene?
Someone who’d gone to his uncle and father.
One question after another bounced around in his head, and he tried to focus his thoughts.
What he needed to do now was to ascertain the purpose of the earl’s query.
As if surprised by his father’s question, Theo feigned puzzlement with a frown.
“My behavior?”