It had been foolish to speak so openly with Millie in the room. Chase and she had been talking about their plans for the day when Reece had arrived and encouraged her to remain, stating his visit was to be short and uninteresting. That night he was leaving on the Sea Emerald for Savannah and then a few other places. He had also asked Millie to tell Aimee of his lengthy voyage and that he had meant what he said. Millie had asked “About what?” but Reece said Aimee would understand. Chase had seen that Millie was unsatisfied and was going to probe for more information, so to help out his friend, he asked Reece about the thief—an incredibly shortsighted solution. But Chase’s true folly was not having procured from Millie a promise of silence on the subject.
The lack of such a vow had practically been an invitation to gossip. As a result, she had predictably not only disclosed Reece’s parting comments to her friends but also all that she had heard concerning the thief. Never could Chase have dreamed what the Daring Three would do, armed with such information. Not a sane man in the world would have anticipated the three of them being so foolish as to venture to the London Docks in the middle of the night, all in the futile hopes of catching his best friend having one last lark before he left for America.
Chase sank down onto one of the padded hearth chairs and fought the inclination to assure his wife that he was almost certain Aimee was safely aboard the Sea Emerald and not in immediate danger.
Based on Millie’s description of the pinnace and scarf she had seen, he had suspected which ship had his sister. Less than half a dozen ships had left the Hermitage Basin before Chase was able to order it closed for a search. Aimee had not been found, but just two of the ships that had departed prior to the search had pinnaces. Only the ones belonging to the Sea Emerald were painted green and white.
He had been talking to the captain of the Zephyr when one of the dock managers escorted two night laborers, who had witnessed the abduction but were “too far away to do anything about it,” over to see him. They said a thin man was being dragged into a green and white pinnace, but that the man neither fought his captors nor struggled for his freedom. Neither worker could recall hearing any cries for help.
Chase had encountered enough liars to recognize when a man was hiding something, and those men had been too scared to lie convincingly. He believed their story, mostly because he could just see his little sister, with her claims to be madly in love, seizing any opportunity to be with Reece.
So after sending the two workers away, he ordered the Zephyr’s captain to quickly remove much of the ship’s cargo and leave immediately. Chase knew there was little chance of catching the Sea Emerald, despite the Zephyr’s lightened load. Reece had his ship especially built by a man in the colonies working on a new design for swifter, more maneuverable ships. So far, the Sea Emerald was proving to be one of the fastest on the Atlantic. If pressed, Reece could get to the West Indies and back in less than two months, but Chase expected to see his friend in port long before then. The minute Reece discovered Aimee aboard, the Sea Emerald would be on its way back to London.
Until then, Aimee would be uncomfortable without the luxuries of a soft bed, good food, and servants, but she would be safe. More than likely Reece had locked her in a room for the entire trip, making his younger sister quite repentant by the time her feet touched shore again. It was up to Chase to find a way of making his wife just as repentant and finally willing to end her penchant for being reckless with her life.
It was one thing to be venturesome, daring, bold, and even a little rash, but only the most senseless of people would go out in the middle of the night to the docks with no ability to protect themselves. And yet the Daring Three had done just that and would continue with such foolishness again and again if he did not do something to discourage this behavior immediately.
It has to stop, he told himself as he mentally replayed last night’s discourse.
He had spoken to Millie in a way he had never spoken to anyone. Fear unlike any he had ever known had flooded through him, washing away his supposedly perfected self-control. Even so, it was nothing to what it could have been. What Millie did not understand was just how much he loved her; that if any harm ever came to her, he would be a terrifying man to be around. He had gained too many deadly skills in the war and his restraint would cease to exist.
Millie might be smart and resourceful, but she thought herself invincible and she was not. Worse, her ignorance of the world also made her vulnerable. Fortune had watched over the Daring Three last night, and thankfully none of them had been hurt, but if he relayed the good news about his sister’s safety, Millie and Jennelle might then see last night’s escapade as a success.
When the rap on the door came, he had not yet decided whether or not to tell her. All he knew was that he would do whatever it took to ensure Millie never caused him to fear for her well-being again.
Jennelle entered the study first, letting Millie follow. She knew her presence had not been requested and she should not join a married couple’s discussion about a highly private matter, but she did not care. This time she would be at Millie’s side and not on the other side of the door, cringing, unable to do anything but listen to the fiercest tongue-lashing Jennelle had ever heard. She had waited for Millie to defend herself, but she had uttered not one word. Jennelle vowed that would not happen again today.
Charles had assumed last night’s foray was not only Millie’s idea, but a direct result of her recklessness. And with the exception of one scathing comment about how she, “Jennelle, the sensible one,” should have stopped Aimee or told Chase what Millie was planning, all of his stinging assaults were aimed at his already suffering wife.
He never once considered that Millie might be terrified about losing her best friend. Not one word of comfort did he offer. And though he never raised his voice, never yelled or shouted one word, his low, menacing tones whipped out one harsh statement after another. And based on the barking orders he had just bellowed the moment he came back home, it appeared Millie was about to receive a second serving of the same.
Jennelle practically had to bite her tongue in an effort to keep her promise. Millie had practically forced her into a solemn vow to never correct any of Charles’s erroneous assumptions about just who had perpetrated what part of last night’s events. Jennelle knew that Millie incorrectly blamed herself for what had happened, but mostly Millie believed she was somehow protecting Aimee by keeping the focus of Charles’s rage on her.
Jennelle’s royal-blue eyes glared murderously at Chase and it caused him to blink. After what happened last night, why the hell is she mad at me? He took a deep breath and watched his wife come in the door to stand next to Jennelle. His heart lurched again in pain and fear, knowing just how fortunate his wife was to have escaped uninjured.
Millie licked her lips. “Were you able to find your sister, my lord?”
Chase’s jaw tensed. He wanted to pull her into his arms and plead for her to stop calling him my lord, but even more, he needed to discourage any future reckless behavior. “The boat with Aimee aboard left port before I arrived,” he answered honestly.
Millie let go a soft cry. Her hand flew to her mouth and she sank into a nearby chair. “I’m so sorry. I never should have—”
“No, you should not have,” Chase began, his voice full of growing reproach. He raked his fingers through his hair. “What were you thinking, Mildred?” he asked her for the umpteenth time.
Millie forced herself not to flinch at the bitterness attached to each enunciated word. “I only thought to help.” Jennelle went to stand beside Millie’s chair and clutched her friend’s hand in her own.
Again Chase fought the urge to be the one to give her comfort. His instincts wavered between wrapping his arms comfortingly around her and protecting her. No, not this time, he warned himself. I must be hard if she is to learn that she can never again be so foolish. “Do you not realize even now the severity of the insult you give me?”
Millie looked
up; her eyes, a strange color of lavender, widened, stunned by his accusation. “But I—”
Chase cut her off. “But what, Mildred? Do you ever think about the consequences of your schemes and thrill-seeking exploits? Bloody hell, you are the Marchioness of Chaselton now! How do you think it makes me feel to know that my own wife believes that I am unable to handle an inconsequential thief without her assistance?”
Jennelle squeezed Millie’s hand, urging her to argue, to say something, but Millie’s back only slumped further. Again anger singed the edges of Jennelle’s control. It was near impossible to stand and do nothing as her friend, who was always so full of life, vibrant and diverting, was whittled away by her husband’s cruel tongue. And still the man did not stop.
“Not to mention the damage to the Chaselton name. Did you consider my mother, Millie? How is she going to feel when she discovers that you risked, and may have harmed, her only daughter in one of your schemes?”
Jennelle could feel Millie recoil and again mentally begged for her to do something—cry and yell that Mother Wentworth had three daughters, not just one, and for him to say otherwise was heartless. And yet, Millie refused to defend herself. She just silently absorbed each blow, unable to stop the tears streaming down her cheeks.
Chase squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could withdraw his last words. Millie’s face had become etched with such deep pain and regret, his heart had wrenched. He had not needed Jennelle lancing him with her piercing blue eyes to know he had gone too far. His mother would not have placed blame, and she certainly would have not used the situation as a chance to teach a lesson. There were other ways for reining in his wife’s boisterous temperament. This was not the way.
Chase was about to walk around his desk to her side when Millie rose to her feet. Shakily, she extended her hand and he saw what she clutched—a rolled-up piece of paper. He took it. “What is this?”
Millie raised her chin to answer, not in defiance but in preparation for his next verbal blow. “The real thief dropped it.”
“The real thief?” he repeated. He unrolled the parchment and saw that it was a map.
“Yes. He was there. We hid until he left. Then when we tried to leave, Aimee was . . .” Millie could not finish the sentence, afraid that if she did she would start crying again, and this time she would not be able to stop.
“Describe him.”
Not bound by a promise on this topic, Jennelle answered. “The man was average height. We could not see his face, but he had dark hair that was somewhat long. He also had a limp but was quite agile in spite of it.”
As Chase listened to Jennelle, the full implications of what she was saying dawned on him. He had truly believed Reece behind the odd thefts. First, the Sea Rebel was rifled, leaving maps and charts everywhere. He and the Sea Rebel’s captain had thought a drunken seaman looking for a bottle of whiskey the culprit. Then the W & H Shipping office, by the London Docks, was broken into. After the raid on the Intrepid, Reece had identified what had been taken at each site—an old, worthless chart. It was then Chase had suspected his friend was playing a prank. But whoever had been on the Zephyr had not been Reece.
Chase studied the map. Part of a large assortment of ship equipment they purchased at an auction, the collection of charts had been buried underneath several items in a chest. They had almost thrown them away because they were old and unlabeled, but Reece had wanted to study them some more. So along with the other items, the charts had been divided among their company ships. Reece’s interest in the charts as well and it being his recognition of what had been taken were the two primary reasons why Chase had truly thought his friend was behind the missing items.
Chase laid out the map on his desk and looked at it carefully. What was so important about a useless old map? Was the thief collecting them? Or was it one in particular he was looking for?
“Did he see you?” Chase finally asked.
“I do not believe so, but it is impossible to tell. We were hiding and had not observed him until he was making his way off the ship,” Jennelle answered in her typical logical way, but the coldness of her tone was unmistakable.
Chase swallowed. His mind started moving quickly over what he knew about the robberies, this time analyzing the events not as mere pranks but for what they actually were: threats.
Every incident had been obvious, so whoever the thief was, he either did not feel the need to hide his trespassing, or he wanted Chase and Reece to know they were being robbed. More perplexing was that the thefts had happened in locations that were supposedly guarded, and yet the perpetrator had been able to get in. A bold move, unless the thief was skilled at handling any opposition should it arise, or was intimately familiar with the owners of W & H Shipping. Chase’s mind drifted back to the small group of business associates he’d met with the previous night. He had once thought all those closest to him to be honorable—but he would not be fooled again.
Chase looked down once more at the map in front of him. It made no more sense than any of the others. Several symbols were scattered around and at the bottom there was a legend that was illegible. There was an outline of what could be water, land, or something altogether different. He and Reece had just assumed the drawing represented water, but now he had no clue what it was. However, whoever was stealing the charts most likely did know.
And that combination of facts made Chase very uneasy.
Someone thought the maps of great value and was willing to take great risks to find them. And if he was brazen enough to break into guarded ships and the offices of W & H Shipping, then it was more than probable he would eventually try to burglarize Hembree Grove as well. Many people had been in and out of his home the past few weeks in an effort to ferret out Sir Edward’s schemes. Most had met his wife, and with her petite stature, dark hair, and unusual eye color, they would easily recognize her even in men’s clothing. Chase could feel his heart tighten. If Jennelle was mistaken and the three of them had been seen, they could have been recognized. No longer would the thief be seeking a simple chart, but the opportunity to silence potential witnesses.
Chase balled his hands into fists, frustrated at what he now must do: get Millie and Jennelle away from Town—immediately. He had no doubt that Millie would refuse to leave. Her passionate nature would demand to stay there, with him, despite the danger it put her in. But her staying in Town for even one more night was not an option. Telling her about what he had learned about Aimee’s whereabouts, however, was. But it was an option he refused to elect.
Chase took in a deep breath and tried to use a less harsh, but still stern tone. “I need time, Mildred, to find Aimee, and I need . . . not to worry about you.” He hated making Millie leave without letting her know the truth about his sister. Worse, he hated using Millie’s guilt as a means of compelling her immediate departure. But his self-loathing was nothing compared to his fear if she stayed. “Mother is not due to return from Scotland until after the holidays, and I am not going to send her word about Aimee until I know something definitive. Hopefully, she will have been found and will be once again home and safe. Until then, I think it might be best if you visit your father in Wareham for a while.”
Millie nodded, lowering eyes so that they looked at her clasped hands held rigidly in front of her. “When do you want me to leave, my lord?”
Pain shot through him hearing my lord yet again. “I think it best if you pack and leave immediately. I will have the post chaise readied to take you and Jennelle to Dorset. I’ll have the driver stop at Tarrant Crawford at her father’s before taking you the rest of the way to Wareham.”
Millie kept her head bowed and replied, “Yes, my lord,” before running out of the room.
Jennelle paused for a moment before following. And for the first time in her life, she consciously broke a promise and stepped back into the study to confront Chase.
“You speak of consequences, my lord. Indeed Millie will have to live with hers, and I will have to as well, including
being forced to allow these proceedings without interruption or interference. But I wonder, my lord, if you yet comprehend the consequences of your actions today. I have my own reasons for believing that Aimee is well, and I judge that you too suspect she is with Mr. Hamilton. So then that leaves me to wonder, why would you intentionally injure your own wife? Revenge? Anger? Are these foul emotions not just as damning as the reckless ones of which you just accused Millie? Why would someone so proud of his self-professed restraint cause such pain? I pray, my lord, you are not telling yourself that it was out of love.”
Chase’s jaw clenched and his defenses rose. He thought of Jennelle as a younger sister, but he did not have to explain himself to her. “I have my reasons.”
Jennelle’s royal-blue eyes narrowed. “Well, then I hope those reasons bring you the comfort you seek, for it will be quite lonely here and I predict for much longer than you anticipate. At some point, my dear friend will reflect on all that happened and the accusations you so damningly conveyed, and when she does, I doubt Millie will be inclined to return. As for myself, I am quite certain it will be a significant period of time before our paths cross again.”
Chase watched as Jennelle exited the room, her back rigid and her lips thin with fury. It was the first time in his life he had ever witnessed her anger. He sat down and forced himself to dismiss her words, as they were painful and incredibly accurate in their assessment.
No, he promised himself. Jennelle is wrong. Millie loves me and she will forgive me. When Aimee returned in a few days, all would be well. Until then, Millie would be safe and protected. She would be angry at first, but she would forgive him.
She had to.
Millie helped Elda Mae fold another garment and place it in a large wooden trunk capable of holding only a fraction of her things. “Just a couple of items from my dressing table and that will be all, Elda Mae.”
A Woman Made For Sin Page 4
