James faced him again. “Good. I hope you will not disappoint me.”
Mr. Wilson shot to his feet and bowed. “I will find her within a week, My Lord. I promise you that.”
“Quite a brazen promise to make.”
“I am a brazen man.”
James smirked, nodding in acceptance. “Very well, then. I take it you know how to leave?”
“Yes, My Lord.” Clutching his satchel to his chest, he made his way to the door, bowed again and then left.
As soon as he was gone, James’ smile slid from his face. He gripped the glass tightly in his hand, the rest of the brandy struggling to slide down his throat. Within an instant, the anger than had been slowly overtaking him seized him once more and it was all he could do not to chuck the glass against the wall.
He could already hear the rumors. Lady Elizabeth has eloped. She’s left her pitiful betrothed behind.
Poor Lord Horenwall...poor Lord Horenwall...poor Lord Horenwall...
The reputation he’d built, the man he’d become, James could feel it slipping out of place all because of the foolish actions of a weak-minded lady.
Just where is she?
It had already been a few days since Lady Elizabeth’s disappearance. During that time, James had visited Gillet Manor nearly every day. He’d looked into the increasingly worried face of Lord Gillet and tried to calm him down, telling him that they would hear word from her—or her kidnappers—soon. But there was nothing and while Lord Gillet continued to succumb to his stress and concern, James’ anger had been mounting.
It had something to do with the maid. He knew it. He should have mentioned that to Mr. Wilson, had he remembered. That audacious maid who’d dare to look him in the eye and lie—she knew something. She simply wasn’t telling.
The memory angered him even further, but most of it stemmed from the feeling that Lady Elizabeth had staged this herself. He didn’t know why. He didn’t care why. He only knew that, if they had to push the wedding back any further, if he had to endure the pitying looks from his friends at the clubs wondering about the whereabouts of his betrothed, she would have to pay.
He had enough of public embarrassment after what happened.
In some way or other, she would not get away with her actions. He’d make sure of it.
“Pardon me, Your Grace.”
William looked up from the ledgers he had been pouring over for nearly the entire day and rubbed his eyes. “Come,” he called, his voice a bit gravelly.
Harold slid into the room and closed it behind him. He kept his eyes on William as he skirted around the furniture in his path and came to a stop in front of his desk, a coat strung over one arm and his hand tucked behind his back. William clasped his own hands behind his head, looking at his butler in expectation.
“Your carriage is ready, Your Grace,” Harold said. “Are you certain you will forgo dinner tonight?”
“I will not end the night without eating, Harold,” William told him, taking a deep breath. He took another, trying to shed the weight of his stress that had settled on his shoulders while he worked. “You do not need to worry.”
“And what of Lady Elizabeth?” Harold asked.
William raised a brow at the man. “I did not know you would be so concerned about Lady Elizabeth’s welfare, Harold.”
The slightly teasing words bounced off Harold’s impenetrable skin. “It is only because Lady Elizabeth expects to dine with you tonight, as she has nearly every night since she’s been here. I do not think she is aware of your plans.”’
“And there is no need to make her any wiser. She need not know where I am going tonight, so you only need to tell her that she will have to dine alone.”
“Very well, Your Grace. I shall inform her of that immediately following your departure.”
Good. I would rather not have to risk her coming to find me once she hears that I plan on leaving tonight. She will not allow me to go until I reveal my destination.
William stood, rounding the desk. As soon as he did, Harold held his hand out. A small pistol lay in the center of his palm.
William allowed his butler to help him into the coat before accepting the pistol. Considering where he was going, William didn’t make it much of a habit of leaving it behind, but tonight, the weight of the weapon made him uncomfortable. He stared at it in his hand for a few seconds before he shook his head and handed it back to Harold. “I won’t have any reason to have this tonight.”
“Are you certain?” Harold asked.
“I shall be fine.” Even though he was going to be with Nelson and there was never any telling what might happen when in his company. Elizabeth wouldn’t like it, though.
Even though it should have annoyed him, the thought warmed him instead. As he made his way to the foyer, he decided it wouldn’t really be so bad arriving to find Elizabeth already standing there, demanding to know where he was headed. It felt…almost nice to know that someone cared to be informed about his whereabouts. He hadn’t had that in a while, not since his stepmother passed away.
And when his real mother died, he’d long since lost hope that he would feel that kind of warmth again.
William felt a stab of disappointment when he reached the foyer and saw that it was empty. He tried to tamper the feeling as best as he could. It would not do anyone any good if Elizabeth learned where he was going, though he didn’t think she’d be very surprised. After all, a shady area like that was where they’d first met again.
Wesley was already waiting to head out and needed no instructions from William as to where they should go. The moment he was settled into the carriage, it took off.
Earlier that morning, during Nelson’s brief visit, Nelson had invited him out to their usual tavern, the one they would often go to during the early days of their friendship. As it were, it happened to be the very same tavern William had gone to the night he’d paid off Carolina in return for her silence, the same night he’d followed a foolish girl, sensing that she’d just walked into trouble. The night he’d met Elizabeth again.
At first, he hadn’t been planning on accepting the invitation. He was a Duke now, which meant he could no longer lead the quiet and unassuming life he’d once did. If the wrong eyes caught sight of him at the right time, he just might end up adopting a terrible reputation much like his father. Ever since William had accepted his inheritance, he’d put aside that wanton lifestyle, deciding to dedicate himself to restoring the Dukedom. Had it not been for the fact that Nelson had basically begged him, cajoling him by saying that there was much they needed to talk about, William would have continued to say no.
One night will not hurt. Once this night is over, I shall limit contact with Nelson and focus on my responsibilities.
And think about what to do about Elizabeth. Of all the matters before him, that was proving to be the most difficult. His mind told him to send her back home, but his actions, his words, suggested that he wanted the very opposite. Not to mention the fact that he’d only just left the manor and he already missed her.
William tried to put the thought of her aside during the remainder of the trip, but it was a fruitless act. Once Wesley brought the carriage to a stop in that same secluded area where he usually parked, William found it easier to stop thinking about her and to focus instead on the noise he could already overhear.
He made his way through the two dilapidated houses shielding the carriage and spotted Nelson almost instantly. He stood out amongst the narrow-framed men, his massive body a force to be reckoned with. Nelson, however, did not spot William until he was right upon him.
“You’re here!” he bellowed with a happy grin. Nelson pulled William into a hearty hug, patting him heavily on the back. “For a moment, I thought you wouldn’t come, my friend.”
“Believe me when I say, I was considering it,” William told him, even as a smile found his lips. Nelson was volatile, excitable, and far too eager to get himself in trouble, but he was also the sort of man who could
make you forget your troubles and simply have fun.
“With a lady like that at home, I couldn’t blame you,” Nelson said, wagging his eyebrows.
William scowled at him. “Mention Beth again and you will live to regret it.”
“Beth, is it?” Nelson exclaimed, eyes widening. He chuckled, nodding. “Mum’s the word, my friend! Now, come. It’s time for us to get good and drunk!”
With that said, Nelson shouldered his way into the tavern. William followed. The noise was riotous. A few men sat in one corner playing cards, shouting at each other and claiming the other was cheating. Leaning across the counter were a few men who were far too gone, a few of them actually sleeping amidst the noise and the chaos. Barmaids traipsed through the wooden tables and chairs spread out through the tight space, the subject of ogling men and lusting comments. Some of the women seemed to be enjoying the attention, while the older ones appeared quite annoyed.
Nelson bellowed at the tavern owner to bring over two pints of ale before he made his way to an empty seat a short distance away from the door. William claimed the seat before him.
“Now,” he began. “You said you would tell me what brought you back to London.”
“You should relax, William,” Nelson roared over the noise. William didn’t think he realized—or that he would care—that he could hear him quite well without him having to shout. “There’s no need to get straight down to business. Let’s get those tense shoulders loosened up a bit first.”
“I have a fine bed at home that will be more than capable of loosening my tense shoulders without me having to come all the way out here,” William stated.
“Yes, yes, Your Lordship, Your Excellency. How could I forget?” The bite of Nelson’s mocking tone was lost with his grin. William couldn’t help chuckling himself.
A barmaid approached with their pints of ale and William ordered a bowl of stew to go along with it, remembering his promise to Harold to eat something. He watched as Nelson took three long gulps of his ale before he said again, “What brought you back to London, Nelson? When I’d last checked, the authorities were looking for you.”
“They aren’t anymore, as you can imagine.” Nelson wiped his mouth. “I knew I only had to be away for a short while, just long enough for them to get distracted by other things, then come back without alerting anyone. Except you, of course.”
“Ah, I certainly feel very special,” William drawled.
“As you should, my friend! As you should!” Nelson grinned from ear to ear before drinking deeply from his tankard again. He set the nearly empty jug onto the table once more, then continued, “You aren’t the only one who’s come into some riches, William.”
William raised his brows, spooning his stew. He was already tensing in anticipation of what Nelson was going to say. “Legitimate riches, I hope?”
“You know there is no such thing for a man like me. I go where the wealth is and if that happens to be down the shadow of death, then so be it.” Nelson didn’t seem particularly grim about that. If anything, he appeared proud. Though, considering the fact that an upset Nelson was someone William wasn’t very used to, he felt a twinge of relief.
“Very well, then,” William said after taking a few sips of his stew. The meal warmed him, and he instantly wished he could have been enjoying this with a lady by his side. With Lady Elizabeth, specifically, by his side. “Go on and tell me what this venture is all about. I know that is why you called me out here.”
“You say that as if you aren’t happy to enjoy yourself with your old friend,” Nelson said with a shake of his head.
William only raised a single brow, which was answer enough.
Nelson sighed. “All right, if you insist on being that way, then so be it. Listen up, because I shan’t say this twice.” He leaned closer, now bringing his booming voice down to a whisper. “There is a man that I have begun corresponding with. Apparently, he is quite popular in London for his services, though not within the crowds that you might find yourself in.”
“Is he now? And you did not know of him before?”
“I did not!” Nelson exclaimed, showing his own surprise at that fact. “But this man, William, isn’t like me. He is rather...eclectic, should I say? And I do not believe he likes to get blood on his hands, so to speak.”
“Is this where you come in?”
“It surely is!” William didn’t know whether to laugh or to shake his head at how proud Nelson appeared in that moment. “I truly think this might be it for me, William. I truly do. This man...he isn’t like any other in London, I tell you. He has an entire network of people within reach and I only need to work my way up to the top. Then, I’ll be far richer than you could ever hope to be.”
William knew better than to discourage Nelson from this plan. He’d made it a point of not interfering in Nelson’s life, to maintain a level of distance between them that ensured he wouldn’t find himself entangled in another one of Nelson’s schemes. But this time, he couldn’t help himself. “This man,” he asked slowly, watching the pure excitement on his friend’s face. “Do you happen to know his name?”
Nelson’s smile slipped a little, but it was back a second later. “I don’t have to know his real name. He goes by a different one, the one that has spread his popularity far and wide.”
“Is that so?”
Nelson’s grin was almost like a child as he leaned forward to share the secret. “The Shadow,” he whispered.
Taken aback, William snorted without thinking. “The Shadow, you say? Quite creative, this man.”
“Laugh all you like, William, but there is nothing funny about the sort of riches, nor the sort of influence that this man possesses. I’m only grateful that he recognized my talent and sought me out to join his ranks.”
“How did he recognize you?”
“Because he’s the Shadow, of course!”
William only shook his head. It was entertaining enough to hear, he supposed. Nelson had quite a knack for attracting trouble and this Shadow character was certainly someone he should not be getting caught up with. If he was even real. William wouldn’t be surprised if Nelson had only been hoodwinked, which wouldn’t be the first time.
“I hope you understand what you’re getting yourself into, Nelson,” William said as he finished the rest of his stew. He hadn’t realized just how hungry he’d been. “Because I certainly do not.”
“Not to worry, my friend.” Nelson was back to shouting, signaling to the barmaid to bring him another pint. “Soon, we won’t have to meet like this, in such a rowdy tavern. When I’ve found my way to the top, we’ll be meeting in the most prestigious gentleman clubs in London.”
William raised his tankard. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Nelson eagerly touched William’s tankard with his own and then took a slow sip. His eyes slid to the side for a moment before he said, “By the way, William, have you been here recently?”
Frowning, William nodded. “I have. Why do you ask?”
“Simply because ever since we’ve entered, the man in the opposite corner to us has been glaring at us. And considering I’ve never seen him before...” Nelson trailed off, his eyes lifting to the dark ceiling. “Perhaps I might have stolen one of his favorite whores? You know the ladies of the night can never resist my charm.”
William barely heard a word he said. He could feel the eyes now, the tension creeping up his spine. He resisted the urge to look over his shoulder and seek out the source of the glare. Holding on to his composure, he lifted his tankard to his lips.
If it is who I think it is, I should not remain here long.
“Nelson,” William said. “I am afraid I will have to part ways with you now.”
“Returning home to your lovely Beth?” Nelson teased.
William forced a smile onto his face, even though his anxiety grew at the mention of Beth’s name. In a place like this, it was unlikely that anyone of value would know who she was, or even connect the name to the m
issing lady in the papers, but with the eyes boring into William’s back, he wanted to be safe.
He slid out of the chair and stood, unsurprised to find Nelson rising with him. “Very well, then,” Nelson said in a rather amicable manner. “I shall leave with you. The Shadow has asked that I meet with him tonight and it is always a good impression when you’re early.”
William nodded, knowing very well that though Nelson spoke casually, he was as alert as William was. His shoulders were a bit tense and William didn’t miss when Nelson’s eyes darted back to the corner, as if checking to see if they were still being watched. Judging by the twitch of his lips, it appeared they were.
Keeping his head straight, William turned and began to weave his way through the tables towards the door, resisting the tempting urge to look in the corner. He didn’t give in to it until he’d reached the exit, not until he thought it was safe enough to take a quick glimpse of who it might be. All he could make out in that split second was a burly body, which didn’t make him feel any better.
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