Unmasking the Duke, page 8
“I’m not surprised. How is Miss Kitty?”
“Alive, but only just. Will you help me?”
In all the years Ludovic had known him, Bill Renwick had never asked him for anything, let alone for help. “Of course,” he replied, glancing once at the unknown name. “How do you know it was this man?”
“He was a new worker. Jimmie Harris brought him and another up to start, two or three weeks ago. They lived on the site. Last night, the building was set on fire, with my niece attacked and locked inside. Everyone’s accounted for but one of those new men, Albert Franks, him. He’s not at the site, and he’s not at the address he gave Jimmie when he took him on. In fact, the landlady knows nothing about him. Apparently, I don’t have time to look, Mr. Dunne. I have to keep my family safe.”
“Of course,” Ludovic said.
“It weren’t an accident, not with her locked in there.”
“What was she doing there in the first place?”
“She says she had a note from Dearham to meet him there.”
“No,” Ludovic said with certainty. “He wouldn’t—”
“It wasn’t him who hit her,” Renwick interrupted. “But I need to speak to him all the same.”
“Yes, I think we both do,” Ludovic said grimly.
Ten minutes later, they were shown upstairs to the private sitting room Ludovic had been in before. The duke, coatless and yawning, his hair uncombed, wandered in from the dressing room door.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” he said, waving one careless hand by way of invitation to sit while he threw himself onto the window seat and rubbed at what was, presumably, his sore head. “What can I do for you.”
“Did you make an assignation with my niece in the small hours of this morning?” Renwick demanded before Ludovic could say a word.
Dearham blinked. “My dear sir, by three o’clock this morning, I was no use to any lady. Or even my valet, who gave up on me.”
Ludovic had the impression the duke’s mouth was moving without permission while he forced his brain to work, for without even drawing breath, he demanded. “Has someone taken advantage of Miss Kitty’s good nature?”
“Someone enticed her up to the construction site, attacked her, and set fire to the building.”
The duke’s face whitened. “Is she—”
“Alive,” Ludovic assured him while Renwick merely stared. “She was rescued just in time.”
“Thank God.” The duke stood up as if to do something urgent and sat back down again, gazing at Renwick with odd helplessness. “What can I do?”
“That depends,” Renwick said harshly, “on whether or not you sent your bullies to work for me and destroy me. I’m not blind to the way you looked at Kitty. Nor the way she looked at you. And I know she sent you away. But I swear to God, if this is your idea of revenge for—”
“Revenge?” Dearham interrupted, startled. “For what? Dear God, man, I have nothing to reproach her with, and if I had—”
Renwick slammed his fist into the back of the chair he stood behind and cursed fluently. His glare shifted to Ludovic. “I can’t bloody tell with you nobs! Is he lying to my face?”
“No,” Ludovic said mildly. “Sending bullies to burn alive a girl who had refused his advances is really not his style. In fact, I’m not sure any advances were made or refused. It makes no difference to the current problem.”
Dearham grasped his knee with fingers that were not quite steady. “You had better tell me.”
Ludovic explained succinctly what Renwick had told him, while Renwick gazed at his clenched hands, and Dearham watched Renwick.
“I’ve asked Mr. Dunne to find this man,” Renwick muttered. “While I look to the safety of my family and my interests.”
“You think they’re still in danger?” Dearham asked.
Renwick nodded once. “I’m afraid of it.”
“Then hadn’t you better tell Dunne everything?” Dearham suggested.
Renwick scowled impatiently. “I just bloody did!”
“No, I think you have your suspicions.”
“What makes you say that?” Dunne asked with interest.
“I think he’s too used to keeping things to himself, even when it doesn’t matter, or it’s against his interests. I thought he knew more about Kitty’s origins than he let on at our discussions. And he has that same look about him now.”
“Cursed nobs,” Renwick said bitterly. “You think everything’s your business because you say it is. It ain’t!”
“No, but if you want to get at the root of the problem, get Kitty’s attacker before the law, and keep your family safe, hadn’t you better give him everything he needs?”
Surprised by Dearham’s insight, Ludovic glanced from him to Renwick, whose fists tightened and then relaxed. At last, the man sat and rubbed his knuckles across his forehead.
“It’s the connection that bothers me,” he admitted at last. “Burning my hotel to get at me is one thing. Deliberately involving Kitty is another. There’s no denying she’s special to me, and I’ve never hidden it. I haven’t always been the most law-abiding man, but I try to be, for her and the boys, and these days, I don’t know anyone mean enough to be revenged on me through her.”
“Except?” Dearham prompted gently.
Renwick stared at his spread hands. “Alf Smith.” He raised his eyes to Dearham’s. “He lived in Taverner Street, eighteen years ago. I went there because he’d stolen from me. I went and took back my stuff, gave him a thrashing…and took Kitty from him. She was filthy, bruised, and neglected. I don’t think she was his, but he lived with her and her mother for a bit. He knocked both of them around—a sick woman and a baby!” Renwick glared, then coughed. “I took the girl before he killed her. Best thing I ever did. For her and for me.”
“And you think this Alf Smith is now Albert Franks?” Ludovic said steadily.
Renwick shrugged. “He could be. His name was Alfred Francis Smith, so there’s some similarities. Maybe I’m being fanciful, for I certainly didn’t recognize him when Jimmie brought him to Maida. But I barely looked. His laborers are his business and young Luke’s. None of them ever misbehaved. But it could be him. And the fact that he enticed Kitty there bothers me.”
“Oh, I think that bothers us all,” Dearham said with rare savagery. He stood up, dragging his hand through his rumpled hair. “And you’re worried he might still come after Kitty. To hurt you.”
“And her. He was sick enough to beat a tiny child. God knows how his mind works. If I’m honest, I fear for my boys, too, but Kitty’s our shared past, and the boys can take care of themselves pretty well. She can’t.”
Dearham drew a deep breath. “She can come here, with me. Don’t glare at me, Renwick. I’m not offering to seduce her. My sister is in London, with her husband’s family. I’ll ask her to remove here. She’ll like the company and some help with the babies, too.”
“Are you offering her a job or making her your family?” Renwick snarled.
“Is she my family?” Dearham asked steadily.
Renwick sighed and sat back. “Truth? I don’t know. What I do know is, she’s mine to care for, and last night I did not do well enough.”
“You rescued her in time,” Dunne pointed out. “I don’t think any parent in the world would have foreseen that kind of danger.”
Renwick swallowed. “She’d be safe with you? Guarded by your army of servants? They won’t look down their superior noses at her while someone harms her?”
“They’ll do as they’re bidden, whoever she is,” Dearham said flatly. “And why would anyone look for her here?”
“Because they already know of a connection between you and her,” Dunne reminded him. “They used your name to entice her to the hotel. On the other hand, you can easily keep strangers off the premises. Mr. Renwick can’t, not if he wants to keep running his business.”
Renwick scowled. “She can stay here until we have Franks. Or whoever committed the crime.” A brief smile lightened Renwick’s anxious face. “If she’ll agree.”
“Is she well enough to be removed here?”
“I don’t know,” Renwick replied miserably. “Not today, I don’t think.”
“May I see her?” Dearham asked.
*
Kitty’s emotions were all over the place. From sheer gratitude for the life she had almost lost, to anger at her own stupidity in going to the building site at night, to wonder at the obvious love and care of her family and friends.
Uncle Bill had carried her home while the rest of the fire was put out. The shepherd’s wife, who was their nearest neighbor, had rushed over to help bathe her and anoint her burns and assist her into a clean bed where, despite her pain and the discomfort of her throat and chest, she had slept. But they had not left her alone. Rob and Dan and Uncle Bill had taken turns to sit with her, their faces so anxious that in her odd moments of wakefulness, she tried to tell them she was fine. Dan wiped his eyes.
By the time the doctor arrived, Sal and Vera were there, too. They had driven out from London with Mr. Harris as soon as Uncle Bill’s messenger reached them. The doctor examined her burns and peered into her throat, and pronounced kindly that she would live.
“Rest in bed for a few days while your throat and lungs heal. The dressings on your hands and shoulder should be changed frequently. I’ll call back in a few days to see how you do, but I’m sure you will be fine.”
“Thank God for that,” Vera said as her mother showed him out. “My God, Kit, you gave us such a fright.”
“I was a bit frightened myself,” Kitty admitted in her new, hoarse voice. Vera passed her a cup of water. “Where is Uncle Bill?”
“He went to London to see about finding that missing laborer. They think he started the fire.”
Kitty nodded. She already knew that. Though her mind still whispered, Why would he do that? And how did he know about the duke?
“How bad is the hotel?” she asked.
Vera shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t been up there. Dad’s gone to look at the damage with Luke, see what’s best to be done. Tell you what, though, I wouldn’t like to be in that arsonist’s shoes when Uncle Bill gets hold of him. And the boys. I’ve never seen them so riled up, even Rob, who’s always so calm.” Her voice broke. “I’d hug you, Kitty Renwick, if I wasn’t so scared of hurting you more. But I’ll settle for having a go at that—”
“Don’t go upsetting Kitty with your own anger,” Sal said, coming back into the room. “Why don’t you go and make a nice milky custard for Kitty?”
“One of the serving girls from the Gardens is already in the kitchen,” Vera said, going to the door with a quick smile at Kitty. “But I do make a wonderful custard.”
“I brought her up to be modest,” Sal said humorously. She chatted for a little, making Kitty smile, although waves of weakness seemed ready to hit her and make her cry for no reason.
Distracting herself, Kitty remembered that this was the first time she had been alone with Sal since she had found out about the locket.
“Mrs. Harris,” she asked with difficulty, “did my mother really give you that locket Toby showed the duke?”
A flurry of confusion crossed Sal’s face as though she had forgotten all about it. Or perhaps Toby hadn’t got it from her at all. If so, she covered for him. “Yes, she did. Night before she died. She were a sweet girl and kind.” She smiled. “Like you.”
Which made Kitty want to cry again. Instead, she obediently ate Vera’s milky egg custard, which was indeed very smooth and soothing on her tortured throat. And then, she lay down and fell asleep once more.
When she woke, the guard had changed, and Rob was in the room, gazing out of the window.
“How’s the hotel?” she croaked.
“Bit of a mess at the wing where the fire started. Jimmie says it will set us back a week or so, but it hasn’t completely destroyed the construction.” He came toward her, shrugging. “Could have done without the added expense, to be honest, but at least we still have you. How do you feel?”
“Better. Is Uncle Bill back?”
“Just now.”
“Tell him I’m sorry,” she whispered, and her voice broke.
Rob sank onto the bed beside her, grasping her good shoulder. “Kitty,” he said helplessly. “It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault.”
He passed her a cup of water, and that helped steady her as she heard footsteps on the stairs. Her bedchamber door opened, and Uncle Bill walked in, his anxious gaze locked on her face. Behind him, filling the little room, came the Duke of Dearham.
Chapter Nine
“What’s he doing here?” Rob demanded.
“He’s come to help,” Uncle Bill said shortly. “He’d no more to do with this than you or me. Go and help your brother in the Gardens. Kitty’s got enough guards for now.”
Rob hesitated, then left the room, leaving Kitty grasping the bedclothes with her bandaged hands and staring wildly from the duke to Uncle Bill.
“Do you mind if I stay?” the duke asked. At least she could read no pity in his eyes. “Just for a few minutes?”
She shook her head. Although she had been so unforgivably stupid, she couldn’t bear him to leave just yet. He’d come all this way to see her, and it made her want to cry. Again.
The duke glanced at Uncle Bill, who stared back, then growled, “Five minutes, and I’ll be right outside.”
Panic surged and ebbed as the door closed behind her uncle, and the duke came closer and eased himself down on the bed. He looked so large and elegant and out of place. And yet, for some reason, there was no one she would rather be there. Even though she was in her night rail, puffy on one shoulder with the bandage, her hair pushed askew by the dressing on her head, and her hands bound.
He had kept the pity from his face and voice when he first came in, but his expression now had no name. “Oh, my poor Kitty,” he whispered.
She gasped, hard, in a last attempt to stop it, but the tears came anyway. She jerked her head to one side to hide, but his arms came around her, and, somehow, she found herself cradled against his chest. How did he know that was exactly what she needed when she hadn’t known herself? His strong arms were gentle, but he held her in a definite hug and let her cry.
It was only for a few moments. As her heaving sobs stilled, he rested his cheek against her hair, avoiding the dressing on her head. “I’ve never come across a woman who weeps silently.”
“Most women do,” she croaked. “Except for effect.”
“So young and so cynical,” he murmured, and this time it was a sob of laughter that escaped her.
“They’re afraid to touch me in case I break,” she confided. “I’m sorry. I keep wanting to cry. It’s not the pain, it’s not even the fire, just…that someone chose me, deliberately hurt me. No one…”
Softly, he stroked her hair. “I know. But you don’t believe I did this, do you?”
She shook her head, forcing herself to sit back on the pillow. “I was stupid. The note was signed Dearham, but it didn’t sound like you. I should have known you would never try to make an assignation with me in the middle of the night, in that place…” She had wanted to believe, that was the trouble. But she couldn’t tell him that.
“May I see the note?”
She made a movement to rise, and his hand on her good shoulder pressed her back. “Tell me where.”
“In the first drawer of the chest. There’s a little box.”
It seemed even odder to watch him opening the drawer, rummaging among her things, and emerging with the box, his brows raised. She nodded, and he opened it to reveal her paltry treasure—Aunty Mary’s locket, a ring from childhood, and the necklace she had worn to the masked ball. And the note that had taken her out last night.
He sat down again and looked at the note, frowning. “If I ever command you so rudely, you may hit me. I expect that’s what you went there to do.”
“I expect it is.”
He dropped the note on her lap, then took a card and a pencil from his pocket. On the back of his card, he scrawled Dearham. And showed it to her.
She swallowed. “I know. I know it was not from you. And I can’t help thinking that if I hadn’t been so stupid, the fire would never have happened.”
“I suspect the grudge was never against you but against your uncle.”
She met his gaze. “I was used to hurt him?”
The duke nodded, and she felt herself wobble again.
“I have an idea,” he said, “that…well, that might kill two birds with one stone. If you come and stay in London with my sister and me, you will be safe while Dunne and your uncle find the person responsible. And you will also get to know my family, which is almost certainly yours.”
Her jaw dropped. And then she smiled with genuine amusement. “Don’t be silly. I can’t live in a duke’s palace.”
“It’s not a palace, just a fairly spacious townhouse. My sister is fun and kind. She is one of twins and has two sets of twins of her own. The second set are only weeks old, so she would value your companionship. Her husband is a soldier and will be there, too, at least for the next week or so before he takes up his new post. You’ll like him, as well. We are old friends. When we were children, his family and ours spent a lot of time together, and we got into a lot of mischief. The next generation bids fair to outdo us.”
“Oh, you are kind and trying to make me comfortable, but it would not work. I could be your sister’s nursery maid, only not like this.” She held up her bandaged hands.
“No,” the duke said. Not fiercely or even sharply. On the contrary, his voice was quiet, and yet…implacable. “I have servants. You are my cousin.”
“If I am, I’m a very distant one, and not in any way that matters.”
“It matters,” the duke said. “You matter.”
“I matter to my family,” she retorted, waving her bandaged hand to encompass the cottage. “They are my family.”
To her surprise, the duke nodded. “Yes, they are and always will be. But now you also have us.”
“Your Grace’s world and ours do not mix,” she said dryly.
