Watling opened the door to her.
She tore past the dear butler and scurried into the parlor where she knew Eloise and the Duke of Lotheil would be found.
Indeed, Eloise was seated on her silk settee and the duke was in the chair beside hers, the two of them having tea. “Is this other than a social call, Your Grace?”
He inspected her up and down. “Good grief, Adela. What happened to you?”
She glanced down at herself, only now realizing how badly her gown was soiled. Well, she had held onto the scoundrel and been dragged like a big, purple mop across the massive entry hall. Her hair probably looked a mess as well, the pins dislodged as she tore down the stairs and lunged at Runyon’s cohort.
She brought over the fireplace stool and sat on it rather than damage Eloise’s exquisite silk chairs. Once settled, she told Eloise and the duke all that had transpired. “This caught us by surprise. We did not think Runyon would attempt to sell the book until he had heard one way or another from the Royal Society on his proposal. Has a decision been reached?”
The duke nodded. “Yes, the board met last night to vote on all the proposals submitted. But we were not to reveal our decision for another few days. Runyon must have bribed one of our clerks to give him an advance warning.”
“Or bribed one of the directors,” Adela mused.
Lotheil shook his head. “I cannot imagine any of them breaking their oath or agreeing to something so low.”
“You have too much faith in the honor of those men. I can attest to the presence of several scoundrels on that board.” Adela knew exactly who they were since those wretches did not bother to hide their disdain for women in their midst. Of course, they would always be on their best behavior around the Duke of Lotheil. “Runyon may not have the funds with which to bribe them, but he may have knowledge of secrets with which to blackmail them. This explains why he was so quick to sell that rare book. He must have put all in place and just been waiting for word on his proposal before taking action. I just don’t understand why he would go out of his way to make the exchange under our very noses. It seems so reckless.”
“We know the man is arrogant,” Lotheil said.
“Oh, the fiend.” Eloise set a hand on her heart, for she was obviously distressed. “It seems you have thwarted his plans. Adela, you must be careful. Who knows what he might do to you? He surely sees you as the cause of his continuing misfortunes.”
“Well, I am not going to sit around and wait for him to cause trouble, am I?” She was debating whether to tell them what her friends were doing when they were suddenly distracted by a commotion at the door.
Watling hurried in, his face a little pale. “My lady, Miss Adela’s friends are here…um, escorted by the Duke of Huntsford’s brother, Captain Octavian Thorne. He does not look happy. Indeed, not happy at all.”
Adela shot to her feet. “I knew it! He was following us!”
Octavian marched in with her two friends in tow. He wasn’t escorting them so much as hauling them in by the scruff of their necks like little, wayward pups. His expression was thunderous. “Ambrose warned me you three would try something foolish.”
He took a moment to bow to Eloise and Lotheil before continuing. “I caught these two attempting to question some gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, for they were scurvy knaves if I ever saw any. They were at a tavern not far from the Royal Society.”
“The Red Drake?” Lotheil said.
He nodded. “The very one.”
Sydney tipped her chin into the air. “We were merely trying to question the tavern maids.”
Gory cleared her throat. “But some of those dastardly patrons overheard us and decided to meddle. They did not appreciate our attempts to pry information about one of their own. You see, they also happened to be Fellows in the Royal Society. We tried to explain that Runyon was not to be trusted, but they refused to listen and attempted to toss us out.”
“We couldn’t let them get away with that, could we?” Sydney said, looking wonderfully indignant.
Adela listened in dismay as they related what happened next. “Syd, you threw a punch? Is this why you are nursing your hand?”
Her friend nodded. “I think I might have bruised a bone when my fist connected with the pompous blackguard’s jaw.”
“I’ll take her to see Dr. Farthingale before I personally escort her home,” Octavian said, his expression still thunderously dark. He spoke quietly, but Adela could see he was a raging storm.
She now turned to Gory. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Not a scratch on me. I am fine…but Captain Thorne…” She winced as she pointed to the black eye he now sported, which must have contributed to his ire since it could only have been acquired when he ran in to rescue her friends.
Oh, Ambrose was definitely going to call off their betrothal now.
Well, that should not stop her from doing everything possible to find his book. “Were you able to get any useful information out of the tavern maids before the fight broke out?”
“Yes,” Sydney said. “Apparently, Runyon had come in the day your notes and that book were stolen. They could not recall if he ran in with a bundle, but they do remember he left soon after without anything in his hands.”
