Lady Withnall’s nose was twitching like a rabbit’s. “Do not leave us in suspense, Mr. Barrow. What has happened?”
“We caught the fellow who shot Lord Thorne.” He made the announcement with obvious pride and a good dose of relief.
“That is excellent news,” Ambrose said.
Gory’s heart stuck in her throat like a big, ungainly lump, so that she sounded hoarse when she spoke. “Where is he? Who is he? Did he say who hired him? I’ll grab my cloak. Where are you holding him?”
Julius was standing beside her and now grabbed her wrist to hold her back. “You are going nowhere.”
Her eyes widened. “Did you not hear what Mr. Barrow just said? This is the breakthrough we have been hoping for.”
He cast her that man-protecting-his-woman look again. “I’ll go. You need to stay here and let Ambrose’s staff and the Bow Street men do their job and guard you.”
“But–”
“Gory, only one of them has been caught. Obviously, this means the other culprit is still on the loose.” He turned to Mr. Barrow. “Has the man you caught given up any names, or even disclosed his own?”
“No, m’lord. He hadn’t said a word before I left him to report to you. Mr. Havers is interrogating him as we speak. That inspector’s a clever fellow and will get something out of him, mark my words.”
“But if he does not? All the more reason for me to come with you,” Gory insisted. “I might recognize this person, especially if he was doing business with my uncle and had come to our house before.”
Julius stared at her in disbelief. “If that is so, then your head butler can identify him just as surely as you can. Stay here and keep away from the windows. We do not need a repeat of what happened this afternoon.”
To emphasize his point, he glanced at his arm that had been neatly stitched and bandaged, and was now covered by his shirt and jacket.
“There is little chance of another attack,” she said, trying to stem her impatience. “His accomplices won’t try anything now that Havers has their companion under interrogation. If anything, everyone involved in the crime must be fleeing London for fear of being caught. Mr. Barrow, is there anything new at all about the person who leaped over the townhouse wall this afternoon?”
He shook his head. “Still nothing, I am sad to report.”
Gory let out a breath of frustration. “Do you think this trespasser could be a woman? Is this what Mr. Havers might be questioning the man about? You told us the coach registers showed a man and two women who took a coach from Windsor to London and immediately back the next morning.”
“Gory, do not get distracted by the sex of the villains,” Lady Withnall said. “First, we do not know yet whether the coach registers are significant at all. Although the trespasser lurking in the garden appeared as slender and agile as a woman when leaping over the townhouse wall, it takes a lot of upper body strength to accomplish this, something few women have. Nor is it likely a woman would wear men’s clothing or ride astride a horse and not be noticed.”
“All good points, Lady Withnall,” Julius remarked, turning to Gory with an arch of his eyebrow. “We already know there had to be at least two people involved in the murder of your uncle. Who is to say there are not a dozen people involved? Let’s hear what Havers has to say.”
“Based on my experience,” Leo remarked, “it is just as likely the pair you encountered today are wastrels hired out of one of the dockside taverns and paid to silence you, Gory. They probably had nothing to do with the murder of your uncle and were only hired now because the real culprits are worried they are being closely watched.”
“But why attack in broad daylight on a busy street outside of their known territory?” Marigold asked her husband.
“I don’t know,” Leo replied. “These are not the brightest men, are they? Greed is their motivation.”
“This idle chatter is getting us nowhere,” Gory said with marked impatience. “I am coming with you, Mr. Barrow. And Julius has something more to tell us about what he noticed today during our visit with Lord Allendale.”
Ambrose shot his brother a questioning glance. “What else happened besides the attack on your carriage?”
Julius growled and hauled Gory out of the room with him. “You did that on purpose, you little minx.”
“I am a mongoose, not a minx. I wasn’t going to reveal Allendale and Sarah’s secret, just get you to take me along with you. It worked, didn’t it?”
“Do you think I care if the world knows what Allendale did?” He sighed. “All right, come with me.”
She grabbed her cloak and stuck close to Julius to make certain he would not change his mind, then breathed a sigh of relief once he helped her into his carriage.
Since Mr. Barrow had arrived on horseback, he chose to ride behind them rather than join them in the conveyance.
Gory was glad for the chance of a private word with Julius.
They could have spoken earlier, but she had been too overset by his injury to think about anything but him.
