“Dunno. I didn’t follow ’er. Me mate followed ’er. I know she was the gent’s wife; he thought she was up to no good.”
“Why did he have you follow Lady Catherine?”
“Dunno. Just wanted to know where she went, who she met, wot she did. So I told ’im.
Mostly borin’ stuff, shoppin’ and the loike.”
“There, you see?” Jim asked. “I’m not the only one who thought she was boring.”
Luke jerked his head around and glared at Jim.
Jim held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry. But I felt a need to point it out.”
Luke turned his attention back to Evans. “Are you one of the gents who attacked me one night?”
The man’s cap almost disappeared in his large hands he was wringing it so hard. It was answer enough for Luke.
“Were you supposed to kill me?”
Evans gave a brusque nod.
“And Lady Catherine?”
Evans’s head came up, his eyes round. “No, I swear. Didn’t know she was even there ’til she popped outta the coach. I didn’t follow ’er at noight, ’er being a lady and all. I figured she was already abed.”
“Did you tell your employer?”
Evans shook his head quickly. “’E was mad enuf that we didn’t get the job done proper.
Didn’t want to borrow no more trouble.”
“Where did you meet him?”
“Nowhere in particular. ’E always found us.”
“And you don’t know who he is?”
“Sorry, mate.”
“Yes, I’ll just bet you are.” Luke considered what he knew. Nothing made sense.
Something was missing. Why would he follow a duchess? And which duchess? “The duchess you were following—did you ever see her with Lady Catherine?”
“Almost every day. They were tighter than two peas in a pod.”
“You didn’t think that was worth mentioning?”
The man shrugged.
“If they were together, only one of you needed to follow them, but two of you were still getting paid, right?” Jim asked.
Evans sighed and nodded as if he were a child caught pilfering a cookie. But Luke had greater concerns on his mind. He eased off the desk, walked to Jim, and said in a low voice, “Catherine spends a good deal of time with the Duchess of Avendale. Have you seen her in the company of any other duchess?”
Jim shook his head. “If I had, I would have told you before now.”
“Makes no sense. Why would Avendale—”
The door opened and Jack strode in, extending a piece of paper. “This just came for you.”
