“Mr. Martin,” Soothcoor said, shaking Lewis’s hand and grabbing his arm with the other hand. “I can’t thank you enough. When I got word from Mr. Thornbridge that Christopher was in the country but had been kidnapped, I felt the world collapse around me. Thank you.”
“My lord, we worked together to effect a happy discovery. But as I was saying to Sir James, we are not at the end of this villainy. Are you acquainted with Dr. Jonathan Lakewood?”
“Yes,” he replied easily. “My stepmother introduced me to him a few weeks ago. Reminded me he was the doctor who cared for my niece after her son, George, was born.”
“I think we should all be seated,” James said, leading Cecilia to the sofa by the fireplace. Their guests took the chairs flanking the sofa.
Lewis leaned forward, hands clasped between his knees. “We suspect Dr. Lakewood to have involvement in the kidnapping of your nephew, the death of Mr. Percival Peasey, and an attempted murder of Miss Rani Rangaswamy,” Lewis said heavily.
“Impossible,” Soothcoor scoffed. He looked from Mr. Martin to the Branstokes. “That’s ridiculous. He is trained to save lives, not take lives.”
James shook his head. “Listen to Mr. Martin,” he said. “We don’t understand it either, but we agree with Mr. Martin.” He looked at Lewis. “Please go ahead.”
Lewis nodded. “Two months ago, a tall man in theatrical costume garb met with a couple of louts and offered them money to loiter around the East India Docks. They were to look for a ship with a young boy among the passengers. The costumed gentleman gave them a description of the child’s eyes by which to identify him. They were told to ensure the child never made it to the Earl of Soothcoor. They were well-compensated for their time, with the promise of more later.”
Soothcoor frowned and shook his head. “Go on.”
“When they realized the boy they were waiting for had disembarked from a new ship in port, they paid a laundress named Muriel Patterson to kidnap the boy and promised her £5 for doing so.”
Nate pushed the door open. “Since we have pushed breakfast back, Cook suggested you might like coffee or tea.” He carried the tea tray over to the card table by the windows.
“Thank you, Nate, and give our thanks to Cook.” Cecilia said. She rose from the sofa to pour out cups of coffee and tea. Cecilia asked what everyone wanted. Only Mr. Martin requested tea, James and Soothcoor preferring black coffee.
“This Patterson woman, have you arrested her?” Soothcoor asked.
Lewis tipped his head and sighed. He took his tea from Cecilia, then looked back at the Earl. “The men that hired her, killed her.” He blew gently on his tea to cool it and took a sip. “They took Christopher to one of the rougher parts of London, locked him in an upstairs room with outside access at a tavern, and went back downstairs and into the tavern for a mug of ale to celebrate. While they were celebrating, a third party kidnapped the boy from them and sold him into apprenticeship to a chimney sweep.”
“Egad! Why? How do you know all this?” Soothcoor asked.
“Thewhy,we have yet to figure out. Thehowis through the friends I’ve made with the mudlark gangs and others. They are my eyes and ears in the city. I tell them not to get involved, just watch and report.”
“Except young Daniel did get involved when he went to Mrs. Patterson after she was stabbed,” Cecilia reminded him.
“Yes, and while I honor his intentions, as he didn’t know how badly she was hurt, I told him not to do that again. At least not alone,” Lewis said sternly. “I cannot stress enough to these runabouts how dangerous is their curiosity. I have befriended them for their safety as well as communication sources.”
“But with all the chimney sweeps in the city, and as grimy as they remain, how did you find Christopher?”
“He has the puppy dog Sedgewick eyes,” James dryly explained.
Cecilia laughed. “Yes, and Miss Rangaswamy had a portrait in her trunk that Mr. Martin gave to an engraver to copy,” Cecilia explained. “We had it printed on flyers, and through the good offices of our servants—including Mr. Charwood—” she said, looking pointedly at Lewis, “they passed out the flyers to housekeepers and butlers. I took one with me to Lady Amblethorpe’s Holiday Musicale,” Cecilia said.
James leaned back, crossed his legs, and grasped one knee with his hands. “I tell you, Soothcoor, it was the strangest turn of events. It had to be fated that we were there. A woman in attendance said she saw a child with those eyes in her house earlier that day. And to make it more karmic, she told us she knew you as a child and said the boy looked like you,” James said.
Soothcoor drew his chin in and frowned. “Who was that?” he asked.
“A Mrs. Montgomery.”
Soothcoor stared at him, and if it were possible, Cecilia thought his pale skin grew paler.
“What is it?” Cecilia asked.
He blinked and looked at them as he straightened in his chair. “Yes, I know her,” he said gruffly, looking down. “Knew her before she wed Malcolm Montgomery.” He gave a quick sardonic laugh as he looked up again, his lips twisting. “As children, Lilias, Malcom, and I spent many a summer roaming the Scottish hills of my grandfather’s estate together. They were from neighboring families.”
“Ah, so not only Sedgewick eyes, but Sedgewick eyes in a child’s face,” Cecilia said.
He nodded, his lips twisting sardonically at her summation.
“We interviewed Mrs. Montgomery’s butler the next day,” James said, “and learned the sweep and his climbing boys were at a home up the street. At that home, we discovered Christopher.”
