LeavingPippa and venturing to Scotland Yard for a meeting with Chief Inspector Stone had been incredibly difficult. All Roland had wanted to do after their impromptu interlude in the library was to take her up in his arms and carry her to his bedchamber to make love to her again and again. But sheer necessity had stopped him.
And thus, he found himself ensconced in Stone’s office now.
“Thank you for returning to London with such haste,” his friend said, countenance as serious as it always was.
If the man possessed any sense of victory at having apprehended another criminal, it was not visible on his stern visage.
“Of course, Stone. Seeing this entire affair come to an end is my primary concern.”
“I can imagine, so we may as well get to the crux of it.”
Stone was all business, but in this instance, Roland appreciated his dry candor.
“Please,” he said.
“The man we have apprehended was one of two partners George Shaw had,” Stone began. “The other partner is dead, hanged in his cell, as you know, at the behest of our current prisoner. Their operations extended into all parts of society. They bribed and blackmailed their way through anyone who stood in their way, and they were paid handsomely for their crimes.”
“What were their crimes, specifically?” Roland asked, needing to know.
“They traded in art forgeries, with Shaw moving the forged paintings in and out of his home to avoid notice. In addition, there were forged antiquities being sold. The partners secured the forged goods and Shaw used his society connections to sell them, with the partners sharing the profits. But in no time, their greed demanded they expand their empire. They acquired the debts of various noblemen, including your wife’s own brother. These debts were leveraged to achieve a great deal of nefarious ends.”
A shiver rolled down Roland’s spine. “My wife has also received written confirmation from her brother, Lord Worthington, that Shaw bribed him using gambling debts he had acquired as clout.”
And that was how the bastard had found himself married to Pippa.
Stone inclined his head. “I will be seeking an audience with his lordship in the hopes it will bolster the evidence against the prisoner. In addition to these crimes, they were also involved in the flesh trade. Shaw used his position to attract young chambermaids from the countryside and then sold them to an abbess in the East End.”
His stomach curdled and bile rose up his throat. To think of such a despicable vulture hiding in plain sight, married to Pippa, a wolf in sheep’s clothing…it made him ill.
“And the business with Adrian Hastings,” he managed to say. “Have you any information about that?”
“It would appear that Shaw realized there was an opportunity to further enhance his coffers by being paid by wealthy men to hide their sins. The Duke of Longleigh engaged Shaw’s services to see that false charges against Hastings would send him to prison for years. Evidence suggests murders may have also been committed, arranged and paid for by Shaw and his associates.”
“Good God.” He had known Shaw was a vile man, but to hear his crimes enumerated…it was astonishing. “And yet, until his death, the man traveled in the highest circles, with no one the wiser.”
Stone sighed. “I tell you, Northwich, having seen the criminal mind in action, nothing will ever surprise me. Murderers and thieves can travel amongst us with as much ease as law-abiding citizens. If criminals were born with a mark denoting their inner evil, they would never have any victims, would they?”
“No indeed,” he agreed, thinking of how legion George Shaw’s victims had been.
Hastings, Pippa, Charlotte, himself, and Lord knew how many others…
“But most importantly, two of the three conspirators are dead, and the third is in jail where he belongs,” Stone added. “Which brings me to the reason I requested an audience with you. I do wonder if the duchess would be willing to view a series of pictures for us and tell us whether or not she finds any of the men familiar. The more evidence we can gather against Reginald Croydon, the better.”
Roland was still reeling with the revelations the Chief Inspector had made concerning Shaw and the depths of his crimes, but the surname…
“Croydon, you say?” he asked Stone, everything within him seizing.
Of course it was a coincidence. Char-char’s nursemaid would not be the only person in London bearing that surname. But still, what a coincidence it would be for the man who had been one of George Shaw’s accomplices to also bear the same name as the nursemaid George Shaw had hired for his daughter.
“Yes,” Stone confirmed, frowning. “Reginald Croydon. Have you heard the name before?”
His chest was tight. “I have indeed. My stepdaughter’s nursemaid shares the surname.”
A muscle ticked in Stone’s jaw. “I do not like the coincidence, Northwich.”
“Nor do I.”
Fucking, flaming hell.
