The children were at his house, even now.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“LadyWhitmore,”asteelyvoice interrupted. It was the marquess. Merciful heaven, but she had no desire to cross swords with him now.
The marquess stepped in front of her, a general poised for battle. Emily glanced around, hoping for a glimpse of Stephen, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Good evening. Is there something you wanted?”
“You know what I want. And yet you keep insinuating yourself into places you don’t belong.”
Years of denigration and unworthiness solidified into a wave of anger. Emily snapped her fan open, trying to cool her temper before she did something rash.Calm down. He is nothing but an old curmudgeon.
“Lord Rothburne, I have no wish to be your enemy. I married your son, and I’ve every right to be here.”
“You bring shame upon him.”
“No,” she said softly, no longer caring about those around her. “You bring shame upon yourself. Perhaps it is you who should leave.”
The dance had ended, and her words echoed above the noise of the crowd. Lady Thistlewaite looked both aghast and delighted at the scene Emily was inadvertently causing.
“You mean nothing to him,” the marquess said, “and you are a fool if you believe otherwise.”
“My wife is not a fool,” her husband responded. She saw Stephen coming toward her, and at the sight of him, she took comfort in his presence.
“Since you plan to make a spectacle of yourself, Father, let me make one thing quite clear. Anyone who humiliates my wife in public must answer to me.” Stephen took her hand in his and the magnitude of what he’d done struck her. He’d abandoned pride and duty, forcing the marquess to accept her. She blinked back the tears, grateful for his interference.
“Now, if you will excuse me, I am escorting Lady Whitmore home.” He led her toward the door, lowering his voice. “Nigel has already left. We must go now.”
She did not look back at the ballroom but joined Stephen as they hurried toward the carriage. Within minutes, they were inside.
Seated across from one another, she watched him, wondering what to say. At last, she said, “Thank you for defending me tonight.”
He gave a nod, his attention focused outside. “I don’t know where Nigel has gone, but—”
Emily leaned forward and kissed him. She took him by surprise, and he did not react at first. But she needed him to understand how much it meant to her. A moment later, he took her face in his hands, his thumb grazing her temple. “That was far too short to be a kiss.”
Her pulse quickened as he drew closer. She could feel the hidden strength in his arms. Leaning in, he took her lips. Gently, he caressed her shoulders as his mouth captured hers. The carriage rumbled through the streets, and the rhythmic motion made it difficult to catch her breath. When at last he released her, her hands poised on his forearms.
“I’ll find him, Emily,” he swore.
“The children,” she reminded him. “We have to protect them.”
As the carriage moved closer to Nigel’s town house, Stephen’s apprehension heightened. If Nigel had somehow been involved in the deaths of Carstairs and Hollingford, he did not doubt the man would use the children as leverage.
“I meant to show you these earlier,” Emily said, reaching inside her bodice. He raised an eyebrow as she handed him several torn pages. As soon as he saw them, he knew what they were: the missing list of investors.
“Where did you get these?”
“Daniel hid them inside Royce’s fairytale book,” she said. “In the story of 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier.' I didn’t see them until I picked it up.”
Though it was difficult to see in the moonlight, the columns of numbers triggered a flood of memories. Visions unfolded, strange illuminations that made little sense. He recalled removing the pages with a blade, giving them to Hollingford for safekeeping.
“What is it?”
“I made this list. Months ago.” He’d recorded every ship that had not earned a profit in the past four years, along with the names of their investors. “They’re the missing pages from the ledger we found at your brother’s estate.”
Like a door opening, the memories returned. “I noticed that several shipments appeared to have less cargo than they should. And whenThe Lady Valiant’s cargo was sold, all of the funds disappeared. I thought your brother was responsible, at first.”
Stephen folded up the paper. “He swore he had nothing to do with the loss. Then he confided in me what had happened to him in India, when he was branded with the tattoo. He suspected the real thief was trying to frighten him. Or set him up to take the blame.” Stephen reached out and took her hands. “He was more afraid for you and the children than he was for himself. He begged me to go after you, to ensure your safety. I promised him I would, and that’s when I gave him the records for safekeeping.”
