Blackmail and the Bride
Book 5 in the Six Pearls of Baron Ridlington Series
The Earl of Perrenporth looked exactly as one might imagine; perfectly groomed silver hair, an elegant air, and creases on his face that spoke of many happy years.
Beneath his august and charming exterior was a mind sharper than any sword, and a determination that would have made a bulldog look like a newborn lamb.
Richard had learned rapidly never to underestimate the Earl, no matter how casual their conversations. So he entered the Earl’s study with the usual amount of trepidation.
“Ah, good. Ridlington. Just the man I wanted to see.” The Earl rose with a smile.
Richard bowed. “I have a delivery for you, my Lord.” He withdrew the envelope he’d received earlier and passed it across the desk.
“Excellent, excellent.” The Earl sat returned to his seat, reached for a small sharp dagger, and neatly slit his way past the seal. Opening the letter, he read for a few moments, nodded, and refolded the paper. “Just the news I’d hoped for. Thank you, Mr. Ridlington. You have done a great service this afternoon.”
“I am honoured, sir.” Richard took a small relieved breath. “There were no problems or observers as near as I could tell. It’s getting rather chaotic out there now, so I doubt I was remarked in any way.” He glanced from the window, noting that even here, tucked away from the main thoroughfares, there was a muted rumble making its way through the air.
“Evacuees?” The Earl glanced at him.
“I’m not sure. Mostly military at the moment. Mounted, on foot, in wagons…you can barely cross the street for them.”
“The forces are indeed gathering, I’m afraid.”
Richard nodded. “It’s going to be a big one, isn’t it?”
The Earl looked out his window, silent for a long moment. Then he shrugged. “That’s up to others to decide, lad.”
“Of course, sir. If that’s all…?” Richard prepared to take his leave.
“No, as a matter of fact it’s not. I’d like to speak with you on another matter, if you have the time to spare?”
“Of course,” answered Richard with alacrity. “I’m at your disposal, my Lord.”
“Funny you should say that.” The Earl chuckled, rose and crossed the room to the small table in the corner. “Join me in a brandy? I’ve worked hard and you’ve been out in the chaos. I think we both deserve a few moments respite.”
“Thank you, sir. Indeed, that would be most welcome.”
The Earl poured the liquor generously into two glasses and motioned at the chairs arranged comfortably on this side of his study. “Sit.”
Richard sat, wondering what the Earl wanted to talk to him about.
The other man also took a seat, crossed his legs, and regarded Richard over the glass as he sipped. “I hear you’re having a spot of bother with Angleford.”
Richard, caught mid-swallow, coughed as the brandy caught in his throat. “Er, yes, you might say that,” he rasped.
“To the tune of five thousand guineas, if I heard correctly?”
Growing increasingly unsettled, Richard nodded. “You are well informed, sir. Yes. The gentleman with whom I had expected to complete some business was killed and all our money vanished. I find myself unable to meet Angleford’s terms at the present time.”
There was no point in prevaricating, since it was most likely that Perrenporth already knew every single detail and sum of money, down to the last sixpence.
“Was it a foolish endeavour?”
Richard straightened. “No, sir, it was not. We purchased a boat, found a reliable crew, and have managed to assist more than a few families in their attempts to leave Europe and return home. As you are well aware, transportation is a challenge right now, what with the military requisitioning most everything that moves, and prices for passage anywhere out of Brussels soaring to absurd heights. We kept our prices to no more than what was required to cover our costs, and thus we were able to carry more passengers than we’d anticipated, and all was accomplished with the utmost discretion. We did make a profit, in the neighbourhood of ten percent for our investors and ten percent for us. It was not a scheme designed to gauge the desperate…”
“Easy, lad. I never implied that it was.”
Richard subsided. “Good,” he muttered.
