‘The more I think about it, the more I think there was more to Mercy’s mother than I ever realised. She never told me her family name, and I never had any success locating anyone who knew it, though I confess I didn’t try particularly hard. I assumed she’d been brought up on the streets, but since her English was at best broken, there was no way of knowing whether her family back in Mexico were poverty-stricken or not.’
He looked round at his silent companions. ‘What if they weren’t? What if her family had been wealthy? She could have run away for a hundred different reasons.’ He paused, gathering his thoughts.
‘I think Reinhardt knew her name, and I think he knew who her family were.'
‘You believe Mercy has an inheritance waiting for her.’ Adam’s words were not phrased as a question.
Christian nodded. ‘I do. The more I think about it, it’s the only thing that makes sense.’
‘So, if Reinhardt marries Mercy, what’s hers becomes his?’ Max shook his head in disgust.
‘If that’s the case,’ Nate commented levelly, ‘then he’s going to be all the more desperate to put an end to our engagement.’ He looked round at the men surrounding him - friends he’d never thought he’d have – and added, ‘So if we wish to put an end to this, I suggest we give the bastard a compellingreason to show his hand.’
***
‘Jamie already has men on the lookout for this Reinhardt, based on the description you gave the sketch artist,’ Prudence told her father. ‘I’m not sure what else he can do.’
‘Well, for a start, the fellow’s not British,’ Reverend Shackleford answered. ‘Are there any eating or lodging houses that favour visitors from the Americas? If there are, they’d likely be near the docks.’
‘I’m certain he’ll have thought of that, Father. And I really don’t think London Docks are quite the place for you and Percy.’
‘Tare an’ hounds girl, who are you and what have you done with Prudence?’
‘She’s the mother of two young children,’ his daughter responded tartly.
‘Well, now you know how deuced difficult it is,’ the Reverend hmphed, entirely unsympathetically.
Prudence pursed her lips. Deep inside, she was aware that she’d recently lost a little of what made her … well, whatever it was that made her Pru - exchanging monsters for household ledgers and ghost stories for gossip sheets. Though, in truth, this was the first time she’d had it pointed out to her. Did Jamie miss the old Pru? He never said.
Frowning, she stood up to pour the tea. ‘It would take weeks to visit every lodging house, pub and eating house – not to mention the dozens of brothels and dolly shops,’ she declared brusquely. ‘You’d have better luck finding a needle in a haystack.’ She handed the Reverend his tea and sat back down. For a second, she was silent, then gave a small cough before saying a trifle defensively, ‘Mayhap I could make one or two enquiries. I know our cook’s nephew works at Wapping Dock. Perhaps he’ll know of somewhere that favours travellers to and from the Americas. I assume Reinhardt will be looking for passage once he’s managed to abduct Mercy?’
‘If he’s got any sense, he’ll already have it booked,’ her father grunted. ‘And if he has, there should be a record of it.’
Prudence sipped her tea thoughtfully. ‘I’m certain Jamie already has men enquiring about ships bound for Boston or New York within the next few weeks. Though if the scoundrel’s already booked passage, I doubt he’ll have used his own name.’
She paused for a second before seemingly making her mind up. ‘You’ll need to give me twenty-four hours. That should give the cook enough time to speak with her nephew.’ She put down her dish and looked over at her father sternly. ‘If I so much as suspect you and Percy have been wandering London Docks before then, so help me, I’ll have Jamie lock you both up in the nearest cell.’
Hiding his sudden excitement, the Reverend nodded solemnly, saying, ‘Crook my elbow and wish it never comes straight,’ while crossing his fingers behind his back. In truth, he was thinking if he got back quick enough, he, Percy and Finn could head towards the docks this afternoon. He’d offer his apologies upstairs as soon as they had Oliver Reinhardt under lock and key.
‘You’ll send me a message as soon as you’ve got something?’ he asked nonchalantly, climbing to his feet.
Prudence looked at him narrowly. She might not be as reckless as she once was, but that didn’t mean she was bacon brained enough not to recognise when her father was shamming it.
She stood up in turn, still eying him closely. ‘I’ll send word. In the meantime, please try to stay out of trouble, Father.’
The Reverend gave her a wounded look but thought it best to scarper before he was forced to tell an even bigger plumper. The Almighty might forgive him one, but in the Reverend’s experience, things tended to go very quickly to hell in a handcart if he tried to get away with two in the same conversation…
***
Pulling on her gloves and placing her bonnet over her artfully contrived curls, Mercy examined herself in the mirror. She wassurprised to see how calm and serene she looked. Inside, she was almost shaking with excitement.
Today she was to see Nate again for the first time in over a month. Instead of lessening as she’d believed it might, the strange restlessness every time she thought of him had actually increased. The ache between her legs had been keeping her awake at night, so much so that she was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with her. Indeed, in the depths of the night, after waking covered in a light film of perspiration, Mercy decided that at the very least she was going to have to somehow get him to kiss her. If that didn’t put an end to the throbbing, then she very much feared she’d have to persuade her father to allow the wedding to take place as soon as possible.
How she was going to achieve such a thing surrounded by half a dozen chaperones, Mercy had no idea. Mayhap the answer was to simply plant herself onto his lap and press her lips to his. That it would achieve the desired result she had no doubt. With a small giggle, she picked up her reticule, feeling lighter than she had since she’d left Scotland. As she made her way downstairs, for the first time, she forgot entirely about Reinhardt.
Nate arrived at exactly four p.m. As he was shown into the drawing room, Mercy drew in her breath. She hadn’t seen him looking all the crack beforeand hadn’t suspected he had such a magnificent physique. The scar on his face, instead of making him repulsive, somehow added to his allure, giving him a roguish air.Like a pirate, she thought remembering her sister’s comment at Cottesmore. Her heart was beating so loud she thought he must hear it as he bent to lift her hand to his lips.
‘You have changed, my lord,’ she murmured breathlessly. He lifted his eyes and stared at her, his gaze suddenly hot and intent.
