“I’m sure I will,” Farah added as he took his leave out into the horrid weather.
He didn’t need to hail a hackney. The first of the gentlemen’s clubs he wished to visit, a more upmarket establishment, was around the corner. This was the more fashionable area in Dublin. That was how he knew the dressmaker was here. He’d passed it many times on his way to the club.
Kevin the doorman greeted him like a returning friend. “Lord Ware. How nice to see you so soon again. I thought you’d returned to England.”
He took off his hat and shook the water off it, handing it to Kevin. “I’m back in Dublin to find a friend.” He fished out of his pocket the painting he had of Lucien. It was over five years out of date and no doubt, if his friend were alive, he would have matured somewhat. Certainly the man he’d spied in the tavern had been bigger and wider. “Have you ever seen this man in here?”
Kevin took the small portrait and studied it. Finally, he shook his head. “No. I don’t think so, m’lord. Are you sure he’s a member?”
This high-class club was a member-only place. Rockwell couldn’t imagine Furoe, if he were alive, not being a member here. “Do you think I could talk to the ladies and see if any of them recognize my friend?”
“Lord Ware, you’re back so soon?” Down the stairs glided one of the most stunning women he’d had the pleasure of meeting. Mrs. O’Rourke owned the club, but that was all. She did not provide services to her male members unless she wanted pleasure for herself.
He bowed over her hand and kissed her knuckles. “As beautiful as ever, Maeve. You always take my breath away.”
“And you, my lord, are still a smooth talker.” But her smile showed she was pleased with his observation. “Are you after male company in the card room this early or other entertainments?”
“Neither.” He handed her the image.
“And who’s this handsome gentleman?”
“He’s my friend. He went missing a few years ago and is believed to be dead, but I thought I saw him in Dublin when I was last here.”
She nodded her head. “He reminds me of a young man that was brought in here after the uprising a few years ago. He had a terrible head injury.” She peered closer at the picture. “It could be him.”
Rockwell could barely contain his excitement. “What happened to him?”
She turned to Kevin. “Didn’t Ava nurse him?”
Kevin nodded. “Aye, I think she did. I remember she nursed him for over a month.”
“Is Ava here? Can I talk to her?”
The smile on Maeve’s face dimmed. “Ava left us almost five years ago to go home to her family. This life wasn’t for her.” She tapped a finger to her lips before adding, “But I think this man went with her.”
“Went where?” Rockwell asked hopefully.
“Malahide,” Kevin answered. “Young Ava came from north of Dublin. Not far, about ten miles up the coast.”
Malahide! The same place the grain merchant mentioned. Rockwell could kiss him. “Thank you, Kevin. That’s most helpful.”
She clapped her hands. “Now that we have settled your inquiry”—she linked her arm through his—“can I tempt you—to partake in some of the house’s offerings.”
The way she ran her fingers over his arm made it clear she was inviting him to her bed. It was an offer he would love to take, but to his annoyance, an image of Farah standing in his bedroom, skirt hiked up to her waist and his large Hessian on her foot filled his mind. Why did that image haunt him so?
To his horror, he also realized he didn’t want to have sex with this woman. The woman he wanted beneath him, above him, every way a woman could be taken, was Farah. Damn it all to hell.
Chapter Six
“Normally, I’d loveto accept, Maeve, but I’ve left my sister, Ashley, at the dressmaker’s around the corner and I must get back. I promised her a trip and she was most keen to also try and locate our friend. The man I’m looking for is her best friend’s fiancé. May I hold your wonderful offer until another day?”
She hid her disappointment well and exclaimed, “My club is always open to you. Come and visit me when you don’t have your sister in tow.”
He kissed her cheek. “I most definitely will do that. Thank you.” He skipped down the stairs and didn’t even care that it was now torrential rain. He had a lead that matched with what the grain merchant had told him. He needed to get to Malahide as soon as possible. The sooner he found Lucien, the sooner he could get back to London and try to avert a possible scandal.
But a part of him wondered if it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he had to marry Farah.
*
