His Grace steepled his fingers. “Two weeks ago, a letter arrived addressed to my sister. It did not have a seal, and her name was scrawled messily across the parchment with drops of ink splattered like it had been written with haste. Jones, my butler, was suspicious and brought the letter directly to me.”
He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out folded parchment, and handed it over. Cage opened the letter and read its short message. A chill raced down his spine.
I’m coming for you, you little tease. I will make you mine. Then I will make you dead.
He met the duke’s grim gaze.
“You can see why I do not want to share this with Caroline. Last week another letter arrived. I now have all of Caroline’s correspondence brought to me first. It was disgustingly graphic, but the same threat written at the end.”
“May I see it? There may be some clues that lie within,” Cage asked.
His Grace ran a hand down his face with a sigh before handing over the letter. “The words…It’s awful.” Real fear reflected in the man’s eyes.
I know what you really want. You are not satisfied with all those boys falling at your feet. You need a firm hand on that milky white ass. I’m coming for you, you little tease. I will make you mine. Then I will make you dead.
The duke leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees. “Can you help? I need someone who I can trust with her life. Winters says you helped find Vivian when she was kidnapped.”
Cage nodded. “If your family is in need, I am your man.” He held out his hand. The duke straightened with a sigh of relief, then shook his outstretched hand with a firm grip.
“Now I haven’t told anyone in the family, except I’ve written to Jack. If I told my wife or mother, I know they would insist on telling Caroline. And I hope we can figure this out without having to worry everyone. My wife is with child, and it’s been a difficult pregnancy. And well, Caroline thinks she is so worldly, but she has grown up very sheltered. I just want to protect her. That’s not so wrong, is it?”
This man felt a lot of responsibility to his large family. Cage respected that. “No, I also have a sister. I understand. Winters said that you had suspects.”
“Yes, twelve to be exact.”
“Twelve?” Cage raised an eyebrow.
“That is how many suitors Caroline has refused.” The duke shrugged. “It must be one of them. Certainly, not all were in love with her, but most were in love with her large dowry. They are all men of the quality. I hate to think that a gentleman would stoop to this kind of behavior.” He removed another piece of paper from his breast pocket.
“You’d be surprised what men of quality will do. Especially when it comes to money.” Cage said with no small amount of bitterness. He glanced down at the list of names. “All right, I will investigate each man. It would be easier if we could know why she turned down the offers. Perhaps she saw something thatfrightened her off? Would you be able to ask your wife or mother casually?”
“Yes, I think I can ferret some information from them,” the duke said. “Here is a copy of her schedule for the next two weeks. That should help you to know what social events to attend. Caroline also likes to ride in the park on Saturday mornings. She thinks I don’t know she sneaks out. I’ve had the stable master insist she takes a groom with her for safety. He promises her not to tell me in return.” The duke shrugged. “It’s easier to manage her when she doesn’t know I’m doing it.”
Cage couldn’t help but grin. He was beginning to get a picture of what the man’s sister was like. As he read down the list of social obligations Caroline Langdon would attend in the next couple of weeks, he sighed. It was a very long list. “I can’t possibly follow her to all these events. You would need three men to keep up with her schedule.”
His Grace reached for the list. He frowned. “This seems fairly typical during the season. Teas and such would be attended by mother and Caroline together. I can just make sure they have extra security to accompany them to such things. It’s the evening entertainment where she will be in mixed company that worries me the most. I just cannot be at everything.”
“All right, I will focus on those, observe who is observing her, and who she interacts with. During the day, I can investigate this list of jilted suitors. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” He passed the letters back across the table. “If any others arrive, please inform me.”
“I will. Thank you again.” The duke stood. “Well, let’s go out to the main room and make sure everyone knows what good friends I am with the mysterious Lord Wrotham. That way, you’ll be sure to be invited to every event.”
Later after the duke left for home, Cage sat and sipped the excellent spirits the club offered. He took time to observe theroom while contemplating the list of men spurned by Caroline Langdon. He recognized some titles, old as England herself. But most of the men he would have to research.
The duke seemed the kind of man who would do his due diligence in investigating future brothers-in-law. But those letters were about emotion. That was not the sort of thing that came up in a standard check of a man’s financial solvency or linage.
He picked up the schedule of events. It looked like tomorrow evening he would be attending Lady Dresden’s dinner party. And wasn’t that just grand?
Chapter 6
Caroline fidgeted with buttons on her long gloves as the carriage rumbled over the cobblestone streets toward their destination. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so nervous about anything.Don’t lose your courage now. Think about Alice. What will happen to her if you fail?She took a deep breath.You are Caroline Langdon; no one says no to you. Her fingers reached into the inner pocket of her cloak and felt the comforting shape of the leather sheath that held her stiletto. She would not leave this girl behind.
In the end, they had decided to arrive to confront the Madame in the late afternoon. She had been advised by a reluctant Winston that the brothel owner would likely not be happy to be woken by a morning call. Caroline had taken precautions to travel anonymously. The hooded cloak did indeed shield her features and completely covered her day dress. George had procured a simple black carriage for the trip into Covent Gardens. William, from the stables, was acting as coachman and bodyguard.
George told them the front of the brothel served as a Dress House, a shop where clothing was rented out by the night. She had never heard of such a thing. A wooden sign in front of the store swung back and forth in the breeze as they approached, the lettering so faded that she could not make out the name. She pulled the deep hood of her cloak up over her head as the carriage door opened. William’s broad face appeared in the opening.
“This is the address, miss, but are you sure this is where you want to go? I don’t think this is the kind of neighborhood for a lady to be shopping.”
“Yes, William, this is where we are going to run our errand. Now you can see why I asked you to come along. If anybodygets in my way, I want you to get into their way. Do you get my meaning? We have a very important package to pick up.”
