Hartwick’s smile dissolved. “Yes, of course. Tell us what is going on.”
Lucy guided Adeline to the sofa. “What’s happened?”
Adeline laid her head on her friend’s shoulder with a sigh. “What hasn’t happened is more like it.”
“Start with where you have been,” Lucy urged.
“Well, the night I last saw you, at the Jansons’ party, my father accepted Lord Bellamy’s offer of marriage for me. I was ambushed with the news while on the dance floor with Lord Bellamy.”
“No wonder you acted so strange when we spoke with you,” Lucy said.
“It’s so much worse than just the engagement. The next morning, the servants found George on the front steps, almost beaten to death. You see, my father owes money to some very bad men. Which is why he was selling me off to Bellamy, who promised to write him a bank draft immediately. Not soon enough to save George from becoming the warning to pay up. Then, the next evening, Kingsbury came through my bedroom window and kidnapped me.”
“What!?” Lucy and Hartwick said in unison.
Malcolm held up his hands. “Love, you are skipping some important details.”
She was so tired. “You tell it.”
“I was brought back to London because my superior needed me to investigate some missing items that were brought here illegally from Greece. There were several investors in this ship, which was full of silks and other goods originally coming from Istanbul. These investors were all peers, and Admiral Daniels wanted me to use my title to mingle and find these missing artifacts without raising any eyebrows.
“It quickly became apparent that Rawlings was at the center of it. The night of the Janson fete, I followed him and overheard a conversation he had with Lord Bellamy, the Foreign Secretary to Greece, where they spoke about auctioning off the items. Rawlings was complaining about the timeline of getting money from the sale, and the deal for Adeline’s hand in marriage was struck. The next day I went to see her brother George. I wanted to give him a chance to come clean and return the items to me. He refused to betray his father, but he asked me to safely escort Adeline to his estate in Wiltshire.”
“Perhaps kidnapped was a strong word. But he did come through the window.” Adeline smiled.
“Unbeknownst to me, Adeline took the most valuable of the artifacts in a bag I thought was full of books.”
“I thought that if I took them, there would be no evidence to link my family to the theft. I believed I was saving them from their own bad decisions.”
“Over the next several days, we had bad weather, a carriage accident, and Adeline was attacked. Her father sent men to bring her home and retrieve the artifacts. My guess is that Bellamy was less than pleased to have his paid-for bride disappear with the loot no less.”
“I was saved by the strangest man.” Adeline frowned. That gentleman was still a piece she hadn’t figured out.
“I decided to switch our destination, and we went south to my estate in Dorset. No one has been in residence for fifteen years, so I hoped no one would look for us there. I sent word to my lieutenant of my whereabouts to relay to the admiral. Then, a few days ago, Trent showed up with the news that Admiral Daniels had been shot. We knew we must return and settle things once and for all.”
“I have heard the news about Admiral Daniels,” Hartwick said. “They are saying he was attacked walking home from Whitehall.”
Malcolm shook his head. “I doubt it. He was figuring out how to handle accusing two peers of smuggling and get the artifacts returned before it caused an international incident with Greece, which Britain is supposed to be helping, not stealing from. If I was Rawlings and Bellamy, I would want to silence him before any scandal erupted. We know what her father is capable of.”
Adeline sent Malcolm a desperate look. She was not ready to discuss with Hartwick about what her father had done. It was all too much right now.
Malcolm gave her a soft look of understanding. “Tomorrow, I must go to Whitehall and speak with whoever replaced Daniels. Originally, we received intelligence information from the Foreign Office, so someone else must know what is happening.”
The Foreign Office had also been gathering information? “What did the intelligence from the Foreign Office entail?” she asked.
“Only that the stolen items were on board. They had been tracking the shipment from Greece, I guess. Perhaps they were involved because of the diplomatic consequences?”
Perhaps. But something else niggled at her about the whole thing. She was too tired to think it through now.
Lucy wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You look dead on your feet. You are safe here. Let’s get you to a bed.”
The men stood up.
Hartwick extended his hand to Malcolm. “Don’t worry, we will watch out for her. After your meeting tomorrow, let me know if there is anything I can do. I am happy to use my influence.”
“Thank you, I will.” Malcolm crossed to her and enveloped her in his embrace. She snuggled against his chest. “Get some rest. Don’t go out or let anyone know you are here.”
Adeline nodded. How she wished they could share a bed tonight and have his strength wrapped around her all night.
