With that, Baxter departed, and Henry was left wondering, not for the first time, why his butler remained in service with him when he could easily become a spy for the Royal Court. Indeed, the man was a constant mystery with an endless array of skills and secret talents, and an extensive list of equally mysterious acquaintances who could find out anything.Almostanything.
At least he is on my side. I should hate to be his opposition.
A few minutes later, the study door burst open and Luke and Owen exploded into the room, looking as if they had sprinted all the way to see him.
“Where is the fire?” Henry asked in jest, as he rose to greet them.
Owen smiled a rare smile. “We found them.”
“Well, we foundoneof them,” Luke interjected, grinning.
Henry froze. “The highwaymen?”
“The very same,” Owen replied.
“Where is he?” Henry demanded to know. “Did you bring him with you? I must speak to him at once.”
Stepping forward, Owen put a calming hand on Henry’s shoulder and urged him to sit. “He has agreed to meet with us tomorrow,” he said. “There will be no need for aggression or interrogation; he is willing to cooperate.”
“Only because Owen asked so very nicely.” Luke chuckled.
“The man is no longer in the business of attacking carriages on the road, but has a rather reputable position at the courthouse,” Owen explained, casting a stern look at Luke. “He does not want to lose that position, nor the income attached. As such, he is willing to answer any and all questions, but it must be tomorrow, when his wife and child are not at home.”
Restlessness caused Henry to shift in his seat. If the man who had put a pistol to Thalia’s head was known and out there right now, unfettered, then howcouldHenry sit still? He wanted to put his fist through the man’s face, wanted to make the man feelas frightened as Thalia must have done… which was, perhaps, why Owen had orchestrated it this way.
“You need to be calm,” Owen said, as if he could read his friend’s mind. “The man is not going anywhere; believe me when I tell you that. He is just the right amount of scared, and with men like this, it is a delicate balance.”
Henry clenched his jaw, a muscle twitching close to his eye. “They threatened her life, Owen.”
“I am unsurprised,” the stern, scarred man said with a scowl. “That being said, you must take tonight to steady yourself, so you do not meet this man all hotheaded. You must be clear about the questions you wish to ask, and though it will not please you, you must be willing to accept the fact that he will not be punished for his part in things.”
Anger flared in Henry’s chest. “Notbe punished, after what he did?”
“Not if you wish to concentrate on the true culprit,” Owen said. “The fellow hardly seemed capable of enacting such a scheme of threat and intimidation. Rather, he appeared to be an underling. A tool to execute someone else’s plan.”
Luke nodded in agreement. “Do not settle for the minnows, Henry, or you risk the bigger fish escaping.”
It did not sit well with Henry at all. The prospect of meeting with the man who almost took his wife’s life andnotknocking out the fellow’s teeth at least was an injustice that made his blood boil.
Perhaps, I can send Baxter to the man afterward, to gainsomesatisfaction.Nothing irredeemably bad, but something, enough to make Henry feel as if he had avenged the terror his wife had endured on that night. Even if, back then, she had not yet been his wife.
As if summoned by thought, Baxter entered with the good brandy, poured out a glass for each of the three men, then left with a bow of his head, putting the decanter on the side-table for them to help themselves.
“How is she?” Luke asked, as put his nose to the edge of the glass and took a great inhale of the aromas.
Henry hesitated, remembering what Thalia had said about telling no one. But this was different. These were his friends. If he could not trust them, after all they had already done to help him find her assailants, then whocouldhe trust?
“She has regained her memories,” he said, swirling his brandy.
Luke sat up straight, eyes wide. “What? When? Why did you not send word to us?”
“Would she be able to confirm the identity of the man we have found?” Owen said, rather more bluntly.
Henry cast the latter a warning look. “She is not going anywhere near such a man, even if she could. We shall just have to hope that youhavefound the right cretin.”
Owen seemed dissatisfied with such a response, but he said nothing more about it as he sipped his drink and sat back in the armchair.
“As for when—it has been three days,” Henry said to Luke. “She discovered her diary, and it brought everything back.”
