“Nick, my cousin?” she whispered.
Leo nodded. “We are all noblemen, and have been investigating cases for some time now. After returning from the war, we needed to do something with our skills. This worked well for us.”
“I can scarcely believe it. Nick and you,” Beth said. “I have heard of the Lords of Night Street, of course, but I had no idea you were all actually noblemen. I’m guessing that Lord Hatherton and Lord Needly are involved also?”
“They are. Are you ready to meet with them now?”
She took the hand he held out to her, and let him lead her from the room. They walked down the stairs, and when Nick saw her, he got to his feet and came forward.
“Beth, are you all right?”
She nodded, and fell into his arms. The cousins hugged, and Leo heard Nick talking to her, asking her why she had not come to him.
“I’m sorry, Nick. In the beginning I told no one but my aunt, but now... since the letters, I have come to realize I cannot deal with the blackmailer alone. I sent word to Night Street, and it was Leo who came to meet me.”
“Come and take a seat now.” Leo took her arm, and led her to where Jacob held out a chair. Leo stayed standing; he needed to pace.
“You know everyone here,” he said, acknowledging his friends. She nodded.
“Do you wish to tell the story, or shall I, Beth?”
“You tell it.”
He felt her tension again, and this time it was matched by her cousin’s.
He talked, telling them all he knew. He did not elaborate on the incident with Lloyd, stating only that he had behaved badly toward Beth.
“You should have told me!” The words exploded from Nick. His face was tight with anger.
“When, Nick? We were not close,” Beth said with a calm Leo was proud of.
“Later, when we were, you should have told me then, Beth. I would have killed the bastard!”
“Perhaps, but then I had no wish to live through that again. I believed the past was better left alone, and it would have stayed that way had the letters not started.”
Leo fought the urge to pluck her out of her seat and resettle her in his lap. He wondered if she would ever acknowledge her strength. To have faced her fears and put back the pieces of her shattered life the best way she could took a strong will many would not have had.
“All right, I will not pursue this point as you are now seeking help,” Nick added. “But will you tell me now if you believe it was this Mr. Lloyd who killed your father?”
“I do. They dismissed it as a hunting accident, but I knew better. I told Aunt, but she thought it best to stay silent on the matter, as who would have believed me? A distraught daughter, who had spent a few days with this man, and all who attended that house party could attest to the fact I liked Lloyd. So I just kept it inside until I told Leo last night.”
“She had no right to make you stay silent. Christ, the man should have been tried for murder!” Nick said.
“He left for France soon after, and there I believe he stayed... until now, if it is he who is doing this to me.”
“I’m going to kill this Lloyd!” Nick got to his feet and started pacing.
“Stand in line,” Leo said, watching him.
“We need to trap him,” Jacob said calmly. “Find a way to lure him out, then grab him. Whoever it is will not stop until we make him, Miss Whitlow.”
She nodded. “Please call me Beth.”
“And we are Marcus and Jacob.”
She smiled. It was strained, but a smile nonetheless.
“We will start investigating. Someone will know if Lloyd is back in London, then we need to locate him,” Nick said.
