Gabe swallowed a mouthful of coffee before he spoke again.
“I expect that if you have any doubts in the future, you approach me with them.”
Zach nodded.
“Now, back to Mary. We proceed with caution. If what you say is true, then we must find out why she and Plunge were there and what their game is. Nothing I know of her from the years she has been part of our lives leads me to believe she has a nefarious bone in her body,” Gabe said. “Quirky and sweet natured Mary is one of my wife’s friends, so I struggle to see her as a villain.”
“I agree, and after my talk with Bobby and Bessie, I feel that she could not have been hiding her true self from us for so long.”
“I really need to meet them.”
“Gabe, Lord Blake is part of Alexius,” Zach said softly.
“He is, and as I have said, we step very carefully until we have more details.”
Why was Mary there last night?What possible reason could place her in a brothel—two brothels and a gaming establishment?
“Plunge,” Gabe said. “What is that man’s game, and has he been playing society for fools for many years?”
“I want to go and see her,” Zach said.
“And yet that will achieve nothing but warn her we are onto her. We cannot discount she is in danger, like Beth was. Plunge too. If we charge at them, they will retreat, and we may never know what is really going on.”
The thought of Mary in danger made Zach’s blood run cold, which was a miracle considering the anger coursing through him over the risks she’d taken.
“Hello!”
The brothers turned to look at the door as Ella, Forrest’s daughter, ran in. She had curls the color of sunset and could talk from sunup until sundown. As the first child to enter their family, they all adored her.
“Come and give me a big hello kiss,” Zach said with enthusiasm he was far from feeling. But when those little arms wrapped around his neck, some of his calm returned.
Mary could not be a villain.
Ella then moved to Gabe to do the same thing.
“Good day,” Adam, Ruby’s brother, said, entering the parlor next.
When first they’d met the boy, he’d been thin with hunched shoulders. He’d been born with a leg that did not work as well as the other. He still needed both crutches, but with time spent with them in the room below strengthening his thighs, he was moving better. He’d put on weight, and his smile took up most of his face these days, unlike the small ones he used to offer.
“Good day, Adam. What has you here?” Gabe asked.
“Forrest told us yesterday we are going to the fair, so we decided that it would be fun to all attend together.”
“Well, come and eat something then,” Zach said. “What fair?”
“The big fair!” Ella shrieked.
Zach looked at Gabe, but he shrugged.
“Ella wants to see if Elliot is awake from his nap,” Adam said. “So, we will take tea in the nursery.”
“He is,” Gabe said. “I just left him. He is with Dimity.”
“Ooh, Adam. You can read us both a story!” Ella cried.
“Very well. Come along then.” He took her hand, and they left the room.
Elliot was Gabe and Dimity’s son and showing all the spirit and voice of his mother.
