Triana glanced at the clock on the mantel. A quarter past four. She bit her lip and hesitated only briefly before making her way toward the back of the house. Never allowing patience to dissuade her from a plan before, it was still a longshot to hope that her brother would be closeted in his study at such an early hour, but she had to try.
Something this important just couldn’t wait.
Triana had her hand poised to knock when a sudden noise caught her attention. With a curious frown, she paused, placing her ear to the hard oak. After a moment, she heard the same, muffled sound again. Strange, but it almost sounded as if there were voices coming from within… But that was just silly! It was too early for the servants to be up and about, so that could only mean her brother had a guest. And no one would dare to call at such an unfashionable hour!
But even as she considered it to be impossible, she pressed even closer…
***
“This is good. In fact, it’s probably the best lead we’ve gotten so far, but you and I both know it isn’t enough for a conviction.” The Viscount of Curdiff slapped the papers down on the table in front of him in obvious frustration and leaned back in his chair. The man across from him uttered a curse and stood, beginning to pace back and forth in agitation, much like a caged animal might do when confined.
While this particular operation was wearing on both of their nerves, Travell knew it was even more upsetting for the man wearing a hole in the floor of his study. Taking on his role as the new Duke of Chiltern had been strenuous enough, but Gabriel had tougher rules to follow now. He couldn’t move as freely as he had on previous missions, because like it or not, polite society could get rather tricky if one wasn’t careful. One false move could have an entire lead unraveling like a ball of twine.
Now, after being up all night tearing apart this latest evidence — the name of the main smuggling ship finally revealed — it seemed that with every step forward, they were set back two. They both knew that in order to be granted a warrant and set up a raid, they needed to confirm any illicit activity first. The problem was going to be catching the blasted vessel long enough in order to affix an agent for just this purpose. Apparently, theClaraBelledidn’t have any particular berth where it unloaded its stolen cargo, so there was no idea where the ship might be next. And with countless caves and hidden alcoves along the English coastline, the possibilities were vast.
Travell shook his head. “I have to allow that Lady Westchester’s certainly covered her tracks.”
Gabriel abruptly stopped his relentless pacing. “For now, yes. But you and I both know that at some point she’ll get too confident. That’s when we’ll have her head on the block.”
Travell nodded, for he had seen the same scenario time and again. More often than not criminals ended up tightening their own noose. But the question was — would the Regent be content to wait for that to eventually to take place?
Travell rubbed his weary eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a decent night’s rest. It seemed that if this case wasn’t monopolizing the majority of his waking hours — he was being summoned by the Regent, or dealing with other issues in Parliament. If only the Houses would adjourn early, it would certainly give him a little breathing room, but to avoid any semblance of slacking off on his duties for even a moment was crucial. Keeping up appearances was the main part of this job — and as important as the secrecy.
“I say we continue combing the cliffs in Kent.” Travell paused, waiting for the duke to concur. “This would allow the thieves time to transport their cargo quickly to Dunkirk or Gravelines in France without fear of running into the morning patrol.” He shuffled a few papers around. “Ridge has taken over your position in the Dials, awaiting his opportunity to board theClara Belle, and Logan is still assisting the Runners in their search efforts. Have you still not found anything of import at Worthington house?”
Gabriel’s eyes carried that familiar, determined glint of steel — the fervor radiating through his body almost palpable. “Not as yet, but that doesn’t mean I won’t.”
As tired as Travell was, he couldn’t help but allow an amused smile. He’d certainly heard that tone before. Thinking back, he tried to recall how long he’d known Gabriel. Fifteen years? They had attended Cambridge together, but at the time they’d tended to frequent different circles. Gabriel had been relentless in his pursuit of mischief, whereas Travell had chosen a raucous lifestyle temporarily.
But the future duke had soon found that such debauchery was not without its consequences and eventually fell out of favor with his father because of his recklessness. As an only child and heir, he hadn’t been disinherited; although the relationship between the former Duke of Chiltern and his son grew so strained that Gabriel had left England for a time. Travell still didn’t know where the duke had gone following the estrangement, although he figured it wasn’t his place to pry.
Four years ago, Travell had received a startling missive from the Home Office declaring that Gabriel had joined their ranks as a spy and was doing some undercover work in India. Travell had been dealing with his own family issues at the time, so he was thankful to have an ally, though he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t held some reservations at first. He wasn’t sure what kind of man Gabriel had turned out to be, although he quickly realized he had no need to be concerned about his character. The duke had proven his indispensability time and again. He was an asset to England, and Travell could honestly say there were fewer men he respected — or trusted, more.
That’s why he knew Chiltern wouldn’t rest until these criminals were taken down. For one, he took those necessary risks that others hesitated to take. He didn’t allow human emotion to factor into his judgment, regardless of whom or what the danger involved. While this alienation from human connection concerned Travell at times, he knew there was nothing he could do to change Gabriel’s outlook on life, and until the duke faced some of the demons of his past, he would never allow himself to be any different.
A muffled noise on the other side of the study door instantly put an abrupt halt to Travell’s musings. Gabriel, having also heard the disturbance, quickly concealed himself from view as Travell took a deep breath and strode across the room.
He opened the door, expecting to see one of the servants hovering about, but ran a hand through his hair in irritation when he spied his younger sister in the hallway, a white handkerchief held over her dainty nose.
“Triana?” He thundered once he’d recovered from the shock of seeing her there. “What the hell are you doing sneaking about in the middle of the night?”
Chapter Four
Abashed, Triana couldn’t help but wince at her brother’s obvious frustration. If it hadn’t been for that infernal sneeze (but she supposed that was what she got for walking around barefoot on cold, hard wood floors), she might have been able to make out who had been on the other side of that door. Although, as she peered past him and found the room to be empty, she wondered if she hadn’t just been hearing things, for he was most certainly alone.
She glanced back at Travell, who was still staring her down with that steady glare and waiting for an answer. “I wasn’tsneaking, as you so eloquently put it,” she corrected with a harmless shrug. “I was just checking to see if you were up. I need to talk to you.”
“Tri, I’m really not...” Travell’s voice trailed off as she sailed into the study and took a seat on the opposite side of his large, mahogany desk. “Won’t you come in?” he finished dryly.
With an exasperated sigh, he must have realized he had no choice but to hear her out, so he returned to his chair and sank down. He rubbed at his temples and asked, “What’s this all about, Tri? Is Mother at it again?”
“As always,” Triana replied evenly, nonplused by his blasé attitude. “But that’s not why I’m here.”
“Then by all means, enlighten me.” Travell leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his firm stomach, regarding her much like a tolerant father who was at the end of his patience.
Picking at an invisible piece of lint on her dressing gown, Triana took a deep breath before blurting out, “What do you know about the Duke of Chiltern?”
Travell’s blue eyes narrowed slightly. “Tri, really. I never thought of you as the type to pay any heed totongossip.” After a staid glance at his pocket watch, he added, “And at four in the morning, no less?”
