All three watched him with deep frowns on their faces, watched the wreckage of his soul.
“It’s horrifying,” Theo commented, trying not to step on the clothes scattered on the floor, “how a young and wealthy duke could look worse than several men in debtor’s prison.”
“Should I express my gratitude, Theo?” Daniel growled. “Can’t you all see that I am occupied? I am reading a few reports. Is there anything wrong with that?”
Victoria approached him. Daniel could see the exasperation on her face. There was a spark of something else, too, something like pity, and he did not appreciate it. She went to the sideboard and raised the half-empty decanter.
“So, you’re telling me, Brother, that you have sequestered yourself in this room for forty-eight hours to read reports.The staff is whispering about your current behavior. They are wondering if it’s grief, or madness, or both.”
“I am not grieving,” Daniel insisted, and his heart clenched in protest.
“Then how do you explain this?” Daphne demanded, sweeping a hand at the whole room. “You have had difficult days before, Daniel, but never like this. Let us help you. I am deeply concerned.”
“You don’t have to. Sometimes, people merely need a respite from the world,” he said, keeping his voice calm and even. He knew that shouting would merely keep the trio in his room.
He would not be able to handle hours of Daphne’s coddling, Victoria’s scolding, and Theo’s jests. They all needed to leave.
“Respite? That entails sleeping well and eating healthy,” Daphne reminded him. “This is not a respite. This is?—”
“Insanity. That is what this is. You are too obsessed with the fire in Suffolk. I understand our cousin and uncle died. It is a devastating loss, but we cannot lose you because of it either,” Victoria cut in.
“It is also dangerous. You should inform the authorities, instead of investigating it on your own,” Theo muttered, looking a little guilty.
Daniel was right. They would prattle all day and night. But at the moment, they still had not guessed the reason for the darkness in his soul. They didn’t need to know.
“Enough,” he said. His voice was calm and low, but all three flinched. There was enough venom in that one word. “It is my choice to live this way. Please leave.”
They did not say anything more, but he could see the hurt on Victoria’s face and the disappointment on Daphne’s. Meanwhile, Theo looked hurt, guilty, and disapproving all at the same time.
“You don’t have to help me if you feel it’s dangerous, Theo,” he added coldly. “I will do it myself, if need be.”
They left, then. He could have sworn he heard Daphne sobbing. He did see Theo shaking his head, possibly in disgust.
In all stubborn defiance, Daniel remained in his room. Within two hours, another knock sounded at his door.
His body went rigid, ready to argue with his friend and sisters. Then, he calmed himself down, wondering if it was a note from Lucy.
When he opened the door, a footman gave him an envelope. His heart thudded in his chest. He wondered if Lucy had sent hima note. He would take anything from her, even harsh words. Anything at all. Except, it was a sealed note from Silas.
He broke the seal, his fingers trembling with anticipation. It was yet another report to read, but this time it was not about his properties. It was about Moses Gordon’s latest movements.
Warehouse 14. Gordon’s Warehouse. Pier 19.
The report contained details about the approximate number of men, change in guard shifts, hidden exits and entrances, and witness accounts of Gordon and his men’s movements. It seemed that the arsonist had other business, such as smuggling, which made sense given the chosen location.
The information was like a cold splash of water. Daniel might have lost Lucy, but he could at least catch the arsonist once and for all. He might not be able to marry her and give her children, but he could finally make someone pay and end the quest that had cost him a chance at happiness.
He didn’t call for a carriage or even send for Silas. Instead, he wore plain, dark clothes and grabbed a pair of loaded pistols. He even snuck out of the house through the servants’ entrance, a shadow slipping into the night.
When he looked back at the outline of the townhouse, he could not help but remember that moment he looked back to see another house in what felt like another lifetime. At that time, though, he watched it burn.
“For Kenneth,” he whispered, the words a vow that tore his heart apart. “For Uncle Algernon. For the life I could not live because of a hateful murderer.”
Daniel was fully aware that he had uttered an oath. He was simply not going to the warehouse to arrest or fight with anyone. He needed to finish a conversation with a man whose secrets Kenneth discovered.
He promised that the man responsible for his broken life would be in chains soon.
The pier was salt, rot, and murder. Daniel didn’t realize until then that the combination had a distinctive smell. The fog was thick, but he had expected that already. Gordon and his men preferred the sense of mystery and secrecy.
