Now that Marcus looked, he could see a distinct resemblance.
Sliding his pistol in his pocket the elder Greeling sauntered over, bent over the wounded man and examined his wound through his quizzing glass.
Albert Greeling sat up eagerly.“Ollie, I’m glad you came.We can get the money out of—ow!”Oliver Greeling gave his little brother a backhander, hard across the face.
Marcus blinked.He and Flynn exchanged glances.What was going on?
“That’s from Muvver,” Greeling the elder said calmly.“And this is from me.”He punched him hard in the face.Blood trickled from Albert’s nose.
Through Albert’s sniffles he managed to say, “But Ollie, din’t you see the notice in the papers?We can’t find Blaxland, but ‘is sister’s marryin’ a rich lord.That’s him over there.”He jerked his head toward Marcus.“He can pay—Ow!”Another hard slap.
Edgar Blaxland’s debts, Marcus thought.Of course.It all made sense now.
The older Greeling continued, “And that’s just for starters.You know why Muvver is angry with you, don’t you?”
The man nodded and mumbled something incoherent, sounding whiny and aggrieved.Marcus realized Albert was quite young, perhaps twenty or twenty-one.
“Speak up!”
“I know,” the young man said sulkily.“But—Ow!”
“No buts.”
Marcus watched with a sense of disbelief.This was bizarre.He glanced at Flynn to see if he was following.Flynn gave an infinitesimal nod and indicated one of the men holding a gun.He would tackle that one, while Marcus took down the leader.And Jackson and Sims would do their bit.
“Greelings don’t hurt ladies, isn’t that what Muvver has told us, over and over all our lives?”
“Yeah, I know, but—Ow!”Albert whined as his brother slapped him again.
“No.Buts.An’ despite that rule—which you’ve known all your life—you harmed this poor lady.”He gestured at Tessa, waited a moment, gave his brother another hard backhander and said, “Din’t you?”
“Yes,” the young man mumbled.“But not very mu—ow!”
“Worse,” his brother continued.“You kidnapped her without the family’s permission—not from me, not from Muvver—taking it upon yourself to decide what to do about Blaxland’s debts.”
“Well, how else can we—?”He was stopped with another slap.
The elegant Greeling brother turned to face Tessa and Marcus.Marcus braced himself for action.
Greeling bowed gracefully.“Please accept our apologies, Lady Hewitt, Lord Alverleigh.My little brother overstepped his authority.”
All at sea now, Marcus waited.
“We Greelings don’t make war on ladies.”He turned back to his brother and snarled, “Lady Hewitt was Blaxland’s victim too!Idiot!”
He turned back to Tessa.“Lady Hewitt, my mother was most distressed to hear you had been kidnapped by her youngest son.I hope he wasn’t too rough.Please accept our most sincere apologies.You may leave.”
Marcus blinked.Tessa gave him a doubtful look, put a hand on his arm, then rose and looked at Greeling.“What are you going to do about my brother’s debts to you?Forgive them?”
Marcus gave her a sidelong look.“Don’t argue, just go,” he murmured and tried to usher her out.
She refused to move.
Oliver Greeling snorted.“We Greelings never forgive a debt,” he said smoothly.“As I understand it, your fiancé here had your brother smuggled out of the country.America, was it not m’lord?Boston?”he said to Marcus.Beside him, he heard Tessa gasp.
Greeling added, “Or should I ask these two fellows who loaded him, trussed like a chicken, onto the ship?”He indicated Jackson and Sims.
Marcus inclined his head slightly.Radcliffe hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said the Greelings’ eyes were everywhere.
