“Good idea. We’ll stake out the tavern tonight. Jillian’s servants return today so she won’t be alone in the house anymore.”
As if on cue, the door opened and Jillian looked out. “I thought I heard you two talking. Did it come?”
“We caught the boy who was delivering the messages,” Justin replied.
“Boy?” she asked in surprise. “You didn’t hurt him, did you?”
“Hardly,” Justin muttered.
“Where’s the letter?”
Case reluctantly handed over the paper. She paled when she read the words. “Do we know who is doing this now?”
“We have a lead,” Case assured her. “We plan to look into it tonight.
She raised her eyebrows when he said “we.”
“I can’t very well let him go off on his own,” Justin said, in answer to her unspoken question.
“Is it dangerous, then?”
“We will be fine,” Case said. “We just need to question someone.”
She didn’t look convinced but let the matter drop. “Mrs. Applegate has prepared breakfast for everyone. Please, do come in and eat.”
After breakfast the two men departed. Just before noon Hilda, Harry, and Elsie returned with Johnny.
Jillian greeted them enthusiastically at the door. As Harry brought in their bags, Johnny approached Jillian, taking his hat off and holding it in his hand. “I can’t thank you enough for what you are doing, my lady. Elsie has told me of all you have done for her, and I appreciate your kindness. I will work hard for you, we both will. I won’t forget what you have done.”
Jillian was charmed by the sincerity of the soft-spoken young man. He seemed to adore Elsie, and she was more animated than Jillian had ever seen her.
Later, she discussed her idea with Hilda to offer the servants’ quarters to Johnny and Elsie, as well as her plan to hire an additional maid.
Hilda looked surprised. “Are you dissatisfied with our work, my lady?”
“Oh, goodness, no, I am more than pleased. Being here by myself has opened my eyes to just how much you and Elsie do. I think if you had an extra pair of hands, it would make things easier for you both.”
“Working for you is a joy, my lady. Me and the others don’t mind the extra work.”
“Nevertheless, I am going to hire someone to help you and Elsie. She can stay in Elsie’s room once she and Johnny move to the servants’ quarters.”
After dinner that afternoon, Jillian pleaded fatigue and went up to her room. She knew the others would be busy opening up the servants quarters’ that would serve as Elsie and Johnny’s new home. Their preoccupation would serve her well this evening if she were to carry out her plan to follow Case and Justin to the Fishhead Tavern.
She had been listening to their conversation earlier, before she had announced her presence, and she had no intention of sitting idly by while they looked for this mysterious man who was sending her threatening messages.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jillian felt ridiculous. She had donned a pair of tight-fitting breeches, high knee boots and a dark cotton shirt. One look in the mirror had her scrambling through her wardrobe in search of something to bind her breasts with. Her hair was coiled high on top of her head, and she put one of Harry’s hats over it. The hat promptly slid over her eyes. She shoved it back up and tilted it at an angle so it would remain in place. Satisfied with her appearance, she eased down the stairs, praying that Hilda and the others were still cleaning the servants’ quarters and wouldn’t catch sight of her sneaking out. She wouldn’t like to explain why she was wearing men’s clothing.
She crept through the garden and out the back gate into the alleyway behind her house. She walked several blocks and to her relief was able to hail a passing hackney carriage. In her gruffest voice, she directed the driver to take her to the Fishhead Tavern.
A short distance from the tavern, she instructed the driver to stop. She got out and ducked into a darkened alleyway so she could acquaint herself with her surroundings. The smells emanating from the docks were overpowering. On top of the dank smell of the Thames, the wafting odor of rotting fish and human waste from chamber pots being emptied on the side streets made her gag.
She nervously made her way closer to the tavern, looking for the best vantagepoint to observe the entrance. When she was close enough to get a clear view of the people coming and going from the busy tavern, she melted back into the shadows.
Not for the first time, she pondered the wisdom of her actions. Fear gripped her stomach. What if she were discovered? Men didn’t even brave the London docks after nightfall. She didn’t even have a plan beyond seeing if Case and the duke apprehended the man responsible for the threatening notes.
She pressed herself more firmly against the damp stone wall of the building, hoping fervently that she had rendered herself invisible to anyone passing on the street. Her heart beat thunderously in her chest, and she prayed no one could hear her rapid breathing.
