Ryleigh winced. “Ah, she told you of her time at Miss Greensley’s I take it.”
“She did indeed. Something about breaking into the spirits cabinet.”
“I’m afraid it was my wife who was the culprit in that particular antic.” The duke shook his head.
“As I understood it, your wife was the one replacing the bottle. Er, Gabriella also mentioned a midnight swim?”
“She is definitely the most lively of my siblings.” A dull flush flagged the duke’s cheekbones. “I only wished I’d learned it sooner than later. What has my youngest sister done now?”
Nothing yet. “I am a man who plans for every contingency.”
“Oh? Is there something I should know about?”
“Of course, not.”
Ryleigh lifted one enquiring brow.
But how much to tell him. If ever James could use guidance, this would be the time.
Ryleigh signaled for another glass. “You need a drink.”
“Yes. Yes, I do.”
Ryleigh poured out a measure of brandy from the bottle sitting on the table between them and pushed it in James’s direction.
He took a sip then moved to the edge of his seat. Large ears were highly common at Whites. “A young woman went missing from the Theater Royale and Liverpool suspects Gabriella is involved.”
“Ridiculous. That isn’t a cause my sister would take up on her own. She would certainly enlist Rebec—” Ryleigh groaned. “Perhaps I’d best hear everything.”
“A few days ago, I was to accompany Gabriella with two of your other sisters to the Royale. Unfortunately, I was called away for… something unexpected. Upon my arrival, the show had already begun. The halls were devoid of patrons, but—” He took a long draught of his brandy. “Who do I see coming from a forbidden hall?”
An expression of resignation settled over the duke’s face. “Were you not warned of the consequences in allowing Gabriella free reign in attending the theater?”
“So, you are aware of her tendency in stealing backstage?”
“Gabriella had high hopes in going on the stage from the time she could walk and talk. You’ve no idea the number of times I saved her from a tumble down the stairs upon her portrayal of Juliet from the balcony at Dorchester. It’s a wonder she survived childhood. None of our other sisters gave the family so much as a whisper of trouble. I fear God saved all the tendency for scandal within Gabriella’s small body. I hope you confronted her on her idiocy.”
“Just as I was about to, Liverpool sent an untimely note demanding my presence.”
“Has something nefarious happened to the missing woman?”
The question stunned James. “That, Your Grace, is a very good question.”
Ryleigh drummed his fingers against his thigh. “I wonder what the real issue is.”
“What do you mean?”
“The woman was an actress. Why the devil should Liverpool care that an actress has gone missing?”
Again, words that brought James up, and sent a chill racing down his spine. “You make another excellent point,” he murmured.
Ryleigh drained his glass and thumped it on the table between them. “Well, Huntley, it would appear you and I are in a quandary and have a need to put our heads together.”
“A quandary?”
“Yes. And I for one, am glad for your involvement. If our wives are in league with one another—and I would wager that a strong probability—at least this time, there are two of us to save their pretty little necks.”
It was James’s turn to groan.
