When Mercy excused herself to speak to her mother, Grant walked toward Adam and Hugh. Before he reached them, the butler waylaid him.
“Someone wishes to speak to you, milord.” He made a moue of distaste. “A roughly dressed fellow. Shall I send him away?”
“No. I’ll see him.”
The man hung back in the entry. His hollow-cheeked face was unshaven, his clothing travel stained. “You’re needed, milord,” he said when the butler left them. “In the back alley.”
Grant frowned, annoyed and suspicious. “Who wants me?”
“News from Colonel Black.”
He cursed under his breath. “Wait for me there.”
One didn’t take a gun to one’s wedding, Grant thought wryly. He grabbed a cane from the hall table and made his way to the rear of the building. With a glance to make sure his departure went unnoticed, he slipped through the servant’s door. The man waited half in shadow. Without another word, he turned and led Grant to an alley off the square.
The smells of rubbish, privies, and cats in the rank alley scalded his nostrils, making him curse anew. Grant swivelled on his toes when a second man rounded the building into the fading light, and whipped off his hat.
His big nose looked red and he sniffed. “Becknell, milord. We’ve come straight from London.”
Grant’s chest tightened. “What news?”
“There’s been another attack on the line where it runs along the river. This time the rails have been uprooted for over a mile.”
“Hound’s teeth!Anyone come forward with information?”
“No, but I have a letter for you from the colonel.”
Grant backed up to where the last of the daylight filtered down through the buildings. He opened the letter and scanned the missive Black had written in a hasty scrawl.
“Congratulations on your nuptials, Northcliffe. Please convey my felicitations to Lady Mercy. I would not ask this of you, but Lady Haighton has written to advise me of an attempted burglary. Someone searched her husband’s office. A footman was knocked unconscious. She has called in the Parish constable, but knowing she is a close friend of your family, I am sure you would want to see her immediately. Events are moving forward here. I will explain in more detail when I see you, but I can tell you that parliament will call a special session to look into the question of the vandalized railway. As we feared, it seems that the market is being manipulated for gain. I can inform you that the railway land was purchased from the Hon. Ambrose Fury’s estate. Fury is a close neighbor of the Haighton’s, so you might have words with him to see if you can turn up something. And of course, there’s Scullen’s death—my men will give you the details. My best regards, Black.”
Hell and damnation! Grant shoved the letter in his pocket and turned to the men. “What’s this about Scullen?”
The man sniffed. “The cove who worked at the Chinese Emporium in Vauxhall Gardens. We had Scullen followed as you instructed. Got ’imself stabbed to death.”
A muscle ticked in Grant’s jaw. “When was this?”
“These three nights gone. We caught the assailant, being on the spot as we were. ’E’s in a holding cell at Bow Street. The prisoner was wounded while resisting capture and ’es refusing to talk. No way of telling if it’s relevant to the investigation ’til he does.” He shook his head. “And the leech says he might cock up ’is toes afore that.”
The felon had obviously been severely beaten when detained in custody, if the doctor couldn’t help him. Black would be furious. He nodded at the men. “You must have forgone sleep to get here so fast.”
“Yes, milord.” The man sniffed while the other man shuffled his feet again.
“I’ll send out food and ale. Riding back today?”
“Yes, milord.”
“Tell Colonel Black I’ll deal with this tomorrow.”
Grant slipped back into the house. Could they be wrong in thinking Nat was killed because of what he saw? The pond became muddier by the day. It couldn’t be worse. He would be forced to tell his grandfather the truth. But how in the hell would he explain this to Mercy? It seemed their marriage must begin with a lie.
Chapter Sixteen
HER EMOTIONS IN a jumble, Mercy sat at the dressing table mirror as Penny removed the pins and brushed her long locks. Her new personal maid tugged at a tangle, sending a shot of pain into her scalp. Her head already ached a little, so she jerked away. “That will be all, thank you, Penny. You may go.” The maid stepped back dismayed and put down the brush.
“I’m so sorry, milady.”
The housekeeper had been at pains to apologize for the maid’s inexperience, informing Mercy that they had had difficulty fulfilling the position, after the woman chosen for the position was called home to a sick mother. Mercy must replace the girl if she found her inadequate. Ashamed at her display of uncharacteristic impatience, Mercy swivelled on the stool with an encouraging smile. “We shall grow more familiar with each other in time.”
