“Your Grace,” Louisa said in a shaky voice. “I could not allow him to steal from you.” She handed him the watch.
Still in shock, he shook his head. “How did you know he was stealing from me?”
“I…” She turned her head and stared at the direction the lad had run. “I saw him take your watch, and I knew I had to get it back.”
“But, Louisa,” Trevor stepped closer. “You took my watch right out of his pocket and he didn’t even notice.”
She blinked in bewilderment. “I know.”
“How…” Trevor shook his head. Her wide eyes and colorless face told him this had been a mystery to her as well.
“Well,” he said, expelling his breath, “shall we venture into the shop and get some pastries for our drive home?”
Nodding, she folded her shaking arms. “Yes. That is a splendid idea.” She hurried to the twins and held their hands.
Trevor opened the door for the three before entering the shop. His mind whirled with unanswered questions but more with the fear that heknewwhat the answers were all along. By Louisa’s quick actions as she retrieved his watch, Trevor now realized what her past had been. The realization left a bitter taste in his mouth that no pastry would be able to remove.
Chapter Twenty-One
Richard Macgregor satbehind his desk and tallied—again—the totals for the week. Irritated by the figures on the columns before him, he growled and smacked his fist against the table. His income had depleted greatly since Louisa had left without a trace, and until he could find her and bring her back, his profits would continue to plummet.
None of the children who worked for him had been able to tell him what happened to her. The last thing they knew, she had gone into Mayfair to pickpocket a gent she’d been studying for a while, then never returned. Richard had checked the gaols from here to London, but she hadn’t been arrested. If he didn’t find her soon, Lord Blankenship would withdraw his offer to pay for Louisa’s morepassionatetalents.
Changing her into a prostitute would double Richard’s coffers, mayhap even triple them. Louisa had always been a lovely young girl, and as she reached her adult years, she became even lovelier. He had wanted to take her for his lover a few times, but business always came first, and having her remain a virgin would make him a lot of money.
From the outer room the door slammed, and scrambling footsteps rushed in Richard’s direction. He stood and moved away from his desk just as David rushed into the room. The lad—in his twelfth year—huffed and puffed as if out of breath.
“I… saw… her.”
Richard shook his head. “Let it out, boy. What are ye blubberin’ about?”
David took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He moistened his lips. “I saw Louisa.”
Grasping David by the shoulders, Richard peered into the boy’s wide eyes. “Ye’d better not be lyin’ to me.”
“I’m not, sir. I saw her plain as day.” He took another deep breath. “She was dressed different, though—like a servant for those uppity lords and ladies.”
Aghast, Richard released the boy as if his clothes were on fire. “Are ye certain?”
“Aye—with the Duke of Kenbridge, she was.”
“What in the blazes was she doin’ with a duke?”
“I dunno, sir, but I suspect she was watching his children.”
“Hischildren?” Richard shook his head. “She was playin’ the part of nursemaid?”
“Aye.”
Richard paced the room like a caged tiger, his mind spinning. Why would any lord of the realm want to hire a vagabond to be his servant? Unless… He stopped and stared out the window. Did the lord want her for other reasons—those reasons that happen after dark in a private room between a man and woman?
Anger filled Richard and he clenched his hands. If that were the case, she would not bring a good price from Lord Blankenship. In fact, the older gent might not even be interested in paying so handsomely for the chit.
He spun and faced David. “What did she do when she saw ye? What did she say?”
The lad shook his head. “It was the strangest thing, sir. She stared right at me but acted as if she didn’t know who I was.”
“Hmm…” Richard scratched his chin. “Very interestin’, indeed. Makes me wonder what kind of game she plays with the Duke of Kenbridge. Clearly, she has led the man to believe she issomeone else. No lord in his right mind would hire such a person as a servant.”
