The memory landed like a blow he hadn’t braced for. “I said the wrong thing. But we’re not here to discuss my failings. Right now, I need to know you can still take a punch.”
Stanton grinned. “I won’t need to. And Montfort is so light on his feet they won’t hear him coming. Saint-Clair will be sorry he’s not here to draw his rapier.”
“Enough talking.” Dominic strode ahead, pushing open the tavern door as if he meant to take it off its hinges.
Three bearded sailors looked up from the bench, their faces tough as old leather. The lords might know him as a dangerous bastard; to these men, he was just another toff.
The thick-necked man behind the counter went on wiping a tankard with a cloth that had seen better days. “What will it be, gentlemen?”
Dominic glanced around the cramped room, the stink of sweat and stale ale catching in his throat. The dockworkers didn’t raise their fists; they only raised their tankards.
“Your friend’s mighty generous,” the landlord said with a toothy grin. “He paid for everyone’s drinks. Told me to serve you brandy, though Jim’s downed the lot.”
Dominic approached the counter. “Friend?”
The landlord leaned forward. “The one running from the law. He wanted to speak to thefellowupstairs.” He gave a sly wink. “First door on the right. There ain’t no room for all of you, mind. And remember to duck your head.”
“Wait here,” he said, turning for the stairs.
The wood groaned beneath his boots, each step announcing his arrival. He paused outside the door, fingersclosing around the handle, and listened. The clink of metal. The murmur of voices.
When he entered, neither occupant looked surprised to see him. One sat on the shabby bed, a length of chain fixed at the ankle, the iron ring bolted to the frame. Not the clerk. A woman.
Dominic’s gaze settled on the man in the chair. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Saint-Clair wore an amused grin. “I was bored. I thought I might be of some use. Don’t begrudge a man a little excitement.”
“Did you steal that coat from a vagabond?”
“A drunken sailor, resting beneath tarpaulin. But we’ve more important matters to discuss now.” He gestured to the woman. “The missing clerk. Not Edward but Edwina. She has quite a story to tell.”
Dominic looked at her. Men’s clothes, hair cropped short, but skin too smooth, no sign of stubble. He knew what it cost a woman to survive on her wits. It explained why her maid was anxious.
“It wasn’t my fault.” Edwina fought back tears. “Mr Irving sent a note to the house, insisting I meet him on Blackfriars Bridge. I had no choice. He threatened to tell my clients they’d hired a woman as a scrivener.”
Dominic suspected half her clients already knew. “You told the magistrate you witnessed the murder but couldn’t identify the killer.”
“She helped toss the body into the Thames,” Saint-Clair said dryly. “But Irving abducted her after the magistrate took her statement.”
Dominic sighed. “At Bow Street, a missing clerk is as good as a confession.”
“Irving made her draft the fake contract, stating Miss Harland had received a three-thousand-pound advance.”
Edwina dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. “I have a terrible feeling he’s going to pack me in a crate destined for Bengal. He’s had me chained to this bed for more than a week.”
Saint-Clair stretched his legs. “Irving told the landlord she was his runaway sister, planning to elope with a wastrel. Paid handsomely for his silence.”
“Then Irving is the killer.” The motive still eluded him.
Edwina shrugged. “The poor man was dead when I helped lift him from the curricle.” She clasped a hand to her chest. “Please. You can’t tell anyone. I’ll hang for aiding and abetting.”
A chill crept up the back of his neck. “What made you specify Bengal? Did Irving mention sailing there?”
Doubtless he wished to escape the Moseley brothers.
A convicted man would forfeit everything. Irving couldn’t flee until someone else had answered for Harland’s death. His brother would inherit the company the moment he stepped into a courtroom.
“He told the landlord he’s sailing on the morning tide to meet his ship in Portsmouth.” Edwina blinked back more tears. “He called not three hours ago. Said he’s taking his sister abroad for a better life. That he’d be back later but had to collect precious cargo first.”
