Chapter Twenty-Three
The Benson housein Chelsea fell quiet the following Sunday. Fanny ought to have used the silence to write, but she couldn’t muster the energy. She spent the afternoon finishingNorthanger Abbeyand beginning the second novel in the four-volume set she’d bought, finding as always that a good book soothed her nerves.
Wil spent his time in the mews, in the company of their coachman and horses. Fanny suspected he’d seen enough of London and would be perfectly happy to return to The Willow and the Rose in Ashmead. On the whole, she believed she would, too.
Fanny hoped to avoid the Marchioness of Danbury’s soiree on Tuesday. She wanted to speak to Lucy about the protocol of dropping an invitation one had already accepted, but she hadn’t the heart to interfere with Lucy’s peaceful afternoon with her husband, who was home for once. Fanny had to smile at the two of them enchanted with the miracle of their little son, thriving now at just past four months of age.
When Eli arrived, his gaze went to Fanny as soon as he entered the house. Her heart leapt. He would listen. He always did. She’d come to rely on his steady presence. If she was honest, she’d begun to crave it. She wondered if he might take a turn in the garden with her.
He went immediately to Fanny’s side. “I see you’re making progress,” he grinned, nodding at the book. “How is it?”
“I think I likePersuasionbetter thanNorthanger Abbey,” she replied, eager to revisit their discussion about publishers.
Before she could formulate an excuse to take a walk, Eli knelt on the carpet where his nephew lay, having his tummy tickled by a cloth bunny in his father’s hand. Eli joined in the play for a moment. When the little one’s face puckered up as if he might cry, it was Eli who picked him up.
“Did that clumsy father of yours get too rough, Kit?” he asked soothingly as he snuggled the boy against his shoulder. His ease with the baby filled Fanny with admiration. It occurred to her that Eli had experienced the infancy of Emma’s children from the time he’d been Wil’s age, while Rob had been off at war. The boy quieted and pulled his head back to stare at Eli before grabbing him by the nose.
Rob burst out laughing. “You show him, Kit!”
A nursemaid appeared at the door. “It is the lad’s nap time, Sir Robert, Lady Benson,” she said.
“Well, nephew, we dare not break routine,” Eli said, giving the boy a smacking kiss and handing him over before addressing his brother. “Actually Rob, I’d like a private word, if I may.”
Fanny wondered what he didn’t say, but Rob didn’t look surprised by the request. Very quickly he and Rob disappeared into the study, leaving Fanny bereft. She thought perhaps she might at least have that talk with Lucy, but as her friend watched her son disappear to the nursery, she claimed fatigue and went off for a nap.
Fanny sunk back on a sigh, left with only her novel for company. Her question about invitations went unasked.
*
Rob opened acabinet beneath the window and retrieved a bottle and two glasses.
“Whiskey?” Eli wrinkled his nose.
“An acquired taste, I agree. Mine comes from a glen in the Highlands, via a friend.” Rob poured two glasses and urged one on his brother.
“Da wouldn’t approve,” Eli murmured, taking a sip. He dipped his head to one side, considering the matter, took another sip, and murmured his approval. They both took chairs in front of Rob’s desk, setting their glasses on it.
“Begin. What’s at the top of your mind?” Rob asked.
“Yesterday.”
Rob’s brows shot up. “The Tower? I expected word about your visit to the custom house.”
“Customs records were no use. We knew there would be no blatant evidence, but there were no patterns, either. Nothing. I can spend a week at the chancery looking at deeds and sales of ships, but I would be spinning my wheels.” Eli told his brother his conclusion: dirty business leaves a dirty money trail, not tidy record books. “I need to go back to the beginning. We know of several abductions from Manchester. I need to interview witnesses and families and trace the cash transactions from the street toughs up.”
“Holliday should handle that. He may have already done some of it. Do you plan to go back north?”
Eli gazed up at the ceiling. “Good question. I want Fanny and Wil safely in Ashmead first.”
Rob sputtered a laugh. “You think I can’t protect her here?”
“As long as you keep her at home. Good luck trying. I don’t think your work will allow you to escort the ladies around the city. Even your evenings end up at diplomatic dinners and balls. Do you plan to bring Lucy and Fanny with you? In Ashmead there will be family around her and strangers stand out.”
“Point taken. What really bothers you, though? Grimsley? A woman with experience as narrow as Fanny’s is bound to be flattered by attention from an earl.”
Eli nodded. “What did Lucy tell you about yesterday?”
“That he behaved like an ass. She said, ‘He left his charm at home.’”
