As if to prove she’d survived her way of life as long as she had for a reason, Hetty raised her chin and gave them both a withering look.“I don’t condone the abuse of women.Had I suspected Grover was up to no good, I’d have sounded the alarm.”
She swung away from them then, the hem of her gown swishing around her ankles as she made for the stairs.James and Croft followed her up to the kind of room that proved this was not just a brothel but also a welcome retreat.
The furniture had a comfortable yet expensive look about it.When James had pointed this out during one of his first visits, he’d been told the furnishings had been acquired at low cost from various estate sales.A brilliant idea for which Taylor deserved the credit.It had enabled him to turn the establishment into a reasonably priced luxury experience, which made it far more popular than its competitors.
“How long was the woman here?”Croft asked Hetty.
“A couple of hours, give or take,” was the reply.
“Did she not call for help or try to gain someone’s attention during that time?”James thought it odd for Lady Edwina to have willingly let herself be handed off to another stranger without uttering some type of protest.Unless she knew the person, perhaps.
“She was unconscious when she arrived and barely lucid when she left,” Hetty said.
Incredulity landed in James’s gut.“And you didn’t think that was strange or suspicious?”
“A man I believed to be the Earl of Highborn came to collect his sister,” Hetty snapped.“As far as I could tell, she appeared to be under the influence of laudanum or something similar.Which made sense to me when combined with Grover’s story.”
“How so?”Croft asked.
Hetty rolled her eyes and gave a small shrug.“An upper-class woman would surely need something to calm her nerves after being assaulted.”
“Except that’s not what happened,” James bit out.
A pause followed before Croft asked Hetty, “Tell us about Grover.When you initially mentioned him, I got the impression you’ve met him before.”
“Yes…um…” Hetty lowered herself to the edge of the bed and sighed.“He’s visited us a number of times.”
“And?”James asked when the woman said nothing more.Lord help him, but his patience was wearing thin.
“I don’t know.He and I never exchanged many words, but I can ask my girls.See if they can recall something useful.”
James gave the room a slow sweep with his gaze before following Croft and Hetty out into the hallway.They returned to the foyer where Hetty gathered all of her employees, including the maids and the men who were hired to ensure everyone’s safety.
“Can you think of anything that could help Mr.Croft and Mr.Murry find Mr.Grover?”Hetty asked the assembled group.
Silence.
“Based on what we’ve been able to deduce,” Croft said, “he abducted the woman he brought here and handed her off to someone else.”
Uneasiness swept through the space.Feet shifted with seeming discomfort, and murmured exchanges disturbed the air.
“Finding Mr.Grover is crucial if we’re to rescue this woman before any harm comes to her,” James said, his voice a hoarse sound in his own ears.
Lord have mercy, but Lady Edwina would be lucky if all her abductor wanted was to wed her for her fortune.Jaded by experience, however, he feared their intentions were far more sinister.
“Who entertained him last?”Croft asked, his voice reflecting the same degree of impatience James experienced.
Another moment of silence passed, and James prepared to shout his frustration when the same blonde he’d spoken to earlier raised her chin.“That would be me.”
He glared at her, the temptation to reach out and give her a thorough shake causing his muscles to twitch.“And?”
She pursed her lips, affecting the kind of expression that seemed to convey boredom.James’s anger intensified tenfold.He started toward her, only to find his path instantly blocked by one of the men in Hetty’s employ.They gave James a stern look of warning.
“Relax,” Hetty ordered before telling the blonde, “start yapping, Lilly, or I’ll cut your pay.”
“Fine.”Lilly crossed her arms, her expression unhappy.“He liked being addressed as ‘my lord’.Also mentioned wanting to buy an estate.”
“That’s quite the aspiration,” Croft said.
