“And if I refuse?” Thomas asked.
“You don’t want to do that,” Crowle said quietly. “If you refuse, there will be terrible repercussions, not only for yourself, but for the young lady about whom you care so much. This is what’s required of you now, Lord Woodsford. Do we still have any agreement to do what needs to be done? Are you still committed to paying off your debts in order to keep your life intact?”
“Yes,” Thomas said. “I’m committed to what we’ve agreed on.”
“Then my contact will be in touch about how you are to proceed,” Crowle said, rising to his feet.
And then Thomas heard the best sound he could have imagined—Duncan’s voice saying, “Stop right where you are, sir!”
The curtains were pushed back and Duncan and Henry emerged, each of them holding a pistol trained on Crowle.
“We heard it all,” Duncan said. “And you might as well take a seat and wait for the constables to arrive.”
Chapter 35
Duncan advanced on Crowle, forcing him backward to a chair. He fell back into a seated position, his hands up in a gesture of surrender. But he didn’t look as if he was surrendering. He looked angry.
“I don’t know what you think this is,” he began, “but you’re in over your heads here, both of you. This isn’t going to go the way you think it is.”
“Oh no?” Duncan asked. “Henry, go and send for the constables at once.”
“You need me here.” Henry’s voice was low and ominous.
“Hand your pistol to Thomas.”
“Thomas, you go and send for the constables,” Henry said.
Duncan expected argument—surely Thomas would insist on staying to be part of whatever came next—but to his surprise, his friend got to his feet and swiftly left the room. Maybe he was too overwhelmed by what he had just been through and he simply needed a moment to compose himself.
“We heard everything,” Duncan said, turning his attention back to Crowle. “We heard what you just said to Lord Woodsford. What you threatened him with.”
“I don’t believe Ithreatenedhim,” Crowle blustered.
“Oh, yes, you did,” Duncan said. “You said that if he didn’t take part in illegal activity to help pay off his debts, you would attack him, and my cousin as well. You tried to force his hand. Unfortunately for you, Lord Woodsford was one step ahead of you today, and brought us along as witnesses. When the constables arrive, we’ll be ready to tell them exactly what you said and what you threatened Lord Woodsford with. You’re not going to be able to talk your way out of this one.”
“You’d better have a seat, too,” Henry said. A moment later, Crowle’s associate had come over and joined Crowle in one of the chairs. Henry’s pistol was trained on him.
Crowle was glaring at both of them. “You’re making a big mistake,” he said.
“Oh, really?” Duncan was overwhelmed by his own success. “What mistake is that?”
“The constables are not going to be on your side here,” Crowle said. “Lord Woodsford is a man who owes a debt. It’s my job to collect that debt.”
“By encouraging him to break the law?” Duncan said incredulously. “Do you really think the constables will be in support of such an idea? Their job is toupholdthe law!”
“But no laws have been broken,” Crowle said. “We have only your word that such a thing was even suggested.”
“You don’t think they’ll believe three gentlemen over a man like yourself?”
“Three gentlemen?” Crowle laughed. “One of you is the very man who owes these debts. No one will believehim. And as for yourself and your accomplice—hiding in curtains, holding weapons on men as they discuss business arrangements—the title of gentleman hardly applies to you! I think it will be only too easy to make the constables see that I am the true victim in this situation. I’ll simply explain to them that youmisunderstoodwhat I was asking Lord Woodsford to do.”
“We misunderstood?”
“Oh, yes. You were so eager to see something malicious. You wereexpectingit. Why else would you be hiding in the curtains holding pistols! And so, when I suggested that Lord Woodsford seek an alternate source of income, you must haveassumedthat I meant something against the law.” He shook his head. “I suppose it’s very understandable that you would overreact in such a way, but it is a bit sad to see an otherwise rational man lose his power of reason.”
Duncan let out a bark of a laugh. “Do you really think that’s going to work?” he asked. “We didn’t do this on a whim, you know. My friend and I waited here to listen to what you would say because we already knew what it would be! You’re right. We were expecting it. But not because we wanted to hear something malicious. We knew what you would do because we were told by one of your previous victims.”
“Oh really?” Crowle said. “Some criminal spoke to you and painted a picture of himself as an innocent, no doubt?
