*
Early the next morning
“A penny foryour thoughts,” Oliver asked Lady Louisa. Worthing was about ten miles west of Brighton, and they had been on the road for about an hour and had one more to go before they reached their destination. And the angel hadn’t said one word in all that time.
She parted the curtain to peek out of the carriage window to where the Fury called Reaper was following on horseback. “It’s like they don’t trust us at all.”
“They don’t.”
“Well, I am thinking if they want that ledger so badly, perhaps we should keep it.” Her gaze met his. “You owe me a penny.”
A penny suddenly felt fascinatingly scandalous. Her idea was also intriguing. “Double cross the brothers? And here I thought you were worried about your own brother.”
“You had them send a Fury to Mr. Helgate. There must be a reason for this. And as you saw, he enjoys fishing. I don’t imagine he’s even missing me. I’m more concerned about my father. Since the betting book is evidence, it must mean the husbands of the women in the club are involved, correct? Only men would be able to make entries in White’s betting book, after all.”
Oliver nodded. The women didn’t have access to the betting book. But whether the Duke of Talbot specifically was involved, he couldn’t be sure. He would only be able to tell once he had the book in his possession. Quite frankly, he should have gotten the book from the heiresses much sooner, but he had been content to know that he could retrieve it at any time.
That was his biggest mistake.
And it wasn’t like him.
However, he couldn’t deny that he had been rather amused at the heiresses’ behavior and, if he had to be further honest, had been indulging the antics. Since the investigation had been slow, and he had found the secret club’s tavern, he had thought he had a bit more time before the contents of the book would become necessary.
She lowered her voice suddenly. “Back to those blasted beasts. Think about it. What can they really do? And who knows, this ledger might help you better in your investigation, no?”
Oliver nodded. It pleased him that she trusted him to the degree that she did. There were multiple times she could havelost her calm, but she had never lost it once. “Depending on the contents.”
“Do you believe the ledger has something to do with the women’s club?”
“Most definitely.” Of that, he had no doubt. Otherwise, they wouldn’t trade their only leverage for it. Only, while the betting book was evidence of the club’s illicit dealings with theton, the ledger likely contained true accounts of some sort. Perhaps it logged details revealing contacts or shipping routes. If that were the case, it would be invaluable for his investigation—and would also implicate the Havendish family.
Her brow scrunched. “I suppose we shall have to see.”
“You want to teach them a lesson that badly?”
“They irk me.” Her gaze met his. “Do they not irk you?”
“I’ve faced worse.”
“I can imagine,” she said with a nod. “Speaking of which, what shall happen to my stepmother if she truly is the ringleader and she is caught? Is it your objective to march her down the streets of London and into a trial?”
Oliver’s lips briefly tugged upward at the vivid picture that filled his head. “Is that what you want?”
“I mean,” she began with a devilish glint in her eyes, “I’m not opposed to the idea.”
He wasn’t either. “Unfortunately, what happens depends on Bow Street as well as your father. He has many connections, and this is the kind of scandal that could ruin your family’s name.” The fact of the matter was that the duke could probably crush any trial against his wife and deal with her on his terms if he wished to do so. He had enough clout for this. But punishment wasn’t Oliver’s purview. “My objective is to bring the conduct to heel.”
“The Talbot family name will survive the scandal. We are a sturdy bunch.” She peeked out of the window again. “Whatabout those Furys’ conduct? They are criminals, too. Will you go after them next?”
Oliver shook his head. “They are none of my concern.”
“That’s rather biased, is it not?”
Well, he was rather biased, honestly. His gaze met her curious one. “I am assisting in this matter because my mother asked me to help dismantle the club.”
“Yourmother? How surprising.” A short pause. “Wait! Do not tell me she was a member?”
“No,” Oliver denied. “One of her friends, on the other hand, was very much involved but wanted to withdraw. When she tried, her son was beaten within an inch of his life and her life was threatened.”
