Tempting a Sinner (25 page)

Benedict pushed past him and went into the room Christian had pointed out. With a curse, he started to pull off his clothes.

“What are you doing?” Adam wasn’t shouting anymore. He leaned up against the closed door of the bedroom, his expression a mixture of fury and concern.

“What do you think? You wanted me to fuck you.”

“Because it’s easier to do that than deal with Malinda?”

“Yes!”

Adam raised an eyebrow. “Because you don’t believe that she loves you?”

“Did you
hear
what she said?”

“
Yes,
and like you, I didn’t believe a word of it.”

“Then why are you determined to make this all my fault?”

“Because you’re being stupid, Benedict.”

He clenched his fists in an effort not to use them and Adam smiled.

“It’s obvious. She lied
because
she loves you. She begged me to protect you. She’s desperate to stop you going anywhere near Fred Castleton at the Red Dragon. Now, if you can calm down and apply your usual good sense and impeccable logic to this matter, all we have to do is find out why.”

“S
he’s gone, Benedict.”

On some level he’d already known that the moment he opened the door. He turned around in his empty bedroom and stared at Faith.

“Dr. Finbar said she could travel in slow stages, and she insisted on leaving immediately.” She leaned against the door frame. “I made sure she took several of our guards with her and sent another less obvious team to follow her home.”

“Thank you for that.” He forced a smile past the sick emptiness ringing through his mind. “It’s all right. I’ve calmed down now. Maybe with her in a safe place I can focus my energy on sorting out this tangle of lies.”

“That’s always been your strength, Benedict.” She blew him a kiss. “Keep me informed of your progress, won’t you?”

He took a moment to walk around the apartment, but there were no traces of his wife. She’d taken everything and left the place just as it had been before, sterile and empty, just how he liked it. But he missed her presence so much it was hard to breathe.

“Benedict, are you ready to face Mr. Castleton?”

He turned to find Adam behind him, his cheek still bearing a bruise from where Benedict had shoved him down onto the floor.

“You have him?”

“I sent two men to investigate the cellars of the Red Dragon and Mr. Castleton took exception to that. Apparently, he’s downstairs waiting to voice a protest.”

“Excellent.” Benedict met Adam’s slightly worried gaze. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill him.”

“Good man, let’s make use of him first. You can consider your other options later.”

Adam followed him down the stairs and into Benedict’s office and took a chair to one side of his desk. Mr. Maclean went to fetch Castleton from the hall where he’d been left to kick his heels.

Mr. Castleton was announced and strode into the room, color high and fists already clenched. Benedict didn’t rise to his feet.

“What’s the meaning of this, Keyes?”

Benedict finished what he was writing before he looked up. “I beg your pardon?”

“I found two of your men messing about in my cellars this morning. What right do you have to invade my premises?”

“As I don’t even know who you are, that is a difficult question to answer.”

“I’m Fred Castleton, owner of the Red Dragon in Mile End. You damn well know that.”

“I once knew a Fred Castleton who was a private in my father’s regiment.” Benedict pretended to scrutinize Fred’s fleshy red face. “Are you the same man?”

“Enough of these games, my lord. What were your men doing in my cellars?”

“They weren’t my men.”

Fred visibly swelled. “Who else would concern himself with me? It’s not the first time you’ve been in my inn, now is it?”

“Firstly, those men were probably employed by our government, so I suggest you take up your concerns with the appropriate agency you have offended. Secondly, I was in your establishment because I received information that the man who tried to set fire to my house worked there.” He raised his eyebrows. “Anything else?”

“He might care to explain why this was in his cellar.” Adam came over to Benedict’s desk and dropped a cheap, tarnished gold locket on the white blotter.

Benedict went still and used his fingertip to turn the locket over.

“The ‘government officials’ brought it to me because it has the name
Keyes
engraved on the back.” Adam said.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mr. Fisher.” Fred snorted. “Knowing you, one of your men probably planted it there to incriminate me.”

“Incriminate you of what?” Benedict said softly.

Fred met his gaze. “Of stealing from your house before setting fire to it.”

“But I don’t own this particular piece of jewelry.”

“Then, as I said, one of your men is trying to ruin me.”

“It belongs to my wife. I gave it to her when we got married.” Benedict rubbed his thumb over the worn engraving. It was a cheap little thing, the best he’d been able to afford at eighteen, but Malinda had loved it. “She was wearing it the last time I saw her.” He paused. “Where is she, Mr. Castleton?”

Something flickered in the other man’s eyes. “How should I know? Maybe she dropped it when she was impersonating your doxy the other night.”

“No, she wasn’t wearing it then. She’s been missing since yesterday afternoon. If you have her, Castleton, you’d better tell me where she is, or I’ll arrange to have your entire premises reduced to rubble.” He raised his head. “And I can do it, don’t doubt me on that.”

“I don’t know where she is.”

Benedict sighed and turned to Adam. “Can you ask Mr. Maclean to come in? I need to send an urgent message to the Excise Department.”

“You wouldn’t bloody dare.”

“I damn well would. Where’s my wife?”

Fred abruptly sat down and adopted a more conciliatory tone. “She’s run off, has she? Well, it isn’t surprising, is it? No one likes to hear that their father is a traitor and a thief.”

“So, you have seen her?”

“She came to the inn yesterday afternoon, asking to see me. I didn’t feel it was right not to speak to the girl. She had some wild idea that your father had stolen his own gold and was seeking my help to kill him.” He shrugged. “Of course, I couldn’t allow the poor, deluded lass to do that, so I told her the truth.”

“Which was?”

“That her father conspired against the marquis to steal the gold.”

“And what else?”

“Nothing. But that’s probably why she ran out of my inn like a fox before a hunt.” He frowned. “She didn’t come home, then?”

“No.” Benedict took refuge in the cold fury vibrating through him. “Do you really believe Patrick Rowland was capable of such villainy?”

“He was shot in the back by one of his own soldiers. That doesn’t sound like a loyal man to me.”

“How do you know how he died?”

“Your father received compensation for the gold from the government. Why do you care about this matter?”

“I don’t. I’m trying to locate my wife, not delve into ancient history.”

Fred considered him for a long moment. “And if I told you that I knew what happened because I was an innocent bystander?”

“Who left his friends to die or steal as they wished?”

Fred scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Perhaps I wasn’t there after all, then.”

“Come now, Mr. Castleton, do you want your place of business to survive or not?” Adam interrupted, his voice calm. “If you wish to tell us the truth, we would appreciate it.”

“By leaving my business unharmed?”

Adam glanced at Benedict and raised an eyebrow. “Do we agree to leave the Red Dragon intact?”

“Yes.” Benedict nodded. He was more than happy to leave the building alone if he could obliterate the owner.... “As I said, my prime objective at the moment is to locate my wife. If you saw what happened, we’d like to hear about it.”

Fred settled into his chair. “Well, it was like this, see. Three of us arranged the ambush in the place Patrick suggested. It was where the mountain pass narrowed, which meant it was almost impossible for his party to turn around, or see who or what was shooting at them. When the smoke cleared, Patrick, all his men, and one of ours were dead.” He shrugged. “There was nothing we could do about that. We took what we needed as quickly as possible and made off with it.”

“Where did you hide the gold?”

“We didn’t need to hide it. We’d come prepared. We split it between the two of us and went back down to camp.”

“Patrick Rowland’s family received nothing?” Benedict asked.

“Not directly, but they did all right in the end.”

Benedict let that avenue of inquiry alone until he had time to think. “When you informed my wife that her father was the traitor, and not mine, did she not question you about where the gold ended up?”

“No, the silly lass was too worried about you to think straight.” Fred sighed. “It’s no wonder she ran off. I wonder if she’s gone back to France? Perhaps it’s for the best. She had the sense to realize that you wouldn’t want her near you—what with your reputation for integrity and all that.”

“That’s possible, although I will do my best to find her and ensure that she hasn’t been harmed in any way.” He fastened his gaze on the ruby signet ring Fred wore on his index finger and saw instead Malinda’s bloodied mouth. He rose from his seat. “Thank you for your help. If I require further information, I assume you’ll be at the Red Dragon?”

“Aye.” Fred stood, too, his gaze sharpening. “I’ve got to make sure it remains standing as you promised.”

“It will as long as you are there to protect it,” Adam added, and went to open the door. “Good morning, Mr. Castleton.”

Benedict waited until Adam returned and closed the door behind him.

“I’m impressed that you didn’t leap over your desk and kill him with your bare hands. What an extremely unpleasant individual.”

“But he did give us some very interesting information.” Benedict studied his clasped hands. “He neglected to mention that Malinda was also present at the ambush.”

“Which makes sense if he thinks we don’t know that.” Adam frowned. “I assume he’d be quite pleased if Malinda hadn’t made it back to the Sinners last night.”

“One must assume so because he was willing to reveal himself as one of the ambushers. If my wife is dead, there is no one else who can divulge his part in the crime. He probably thinks he’s safe now, the bastard.”

“He also suggested they took all the gold themselves.”

“And Malinda told us she showed them where to hide it, and then stole most of it when she ran off and he took the gold.”

Adam whistled. “If Castleton is right, it still doesn’t explain how she and her mother had the money to survive for all those years in France.”

“No, it doesn’t. But it does confirm our suspicion that she lied.” Benedict searched Adam’s face. “But why?”

“Perhaps Castleton had something right. If Malinda truly thought her father was responsible for plotting that ambush, would she want to transfer that shame onto you? It wouldn’t be the first time she’s put your standing before her own, would it?”

“Am I really considered so wedded to maintaining my reputation that I’m not allowed to have feelings too?” Benedict demanded.

Adam’s expression sobered. “Unfortunately, your unblemished reputation is the backbone of our government and our nation. It makes the unpleasant decisions we occasionally have to adopt in our underworld acceptable to those in power who have to condone them. If you were revealed to be a worthless man allied to a father and a father-in-law who plotted to deceive honest soldiers of their pay, there would be hell to pay.”

“So Castleton didn’t need to threaten her. He probably threatened me.” Benedict groaned and rubbed his hand over his face. “Which is what made Malinda concoct her absurd story. Why didn’t she
tell
me?”

“Well, that, and Fred telling her that her father wasn’t an innocent man after all.”

“Oh, Christ, yes.” Benedict closed his eyes and tried to think through the tangle of lies. “No one’s telling the truth, are they?”

“Obviously not, and I suspect there’s more to it than we realize.”

“Why?”

“Because if your wife didn’t take any gold, we still don’t know how Malinda’s mother managed to pay for that damned nunnery.”

“Castleton said something about ‘They did all right in the end,’ didn’t he?” Benedict slowly raised his head. “What the devil did he mean?”

Adam was already on his feet. “Let’s see if we can find Faith.”

Faith was finally located coming in the door of the Sinners deep in conversation with Nicodemus Theale, and both of them were ushered by Adam into Benedict’s study with all possible haste. Alistair made himself quietly useful, bringing food for the ever-hungry Nicodemus and tea for the countess before settling down with a pen and paper at the desk while Benedict paced the hearthrug.

“We have news,” Faith said, exchanging a glance with Nicodemus. “You go first, Mr. Theale.”

“Our arsonist confessed to being hired by a Mr. Fred Castleton, the owner of the Red Dragon Inn just off the Mile End Road.”

Benedict nodded. “Go on.”

“We convinced the magistrate to reduce his sentence and allow him to take his money and leave the country.” Nicodemus looked up from his notes. “Do we wish to start proceedings against Mr. Castleton?”

“We might. Do you have anything else?”

“No, my lord.” Nicodemus’s glow of quiet triumph dissipated. “Did I not do as you wanted?”

“You did very well. In fact, prosecuting Mr. Castleton for arson might be our last resort.”

“Or a way to encourage him to confess even more of his sins,” Adam agreed.

Benedict turned to Faith. “Have you heard back from your man in France yet?”

“Actually, that’s why I went out. I met him down at the docks this morning after seeing Malinda off. Such a charming man.” She took Malinda’s mother’s journal out of her reticule and placed it on her knee. “He confirmed that the nunnery only took in the wealthiest of orphans and children and that their fees for doing so were extremely high.”

“Was your man able to get inside the place?”

“He was. I didn’t ask how. He even got into the library and made copies of all the entries regarding Malinda and Doris during their stay there.” She hesitated. “You might wish to read them through yourself, Benedict, in
private
.”

He took the papers she handed him and put them on his desk before returning to the subject that concerned him most.

“Did he mention who paid the bills?”

“That’s the interesting part.
Apparently,
they were paid by George Makethorpe.”

“Mrs. Rowland’s
second
husband?”

“And wait, there is more.” Faith opened Mrs. Rowland’s journal. “Do you remember Malinda telling us that George came into money and bought a promotion into another regiment?”

“Yes. He married Malinda’s mother less than a week after Patrick’s death, and took her away with him.” Benedict slammed his hand down on the desk. “
Damnation,
why didn’t we think of him when we were trying to find out which of Patrick’s fellow soldiers came out of the conflict with money?”