“You could hire twenty men for that,” Adam countered. That kind of money would solve all his problems, or nearly all. But he couldn’t consider it.
Forster raised an eyebrow. “If I need twenty men, I will hire them. But I’d rather make it worth your while to set aside your own business to deal with mine.”
“You must understand how dear a friend Lady Emmeline is to our family,” Edmund cajoled.
“When you say escort Lady Emmeline to a safe haven, what do you mean? Bring her to you? I doubt she would have created such a scandal if she wished to marry your brother.”
Forster looked subdued. “My brother is an honorable man. Until he determines not to marry Lady Emmeline, I would prefer she remain out of reach.”
“That may require a bit of time, more time than any agent would be willing to devote to the case.” Even if Adam didn’t want the job, he didn’t like the thought of any other man guarding Em for months on end.
“You understand then why I place so high a value on the labor.” The duke waited for some response from Adam, but receiving none continued. “Our family returns to London tomorrow. Lord Colin will be with us. We will ensure he remains in town. You find her and keep her safe, but additionally you must keep her away from Lord Colin and anyone who might tell him her whereabouts.”
“That may prove a difficult task. It will mean keeping her out of the whole of London and away from her estate, for months on end.”
The duke nodded. “I’ll pay all of the expenses of the road, horses, lodging, food, clothing, if necessary.”
“But I’ll be the only one looking for her?” He made his voice sound hard and mercenary, though it soured his stomach to do it. “My circumstances make me unwilling to share that sort of ransom with anyone else.”
“And I wish to avoid a greater scandal. I’ll want frequent reports, detailing where you’ve looked. Once you find her, I’ll want reports on her well-being.”
“I’ll want our arrangement kept secret, particularly the issue of the reward,” Adam added. “A great many men might decide to try to find her on their own, if they believed you might pay for her return.”
“A fine point, Adam.” Forster looked to Lord Edmund and Aldine, who nodded agreement. “Given Lady Emmeline’s independent character, we would prefer to keep the arrangement secret from her as well. She will not appreciate our meddling, and that will make your task all the harder.”
“The guests are waiting for the wedding feast, or as Lady Emmeline’s estate manager re-named it, a community dinner.” Edmund looked out over the groups chatting across the carriage yard. “But if any of the guests inquire, we will indicate only that an old family friend is managing the search for Lady Emmeline.”
The duke extended his hand, and Adam shook it.
“Eventually, I’ll also want to know what scoundrel she found to help her. I’ll write you a note for one hundred pounds today, and you can draw on my bank for the rest when you find her. Aldine can assist you with supplies or other needs.”
“Thank you, Adam.” Edmund embraced him warmly. “Colin will find it a relief to know you are looking for Em. I’ll have Jeffreys arrange some foodstuffs, and I suppose a coach.”
Aldine, the solicitor, handed Adam his card, then the three men took their leave. Adam watched them walk away to join other guests. Aldine joined Constance Equiano, a London bookseller, who was speaking solemnly to a group of women near the chapel doors. The duke and Lord Edmund stopped to speak to Jeffreys, who was directing servants in a search of the estate. Edmund pointed toward Adam, and Jeffreys gave him a long, searing look.
Even with the duke’s promise, keeping their arrangement a secret was not going to be easy. Given a chance, Jeffreys would most certainly warn Emmeline of Adam’s arrangement with the duke. Forster knew Emmeline well when he said she wouldn’t appreciate his meddling. She would, of course, be furious that a group of well-intentioned men had decided to ignore her decision to break the engagement. Eventually Adam would have to tell her himself, but he couldn’t risk telling her until he had her well and safely away. Otherwise, she might decide him more of a scoundrel than she needed, and he wasn’t yet ready to let her go—not when he’d just gotten a chance to make things right between them.
The trap closed in tighter.
Joe put his back to the courtyard wall, and Adam followed his lead. Before them, crowds of wedding guests stood in uneasy groups around the chapel door or strolled about, talking in whispers.
The duke and Lord Edmund joined Aldine and the women. The duke put his arm around his fiancée, Lady Wilmot, a slender widow with nut-brown hair. After a brief conversation, the women in the group looked his way, nodding. Already the secret was spreading.
“You need have no fear of that group telling about your arrangement with the duke. In fact, given their recent activities, they would likely offer to help you search.” Joe read Adam’s concern. “They are the Muses’ Salon, Lady Wilmot’s book club. Do you know any of them?”
“Two. Lady Wilmot and Forster’s sister, Lady Judith.” Adam intentionally left out Constance Equiano. Joe didn’t need to know everything. Adam studied the other members of the group. “I assume Lady Judith’s husband is the much older man standing behind her.”
“Yes, Alderson, the dour industrialist.” Joe paused as several young women passed close by. “Beside Lady Judith are the Masons. Ophelia, the tall woman with auburn hair, is a chemist of sorts, quite the terror of Kensington as she blows things up on a regular basis. Ophelia’s husband, Sidney—the man in blue wool—manufactures perfume and soap; he keeps her in explosives. The two younger women are Kate and Ariel Gardiner, Ophelia’s sisters; studious girls, they are known to be observant and resourceful. All are the duke’s cousins.”
“I thought Mrs. Mason and the Gardiners were Lady Wilmot’s relations.”
“Sisters-in-law. They and Lady Wilmot’s late husband are all Somerville cousins.”
“Who are the two women beside the Gardiner sisters?”
Joe looked intently at the pair. “I can’t say.”
“Something you don’t know. I shall write that down.” Adam was certain Joe would remedy that situation as soon as the dinner bell rang. “Was it wise to mention my work in the region to the duke and his brothers? If they had realized I know Lady Emmeline, it could have posed problems.”
Joe ignored the question, smiling and nodding for the guests as if Adam had said something amusing. “We have been unwilling to draw on Lady Emmeline’s talent for voices while she was ensconced here on her estate. Now that she’s run, however, we might be able to convince her to help us again.”
“You mean I might be able to.” Adam let his voice go hard. He could feel the plan already going awry.
Joe touched the rim of his hat to a pair of ladies walking by. He waited to speak until they had tittered past. “Our newest reports suggest Charters may be an aristocrat, hiding his identity under various disguises. We want to know if that’s true.”
“She won’t like that.” Adam bit back the rest of the sentence.
“Ah, so you do know where our bride has bolted.” Joe smiled to an older woman in an outrageous hat.
“I didn’t say that.” Adam shook his head decisively. “I can predict from our previous discussions that she won’t like the job.”
“Of course, that’s what you meant.” Joe smiled again, this time to a pair of well-dressed men. “It’s good you took Forster’s job.”
“Why?” Adam