Page 26 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke

Her gaze moved first to the duke, then more slowly, to Jane. It lingered there. Jane resisted the urge to shift under it. Then the madam smiled faintly.

“Well,” she said, her voice as smooth as silk, “this is not my usual sort of appointment.”

Jane’s spine stiffened slightly. The duke did not react. The madam’s gaze flicked between them again, a little sharper now, and more amused. “I do hope I am not interrupting something intimate.”

Heat rose instantly in Jane’s face. “That is not,” she began, then stopped herself, mortified at how easily she had been flustered.

The duke spoke over her, unfazed. “We are not here for entertainment.”

The madam tilted her head slightly. “Pity.”

Jane pressed her lips together tightly. The duke stepped forward a fraction, subtly placing himself half in front of Jane without making a show of it.

“We are searching for information,” he continued. “A man who may have visited your establishment within the last week.”

The madam leaned back in her chair. “I’m afraid I cannot discuss my clients.”

The duke’s expression did not change.

Jane, however, felt the tension shift immediately like a rope pulled taut. The duke reached into his coat and placed something on the desk. Coins. A considerable amount.

The madam’s eyes flickered briefly to them, then rose back up. A faint smile returned.

“Tempting,” she said lightly. “But still no.”

Jane frowned. That had been too easy for her to refuse. The duke’s voice remained steady.

“I am notasking.”

The madam’s eyes sharpened slightly.

He continued. His tone remained calm but was now edged with something colder beneath it. “You may either assist us now, or be visited later by people far less polite than I am.”

Jane glanced at him sharply.

That was not a threat spoken lightly. It was precise. And it made something uneasy twist in her stomach.

The madam studied him for a long moment. Then, surprisingly, she exhaled softly.

“All right,” she murmured. “No need for such theatrics.”

“Please,” Jane said quickly.

Both the duke and the madam looked at her. The madam’s gaze sharpened with renewed interest.

Jane swallowed once, then continued, forcing herself to ignore the heat still lingering in her cheeks.

“If possible,” she said, “we’d like access to the guest ledger for this month.”

The madam regarded her for a long moment, clearly recalibrating.

“Well,” she said slowly. “So, you do speak.”

Jane stiffened slightly but held her ground. The duke glanced at her briefly, as though noting something, but said nothing.

“Very well,” she said. “Since you asked so nicely.”

She took the duke’s money without further comment, and moved to a locked drawer behind her desk. From it, she retrieved a thick ledger bound in dark leather.