Page 78 of Dangerous

Adam frowned, heat creeping up his neck. “Very well. My wife was talking to a man—what of it?”

Batson swallowed. “They seemed to be discussing something very ... passionately, my lord. Now, it was wrong of Carlson, but he lingered, getting closer to, er, well to put it plainly my lord, he got close enough to eavesdrop on Lady Exley and the young man.” Again Batson paused.

“Bloody hell, man, get to the damned point!” Adam startled both himself and everyone else in the room. So much for calm and controlled.

“Carlson said they only spoke some of the conversation in English. He said the man sounded like a Frenchie when he spoke English. He said Lady Exley spoke both French and some other language. Something very foreign-like. Carlson didn’t get most of it, but he heard the word ‘ransom.’”

Adam could only stare.

“He couldn’t make heads nor tails of who was being ransomed, my lord.” Batson’s voice was filled with regret. “I’m sure it was garbled, but he said it sounded like Her Ladyship was worried about someone called ... Gabriel.”

“Gabriel?”

Batson nodded. “Yes, my lord, Gabriel. Or something like that.”

Adam glanced at the letter in his hand. There was certainly no mention of any Gabriel in it. “Was that all Carlson heard?”

Batson’s pale cheeks became as red as two apples.

“Batson, if you do not tell me absolutely everything this very instant, I shall send you packing.” Adam’s quiet words seemed to frighten his servant even more than his emotional outburst had.

“He heard them make plans to meet tonight. At the Black Swan, my lord.”

Bloody hell. The Black Swan was the most unsavory inn in Brighton. It had been raided dozens of times by excisemen. The inn had been—before the raids—perhaps one of the best-known meeting places for free-traders, its underground cellars notoriously labyrinthine storage places for smuggled goods.

“Fetch Carlson.”

Adam turned back to the other servants after the butler left. “Do either of you have anything to add to this tale?”

“Only that she ’as taken some small number of ’er tings, my lord,” the Frenchwoman said, her narrow face pinched with disapproval, as if Mia’s departure were somehow Adam’s fault.

“You may go.” She rose and left the room with obvious reluctance.

Adam flung himself back in his chair and looked at Sayer. “After we speak to Carlson and get a description of this man, you will go to the Black Swan and find out when they left and where they have gone.”

Sayer nodded, his expression as unreadable as ever. Adam couldn’t help wondering what the man was thinking. His master had yet a third wife who couldn’t wait to get away from him. He shook his head. God Almighty, wait until the scandal sheets got hold of this!

Carlson entered the room like a man approaching the gallows.

“You have nothing to fear, Carlson. I merely want you to describe the man you saw talking with Lady Exley. Please do so thoroughly, but with all haste. Time is of the essence.”

The handsome young footman took a deep breath. “He was youngish, perhaps five and twenty. He spoke like a Frenchie but he didn’t really look like a Frenchie. He was—” Carlson struggled to find the correct words. “He was a big fellow, my lord. He looked like he’d been in the sun a lot. His hair was brown but had been bleached by the sun. He had real strange eyes. Demon yellow,” he added, looking embarrassed by his words. “That is, they were very unusual, my lord.” He stopped, looking at Adam to judge his reaction.

Adam nodded at him curtly. “Go on.”

“He was dressed like Quality, not like you would have expected, him kind of looking rough.”

“Rough?” Adam interrupted.

“Yes, my lord,” Carlson agreed, frowning at the effort of describing the man. “His hands were big and he had shoulders like an ox. Even from where I stood I could see he weren’t no stranger to hard work. Beggin’ your pardon, my lord,” Carlson said, flushing for some reason Adam could not discern.

Adam raised his brows. “Is that all?”

Carlson thought a moment. “Yes, my lord.”

Adam dismissed him and turned to Sayer. “I have a few matters to take care of before I change. Pack lightly and quickly and then saddle Breaker for you and Max for me. I shall meet you at the Black Swan and we can depart from there.” He paused. “I don’t know who this man is, but she knows very few people in this country. I am fairly certain of her destination and only need some small bit of confirmation.” His words surprised a flicker of emotion from Sayer but Adam saw no need to enlighten him just yet.

Sayer left and Adam took a ring of keys from its hiding place behind the clock and unlocked the small gun cabinet that stood against the far wall of his study. The cabinet held only a few items as most of the weapons he owned were in the gun room at Exham. He took out a highly polished wooden box containing dueling pistols and his short sword before relocking the cabinet and making his way to his rooms.