Chapter 30

Thirty

"Am I to understand you're the gentleman my daughter traipsed off to the wilds of West Virginia with?" Margaret Pierpont asked as her gaze roamed over Owen.

Given that Owen was currently looking as if he'd taken up bare-knuckle boxing and gone more than a few rounds with a champion pugilist, what with how he was sporting two black eyes and had a large gash running down the side of his face, caused when he'd lost consciousness and plummeted to the ground, he could certainly understand the incredulousness in Mrs. Pierpont's tone.

In all honesty, he'd never imagined meeting Hubert and Margaret Pierpont in their Fifth Avenue mansion under what could only be considered difficult circumstances. It was a forgone conclusion that he probably wasn't making a very good first impression, even though Mr. Timken, who'd traveled to New York with him after he'd regained consciousness, had made a point of telling Camilla's parents that Owen had fought tooth and nail to save Camilla, until he'd been rendered incapacitated.

Owen inclined his head Margaret Pierpont's way. "I am the gentleman Camilla traveled to West Virginia with, but before we get into the particulars of everything that's happened of late, allow me to first apologize for being ill-equipped to prevent Camilla's abduction."

Margaret's lips thinned. "Why were you ill-equipped, Mr. Chesterfield?"

"I underestimated the situation. I had security in place for Camilla, as well as the protection services of Charles and Leopold, but I never considered that anyone would attempt to abduct your daughter from a paddle steamer filled with a few hundred people. I also didn't anticipate that the men behind her abduction would have additional criminals waiting at my residence on Wheeling Island on the chance the abduction plan on the water was unsuccessful."

"I don't believe anyone could have foreseen that," a man said, striding into the receiving parlor and up to Owen, immediately holding out his hand. "I'm Gideon Abbott."

"Owen Chesterfield," Owen said, shaking Gideon's hand. "Camilla told me about you. Dare I hope you have any leads as to where she's being held?"

"We have every agent from my firm out searching for her. So far, we've not been able to find her."

"We do have our suspicions regarding who took her," a lady with black hair and dressed in a deep shade of purple said as she strolled into the room, stopping in front of Owen, where she promptly dipped into a curtsy. "I'm Adelaide Abbott, Gideon's wife as well as an agent with the firm. I'm also very dear friends with Camilla."

Owen presented her with a bow. "Camilla mentioned you more than a few times, Mrs. Abbott. I believe she considers you a dear friend as well."

Adelaide's lips curved. "Of course she does, and I'm looking forward to speaking with you further regarding Camilla's stay in West Virginia, but for now, allow me to return to Camilla's case. I'm wondering, since you were with her when she was abducted, if you heard any pertinent information that may confirm our suspicions regarding who is currently holding Camilla for ransom."

"Since the attack was well organized, I'm going to say it was arranged by a criminal syndicate, perhaps run by one Victor Malvado, although I can't help thinking that Lord Shrewsbury is somehow involved," Owen said.

Gideon nodded. "We've been keeping a close eye on Victor and his operation, but he's slippery. Keeps himself surrounded with guards, and none of our agents have seen any suspicious activity that points a finger his way for this particular crime. Lord Shrewsbury, on the other hand, seems to be our most credible suspect at this point."

"Could it be that he's working in tandem with another criminal organization?"

"Given that the man is severely lacking in the morals department? Probably." Gideon nodded to Adelaide. "Adelaide and I began investigating Lord Shrewsbury after I had a talk with him in England when I encountered him at a gentleman's club I frequent. He was unaware of my close association with Camilla when I first asked if I could join him at his table, but he didn't hesitate to encourage me to sit down with him after I offered to buy him a bottle of his favorite wine. After Lord Shrewsbury gulped down a few glasses of that wine, and, even though he'd never met me before, he didn't hesitate to disclose that he'd divorced his wife and was intending on traveling to New York to reunite with a lady he claimed was the love of his life." Gideon's lips thinned. "I knew he was speaking about Camilla. I then revealed my close friendship with Camilla and told George that he wasn't to have anything to do with her—ever."

Adelaide caught Owen's eye. "Gideon and I knew, as we discussed that conversation, that Lord Shrewsbury was clearly pursuing another fortune, and who better to pursue than Camilla, a lady who'd fallen for him the year of her debut." She pursed her lips. "Camilla told me during this past winter Season that George, before he left New York, told her that although he was being forced to marry someone else, his heart would always belong to her."

"Sounds like George wanted to make sure he didn't burn any bridges where Camilla was concerned, just in case," Owen said, earning a bob of her head from Adelaide.

"Too right he didn't, but thank goodness Camilla came to her senses and hasn't been pining for the man all these years, especially since we've uncovered evidence that suggests George was slipping his wife, or rather ex-wife now, dangerous mushrooms."

Owen's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"You heard correctly," Gideon said. "From what we've been able to conclude, Lord Shrewsbury had grown weary of his wife being unable to provide him with an heir, and furthermore, had exhausted the considerable dowry Mr. Deerhurst, Eleanor's father, had settled on her. George must have been facing desperate financial straits, which is why we believe he began drugging poor Eleanor, then carted her off to an asylum when she became out of her mind, that state a direct result of consuming mushrooms that are known to cause hallucinations."

"Gideon and I took the liberty of getting Eleanor released from the asylum," Adelaide added. "We've since reunited her with her family, and interestingly enough, she hasn't shown any signs of being out of her mind for weeks—exactly around the time George stopped paying her visits. We've also learned from Mr. Deerhurst that George, before he committed Eleanor to an asylum, had been demanding money from him. Mr. Deerhurst, evidently having realized George was a fortune hunter, refused to send any, which he now sorely regrets because he knows if he'd capitulated, his daughter wouldn't have spent over a year in an asylum."

"It does sound as if George had the proper motivation to be behind Camilla's disappearance," Owen said.

"Unfortunately, though, he's also disappeared," Gideon said.

"He's disappeared?" Owen repeated.

"He hasn't," a voice said from the doorway before a woman strode into the room, her features covered by the hood of her cloak, a hood she shoved back, revealing herself to be none other than Bernadette.

Owen frowned. "You told me you were going to stay behind in Wheeling to look after Gladys and El Cid."

"I lied, but I have a perfectly good reason for doing so, as well as a good reason for sneaking off to the train station and hopping on a train departing for New York before your train left, allowing me to arrive in the city a few hours before you—hours I've put to good use."

Before Owen could do more than narrow his eyes on a woman who'd clearly been holding some secrets from Camilla, and for some time if he wasn't mistaken, Lottie came striding into the room, stopping a mere foot away from Bernadette, bristling with animosity.

"I knew you had something to do with this, Bernadette, especially when I went looking for you to give you some last-minute instructions about Gladys and El Cid and couldn't find you anywhere."

"I'm afraid I'm guilty as charged," Bernadette admitted, taking a step back when Lottie took a step toward her. "And while I understand your urge to do me bodily harm, this is not the time for that, nor is it the time to discuss my horrendous behavior or the decision I made that will haunt me for the rest of my days. I'm here now to make amends for what I've done, but you, Lottie, out of anyone, should know that it's next to impossible to refuse a demand made by a criminal underworld boss."

"What criminal boss?" Owen demanded.

Bernadette shoved a strand of hair out of her face, not bothering to address the single tear running down her cheek. "Victor Malvado."

Gideon's gaze sharpened on Bernadette. "How long have you been working for Victor?"

"About three years," Bernadette admitted. "I had a break from him for a few months when he left for Chicago after Frank Fitzsimmons drew too much attention to the criminal set when he tried to extort that opera singer. Unfortunately, Victor returned to New York a few months ago. I heard through talk at the theater that he was back in the city and knew it was only a matter of time until he contacted me to do a job for him."

"What kind of jobs would you do for Victor?" Adelaide asked, stepping up beside Gideon.

"Just odd jobs here and there, such as ferreting out information from actresses who keep company with certain men of fortune."

"Why did he set his sights on Camilla?" Owen pressed.

Bernadette jerked her head toward Lottie. "Because of her. Victor wanted to acquire Lottie after Fitzsimmons was arrested, but Camilla got to Lottie first. Victor evidently got curious about a society lady who would take on a girl with a criminal past, and that curiosity led him to discover that Camilla's an heiress. I assume he began making plans to abduct her not long after that, needing me to help him fine-tune those plans when Camilla returned from Paris and took up residence at their Hudson manor."

"He asked you to get a job in the Pierpont household?" Adelaide asked.

"Victor doesn't ask, he demands," Bernadette countered. "He needed to learn Camilla's daily schedule, and who better to glean that type of information than a woman who aspires to become an actress and is perfectly capable of assuming the role of a maid? In my defense, though, I had no idea at the time why he wanted that information. All I knew is that Victor isn't a man you ever say no to."

Lottie released a snort. "It sounds to me as if you didn't even try."

"Of course I didn't," Bernadette shot back. "It would have been pointless, and besides that, Victor dangled a carrot in front of me—one he knew I wouldn't be able to resist."

"Let me guess," Lottie began. "He promised to arrange an acting job for you if you were successful, and you didn't hesitate to sell out Camilla because becoming an actress, as you've mentioned time and again, is your greatest goal in life."

" Used to be my greatest goal," Bernadette corrected. "And while I know I was disloyal to Camilla, know that I truly had no idea Victor wanted to learn her schedule because he intended to kidnap her."

Lottie's eyes flashed. "That might have initially been true. However, you would have been privy to what his plans were after Camilla and I were set upon by those men on the Hudson. Even realizing that, though, you had to have been the one who told Victor we'd gone to Wheeling."

"I won't deny I sent a telegram to Victor when we made a stop in one of those small towns on our way to West Virginia. But in my defense, he was expecting me to contact him on a daily basis. If I hadn't sent him word that we'd left town, I would have never been able to return to New York, and at that time, Wheeling sounded to me as if it might be the pit-of-the-earth type of place, not a town I'd ever care to remain in for good." Bernadette dashed a tear from her face. "I've regretted my actions for weeks, especially after I got to know Camilla and discovered she's nothing like I originally thought. I've always been jealous of those who have more than most of us, and I thought she was simply a rich, spoiled heiress who was going to want me to wait on her hand and foot after I became her lady's maid."

"She never expected you to wait on her hand and foot," Lottie snapped.

"I know that now, just as I know what I did was horrible." Bernadette drew in a shuddering breath. "That's why I'm here to rectify matters."

"How do you intend to do that?" Owen asked.

"I know where Victor's keeping Camilla, just as I know that he's going to send a lot of his men to pick up the ransom." She lifted her chin. "I went directly to Victor's from the train station. As I mentioned, I arrived in the city before you. I knew he would expect me to show up there at some point, so off I went, arriving not long after Camilla did."

"Did you see her?" Owen demanded.

Bernadette shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I was shown directly to Victor's office, where he told me how pleased he was with the work I'd done. Before I had an opportunity to check on Camilla, Victor sent me off to claim my prize, which is where I'm supposed to be right now."

"You didn't bother to try and rescue her?" Lottie asked.

"I doubt I could have been successful with that, given how many men Victor has guarding his lair." Bernadette dashed another tear away. "I thought it would be more prudent if I came here, since I assumed this is the first place Owen would come. And if Owen wasn't here, I figured Camilla's parents would know how to contact agents from the Accounting Firm."

Bernadette caught Owen's eye. "Since you are here, know that I think a surprise attack might be possible while Victor's men are off to pick up the ransom, and I can help with that attack."

"How can you help?"

"I can tell you exactly where Camilla is being held, as well as give a detailed account of the layout of Victor's compound. I also know, since I made a point of stopping to talk to a few of the guards, how many men he's sending to collect the ransom, as well as how many men will be left behind. Victor is expecting me to return after I speak with the manager of the theater—my reward for doing this job—and when I return, I can then unlock one of the side doors for the surprise attack."

"And you think we should plan this surprise attack while Victor's men are off retrieving the ransom money?" Gideon asked.

"That's when he'll be the most vulnerable."

Gideon frowned. "How many men do you think will be left in Victor's compound during the pickup?"

"Around twenty, but that's better than the number he normally keeps on hand." Bernadette smiled. "He's sending a small army to collect the ransom because he thinks that'll make it more difficult for any of them to decide to grab the money and run."

"Twenty doesn't sound impossible to handle," Gideon began, "although given that Victor Malvado's rumored to have some of the most vicious criminals around on his payroll, it'll still be difficult to execute a rescue."

Owen caught Gideon's eye. "I've brought men with me who'll be more than happy to assist in the mission."

"And not just men," a far-too-familiar voice said from the doorway.

Swallowing a sigh, Owen turned and found Meemaw advancing into the room with Aunt Elma by her side, both women toting rifles, which had Margaret inching closer to her husband.

"You were supposed to wait at the Fifth Avenue Hotel until I sent for you," Owen said, which earned him a roll of the eyes from Meemaw.

"Don't be daft, Owen," she returned. "You know I'm not one to sit around and wait while the menfolk get down to the real business."

"Neither am I," Aunt Elma chimed in, pushing spectacles that were sliding down her nose back into place.

Owen frowned. "You're wearing spectacles."

"'Course I am. I'm blind as a bat without them, and I'm thinkin' my aim better be accurate today." Aunt Elma smiled. "I'd hate to be takin' out a person on our side."

"You always said you'd never get spectacles."

"As your meemaw said, don't be daft, boy. I've had these here spectacles for years, it's just that I ain't above playin' on everyone's sympathies to get the attention I feel I'm due by assumin' the role of some feeble ol' auntie."

"Who are these women?" Margaret whispered, her gaze fixated on Meemaw's rifle.

"I'm Beulah Chesterfield," Meemaw said before Owen could get a single syllable out of his mouth. "I'm Owen's meemaw, and this here's my sister Elma. And now, with that out of the way, what say we go and get our Camilla? I heard Bernadette say she knows where Camilla's being held, so no use dilly-dallying."

Gideon cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Chesterfield, but you won't be accompanying us. Victor Malvado is holding Camilla, and he's not a man any lady should trifle with."

"You're apparently just as daft as my grandson if you think I'm going to be left behind" was all Meemaw said to that as Leopold and Charles strode into the room, Leopold flashing Meemaw a smile before he nodded to Gideon.

"Beulah and Elma would be an asset to us, Gideon," Leopold began. "And before you argue, know that both of them shoot better than I do, at least when Elma's wearing her spectacles. I can guarantee they'll come in handy with distracting Victor if it comes down to that because I highly doubt he'd expect two ladies who are somewhat advanced in years to be the threat they're perfectly capable of being."

Beulah smiled. "That was lovely, Leopold, and so, with that out of the way . . ." She caught Owen's eye. "What say we go and get your girl back?"

Owen didn't neglect to notice that Margaret's eyes widened directly after Meemaw called Camilla his girl, but since Aunt Elma was already heading out of the room, followed by Lottie and Bernadette, he decided now was hardly the moment to declare any intentions he might have toward Camilla to her parents, instead sending Meemaw a nod, which had her readjusting her rifle before she headed out of the room.