Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

“ G rove,” the captain of the Bow Street Runners hissed, glaring at the new arrival, Lieutenant-Commander Robert Grove of Scotland Yard. “What are you doing here?”

“The same thing you’re doing here, Reed,” Grove said, raising an eyebrow. “Trying to uphold the law.”

“We have this situation under control!” Reed snapped. “We don’t need your help!”

“I don’t think we’re here to help you,” Grove said, his eyes sweeping over Nathan and Lord Redfield. “We are here to arrest Lord Redfield.”

“Lord Redfield?!” Reed gaped at him. “But he’s the one who brought us the case against the Duke of Carramere. He’s trying to clean up opium smuggling on his land.”

“That’s not the story I hear,” Grove said, and he looked at Nathan. “And I cannot allow you to arrest an innocent man.”

“I don’t remember asking your permission,” Reed growled, and then suddenly, the two men were yelling at each other. This was quickly followed by both sides shouting at one another, throwing around accusations, trying to understand what was happening, and just generally creating such a cacophony of chaos that Nathan felt as if his head hurt.

He wanted to get to Grove and explain what was going on. If he could only speak to Grove, everything would be sorted. They’d known each other for years, and Nathaniel counted the Lieutenant-Commander as one of his closest friends. But he couldn’t reach him through the sudden crush of men as Bow Street Runners and Scotland Yard officers continued to yell at one another.

There was only one thing to be done. Nathan jumped up onto the edge of the fountain and cupped his hands around his mouth.

“Everyone be quiet!” he roared at the top of his lungs. “NOW!”

At once, the hubbub died down, and everyone turned to stare at Nathan. He took a deep breath. “We need to figure out what’s going on,” he said into the silence. “It’s quite possible that we are all on the same side.”

Captain Reed harrumphed at this and turned accusatory to Redfield.

“Lord Redfield, did you know these men were coming here? Did you also hire Scotland Yard to help us arrest His Grace?”

“I did not know,” Lord Redfield said, his face going very red. “I don’t know what they’re doing here or what the Duke is playing at!”

“What I’m playing at,” Nathan snapped, “is trying to put behind bars whoever is running the opium ring on your land—which I thought was you and still haven’t ruled out.”

“But you’re the one who is running the opium ring!” Redfield exclaimed. “I created this whole ambush!”

“And the Duke created his own ambush,” Grove said, a slight smile creasing his wrinkled, leathery face. Nathan might have been amused as well—there was something quite farcical about the whole thing—if he hadn’t also felt so confused and irritated. “It seems that you both thought the other one was involved in this opium smuggling, and it seems that you both were wrong.”

“Precisely the conclusion I also came to,” Nathan said, nodding at Grove.

“I have not come to that conclusion,” Redfield said at once. “I am still convinced of your guilt, Your Grace. And I demand to know why I should give up my attempt to have you arrested.”

“My Lord Redfield,” Grove said, bowing low to him, “allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lieutenant-Commander Robert Grove, and I have been working with His Grace for many years. He helps us in investigating cases and has been instrumental in putting many criminals behind bars. In fact, the only reason he made contact with you in the first place is because we had intelligence linking you to the opium production. He only proposed investing in your business after I asked him to investigate you. He is not involved in opium production or trading, and in fact, if he were ever to commit an illegal act in his life, I would be shocked enough to hang up my badge and retire. I have never met a more honorable man in my life or a person so committed to justice. He is innocent, I assure you.”

Lord Redfield’s mouth opened slightly. He looked stunned. “B-but I was so sure…” he began weakly. “Who else could it be, if not him? He is the most powerful landowner in the region, his duchy is right next to my land, and he certainly has connections with unsavory characters.”

“I don’t know who else it could be,” Grove said, “but that is what we are still investigating. After today, however, I think we can safely take you off the list of suspects.”

Lord Redfield puffed his chest out indignantly. “I do hope so. Just because my father was a scoundrel doesn’t mean that I am like him. I have hated the man my entire life, and I will not allow myself to be put in the same category as him!”

As Nathan listened to this, he felt a flutter of sympathy in his heart. If anyone could relate to wanting to be different from one’s father, it was him.

He hopped down from the fountain and laid a hand on the Viscount’s shoulder.

“I believe you,” he said simply. “Just because a man’s father did wrong, it doesn’t mean he himself will follow in that path. I understand that better than most. And I’m sorry I suspected you. But I promise, it wasn’t because of your father: it was because of the letter I received from Scotland Yard about opium production on your land. I thought that if you were allowing it to flourish, you must be involved in some way.”

“I haven’t been allowing it to flourish,” the Viscount said. “Well, I suppose I have, but only after the Bow Street Runners asked me to so that they could investigate it further and discover who was behind it.”

“Ahhh.” Grove shook his head. “That makes so much sense now.”

“It seems to me that the Bow Street Runners and Scotland Yard need to coordinate better in the future,” Nathan said, raising an eyebrow.

“Perhaps we do,” Captain Reed conceded. “But it is difficult when Scotland Yard is always trying to steal our intelligence.”

“We don’t—” Grove began hotly, but Nathan held up his hand.

“We still haven’t gotten to the bottom of this,” he said. “We need to figure out who exactly is running the opium ring. Despite all our attempts, we aren’t any closer to discovering it.” He looked at Redfield. “Why were you so convinced that I was involved? Just because I own the duchy next to you?”

“Well, and Lord Cain said that you were involved.”

“What?!” Nathan stared at him. “You spoke to Lord Cain?”

“Only briefly,” Redfield said. “He had worked with my father, so after he was released from prison and acquitted of charges, I went to go see him. He said he hadn’t worked for my father in a while and that his loyalty had been to Lord Carfield, but he did mention that my father had told him you were the one encouraging the distribution of opium.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” Nathan demanded. His heart had started hammering, but he wasn’t entirely sure why. A strange buzzing had also begun to fill his ears.

Cain has hurt Rosalie in the past. How is he involved in this now? What does he want?

“Well, I didn’t think I should mention it when you came to my home,” Redfield said. “Especially because Cain said that things were sour between you two. He said that you’d offered him work in the opium production but that he’d said the only payment he wanted wasn’t money but permission to take up, clandestinely, with your wife. He said that you’d refused him?—”

“Damn right I would have refused to sell my wife!”

“—but then, when I saw him earlier this evening, he said that he and the Duchess of Carramere had rekindled the flame of their earlier courtship all on their own. That you were happy to let them be together because you were so busy with your opium business.”

Nathan was speechless. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Not for a moment did he believe that Rosalie had rekindled her spark with that worm, but he couldn’t fathom that anyone thought he would actually let his wife take up with another man—and with his consent.

“But then I told him it was likely you would be arrested imminently for your part in the opium smuggling, and he looked particularly pleased. When I questioned him further, he told me that he and the Duchess had plans to run off together and that your arrest would help facilitate the ease of that. Which made me wonder if you really were so happy to let them be together…” Redfield stopped speaking, and his eyes grew wide. “Oh Lord, did I just?—”

“You just played right into his hand,” Nathan breathed. His heart felt as if it had stopped. “He set this whole thing up to get me out of the picture. He isn’t after the profits from the opium, although I’m sure he won’t say no to them. He’s after Rosalie.”

His whole body seemed to turn back on at once. Not only his heart but all his organs, his muscles, and all of his energy and drive. Adrenaline coursed through him. He had never felt so sure and purposeful in all his life, so focused on the one task that mattered—the one person that mattered.

“You said you saw him here tonight?” he asked Redfield.

“Yes, and?—”

“And he knows I’m supposed to be arrested tonight?”

“Yes…”

Nathan didn’t hesitate a moment longer. Before anyone could stop him, he had pushed his way through the assembled men and begun to sprint back across the gardens toward the house.

Rosalie was in danger, and he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.