Chapter Forty-Two

L ord Tobias, Duke of Moreland

I climbed into the carriage boasting the ducal seal and sat next to Ash. He rubbed at his tired eyes, his legs stretched out in the well-appointed carriage. The past twenty-four hours had passed in a flurry and every second was torture thinking about Birdie locked in a dirty cell like I had been.

“Well?” Ash stared at me as the carriage took off at a brisk clip down the earl’s driveway.

“The earl was very understanding about the entire affair. A nice chap if a bit eccentric. He seemed to be more concerned over the welfare of the Namath sisters rather than by their deception.” I had taken on the task of speaking to the earl on Birdie’s behalf. It seemed more persuasive coming from a duke than it would have been had I simply been Mr. Moran. Which in my heart of hearts, I still was.

“If the earl doesn’t press charges, I am fairly certain that Humphrey will be successful in getting the charges against Birdie dismissed.” Ash released a heavy sigh, his hand coming to rest on my leg.

I had sought Humphrey out while Ash went with Birdie and the constables. The solicitor had jumped on the task and I was extremely impressed by him. I was still torn about accepting the title. Panic rioted inside me at the prospect but Birdie and Ash had given me much to think about. “In all the craziness, you never explained why you quit the force.”

A smile tugged at his mouth and he rested his head against my shoulder. “You will give me hell for saying this, but I want what you have.”

“A fanatic targeting me? The woman I love in jail? And a prat for a friend?” I tilted his chin up and pressed a kiss to his mouth.

“I want to be an editor, and since you are now a duke, I happen to know that there’s a business I can take over.” He caressed my cheek, love shining in his eyes.

“I am still undecided on the title, but there is enough editing work for both of us at the publishing house.” As Birdie had pointed out, I needed help, and I couldn’t think of a better person to work side by side with than my dearest friend. “What did your family say when you told them you were quitting.”

“A very clever way to change the conversation.” Ash averted his gaze before he sighed. “I shouldn’t take the bait but I am. My father says he supports me but he is disappointed.”

“I would imagine he is. However, he is a good man and he loves you. Eventually, he will get over it.” I envied him the closeness with his family. While his family had become mine, I missed my own father every day. If Birdie had agreed to my proposal, I would have started a family with her. Alas, that wasn’t to be.

“That’s what my mother said. She knows how passionate I am about books because she shares my love of them.” He stretched his fingers, a small cut on the tip of his left index finger. “I want to do what I love with the people I love.”

“I love you too.” His declaration cemented my own feeling. “Does that mean you forgive me?”

“It means that I don’t want to lose our friendship over something you can’t change. You were born into the title and you need to take ownership of it. Just because your uncle was horrible, doesn’t mean you have to be.” Ash always had a direct way of getting to the heart of the matter.

“I am a curmudgeon by my own admission.” I brushed my mouth over his once more, glad for his continued devotion to our unique relationship.

“You are at that.” He relaxed into me, yawning. “I hope we can bring Birdie home with us. I worry about her being in their custody. The station might be nicer but the jails are no less dangerous.”

“Me too.” The steady clip clop of the horses continued to serenade us. The streets in this part of the city lacked Cheapside’s ruts and the houses were much more stately. It was an attractive neighborhood but in my opinion, it lacked character.

“Even with the information we have found and the earl’s forgiveness, there is still a chance they will press charges, regardless.” The worry in his voice concerned me. “That is if she is Miss Namath. Did you get the marriage certificate?”

“Humphrey took care of that as well. Although if you recall, she turned me down.” It still stung my pride and frightened me a bit to think that I might lose her.

“She thinks you are courting Mrs. Engel, which you are. Or were, I suppose.” Ash continued to caress my thigh with his thumb in a distracted manner. Holding him in my arms felt natural, but there was one thing missing to make me whole, Birdie.

Scratching at my forehead, I exhaled. “Oh bother. I told her I had lunch with Mrs. Engel. I never told her I was enamored of the woman..”

“Birdie thinks so and since I happen to know she has feelings for you—which you keep refusing to believe, then even hinting at courting another woman is a slap in the face. It is a wonder how you ever got a woman interested in you without my guidance,” he said with a laugh.

I looped my arm around his neck and pulled him close. “Yet somehow I managed.”

“Not very well. First you told her you didn’t find her desirable. A lie.” He held up a hand and began to count down. “Then you told her you were courting another woman. Then you released her from her position, and you wonder why she won’t marry you.”

“All of that was done with good intentions.” Heat warmed my cheeks from the accuracy of his claims. I tried to keep my distance from her and had failed miserably. “Even if I do marry her, there’s no guarantee this will disappear like you think it will. And as you rightly pointed out, giving up the title means I won’t have any power to assist her. However, her cousin said he would use his influence to help her.”

“You are an imbecile to give it up, but it is your decision to make. An earl is a pretty powerful position and if he can act the hero, so be it.” Ash sat upright as the carriage began to slow. One look outside showed a familiar building that I had seen for the first time yesterday.

“You make me sound like a coward.” The whine in my voice didn’t help my cause.

He simply lifted one brow but said nothing other than, “We are here.”

My anxiety shot up and I placed my hand on the door handle. In a sense, I was being selfish. I could do much good with my title yet I was still torn. Despite my denial, I knew what my choice had to be.

The coachman opened the door and I hopped out, needing to move after coming to the monumental decision. Ash followed, both of us rushing to the entrance. In a lobby much swankier than the old building Ash worked in, the clerk on duty looked up with an inquiring smile.

Inhaling a deep breath, I stepped into my role, Birdie’s words resonating in my mind. “I am the Duke of Moreland. Chief Superintendent Rogers is expecting me.” The title still sounded foreign to me, yet I would wield what influence I had to make substantive changes.

“Yes, Your Grace.” The clerk walked us back to offices that were clean and well-appointed, if utilitarian. The money and influence in the neighborhood would account for the fine quality of the fixtures.

The clerk opened the door to reveal an office similar to Stark’s with accolades on the wall and a small sitting area. Humphrey and Birdie sat in a row of chairs situated across from a large desk. Behind the desk was a smallish man with a bullish jaw. My eyes locked on Birdie and she met my regard. My pulse raced with love for her and fear that she had been harmed in any way. I rushed to her side and slipped into the seat beside her. “How are you faring?”

Ash took a standing position behind us.

“Itchy. I understand what you were talking about now,” she replied.

Her safety was my first priority. I couldn’t bear it if anything were to happen to her because of me. “Have you been treated well?”

“We have taken good care of Miss Namath,” CS Rogers said.

“I am pleased. I wouldn’t wish for her to suffer unduly when there was no need for her to have been detained.” I reached into my coat and pulled out a letter from the earl. “Her cousin has exonerated Miss Namath and says he will not press charges given the circumstances.”

“I am afraid that isn’t his decision to make.” The CS leaned back in his chair, a smug smirk on his thin lips. He wasn’t used to being questioned and his arrogance showed. “She pretended to be someone she was not in order to gain financial benefits. Impersonation is against the law,” he said.

I snorted my disgust and fought the fierce need to punch him. “If her cousin doesn’t press charges, the point is moot.”

“She committed a serious crime that might result in incarceration.” The CS smirk became more pronounced. The fact he was enjoying their misery rankled even more.

A scuffle sounded from outside the office. All heads turned to see the once calm, now clearly harried clerk open the door. Stark pushed him aside and entered, another man right behind him. Tall with a distinguished air, I recognized him from somewhere but couldn’t place him. More men crowded in the hallway behind him.

I shot a nervous glance at Ash whose lips were downturned, a rigid cast to his jaw.

“What is the meaning of this Stark, I—” CS Rogers asked before his face paled. He hopped to his feet, all traces of defiance gone. “Sir Melville.”

The face and name of the mysterious man came into focus. Surely he wasn’t here for Birdie? She might have misled the earl but to have Chief Constable Melville pay attention to her case was laying it on a bit thick. He did have a reputation for being a fair man, thus all wasn’t lost.

“CS Rogers,” Melville greeted with polite coolness.

“Allow me to introduce the right honorable Miss Bernice Namath,” Stark began the introductions. “His Grace, the Duke of Moreland, and Inspector Ashton.”

“Sir Melville, Stark, I hope you bear promising news.” Shoulders squared, I stood and tried to channel the ghost of my grandfather. He had had a way of commanding the room. My uncle also had the same knack but he did so with malice.

“I am afraid not.” Stark shook his head, the lines around his mouth tight.

His declaration sealed my destiny and I resigned myself to the inevitable. I had been born into privilege and by fate, I was thrown into the title. It would be difficult for me in many ways, but Birdie’s freedom was more important than my own happiness. It was time to become the Duke of Moreland and wield every bit of power I had to help Birdie.