“Sounds like a load of bollocks.”
“And then there are the record books about Roman’s precious charities. The man was giving away our fortune at an alarming rate to at least thirty separate benevolent societies with names like”—he picked up the book and read from it—“The Society for the Charitable Relief of Poor, Misused, Infirm, Aged Widows and Single Women of Impeccable Character Who Have Fallen On Difficult Times in East Edston.”
“That’s a mouthful.”
“And then there are ones like this: The Retired Hunting Hounds Welfare Society.”
“That’s ridiculous,” scoffed Warburton.
“Do you really think my brother cared enough about hounds to donate two hundred pounds per annum? On the one hand, we have Roman throwing money at charities, and on the otherhand we have a wife who thinks she’s entitled to live like royalty. It doesn’t add up, I tell you.”
“It certainly doesn’t. Call in this Cleveland fellow, and we’ll have a go at him. I’ll help you get to the bottom of this.”
“Actually, I asked you here today to consult with you on another urgent matter.” Dane closed the record book and left the desk. “Pour me some of that.”
He’d asked the footmen to leave them alone because he was going to confide in Warburton about the blackmail attempt.
Warburton poured Dane some brandy. “Is it about that Miss Oliver from the seaside? Kenwick told me what happened at the theater. Wish I could have seen you dripping with punch. What did you do to make her so outraged?”
“She had no idea I was anyone other than simple Danny Smith. She’s here to petition the Duke of Rydell to gift Squalton Manor to her precious historical society, but I’ve already found a buyer for the property. Dudley’s uncle.”
“Poor thing. First you deceive her with a false name, and then you sell the manor out from under her.”
“She doesn’t know about the manor yet. I’ll go to Squalton soon and tell her in person, attempt to soften the blow and make my apologies.”
“Has she left London, then?”
“I can’t imagine she’d stay after I humiliated her in public.”
“Sounds like she gave as good as she got.”
“She’ll be back in Squalton by now, safely sequestered with her anxious mother.” And the thought nearly killed him. He wanted to chase after her, beg her forgiveness, and forget all about the bloody dukedom of Rydell, but his life was far too complicated and perilous for that.
“It’s for the best,” he said, still trying to convince himself of it. “She’s not safe here in London.”
“Not safe from you?”
“Not safe from the mess that it is my life. I asked you to meet me here because I must tell you something in confidence. Kenwick, Somersby, and Dudley are my good mates but they’re too hotheaded. I wouldn’t trust them to be discreet about this matter.”
“Say no more. I’m your man,” Warburton said gruffly. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
“The other evening I was accosted by a group of ruffians. They twisted my arms behind my back and beat me while I was incapacitated. One of them held a knife to my throat.”
“What?” Warburton bellowed, slamming his glass down onto a table. “Why am I just hearing about this now? They can’t get away with attacking you.” He half rose from his chair, gray eyes stormy and hands curled into fists. “Who were they? They’re going to be sorry they ever threatened a friend of mine.”
Warburton was the man Dane wanted by his side in a fight. He was solid muscle and sinew from all the bare-knuckle boxing he practiced, with massive thighs from horse riding and shoulders that required an extra yard of fabric at the tailors.
“I don’t know who they were. They threw a hood over my head. They said Roman owed them money and that they had information about him that, if made public, would ruin our family.”
“They could be bluffing. Maybe they heard about your brother’s death and decided you would be an easy mark?”
“Or it’s completely possible, now that I’ve seen these tangled financial records, that Roman spread his money too thinly and had to borrow and then couldn’t pay his debt.”
“Or maybe he had a secret gambling habit. He won big, felt guilty about it, gave away money to charities, and then he lost big and the ruffians who threatened you were hired by the gaming hell.”
“I have to find out who my would-be blackmailers are and if they have anything incriminating on Roman. They said that he’d been doing small jobs for them, and they expect me to do the same.”
“Have you uncovered any clues to their identities in your brother’s things?”