The Marquis and I (The Worthingtons #4)(87)

“I’ll look for her desk,” Dotty said, starting down the corridor.

Charlotte opened the letter the innkeeper had given her. “I was right. The next victim is already at the Hare and Hound.” She glanced at Constantine. “Do you have any idea how far that is from here?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t. I’m sure the Star and Garter will have a map we can look at.”

“I found a pocketbook with entries dating back three months,” Dotty said as she came bustling from the back of the house.

“That would be before we closed her brothel,” Merton said.

“Indeed.” Dotty’s lips thinned. “She went from one business subjecting people, straight to another.”

“May I see it?” Charlotte took the book from her friend. “Did you find ledgers or anything else that might help?”

“There are several ledgers as well as other documents. We should take them all.”

“Yes, but how are we going to get them out of here?” Con pointed out, frowning. “It will appear strange if we stroll back to the coach carrying account books.”

“She must have a bandbox or something we can use.” Charlotte headed up the stairs with Con following close behind.

There were three rooms, all with their doors closed. She looked in them one by one. Two were devoid of furniture, but the third chamber contained a bed and clothes press. On top of the clothes press were several boxes.

“Allow me.” Con plucked one of the bandboxes off the top. “This should be large enough.”

She opened the box and took out a bonnet, placing it on the bed.

By the time they returned to the hall, Dotty and Merton had the ledgers ready to be packed. Less than fifteen minutes after they had arrived, they strolled out of the door, all of them pretending to wish the imaginary person in the house farewell.

“That was an interesting bit of playacting,” Constantine commented when they reached the coach. “One would think you had done it before.”

Charlotte caught Dotty’s eye and laughed.

“Pantomimes,” they said at the same time.

Constantine’s jaw dropped. “Christmas pantomimes?” Charlotte nodded. “I was never able to join in them,” he said, “first, I was too young, and when I got older, my sisters were all out of the house.”

“I’ve never even seen one,” Merton groused.

“You shall this year,” Dotty assured him.

“You as well,” Charlotte said to Constantine. “It really is unfair that you were left out. In my family, the children joined in as soon as they could toddle around.”

Charlotte linked her arm with Con’s and he was glad to have her by his side. Christmas was only one of many changes about to take place in his life. He had a feeling the holidays would be spent with the Worthington family whenever possible.

Mentally, he counted up the number of people who would most likely be present, and decided to ask his steward if any of his properties were near her family’s main estate. He thought there might be one. Still, Christmas was months away, and he had a young woman to rescue, and a wedding to get through first. Everything else would come later.

“May I look at the pocketbook?”

“Of course.” Charlotte handed it to him.

He spent the rest of the ride back to Richmond reading over the entries. Almost immediately, he realized he knew several of the men who had tried to buy women. Worthington was right. Before Con met Charlotte, he’d been keeping low company. He must find a map and figure out the best way to travel to the Hare and Hound.

When they arrived back at the Star and Garter, a message from the magistrate awaited them.

Merton opened it up and read it, and growled. “Rubbishing commoner!”

“What does it say?” Charlotte asked.

Con plucked the paper from Merton’s fingers and read it. “The long and short of it is that Sir John is of the opinion that the man who abducted Miss Cloverly and the coachman should be tried in London. He is having them moved to Newgate. Drat. I had hoped to have it finished here. It would have been much faster.” Con read down a little further. “He is sending with them the statements Merton and I wrote.”

“That is something, I suppose.” Charlotte’s nose wrinkled as it did when she was displeased. Con thought it was adorable. “Well, there is nothing we can do about that. I do have an idea for rescuing the last victim.” He nodded. “I think Dotty and Merton should go in without us.”

Her suggestion surprised him. It was true that, using her plan, there would be no need to explain Charlotte and Con’s presence to the innkeeper, his wife, and their daughter. However, it also meant Dotty and Merton would have a more difficult time convincing the landlord that Miss Betsy had been a scoundrel. “My love, I loath saying this, but I find myself in disagreement with you. Who better to convince Mr. Wick and his family that Miss Betsy used them to perpetuate prostitution at best and slavery at worst, than you, who were abducted, and I, who rescued you?”

Charlotte’s brows drew down and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Well, when you put it like that, I suppose you are right. It would not be fair to place the entire burden on Dotty and Merton.”

“There’s my brave lady,” Con whispered in her ear.