Twice Tempted by a Rogue (Stud Club #2)(98)

Bellamy gestured toward Cora. “Miss Cora Dunn, the prostitute who found you after the attack. The one you directed to transport Leo to my address.”

“Oh.” Faraday blinked at the girl with new interest. “So sorry, dear. I didn’t recognize you. It was dark that night.”

“She says you were the one who called out to Leo.”

“Really?” He worried the edge of his fingernail and shrugged one shoulder. “Perhaps I did. Honestly, I don’t remember. I don’t see how it’s important.”

“If you’re lying to us,” Bellamy said, his voice a low threat, “that is important.”

“What did you and Leo discuss?” Rhys asked. “Cora says she heard arguing, shouting.”

“Oh, yes. Leo was vexed with me. You recall, I’d lost my Stud Club token to the Duke of Morland a few days earlier. Leo was angry with me for wagering it. He knew Morland was out to collect all ten and disband the Club, and he’d warned me not to play with him.”

“But you did.”

“I did. As I told Leo, I’d grown weary of his silly Club. With the likes of you two for members, it wasn’t fun anymore. And I don’t even breed horses.”

“What do you do with your time?” Bellamy asked contemptuously.

“Much the same as you, my friend. Spend money, when I have it. Perfect the art of leisure. Work at being very good at being good-for-nothing.”

“So,” said Rhys, “if that’s your life’s ambition, why have you come all the way out here to the edge of England?”

“I needed a place to convalesce. I’m my uncle’s heir, but for now I have no property of my own. This place came to mind. I once brought a sweet little blond here for a very pleasant summer holiday.” He swept Cora with a gaze that Rhys did not appreciate. “The rent’s cheap, and the servants are discreet.”

Giles entered the drawing room, carrying a tea service that rattled precariously on its tray. Cora accepted the duty of pouring and began to distribute cups of the steaming brew to each gentleman.

“Why the need for discretion?” Rhys asked him. “You were injured in a violent attack, and yet you fled the scene, leaving Leo in the care of a stranger. You left Town in secret, squirreled yourself away in this remote cottage, and never once attempted to have your attackers identified or brought to justice. Why?”

Bellamy snorted. “Because he’s hiding something, obviously.”

“Thank you, love.” After taking his cup from Cora, Faraday cautiously sipped his tea. “What would I be hiding?”

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be here, now would I?” said Bellamy, growing agitated.

“Tell us about the attack,” Rhys interrupted. “What exactly happened in that alley?”

“As I told you, Leo and I were having words about the tokens while Miss Dunn over there waited just round the bend. From the other end of the alley came two ruffians. We were taken unawares. Before we knew what was happening, they were upon us, slinging fists. We made our stab at defense, but the men were … large. And determined.”

“What else can you tell us about them?” Rhys asked.

“Cora said one was bald,” Bellamy said. “And the other …”

“Was Scottish, from the sounds of him,” the girl put in. “I’m almost certain of it.”

Rhys leaned to the edge of his chair. “Would you know them again, be able to identify them if they were caught?”

Faraday put his hands to his temples. “Honestly, once the beating started, I remember little. Bald or ginger, Irish or Scot, pug-nosed or six-fingered … I’ve no recollection. If I didn’t even recognize Miss Dunn, how would I know those brutes again? There was no time to get a proper look. They didn’t even go for our money before they started in on us.”

“Well, if they weren’t cut-purses, what were they after?”

A strange look crossed Faraday’s face. “Don’t you know?”

Rhys and Bellamy looked to one another, nonplussed.

“I’ll be damned. You truly don’t know.” Faraday rubbed his eyes for a long moment. Then he gave a throaty chuckle as he reached for a piece of shortbread. “You, Mr. Bellamy. They were after you.”

Chapter Twenty-five

Bellamy paled. “What the hell are you saying?” “I meant just what I said,” Faraday replied. “That attack was meant for you.”

Bellamy leapt from his chair. A teacup crashed to the floor, and Cora flinched.

“Easy, there.” Faraday quirked a brow at Rhys. “Your friend’s hotheaded, isn’t he?”

Raking both hands through his dark hair, Bellamy paced the room with agitation. Every few seconds, he punctuated his steps with a muttered oath.

Faraday watched him with a dispassionate gaze, leaning back in his chair. “You have to admit, it only makes sense. Everyone expected Leo to be with you that night, and the two of us share a strong resemblance. In the dark, we could easily be confused. The brutes weren’t after money, just blood.”

Rhys frowned. “Even from that, you can’t be sure—”

“Leo was sure.”

“What?” Bellamy stopped pacing.

“He said, ‘Tell Julian,’” Faraday said. He blinked a few times, cleared his throat. “Those were his last words to me. He said them twice, as a matter of fact. Clear as day. ‘Tell Julian.’ Why do you think I gave Miss Dunn your address?”