“Well?”

Lord Higgs looked over at James, who was waiting desperately for him to speak.

“I found her.”

James heard Sarah gasp in shock and saw her hands fly to her mouth, as Lord Higgs nodded.

“You found her?” James repeated, blinking furiously. “Where? When?”

Lord Higgs cleared his throat, sitting forward in his chair. “It is as you suspected, Sarah. Mrs. Avis is Lord Andrew’s wife but was doing her best to escape from him, it seems.”

Sarah shook her head, and James saw that she was battling tears. “Why did she marry him in the first place?”

“Because not everyone has the choice of whom they marry,” James replied, coming to sit by her instead of pacing up and down the room. “I suspect that she had no choice in the matter.”

Lord Higgs nodded. “Precisely that. This was a great many years ago and did not take place anywhere near London. In fact, I was told that Lord Andrew was near the border at the time, so possibly it was even in Scotland, although I cannot be sure. It appears that Lord Andrew got better at cards for a time, and during one game, he agreed that the gentleman he was playing against—Viscount Davidson, I believe— could place his unmarried daughter’s hand in marriage on the table.”

James closed his eyes and took a few moments to let his anger rise and then fade away again. How any gentleman could treat his daughter in such a way was beyond him.

“She was married and her dowry given to Lord Andrew. It was fairly substantial, I believe, but Lord Andrew is not a man known for his considerate ways when it comes to money.”

Sarah let out a heavy sigh, and James reached for her hand, feeling it cold in his own.

“I feel so terrible for her,” she said softly. “To be forced into matrimony like that? How desperate she must have been.”

“And for so many years,” James added quietly.

Lord Higgs nodded again, his expression grave. “It is not known how long she knew of Lord Andrew’s reputation, nor of the whispers about what he had done to the duke’s wife, but I would assume that she was always horrified by him. Lord Andrew was forced to, over the years, sell almost everything of value as his gambling habits continued.”

“The locket,” Sarah replied, glancing up at James.

James pressed her hand. “It is not unthinkable to believe that she managed to steal it back, although perhaps she found someone to do it for her.”

“For what reason?” Lord Higgs asked, frowning. “That is the only thing I cannot understand. Why give you the locket and then never tell you who she really was? If she intended to be your companion, then she could have simply told you the truth.”

There was a short silence, as they all thought hard.

“Perhaps she was afraid that Lord Andrew would find it again, and then he would trace the theft back to her,” Sarah said slowly. “But that does not explain why she told me to find the owner of the locket.”

James made to speak, only for the door to open and the butler to step in with an apologetic look on his face.

“I apologize for intruding, my lord, but you did request that any letters be given to you at once.”

“Thank you,” James replied, taking the letter off the tray and turning it over. “Oh, it is from your brother, Sarah. I hope you will not mind if I open it.”

“Of course, please,” Sarah responded, looking surprised that he had even thought to ask.

Breaking the seal, James read quickly, only to feel the life go out of his limbs. Slowly sinking back down beside Sarah, he reached for her hand again and held it tightly, reading each word the duke had written over and over again.

“What is it, Thorndyke?” he heard Sarah ask, her voice seeming to come from far away. “What is the matter?”

“It is here,” James replied, his voice hoarse. “I understand it all now.”

Her hand tightened in his, as Lord Higgs cleared his throat, drawing James’s attention.

“Your brother, the Duke of Brighton, has written various things, and he is vastly delighted with the news that we are to wed, Sarah, so you need have no concerns there. However, when I wrote to him, I mentioned the locket. I described it, in fact.” He looked up at his betrothed, seeing her eyes filled with questions. “It belonged to your mother.”

Sarah gasped, her eyes filling with startled tears as her fingers clung to his.

“Your brother identified it from the description,” he continued quietly. “He says that on the day your mother went riding, she had it around her neck. It had a miniature within of your father, and it was, apparently, something she always wore. At the time of the accident, no one could find it. It was presumed that it had fallen off somewhere, and it was never thought of as particularly important.”

“Until now,” Lord Higgs said firmly. “My goodness, Sarah. Do you realize what this means?”

Sarah drew in a shaking breath, as James tugged her a little closer. “It means that we have the proof that Lord Andrew killed my mother.”

“Precisely,” James replied, filled with a sudden burst of hope. “We will have to have a copy of the books from the pawn merchant, but the evidence is there.”

“Remember how the pawn merchant told us that Lord Andrew was in his cups at the time, when he handed in the locket?” Lord Higgs continued, a look of triumph on his face. “It was clear that he was not thinking clearly then, for what kind of man would put a piece of evidence into the pawn shop without using a false name? Why use the same shop you had used before if you wanted to keep your identity a secret?”

“And that is why the shop was broken into,” Sarah finished, her shoulders slumping. “Lord Andrew tried to retrieve it once he had sobered up and realized what he had done.”

James nodded, his arm wrapping around Sarah’s shoulders as she wiped her eyes. “It is just as well the pawn merchant took his books home with him that evening, else all evidence might have disappeared. I suspect, Sarah, that Mrs. Avis never intended to be your companion, but perhaps she had no other choice. Perhaps she needed to escape and to be your companion was the only way. Perhaps she was too afraid to tell you the truth, hoping that you would marry me before discovering the truth about the locket. That way, she would have the funds you would give her as payment and she could leave your side without you ever knowing the truth about her.”

“We have to get her back. She cannot stay with him.”

James smiled at the determination in Sarah’s voice, feeling himself grow as resolute as she.

“Of course, we will,” Lord Higgs said calmly. “All we need is a plan.”

Setting the letter from the duke aside, James turned to Sarah and took both of her hands. “My dear, we must be careful in this. I would much prefer you remain here whilst we go to fetch her.”

“What do you intend to do?” she asked, a trace of frustration in her voice. “Simply march up to his house and demand he release her?”

Lord Higgs shrugged. “Most likely, yes. We will present him with the evidence we have and then hand both him and all we have into the authorities.”

“My guess is he will be on his way to the jail before the end of the day,” James replied, squeezing her hands gently. “It will be the gallows or transportation for him.”

“Then, I am coming with you.”

There was a short pause. “No, my love. I cannot let you do that,” James replied carefully, aware of the spark in her eyes and the determination in her gaze. “You will be putting yourself in danger should you do so.”

Sarah lifted her chin, and James was suddenly reminded that he had told her only last night about the way her courage and bravery sparked a deep respect for her within his heart.

“You know that I will not stay here,” she said calmly. “There is no point in arguing with me. I want to see the man who has caused my family such pain, who has been such a threat to me, and I want to see him running for his life when he discovers that we know the truth of who he is and what he has done.”

James turned to Lord Higgs, who shrugged, clearly a little uneasy but also aware that he was not likely to change Sarah’s mind. Feeling as though he had no choice, he gave Sarah a small smile.

“Very well, but you must do as I ask you,” he said, seeing her nod fervently. Her jaw clenched, as her eyes drifted towards Lord Higgs. “Lord Higgs and I will always go ahead of you.”

“Lord Higgs?” she asked, as though determined to ensure that he was in agreement also. “Does this meet with your satisfaction?”

Lord Higgs cleared his throat. “My dear lady, I would not have expected anything less from you. Now, shall we go at once? I know the address, and it is some distance away, on the other side of London no less. We can come up with some kind of plan in the carriage, but I think it would not be best to wait here any longer than necessary.”

Before James could respond, Sarah was on her feet, marching towards the door with her shoulders thrown back and her head up. She was clearly eager to be off, determined to bring back Mrs. Avis without too much thought for her own safety. He loved that about her.

“Do come on, Thorndyke,” Lord Higgs murmured, as he passed. “Now is not the time to stand about gawping at your lady love.” He raised one eyebrow, as James felt a blush rise in his cheeks, scrambling to find some kind of protestation.

“No, do not even attempt to excuse yourself,” Lord Higgs continued, with a wave of his hand. “I can see what has happened. You are falling in love with that young lady—and credit to you for doing so. She is quite remarkable.” He slapped James on the back, chuckling quietly. “All the better for you both, I think. Nothing so good as being in love with your wife, or so I have heard.”

“Indeed,” James mumbled, not sure what else to say. Was he really in love? Could such a feeling come upon a man quickly, with such haste that it took his breath away?

“Concentrate on the task in hand,” Lord Higgs grinned, as they made their way towards the door. “You can worry about the state of your heart after it is all over. Come now. Mrs. Avis is waiting.”