Henrietta followed the young woman through a labyrinth of streets, always conscious of Ewan close by, before finally catching up to her outside a terraced house. It looked somewhat dilapidated, the paintwork peeling off the exterior and one of the upper windows cracked like the veins of a spider’s web.

“Excuse me!” Henrietta called out. The woman whirled around in fright, her big eyes even wider. She struggled with the key in the lock, trying to gain entry faster. However, Henrietta was beside her before she could get inside. “I only want to talk,” she said softly, laying her hand on the young woman’s arm.

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“That is of little consequence. I just wish to ask you a few questions.”

“What kind of questions?” Her accent was hard to place, though it had the clipped tones of the South. Indeed, it sounded as though her upbringing had been good, though it was hard to decipher that much from a voice.

“First, I should like to know your name.”

“Why?”

“I shall explain everything soon enough,” Henrietta promised.

“Isobel Booth,” she answered, after a lengthy pause.

“That man you were talking to on the corner, not a moment ago. That was Mr. Booth, yes?”

She nodded uncertainly. “Does this concern him? If so, you ought to speak with him yourself.”

“What is the relationship between you?” Henrietta pressed.

“He is my elder brother.”

Henrietta had not expected that. Indeed, she had been certain that Seth’s talk of a family had been mere subterfuge to try and throw Ewan off the scent. And yet, here stood his sister, as plain as day. A figure that Henrietta had never seen or heard of in all the time that he had worked at the Oliver house.

“How can that be?”

Isobel arched an eyebrow. “Well, he and I share the same mother and father. It is very simple,” she replied curtly.

“Have you always lived here, or have you recently found yourself here?”

Suspicion radiated out from Isobel. “What business is it of yours?”

“I am a friend of Mr. Booth,” Henrietta lied. “I spotted him several days ago and sought to speak with him.”

“Then why follow me?”

Henrietta shrugged. “Call it curiosity. I did not know if, perhaps, he had married at long last, for I have always known him to be a bachelor. Nor has he ever spoken of a wife.”

Isobel snorted. “My brother will never find a woman patient enough to engage in matrimony with him. She would likely end up in gaol for murder.”

This shocked Henrietta, to hear a young lady speak so bluntly of a family member. She had endured her own challenges with her mother and father, but she would never have resorted to such coarse language and sentiment.

“So, you have recently moved here?” Henrietta would not be deterred.

“If you must know—yes, I have.” She sighed in exasperation. “Now, if you are quite finished, I should like to go inside and see to my sickly mother. The physician is due any time, and I do not want to have to explain your presence here. My mother is fragile enough as it is, without worrying if we have done something to offend. If you have an issue with my brother, then speak with him. Do not chase me through the streets like a common vagrant.”

“I meant no harm by it, Miss Booth.”

“Nevertheless, you have caused me concern.”

“My apologies.”

She tapped her foot impatiently. “Was there anything more you wished to discuss about my brother?”

“Was he the one who brought you here to Scarborough?”

“He sought employment at the house of Lord Averson, and we followed him. My mother is unwell, as I have already told you, and I have been recently poorly myself. Otherwise, I would take employment of my own, so I did not have to traipse across the country after my brother,” she grumbled. “He had secured employment at his last position, and he had to go and ruin it with his pride and arrogance. I always told him it would get him into trouble and, lo-and-behold, it has. But does he listen? No, of course he does not.”

Henrietta could feel the bitterness flowing off Isobel in waves. Evidently, there were some unspoken emotions between her and her brother, and some lingering resentment at being brought here. Still, Henrietta could not fathom this change in events. How could Seth have had this family and said nothing about them, for so long? Then again, you did not think to ask. Why would he have told you? He would have no reason to.

“Tell me something—one last thing,” Henrietta urged.

“What is it?” Isobel snapped coldly.

“Were you with your brother earlier today, between noon and two?”

Isobel looked puzzled for a moment. “Yes, he was here at the house, seeing to my mother and I.” A frightened expression passed across her enormous doe eyes. “You have come from the Averson residence, haven’t you? Oh heavens, I have said too much. Please, I beg of you, do not tell Lord Averson where my brother was today. You must not! If he loses this position, then we are done for. Have mercy. Please, have mercy.”

“I will not speak a word of it, Miss Booth,” Henrietta assured. “I only wished to discover where he had been, that is all. I am certain that Lord Averson will understand.”

“No, you must not say anything of my mother and I,” she begged, her entire demeanor shifting to one of desperation.

“Why ever not?”

Isobel’s cheeks burned a livid red. “It is too disgraceful to mention.”

“You must, if you wish to buy my silence.”

She looked up, her gaze pained. “You see… I was not unwell this past year. At least, not in the ordinary sense. I found myself in some… trouble, I suppose you would call it, at the end of last year. An encounter with a roguish gentleman who sought to defile and dishonor me. Needless to say, he succeeded, and my brother has been fighting to keep the scandal quiet ever since.” Her shoulders sagged. “Indeed, it is probably for the best that we have ended up here, out of the way of polite society.”

Henrietta’s heart ached for the poor young woman, despite her former coldness. Any woman who had been through such trials had something of a right to be terse. Although Henrietta had led a sheltered life, she had heard of despicable men who ruined women without a care for the consequences. It was a fate she did not wish upon anyone.

“Was there a child?” Henrietta asked in a quiet voice.

“The child was lost,” she replied, tears glinting in her eyes. “I do not know if I ought to feel fortunate or not, but I have not been the same since. Sometimes, I fall into a terrible depression. It is why my brother has endeavored to keep us near to him, after his recent dismissal.”

“I am sorry for that, Miss Booth. I promise you, I will say nothing to Lord Averson of this. However, I have one proviso.”

“Anything…”

“You must report to me if you hear of your brother doing anything untoward. There are suspicions surrounding him at the Averson residence, and we must discover the truth behind these rumors.”

She frowned with worry. “Rumors of what?”

“Foul play against those who dismissed him.”

“He would not,” she insisted. “He was angry and remains bitter, but he would not raise a hand to hurt anyone. All he wants is the chance to start his life anew and forget the ill-judged steps that led to his dismissal in the first place. He wishes to forget the Olivers entirely.”

“Regardless, I would appreciate it if you would report to me of any strange activity. Do not tell him of this, and do not tell him of our meeting today, do you understand? If I hear that you have said anything, I may be forced to speak with Lord Averson.” She hated the harshness in her voice, but she was desperate, too—desperate to put an end to the threat upon her. It was forcing her to do things she would not ordinarily do.

Isobel nodded effusively. “I will do as you have asked. Please, where must I report to?”

“I shall meet you in the alleyway behind the postal office at this hour next week, and you may tell me anything you have learned then.” She took a breath, the adrenaline making her heart pound. “And, once again, I am sorry to hear of the tragedy you have suffered. I wish your mother well. Indeed, I wish both of you well in your recovery.”

“And you will not say anything to Lord Averson?”

“If we each keep to our ends of the bargain, then no secrets shall be uncovered.”

Isobel grabbed at Henrietta’s hands and pressed them to her lips. “Thank you for this kindness, Miss. Please, please, accept my apologies for the crass way in which I spoke to you. You took me by surprise, that is all.”

“There is nothing to forgive. Now, go inside and see to your mother, and I shall visit with you again in a week’s time.”

“Thank you.”

Henrietta turned away from the young woman and headed back down the street, rounding the corner and almost running headfirst into Ewan. He reached out his hands to steady her, her palms bracing against his strong chest as she looked up into his eyes. She always forgot how handsome he was. Indeed, she felt something akin to relief in seeing him there.

“Is it done?” he asked, taking his hands away.

She nodded. “It is done. I have discovered some surprising truths.”

“You have?”

“Oh yes,” she said. “I will tell you everything on the way back to the Old Bell. Indeed, I fear that what I have learned will only serve to muddy the waters some more.”

“How so?”

“The ruse that we suspected is not a ruse. His mother and sister are as he said they were,” she explained. “If Mr. Booth has accomplices, then we must look elsewhere.”

But where? It no longer seemed to Henrietta that seeking out the accomplices would get them anywhere fast. No, in order to catch the villain in the act, they were going to need to set a trap. And she had thought of the perfect setting. A delicious snare that Seth would not be able to resist stepping into.