Chapter Thirteen
‘Oh, madam!’ Jane, waiting for Olivia in her room, looked wretched. ‘I feel responsible for what happened. I should have known that message about my ma was bogus. I just never thought…’
‘Hush now, Jane. None of us could have foreseen this.’
‘If anything happens to Master Tom then I shall never forgive myself.’ Jane dabbed at her eyes. ‘I never shall.’
Olivia found herself reassuring her son’s nursemaid, much as Jake had just reassured her. It helped her to remain in control as she selected a hat with a half-veil that would conceal her blotchy eyes. She settled it on her head and secured it in place with a pin, not bothering to examine the results.
‘Try to keep busy, Jane,’ Olivia said as she picked up her gloves and stocking purse. ‘It will help to keep your mind off things.’
‘If you can be strong, madam,’ Jane said, blowing her nose and straightening her spine, ‘then so too can I.’
‘I shall be back soon. Reed knows where to find us if anything…’ Olivia’s voice caught in her throat. She swallowed down the lump that had formed there and took a moment to compose herself. ‘If any urgent messages arrive for me.’
Olivia reached the turn of the stairs and could see Jake pacing back and forth across the wide expanse of the vestibule as he waited for her, his heels sounding a loud rat-a-tat on the chequered marble flooring. He had not seen her yet and so she paused to scrutinise him. His expression was sombre, a frown etched deep into his forehead, and she would give much to know what thoughts were passing through his head at that particular moment. It would be pointless asking him since she was well aware he would tell her only that which he wished her to know; the infuriating man! He looked up, saw her standing there and his mouth curved into an enticing smile, all traces of anxiety eradicated from his expression.
‘There you are,’ he said unnecessarily, placing her hand on his sleeve when she reached him and conducting her to the waiting carriage.
Parker travelled on the box seat, leaving Olivia alone with Jake inside the conveyance. Raw, gut-wrenching pain ripped through her whenever she thought how afraid poor Tom must be. A lead weight threatened to drag her into the depths of despair, but Olivia could not allow herself to fall into her own version of hell. She needed to stay strong for Tom’s sake. That was the one thing she could do to make up for her neglect because, no matter what Jake said to the contrary, no one would ever convince her that his abduction was not her fault. Besides, if she appeared fragile, Jake would shut her out of the investigation completely; even though Olivia was firmly determined to be fully involved with it. By using her son in such a cowardly fashion Hubert, or whoever was behind his snatching, would soon discover the extremes to which a mother was prepared to go in order to protect her child.
‘That’s better.’ Jake, seated beside her, squeezed her gloved hand.
‘What is?’
‘I can tell from the range of emotions that have just passed through your expression that you have gone from deep despondency, through self-condemnation and settled upon fighting mad. I am very glad that the anger in your eyes is not directed at me.’ His theatrical shudder made her smile. ‘Well, I assume it is not.’
‘You have promised me that Tom will not be harmed and that we will get him back. I depend upon you to deliver on that promise.’ She lowered her voice to little more than a hoarse whisper. ‘I should go out of mind if I thought you were merely telling me what I wished to hear.’
Jake took her hand and lowered his own voice as he caressed her with an ardent look. ‘I have undertaken many sensitive missions for Thorndike; ones that could have adversely affected the standing of the entire British Empire if I had failed. But they all pale into insignificance compared with my determination to get Tom back.’ He squeezed her fingers and kissed the back of her gloved hand. ‘Never doubt that for a moment.’
Olivia could tell that his words of reassurance came from the heart and felt a fresh rush of adoration for this highly principled, complex aristocrat. If anyone could rescue Tom, she had every confidence in Jake’s ability to do so.
‘Thank you. I know that you will.’
‘Is this it?’ Jake asked when the carriage stopped a short time later in front of a four-storied terraced house with a blue door and railings that separated its narrow frontage from the pavement.
‘Yes,’ Olivia replied.
A fat thrush sat on the railings, watching them with apparent disinterest as they disembarked from the carriage. A cat slunk along the edge of the railings watching the thrush with considerably more intent. There were external stairs down to the basement of the house—the servants’ quarters, Olivia assumed. A narrow bow window on the ground floor, Olivia knew from previous visits, gave a view of the street from the drawing room. She looked up at the windows on the floors above but no small child peered through them. Not that Olivia imagined Sarah had anything at all to do with Tom’s abduction, but still…
‘I can see a light in the drawing room,’ she remarked. ‘Presumably Sarah is at home.’
‘There is one way to find out.’
They ascended the two steps to the blue door, and Jake gave a sharp rap with the brass knocker that was shaped like a boar’s head. Parker, Olivia noticed, slipped down the stairs to the basement and let himself in through the kitchen door. The main door was opened by a footman whom Olivia did not recognise wearing a livery that did not look new. Jake gave their names and asked if his mistress was at home.
‘I shall enquire, my lord. Be so kind as to wait in here.’
They were shown into a tiny room that appeared to be Granville’s study. There was a desk littered with papers, boxes half unpacked and a smattering of books lined the walls. There were gaps on a lot of the shelves waiting to be filled, presumably, by the contents of those boxes. Olivia had never set foot in the room before but assumed it was the only other one on this floor, apart from the drawing room and the dining parlour. They had barely had time to examine their surroundings, or exchange a single word, when the footman returned.
‘My mistress will see you now, if you would be so kind as to follow me.’
‘Olivia, what a pleasant surprise!’ Sarah stood, smiling as Olivia and Jake entered the rather dreary drawing room. The walls were papered in striped burgundy; faded and bulging in places. A sparse fire failed to disguise a faint aroma of mildew. The narrow bow window facing north let in little light and the lamps were already lit even though it was not yet lunchtime. ‘I was planning to call upon you this week.’
Olivia embraced her friend, who looked gaunt and unwell. ‘Then I have saved you the trouble. May I present Lord Torbay?’
Olivia watched Jake assessing Sarah as he dispensed charm and impeccable manners with an even hand.
‘Thank you for seeing us, Mrs Granville,’ Jake said, waiting for the ladies to seat themselves before he took his own chair. Olivia observed the worn cushions sink beneath his weight and heard the springs protest with a loud squeak. ‘Olivia did not know if you had returned to England.’
‘We got back just last week. We are still opening up the house again so you must excuse the way it looks.’
‘You shut it down?’ Olivia asked.
Sarah hesitated. ‘Actually we had a tenant until last month.’
Olivia nodded, thinking that would explain why Sarah’s husband had packed away his personal possessions from his library.
‘We were not sure how long we would be away,’ she added evasively, apparently thinking she owed Olivia an explanation. ‘It seemed more practical to have the house lived in. You hear such terrible things about properties being vandalised if they are left vacant for too long.’
‘Quite.’ Olivia realised that Sarah’s husband had let the house because he needed to, and Sarah was attempting to save face with her explanation. She ought to change the subject, ask about Italy and how Sarah had enjoyed seeing that country, or enquire after her children’s welfare, but thoughts of Tom made it impossible for her to do and say the right things. ‘It must be a surprise to see us here and so I shall come straight to the point.’ Olivia swallowed, beset with nerves and a fresh wave of despair that she somehow managed to shake off. ‘My son Tom went to the park with Molly this morning and…well, he has disappeared.’
‘Oh my dear!’ Sarah leapt up and engulfed Olivia in a fierce hug. ‘What is being done to find him? Have you involved the police? You must be beside yourself with worry and, given the circumstances and Lord Torbay’s presence, I imagine this is not a social call. I assume that you think I can help in some way. Needless to say, you can depend up me.’
‘We wondered what you can recall about Molly’s background,’ Jake said, presumably noticing that Olivia was fighting a fresh bout of despair and was momentarily unable to speak for herself.
Sarah widened her eyes; her shock seemingly genuine. ‘You imagine Molly deliberately colluded with the kidnappers—assuming that he has been kidnapped?’ She shook her head. ‘I cannot think of any reason why she would do such a thing.’
‘We have our own reasons for not involving the police,’ Jake said. ‘Suffice it to say that the matter is of the utmost sensitivity. We believe we know who has him, but not where he is being held or how Molly came to be involved. And she must have been involved. The matter could not have been contrived so easily otherwise. Indeed, she arranged it so that Tom’s regular nursemaid was called away upon a fool’s errand, knowing she would be asked to take her place and accompany Tom on his morning excursion to the park.’
‘Oh dear.’ Sarah looked genuinely distressed. ‘And to think I recommended the girl to you.’ Her eyes flew wide and two spots of colour appeared high on her pale cheeks. ‘I hope you do not imagine that I had anything to—’
‘The thought did not enter my head,’ Olivia told her friend, even though she was fairly sure that it would have entered Jake’s. ‘However, we did not know where else to start asking questions. That is why we came to you first.’
‘Let me try to remember what I know of Molly.’ Sarah fell into momentary contemplation. ‘I recall her being a serious sort of girl, but she gave good service and no trouble.’ She shook her head. ‘That does not help very much, does it?’
‘Do you know where she went or who she consorted with on her afternoons off?’ Olivia asked.
Sarah shook her head. ‘As far as I recall, she had no family and she never mentioned any particular friends.’
‘Is there another servant in this house who was friendly with her?’ Jake asked.
‘I doubt it. We let all the servants go when we closed up the house. Only old Mrs Dale and her husband remained. She is the cook and he turns his hand to just about anything. They were in the employ of my husband’s family long before we were married and he felt that he could not repay their loyal service by putting them out of work. So, they stayed on and worked for our tenant, but I understand he simply employed a maid of all work to help them out and she is no longer here. Besides, she did not know Molly. Now that we are back, Mrs Dale has resumed her duties as cook for us and Dale does whatever we need him to.’
‘My man is in the kitchens as this moment,’ Jake said. ‘I hope you don’t think it presumptuous but in situations as sensitive as this social mores must be set aside in favour of expediency.’
‘No apologies are necessary, Lord Torbay.’ Sarah smiled at them. ‘In your situation I would do precisely the same thing and if Mrs Dale knows anything about Molly, I am sure she will be forthcoming.’
‘Have you seen or heard anything of Hubert recently?’ Olivia asked after a short pause.
‘Hubert? You think he is behind your son’s abduction?’ If Sarah’s surprise was contrived then she could have earned a living treading the boards herself. ‘I know harsh words were exchanged between you when Marcus died but surely he has no reason to go that far?’ Sarah looked very disturbed. ‘But of course, you would not ask without good reason. And to answer your question, I have not seen Hubert since we returned to London, but then we have only been back for a week and have not entertained or been out in company. However, it is entirely possible that Daniel may have been in contact with him.’
Olivia shared a speaking look with Jake.
‘Your husband and Sir Hubert are friends?’ Jake asked.
‘They are business partners.’ Sarah raised her brow. ‘I assumed you were aware of that but clearly this is news to you.’
‘How did they become involved?’ Olivia asked.
‘When Marcus and your brother parted ways, Olivia, Hubert saw how well Marcus had done with that trade and decided to try his own hand at it, so he threw in his lot with Daniel.’ Sarah stared at her hands, folded neatly in her lap. ‘As you have probably already surmised from the shabby state of this house and our need to economise for a year or two, Daniel’s import business was not in a good way. Hubert was willing to invest in it and, well, not to put too fine a point on it, the influx of cash saved Daniel. He and Hubert came to an agreement. Hubert looked after this end of things whilst Daniel cut a swathe through Italy looking for new clients. That is what we were really doing there. The talk of a grand tour was to save face. Trust me,’ she added, shuddering, ‘there was nothing in the least bit grand about some of our lodgings while we were away.’
‘I am sorry,’ Olivia said, reaching across to touch Sarah’s hand.
‘My troubles are nothing compared to the loss of Tom. What shall you do now to try and find him?’
Olivia spread her hands. ‘Wait, I suppose. Whoever has him wants something from me and I am sure it will not be long before they contact me.’
‘Where are your husband’s business premises, just as a matter of interest, Mrs Granville?’ Jake asked.
‘Why do you wish to know?’ Sarah had clearly taken offence. ‘I can assure you that my husband did not abduct Tom and he is not being held there.’
‘Not for one moment did I suppose your husband played any part in this matter,’ Jake assured her, sounding completely sincere. ‘But I cannot make the same claim in respect of Sir Hubert. A warehouse, you must admit, would be a perfect hiding place for a small child; the last place anyone would think to look. Especially since it is a place that Sir Hubert must be familiar with and which he assumes we know nothing about.’
The tension left Sarah’s body and she gave Jake the address of the warehouse, situated in New Thames Street.
‘Thank you, Mrs Granville. I must ask you please not to share particulars of this conversation with your husband, just in case he mentions the matter to Sir Hubert. That gentleman could be innocent of all involvement and so I would prefer not to insult him if he is, or give him advance warning that we are on to him if he is culpable.’
‘Of course.’ Sarah nodded. ‘I perfectly understand.’
Jake and Olivia stood. The ladies embraced for a second time and Olivia assured Sarah that she would let her know the moment there was news of Tom.
They returned to the street, where Parker awaited them.
‘What’s to do below stairs?’ Jake asked. ‘Travel in the coach with us and tell us what you learned.’
‘The Granvilles are in dire financial straits,’ Parker said, ‘but I expect you worked that much out for yourself, given the neglected state of the house. The cook tells me Molly was a spry little thing below stairs, full of herself and a man she’d met who was going to see her set for life. That was just before the Granvilles went to Italy.’
‘The name of the man?’ Olivia asked, sitting forward expectantly.
‘Molly never said and Mrs Dale didn’t bother to ask. She said the girl had her head permanently in the clouds, convinced there was something special about her and that some dashing young man would come along and sweep her off her feet. Mrs Dale described her as pretty enough but nothing out of the ordinary.’ Parker nodded. ‘I’d have to agree with that. But apparently she was never without a young man and came back from her afternoons off glowing from within.’ Parker harrumphed. ‘That was Mrs Dale’s description.’
‘So much for her criticism of my conduct,’ Olivia muttered, almost to herself.
‘How did she feel when Mrs Granville closed up the house and recommended Molly to Olivia?’ Jake asked.
‘Oh, now that’s the interesting part. According to Mrs Dale, Molly knew of her mistress’s friendship with Mrs Grantley and that you were looking for new staff,’ Parker said, addressing the last part of that comment to Olivia. ‘It was she who suggested to Mrs Granville that a situation with Mrs Grantley might suit her and asked for a recommendation.’
‘Did she indeed!’ It was Jake’s turn to sit forward. ‘That rather implies that the mysterious man who was going to guarantee her future was Sir Hubert and he encouraged Molly to take the position within your household, Olivia, acting as his spy.’
‘Please tell me that is not so!’ she cried. ‘I cannot bear to think that my every movement, all my activities, were reported back to Hubert.’ She shuddered and lifted her chin. ‘As though my conduct is any business of his.’
Jake covered her hand with his and sent her a reassuring smile. ‘If she did report back to Sir Hubert, he must know that you are far from defenceless and that he will need to get past me if he wishes to get to you.’
‘Even so.’
‘It sounds as though Molly has an ambitious side to her character that she kept well hidden behind a façade of prim disapproval,’ Jake said. ‘If she was waiting for a suave gentleman to sweep her off her feet, Sir Hubert would have had little trouble convincing her that he was her knight in shining armour.’
‘Then why the curate?’ Olivia asked.
Parker shrugged. ‘A smokescreen? Or perhaps Sir Hubert told her to disapprove of your friendship with his lordship in the hope that it would wane.’
‘Possibly,’ Jake replied. ‘Or perhaps he just wanted you to be feel uncomfortable, Olivia.’
‘He succeeded.’
‘If Molly was working under the misguided assumption that Sir Hubert was about to whisk her away,’ Parker said pensively, ‘why wait so long to look for those letters?’
‘Marcus’s boxes were stored in a locked attic,’ Olivia replied. ‘She could not have got into it if she wanted to because even when I was not at home, there were other servants there who would call her to account.’ Olivia lifted one shoulder. ‘It is possible, I suppose, that she searched the library but we know that thanks to Green the letters were safely tucked away elsewhere.’
‘We shall just have to find Sir Hubert and Molly and ask them ourselves,’ Jake asserted. ‘I should not be surprised to find him living in that warehouse. I wonder why Lady Grantley did not mention his involvement in that venture.’
‘Perhaps she didn’t know,’ Parker replied, shrugging. ‘Seems to me the cove likes to play his cards close to his chest. We know that he’s proud so he probably didn’t want to tell the world that he was dipping his toe into the world of commerce; at least not until he made a success of it.’
‘Which would explain why he preferred to remain in the background while Granville trawled Italy for clients,’ Jake added.
‘So what now?’ Olivia asked, sighing.
‘Now we wait.’
‘Oh, but I thought—’
‘I know it is the last thing you want to hear, Olivia,’ Jake said, his raised hand to cut off her objection. ‘Passivity does not sit well with you at the best of times.’ He sent her a slow, somnolent smile that implied he was referring to their activities in the bedchamber. Despite her sick apprehension for her son’s safety, Olivia’s treacherous body responded to his flirtatious challenge with a violent tremor. ‘But I am convinced that we will hear from whoever has Tom sooner rather than later.’
‘Won’t they imagine that we have involved the police?’ Parker asked.
‘I doubt that,’ Jake replied. ‘Molly knows how ardently Olivia loves her son, how protective of his interests she is. She would never knowingly place him in danger, so it is a calculated risk they would most likely take.’
‘Even so, should we not go to that warehouse in New Thames Street?’ Olivia asked. ‘Just to satisfy ourselves that Tom is not being held there.’
‘If we have not heard from the abductors by the time darkness falls, then Parker and I will go there.’
‘And I will come with you.’
Jake fixed Olivia with a look of firm resolve. ‘No, Olivia, you will not. It is quite out of the question.’