Page 80 of Her Scandalous Pursuit

“He wants to talk to his dead wife?” Reed asked. “Very well. I can understand one becoming obsessed with that.”

Theo snorted. “That’s because you’re a bloody romantic.”

“Ha! Who is it that’s always coming to the rescue of some damsel in distress?” Reed countered.

“Boys, please,” Thisbe interjected, staving off an argument.

Desmond covered a smile at the way Thisbe addressed the two men like children. But, now that he thought about it, though Theo was but three or so years younger than Desmond himself and Reed only two years behind Theo, the two of them seemed far younger than he. Certainly younger than he felt.

However large they were, however intelligent, wealthy and titled, the two of them had been raised in privilege, sheltered from most of the harshness of the world. They had never faced adversity or heartache, never come up against a thing they could not do, a barrier they were unable to cross. They were not yet the men they would become.

This new understanding subtly altered his view of her brothers. Fond as Desmond had become of the Morelands, he had felt no bond with these two. It wasn’t just that he had been around them less. The truth was he hadn’t thought of them as actual people; he’d just viewed them as members of the aristocracy, to be regarded with wariness, vague enmity and a certain contempt. He had made an effort to avoid them rather than come to know them. And, perhaps, deep down he had been a little jealous of the close ties between Theo and Thisbe.

Thisbe went on crisply, “Back to the matter at hand—Desmond and I are considering whether we should pursue Mr. Wallace or Mr. Gordon. They’re both mysteriously missing.”

“Together, you think?” Theo asked.

“It could be,” Thisbe agreed. “But even if they’re in league with each other, they might have gone their separate ways, and we don’t know which one has possession of the Eye.”

“The patron’s more likely to have it,” Theo said. “He’s the one paying for it.”

Reed nodded. “They’re either together or Wallace has it. He’s not likely to show up at Gordon’s sister’s house, with or without Gordon. If they’ve gone to ground, I’d warrant it’s at Wallace’s. Does he have a manor house? A shooting lodge?”

“I don’t know.” Thisbe sighed. “I asked Grandmother last night, but she knows nothing about the man.”

“That must have vexed her.” Theo grinned. “But I’m sure she’ll soon find out.”

“Still, it may take some time for her tentacles to spread that far. Smeggars is after the information, too, but even servant gossip can be slow.”

Desmond, who had remained quiet amidst the Moreland chatter, spoke up somewhat tentatively. “It occurs to me...we’ve already established that it’s not likely that either Gordon or Wallace actually broke into the house and stole the Eye. Yes?”

“Either one would have hired a professional,” Thisbe agreed.

“Wouldn’t it be likely that Wallace would again hire the same man who threatened you?” Desmond went on.

“What? Threatened Thisbe?” Theo leaned forward. “What do you mean? Who threatened you, Thiz?”

“No one actually threatened me,” Thisbe assured him. “He tried to coerce Desmond by saying he would hurt me if Desmond didn’t get the Eye for him.”

So Thisbe believed him about that. Desmond’s spirits picked up. “He told me he wasn’t a thief, but he would have been the one Wallace went to, and I’d bet that he decided he was a robber after all when Wallace offered him money. Or he hired one. Unfortunately, I doubt he still has the Eye—he would have turned it over to Wallace.”

“I’d still like to talk to him,” Theo said grimly.

“Now, him you’re welcome to knock about,” Thisbe interjected.

“My thought was, he might know where Wallace has taken it,” Desmond added.

“So what we need to do is find this fellow,” Theo said.

“How?” Thisbe asked practically. “Desmond, do you know his name?”

“No,” he admitted.

“Well, we’ll scour the disreputable taverns until we find him.” Theo rose to his feet.

“That should take some time,” Reed commented drily, but he stood up, as well.

“I’m going with you,” Desmond said with quiet determination, also rising.