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Her life had been completely upended. When it eventually returned to normal—whatever “normal” meant for her—would there even be space for Gideon?
He didn’t know the answers to these questions. But he did know how he could make the next stage of her life easier, allowing her to finally enjoy her time with her brother after all the hardship. He only hoped her brother was still alive.
“Look at this,” Leila said quietly, shifting closer to Gideon. “My mind isn’t as clear right now, but I think this is the Cardinal’s handwriting. He’s communicating with his business partners using the earl’s seal, wouldn’t you say? And the date is after Lord Payne had already escaped from his abduction.”
Gideon squinted at the correspondence. Leila was entirely correct. “It seems like that’s exactly what’s happening,” he confirmed. “Payne, it appears Townsend was essentially running the Brotherhood using your finances and your seal. That’s the information I uncovered while investigating you as the Cardinal.”
Payne sidestepped Gideon’s suspicions, moving closer to examine the letters Leila held.
“You’re right,” Payne said with a sigh. “This is a few months after my return. But I actually gave him permission to use my seal. When I returned, I was so overwhelmed, so broken. I begged him to help me transition back into running the earldom. I gave him access to everything—my accounts, my seal, my complete trust.”
“What a snake,” St. John muttered.
“I think we have enough information tying him to the Brotherhood now,” Gideon said. “Especially when paired with Norfolk’s documents and all the information I’ve gathered over the past year.”
Leila stood abruptly. “Do you know where he lives or any of his residences?” Fire burned in her eyes, ready to confront the culprit.
Payne let out a sound that was part laugh, part self-deprecating snort. “I am paying for his residence. Here,” he said, pulling out a lease agreement. “Mayfair. The finest address money can rent.”
“Well,” Gideon said, “that, at least, is good news.”
* * *
Within the hour, Leila, Gideon, Lord Payne, and Lord St. John stood outside an elegant townhouse in one of London’s most prestigious neighborhoods. The windows were dark, and the front steps, though swept clean, showed no signs of recent use. A sense of foreboding settled over Leila as they observed the residence from a discreet distance.
“I don’t think anyone lives here,” St. John voiced the thought that lingered in everyone’s minds.
“I don’t think anyone has lived here for a while,” Payne noted bitterly. “Money well spent.”
“I will make sure it’s truly empty,” St. John said eagerly.
“I will join you!” Leila exclaimed, already moving closer to the carriage door, but Gideon squeezed her hand.
“It’s not advisable for either of us to be out in the open at the Cardinal’s residence, Leila,” he said. “Someone could be watching this place.”
“Gideon, please,” Leila pleaded, her words and eyes desperate. Her face burned, and her breaths quickened at the thought of Emir possibly being somewhere inside, hidden, while she remained too afraid to enter. “I need to be there, to look for him!”
“It won’t do you any good to be caught in there, especially if he’s not even there. How will you find him then?” Gideon insisted.
“St. John is a professional,” Payne assured her. “He will be very thorough.”
“They’re right,” St. John agreed. “I promise, I won’t leave a single stone unturned.”
He jumped out of the carriage and flitted away like a shadow, disappearing behind a bush.
He was quick, silent, and nearly invisible in his dark clothes.
As much as she loathed to admit it, Leila would stand out like a beacon in her bright harlot’s dress. Not to mention, it would hinder her movements and foil her escape.
Still, it wasn’t easy sitting in the carriage while her brother could be just a few feet away, held captive.
She tried to imagine their reunion, picturing his winsome grin as he dismissed her worries, just as he always did. “I am never hurt, Abla. Yet you always worry.”
“That is my right as your Abla to worry,” she would reply, as she always did.
She had promised him they’d escape the Cardinal’s grasp before he reached his fifteenth year. His birthday was just over a month away, and she was determined to keep that promise.
And once they were free… she didn’t know what would happen next.
