Lord Valorous(45)

"I would have come to you with this eventually, but until I had proof I could do nothing. My first thought was to go to Kinsale and beat a confession out of him, but of course that would help no one, least of all Rachel, so I decided to destroy him when I had all the evidence. In fact, what I plan to do is ruin him financially and then tell him why."

"You haven't told Rachel?"

Jacob shook his head at Marcus's words. "She moves in society, as does Kinsale. I have no wish to upset her further, and she has put the incident behind her now, even if I have not."

"And now you believe Kinsale has another woman you love in his clutches," Nick said, then whistled softly.

"But this time he pays. All thoughts of ruining him financially are gone. I'll kill him if I have to."

"Aye."

"Aye."

"Aye."

In this the Lords of Night Street were united.





Lord Kinsale was not a man Jacob or his friends associated with. He thought himself a touch above everyone else, and dressed like a popinjay. Not overly tall, he was a man who carried a great deal of weight on his frame. Jacob managed to shut away the rage he felt, and display a bored expression as he entered the man's house.

"I of course understand why you chose me," Kinsale crowed, strutting around his study. "Men of influence and wealth. Of course we must unite and rise together."

"Puffed up windbag," Leo said beneath his breath to Jacob.

"What happened to your face, Kinsale?"

Nick's words had them all looking at the three scratches that ran the length of the man's left cheek.



       
         
       
        

"An encounter with a lively woman, nothing more." He waved a hand, dismissing the injury.

Looking at the marks, Jacob prayed Poppy had not inflicted them. The thought of this man touching her made his stomach clench. He listened as Nick and Marcus poured on the charm and flattered Kinsale to the point where Leo began to look green. By the time Kinsale refilled his third glass of brandy, he was well on the way to believing himself firm friends with each of the men seated in his house. Jacob decided now was the time to make his move.

"I have need of a chamber pot, Kinsale. I fear something I ate today was off, and is now causing me a great deal of discomfort." Jacob got to his feet and pretended to stumble as he clutched his stomach. "With haste if you please, as I have no wish to soil your carpets."

Kinsale looked horrified and pulled the bell. Seconds later, Jacob was being ushered away to a small room where he could have privacy.

"You may leave now."

After dismissing the servant, he waited a few minutes and then let himself back out the door. Kinsale's home was old, and he knew would likely have storage areas and rooms that would take him days to find. Making the decision to go down, he found the servants' stairs.

"My lord, are you lost?"

The footman looked horrified to find Jacob there. Deciding he had no time to wait, or use subtlety, he pulled money from his inside pocket and held it out to the man.

"Is there a room, passage, or anywhere in this house that your master keeps locked at all times, and only he has the key?"

The footman nodded once, so Jacob gave him the money.

"Take me to it, and more will follow."

"We must go back up."

Jacob motioned for the footman to go first, and once they had reached the top, he turned left and made his way back down a long hallway. Jacob soon found himself in a library.

"There is no door in here," Jacob said, looking around him.

"Lord Kinsale has no idea that I or the other staff are aware of what lies behind those bookshelves."

"What lies behind them?"

"One of the maids saw Lord Kinsale coming out just last week."

"Did he see her?"

The footman shook his head.

"I will give you more money if you stand outside in the hall and alert me if anyone comes." Jacob knew he was taking a risk, but it was one he had to take, and he thought perhaps that Kinsale was not a man to inspire loyalty in his staff.

"I will do as you ask, my lord."

When the footman had left, and Jacob hoped not to call his master, he began to search the bookshelf. He started on the bottom shelf and ran his hand slowly from side to side. Pulling out books and checking panels, he found a small lever on the third shelf from the top, behind a copy of Pickwork's Plants for Digestion. 

Easing the lever forward, he felt the panel give and the shelf swing open. Slipping inside, he left it wide and hurried to the stairs. It was a cold, uninviting place, and Jacob did not like the prospect of Poppy being locked up here. Running down, he felt his anticipation rise. Was she here? He didn't want to think about what her condition was, or if Kinsale- No, he would not allow his thoughts to go there. Reaching the bottom, he found a locked door.