The Formidable Earl (Diamonds in the Rough #6) - Sophie Barnes Page 0,46
a loyal Englishman, are you not?”
Ida glanced from one man to the other. Fierce determination hardened their features as they stared at each other like a pair of bulls who’d just locked horns
“Aye,” Murdoch agreed with a pensive murmur.
“Then help us find the bastard we’re after.”
Murdoch’s jaw tightened. He finally muttered an ugly series of curses and set his glass to his lips once more. “Fine.”
“Thank you,” Simon said, his expression easing. “Now describe the man who came to see you.”
Murdoch hesitated just enough to convey his displeasure before leaning back. “I can do better than that, my lord. It was the Marquess of Kirksdale.”
Every tendon in Ida’s body drew tight with a pang. “You’re certain of this?”
Murdoch swung his gaze toward her. “He left his calling card for me to use in case I recalled something useful.”
Swallowing, Ida exchanged a quick look with Simon before asking, “What did he want to know?”
“The extent of my knowledge regarding those letters. Claimed there might be some doubt about who’d sent them and told me he meant to dismiss it for good.”
“And?” Simon pressed when Murdoch added nothing further.
Murdoch shrugged one shoulder. “I thought it best to keep mum about it, so I didn’t reveal a damn thing. Not,” he added, “that I’ve much to reveal. The letters you’re asking about were brought to me by a messenger.”
“Can you describe him?”
Murdoch proceeded to do so. When he was done, he went to his desk and opened one of the drawers. “There’s something else. Something I’ve held onto that you might find useful.”
Returning to the table, he handed a folded piece of paper to Ida. Opening it, she stared down at the brief message. “These are instructions for delivery.”
Murdoch grunted. “I thought it odd even then that I was required to tell the captain of the French fleet that I sailed on behalf of France. But I believed I was serving my king, so being the loyal Englishman I am, I did as I was told.”
“Of course,” Ida muttered. She refolded the paper and gave it to Simon for safekeeping. “Thank you.”
“If you’re really determined to figure out where those letters originated,” Murdoch said, “I’d suggest you track down the messenger. But my honest advice would be to leave the matter alone and move on. The last thing you want is to make an enemy of a marquess.”
“Duly noted,” Simon told him.
He and Ida took their leave and returned to the carriage. “So now we have a note that could have been written by just about anyone and the description of a messenger who could be anywhere in the world for all we know.”
“I have an idea of how to track him down,” Simon said as he opened the carriage door for her. “An advertisement in the paper seeking a messenger with at least four years of experience might do the trick.”
Ida paused with one foot on the step. “There are bound to be hundreds who match those qualifications, but I suppose it’s worth a try.”
With his mouth set in a firm line and a stiff nod of agreement, Simon told the coachman to take them to the Mayfair Chronicle, while she continued to climb inside the carriage. “We also know Kirksdale was trying to destroy any proof there might have been of your father’s lack of involvement,” he said once he was sitting across from her and they were on their way. “As it stands, I’d say he’s just become our top suspect.”
“We still need proof.”
“Without a doubt, which is why I plan to drop you off at the house once we’ve placed the advertisement, so I can head home. It’s possible I have some old pieces of correspondence from him lying about. Comparing them to the note Murdoch gave us might shed some light on his guilt.”
“Perhaps,” Ida agreed, “but I don’t think we should dismiss the other men yet. See if you have samples of their writing as well. Just in case Kirksdale was a true friend of my father’s and his meeting Murdoch was due to an effort on his part to clear his name.”
Simon frowned. “Do you really think that’s possible?”
“I don’t know, but we mustn’t treat him or anyone else with the kind of injustice my father was forced to endure. We have to be better than that.”
“You’re right.” Simon closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, they appeared more focused than before. “I’ll let you know what I find.”