A Rogue No More - Lana Williams Page 0,62

he and Annabelle had visited with McConnelly. That day, Aberland offered to increase his efforts to aid them, and this afternoon, they’d agreed to meet at the club to share what they had learned. Unfortunately, that amounted to very little.

“It all comes back to the East India Company.” Thomas didn’t care for the realization, even though he arrived at the same daunting conclusion each time he considered the various pieces of the information they had.

“That comes as no surprise.” Aberland slowly turned the crystal glass with umber-colored liquor on the small table between them, his relaxed pose deceptive. An observer would be hard-pressed to realize their discussion involved murder. Luckily, they had the corner of the room to themselves and by keeping their voices low, ensured their privacy.

Aberland had mentioned that he preferred not to hold too many conversations at home for fear of upsetting his wife. He’d rather she didn’t know everything they’d discovered, though Thomas wondered how much Annabelle had already told her sister. The two were quite close from what he knew.

Thomas didn’t pretend to understand how Aberland had come to have the contacts he did but was grateful for any help the lord could provide. The man’s mind was clever and sharp for someone whom Society considered a reformed rake since his marriage.

Thomas had described the paper he’d found in Sir Alexander’s desk that mentioned the Company’s interest in Sir Reginald’s shipping business and also expressed the man’s frustration that Sir Reginald had been unwilling to sell thus far.

“Without including the Company, the murders make even less sense.” No matter how Thomas reviewed the information, he couldn’t understand why someone would choose to copy the details in Annabelle’s book in such a fashion. What purpose did it serve? “I have to believe they’re related to the dock, as was the incident with the worker attacking Sir Reginald and Annabelle.”

“The man has now admitted he’d been previously employed by East India. We have to assume he still is, despite also working at Sir Reginald’s dock. We should also assume A. Golden’s true identity has been discovered by someone.” Aberland scowled as if displeased by the thought. “But if they know who the author is, why not spread the news? Why bother to copy scenes from her book when we might’ve easily overlooked the similarity? They couldn’t have expected the police to discover it.”

“The identities of the murder victims are confusing as well. One man the brother of a nobleman. The second a dock worker.”

“But not employed by Sir Reginald’s company.” Aberland held Thomas’s gaze. “I confess I’m at a loss. We need more information to see a pattern.”

“Unfortunately, we might have another murder on our hands if this person continues to follow the details of the book.”

“That’s not the sort of information I hoped to hear.” Aberland drained the last of his drink.

“The only connection is that of the East India Company.” Thomas emptied his glass as well. “If they want Sir Reginald’s dock so badly, wouldn’t they be more likely to buy it cheaply if his daughter is disgraced?”

“You think one of their members somehow knows Miss Gold writes under a pen name, and they’re murdering people using her scenes with the hope it will prove to be a big enough blow to the family that Sir Reginald will want to sell?” Aberland asked.

“It’s the only explanation I can think of,” Thomas said. “Your involvement has stolen their hope of causing the business to lose profits. Revealing Sir Reginald’s infirmity could just as easily bring additional business if people choose to show support for him, especially if they know you’re overseeing things and they’re unlikely to lose money.”

“It takes a twisted mind to turn business dealings into such a terrible scheme.” Aberland shifted to the edge of his chair, his gaze holding on Thomas expectantly. “How do you think we should proceed if we assume your conclusion is correct?”

Thomas blinked at the man, startled by his question. It was on the tip of his tongue to deny having any ideas. He had no experience in these matters. He could practically hear his father’s scornful laugh at the idea of Thomas solving a problem like this one, let alone one involving the powerful East India Company.

Yet Aberland waited patiently for an answer. And Annabelle was depending on him.

Before he could decide whether his suggestion was reasonable, he said, “I think Sir Alexander would know if the Company was involved in this. He seems to know everything about