the letter from his pocket, Burney approached the pair. “I have a job for you.”
“We know what that coffee house really is,” the older boy said. “We’ll not be doing any work for you in there.”
“I only need a note delivered,” Burney said casually. “And I’ve coin to pay you for it.”
“That’s it?” the younger of the two said. “Just knock on the door and hand ’em the note?”
“Not at all. I want you to wrap this note about a rock and toss it through a window. You can throw well enough to do that, can’t you?”
“We’ll go to the gaol if we’re caught!” the older boy protested.
Burney smiled. “Then do not get caught. At this hour, if you hurry, you’ll be able to get away before the house stirs enough to even discover what actually happened. Toss it and run… and get a guinea for you troubles.”
“A guinea? I don’t believe it!” the older boy snapped.
Burney held up the coin. “And do you believe it now?”
“You pay us up front,” the older boy said.
“You do as you’ve been asked and I’ll be waiting at Piccadilly Circus to pay you,” he said. Handing the note to the smaller boy, he added, “And if you don’t do it, I will find out.”
“We ain’t crooks,” the younger one replied and took the note.
“Do not open that,” Burney warned.
“Can’t read no way,” the boy answered flippantly.
“House number 114 on Piccadilly. Do you understand?”
“Aye, sir. We understand,” the older boy answered. “And we’ll get it done.”
With that taken care of, Burney wandered aimlessly toward Piccadilly Circus, prepared to wait for his reluctant accomplices. It was a dangerous thing to make an enemy of Montgomery. And the truth was, he liked Montgomery. But friends were a luxury he couldn’t afford at the moment. If he didn’t get the money to his cousin, he’d be ruined. Then the credit they were living on would be revoked. He’d wind up in debtor’s prison. He didn’t have the protection of a title to keep him from it.
*
The sound of breaking glass awakened the servants. They, in turn, awakened the remainder of the house. Clad only in a banyan, which he’d only taken to wearing now that there were children roaming the halls at all hours of the day and night, Winn left his chamber and headed toward the morning room that faced the street. Broken glass littered the floor and a rock lay on the carpet, bound with twine and wrapped in a note.
“I thought it best to let you examine the item, my lord,” the new butler, Foster he recalled, said. “I thought perhaps it might be personal in nature.”
“It’s a rock through my bloody window. I’d say it’s definitely personal,” Winn groused as he strode toward it. Glass crunched beneath his leather-soled slippers as he stooped to retrieve it. He didn’t open the note in front of anyone. Instead, he took it and retreated to his study with it. Was this some retaliation from Monsieur Dumont? It seemed unlikely. The man was a coward, after all, and a bully. Had it been only the rock, minus any form of communication, he might have leaned more heavily in that direction.
Taking a seat at his desk, he carefully untangled the twine, noting that it had been tied rather clumsily. Almost childishly. Should he check to see that William was still abed? But then he unpeeled the slightly damp paper from the stone and unfolded it carefully.
It wasn’t William’s doing. In fact, despite the rather elaborate efforts taken to disguise the penmanship, it was obvious to him immediately that it was Burney. Not because he recognized the hand, but because Burney was the only other person who had been in Averston’s home to see the portrait of Mademoiselle Delaine and who had also seen Calliope St. James’ face. Recalling Burney’s desperation to seal the deal for his cousin’s tobacco shipments, it was obvious that he was in need of funds. And now it was equally obvious that he would not hesitate to procure them through unscrupulous means.
Crumpling the note, Winn considered his options. The first thing he’d have to do is be completely honest with Miss St. James. He’d hoped to shield her from the truth and, in doing so, shield her from Averston. But if Burney exposed her, Averston would not stop until the girl was dead. He knew that. She posed too great a threat to all that the duke held dear.
Cursing, he rose and left the