9
Jensen told his driver to take him to their normal drop off for Madam's he was going to go to work. He needed a distraction after Johanna's comment about kissing someone one else. He wanted to thrash her, but it would be the man who took advantage of a young innocent he would gladly thrash. While they were driving Jenson changed and became Jack Billings. The driver dropped him off at the end of the decent part of London and the entrance to the darker side of London. He felt more at home in this area of town than being the Duke.
When he walked into the club one of the courtesan's who frequented the club rushed up to him and threw her arms around him.
"Jackie Boy I have missed you something terrible. Where have you been keeping yourself?"
She went to reach up to kiss him, but he pulled away and took her off from around his neck. He did not want this woman's lips on his. Jensen wanted the taste of Lady Hartford on his lips not this woman who he had spent many nights with but now it just did not seem right.
"Good Evening Pearl. I have been out on business any particular reason?"
"You know I cannot go to long without a taste of you Jackie boy."
"Not tonight Pearl I have a lot of work to catchup on maybe another time."
He walked back to his office where he knew he would find Mac who was not expecting him."
Mac as expected was sitting behind Jack's desk going over the accounts.
"Good Evening Mac how are things going?"
"We are making money that is for sure Jack. We had a little trouble with the Earl of Canter he showed up last night I had him hauled out of here. I told him unless he could produce the chip and hand it over then he could not play here he was not welcome."
Jensen laughed to himself and thought, when you are too low for even the lowest gaming hell you have really fallen from grace. He said nothing to Mac but decided to pour each of them a drink of the good stuff he kept for special guests. He handed the amber liquid to Mac.
"Here's to having principles."
They laughed and drank down the liquid when there was a knock on the door.
"Come!"
The Door opened and in walked in the Earl of Brixton, not that Mac knew that he knew him as Hayden Hall what the bloody hell was Victor doing there.
"Mac can you leave Hayden and I alone."
"Sure boss. I will go and check on things."
Once Mac left Jensen waited. Victor who always like to toy with people bowed respectfully.
"Your grace."
"Knock it off Victor, why the bloody hell are you here? I have no more family for you to bring me bad news of so what brings you here?"
"I come baring gifts. Simon found a place for you to take the lovely Lady Hartford to do some investigating. He has arranged for you and the lovely to be given full access to the archives of The Time's to see if they could find what it was that happened thirty-four years before."
"When can we go?"
"It is set up for Monday. You just need to ask for Clive Wilks. He will open the room for you. Simon said to have you report your finding after to him personally. He is concerned that it concerns two prominent Dukes families. Besides, Blue Beard is up in arms over his niece being a target and we all know he had earned his name it was not just chosen."
"I saw the duo tonight he did not seem overly upset."
Victor laughed,
"Wayne never seems upset that is why he is so deadly. He was calm in the face of danger. He contacted Simon before they went back on assignment. I dear say they are impressed with you and your management of the young girl."
Jensen poured them both a drink.
"You mean me showing up at the Earls and demanding why she left my house without telling me?"
'Wayne mentioned that. Jen thought it was romantic."
"Go away Victor, I do not need this right now. I have a lot to think about."
"You think I am going to let this go you are crazy your grace. I believed you teased me unmercifully at school when I got called out about the goat. Revenge is sweet do you not think so."
"Victor go home to your family I have work to do here I want to see if I can find out anything most of these men will talk with a little liquor in them, and most of them have already had too much. I thought I would ask a few I knew who were old enough to remember back thirty-four years."
"That will be a help when you go to the newspaper and look into the archives and narrow things down."
Victor finished his drink and then left without saying a word, but he was laughing which annoyed Jensen more since he knew what he was laughing at. Jensen was not even sure when it happened he did not even think it could happen so fast. But here he was refusing the favors of the beauty Pearl all because he seemed to be smitten with one Johanna Hartford. He took another drink and went out to the game floor to see what he could find out.
He did his normal walk around and mingled with the gamblers. Tonight, he only approached those who he knew were titled or sons of noblemen. He did not find much since most of them were not old enough to remember but there was an Earl who remembered there was a Duchess who had a friend who went missing. Trying to get the name of the Duchess was like putting a needle in his eye. But the Earl finally gave him the name the Duchess of St. Helen. He would take Pauline and Johanna after church in the morning. Once he had the information he took a hack back to his home and went to bed knowing tomorrow would be a long day, and he still needed to know who he was going to thrash for kissing Johanna.
In the morning Jensen and Pauline arrived in the carriage to take Johanna to church with them. When she got in she was going to sit by his aunt, but he put his feet up on the seat next to her making it, so she had to sit next to him. She laughed too bad they were not alone maybe they could have rekindled what they had started last night. She had stayed up most of the night thinking about the kisses they shared. They sure made her tingle something that Jason's had never done. They arrived at church just before the service started so far, he had not asked her about who she kissed maybe he forgot.
During the service Jensen noticed Johanna was not singing the hymns he wondered if it was because Pauline was not singing. He was sure her voice was that of the angels he would have been disappointed if he knew she sounded like a frog. After the service they went to leave, and a group of young men approached them. They all bowed to the Duke, but their attention was directed at Johanna. Jensen had to wonder if one of these men was the one who had been kissing her. Two of the men among them were men who Jensen was familiar with he had gone to school with a couple of them like Charles Burkhart and Kevin Foxworth both would be Dukes someday something he never thought he would be. She seemed to know both. It was Foxworth who addressed her first.
"What a surprise to see you here so soon. I could have sworn you said you would not be in London until after the race?"
"Things changed and I had to be in town earlier."
Charles laughed she was a friend of his little sister; he knew both to be scatterbrained when they were together. All they seemed to do was laugh and giggle. She turned her attention to Charles.
"How is Cordy?"
"I assume she is fine. I have not been called home for an emergency so I would say she is good."
"Well when you see her tell her I am in town and would love to have a girl day."
"I will pass that along if I see her. Are you going to be at the Corman's ball? I would be honored if you saved me a dance."
"I would be delighted to save you a dance my lord."
Kevin did not want to be out done and asked her to save a dance as well. Which of course Jo agreed to. After all both were incredibly good looking and if she were looking for a husband both would be good catches. The other two men neither of them Jensen knew were not going to be at the Corman's ball; they did not ask her to save a dance which was a good thing, because if one more gentleman asked her to dance before the ball even occurred he was going to hit someone. Why did this girl make him want to punch someone for just talking with her? He was quite sure he knew the reason why, but he refused to believe he could have fallen for her so quickly and so completely.
Johanna thought they were going to go back to the Dukes home, but they went into the opposite direction. When they arrived at their destination Jensen explained to Johanna and his Aunt why they were there.
"Last night I learned the Duchess of St. Helen might know what happened thirty-four years ago. Evidently she had a friend that went missing at about that time. I wrote to her this morning and asked if we could have a few moments of her time. She graciously agreed to the meeting."
"I do hope Cordy is here I have not seen her in a while. Maybe I can have that girl day after all."
They were shown into the parlor where the Duchess was waiting for them. When they were all settled she got straight to the point.
"What is it I can help you with your grace. Your note said something about an incident that happened in my childhood. I am quite curious as to what incident you mean."
"Well your grace I was told you had a friend go missing about thirty-four years ago. That is the incident I am referring too."
"Thirty-four years ago, that would be what year?"
"I believe that would be 1793 your grace."
They all knew there was something she remembered because she looked so sad at the mention of the year.
"A lot of tragic things happened that year. Britain went to war with France as if that were not enough of a tragedy then the three missing gentries' daughter and the drowning of another made it one of the worst years I can remember ever having. I was friends with all the girls."
Pauline scribbled down a not on her slate.
"None of them were ever found?"
The duchess noticed Johanna's puzzled look and knew she was trying to figure something out.
"You can feel free to ask me anything Johanna."
"Why do you think you were not taken?"
Holly laughed, she knew that was what Johanna was thinking because that was what she would have thought and asked herself.
"As you may know or maybe you do not know my father was the head of the home office for the crown. I was very well protected."
Johanna and Pauline's eyes widened. Her father had been an agent of the crown. Johanna noticed Jensen did not even flinch with that news. She had to wonder if he had already known about the Marquis of Wigan's being the head agent for the crown.
"Do you remember anything about them?"
"I remember everything we did it is engraved upon my heart. What would you like to know?"
Johanna smiled at the sweet sentiment.
"Do you remember the days each of them went missing?"
"I do we had all spent those last day's together. The girl who drowned I remember she was so excited about her new dress. It was the color of cream and it had a blue sash."
Pauline went pale which did not go unnoticed by anyone in the room. Holly got up and got her a glass of water, but Pauline looked like she was ready to become hysterical. Jensen put his hand on his aunts to see if he could calm her down.
"Is something wrong?"
Pauline was shaking and she was shaking her head no and tears were running down her face.
"I think I better get my aunt home. If it would be alright If I can come back when I get my aunt settled?"
She smiled at the young man her brother named Thoth he had a strong sense of justice and just like the god her brother had named him after.
"That would be acceptable. I will expect you later today or tomorrow."
"Thank you, your grace."
They left in a hurry and Jensen told the driver to get them home quickly. Upon their arrival Pauline seemed to be in a state of shock and was non-responsive. Jensen carried her into the house and up to her room. He told Clive to fetch the doctor. The doctor arrived quickly and was not full of good news. He had given Pauline something to calm her but there was no reason for her to be in the state she was in. It was self-induced. When the doctor left, and Jensen received the report Jensen was ready to go back to see the Duchess home.
He needed to do something with Johanna, but she seemed as ready to go back as he was. He was not sure if he could handle another distrust female.
"Do not think of leaving me here Jensen. I am just as much a part of this as you are."
When did he become Jensen, he guess it had to be when they were kissing in the carriage they became a little more than acquaintances? Remembering their kissing he also remembered she had never shared with him who the other man she had kissed before him.
"I will let you accompany me if you answer the question I asked you last night."
"I do not believe you asked me a question last night Jensen. I believe you made a statement not a question so I have not been asked anything that I can answer."
"Johanna, Hartford.."
She laughed she was enjoying this.
"My middle name is Mary, Johanna Mary Hartford."
"You are delaying the inevitable Johanna Mary Hartford."
"I am not sure it matters if I kissed someone before you your grace. Are you going to tell me all the women you have kissed before me?"
"I'm a man Johanna there is a difference."
"Men need women to kiss Jensen, so I do not see a difference."
Jensen still had not gotten his answer and he walked out frustrated and got into the carriage without her and road off. He was being a baby. What was his right to ask her such a question, men, and their silly way of thinking? Do men not need women to kiss? If that is the case why should it be unforgivable for a woman to have kissed someone before they have ever met. She decided to hail a hack and go home and get her things she would be staying the night. She would not leave Pauline alone to face whatever demon possessed her.
Johanna arrived home to find her brother in his study.
"I am surprised to see you home."
"Wilma has been birddogging me it's not worth going out. I can drink here in the privacy of my own home just as well as at Whites."
"I suppose. I came home to get some things my friend Lady Everleigh had a fright today and I thought I would stay with her until she is feeling better."
She could see the pain on his face. He still seemed to love or at least care for Pauline. He looked like a broken man. He took a drink and he whispered thinking he had not said it out loud.
"Stay safe Pauline my love. I will get you to love me yet again."
Johanna decided to free him from some of his burden. She sat down on the end of the desk and took her brothers hand.
"I think you need to hear something I learned last night after talking to Uncle Wayne. I learned you and Pauline were tricked. Her grandfather and our grandfather sent the letters. She did not send the letter telling you she no longer loved you. Just like you did not send the one telling her you no longer loved her. It was to make sure the two of you did not marry. The two men did not think she would be a fitting Duchess and so they wanted to spare the two of you the pain of getting married."
Luther stood up abruptly looking as if he had been shot.
"I need to go to her."
"Luther you are going to have to wait until after your civil case on Tuesday. You do not want any scandal surrounding her. She is so fragile and has suffered one shock today. I cannot say what it was but another shock she might not recover. You have waited years give it a few more days and then see if the love the two of you shared was eternal."
"You are right Jo. I will wait but I need you to stay with her and keep her from anything else that might shock her. You are correct she is fragile. She once told me why she stopped talking when she was five."
"I will make sure to take care of her Luther be sure of it."
She kissed him on the head and then left the room to pack for a couple of days. Jensen arrived back at the Duchess of St. Helens home and was taken straight to the parlor where he found the Duke and Duchess waiting for him.
"Your graces."
"Jensen, how is your aunt?"
"She was given something to calm her. Thank you for asking."
Matthew spoke.
"Do you know what shocked your aunt?"
"I do not. She seemed to have got upset at just the description of the girl which doesn't make any sense to me."
"Othello sent word asking if we remembered anything from that time. He messaged Holland as well to see if he can remember anything after all Hollis oversaw the home office at the time and Holland was working for them as well."
Holly spoke next she gave an account of what she remembered.
"At first they thought the girls had left because they were grief stricken over Genevieve's death. We were all heartbroken but none of us thought of leaving home out of grief. Then someone saw the girls did not leave together so that theory did not make sense."
Matthew laughed and scolded his wife.
"Holly just tell the story."
"It is not my fault that it took a twelve-year-old girl to point out the obvious."
"I believe that is when your father drafted you into service for the crown."
"Well he did need someone who was able to think logically dear."
"Holly just tell Jensen what he needs to know."
"Yes dear. Each girl disappeared one each week from the day they assume Genevieve went missing. It took them two days to find her body she went missing on Saturday and she was not found until Monday. Clementine went missing first she was the oldest of the five of us. Then Trudy then Marsha was only fourteen."
"Where would you have been in that line up your grace?"
"I would have been after Marsha."
"What do you think happened to them?"
Matthew laughed, at what was coming.
"Not sure you should have asked that question she has a whole theory on it that has never been proven."
Holly smacked at her husband.
"It has not been refuted either Matthew."
"You have me their old girl. Go ahead and tell him your theory dear."
"Thank you dear I was going to."
Jensen had to laugh these two made married life seemed pleasant. He had to wonder how long the couple had been married. He knew the Marquis to be at least twenty and three, so they had to be married for at least that long. Why suddenly was he thinking about long term commitments? He shook himself back to the conversation when the Duchess started to talk.
"My theory has and will always be someone caused their deaths including Genevieve who was the girl that drowned. You see knowing Genevieve as well as I did you would know she would not go near the water unless there was someone there who could swim. She was terrified of water even when she bathed someone needed to be present because of her fear. There was no way she was alone, or she would not even have walked close to the water. The other thing I found suspicious was it happened on the weekends when at the time it was the end of September beginning of October all the boys were coming home from school on the weekends because of the riots and parents were nervous the kids might be in danger."
"Did she have a brother who was coming home from school."
"No, she did not have a brother she had two sisters who were already married. Her parents had a son after her death."
"What boys would she have been in contact with?"
"That is hard to say since we were all out in the country at the time the season was over and those families who had to be close to London had houses in Richmond so there were a lot of affluent families there at the time so it was hard to say. I know anyone with a son who was school age had them home."
"Holland was working for the crown and going to school so he was not home so much but there were weekends he did come home to spend them with the family."
"Do you have any boys you thought might hurt little girls?"
"There were a few but they all came from affluent families and no one would ever point the finger at them without proof."
"Are you willing to give me a list?"
"Yes of course. I was never one to think the gentry should get special treatment for crimes they committed."
Holly got up and wrote out a list of boys that had been home and had a reputation of being sadistic. She walked back over and handed the list to Jensen.
"Those are the twenty names I came up with when this all happened. I will send a list to Simon as well, so he can do some investigating. I do have to apologize before you read the list there is a member of your family on it."
Jensen laughed he knew who it was without even looking.
"Let me guess it is my Uncle Nesbit?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Pauline is terrified of him. At family gatherings she never gets close to him. William and Michael are very affectionate with her, but she will go nowhere near Nesbit. I asked my uncles one time why she was afraid of him and they said she never got close to him and stopped interacting with him at the age of five. Which is when this all occurred. I must wonder if she had not been one of the targets or something happened to her and that is why she refuses to talk. Trust me my entire family has wondered why she stopped talking."
Jensen got up and thanked the Duke and Duchess for their time and decided he would go for a Drink at Whites. He had not been there as a member for an exceedingly long time. It had not change since his last visit with Jenner. There were men all over drinking some at card tables some eating dinner, others just sitting off by themselves reading the newspaper. It was not as exciting as everyone thought it was. He noticed a couple of men he was acquainted with Jacob Wyld and William Nash both fellow agents so they would be safe to talk with, but still neither of them could help with his predicament. Jacob's wife Katie could but he doubted Jacob would be the one to sympathize with him. After all Michael, the man who raised him forced him to marry Katie after they announced a wedding as a part of an effort to bring out the person who abducted her grandfather. The plot worked but it also backfired since it was their punishment for them being at a Dalliance, something not even the dark disreputable Jack Billings had ever attended. He decided to go and sit by himself and just drown in his confusion.
After Jensen had two drinks Jacob thought it would be safe to join him.
"Good evening."
Jensen grunted it was worse than Jacob feared.
"Pray tell what has you in this state."
"Go away Wyld, I want to be alone."
"If I go home and tell Katie you are in such a state she will never let me rest."
"So do not tell her."
"You know when it concerns you she just seems to know."
"I was given an assignment to protect a young lady who is a target of someone because of a few letters she wrote. The young lady is almost as defiant as Katie she is just a handful I have not ever had to deal with a debutant before."
"Is she a redhead?"
"No."
"Do I know her?"
"Go away Jacob."
"I do know her, who is it? Let me see is it Cordy, Genesis, Melissa... Jo."
"You know Wyld you seemed to know a lot of debutants for a married man."
Jensen took one last drink and stood up and walked out of Whites with the sounds of Jacob's laughter. When he returned home he thought he would check on his aunt and have his supper sent to his room. When he walked into his room to change before visiting his aunt. He found Johanna in his room looking for clues. He sat down on the bed he looked defeated. He needed time away from this girl or he would most certainly be shackled and soon.
"What are you doing here Johanna?"
"In your room or here at your house?"
"Both I guess."
"I am here for your aunt, and so I am staying the night. As for why I am in your room well I have finished searching the other rooms and this was the last one on this level."
She sat down next to him on the bed.
"You should not have left me home Jensen I needed that information as much as you did. What did you find out?"
He laughed,
"I found out a lot about the mystery but what I have not found out about was who kissed you."
"Is that really important?"
"How am I supposed to protect you if I do not know who I am protecting your from."
"You do not have to protect me from Jason your grace. It was a couple of kisses in a garden when I was but a babe he has never even tried to contact me or do anything improper since he became of age."
"Is this Jason someone I know?"
"I would not know that your grace, I am not privy to who your friends are."
"I am sorry that upset you, do you not have secrets? I cannot imagine anyone without any secrets and that brings me to the concerns I have about Pauline. I think she has kept a secret for the last thirty-four years and that is why she does not talk."
"I think you are right. After talking with the Duchess, I think she was either a witness or one of the victims that got away. But I am not sure I am just surmising. Tomorrow we will go to The Times and go through their archives and see if we can find anything."
He took out the list of names the Duchess had given him. "Here is a list of names of the boys the Duchess things could have done something to the girls"
When she read the list, she knew how this mystery revolved around his family. She had to wonder if it had not been someone with a guilty conscious who sent her the message to pique her curiosity.
"We do not have to look into this any further if you do not want too."
"No, the families deserve the truth."
She placed her hand on his and they sat there until Clive came into let them know supper was ready. They both went downstairs not sure where this mystery was going to lead but there were going to be a lot of families who were going to be hurt and others would have the closure they needed about what happened to their loved ones. During dinner Jo took out the list and read the names. All the names on the list were from good families. There were two names on the list that caught Jo's attention. Nesbit Everleigh and Warren Landers both sons of Dukes but neither of them took the title. Nesbit she knew from Jensen mentioning him, but Warren landers had always scared her when he came to visit her family.
"I know nothing about your Uncle, but I can tell you that Warren Landers gave me goosebumps whenever we were in the same room. He would stop by periodically for business with my father. I am not sure what he sells but I know my father and other members of the ton were interested in his product."
They went to check on Pauline before they went to bed. She was sitting up, but she had a blank look on her face. Jo decided to see if she could pull her out of this by telling her about Luther.
"My brother Luther sent you a message he said he never stopped loving you, and he never wrote the note you received. He would have given up being a Duke just to be with you."
Pauline had no reaction other than tears were streaming down her cheeks. Then she grabbed hold of the necklace she was always wearing and brought it up to her lips and kissed it. Jo was glad she told her that her true love had not forsaken her. She knew if she had been in the same situation she would have died if the man she loved told her he no longer loved her. Jo gave her a hug before leaving the room and going to the room that had been assigned to her.
Once she was dressed she laughed she had brought one of Madams comfortable night rails and then she started to explore the room. She did not know whose room this had been but earlier she had only glanced over it and then went to stay with Pauline. Since she did not know whose room it was she did not know if there would be any hidden passages or cupboards. She looked for quite some time before she came upon a passageway.
This was something Jo love to do explore old houses and find the secret passages. She grabbed a candle and started to follow to where it would lead. The passageway looked as if no one had used it for some time she wondered if Jensen even knew it existed. At the top of the stairs she came to a small room with a pallet for a bed one chair, a pitcher for water, and a chamber pot. There were papers scattered all over the small room and a locked chest she could not open. She looked for a key but found none. She decided to take it down to her room and see if she could open it.