Chapter Twenty-Four

Good gracious, the man was frustrating, Connie couldn’t help but think as he led her down the dim hallway of the inn, toward what was presumably the back exit to the alley. “You do realize that the only reason I’m blindly following you, and to a back alley of all places, is because I trust you, don’t you? Otherwise I would dig my heels in, literally, and refuse to move another inch until you explained the situation to me!”

Alec flashed her a quick smile over his shoulder but didn’t pause in his stride. “Well, I thank you for your trust. Time is of the essence, and I hope he hasn’t already left.”

“Who hasn’t left?” She didn’t want to be completely blindsided, after all.

“We are about to meet with someone who I hope has information that will assist us.”

Her mouth dropped. “How did anyone even know we were here?” She stopped in her tracks, and Alec was forced to stop mid-stride. “We could be walking into a trap.”

An easy grin spread over his seductively handsome face, and for a minute Connie lost her train of thought. Handsomeness, on the scale that Alec McGuiness had, should be outlawed—it was darn dangerous to a woman, as it completely addled one’s thought process.

“We’re not walking into a trap,” he replied. “Malcolm Dalton is waiting out there for us.”

Placing her hands on her hips, she glared at him. “Is that name supposed to mean anything to me?”

“You said you trusted me, correct?” He walked over to her and took ahold of her hand, his eyes never leaving hers for an instant.

Drat her own words. Even if they were true. And drat how his very touch confused all her senses. The heat and energy radiating from his palm almost felt like she’d touched a hot stove, but rather than pull away, as she previously had, she now didn’t want to let go. “I might trust you, but I don’t appreciate your lack of information.”

“Come on.” He squeezed her hand and gently tugged her down the hallway. “Malcolm is the McGuiness man of affairs, and after that first night at the ball, I sent him a telegraph asking him to look into Duncan’s background and to get to Castle Campbell immediately, as I thought I might need his assistance. He’s studied law as well, you see.”

“You did?” The thought that he really had intended to stay and help her filled her with such delight that she was lost for words for a moment as she followed him. “But why would you need a solicitor?”

Alec paused for a moment. “Because I feared that if my suspicions regarding your husband turned out to be accurate, that I may well need a lawyer. Because there was no way I would have left you there with him, husband or not.”

“Oh…” Connie was at a loss. No one had ever tried to stand up to Duncan to protect her before.

“Anyhow, after I found out you were under house arrest,” Alec continued, “I sent a telegram to Malcolm, who I knew was now here in Inverness, asking him to dig deeper, and it turns out he’s uncovered some interesting information that may assist.”

“But how did he know we’d be in Inverness?”

“He didn’t,” Alec replied. “But as Duncan visited this area frequently, Malcolm thought it the most logical place to start his inquiries. When we arrived, I sent him a telegraph telling him where we were staying.”

They came to a back door, and Alec let go of her hand before twisting open the handle and pushing the exit open. It took a great deal of restraint for Connie to stop herself from grabbing his hand and tucking it safely in her own. What was going on with her? Normally her body recoiled from a man’s touch.

She followed Alec out into the dimly lit alley. There were no gas lamps installed in this section of the street, though the very narrowness of the laneway, combined with some windows overlooking the length of the street, allowed enough light to penetrate the glass and illuminate small sections of the area.

Peering up and down the length of the laneway, Connie could see no man waiting for them.

“Damn it!” Alec cursed beside her, banging a palm on the now open door. “We must be too late; looks like he’s already gone.”

“Nay, not gone, my old friend.” A man stepped out from the shadows slightly farther up the road, and his voice was a combination of old-world Scots and new London sophistication. “Just very good at blending in.”

Connie could see the flare of recognition in Alec’s eyes and an answering grin emerge on his face as the man strolled over to them.

So, this was Malcolm Dalton.

He stopped in front of them and shook Alec’s hand, both men clapping each other on the back. Then his gaze turned to Connie. There was interest and what she recognized as male appreciation in his look. A look she’d once strived to see in a man’s gaze but now caused her only discomfort.

“You, my dear lady, must be the duchess. Please allow me the liberty of introducing myself. Malcolm Dalton at your service.” He bowed deferentially, a rather mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he took her hand in his own and placed a chaste kiss on her gloved knuckles.

Inwardly she recoiled slightly, as she did from any man’s touch, but she was practiced enough to not outwardly move a muscle.

The man was handsome, she’d give him that. His blond hair and rather boyish good looks, combined with his strong physique and readily apparent confidence, lent him an air of masculine appeal. Though not as tall or broad as Alec, there was a decidedly roguish air about him that Connie imagined was very popular with the ladies. Though it was having no effect on her.

But that had always been the case when Alec was in the vicinity. Other men paled in comparison.

She could have sworn she heard Alec growl slightly beside her.

Connie returned Malcolm’s smile and nodded. “It is nice to meet you too, Mr. Dalton.”

“We don’t have all night to exchange pleasantries,” Alec grumbled. “I got your note, Malcolm—what have you discovered?”

“One must always exchange pleasantries with a beautiful lady.” Malcolm was smiling directly at Connie and then winked at her. “If you did so, my friend, you would have a far more enjoyable time of it.”

“Malcolm,” Alec warned with a low growl.

It seemed to do the trick when Malcolm sighed and returned his attention to Alec. “Very well, back to business, then,” he said somewhat reluctantly. “I have some bad tidings. Fergus has discovered the duchess is not traveling to London but is instead traveling here, and unfortunately he arrived in town perhaps an hour ago and has ordered his men to scour the streets for you both.”

Connie felt her chest tighten painfully. They’d known he was on his way, but to be here, and so soon? “We need to leave now.” She felt like literally bolting down the street without daring to look back. The web was tightening, and she needed to flee before she was well and truly stuck. A horrible sensation of anxiety washed through her, and she felt sick to her stomach. But then Alec reached over, carefully took her right hand in his left, and squeezed. She glanced over to him and could see the reassurance and strength radiating from him, and her fear eased a bit.

“Inverness is a city of roughly twenty-five-thousand inhabitants, correct?” Alec asked aloud, though his question sounded more rhetorical than anything else.

Connie nodded. It wasn’t as large as Glasgow or Aberdeen, but it was a rather decent size. “You don’t think he’ll be able to find us?”

Alec shook his head. “Not straightaway. I will keep you safe.” He turned to Malcolm. “Does Fergus know I’m also traveling with Connie?”

“I don’t think so,” Malcolm replied. “From what I have been able to gather, his men are asking after a woman only.”

“That’s one good thing, then.” Alec looked between them both. “At least for the moment, because I anticipate that once he has no luck in finding a woman traveling alone, he may well start to suspect she has had help. But that does beg the question, how did he know she was heading here to Inverness?”

It was a good question. Though it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility he would have discovered it. After all, the Campbells did keep a town house here, which Connie had previously stayed at when they’d attended the ballet and opera over the years. And though she doubted Fergus would think she was stupid enough to flee to the town house, Inverness was the closest city that Connie was actually familiar with. “Perhaps those men with my picture had something to do with it?”

“What men and what picture?” Malcolm asked.

Alec briefly explained about the men from earlier and the photo of Connie they’d left behind.

“Well, that is rather odd,” Malcolm agreed, scratching along his jaw. “Shall I look into it for you?”

“Yes, see what you can find out,” Alec replied. “Was there anything else you discovered?”

Malcolm pulled out a slip of paper from his jacket pocket. He handed it over to Alec. “I’ve looked into the background of the Duke of Kilmaine as asked, and surprisingly, or unsurprisingly as one might suppose, the duke did in fact have several skeletons in his closet. And I don’t wish to be indelicate…” His eyes drifted over to Connie. “However, my investigations have revealed that the duke had several mistresses in town, and some of those ladies have disappeared without a trace.”

“Yes, we recently discovered that, too,” Alec replied.

“You did?” Malcolm looked slightly surprised. “I must say it took me nearly all day making various inquiries to do so.”

“Don’t be too miffed, my friend.” Alec grinned. “The fact that you’ve verified it gives it a great deal more credence. And it looks like your inquiries may have been more thorough.”

“It does?” There was a look of satisfaction in the man’s eyes, and Connie had to suppress her own smile.

“Indeed. If this is a list of the ladies’ names?” Alec asked.

Malcolm nodded. “It is. The ones with the marks next to them are the ones who have disappeared.”

“You’ve put a mark next to six women?” Alec’s eyes briefly met hers and reflected what she was sure was the grim look in her own. He turned back to Malcolm. “Are you sure there were six?”

“Yes,” Malcolm answered. “Definitely six of them.”

Six missing women? Surely, he was mistaken. The four the doctor had mentioned was bad enough. But six. Could Duncan really have had anything to do with that number of women disappearing? Connie rather feared he could.

With somewhat shaky hands, Connie reached out for the piece of paper that Alec was passing across to her. As she took it from him, her fingers brushed against his, lightly but enough to send a jolt of energy along her arm.

Dragging her thoughts back to the women, she scanned down the page. Connie read through the names but unfortunately didn’t recognize any. She folded up the paper and returned it to Alec. “I don’t recognize any of the names, which would suggest they are not ladies from society.”

“Is there any more information on the missing women?” Alec pocketed the parchment. “What do the authorities have to say about it all?”

“Not much, I’m afraid.” Malcolm blew out a breath. “Most of the women are from lower-class families, which is probably why you don’t recognize their names, your grace.” He cast her a brief smile, to which Connie couldn’t help but notice caused Alec to frown.

“And because of their lack of social connections,” Malcolm continued, “not much has been done to investigate their disappearances. The authorities believe they ran off with other lovers, it would seem.”

“All six of them?” There was sarcasm in Alec’s tone. “Did no one question that?”

Malcolm shrugged. “Two of the women had some family that caused a bit of a ruckus at the time of them disappearing, but that was several years ago, and nothing really ever came of it. The families had neither consequence nor wealth to actually force an investigation, I believe. Hence, the authorities were never interested, and particularly not when it involved the Duke of Kilmaine.”

“That’s dreadful,” Connie said. “It shouldn’t matter about such things. Justice is justice. And if Duncan had anything to do with their disappearances, then an investigation should have been conducted, regardless of his status in society.”

“Aye,” Malcolm agreed. “I’m sure the ladies’ families would agree. Though some may say lady justice herself has finally been served by the duke’s murder. After all, it’s highly suspicious that half of the man’s mistresses disappear. One might even suggest he had something to do with their vanishing without a trace… And hence his death is much like an eye for an eye, metaphorically anyhow.”

“It’s looking more and more likely,” Alec added. “Did Fergus have anything to do with their disappearances?”

“Probably…” There was some hesitation in Malcolm’s voice. “From all accounts, Fergus was somewhat of a fixer in the Campbell household, often having to tidy up his brother’s messes.”

“Yes, that’s an apt description of him,” Connie agreed.

“From what I’ve been able to gather today, whenever the duke had an issue, Fergus was always in the background helping that issue to disappear,” Malcolm replied. “If Duncan was involved at all with the disappearances of his mistresses, then in all likelihood Fergus would have known about it, if not played a bigger role.”

“Fergus was always kind to me,” Connie allowed. “Though he never openly defied his brother by coming to my aid. So, if he had known Duncan was mistreating his mistresses, then I doubt he would have come to their aid, either. It would have been more likely that he helped by cleaning up any messes Duncan made, after the fact. It was always Fergus who called the doctor for me, never Duncan.”

“And would that help extend to cleaning up if his brother’s rages ended in the deaths of the women he was abusing?”

Connie thought over the question. Fergus had lived in his elder brother’s shadow for his entire life, but he had also usually been the only one who had been able to rein in Duncan’s rages.

Unfortunately, though, she could well imagine Fergus’s sense of family loyalty extending to ensuring any hint of scandal on Duncan’s behalf was hidden meticulously. Which would certainly include assisting his brother to get away with murder.

She hoped it hadn’t but was practical enough to think perhaps it had. “I don’t know. But maybe that’s why Fergus had finally had enough of his brother?”

“It could be,” Alec agreed. “Or he simply wanted to get his hands on the inheritance.”

Connie sighed. “Yes, that could be it, too.” Many did a lot more for far less.

“Is there anything else you found out?” Alec asked Malcolm.

Malcolm rubbed his chin. “Not much, except the duke would always visit the Hellfire and Hound club whenever he came to town, and it would seem that a lot of those ladies on that list went there with him at some point.”

Connie’s and Alec’s eyes locked. The same club the apothecary attended. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

“We ran into a bit of trouble today outside of King Street Apothecary,” Alec said, changing the subject.

“You don’t say?” There was a look of keen interest in Malcolm’s eyes.

Alec explained what had happened to them earlier, describing the two men who had accosted them. “Do you think you might be able to have a look further into it? I believe the assistant in the apothecary may know more than he admitted to us.”

“Sounds like he might be worth a further chat,” Malcolm replied. “Leave it with me, my friend; I’ll find out what he knows, and then see if I can learn more about those two who attacked you as well.”

“Many thanks, Malcolm.” Alec once again shook the man’s hand and patted him on the back. “Though have a care. I don’t have a good feeling about where this is all heading.”

“I’ll be sure to.” Malcolm paused. “Will you be returning home anytime soon?”

A sense of tension suddenly ran through Alec’s body; it was only very slight, but to Connie it was quite noticeable. The mere mention of the word “home” seemed to upset Alec greatly.

“No. And you can tell both my father and brother that I said so.”

Malcolm held up his hands in surrender. “Don’t shoot the messenger. Your father was asking, is all, as he keeps complaining that his health is such that it would be a good idea for you to be close, considering you’re a doctor and all.”

“My father is as healthy as a bloody ox,” Alec scoffed. “There is no need for me to return. And certainly no need for me to be close. They’ve both done well enough without me thus far, and can continue to do so.”

Malcolm sighed. “Your brother is sorry for what he did.”

Alec held up his hand. “The past is the past, and I have no intention of revisiting it.”

There was a lengthy pause as both men stood staring at each other. Alec had mentioned something about his brother, and not forgiving him earlier, but Connie hadn’t wished to pry. Now all she could think about was wanting to find out what had happened. It was like a burning itch under her skin, and she could tell that, though Alec might brush it off, it was something that had obviously affected him very deeply.

Which made sense, as when Alec had returned from the Highlands that first time over ten years ago, he had changed. Nothing noticeable to most others, but to Connie she easily saw that the joy and laughter that had once been a very part of his essence had been missing. Now she was certain that whatever had transpired between Alec and his brother must have been the cause. The timing fit.

And whatever it was must’ve been truly heartbreaking for Alec not to want to return home, particularly after his mother had abandoned him.

“Very well,” Malcolm eventually said. “Though I do hope one day you will change your mind.” He turned toward Connie and bowed. “Your grace, it was an absolute pleasure, and you can rest assured I will not mention seeing you to anyone. I pray you uncover the evidence you need to exonerate yourself, and quickly, too.”

The man gave her a smile, and once again Connie got the impression that he was very practiced in charming the ladies. But the smile on his handsome visage had no effect on her whatsoever.

Darn it.

At least if she had been attracted to him, as she was to Alec, that would suggest that she was craving any sort of affection and companionship, not limited to a specific male. But obviously that was not the case.

“It was a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Dalton. And I do thank you for your efforts in compiling this list.”

“Any time, your grace.” Malcolm bowed briefly to them both, and his gaze returned to Alec. “I shall be in the vicinity if you do need my help. As soon as I find out any further information, I’ll send a note to your lodgings.” He nodded to them both before turning on his heel and striding down the alley. A moment later he was gone from their sight.

Connie turned toward Alec and could see the conflicting emotions on his face. Biting her tongue, she decided it was probably best not to ask him anything about the situation involving his brother. She didn’t fancy the possibility of his anger being redirected on her. “The Hellfire and Hound club sounds rather popular, doesn’t it?” Perhaps if she changed the topic, it would help.

And it appeared to do so, as he blinked and refocused his attention back on the matter at hand. “Yes, well, I’ve never been a big believer in coincidences. Come on, let’s get you back inside.”

He took her elbow and led her back into the inn. She was beginning to get very used to his hand on hers, and it was nice, for once, to enjoy, even look forward to being touched instead of so fearful of any contact.

With a sinking heart, she knew she shouldn’t get too used to such a thing, for once they discovered what they needed to, they would go their separate ways. Which was, of course, what she wanted, wasn’t it? After all, she should be reveling at the prospect of being a free and independent widow. Not lamenting soon being parted from Alec. But then she cheered up; having a limited time together meant she should at least enjoy it while it lasted.