I rolled over and shrouded my eyes from the light coming in the bedroom window.
What in God’s name had I done last night? I peered at the night table with one eye and saw the empty bottle of Wellie’s brandy. Jesus, I’d drunk the whole thing.
My mouth felt as though it was filled with cotton balls, my head throbbed, and my body felt too heavy to even sit up. I closed one eye, opened the other, and looked down at what I was wearing. For the second time in as many weeks, I’d fallen asleep without removing my shoes. What the hell was wrong with me?
I groaned when the throbbing in my head intensified, and thought of Losha, like I always did. Whether it brought me intense pain or immeasurable pleasure, I couldn’t stop her image from appearing at the forefront of my mind. The image of her had changed, though. Now, instead of just Losha, the picture that first came to me was of her, sitting in front of me, the baby nursing at her breast. I still could not imagine a more beautiful sight.
When I reached for the phone to check the time, my finger brushed the call log button by mistake.
“What’s this?” I muttered to myself. There was an unanswered call from me to Losha at one in the morning, followed by a call back from her that had lasted almost ten minutes.
I had no recollection of it whatsoever. What the hell had I said to her?
The days that followed my drunken night were filled with people coming and going for the duke’s visitation, wake, and burial on the grounds of Whittaker Abbey. I woke as exhausted as I went to bed each night. My mother’s mood hadn’t changed, but like all well-bred English women, she hid it well in the face of visitors.
Pinch appeared to be keeping his distance from Darrow. I had no idea if that was out of a sense of propriety or if the duchess had said something to one or both of them.
And Wellie? He kept his distance from her as well.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I stepped out of the room where the duchess was conversing with visitors, and into the main hall.
“Hello, sir,” I answered when I saw it was Rivet calling.
“Shiv, I was so sorry to hear of the duke’s passing. I’m on holiday and have been out of touch, but that’s no excuse.”
“Please don’t apologize. I appreciate your call, Riv.”
“That isn’t my only reason for getting in touch with you. When I called Patsy to check in, she told me about your father. She also told me that there was a high alert issued for K19’s Dutch Miller.”
Dutch Miller? How long was it since I’d last seen him with Mantis and Alegria? A handful of days? What the hell had happened? “I’m sorry, I didn’t know either.”
“I figured as much. However, I’d like you to pass something on to Doc Butler if you would.”
“Of course.”
“I’m in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on holiday as I said, and I strongly believe I spotted him last evening.”
“You saw Dutch in Germany?”
“Again, I was unaware of the alert at the time, and now I feel as though I’ve been derelict in my report.”
“You couldn’t know what you didn’t know, Riv.”
“As it was, I suppose you’re right, but please do pass the word on to Doc or whomever you happen to speak with.”
“Have you contacted him?”
“I have but haven’t yet heard back.”
“I’ll see if I can reach him.”
“Much appreciated, Shiver. Again, I’m sorry to hear of your father’s passing. I regret that I won’t be there for the services.”
I ended the call and immediately called Doc to pass word on about Dutch. Doc offered condolences from Merrigan and himself.
“What’s going on?” I asked, thinking better of it after it was too late.
“Dutch went undercover, but we lost track of him. Now that we have some idea of his twenty, we’ll send a team in.”
I didn’t ask anything more. I knew enough just by Doc’s tone to suggest that whatever Dutch was in the middle of, it was imperative Doc act on it immediately.