When Anthony summoned his footmen and instructed them to show Lord Lancing the door, Philip put up a belligerent front. But as soon as he was out of the imposing mansion, he furtively looked up and down the tree-lined avenue. He pulled his hat forward and turned up the collar of his coat. Keeping his head low, he briskly walked to the street corner. He was in luck. A hack was idling nearby, looking for a fare. He hopped in and gave directions.
Philip left the hack in a busy street and plunged into a narrow lane. Passing through a network of alleys and bylanes, he arrived at a decrepit building. Before he could knock, the door creaked open.
“What do you do? Watch?” he asked irritably.
“I stay on guard,” the pleasant-faced man replied with a broad smile that displayed a gold tooth.
Philip made for a sagging chair and slumped into it. “It looks like his Grace hasn't been obliging,” Mr. Baxter said, taking a liberal pinch of snuff.
“He'll come to his senses or he'll face the consequences,” Philip said and told him about Anthony’s decision and how they would not be able to blackmail him.
“Give him a day to think the matter over. See him tomorrow. Play it cool. In my extensive experience of such delicate matters, it is better to present the proposition in a sympathetic matter.”
Philip sneered. “Your last caper with a peer had you locked up.”
“Only for three months! I know how to work the system. Don't worry. I always land on my feet. It's people like you who have a problem. Pampered and cosseted, you are all as helpless as a babe in swaddling clothes!”
“What should I do? My information about the brat is of use only if Wimberley pays for me to keep silent. I'd love to drag his name in the mud, for revenge, but what of my debts? A nasty fellow threatened me this morning about a gaming debt.”
“Give me the details. I'll take care of it.”
“Baxter, you are a good sort.”
Baxter flashed his gold tooth. “So I'm. But I have to live. That's why my goodness has a price. I believe you are on to something big but you must play the game the way I tell you.”
“What do I have to do?”
“That will depend. Do you know whether the duke has plans of leaving London?”
“He is leaving for Harrogate in a day or two.”
“Does he have many friends?”
“He doesn’t have enemies, that’s for sure. He is close to Lord Daventon.”
Something like admiration came into Baxter’s eyes. “Good with his fists, Lord Daventon is. And a deep one too.”
“What do you mean?”
“My lips are sealed. All I will say is he numbers among the very few failures in my illustrious career.”
“Baxter, did I tell you about Lady Mannering? It struck me in Wimberley's study that the brat could be hers. Wimberley was always soft on her.”
“Why don't you send her a note? Ladies are more reasonable when it comes to paying up.”
“She has nothing.”
“Then what good will it do to drag her in?”
“Revenge.”
Baxter shook his head in disgust. “Keep it simple, lordie. Keep it only about money.”
“What should we do now? You were sure Wimberley would buy my silence. But he wants to acknowledge the brat!”
Baxter smiled. “We kidnap the brat.”
“Eh?”
“I’ll tell you by and by. First, you must go out among the nobs and hint at your cousin’s doings.”