Page 14

Gavin

G avin’s mind spun at Adelaide’s confession. She had a long history of criminal activity, not all of which could be excused by duress. And seeing as her mother was still alive and able to walk in spite of how much the severillik had spread throughout her body, Gavin had to assume possession of illegal goods or—at worst—smuggling were among her list of crimes .

He shook his head. He’d long been unable to blame the desperate people begging for a cure to severillik. If he had been in the same position as Adelaide, Gavin knew exactly what choice he would make if it was his mother or father who was facing such an excruciating death—even if it meant his own death for being caught.

“How?” William asked. “How did Mistress Scrabs come into contact with you after the pickpocketing?”

Adelaide pursed her lips. “She didn’t need to. It was Mistress Scrabs herself that I had stolen from.”

Gavin straightened. “Does that mean you know Mistress Scrabs’s true identity?”

“I’m afraid not.” Adelaide shook her head. “It was rather dark, and she was wearing a hooded cloak. It was Jeffery who caught me and brought me back to Mistress Scrabs. By then, I saw she was wearing a mask.”

Adelaide’s eyes turned distant. For the first time, Gavin noticed the exhaustion that marred her face, reminding him of her earlier ordeal. Just as he started to inquire if she needed to rest, Adelaide added, “She already knew who I was. The whole thing had been planned. They knew all about my family and my mother’s illness and how long I had been stealing. She said I was interfering with her business, because word of my pickpocketing had spread amongst the wealthy and was hurting her business. She said unless I could repay her for the damages I’d caused…she would kill us all.”

Gavin sat numbly, listening to Adelaide and her plight. The chilling realization that the Master of Thieves had targeted Adelaide and coerced her right from the beginning made anger curl in his blood. The danger Mistress Scrabs posed was no surprise, but the newly revealed depths of her cunning was. Gavin had anticipated a careful and tricky battle against the master thief and her operation, but he hadn’t expected to meet someone worth saving along the way. How many others had been forced into working for Mistress Scrabs?

Was Adelaide’s character and her story an exception to those in Mistress Scrabs’s employ, or were there more flies trapped in her web than Gavin had realized?

If it proved so, he couldn’t imagine how he and William were to untangle the intricate tapestry the Master of Thieves had woven.

“So, it was your life and those of your family that Mistress Scrabs offered you in exchange for…for being her thief?” he asked carefully, his shoulders tensing.

Adelaide nodded. Her fingers curled into fists, crumpling the fabric of her dress skirt.

“Do you think you could identify Mistress Scrabs if you saw her without her mask?” William reached for one of the folders he’d brought with him.

“I don’t know,” Adelaide admitted. Her shoulders drooped.

Gavin laid a careful hand on her arm. Slowly, she turned to look at him. Her dulled eyes were marred by apprehension and worry. “It’s all right if you can’t. We’re grateful for any information you can offer us. Let’s start here for today, and then after you’ve had some rest, we can turn our efforts elsewhere. Does that work for you?”

Adelaide nodded. Turning her attention back to William, she accepted the folder from him and set it on her lap. Gavin withdrew his hand and gave her some space to study the portraits he’d been sent since becoming the archduke.

Glancing away from the folder as his stomach began to churn at the memory of all the marriage proposals offered to him in the past, he saw William looking directly at him. Gavin forced himself to sit still and appear unbothered under his friend’s critical gaze. Meeting his eye, Gavin shrugged in reply to William’s raised brow.

William smirked, his eyes shining humorlessly.

Gavin glanced away and rested his chin on his fist, his elbow planted firmly on the arm of the couch in what he hoped was a casual manner. All he had to do was avoid William’s silent inquisition while they waited for Adelaide to review the portraits of all the women who’d tried to win Gavin’s hand.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gavin saw Adelaide lean forward. She began to spread the portraits out on the coffee table. He didn’t know what system she employed as she seemed to sort them, shuffling them about and pushing some aside while she drew others closer. He watched, fascinated, as she silently sifted through them and seemed to come to a conclusion for each and every portrait.

Finally, she sat back with a sigh. “I can’t be certain if any of these women could actually be Mistress Scrabs, especially as they all seem to be women of the nobility, but…” She trailed off, biting her lip. Indicating the pile in front of her, Adelaide said, “I think these women look similar to Mistress Scrabs and, to my knowledge, have never been targets of her operation.”

Gavin mulled over Adelaide’s reasoning. “You know who the Den of Thieves has stolen from?”

“Perhaps not all of them, but I could probably recall the victims of the last four years…or at least the ones I’ve stolen from personally.”

Adelaide’s words hung heavy in the study. Gavin didn’t know what promises he could make and which he wouldn’t be able to keep. He was of the mind that she could be granted amnesty, but would Jameson agree? Or would Adelaide have to serve some sentence for her crimes?

In the end, it was William who spoke. “Don’t worry, Adelaide. Your help will not go unappreciated if we manage to dismantle the Den of Thieves and bring Mistress Scrabs to justice.”

Adelaide didn’t respond, still fixated on the portraits. Gavin wanted to explain them, but couldn’t find the words to. It sounded odd, didn’t it? That he had not only received these portraits as part of marriage proposals that were more like business dealings than declarations of love, and that he’d actually kept them all? Wouldn’t it seem odd? Especially when coupled with the fact that he was now using them to root out his main suspect?

Clearing his throat, Gavin leaned forward and picked up the pile of Adelaide’s likely suspects. Sorting through them, he said, “Let’s see who we have to investigate further.”

Quickly looking over the handful of portraits, Gavin paused, staring intently at the second-to-last one. His eyes flicked to William. William raised his brow. Gavin passed the stack over to him. “Have a look, William.”

Gavin knew the moment the same realization came over his friend as he straightened his shoulders and put the portraits back on the table.

Staring up at them all was the portrait of Lady Alyton, Gavin’s prime suspect and once a relentless seeker of his hand in marriage and outspoken opposition to Jameson’s rule.

“Adelaide,” he started, tearing his gaze from the small portrait. Turning to her, he meant to ask what she knew of Lady Alyton and what had led her to add these women to her list of suspects, but he found that Adelaide had fallen asleep. As she sagged against the arm of the couch, it looked like Adelaide had only meant to rest her head but ultimately fell victim to her exhaustion.

Shaking his head of all that he wanted to ask her, Gavin stood quietly.

“What are you planning to do now?” William whispered, following after him.

Gavin shrugged, taking his cloak from the hook beside the office door and carefully draping it over Adelaide.

“Let her rest, I suppose.”

William snorted. “You mean to say that you’ll allow the investigation to take a rest, all because our prime witness fell asleep?”

Gavin frowned. Irritation simmered in the undercurrent of his blood. “Adelaide was attacked this morning. Someone used statique trosher against her.”

“Did Adelaide tell you who?” William’s face paled.

“No,” Gavin said, “but I have a few suspicions.”

“Of course you do,” William teased. He smoothed the imaginary wrinkles from his uniform. Opening the door to leave, William paused. Hesitating in the doorway, he turned back. Gavin arched his brow expectantly. What more could he have to say? “Be careful around her, Gavin. Adelaide has successfully stolen from some of the most secure estates in Kordouva, all without suspicion. If we’re not careful, she might just steal your title.”

Gavin nearly scoffed. “That’s absurd, William. I don’t think Adelaide is capable of such a malicious act. She’s…”

Gavin trailed off. He didn’t know what he intended to say, or how he could possibly be certain of it. Adelaide had confessed to working for Mistress Scrabs, and that she’d been involved in the string of high-profile thefts over the last four years. How could he know what she was or wasn’t capable of?

“You care for Adelaide more than because you have a vested interest in her safety as our only firm lead in this case.” William smiled wryly, stepping over the threshold.

Gavin’s patience waned. Could he slam the door in William’s face, or would that only encourage his teasing?

“And if I do?” Gavin reluctantly entertained his friend’s notion. “Do you think it would compromise our investigation?”

“I think a better question would be—is it all a ploy?” William countered. “How do we know this isn’t all part of Mistress Scrabs’s plan to steal the Eye?”

Gavin considered his friend’s question. It was a difficult question, not because it was complicated, but because it conflicted with his instincts. It made him wonder if perhaps his judgement wasn’t already clouded. Nodding slowly, Gavin said, “Then the best thing we can do is continue to watch Adelaide.”

“And how do you intend to do that? We can’t have guards hovering around her at all hours,” William pointed out.

Gavin pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, I suppose we can’t.”

William tilted his head. “This is going to sound absurd, but what if Adelaide moved into the archduchess’s chambers?”

Gavin froze, nearly gawking. “Why would—”

“It would allow you to keep a closer watch on Adelaide, and…” William held up his hands and took a step out into the hallway, “you two could pretend to fall in love. It would allow you to continue the investigation without treating Adelaide like a suspect or raising any suspicion that she’s been discovered or is working with us to dismantle the Den of Thieves. It would protect her from Mistress Scrabs.”

Gavin turned the suggestion over in his mind. “It is the only room that doesn’t have its own entrance or exit. If Adelaide wishes to leave the archduchess’s suite, she’ll need to go through mine first.”

“Do you think we should ask Adelaide before committing to this?”

“No,” Gavin said. “If I do, I may not have the resolve to go through with it.”

“I’ll give the order then,” William said as he finally took his leave.

Gavin sighed. His gut churned, wondering if he’d made the right decision or if he’d let William convince him to make a mistake.

Softly shutting the door to his office behind him, Gavin spared a glance back at Adelaide. She’d curled herself up on the couch and tucked his cloak around herself. A slow smile pulled at Gavin’s lips. He shook his head. Quietly, he crossed the room to his desk and took up his quill.

Aside from the investigation, Gavin had a never-ending list of state affairs to tend to. He supposed it was better to chip away at his tasks now than to continue allowing them to accumulate.

He wondered if it was too late to abdicate his title.