A Simple Case of Seduction

Betsy gasped. “Lord above. What is it with everyone today?”

“Open the damn door,” Bostock cried. “Quick.”

Betsy hurried over and had barely turned the k

ey in the lock when the door burst open.

Bostock stood before them, his eyes bulging as he struggled to catch his breath. Perspiration trickled from his brow.

Daniel looked beyond his friend’s shoulder, his heart ready to explode from his chest when he realised Bostock was alone.

“Where’s Daphne?” Daniel marched over and gripped Bostock’s arm. “Why isn’t she with you?”

“I … I don’t know.”

“You don’t know!” Daniel shook the man’s arm, desperate for an answer. “What the hell do you mean?”

“We were in the book shop. She wandered to the back shelves while I waited near the door.” Bostock scratched his head and mumbled to himself. “I’d have seen her if she’d left the shop.”

“Were you followed there?”

“No. Not that I noticed.” Bostock’s hands clenched into fists at his side. “I should have paid more attention. I should have stayed at her side. One minute she was there, the next she’d disappeared.”

“People do not simply disappear,” Daniel replied through clenched teeth.

Betsy moved to pat Bostock’s arm. “Think, George,” she said. While her eyes looked fearful, her voice was calm. “Did anyone speak to you? Did Daphne mention going anywhere else? Was there another exit that you failed to notice?”

Bostock shook his head. “No. There was a door leading to the back yard, but Mrs Chambers wouldn’t have left without telling me. I’d have heard raised voices if someone had tried to lead her astray.” Bostock turned to Daniel, his expression slack, his eyes dull. “I’ve let you down.”

Feeling a wave of compassion, Daniel gripped his friend’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Bostock. We have been chasing our tails for the last few days. Looking in all the wrong places.”

Indeed, he was just as much to blame. A man of his skill should have questioned Lily’s word, but his thoughts were not his own. Love, an intense craving, and a profound sense of longing had captured him mind and body. The only puzzle he was interested in solving related to his future with Daphne.

Daniel let out a weary sigh and then straightened his shoulders. “You’re to come with me to Wapping, Bostock.” Daphne would not have left the shop with a man; he was convinced of it. Which meant Lily had lured her away from Bostock. “We have a traitor to catch.”

“What about Captain Lewis?” Bostock asked. “We know nothing about his motives.”

“He’s not our man,” Daniel replied with some certainty. “The list of names were just a ruse to throw us off the scent.”

The sudden knock on the door sent a wave of relief surging through Daniel’s body. Betsy rolled her eyes, but Daniel rushed to the door and flung it open.

“Daphne.” The word died on his lips as he stared at the boy’s dirty face.

“Are you Thorpe?”

Daniel nodded. “I am.”

The boy thrust the note at him. “I’ve been told to give ya this.”

As soon as Daniel’s fingers gripped the paper, the boy ran off down the street. With a sense of trepidation, Daniel peeled back the folds and read the few lines written inside. Fear clutched him by the throat, the lack of air to his lungs making him dizzy.

“What is it?” Betsy hugged Bostock’s arm, and they both stepped forward. “Is it news of Daphne?”

“Yes.” Daniel took a moment to compose himself. He was no good to anyone if he let his emotions rule him. He needed the old Thorpe. The cold, detached gentleman who followed logic not his heart in cases such as these.

“Is she all right?” Betsy snivelled.

God, he hoped so. The world would feel the full wrath of the Devil if anything happened to her. “Lily Lawson is holding her at the docks. I’m to meet her there tonight at eight o’clock, in Lower Shadwell, south of the basin.” He whipped his watch from his pocket and checked the time. He had hours to prepare.