“You mean I—”
“I don’t mean anything except that we do not need you right now. I will be in touch with you later.” Evan pushed him out the door.
At this particular moment, Ally didn’t care whether she ever saw Mr. Landon again. All she cared about was Sophie. And then a horrible thought struck her.
She pulled the parchments out of her skirt pocket. We have your stepsister Lady Alexandra. Oh, no. They had mistaken Sophie for her. The time had come to tell Evan everything.
So she enjoyed erotica. She certainly wasn’t the first woman who appreciated it, or erotic novels would not exist. Her maid, Millicent, who’d introduced her to The Ruby, certainly did. So she made a few pounds writing it. What was so bad about that? She didn’t want to be a disappointment to Evan. He had come to mean so much to her.
But none of that mattered. Sophie was more important than what Evan thought of her.
“Evan,” she said quietly, “I need to speak with you.”
“Yes?”
She showed him the parchments. “I received this one yesterday.” She handed him the first one. “And this one came earlier today for you. I intercepted it, and yes, I know I was wrong to do so. Please do not berate me about that now. I am interested only in Sophie’s well-being.”
“As am I.” He wrinkled his forehead and rubbed his jawline as he read the second parchment. “How can this be? You are right here.”
“Whoever has Sophie has obviously mistaken her for me. And I’m so sorry to tell you, Evan, but I know what this is about.”
“Oh?”
“Yes.” Ally gathered all her courage. “Remember I told you that my maid, Millicent, who was with me at my father’s estate—if it could be called an estate—had a large collection of erotic literature?”
“Yes. But what does that have to do with—”
“She introduced me to some underground papers. One of them was called The Ruby.”
“Yes, I have heard of it.” Evan pursed his lips into a thin line. “In fact, Woods found a couple of issues on the doorstep. I figured they probably belonged to you.”
Evan did not look pleased. It broke her heart to disappoint him. If he did indeed love her, he would no longer love her after this conversation.
“The only secret I have, Evan, that they could be referring to in that note, is that I do some…writing. For The Ruby.”
Evan shook his head, his complexion regaining its color. “Then you are the one… Oh my God, I never thought you could do anything so despicable!”
“Evan! I’ve been writing for the paper for little over a year. It gives me a few pounds in my reticule, something I’ve never had of my own before. I enjoy it, and I’m good at it.”
“I don’t give a bloody rat’s arse if you write erotica, or if you are paid for it.” He stomped toward her. “But you’ve involved me in this.”
What was he talking about? This had nothing to do with him, other than the fact that they were threatening him now.
“I certainly have not. Other than this…extortion attempt, and I had no idea they’d come after you. And Evan, you know I’d never put Sophie in harm’s—”
“How did you find out I owned a printing business, anyway?”
What was he talking about? Confusion muddled her brain. He owned a printing business?
“I assure you I had no idea you owned anything. You’re a second son. Nothing in the estate belongs to you.”
Evan shook his head. “We will deal with this later. Right now, we need to find your sister and get her home.”
At least he was talking sense now.
He continued, “I will go to this address now and find her.”
“She won’t be there. It says to go at midnight. Who knows where they are now? But at least we know she’s safe until midnight.”