“There was no body, but the blood was being washed away as I arrived. I asked the shopkeeper who was cleaning the pavement what he knew. He lives above his business and told me that he heard the commotion and the shot. When he finally looked out the window, no one was on the street.”
That was most likely all she would be able to learn. “Thank you for looking into it.”
“You Sterns are a great deal of work.” He gave a rueful grin. “Before last Season I thought it was just my darling wife, but it appears you have the same traits.”
Henrietta grinned. “You can blame our parents. Well, mostly Papa.”
Merton raised a haughty brow. “I know exactly from where your compulsion to save the world comes. Speaking of Sterns, have you seen my wife?”
“Earlier in the breakfast room, but she was tired and went back to bed. I had a modiste appointment and have just returned. She might be awake by now.”
“Tired?” He had that ominous tone that crept into his voice when he was worried about Dotty.
“The baby was active last night.” Henrietta wondered what it would be like to have a gentleman love her as much as Merton loved her sister.
“I’ll go look in on her.” He started toward the stairs.
She followed. “I’ll come with you. I want to tell her about the gowns I ordered.
When they reached her sister’s parlor, she was sitting at her desk with the cook standing in front of her. “This will do nicely, thank you, Henri.”
“Merci, Madame.” The cook bowed. “My lord, et mademoiselle.” The man bowed again.
Once Cook left, Merton kissed Dotty’s cheek. “I hear our child kept you from sleeping well. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“And have us both exhausted in the morning?” She placed a palm on his face and returned his kiss. “No. I can nap.” His brows lowered as he glanced at Henrietta. “I have asked your mother to come help chaperone Henrietta. She will arrive either later today or tomorrow. I will not have you”—her sister gave her a pointed look—“stuck at home if I am unable to accompany you.”
“Thank you. I’ll be happy to have her chaperone me.” The dowager Lady Merton was one of Henrietta’s favorite people. The other one was her grandmother, the duchess. “I assure you that I still intend to come home after supper.”
“That is an excellent tactic.” Merton sprawled on the chair in front of Dotty’s desk. “I had an odd experience today. I could have sworn I saw Fotherby.”
Dotty’s eyes narrowed and her expression darkened forbiddingly. “Indeed.”
Henrietta had never heard her sister speak in such an icy tone.
“But it couldn’t have been.” Merton shook his head, as if he was bemused. “The man was dressed like a provincial, and he had a fully grown Wolfhound with him.”
“You’re right.” Her sister’s expression relaxed.
What was going on?
“That does not sound like him at all.” The warmth had returned to Dotty’s voice. “Do you have any idea when he does plan to appear in Town again?”
“No. I have not been in contact with him since”—he glanced at Henrietta—“since that day.”
She closed her eyes, then raised them to the ceiling. “You might as well tell me in the event he does come to Town.” Her sister’s lips flattened into a thin line. Good Lord. She was not a child any longer. “Especially if I am to have nothing to do with him.”
“Very well.” Dotty sighed. “Lord Fotherby abducted me to stop me from marrying Dom. He and Matt Worthington”—Worthington Merton’s cousin, thus her and Henrietta’s cousin by marriage—“came to rescue me.”
“Only to find that she had escaped on her own.” Merton grinned. “It was Thea’s idea to allow his mother to deal with him, and she decreed he was to be banished to the country until he learned his lesson and gained sufficient maturity to be let loose again.”
How horrible that he would do something like that! Henrietta did not blame her sister at all for still being angry. “But why did he want to stop the marriage?”
“He got it into his head that I was not worthy of being the Marchioness of Merton, and Dom would never be happy with me.”
Henrietta stared at her brother-in-law. “Other than the dog, how do you know the man was not him?”
“Fotherby is a Dandy. He delighted in . . . hmm . . . shall we say interesting colors in clothing and the newest styles. He wouldn’t be caught dead in a plain suit from a country tailor.”
“I had never seen a man with so many fobs hanging from him,” Dotty added. “He even had gold tassels on his boots.”
Merton barked a laugh. “A puppy got loose and went straight for the tassels.” He glanced lovingly at Dotty. “That’s when I first met your sister. She ran up as he was trying to kick the puppy, and she gave him one of the best dressings down I’d ever heard. You see, he’s been afraid of dogs since he was a boy.”
“Afraid of dogs?” Henrietta had never heard of such a thing. “Isn’t that, umm, rather un-English?”
Dotty emitted a thrill of laughter. “That’s what Dom said. It was the first time I had noticed him standing there. And he made Louisa introduce us.”
That was confusing. “I thought Cousin Louisa likes Merton.”
“She does now.” Dotty grinned. “But she did not like him at all back then and was against our marriage.”
“Worthington felt the same,” Merton added. “Fortunately, we have all resolved our differences.”
“I’m glad about that.” The Worthingtons and the Mertons were all very close now. Henrietta recalled what her brother-in-law had said about the gentleman he saw and wondered if he could be the gentleman who had helped her. “Can you describe the man you saw walking the Wolfhound?”
“About my height. Chestnut-colored hair.” He shrugged.
That was not very helpful. “Are his shoulders broad like yours?”
He exchanged a look with her sister, who tried to stifle a chuckle. “I suppose so. I must say that I don’t make a point of spending time thinking about a man’s physical attributes. I am more likely to notice how he is dressed so that I know his status.”
That was what everyone did. Dress and the way one spoke could tell one everything one needed to know about their place in life. “I asked because he sounds like the gentleman I saw in Whitechapel.”
“If he is someone you should meet, he will be at the same entertainments this Season,” Merton said in a way that she knew meant he wouldn’t budge.
“But what if he is not part of the haut ton?” It was a good question. Quite eligible gentlemen did not always attend the balls and other events she attended.
“The next time I see him, I shall make a point of discovering his identity.”
And that was all she could hope for. “Thank you.” She glanced at her sister. “Do you want to hear about the gowns I ordered?”
“If you wish to tell me, but I already received the list from Madame. I must say, you were rather frugal.”
Henrietta shrugged. “I did not see the point in new day dresses when we can add new trim. The most important thing that has changed is that the skirts are much wider, which does not help me at all, being as short as I am.”