Jennifer Ashley - The Untamed Mackenzie

“Then they should let me get on with my job. Having my chief super pull me in to twit me is wasting time.”

Kenton gave him a severe look. “Are you finished?”

Fellows leaned his fists on the desk. “You can’t take me off this case, sir.”

“Listen.” Kenton’s voice lost its edge. “Fellows, you are the best detective on the force. I don’t even qualify that by saying you are one of the best. You truly are the best. You’ll make detective superintendent in no time, probably chief super beyond it, and likely higher than that. You’re the best because you not only have good instincts, you’re also careful and thorough. You follow up on everything. Unfortunately, Hargate’s family wants a quick arrest. And they’re wondering why the devil you haven’t made one.”

“Because I haven’t found a culprit yet,” Fellows said, trying not to shout. “As soon as I get a lead on the man seen crawling out from under the tent, I’ll bring him in.”

“Hmm, yes. Very convenient this bloke is, isn’t he? He gives you a good excuse not to pull together the evidence to arrest Lady Louisa Scranton.”

“Because she didn’t do it.” The shout came then.

“Maybe not. But consider—once she’s arrested and examined by a magistrate, and the magistrate determines her innocence, she’ll be let go. End of the matter.”

Fellows shook his head. “For God’s sake, you know she can’t afford to appear before a magistrate. He’ll be compelled by Hargate’s family to push her through to a trial, and they’ll make sure the very best prosecutor in the country gets her convicted. The Scrantons haven’t been well liked since Louisa’s father ruined half the aristos in Mayfair. No one would fuss much if a Scranton was buried for this.”

“Then Lady Louisa’s family will come up with a barrage of solicitors to help her. You know that. Her ties to the Mackenzies will help too. And those ties are the exact reason I’m taking you off this case.”

Fellows stood up, his fists tightening. “What the devil does that mean?”

“It means that you are the finest detective on the force—until you have something to do with the Mackenzie family. Then your common sense takes a dive out the window. You break rules, you don’t sleep, you focus your energy on them and everything about them. Five years, wasn’t it, that you tried to pin a murder on them? The duke had to threaten gents in the Home Office to get you to stop. And then you went behind everyone’s back, chased Lord Ian Mackenzie to Paris, and tried a number of ways to get around the rules to land him.”

“But I got to the bottom of the problem,” Fellows said, voice stiff. “Murders solved. Case closed.”

“You’re quibbling, Fellows. You solved them, all right, but a woman died, and another nearly died in the process. I’m taking you off the case, because I can’t explain to Hargate’s father—an earl—and his mother—the daughter of a marquis—why you haven’t arrested Lady Louisa Scranton by now. I imagine you don’t wish me to tell them it’s because she’s your mistress.”

Fellows’ face burned. “Good Lord, sir. She is not my mistress.”

“Then why did Dobbs charge in here bright and early this morning and tell me she was? Yes, he gave me the whole story of finding you ravishing the lead suspect in the Hargate case on top of your desk.” Kenton’s mouth tightened. “You need to speak to that lad about going over your head to spread tittle-tattle. A constable should be loyal to his own guvnor, whether that guvnor is ravishing suspects or not.”

“I wasn’t ravishing her,” Fellows said. “Dobbs got it wrong.” And he’d wring the boy’s neck.

“Dobbs’ exact words were: He had her spread across the desk, knees up, and he were kissing her tits.” Kenton mimicked Dobbs’ youthful voice exactly. “Not something I wanted to hear, trust me.”

“It doesn’t matter what Dobbs saw or what he said.” Fellows’ voice hardened. “It doesn’t matter what my feelings for her are either. Louisa Scranton is innocent. I know it. Whatever the world thinks of her, she did not kill the Bishop of Hargate.”

“Climb down off your high horse. I don’t care if you had her naked on her hands and knees and were giving her one up the backside. I care that Hargate’s dad and mum and all the titles they’re connected to want a result. My neck’s being breathed on, and so I’m breathing on yours. You’re too slow. I’m giving the case to Harrison.”

“No.” Cold fear spread through Fellows’ body. “Harrison arrests everyone in sight then sorts out who did what. Sometimes he doesn’t find out the truth until several people have been hanged.”

“But he’s fast and he gets his man. Or woman.”

“No.” Fellows leaned over the desk again, barely stopping himself from grabbing Kenton and shaking him. “Please. I promise I’ll stay the hell away from Lady Louisa. Miles away if need be. But don’t take me off the case. I’ll find the culprit—I promise you. Don’t leave her to Harrison’s mercy.”

Kenton gave him a severe look. “I’ve gone to the wall for you, Fellows. Several times. Worth it to keep you. But by God, you push it.”

“If you give this to Harrison, sir, I’m off the force.”

Kenton scowled. “Don’t threaten me. I’ve been threatened by more frightening men than you in my time, believe me, including my own guvnor.”

“I’m not threatening. If I’m off the case, I’m gone. I’ll not stay where men arrest innocent young women only to prove they’re getting things done. I’ll go, and then I’ll protect her from you any way I can.” He paused. “Sir.”

Kenton sat back in his chair. The look on his face said he knew damn well Fellows wanted to throttle him, but he put up no defenses. “You said you were going off to the races on Monday. To Newmarket.”

“Yes, but I won’t go. Keep me on, and I’ll stay here and work—”

“Let me finish. You’ll go. You need the day out. If, before you leave, you make an arrest—one that will stick—then I won’t pull you from the case. If you haven’t solved it before you go, then you’re off.”

Fellows stared at him in dismay. “That’s only two days.”

“Yes, it is. It’s the best I can do for you.”

“I mean it,” Fellows said. “If I can’t solve this case in two blasted days, and you pull me off, I’m gone.”

Kenton raked papers back toward him. “Then you’d better solve it quick then, hadn’t you?”

Fellows moved his fists from the desk again and straightened up. Kenton was finished, the interview over.

As Fellows walked to the door, Kenton cleared his throat behind him. “And stay away from the Scranton woman. I’ll hold you to that. Unless you’re escorting her to Bow Street and the magistrate, I don’t want you anywhere near her.”

“Yes, sir,” Fellows said stiffly, and made his way through the building back to his office.

He walked in on Dobbs sitting on a wooden chair holding a hand to his bruised and bloody face. Pierce was wringing out his own hand, looking furious.

“Pierce,” Fellows snapped.

Pierce betrayed no shame. “I was just explaining to Dobbs that he don’t go around his chief inspector to tell tales, no matter what. You respect your team.”

Fellows gazed quietly down at Dobbs, who gazed back, half fearful, half defiant. “Dobbs,” Fellows said, his voice as chill as his stance. “It’s not you peaching to my guv that I mind. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. But if you ever speak about Lady Louisa again, especially in those words, to anyone, I will pound you until you can’t walk. Understand?”

Dobbs swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

“Now get me coffee and don’t spill anything this time. Pierce, we’re going to clear up this case before Monday. I want you to—”

“Monday?” Pierce said, springing up. “What the devil did the chief super say to you?”

“Monday,” Fellows repeated. “We’re dividing up the suspects between us, and we’ll poke and prod until we get answers. I don’t care who we annoy, provoke, or just plain make hate us. We’re not out to make friends; we’re out to catch a criminal. The first thing I want, though, is for you to find out everything—I mean absolutely everything—about the Honorable Gilbert Franklin. I want to know where he’s been, what he does when he’s there, what he has for breakfast, and when he shits it out again. All right?”

“Shits it out again,” Pierce wrote down in his notebook. “Got it, sir. I’ll start right now.”

That afternoon, Louisa sat once more in Mrs. Leigh-Waters’ back sitting room. This time, though, Daniel was with her, and Louisa had come for a purpose.

The fact that Mrs. Leigh-Waters received Louisa at all encouraged her. Mrs. Leigh-Waters had always been a close friend to Louisa’s mother and to Isabella, one of the few to stand by Isabella when Isabella had left Mac.

Today, the lady was full of sympathy for Louisa and also for Hargate. “I wake up with palpitations thinking about that poor man,” Mrs. Leigh-Waters said, pressing a hand to her bosom. “What he must have suffered. It must have been quite distressing for you, Louisa, to watch him die. I am so sorry, my dear.”

She sounded sorry, but also a bit morbidly curious. “Indeed,” Louisa said. “Thank you.”

“And you, Mr. Mackenzie,” Mrs. Leigh-Waters said to Daniel. “So kind of you to stand by our dear Louisa.”

“Not at all,” Daniel said. He gave Mrs. Leigh-Waters his best I’m-young-but-very-intelligent-and-understanding smile. “Louisa is a favorite of mine.”

“Of mine as well.” Mrs. Leigh-Waters returned the smile, but with a glint in her eye. She looked back and forth between Louisa and Daniel with obvious interest. Daniel was nineteen, it was true, and Louisa years older than he, but such matches had been made. Once Daniel finished university and came into his majority, he would be a very wealthy young man indeed.

Mrs. Leigh-Waters’ eyes were truly gleaming now. Louisa broke in hastily, “What I wondered, if you’ll forgive me asking, is how you decided who to invite to the garden party? I saw people here I hadn’t in ages.”

Mrs. Leigh-Waters blinked. “My guest list was quite large, dear. My garden party is always an important Season gathering. I invite a wide circle, though I keep my list to those I like best.”

In other words, the gathering was large enough to be interesting, but exclusive enough for those invited to feel superior over those who had not been.

“What Louisa means,” Daniel said, “is that she’s surprised the Bishop of Hargate made your list. Louisa hadn’t thought you were particular friends. In fact, Hargate could be a priggish and condescending oik, God rest him.”

Mrs. Leigh-Waters flushed. “You are certainly forthright, Mr. Mackenzie.”

“But truthful. Hargate rose high in his profession very fast. My uncle Hart figured he called in favor after favor and bought his way to the top.”

Hart would know. He’d used similar methods himself on occasion, and he likely knew whose nest Hargate had feathered to become bishop.

“Well, your uncle Hart might not be wrong,” Mrs. Leigh-Waters said. “Hargate did ask my husband for a word in the right ear in exchange for him helping Mr. Leigh-Waters in certain matters. It’s often done, but with Hargate . . .”

“It was obvious and obsequious,” Daniel finished. “Is that why you invited him to the party? To repay what he’d done for your husband?”

“No, no.” Mrs. Leigh-Waters’ flush went deeper. “If you must know, I owed the bishop a bit of money, and he was needling me for it. I invited him at his request, intending to settle the debt here.”

“And did you settle it?” Daniel asked. He softened the abrupt question with a smile, took a sip of tea, and then gestured with his cup. “I mean, did you have the chance before . . . you know.”

“I did, as a matter of fact. I gave him his hundred guineas. Well, most of it.” Mrs. Leigh-Waters leaned toward them, lowering her voice. “Please don’t tell my husband.”

Louisa shook her head. “Never fear about that. Was it a gambling debt?”

“Pardon?” Mrs. Leigh-Waters looked surprised, then her face grew as red as the velvet curtains behind her. “Oh. Yes. Indeed. I had some very bad luck at cards and had to give Hargate a vowel for what I’d lost. I planned to pay him as soon as I could, but he was a bit impatient. For a man of the cloth, I must say, Hargate did not practice much forgiveness.”

In fact, Hargate seemed to excel at all the deadly sins, Louisa thought, pride and avarice being the top contenders. But some gentlemen went into the clergy not because they had a calling or deep faith, but because, if they went the right way about it, they could make a good living and gain power. Hargate had been a power-seeker and hadn’t much tried to hide it.