Catch a Falling Heiress: An American Heiress in London Read Free Page A

repay us or anyone else he owes. He’s trapped.”
    Almost as if he’d heard those words, Van Hausen looked up, seeing them across the room. At Jack’s exaggerated bow of greeting, he responded with a defiant scowl.
    “Your friendship appears to be at an end,” Denys commented in some amusement.
    “So it would seem,” Jack agreed, and wished the lifting of that burden had brought relief. But instead, he felt only an increasing uneasiness, a feeling akin to the unnatural calm that often came before a thunderstorm.
    “The man must be thick as a brick to display such hostility toward us,” James said. “Especially you, Jack. He’d be better served trying to placate you, butter you up, or gain your sympathy. At the very least, he ought to be asking you to plead his case with the rest of us.”
    “He already tried all of those,” Jack replied. “He even begged.”
    “Did he?” James gave a low whistle. “When was this?”
    “This afternoon. He cornered me at the Yacht Club after the two of you had already left. He admitted he didn’t have the funds, he asked me for help, and swore on his life he’d pay me back if I’d stake him with everyone else. He reminded me of our friendship during the past year and what good times we’ve had.”
    Denys smiled. “And what was your reply?”
    Jack allowed himself a grim, answering smile. “I gave him the Duke of Margrave’s warmest regards.”
    The other two men laughed, but when Denys noticed he wasn’t laughing with them, his own amusement faded. “What’s wrong, Jack?”
    “I don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders again, trying to loosen his tense muscles. “I know this moment had to come, and I thought I’d be glad, but I’m not.”
    “That’s understandable. You’ve had to maintain a friendship with the man for months. It can’t have been easy.” Denys gave him a thoughtful look. “Any regrets?”
    “About losing Van Hausen’s friendship?” He made a sound of derision. “Hardly.”
    “Then what is it?”
    Jack frowned, not quite knowing how to put into words the uneasiness he felt. “He knows now that I’ve been toying with him all these months,” he said slowly, thinking it out as he spoke. “He knows East Africa Mines was a trap we set for him at Stuart’s behest, and he knows he fell right into that trap. He knows he’s been played for a fool. In addition, he’s cornered and desperate. I’m rather afraid of what he might do.”
    “Don’t worry,” James said, grinning as he clapped him on the back. “We’ll protect you.”
    “It’s not myself I’m afraid for.”
    With those words, James’s grin faded, and he and Denys both stirred, confirming that his apprehension was not wholly unfounded. None of them had spoken of Molly Grigg, or any of the other women discussed in Pinkerton’s reports, not even among themselves, and neither of his friends knew he’d been to interview those women, but it was clear his friends suspected what he already knew—that Van Hausen had done far more to the duchess than ruin her reputation.
    “We can’t worry about that,” Denys said after a moment. “He was bound to be pushed over the brink at some point. And even the tiniest frustration could set him off.”
    “I know, but before, I was with him often enough to keep a pretty close watch on his activities. I can’t be absolutely certain, of course, but I don’t think he’s assaulted any other women since I’ve been here. But now—” Jack stopped and swallowed at the true fear that was eating at his guts.
    “We have Pinkerton men watching him every minute of every day,” James pointed out.
    “Yes, and I even warned him of that this afternoon. But desperate men do desperate things. I’m worried.”
    “Still, what else can you do?” Denys asked. “It’s not as if we can sleep outside his door.”
    “I know, I know.” Jack sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’ll just be glad when this is finally over.”
    The other two