"Two," Steven said, and she left. He drank from his mug, then said, "Mrs Hartley is a jewel of a housekeeper and Price knows it. Every day, after lunch, she goes to the market. This afternoon, I met her there." Steven paused. "I've always wondered why she stays with Price. A woman with her skills could easily find another post. She doesn't live in terror of him as the other servants do.
"This is the only concession I have ever known him to make in his household. That, too, puzzled me. Price isn't a man to tolerate being questioned. Today, I discovered why she stays. Mrs Hartley has a son. He is now thirty years of age. About fifteen years ago, he killed a man in a brothel brawl. The dead man was a well-respected businessman. All these years, Price has been holding this over her head."
"Why tell you this after all this time?"
Steven gave a low grunt. "Two reasons, I suspect. One, she likes Elise. The second, once I told her Price was holding Elise captive she must have realized that there was a great chance I would deal with him legally. That would free her from Price's hold."
"Bloody hell," Marcus burst out. "You didn't inform her of my presence?"
Steven glanced around the tavern and Marcus cursed his temper.
The younger man leaned closer. "Of course not. But the woman's no fool. She knew I was up to something. Nothing goes on in any household the servants don't know, sometimes even before other family members, and with good reason; they're smarter than the devil himself. Our stew is coming." Steven slumped back in his chair.
Marcus did the same as the barmaid set a bowl of stew before him, then Steven. She turned and headed back to the bar. Steven placed his elbows on the table and took another drink of ale before stirring the stew.
"Mrs Hartley knew that Price told the board Elise was here in America," he said, and took a bite of stew. "He's in the habit of having late meetings in his home with board members. Last night, a woman was brought in. She was dressed in black. Heavily veiled and heavily sedated. Price carried her to one of the guestrooms on the second floor. He wouldn't allow anyone into the room when he took her up. Half an hour later, he called for Mrs Hartley. Imagine her shock at seeing Elise in the bed, looking as if she had all but stepped into the grave."
Marcus's heart missed a beat. "How did he get her past us—we left Danvers too soon."
"Don't lose yourself just yet, MacGregor. I thought the same, but there was something wrong with Mrs Hartley's story."
"What do you mean?"
"She said a single candle burned on a table in the corner of the room. The covers were tucked tightly around the woman's shoulders. Despite the dim lighting, Mrs Hartley observed the emaciated neck and hollow cheeks of the woman—and her hair—you know how thick Elise's hair is."
"Aye." Marcus remembered well the silky feel of the thick tresses between his fingers.
"Mrs Hartley said her hair was so thin that her scalp was visible in places."
"'Tis but two months since Arsdley abducted her. How is it possible—"
"It isn't," Steven cut in. "The resemblance must have been strong for Mrs Hartley to believe the woman was Elise, but Mrs Hartley said the woman was barely recognizable as the Elise she had seen just a year ago. Elise lost weight due to the stress of Amelia's illness, but she was, overall, very healthy."
Marcus nodded. "The housekeeper thought Elise had been wasting away an entire year."
"Right." Steven took another spoonful of stew. "Consider," he said between chewing, "it's not yet two months since Elise disappeared. Had Price starved her to the point of shedding that much weight, her heart would probably have given out."
"The woman is not Elise." Marcus leaned back in his chair. "Why an impersonator? Why not simply incapacitate Elise?"
"I can only guess," Steven said, "but—"
"But," Marcus interrupted, "he will not risk her leaving the asylum."
Steven nodded. "Price is… canny." His expression turned pained. "Had I been more aware—"
"Nay," Marcus cut him off. "The man is clever and he can't have done this alone."
Suddenly, Langley's words came back to Marcus. "Ye have a spy, MacGregor." Price Ardsley had help. The truth hit like a landslide. The Campbells. Marcus recalled the day they attacked the women at the loch and the look on the Campbell warrior's face when Elise called out that Nell had been taken. The man recognized the American accent. They had come for Elise—for the second time. Marcus suddenly understood why they hadn't accosted her when they kidnapped her: the ten thousand pound bounty. But how had they known—more importantly, who at Brahan Seer had aided them?
"MacGregor."
Marcus shook from his thoughts at hearing Steven's voice.
"What is it?" Steven asked.
"Ardsley may not be as omnipotent as he appears."
"What do you mean?"
"I believe some old enemies of mine were in league with him," Marcus said. "Elise had a bad habit of leaving Brahan Seer without an escort."
Steven paused in taking another drink of ale. "Brahan Seer?"
"Our home in the Highlands. She used to go alone outside the castle."
Steven grimaced. "I can believe she would be so foolish. Even as a girl, she drove Father to distraction, coming and going without permission."