Interesting, Sam thought. The Duke of Aldridge seemed almost deferential toward the maid.
“He’s most likely a client, but this wasn’t an impulsive attack,” Kendra told Sam. “She didn’t have any defensive wounds on her fingers and palms. I think she came with him willingly and the attack happened after she was restrained. She may have agreed to be handcuffed or he took her by surprise, so she didn’t have time to fight back.”
“Why in heaven’s name would she agree to be handcuffed?” Rebecca asked, surprised.
Kendra caught the deer-in-the-headlights look of the men, and had to suppress a smile. “I’ll explain it to you later.”
“You will not!” Alec glared at her.
Rebecca in turn glared at him. “You shall not dictate my future conversations, Sutcliffe!”
Sam cleared his throat. “Ah, aye, well, you’ve given me an interesting case, Your Grace.” He hesitated and then slanted another look at the maid. “Forgive me, Miss Donovan, but I must ask . . . who are you?” He spread his hands. “You appear ter have a bit of expertise in this area, which—if I may be blunt—is unusual enough for anyone, but especially for a woman.”
Kendra tensed automatically, thinking, Will I always be a freak? Still, she understood his confusion. She was a freak here. Any woman from her era would be.
“I know that what I am saying may be unorthodox,” she said slowly, fixing her gaze on him. “I can only hope you won’t discount what I’m saying because I’m a woman.”
Sam regarded her carefully, aware that she hadn’t answered his question.
“Brava, Miss Donovan!” Rebecca declared, breaking the silence. “The contributions of women have too long been discounted. We have been treated like we have nothing but feathers stuffed in our heads! When I think of—”
“Hell’s teeth, Becca,” Alec interrupted, shooting her an exasperated look. “Now is not the time to discuss Mrs. Wollstonecraft’s radical ideas, my dear.”
Rebecca looked insulted. “That is the trouble, sir. There is no good time a man wants to discuss the rights of women. But there shall come a time, Sutcliffe! Someday women shall even be given the right to vote. Mark my words!”
“Yes, well. I think we need to concentrate on the matter at hand, rather than politics, my dear,” Aldridge said mildly. “And, for the record, I have never adhered to the nonsense that women are ornamental creatures with no intellect.” His gaze lifted to the painting above the fireplace. “My wife was a brilliant mathematician and astronomer. If the course of events had been different, I believe she would have rivaled Caroline Herschel in her contributions to science.
“So, you see, Miss Donovan,” he added, smiling sadly at Kendra, “I shan’t dismiss what you are saying because of some misplaced theory that a woman’s brain is smaller than a man’s.”
“Aye. You needn’t fear that I’ll dismiss you out of hand, either, miss,” said Sam. “Some of the most devious criminals I’ve ever encountered were women.”
He grinned, but sobered quickly when he turned to the Duke. “Me and me men will begin making inquiries as soon as I return ter Town. If she worked for an academy, ’tis doubtful a bawd would’ve let her leave—not without brokerin’ the deal.”
“A bawd?” Kendra asked.
Sam gave her another look. Maybe they called them something else in America. “An abbess—brothel-keeper. I suspect that the lass didn’t work for the more exclusive brothels in Town. We’d have heard if a Cyprian went missing,” the Runner continued. “We’ll begin at the mid-range academies. I warn you, Your Grace, this will take time. London brothel-keepers do a bang-up business.”
“We understand we’ve given you no easy task, Mr. Kelly,” Aldridge nodded. “I thank you for coming so promptly to my summons.”
Sam controlled his wince as he thought of the almost two hours that he’d spent on horseback in order to answer the summons so promptly. He’d rather have hired a carriage, but that would’ve taken nearly twice as long. And he didn’t like to keep the gentry waiting. Especially not someone as influential as the Duke of Aldridge.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, since that brought up a point. “The lass had ter get here somehow.”
“Yes, we already discussed that,” the Duke said. “We deduced a private carriage would be most likely, given the circumstance.”
“I’ll have me men interview the whips who might have this route, just ter be certain. ’Tis almost a four-hour journey by carriage. If she came by private carriage, they may have stopped ter freshen their horses, take a meal. Mayhap innkeepers and publicans would remember her.”
“An excellent notion, Mr. Kelly.”
Sam slapped his hands on his thighs and pushed himself to his feet. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to the next part, but it was necessary. “If you’d be so good as ter take me ter the lass, sir. The quicker that’s done, the quicker I’ll be off.”