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All this time, she had imagined him traveling toward London, surrendering his fortune, signing papers that would leave him with nothing.

He had been at the vicarage.

Only a short distance away.

“You might have sent word,” she whispered.

Ambrose’s expression tightened.

“I know.”

The vicar spoke gently.

“His Grace was rather occupied, Your Grace. Though I did suggest that someone ought to inform you where he was.”

Marina looked sharply at Ambrose.

“And?”

“I refused,” he admitted.

“Why?”

“Because I was afraid that if you knew where I was, you would come to me. And I did not know whether our efforts would succeed.”

“What efforts?”

Lady Beatrice answered.

“Several guests from Crestdale and Ludlow had stayed at the inn after the ball. We went there and spoke to them, as there had been rumors about Lord Rutland for some while. When they learned what the earl had demanded, some of them began telling us about their own dealings with him.”

Mr. Harris nodded.

“The earl had been involved in a mining investment some years ago. He persuaded people to put money into a venture that promised a considerable return.”

“And there was no return?” Marina asked.

“Very little. The workings were already in poor condition. Some believed the mines could still be made profitable, but there were warnings that the ground was unsafe.”

His expression darkened.

“The accident happened before those warnings were properly addressed. Five men died. My brother was among them.”

Marina felt a chill that had nothing to do with the winter air.

“Was Douglas responsible?”

“That remains to be established,” Mr. Harris replied. “But he promoted the venture, and there are letters suggesting he knew more about its difficulties than he admitted to the investors. The families had pieces of the same story. Until last night, they had never brought them together.”

“Lord Rutland had debts of his own,” Lady Beatrice added. “Several gentlemen at the inn knew of them. Some had lent him money. Others had been promised repayment that never came.”

“Those debts alone were not grounds for arrest,” Ambrose said. “Nor could we prove the mining allegations in a day. But they showed us that Douglas’s conduct deserved closer examination.”

Marina looked from one face to another.

“So how did you stop him?”

“Lady Beatrice was willing to give an account of what she overheard,” Ambrose said. “I could testify to the demands Douglas made of me. That alone was blackmail. I was afraid of what people would think of us but I came to understand that it was Douglas who is under scrutiny. So, I summoned Simon to the vicarage and he helped us put everything in order.”