A Wayward Man: A Prequel to A Dangerous Invitation (The Rookery Rogues) by Erica Monroe Read Free Book Online

to the house,
but he’d never showed. This was highly unlike him. Daniel
prided himself on punctuality. It had been one of the first things
she liked about him, an extension of his determination and desire to
succeed. He had initiative. He was going somewhere in life, and she'd
be by his side.
    She stopped by
Papa's office. He reclined in his office chair, broadsheets spread
about his desk and a cup of coffee in his right hand. He peered over
the top of the paper, surprised to see her this early. Her mornings
were normally spent at home, for Justine and Diana always came by
before regular visiting hours started.
    “Katiebelle,”
Papa greeted her, setting down the broadsheet. “What brings you
here? Did I not leave you proper ready money on the table this
morning? You're to go to the modiste today, I thought.”
    Kate blinked. She
couldn't think of the appointment to finish her trousseau, not now.
Set deep in her stomach was the feeling that something was wrong. She
couldn't explain it, but there it was nonetheless. Clasping her hands
tight in her lap to keep them from shaking, she looked up at her
father, concern crinkling her forehead. “Have you seen Daniel
today?”
    Papa's eyes darkened
inexplicably. His lips were pressed together, as he did whenever he’d
decided a conversation with his employees over and would admit no
further questions. Once Richard Morgan had drawn the line, he didn’t
bargain. But Kate had never seen him look at her that way. He'd never
denied anything she wanted before, nor had she ever had any reason to
ask him for something outlandish.
    “Papa,”
she began, half in fear of his response, half needing the
confirmation. “Has something happened to Daniel?”
    Papa gave a slight
shrug. “I'm sure it will all gloss over.”
    Kate dropped down in
the chair across from him. She fixed him with a steady glare. He
might intimidate other people, but she was his daughter, and if
something had happened to Daniel she wanted to know. “What
aren't you telling me?”
    “Katie, there
are certain things a lady needn't dabble in.”
    “Are you
quizzing me? That's nonsense, and you know it.” She frowned. “I
can decode ciphers, read Latin and Greek, and read a navigation chart
better than any man. If something has happened, you need to tell me.
I love him, Papa. Whatever it is, I can handle it.”
    Papa sighed. He
didn’t meet her eye. “Daniel has been arrested.”
    “What?”
That didn't make sense. Daniel was nothing if not stalwart. He didn't
have a criminal bone in his body.
    Papa plucked up a
slip of parchment from the pile on his desk, handing it to her. “They
suspect him of murder.”
    “That's
absurd!” She exclaimed. “Daniel wouldn’t murder
anyone. He’s a good man!”
    “Read the
message,” Papa said. “One of our clerks lives near the
Shadwell public office. He saw Daniel being escorted from the hearing
this morning, and inquired about it.”
    “He obviously
saw wrong.” She looked down at the paper, thumb pressed so hard
into it that the edge creased. The message was short but lethal to
her heart. A patrolman had found Daniel in an alley near the North
Quay, beside the mutilated corpse of a warehouse laborer. A worker
for Emporia.
    Could she be wrong
about Daniel? Of course not. She knew the innermost workings of his
heart, and he was not a murderer. He was kind, devoted, caring. The
idea that he’d hurt someone in his own company—a company
he was truly loyal to—was lunacy. The man that had lain in her
bed, telling her his deepest secrets as the sun rose, wasn’t
capable of such cruelty. What could possibly have happened to make
the police think he’d murdered someone?
    “Bloody,
bloody hell,” she cursed, flinging the paper down on the desk.
    “Language,
Katiebelle,” Papa admonished. “This is not the time to
abandon propriety.”
    She ignored Papa’s
remonstration. She'd say what she damn well pleased, when Daniel had
been taken into custody. He needed