“One of my officers’ brothers works at the dock and has been keeping an ear open for us. He overheard it from Graham himself.”
Maybe they could catch the men in the act.
“What time?”
“Eleven. I’ll have a handful of men at the docks by ten, then we can catch the bastard red-handed.”
“Do you mind if I come along?”
Harvey shook his head. “Not at all.”
“Good. Then I will see you then.”
The detective bid him farewell. “Good day, Caroline.” He said before leaving.
Kane waited until the other man left the room, then turned his scrutinizing gaze at his friend. Already Caroline’s cheeks held a blush.
“Caroline? You’re on a first name basis with the detective?”
“Harvey has been very kind to help us, and we’ve become friends.”
Kane chuckled. “From the look of it, he wants to be more than friends.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play coy with me.” He walked over to his friend. “It’s obvious there is an attraction between the two of you.”
She met Kane’s stare. “Just like you and Sir Heath?”
The blood drained from Kane’s face. Dear God. Was it so obvious? He took a step back, not sure how to respond. If he denied it, he would look guilty. If he admitted it, he would lose his friend.
Caroline must have seen the distraught expression on his face because she ran up to him. “I don’t care, Kane, about you and Sir Heath. Everyone deserves to be happy with whomever they choose. Besides, I have a cousin who has been living with his business partner for years.” She smiled. “You are my friend, no matter what.” With that said, she embraced him.
Gradually, the tension left Kane’s body. He slumped against Caroline’s petite frame, then enfolded her in his arms. It felt good, freeing to be accepted. “Thank you.”
She looked up at him. “It was obvious the other night at dinner. Both of you kept looking at each other. I guess you thought we wouldn’t notice, but I did.”
“And you don’t hate me?”
“Of course not. I think it’s wonderful you are in love.”
Love.
It was a single word, but it held such power; the power to create or destroy a life. Yes, he loved Heath. Suddenly, he had the overwhelming urge to speak with the man. They had things to discuss.
“I must leave. There are some things I need to attend to.”
“Go. But promise me you and Harvey will be careful tonight.”
“We will. I’ll bring him back safe to you.”
Kane gave her a wink, then hurried to fetch his horse and ride back to Stokesby Manor. When he arrived, he went straight to the study, but it was empty. Same with the drawing room, billiards room, and every other room Kane checked. Finally, he went to the kitchen.
“Has anyone seen Sir Heath?”
“I believe he went for a walk,” Jenkins said.
A walk. Usually Heath hated to walk because of his leg. Perhaps he was doing the same as he’d done, clearing his mind. Whatever the case, there was no way of knowing where Heath had gone or how long he would be away, so all Kane could do was wait. He returned to the study and tried to occupy his time with reading, but it was useless. Now that he had decided to speak with Heath, he wanted to be done with it.