Scoundrel With A Noble Heart (sequel of Disgraceful)

Chapter 69

A Daring Venture

"May I ask what brings you here at this hour?"

The question reminded Marguerite of the purpose of her daring venture. In normal circumstances, she wouldn't have dreamed of breaking her promise to the man she loved, but the unexpected turn of events had left her with no other option.

"I.. I know this is inappropriate, but there's a rather urgent matter."

"This is not inappropriate. This is outrageous."

Mannheim's frank reply made her blush with embarrassment.
"I have no choice. I can't think of anyone else to ask for help."

"Wait, first I want to know how you managed to find me?"

"I searched your address in the membership book." She admitted with a touch of guilt, but the corner of his lips slightly pulled up into a faint smile, as if he found it amusing.
"Alright. Now what was so urgent it couldn't wait until morning?"

"I'll explain it to you, but can I sit first?"

At her question, Mannheim's smile widened into a grin, and he gestured towards the sofa.
"Of course. Pardon me for being a terrible host. May I offer you some tea?"

"I'm fine, thanks."
Marguerite took a seat on a velvet upholstered couch. She waited until Mannheim had settled himself in the seat opposite her before starting her story.

"Three days ago, Matthew went out of town. He told us he had to supervise the renovation of his hotel in Yorkshire. The very next day, the father of Lady Arabella Winthrop came to the club. Apparently the lady has disappeared, and the Viscount accused Matthew of kidnapping his daughter."

Shock registered on Mannheim's face.
"On what grounds?"

"The lady disappeared on the exact same day that Matthew left, and for some other reason, the Viscount was convinced that his daughter was running away with Matthew. You should have seen him. The man was so angry he looked like he was capable of murder. I'm really worried about Matthew's safety."

Marguerite waited expectantly as her host took time to contemplate the news. He too, looked baffled and more than slightly surprised.
"Well, I must say the fact that Matthew and Lady A disappeared at the same time is highly suspicious but there's no concrete evidence that they ran away together."

"Bill was certain that it was no coincidence. He headed to Gretna shortly afterwards, to stop Matthew from marrying the lady."

He let out a soft chuckle,
"Speaking from experience, Bill Wagner has a worrying habit of jumping into conclusions. Anyway, what does all of this have to do with me?"

"You'll understand once I finish the story. Today I just received a message from Bill. He had an accident and broke his legs. Thankfully, he'd been taken care of and now is in good hands. However, since he cannot continue with the task, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I'm going after him. But I can't go all by myself..."

His eyes flickered in alarm.
"No, you can't mean that..."

"Please, I don't know anyone else that I can ask for help."

Mannheim shook his head,
"Listen. There's no point in trying to come after them. We don't even know for sure where he is now. He could be anywhere in the country. Trying to find him is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Gretna Green." She begged. "It's only a two days ride away from London. I'd be forever grateful if you could help accompany me-"

"If they indeed ran away to Gretna, they would have been married to each other by now, so what's the point of chasing them?"