Pricing The Heart

Chapter 40

"You know not what you speak, nor do I expect you to understand the concept of loving another other than yourself."

"Love?!" He let out a cynical laugh. "You bought a woman, Dave! You stooped low enough to engage in the lowlife practice of wife selling, and rather than hide your face in shame, you drag our family's reputation through the mud with this insane lawsuit!"

David sucked in a breath and stood. "I shall not engage in a yelling match with you." He made for the door.

"You will end this pantomime this very minute, or by God, I shall formally cut all ties with you."

He didn't, and Jon made good on his threat, even going as far as releasing a newspaper publication, dissociating himself from David.

David's thoughts were once again interrupted by a pounding sound. He turned to the door, realizing then that someone stood behind it knocking.

"Enter."

The door slid open, allowing for the light in the hallway to pour into the dimly lit study. "My lord," Mr. Sullivan greeted.

David frowned, displeased by the butler's intrusion of his musings. "What is it?"

"I'm not ignorant of your wishes to remain undisturbed here in your study, but you instructed us to inform you at the earliest of Mr. Donovan's presence."

"Mr. Donovan?" His heart did a little flip at the mention of his solicitor. "Does he appear to bear good news?" he asked. He'd tasked his solicitor with the responsibility of finding Eloise. Several private investigators had been hired, and thousands of pounds had been spent. Yet Eloise remained elusive. She was not to be found in the seaport, nor in the train stations, nor in the many inns and villages within and outside England.

Sullivan shook his head solemnly. It remained a mystery to David how the servants learned of the situation with Eloise. He was uncertain if it was because of the scandalous nature of his lawsuit against James, or because they'd eavesdropped upon his conversations with Mr. Donovan and the private investigators. Whatever it was, the servants appeared eager for her return.

"His countenance gave nothing away, my lord."

"Very well. Bring him to me."

Sullivan left the room. David rose to his feet, stretching both arms above his head, flexing his muscles. He crossed the room and pushed the curtains aside to dispel the darkness, then returned to his desk and began gathering the pieces of papers on it into a single pile. They contained information he'd gathered in the past year about Eloise's possible whereabouts—newspaper articles, interviews conducted on strangers, passengers logbooks and travel destinations of ships, trains and coaches that departed on the day of Eloise's disappearance. But they all proved useless, leading to dead ends. He thought it might be time to burn them to make room for fresher leads.

"My lord?"

David paused in his attempt to clear his desk and turned to the door. Mr. Donovan, a bulky man with a full mass of straight blond hair, stood blocking the entryway. "Please, come in, Mr. Donovan." He waited until he was settled in a chair before reclaiming his seat. "Do you bring me news?"

"There is news, albeit I'm uncertain what to make of it."

Shifting forward in his chair, he rested his elbows on his desk. "Pray tell."

"Three months ago, I spoke to a man, one of the crew members of a ship that left England on the same date the woman you seek went missing. He described a woman who fits your description. Unusually pretty, he'd said. He especially thought it odd to find she was crossing the Atlantic unaccompanied."

"Why am I just hearing of this?" He shook his head.

"Because the two women might share the same features, but they do not share a name. I thought nothing of it... I still think nothing of it. It's grasping at straws, I tell you. But all our findings have led nowhere. It's the only lead we haven't explored." And it was enough to cause hope to bud in David's heart like a delicate flower. Eloise had written in her letter that she was leaving England, and while she hadn't given a hint as to where she was going, David saw then the possibility she might have run off to America. It broke his heart to think she had desired to put such a great distance between them, but he understood her decision. He blamed himself for her decision.

"Then we shall explore it."

"It is too much money, my lord. It will cost a fortune to pursue an elusive woman across the Atlantic. Perhaps..." he let out a shaky breath. "Perhaps you must change course. I'm uncertain if the woman you seek wants to be found."

David bit down on his lower lip so hard he drew blood. He had half the mind to dismiss Mr. Donovan's services, but thought better of it, simply because the man had worked several months on the case and David didn't have the patience to start anew with someone else. Still, it vexed him beyond words to think Mr. Donovan sought to stir him off course. Nothing would stop him in his bid to find Eloise. It was a madness that possessed him severely and would certainly possess him to his grave.

Leaning back, he let out a shaky breath to still his pounding heart. "I shall not be persuaded from finding Eloise, nor do I care to know the cost. You will find out more about this woman, whoever she is, and you will report back to me."

A/N

I'm rushing to finish this story but these characters keep dragging me through this writing mud! Ugh!