Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney Page A

bodies would have been washed away. The aft section is closed enough that we might find someone in there.”
    They settled into the bell and signaled to be pulled up. When they reached the surface, they were immediately swaddled in blankets and offered mugs of steaming tea augmented with sugar and whisky. Will gulped his drink and asked for a refill. After his bones thawed, he went below to change into dry clothing. He kept the blanket.
    When he climbed on deck again, the aft section of the Enterprise was being positioned on the barge. Kirkland helped Archie Mactavish cross between the vessels, for the engineer was grimly determined to see what had gone wrong.
    Two of Bogle’s crewmen used sledges and crowbars to open up the wreckage enough to allow them to enter. Everyone else waited in silence as the wind increased and rain began to fall. Will braced himself when one of the men called, “There’s a body in here.”
    The two workers brought the dead man out and laid him on the floor of the barge, their movements respectful. Randall knelt by the body. After a tense moment, he said, “It’s not Ashton.”
    â€œAye,” the captain said heavily. “’Tis my cousin Donald.” He took off his hat and held it over his heart. “At least now we know.”
    Will released his breath roughly, glad not to have proof of Ash’s death and sorry to be left with uncertainty. “With that mystery settled, let’s look at the engine.”
    A crewman lit lanterns and Will, Mactavish, and the captain entered into the wreckage. Mactavish studied the engine with painstaking thoroughness while the other two men held the lanterns. When he finished scrutinizing the front and sides of the engine, he said, “I see nothing that could have caused the explosion.”
    â€œCome around to the back,” Will suggested. “The engine ripped free of most of its mountings, so you can see this side.”
    Mactavish wriggled by him in the tight, dark space and looked at the back of the boiler. After a moment, he swore viciously. “Look at that.” He pointed the stump of his right arm at a ragged hole in the curving side of the boiler.
    Will frowned at the hole. “Obviously the engine blew from there, but why? A weakness in the boiler casing?”
    â€œLook more closely,” Mactavish growled.
    Will bent close and saw that the edges of hole showed glints of brighter solder. “A weak spot in the boiler was patched here and the repair didn’t hold?”
    â€œThe boiler was perfect. This hole had to have been cut in and patched badly so it would blow after it was in use for a while.”
    Captain Bogle said incredulously, “So that means…”
    Will finished the sentence, his voice savage. “The explosion wasn’t an accident.”

Chapter Ten
    The massive door was opened by a hard-faced man in livery. Seeing who was on the doorstep, the footman tried to slam the door. Adam promptly shoved his foot in the gap, glad he’d worn his heaviest boots. “I will see him,” Adam said grimly. “Will you tell me where he is, or will we have to search the house?”
    â€œThis is an outrage!” the footman snarled as he tried to kick Adam’s foot from the opening. Raising his voice, he said, “Help! The house is being invaded!”
    Ignoring the servant, Adam and his three companions forced the door open. “We should stay together,” Adam snapped. “He’s probably upstairs.”
    As screaming maids and shouting footmen rushed about, Adam and his companions charged up the staircase. In one bedroom, they disrupted an illicit tryst between a squealing maid and a male servant, but they didn’t find the man they sought. When they turned from the last room, Adam said, “The attics.”
    The stairs were painfully narrow, and on this hot day the heat was suffocating. Most of the attic rooms clearly belonged to