Midnight Kisses (Midnight Series) by Emily Bold Page A

found her crumpled to a heap in the foyer and crying her eyes out.
    “Eliza, darling? Are you alright? What’s wrong? Where is Danielle? We found your note  . . .  ”
    “Oh, Colin!” she forced herself into her husband’s safe embrace, and the words just came tumbling out: “We were at the museum. Danielle was sure to have found the Venus , and she hoped the painting itself might offer a clue as to Langston’s murderers. We separated, and when I finally found the Goddess I ran back to fetch Danielle. But she was no longer there. At first, I thought she was perhaps in a different exhibition room, but she wasn’t there either, and so I ran out into the street. The last thing I saw was her climbing into a carriage in the company of a man. She would never have gone by herself, not without telling me first. At least not of her own free will. Oh my god, I’m so scared!”
    Devlin felt all the color drain from his face, and an utterly unfamiliar feeling of despair took hold of him.
    “I know who the man is,” Eliza added. “But that’s not going to help us, for we don’t know where he’s taking her.”
    “Who? Who is it?” Devlin cried out.
    “Danielle introduced us a few days ago. His name is Foster. Frank Foster. She said he was a nice gentleman from Essex.”
    “Foster? Describe him to me!” Devlin demanded, and the fear was like a knot in the pit of his stomach.
    “He was quite normal looking, wearing a hat, and he had short, dark blond hair.”
    “That’s him! I think I know where he’s taking Danielle. All roads lead to that one place! I already saw that Frank Foster fellow today. And, if I’m not mistaken, he was also the one who broke into Danielle’s house. He must have been looking for Langston’s notes. If he risked killing Langston over these notes, then he’s not above hurting Danielle!”
    Devlin rushed to the door.
    “Weston, you’re not going by yourself, are you?” Lord Bosworth stopped him. “Eliza, go and fetch me my pistols,” he ordered.
    “Are you sure you want to come with me? I’m quite certain they took Danielle to Lulu’s . It will ruin your reputation if someone sees you there,” Devlin pointed out.
    “ Lulu’s , you say? Well, I’m not keen on taking on Lou Corbett, but it can’t be helped. Of course I’ll come with you!”
    “Lou Corbett? What does he have to do with anything?”
    “He owns Lulu’s . The man’s a phantom. Everyone is afraid of Lou because no one knows what exactly he does, and only very few have ever seen him face-to-face.”
    Devlin tried to connect the dots. Was Lou Corbett also the so-called expert Langston had met with? Could he be the missing link to Langston’s disgraceful death?

    Lulu flinched and pulled her hand out of her current customer’s pants when the front door was pushed open and Frank entered, together with an ashen-faced woman. Without taking a further look or stopping, Frank pushed the woman directly up the stairs.
    “Hey, what the hell? Keep doing what you’re doing!” the man hissed, grabbing at Lulu’s hand.
    “Listen, sweetie,” she breathed a kiss on his lips. “You could do me a favor. It’s blonde Lulu’s birthday today, and she hasn’t had a mighty cock such as yours in a long time. Why don’t you go show her who’s boss. In return, I’ll do you for free on your birthday,” she chirped and pushed her tongue into his ear.
    “For free?”
    “Sure, sweetie, as long and as often as you like.”
    Then she motioned for blonde Lulu to take over her customer and, grabbing a bottle of whisky and two glasses on the way, hurried up the stairs. In passing, she could overhear: “It’s your birthday? How about you blow out my candle  . . .  ”
    “Birthday? Sure, whatever you say, honey, whatever you say.”

    It had taken Danielle a moment to get over her shock, but now she forced herself to get her nervousness under control and search for a way out. She clutched the dolphin painting against her