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The duke eyed her quietly for aon her she looked at hiood news?”

Ned stuck in sourly at that ood about it? Useless if you askthat we can’t find”

The duke held up his hand, at that and said, “Perhaps not as useless as you think, Ned What we need now is a description of this Hawkins fellow and his habits, his haunts He er he is walking about freely, thinking no one is looking for him”

“Have it he is a big covey,” stuck in Chauncey “A sight larger than ar make bait by all accounts and wot’s more, ‘tis said he don’t pound deal”

Mandy leaned in toward her brother and whispered, “Pound-deal?”

“Honest work, sis,” her brother supplied with a grin, evidently pleased to have one up on her

“Thought so, just wanted to be sure,” she said and returned her attention to the duke’s face He looked so very serious

“Also,” put in Chauncey pulling at his lower lip, “I wasn’t outright told, but had the notion that this Hawkins covey rides the high toby a bit”

“And does he frequent the Red Hart?” the duke asked

“Aye, but he hasn’t been seen there in a feeeks”

“And what about Elly?” Mandy stuck in “Were you able to learn anything about her whereabouts?”

“More’s the pity,sadly “M’friend says he always thought her a prime mort, not up to the bobbery of ‘er covey, this Hawkins bloke But there, no telling wot fetch a mort will take in her noddle when her heart be in it,” Chauncey pronounced

“And what about this Bow Street Runner?” Mandy asked casting an accusing eye at the duke She wasn’t being fair, she knew, but she couldn’t see e on such a superior air as though he were the only one who knew anything about everything

“Yes,” the duke said softly, a s his lips as she scowled at him “I too would like to hear about your encounter with the runner”

“By Jove, yes!” Ned said cheering up “We noted this stranger had arrived at the inn, and he had a look about hiht ‘un, up to snuff on everything Said the cove didn’t look like a cit, farentle just that, when the fellow up and raises his bumper of ale at us, and calls on the weather for conversation” Ned h and what must he do but call on us to join him in a drink” Ned shook his head and looked at Chauncey “We nearly died on the spot because by then, we had a notion what he was, you see Well, we tried to cry off, but he would hear nothing of it” He gave his sister’s shoulder a shove, “Mandy, he tipped his hat and told us his na to lease so”