Just a Little Wickedness

by Merry Farmer

  “Neither am I,” Alistair said.

  Joe let go of him and crossed to the coat stand, retrieving his own coat as David came out of his office. The three of them darted out of the office, through the hall, and into the street. For the first time in days, Joe was filled with palpable confidence that justice would be served and he and Alistair would have a happy ending.

  The feeling lasted all the way until they made it to the street and nearly ran headlong into Alistair’s brother on the sidewalk in front of the office.

  Chapter 19

  Alistair nearly tripped down the last stair from the building housing Dandie & Wirth to the pavement at the sight of Darren. Deep self-consciousness rushed through him, particularly as he could still feel Joe’s kiss on his lips, but he pushed it away. He’d done nothing wrong.

  Darren flinched at the sight of Alistair and Joe. “I didn’t want to believe it was true, but now I see it with my own eyes,” he said, resting his glare on Joe.

  “What do you see?” Alistair crossed to stand in front of his brother, standing tall and defiant.

  “A sick man and his disgusting lover,” Darren spat. “Having some sort of rendezvous after being explicitly told that if he so much as thought of that man again—” he nodded to Joe, “he’d be disowned.”

  “That’s not what this is,” Alistair informed him.

  “You deny that you sought out that man after I told you what would happen if you did?” Darren demanded.

  “We don’t have time for this.” Joe strode forward to stand by Alistair’s side. “We need to reach Batcliff Cross as soon as possible.”

  “And what is that?” Darren asked, looking as though he would strike Joe at any moment. “Some sort of sordid meeting spot for men like you?”

  “It’s a dock where we believe criminal activity has been taking place,” Joe said.

  “The only criminal activity I care about is what I see in front of me,” Darren snapped at him.

  “We truly don’t have time for this,” David cut in, coming down the stairs and walking past them. He gestured for Alistair and Joe to follow.

  Alistair couldn’t just ignore his brother, though, particularly when Darren asked, “And who is that? Is this whole repugnant affair between three of you or more?”

  David stopped, turning back to Alistair and Joe impatiently, but for all the determination in his expression, it was as if he hadn’t heard Darren’s comment at all. It made Alistair wonder how often David had been the butt of those same sort of cruel comments.

  “As I told you days ago, we have been tracking children who have gone missing,” Alistair said. “We have only just received information—from Lady Matilda, no less—about where they might be.”

  “Lady Matilda deigned to speak to you?” Darren balked. The disbelief in his eyes went beyond disgust, giving Alistair reason to hope all was not lost between them.

  “She cares about these children too, apparently,” Alistair said. “But there isn’t time to stand here chatting about the whole thing. Lives are at stake.”

  He marched past Darren, intending to follow Joe, who had joined David, but Darren grabbed his arm.

  “How can I believe a word you say after you’ve lied to me all these years?” Darren asked.

  “I never lied to you,” Alistair said.

  “Lies of omission are still lies,” Darren said.

  Alistair blew out an impatient breath. “What would you have done if I’d told you years ago? If I’d said something when I first realized who I was?”

  Darren said nothing. He merely pressed his lips shut.

  “Precisely,” Alistair said as though he’d answered. “We need to find these children.”

  He turned to rush on, but was met with the sight of Lionel, Officer Wrexham, and another police officer alighting from a carriage that had pulled up several yards down the street.

  “Another team is on their way to Batcliff Cross,” Lionel said, stepping onto the sidewalk and approaching David and Joe, looking like an angel of vengeance.

  “Who is that?” Darren asked, clearly arrested by Lionel’s appearance.

  “Your worst nightmare,” Lionel answered, then turned back to David. “I took the liberty of discovering Burbage is not at home at the moment.”

  “How on earth did you have time to find that out?” Alistair asked, abandoning Darren for infinitely more important problems.

  “Magic,” Lionel answered in a deadpan, then backed toward the waiting carriage. “There should be enough room for all of us if we squeeze.”

  “We were lucky,” Wrexham told David, glancing to Alistair and Joe as he started toward the carriage. “By chance, we spotted Burbage getting into a cab near Trafalgar Square as we drove through.”

  “Magic, eh?” Joe grinned.

  “You don’t think he could be heading to Batcliff Cross too, do you?” Alistair asked as Joe stepped up into the carriage.

  “Not if he’s smart,” Wrexham answered.

  “I’m going with you,” Darren said, surprising them all as he marched up behind them.

  Alistair whipped to face him with an incredulous look. “You’re doing no such thing.”

  “Either you’re lying and something sinister is going on between you all or you’re not and lives are at stake,” Darren said. “Either way, I want to see it with my own eyes.”

  “Why? So you can manufacture some new reason to have me disowned?” Alistair snapped. “I’ve already more or less given you everything. Do you want more?”

  “I—” Darren pursed his lips and exhaled through his nose. “I want to help.”

  Alistair couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He’d never taken Darren for the meddling type. A little too aggressive sometimes, maybe. But not one to elbow his way in where he wasn’t wanted. All the same, if it came down to some sort of confrontation at the dock, they might need his help.

  “How did you get here?” Alistair asked with a frown.

  “I drove.” Darren nodded to what Alistair now recognized as one of their family carriages at the end of the street.

  “Then make sure your driver keeps up.”

  “I’ll go with him,” Lionel offered, stepping down from the carriage he’d just gotten into, a look of pure mischief on his face. “That’ll keep him on the straight and narrow.” He swayed over to Darren’s side, fixing him with a flirtatious look that was bound to rile Darren into a state of shock.

  “You brought this on yourself,” Alistair told his brother with a smirk, then lunged into the carriage where Joe, David, and the other police officer were waiting.

  “I’d better ride with them,” Wrexham told David with a knowing look, stepping back to join Lionel and Darren. Lionel looked ready to eat Darren, though which definition of that phrase Alistair couldn’t tell. Wrexham would probably prevent some sort of murder from happening on the way to the docks.

  They set off. Alistair’s feeling of confidence, like they might actually be able to do something based on Lady Matilda’s information, had been flattened by his brother’s continued bull-headedness. It wasn’t the feeling he wanted on his way to what could be one of the most important moments of his life.

  “It will be all right,” Joe told him from the seat across from him.

  Alistair shot a sideways look to the officer seated next to him. There was no way to tell if the man was like them or if he had any understanding of the situation he found himself in, so he opted to stay quiet.

  They all remained nearly silent as the carriage wound its way through London traffic to the dockyards east of the city. Alistair had few reasons to travel so far east and was amazed by the sheer volume of trade and shipping he could see out the dirty carriage window. Steel ships rose up above row after row of brick and stone warehouses. It was a far cry from the more patrician buildings of Mayfair, Westminster, and Kensington. The closer they got to the waterfront, the drabber the people around the carriage appeared. And yet, there was a steady resilience to them that made
Alistair certain they were the backbone of everything he held dear.

  He glanced across to Joe, who also studied the world outside of the carriage window, but without a hint of surprise or fascination in his eyes. The people around them were Joe’s people. Or, at least, Joe had come from the same, hearty stock. There was something comforting in knowing that. The world was filled with men and women of strength and heart, people Alistair had never bothered to consider until then. There was so much more to existence than rigid social structures and fulfilling family duties. He could be a part of it. He and Joe could forge a whole new kind of life together in a place between class and birth. They could make a difference in the world.

  By the time the carriage rocked to a stop, Alistair’s confidence had returned.

  “Lady Matilda didn’t know anything more than that whatever Burbage is up to, he does it at Batcliff Cross,” he said as he stepped down from the carriage after David.

  “There are more buildings here than I thought there’d be,” Joe said with a frown as he stepped down and looked around.

  Alistair watched Darren’s carriage pull up behind theirs and waited for his brother and the others to get out. The door opened almost immediately and Darren jumped down as though the devil himself were on his tail. And by the devil, he meant Lionel. Lionel climbed carefully out of the carriage, a smile as bright and impish as a sprite on his pale face.

  “That was fun,” he said, beaming even wider as he crossed the grubby street to join David.

  “You behaved, I trust.” David arched one eyebrow.

  “Of course not.” Lionel grinned. “Did you think I was going to behave myself when trapped in a carriage with a man like that?”

  David rolled his eyes. Alistair caught the same, wary expression on Wrexham’s face as he got out of the carriage and came to join them.

  “This had better not be some sort of sick joke,” Darren growled as he marched up to Alistair’s side. He leaned in close enough to whisper, “That man should be hung for what he is.”

  “For your information, darling, I’m well hung,” Lionel said, flickering an eyebrow at Darren.

  Darren shot Lionel a look of murder, which Lionel returned with three times the threat. On any other day, Alistair would have enjoyed the spectacle. But not then. Especially not when a small team of policemen approached them from the far end of the street.

  “Those are my men,” Wrexham informed them before walking to meet the policemen.

  Alistair fell in behind him, Joe rushing to match his steps. Whatever game Lionel was playing with Darren was forgotten as the two groups met halfway down the street.

  “We found their lair,” one of the new officers said.

  Joe reached to grab Alistair’s arm. He wore a look of desperate anticipation. Alistair’s own heart pounded in expectation. “Did you find Toby and Emma?” he asked. “Or Lily?”

  “We didn’t find anyone,” the officer said, his expression stern. “We were too late. According to one of the dock workers, there was a lot of activity there last night, but that was hours ago.”

  Joe swore under his breath, then whipped around to glare at Darren. “This is your fault. If you hadn’t been so caught up in things that don’t matter, we could have found them last night. We could have caught them.”

  Darren took a step back, his eyes wide with indignation.

  “We didn’t know where to look until Lady Matilda told me this morning,” Alistair reminded Joe, holding him back from charging at Darren.

  “If he hadn’t been such an ass, she might have said something last night,” Joe said.

  Alistair couldn’t argue with that. Neither could Darren, apparently. Darren’s face fell.

  “Never mind about that now,” David said, taking charge. “What’s done is done.”

  “We need to scour the area,” Wrexham stepped up beside him. “Speak to anyone who might have seen or heard anything.”

  “Already done, sir,” the officer said. He turned and gestured to one of his men. That man gestured into one of the buildings. A moment later, a third officer came out, leading a bedraggled woman who looked as though life had been cruel to her.

  “This is Maude,” the first officer explained. “She works on the docks.”

  Alistair had a sick feeling in his stomach at the sight of her, a feeling he didn’t want to know what kind of work she did on the docks.

  “Tell them what you know,” the officer ordered her.

  Poor Maude glanced at the collection of well-dressed men in front of her with fear in her eyes. She shook visibly and swayed on her spot, cowering back. Whatever the miserable woman’s experience with men was, Alistair could tell it wasn’t good.

  It was Lionel who stepped forward, approaching her with a gentle smile and soft manners that were in direct contrast to the way he’d teased Darren. “Tell me, sweetheart. I won’t let any of these big, bad men hurt you.”

  To Alistair’s shock, Lionel’s tactic worked. Maude took one look at him, his impossibly fine clothes, his suddenly effeminate movements, and his compassion-filled face, and burst into tears. “I won’t never forget their crying,” she said, flopping into Lionel’s open arms as he reached to embrace her. “Those poor babies. They kept them locked up there for weeks on end. And then they took them all away last night. Poor things was begging for their mamas.”

  An acidic knot formed in Alistair’s gut, but it was nothing to the look of horror that made Joe’s face go pale. Alistair didn’t care who was watching or what they would think, he looped his arm around Joe’s back and held him close.

  “Do you know where they went, sweeting?” Lionel asked Maude, his voice higher and softer than hers, as he stroked her greasy hair.

  “They didn’t know I was listening,” Maude told him. “I hid in the shadows.”

  Alistair’s back itched with impatience for her to tell them what they needed to know.

  “That was very smart of you.” Lionel continued to stroke her hair, the picture of patience. His voice was hypnotic and soothing as he went on with, “You’ve been very brave. Heaven will reward you for your help.”

  Maude blubbered and sniffed wetly against the shoulder of his expensive coat. “They said something about a China ship, Nightingale.”

  Wrexham instantly gestured toward one of his men. The officer all but sprinted into one of the nearby buildings. Alistair watched the door, his heart thudding in his chest. Joe’s entire body was as tense as stone by his side. He caught the quick look Darren sent him before his brother went back to studying Lionel with utter confusion.

  “That’s exactly what we need to know, darling,” Lionel continued to coo to Maude. “Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. Now, wouldn’t you like a nice cuppa and something to eat, love?” Maude nodded and sobbed, clinging to Lionel. “Why don’t you go with Officer—”

  “Jones, sir,” the nearby officer said, as mesmerized by Lionel as Maude was.

  “Go with Officer Jones. He’ll take you to Lady Clerkenwell’s house in Clerkenwell.” He spoke to the officer, giving instructions. “Lady Clerkenwell will take good care of you.”

  “I don’t want to go with him. He’ll hurt me,” Maude squeaked.

  “I promise, he won’t, love,” Lionel said, facing her and taking her face in both hands. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear, then pulled back, kissing her lips softly and holding her gaze for several long seconds before letting her go.

  Maude stepped back, her mouth open in awe. Officer Jones moved to rest a hand on her back before leading her off to an alley between the buildings. Maude continued to stare at Lionel as though she’d had a visitation from the Virgin Mary.

  “What did you just do to her?” Darren asked with almost as much awe.

  “I treated her with humanity,” Lionel said, as steady and powerful as a monolith. “It’s something you might want to try now and then.”

  The officer who had dashed into the building came out in just as much of a hurry. “
The Nightingale is docked just a quarter mile from here, and she hasn’t left yet.”

  His words shattered the spell that Lionel had cast over all of them. Alistair’s pulse shot up once more as he glanced to Joe.

  “There’s no time to lose,” Joe said, surging into action.

  They didn’t bother with carriages. A quarter mile was nothing, and the traffic on the dock would have taken time to get around. They dashed through Batcliff Cross, dodging dockworkers and sailors as they went about their business. Alistair’s feeling that they were finally getting somewhere turned to panic for a moment as one of the massive ships began to slowly move, tugging away from its dock. He prayed it wasn’t the Nightingale.

  His prayers were answered.

  “It’s this one, sir,” the officer who had come out of the office shouted to Wrexham as they turned a corner to sprint down a long wharf.

  Alistair knew nothing of dockyards and shipping, but he was fairly certain from the way roughly-dressed workers were untying ropes as thick as his arm and gesturing to crew on the deck of the huge ship that the Nightingale was getting ready to leave.

  “Stop what you’re doing at once,” Wrexham shouted to the workers. “This ship isn’t going anywhere until its searched.”

  “By whose authority?” a grizzled, older dockworker in a thick, wool coat called from the end of the wharf.

  “By her majesty’s police,” Wrexham called back.

  Alistair knew the instant he saw the reaction from the crewmen on the deck above them that they’d guessed right. Panic erupted on the deck. Even though none of them could see it, the ship wasn’t so big that Alistair couldn’t hear the sudden shouts and thunder of footsteps above them.

  “We’ve got them,” Joe whispered by his side. “Thank God, we’ve finally got them.” He grabbed Alistair’s hand and held it tight.

  It was agony to wait for the ship to be secured and for the crewmen above to be convinced to let down a gangway and to allow Wrexham and the other officers to board. Alistair and Joe charged aboard as well, David and Lionel following. Even Darren moved warily aboard the ship, his eyes wide with expectation and his mouth firmly shut. Darren’s face lost all its color at the first, distant sound of a child screaming.