by Laura Landon
“Lily told me that you lived in Whitechapel. How is it that the son of the Earl of Mentlock lives in Whitechapel?”
Cleary placed his cup and saucer on the table in front of him and faced each person in the room with a serious look. “As you know, I’m my father’s youngest son. I have four older brothers. Although my father is not destitute, neither is he wealthy enough to provide for five sons and two daughters. I was therefore left on my own to support myself.”
“As it happens, I am well acquainted with your sisters,” Millie said. “They are two of the few members of Society whose invitations I continue to enjoy.”
“I’m grateful that my sisters have found you for a friend,” Cleary smiled.
“Your friendship with our Lily seems quite longstanding,” Liam smiled. “How is it you came to know her?”
Jack watched a moment of uncertainty pass across Cleary’s face, but in a flash it settled. “Well,” he said, “when Lily was quite young, I was hired by her father to protect her.”
“You knew our father?”
“I knew him and, although I disapproved of many things he did, I also appreciated him. He was a clever businessman. I’m sure you realize he must have been, considering the amount of wealth and property he left both you and Lily.”
“Are you saying that some of the wealth he left us was acquired legally?”
Matthew smiled at Liam’s question. “Why, all of it, I would venture to say.”
“Given what I know, that seems unlikely,” Liam said.
“There are many things you’re not aware of concerning your father,” Cleary answered, focusing on Liam. “He was a man with many stripes. I often called him a chameleon, both to his face and behind his back.”
“I’m beginning to see that,” Liam answered.
“As it turned out, he and I were involved in one or two business ventures together. I was wise enough to follow his advice and we ended up being…I won’t say friends, but at least we were not enemies. After Lily was born, and her mother was unable to raise her, Gunner took over the responsibility of caring for her. It didn’t take him long, however, to realize Lily needed someone to watch over her and protect her. Whitechapel wasn’t the place to raise a beautiful child, especially one who was vulnerable to the number of enemies Gunner had.”
“So, Gunner hired you to protect her,” Jack said. Everything was becoming much clearer concerning Matthew’s connection to Lily.
“Quite right. And he paid me very well, although I would have watched over Lily for no payment after I’d been around her for the first five minutes. As you all know, there is something very special about her.”
Jack matched Millie and Liam’s smile. Yes, there was something very special about Lily.
“I imagine that’s why she asked me to guard the lady you have hidden upstairs.”
“Has she told you anything about her?”
“No, but she doesn’t have to. Knowing Lily, I would guess the lady is married to a husband who abuses her.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because protecting women whose husbands beat them is a mission of mine,” Lily said from the doorway. “Because I know what it’s like to be at the mercy of a beast.”
Jack felt blindsided by this information. The suggestion that Lily may have been involved with another man—especially a brute of a man—tore him to bits.
“Lily?” Jack said, wanting to take her in his arms and protect her.
“Yes, Jack. I nearly married a man just like your cousin, a man who used his fists to make himself feel important.”
Jack wanted to know who the bastard was who’d laid a hand on Lily. If he knew who he was, he’d— “Where is this man now?” Jack asked.
“He’s dead,” Matthew Cleary answered. “He didn’t deserve to live.”
Jack looked in stunned disbelief at the man Lily had brought here to protect Lady Margaret from his cousin. Cleary had so much as admitted he’d killed the man. Did that mean Lily had helped? Was it possible she might be complicit in the man’s murder?
Jack swallowed back the angry bile that rose to his throat. His anger was not for Lily, though, but for the man who had nearly snuffed out her spirit.
“Thank you,” Jack said.
And he meant it.
BEHOLD THE THIEF by Laura Landon
Chapter Eighteen
Lily sat beside Jack as they traveled to Wesley’s flat. They’d spoken very little since she’d revealed that she had once thought she loved a man who beat her. The experience had sealed her future, but it may have just torn apart a tender beginning with Jack.
At last he spoke. “I’m impressed with Matthew Cleary,” he said, turning down the street that would take them close to Wesley’s. “I’m glad you had him to watch over you.”
“So am I,” Lily answered. He’d broached the subject and she knew she should take advantage of the opportunity to explain the mission to which she was devoting her life. But it was hard. So hard to reveal a side of her that had nothing to do with polite society and everything to do with survival. It would change his image of her forever.
But perhaps that’s what she wanted.
“You should know, Jack, that since the night I was beaten, I’ve made it my mission to save women who are in that situation. That’s what the disguises were all about.”
It felt good to reveal the rest of her story. When Jack had encountered Miss Cavendish on Lily’s front porch, she’d only given him a few sparse highlights by way of explanation. It was time, now, to fill in the details. To see if he could accept her once he fully understood.
“Save them?”
“Yes. Rescue them. From the trap that keeps them suffering at the hands of the very brutes they depend on for their livelihoods.”
“But, where do you take them?”
Lily smiled. “Some of them have family they want to stay with. We reunite them, and within months they’ve built new, happy lives. Many, however, are not removed from their homes. Whitechapel is the only home they’ve ever known. Some of the blokes see reason and things go well for their families. Others agree to leave, and I help the women find employment so they can support their families. Give them enough money to start a new life.”
“But the ones that don’t, Lily. Does Cleary eliminate them like he did the man who abused you?”
Lily smiled, then placed her hand over his. “No, Jack. Matthew doesn’t eliminate them. He talks to them to give them one more chance to change.”
“And if they don’t?”
“He puts them on a ship bound for Australia.”
Jack looked aghast.
“Kidnapping.”
His face grew a bit gray around the edges.
She’d clearly startled him with this revelation, and she expected him to challenge her. But he did not.
“Is that what you’re going to do with Russell?”
Lily shook her head. “The rules we can follow in Whitechapel don’t apply here. I can hardly ship a member of Society to Australia and hope that no one notices.”
“So, what are we going to do?”
“Instead of removing Russell from London, we’re going to remove Lady Margaret. I have several options when it comes to where she will be most safe.”
Jack seemed to recover a bit as his voice took on a sarcastic tone. “Let me guess. Gunner has left you a country estate or two that you have converted into homes where the beaten women will be safe.”
Lily smiled. “That’s exactly what I’ve done.”
Jack just shook his head as he pulled their carriage off the street. She’d done it now. She could see that her forays into the lives of these downtrodden women were more than he was comfortable with.
So much more needed to be said, but it would have to wait.
“Wesley lives here?” she asked, studying the old building in front of them.
“Yes. It’s nothing fancy, but he once told me that it serves his purposes.”
“Wh
at purposes are those?”
“It keeps him out from under his father’s roof, and far away from Russell.”
“I can see where there are advantages to that.”
Jack exited the carriage, then lowered the step and helped Lily to the ground. Wesley answered the door on the second knock.
“Cousin. Miss McGregor,” he said in greeting. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
“May we come in, Wesley?” Jack asked.
“Of course,” he said bowing regally. “Today’s been my day for unexpected visitors.”
“Really,” Jack said when they reached a small parlor. “Who else has been to see you, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Both my father and my brother.”
Wesley motioned for them to have a seat as Jack asked his first question. “What did they want?”
“Oddly enough, they wanted to know if I knew where my sister-in-law is.”
“And do you?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you. I’d be with Margaret some place far away from here where Russell couldn’t lay a hand on her ever again.”
Lily and Jack shared a look. Young Wesley had expressed more care and concern for Lady Margaret than her own husband had ever spared her.
Wesley rose to pour himself a cup of tea. “Would you join me?” he asked. “The tea is freshly brewed.”
“Not me,” Jack said, “but I’m sure Lily would take a cup.”
“Yes, please,” Lily answered.
Wesley served her tea in a garden-variety cup, then sat in the chair facing the sofa where she and Jack sat. The difference between the opulence of Russell’s home and the simplicity of Wesley’s flat echoed the grave difference in the brothers’ demeanors.
“How badly did he injure her this time?” Wesley asked.
“Badly enough,” Jack answered.
“Damn him,” Wesley cursed, then rose to add some brandy to his tea. “My apologies, Miss McGregor. I swore I would never let him touch her again, but I’m as useless in protecting Margaret as I am in everything else I vowed I would do.”
“Russell’s actions aren’t your fault. You can’t be blamed for what he does.”
“Then who is to blame?”
“Russell,” Lily said. “He’s the one to blame. And your father. For allowing his son to go through life assuming he could abuse his wife.”
“Have you seen my father, lately?”
“Yes,” Jack answered. “That’s one of the reasons we’re here.” Jack turned his head and looked to Lily to explain.
“Are you aware that your father is the one who stole a priceless figurine from the Earl of Manchester’s home during a ball they were hosting?”
Wesley’s eyes opened wide in shock. “Bloody hell! Father did that? What is wrong with him?”
“According to your father, he needed the money the figurine would bring when he sold it on my auction.”
“That’s a lie. Russell has put him up to this, damn his hide. What he should have said was that Russell needs the money the figurine would bring. He’s hounded me every day for the past two weeks because he needs money. Except I don’t have any to give him. And, even if I did, I wouldn’t. I’d never get it back.”
“Why is he desperate for money?”
“To pay his gambling debts. He always thinks he’s going to win, but he has the worst luck imaginable. He was even desperate enough to go to Margaret’s father for a loan, but even Lord Tenbarton turned him down. He knew Russell would never pay the money back.”
Lily nodded. “That was no doubt why he struck his wife. To get back at his father-in-law. Perhaps he even thought Lady Margaret would run to Lord Tenbarton for protection and the man would feel forced to give him money for the sake of his daughter.”
Wesley seemed surprised by her conjecture. “What man would do that?”
Lily took a long breath. “More men than you might imagine,” she sighed. “Trust me.”
“Well, obviously, his plan didn’t work. She went to you, instead,” he said looking at Lily. “Didn’t she?”
“Yes.”
Wesley took a drink of his brandy-laced tea and stared at Jack. “Which one of my family struck you, Jack? My father? Or my brother?”
“Your father.”
Wesley shook his head, half in anger and half in frustration.
“The more he’s convinced he’s the true Marquess of Riverdon, the more violent he’s becoming. I sometimes despair, Jack. You might want to warn your father to watch his back. My father is losing his hold on reality and his thoughts are becoming more violent.”
“And your brother?”
“My brother, too. They feed each other in their delusion.”
Jack hesitated. “And what about you?” Jack asked his cousin.
“What? Are you asking if I believe my father is the real Marquess of Riverdon?”
When Jack didn’t answer right away, Wesley released a booming bark of laughter.
“No, Jack. I haven’t bought into my father’s lunacy. He’s not the marquess, your father is. And if he somehow did become the real marquess, any money your father had amassed would be gone within a year. Either because of my father’s wild investments or my brother’s reckless gambling.”
“How do you suggest we handle your father and brother?”
Wesley’s expression turned serious. “The only suggestion I can offer is for you to stay as far away from both of them as possible. And hope that they come to their senses.”
“And the chances of that happening?” Jack asked.
“I’d say little to none.”
On that sad note, Jack and Lily rose, thanked him for his time and walked to the entrance. They knew what they’d hoped to discover, and could rest assured that Wesley was not an accomplice. Instead, they were pleased to know that he would be an ally, particularly with regard to Lady Margaret.
Before he opened the door, Wesley turned to them.
“You’ll take care of her, won’t you? Don’t let anyone force her to go back to my brother. She won’t live if she does.”
Lily carried a tea tray to the terrace to join Lady Margaret. It had been a week since Lily had rescued her from her abusive husband and every day she seemed a little stronger than she’d been the day before, both mentally and physically. Soon she would be ready to travel to Warwickshire and take temporary lodging in the country house.
Lily would never regret what she’d done. She would never feel guilty for taking Margaret away from her violent husband. She was sure that Margaret was alive today because of her actions. Just as sure as she was that the pressure she and Jack had been applying would trigger Russell’s anger.
“A penny for your thoughts,” Lily said when she placed the tea tray on the table where Margaret sat. The lady had been staring off into space with a wistful smile. She obviously wasn’t thinking about her husband.
“I was noticing what a beautiful day it is.” She turned to face Lily. “You know, I couldn’t notice how beautiful the days were when I lived in fear day in and day out. Peace didn’t even come when I knew Russell had left the house, because I’d spend every moment straining to hear when he would return to terrorize me.”
Lily poured two cups of tea and handed one to Margaret, then sat in the chair opposite her houseguest. Margaret took a sip of her tea, then placed her cup on its saucer and lifted her gaze to look at Lily.
“I had quite a lovely dowry, you know.”
Lily raised an eyebrow at that revelation. She waited for Lady Margaret to say more, but she did not. Instead, she merely sighed, as if accepting her fate.
“How’s this going to end, Lily?”
The worry on Margaret’s face tore at Lily’s heart. She knew how afraid Margaret was that she’d be forced to go back to her husband and that would be the last thing Lily would allow. But so far, she didn’t have an answer to Margaret’s question.
“You and the children will be taking the air in Warwick
shire for a month when you’re ready. You’ll quite like it there. While you’re gone, we’ll sort out Russell and give him the opportunity to change his ways. When—if— we’re convinced he’s mended, we’ll think about bringing you home.” She reached across to pat Lady Margaret’s hand. “Until then, you must give yourself the freedom of enjoying days just like this, all right?”
Lily didn’t want Margaret to worry yet about what would happen if Russell discovered where his wife was hiding. The law wasn’t helpful when it came to granting women a way to escape a violent marriage, so she began to change the subject.
But the sound of booted heels clicking on the hardwood floor of the library did it for her. She turned her head as Jack stepped out onto the terrace.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” he said, moving toward them and taking a seat when he reached the table. “Very wise of you to be out enjoying this beautiful day.”
“It is beautiful,” Lily said. “I wish every day would be like today.”
“You’re not asking for too much, are you my dear?” Jack said. “This is England, after all.”
“That it is,” Lily smiled.
Jack’s smile was half-hearted, a clear signal that Lily couldn’t miss.
“Is something wrong, Jack?”
“Possibly,” he said.
He included Lady Margaret in his gaze and Lily knew that whatever had happened involved either Margaret or her no-good husband.
“Go ahead,” Lady Margaret said when she realized she was the reason for his hesitation. “If it involves Russell, I need to hear it.”
“Very well,” Jack said, then leaned forward in his chair and anchored his forearms on the table. “Russell came to see me today,” he said in a serious tone of voice.
Lily thought he was telling them because he wanted Lady Margaret to know, but he kept his gaze focused on her. Lily knew then that whatever he intended to say was meant for her ears even more than for Lady Margaret’s.
“Go on, Jack,” Lily said.
“I think he believes you had something to do with his wife’s disappearance.”