That was the promise she was most fearful he wouldn’t be able to keep.
She paced the library from one side to the other, checking the window that led to the street outside with each pass. The handkerchief in her hand was nearly shredded from the twisting torture it had endured. And her stomach was tied in knots. But she told herself it would soon be over. That soon Edward would come to tell her everything was all right.
She paced the room once more then stopped at the rap on the front door. She breathed an unbelievable sigh of relief, then turned to wait for her butler to announce Edward.
“My lady. You have a guest. Mr. Byron Elsberry.”
Alyssa’s breath caught.
“Are you receiving?”
“Yes.”
Her butler stepped back and a man she’d never met entered the room. There was a serious expression on his face, and Alyssa knew at once that something was wrong.
“Lady Lindleigh. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Byron Elsberry, an acquaintance of the Duke of Townsend. I am the solicitor in charge of the sale of a certain property on Conner Street.”
It was taking too long for the man to get to the point of his visit. She simply wanted to know why he was here. “Yes? Has something happened?”
“I’m afraid something has.”
“What?”
“The Duke of Townsend has been injured. Quite severely, I’m afraid.”
Alyssa’s hand went to her mouth to stifle the cry that threatened to escape.
“He has asked to see you.”
“Of course. Of course.”
Alyssa led the way from the room. A footman placed a cloak around her shoulders and she numbly went with Mr. Elsberry to the waiting carriage. The speed at which the carriage rolled through the streets of London told her how badly Edward must be injured.
Alyssa clasped her hands in her lap and prayed that Edward would survive. She wasn’t sure she could survive without him.
Chapter Fourteen
Edward waited with Nick and Joshua Winslow in an alley across the street from the abandoned block building that had once been a boarding house. Nick had two agents watching the back entrance, and another two watching a side entrance. They’d held their posts for more than an hour but had seen nothing.
Then, a small cart slowly turned the corner and went to the end of the alley behind the building. A door opened, then several men began unloading cases and carrying them inside the building.
Nick signaled the men watching the back and side entrance, and they converged on the building from the opposite side, so the men carrying cases into the building wouldn’t see them.
Nick, Edward, and Winslow entered from the front. The interior was dark. The only advantage any of them had was that they’d been inside the building before.
Nick held up his hand to halt their progress and they stopped, then listened. They heard the smugglers working from someplace up ahead. There must be another exit they didn’t know about. An exit to another room where the smuggled goods were stored.
They continued their forward progress and stepped inside a larger room with their guns pointed. But nothing prepared Edward for what was before him.
“Come in, Your Grace,” Byron Elsberry said.
The room they’d entered was large and adequately lit. The three smugglers who had exited from the alley with smuggled cargo stood at various points around the room. Each man held a gun in his hand that was pointed at them.
But it wasn’t on Byron Elsberry that Edward focused. Nor was it on the guns in the smugglers’ hands that stopped the air from entering his lungs. Gnarled fingers of dread clamped around his heart and prevented it from beating in his chest.
The sight of Alyssa in Byron Elsberry’s grasp nearly brought him to his knees. He held her in front of him, using her as a human shield.
The look of terror on her face as Elsberry clamped one arm around her chest and pressed a pistol to her temple horrified him. Watching her lips tremble as she struggled to pretend to be brave in the face of death tore his heart from his chest.
“Come in, gentlemen,” Elsberry repeated. “But please, drop your weapons first. I’d hate to have to blow a hole in the lady’s head.”
Edward, Nick, and Joshua Winslow dropped their guns to the floor.
“Let her go, Elsberry,” Edward said.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. The lady is essential to my escape.”
“You can take me,” Edward said as he took a step forward. “Just let Lady Lindleigh go.”
Elsberry’s pistol pressed harder against Alyssa’s temple. “I’d stop right there if I were you, Your Grace.”
Nick’s hand clamped down on Edward’s shoulder and prevented him from going further.
“If you harm one hair on the lady’s head, you’re a dead man, Elsberry,” Edward hissed.
“I’m afraid your threats are quite empty, Your Grace,” Elsberry said on a sneering laugh. “Now, back up against the wall.”
Edward had no choice. He stepped back. So did Nick and Winslow.
“Carry the rest of the cargo above,” Elsberry ordered, and the three smugglers began to carry cases of contraband out a second door in the rear of the room.
Edward kept his gaze locked with Alyssa’s. He tried to assure her that she would be all right. He tried to give her an unspoken promise that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. But the terror on her face told him how frightened she was.
“Is the sale of a few bottles of French wine worth what you’ve done?” Edward asked.
Elsberry laughed. “You have no idea what this wine is worth.”
“I know you considered it more valuable that Lord Lindleigh’s life.”
“That was unfortunate.” Elsberry glanced down at Alyssa. “Your husband was too curious for his own good. He found out what we were doing and I had no choice. He had to be eliminated.”
“So you resorted to murder.”
A sinister grin covered Elsberry’s face. “I would have resorted to a multitude of murders for the treasures I gain.”
Edward knew what he meant. Suddenly, everything was clear. At first glance it may seem like a simple smuggling operation, but Edward knew they’d stumbled on how the jewels were smuggled into England. And who was behind the operation.
“Let her go,” Edward said. “You have us. Why do you need the lady?”
“For insurance. She’s my safe passage away from here.”
Elsberry pressed the gun deeper against Alyssa’s temple.
Edward lunged forward but Nick’s fingers clamped around his arm to stop him.
“Careful, Your Grace,” Elsberry threatened. “There’s nothing I’d enjoy more than killing you.”
“You won’t get away with this,” Edward said in the most threatening voice he had. He couldn’t bear the thought of Alyssa trapped in this monster’s hold.
A sly grin turned Elsberry’s face from pleasantly handsome, to something frightening. “Your threats are useless, Your Grace. I give the orders here, and you will follow them.”
“Then take me. Let Lady Lindleigh go, and take me.”
Elsberry’s demented laughter echoed in the cavernous room. “I’m not a fool, Your Grace. The lady is the only guarantee I have that I will be granted safe passage. I saw the way you looked at her the first time I saw you together. It was obvious then that you would move heaven and earth to keep her safe. And this is so much easier. All you have to do is guarantee my safety and she will be returned to you unharmed.”
“When?”
“So inquisitive, Your Grace. You know what happened to the cat that had that same bad habit.”
“When!”
“That depends entirely upon you. On how convinced I am that you will never come after me.”
“So help me, I’ll see you d—”
“Enough! You’ve demanded enough.”
They paused, and Edward heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. A man Edward had never seen before ente
red the room. From his attitude and the way he looked at Elsberry, Edward assumed this was the contact man Elsberry needed to take care of the deliveries. He was obviously Elsberry’s partner.
“I see you have things under control,” the man said with a superior grin on his face. He glanced down at the last three boxes on the floor. “Are these the last of them?”
“Yes, the rest have been taken to the safe house.”
When the smugglers returned, the man who’d joined them pointed to the last three cases on the floor. “Take these up, then go to the wagon.”
The three smugglers leaned down to pick up the last of the cases. But when the smuggler nearest Elsberry reached for the case at Elsberry’s feet, Elsberry put his foot on it. “That one’s mine.” He looked at the two remaining smugglers. “Get those cases stowed so we can get out of here.”
The smugglers carried the two remaining cases out but left the third one at Elsberry’s feet.
When they were alone, Elsberry’s partner nodded to where Edward, Nick, and Winslow stood. “What are we going to do with them?”
“We’re going to leave them here.”
The man’s eyes opened wide. “Alive?”
“Yes. That’s why we have Lady Lindleigh.”
“That’s foolish, if you ask me.”
“No one’s asking you, Carney.”
Elsberry was definitely in charge of the smuggling operation. He was obviously the one who made all the decisions and issued all the orders. From the look on the other man’s face, he didn’t like the arrangement. But Elsberry didn’t seem to care.
Elsberry kicked the box beneath his foot. “Open it.”
“What the hell for?” Carney asked. “Now’s not the time to drink any French wine.”
“Just open the box,” Elsberry ordered again.
The man bent down and opened the crate.
“Now, hand me the bottle on the end.”
The man reached for a bottle.
“No, the other end.”
The man reached for the last bottle on the other side.
“Open it.”
“Listen, you popinjay. I ain’t your—”
“Open it!”
The man struggled to open the bottle. When he finally got it open he held it out.
“Empty it.”
“What!”
“Pour it out!”
The man tipped the bottle and poured the expensive French wine to the ground.
Edward heard the first clink against the glass before the man pouring out the wine did.
“That’s enough. Now, hand me the bottle.”
Elsberry’s partner tipped the bottle upright. That’s when he heard it. The clink of something solid hitting the sides and bottom of the bottle.
“What the…”
Elsberry’s partner held his hand beneath the open bottle. Several expensive jewels came out along with the last drops of wine.
The man’s face turned a mottled red. His gaze narrowed, and the look in his eyes filled with hatred. “You lousy son of a bitch. This is why you demanded one case from every shipment. Why you made sure you were here each time a shipment arrived. All this time I thought we were smuggling in French wine, and you were using the cargo to smuggle jewels.”
“Did you really think I was satisfied with a measly share of the profits from the sale of a few bottles of wine?” Elsberry laughed. “Fool! Now, hand me the bottle.”
“Go to he—”
Before the man could finish his sentence, Elsberry raised his pistol and blew a hole in his partner’s forehead.
Chapter Fifteen
Edward kept his gaze locked with Alyssa’s. He wanted her to know that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
“Now, step back against the wall,” Elsberry said. “Now!”
Edward stepped back along with Nick and Winslow. “You won’t get away with this,” Edward said.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Elsberry answered, stuffing the jewels into his jacket pocket. “I have every intention of getting away, and I’m counting on Lady Lindleigh to help me.”
Edward knew he couldn’t allow Elsberry to leave the building with Alyssa. He knew if he did, they’d never see her again.
Edward searched the floor for the guns they’d dropped when they entered. He located the gun closest to him, and made his decision. Even if he couldn’t reach the gun before Elsberry realized what he was doing and shot him, it would give Nick and Joshua Winslow time to react. It would also give Alyssa the opportunity to break free.
He let his gaze focus on Alyssa once more, just long enough to put her features to memory, then lunged toward the nearest gun.
“No!” he heard Alyssa cry out.
A fiery pain stung his shoulder and he knew he’d been hit. He reached for the gun, but he seemed to move in slow motion. It seemed to take forever for him to grip the gun in his hand and turn.
When Alyssa realized what Edward intended to do, she flung herself into Elsberry. She knocked him off balance enough that he was unable to fire a second shot in Edward’s direction. But Elsberry swung his hand through the air and the gun in his grip connected with the side of Alyssa’s head.
Alyssa fell to the ground, leaving Elsberry exposed.
Edward fired his gun the same moment Elsberry answered the shot with one of his own.
Edward felt another fiery sting, this time to his arm, but before his hand lost the grip on the gun, he squeezed the trigger again. This shot hit its mark the same as his first one had.
A look of shocked disbelief covered Elsberry’s face as he stared at the growing circles darkening his chest and his torso. Then a gush of blood spilled from his mouth and he crumpled to the ground.
Edward turned to the spot where Alyssa lay unconscious on the ground and tried to get to her, but his body wouldn’t allow him to move.
In an instant, Nick was with him. “Alyssa,” Edward whispered in a hoarse voice, and Nick leaped across the floor to Alyssa’s side.
“She’s fine,” Nick assured him. “Just unconscious. But we need to get you both home to the doctor.”
Nick’s men swarmed the room and brought with them the smugglers they’d apprehended.
Winslow helped Edward to his feet. Nick walked past them with Alyssa in his arms. The place where Elsberry had struck her was already turning dark.
She’d saved his life. If she hadn’t knocked Elsberry off balance, Edward would be suffering from a wound much more grievous than a shoulder wound. He would most likely be dead.
He leaned on Winslow as they followed Nick to the carriage. The minute Edward sank against the cushions, darkness engulfed him.
Edward slowly opened his eyes to find his room crowded. Gideon and Eve stood at the foot of the bed. Benjamin and Rachael stood on one side. And Winnifred and Nick on the other. He was happy to see them, of course, but the person he was most anxious to locate was Alyssa. He found her in a chair near the bed.
“How do you feel, Father?” Gideon asked. Eve reached for a glass of water and held it to his lips. The caregiver in her came to the forefront.
“Like someone shot me,” he answered.
Everyone in the room laughed, but Edward noticed that through the laughter, Winnie, Eve, and Rachel brushed at the tears that spilled from their eyes.
“I hope you know how concerned we were,” Benjamin said in his teasing manner. But there was something quite serious in his tone.
“I’m sorry I worried you.”
“Just be sure you never do something like this again,” Gideon said.
Edward couldn’t help but smile. There was nothing teasing in his tone, or in the expression on his face.
“I won’t. You have my word. I’m getting too old for this.”
Edward cast Alyssa a glance and saw the wetness in her eyes. A large bruise had darkened her cheek where Elsberry had struck her.
When Edward thought of how close both of them had come to being killed, his blood turned to ice.
“Perhaps we should leave Father alone for a bit,” Winnie said. “Cook has some sandwiches waiting for us downstairs. We could let Father rest while we eat, then return in a bit.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Eve said. She turned to Alyssa. “We’ll bring you a plate when we return, Lady Lindleigh. In the meantime, we’ll send someone up with a tea tray.”
“That would be lovely,” Alyssa answered.
That was the first time she’d spoken, and Edward couldn’t wait until they were alone and he could reassure her that everything would be all right from here on.
Winnie and the others fussed a bit more before they left the room. And he was alone with Alyssa.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“That’s what I should be asking you,” she answered.
“I love you, Alyssa.”
He hadn’t meant for her to react the way she did, but a river of tears spilled from her eyes and ran down her cheeks.
“Come here,” he said, patting the left side of the bed with his uninjured hand.
She rose and sat down beside him. He reached for her hand and held it. “I intend to send Gideon for a special license. We’ll marry as soon as I’m well enough to stand on my feet.”
“Oh, Edward.”
“Will you marry me, Alyssa?”
She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “You know I will. I love you. When I woke and realized you’d been shot, I was more worried than I’d ever been in my life. The thought of having to live one day without you was more than I could bear. Don’t ever frighten me like that again. Promise me, Edward.”
He smiled. “I promise, Alyssa. I’ll never frighten you like that again. Every day we have together will be a blessing from God, and we’ll live life to the fullest.”
“Oh, yes, Edward.”
Alyssa leaned down and kissed him.
Edward had never been happier in his life, and knew that at last, his heart had been made whole.
Epilogue
Edward Waverley, Duke of Townsend sat at the head of the table in his formal dining room and let his gaze move over the gathering that filled both sides of the long table. Today was his wedding day, a day he never thought he’d have again. But, here he was, surrounded by the people who meant the most to him…his family.
Her Majesty’s Scoundrels Page 21