Sara Bennett

by Lessons in Seduction

  Eddie and Ellen stood at the edge of the staircase, looking down into the shadows. The old stone lion with its chipped ears and broken paw had been pushed hard to one side. Eddie had discovered the trick. The lion was fixed to a large rectangular slab on the floor, but if one of the carvings on the slab was pushed down, the fastening opened with a loud click. Then it was a matter of heaving, hard, to move the lion and slab aside. Beneath it was an opening and a staircase, going down.

  A secret chamber.

  Ellen was impressed, but she edged closer to Eddie and the lantern he clutched in his hand. The candle flame inside flickered wildly, and they both held their breath until it began to burn more steadily.

  “I don’t like the dark, see,” Eddie explained. “Once my da’s lady friend locked me up for a long time—days! I was in a small, dark cupboard. I felt like I couldn’t breav. After that I ran away, and since then I can’t never go into small dark places.”

  “It’s all right,” Ellen whispered, and cuddled her doll to her thin chest. “I’m here, Eddie. I’ll keep you safe.”

  Eddie nodded seriously, as if pale, skinny little Ellen could protect him, and took a step down, and then another. “Come on, then,” he said in a voice that sounded too shaky to be brave, “let’s get on wif it.”

  They disappeared down into the darkness, the candlelight wavering as they went, and the lion looked on in silence.

  “Miss Greentree?”

  Startled, Vivianna looked up from packing books in one of the crates that the wagon would take from Candlewood to Bethnal Green. As far as she had known she was here alone, apart from her coachman waiting outside with the horses. The Beatty sisters had gone to Bethnal Green with the children to begin the process of settling in.

  The man standing in the shadow outside the doorway was tall, and for a moment she thought, with a treacherous lift of her heart, that it was Oliver. But then he stepped forward and she realized it was actually Lord Lawson.

  Lawson killed my brother.

  “Lord Lawson,” she said, and dusted off her skirts, seeking time to recover. Instinctively she knew it would be a mistake for him to realize she knew about him and Oliver’s brother.

  “I hope you do not mind me walking in upon you like this, but I could not find a servant.” Lawson was moving toward her now, and Vivianna forced herself to stand still and not to turn and run.

  “We are rather short of servants at Candlewood,” she replied with an attempt at a wry smile.

  He smiled back, but his eyes were cold. They were blue, but not dark and sensuous like Oliver’s; Lawson’s eyes were like ice, and with just as much humanity.

  “Miss Greentree, it is Candlewood I wanted to discuss with you. I know it is something we both hold dear.” His gaze went past her to the open trunk. “Are you leaving?”

  Vivianna looked at the trunk, too; anything to escape those cold eyes. “Yes, of course,” she said. “We have to leave. Lord Montegomery has offered us lodgings in Bethnal Green and we are moving there as soon as possible. Candlewood will soon be empty.”

  “Will it indeed? Well, I will be sorry to hear it. As you know, I was a dear friend of Oliver’s brother, Anthony, and I know he was very fond of this house.”

  But that didn’t stop you from shooting him in cold blood.

  He looked at her sharply, and for a moment Vivianna thought she must have said the words aloud, but the next moment he was smiling and asking her in a charmingly tentative manner whether it would be acceptable for him to take a walk over the house.

  “I may not get the chance again,” he said with a sigh, “and then I will have nothing but memories.”

  “But of course!” Vivianna could play games, too. “I will come with you, my lord. I think I deserve a rest from packing. It will be interesting to hear about Candlewood from someone who knows it well.”

  He wasn’t happy with her—she could see it in his eyes—but what could he do? He bowed politely, and Vivianna led the way out.

  “Miss Greta and Miss Susan are at Bethnal Green,” she explained as they meandered up and down corridors. “There is much to be done there.” Vivianna glanced at him sideways. “I believe you made an offer for Candlewood, my lord, and was turned down.”

  She felt his start of surprise but did not acknowledge it. They were moving toward the unfinished wing, where it was forbidden for the children to go. Vivianna wondered whether they should turn back—she felt rather as if she were taking a stroll with a dangerous animal—but Lawson’s next words drove all such thoughts from her mind.

  “I made the offer for the sake of the orphans, Miss Greentree. I could not bear to think of them losing the home they had grown to love.”

  Anger curled inside her at the sheer hypocritical nature of his statement. Oliver may have tricked her and humiliated her, but he had never used the children in his plot. He might have refused to bow to her wishes as regards to Candlewood, but he had always been honest and steadfast about his refusal. This man was wicked.

  “I am sure it is all for the best,” Vivianna replied blithely.

  She felt his eyes upon her, studying her. “I must say I am surprised to hear you say that,” he said at last. “I did not think you would be so forgiving. From what I have heard, you have fought like a tigress for Candlewood, and yet now you seem quite calm in defeat. Perhaps Oliver has won you around to his point of view?”

  The door to the unfinished wing was unbolted. With a puzzled frown, Vivianna passed through into the long, colonnaded room with the faded mural upon the ceiling. “I do not think he has won me to his point of view, my lord, but sometimes to continue to fight is pointless.”

  It was as if he had not heard her, or perhaps he was just playing his own devious game. “Oliver is a very personable young man, of course. I have often noted how attractive he is to the gentler sex.”

  “I find Lord Montegomery singularly unattractive,” she snapped, but knew even as she said it that her protests seemed forced. He knew something, and now he was smiling at her in a manner that made her queasy.

  “I’m afraid Oliver can be rather devious, Miss Greentree, if he wants his…way with a pretty girl. You shouldn’t believe a word he says. And as for marriage”—he smirked—“I doubt he would look in your direction for a wife. His aunt, Lady Marsh, would expect him to marry the daughter of an earl, at least.”

  If he thought to turn her against Oliver, he was wasting his time. She told herself that she already loathed Oliver Montegomery, but that did not mean she would take sides with his brother’s murderer.

  Vivianna had walked another step or two before she realized that Lawson had stopped dead in his tracks. “Lord Lawson? What is it?” She followed the direction of his fixed stare, wondering what it was he suddenly found so amazing.

  For a moment she could see nothing. The long gallery was as she remembered it from the few times she had been here. Dusty, bare, apart from one or two sculptures and stone figures fixed into the floor. And then she realized that the statue of the lion was out of alignment with the rest; it was pushed to one side. But how was that possible? It was made of stone and very heavy. Who would have had the strength to move such a thing, and why? And then Vivianna saw that where the lion had once stood was…nothingness.

  Lawson was striding forward. His face was ablaze with triumph. “The secret chamber!” he hissed.

  Vivianna ran after him, her skirts making a trail through the dust. Fear and shock had caused her to feel a little light-headed, but oddly calm. The lion, she could see, was attached to a slab that had been rolled to one side like a horizontal door. And in the space was a stone staircase, running down into the darkness. The secret chamber must be underground.

  “Is someone down there?” Lawson demanded, glancing at her briefly before his ice-blue eyes returned to the shadows.

  “I—I don’t know. I didn’t know such a thing existed. How did you know, Lord Lawson?”

  Her question seemed to bring him back to his senses. Viviann
a could almost see the mask slipping over his face once more. “I had heard of it. I did not know it really existed until now. Has Oliver been here? Maybe it was he who discovered its whereabouts?”

  Vivianna knew as if he had told her that if Oliver was down there, then Lawson would kill him. And her, too. He would kill anyone who stood in the way of his secret and his ambition. Why shouldn’t he? He had done it before.

  “Oliver isn’t here,” she said a little breathlessly.

  “Someone has been.”

  Vivianna’s gaze had been wandering over the dusty floor, around the edges of the “door,” and now she realized what she was looking at. Footprints. Small, children’s footprints. Before she could think about it, she stepped over the telltale signs and allowed her long skirts to brush across the ground. The work of a moment and the footprints were gone.

  Lawson was watching her agitated movements suspiciously and she realized she hadn’t answered his question.

  “I honestly do not know who has been here, my lord! As I have explained, I did not know such a place existed. Surely this chamber cannot still be in use? Do you think there is anything hidden down there?”

  He wanted to go within and search. Vivianna could see it in his face, and the way his gaze kept returning to the steps. But her presence was preventing him. He would not want her to see the letters….

  “I had better ascertain whether anyone is there,” he said, frowning thoughtfully. “Stay here, Miss Greentree. I would not want you to slip and break your neck.”

  Vivianna’s shiver was genuine. And yet she could not allow him to go alone. If the letters were still down there, he could destroy them in an instant and then Oliver’s chance to expose the man who had murdered his brother would be lost.

  “Lord Lawson, I really don’t think you should go down. It might be dangerous. I should find someone to come and—”

  “Nonsense.” He was already on the first step. She went to follow him, though her knees were like jelly.

  “Miss?”

  Eddie’s voice brought her up short. She turned and spotted him, standing by the lion, his hand resting upon its lifted paw. Had he been hiding there all along? His freckles stood out on his pale face, his hair was dusty, and the remains of cobwebs trailed across his jacket. Eddie had been inside the secret chamber.

  She tried to speak, but the sensation of Lawson, watching, listening, froze her tongue.

  “Miss?” Ellen stepped out from behind Eddie, her voice like a soft echo. Her fair hair was festooned with webs and fine dust. “Can we talk with you, Miss Greentree?”

  “Talk with me?” She, too, was an echo, it seemed.

  “I thought you said you were alone here, Miss Greentree.”

  Lawson, she realized, had his gaze fixed upon the children. And suddenly Vivianna knew she must protect them at any cost. “Oh yes, I forgot. Eddie and Ellen stayed behind to help. You naughty children, where did you run off to? Well, never mind,” she added hastily, in case they answered her. She forced a rather ghastly smile. “We were going to discuss the…the…children’s shoes, weren’t we? The box of shoes.”

  She glanced back at Lawson apologetically. “Do you mind, my lord? We have so little time to organize. Should I send someone to help you?”

  Lawson hesitated, and then shook his head. “No, there is no need, Miss Greentree. You run along. But first…”

  Vivianna had already turned away, a firm hand on the back of each child. She looked back at him over her shoulder. “Lord Lawson?”

  He smiled and said softly, “Give me the lantern, lad. It’s dark down here. But I think you know that, don’t you?”

  Eddie looked to Vivianna for instructions. He did indeed have a small lantern in his hand—a simple glass casing with a lighted candle inside. She took it from him and walked over to the entrance to the secret chamber. Her fingers were shaking as she held it out.

  Lawson was watching her. She amused him. They both knew, if he wanted to, he could take the lantern and her hand, too.

  “My coachman is outside,” she said. “Will I send him in to help you, my lord?”

  He met her innocent stare for what seemed a long time, and then gave an impatient shake of his head. He took the lantern. “That won’t be necessary, Miss Greentree. I think I can manage.”

  Vivianna did not wait. She more or less propelled the children from the long, echoing room.

  “Miss!” Eddie protested. “You’re hurting!”

  “Were you down there?” Vivianna demanded softly. “Were you in that room?”

  Eddie and Ellen exchanged a look.

  “Tell me the truth,” Vivianna said fiercely. “It is very important.”

  “We was down there,” Ellen whispered, “and it was dark and cold. Eddie was frightened of the dark, but I held his hand, and we had the candle. It was our last chance to explore, you see, miss, before we left Candlewood forever.”

  Vivianna’s heart contracted at the thought of them doing something so dangerous. But she swallowed down the urge to scold. No time for that now. Lawson might already be after them.

  “Did you find anything? Remember, this is very, very important.”

  Another exchanged glance, and then Ellen lifted a finger to her lips. “Shh, miss,” she whispered, “it’s a secret. Can you keep a secret?”

  Vivianna made her expression sober. “Yes, I can,” she breathed. “Tell me what you have found, children.”

  They had reached the door into the occupied part of the house. Vivianna thought of bolting it, but knew that would not keep a resourceful man like Lawson out. Besides, there were gaps in the walls in the abandoned part of the house, gaps big enough for anyone to climb through.

  Eddie was fumbling underneath his buttoned-up jacket, and now he began to withdraw something bulky from its hiding place. Vivianna did not have to pretend to be astonished. It was a bundle of letters tied with black ribbon. They were a little musty and dusty, and it appeared that a mouse had nibbled on one corner, but otherwise they looked to be in excellent condition.

  “Eddie,” she whispered, “what is that you have found?”

  He grinned, looking pleased with himself. “They was in the secret room under the stone lion,” he said.

  “Shh!” Ellen glanced about them.

  “I found the room when I was playing,” Eddie said, lowering his voice. “I used to ride the lion like a horse, and one day I touched part of the pattern on the stone base and the floor opened up. No one else knows ’cept us, miss.”

  Suddenly Vivianna felt dizzy with the knowledge that Eddie now held the evidence Oliver had been searching for during the past year.

  “Eddie,” she said gently, “Ellen, I know someone who will be very pleased to have those letters. He may even give you a reward. What do you think of that?”

  “Cor!” Eddie’s eyes popped and Ellen clapped her hands softly. “Who is he, then? Prince Albert, I bet?”

  Vivianna couldn’t help but smile. “No, not quite. Lord Montegomery.”

  “Oh,” they gasped in unison, and then they grinned like the urchins they were. “Do you think he’ll really give us a reward?”

  Vivianna nodded solemnly. “I think he will, Eddie.”

  “I wonder if it’ll be enough to buy a new slingshot….”

  “I’m sure he’ll buy you several. Now listen to me, this is very important. You need to hide. Lord Lawson isn’t a very nice man and we can’t let him find you. He wants those letters, you see, and I don’t think he would care if he hurt you.”

  Eddie’s eyes widened, but Ellen shook her head and said calmly, “Why would we hide, miss? We can lock the gentleman up in the dark, just like Eddie was locked up.”

  Good God, of course! Vivianna’s gaze swung back down the long gallery and found the black space in the floor. Lord Lawson was still down there. But for how long?

  She began to run. The children clattered after her. By the time Vivianna reached the entrance to the chamber, she was breathless. She gu
lped in air, peering down to where the steps vanished into nothingness.

  “Lord Lawson?”

  A scuffling noise. “What is it?” He sounded some way away, his voice hollow.

  “Have you found anything?”

  Movement, getting closer. “No. I’m coming back up.”

  Vivianna’s heart jolted. She spun around to face the children. “The lion,” she whispered fiercely. “Push it back across!”

  Definite footsteps now; the scrape of a shoe on stone. The children began to tug and pull the lion. It barely moved. Vivianna pushed against its cold flank, and felt the slab begin to roll back into position. But slowly, so slowly.

  “Where are those children?” Lawson’s voice echoed beneath their feet.

  He knew!

  He was getting closer, and now they could hear him on the stairs. The lion upon its slab was halfway across. And then Lawson seemed to realize what was happening. He shouted out. He began to run…and stumbled.

  The lion gained momentum. It trundled across the diminishing gap. Just as Lawson’s face appeared, white and streaked with dust, his eyes blazing with fury, the door closed with a soft whoosh.

  “That was close,” Eddie muttered, his freckles even more prominent.

  Vivianna leaned against the statue. Her heart was jumping in her chest. “Can he open it from inside?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, miss,” Ellen whispered, and looked frightened.

  “It’s dark down there anyway,” Eddie said grimly. “He won’t be able to see much once the candle goes out.”

  That was true. Vivianna waited a moment more, but apart from some angry shouting and thumping at the slab beneath them, there was no sign of Lawson escaping. She held out her hands and tried not to shake.

  “Come on, children. There are things to be done.”

  Oliver spurred his horse down the long driveway. Ahead of him Candlewood awaited in the afternoon sun. He had come as soon as he could and Sergeant Ackroyd was not far behind. Vivianna’s message, via her coach driver, had been blunt and to the point.