A merchant…Thomas Gerhart had seemed quite taken with Emily. He’d come calling yesterday as well. And he’d mentioned a party tonight. Perhaps their best chance was to make a match quickly.
Rising from bed, she quickly dressed, then hurried to the breakfast room where she found her sisters already eating. Taking a seat, she told them her plan.
Eliza gave her a sideways glance. “I agree that a quick marriage will be our best move. Always have. But I don’t think it’s Emily and the merchant.” Her brows went up. “Your duke is—”
“Not an option. You heard him last night.” Isabella’s voice was rising. She wouldn’t tell her sisters about Bash’s visit, or his past, but if she’d been certain before, she knew now that she couldn’t continue with him like this. It was breaking her heart.
“I heard him,” Eliza fired back. “He’s a man. They are often…resistant.”
Isabella shook her head, her hands twisting together. “But I’m not sure I’m strong enough to push past his defenses, which are powerful and rather high, and I’m afraid I’ll just end up grieving again like I’ve been with Mother and…” Her words tapered off.
Abigail reached over and touched her arm. “We’ll go tonight. There is no reason we can’t all keep trying to marry.”
“Absolutely. The burden shouldn’t be on you alone,” Emily added from across the table.
Eliza cleared her throat. “I’m not the warm and fuzzy sister. You all know that. But I just want you to think for one moment. You are the woman who has been posing as a man. You are the woman who controlled crowds of drunk men. You are the woman who has a duke close to caving and asking for a merchant’s daughter’s hand. Isabella, you are the woman.” Eliza leaned forward, her gaze filled with an intense admiration. “You’re strong enough to do anything you set your mind to.”
Isabella stared at her sister, surprised and pleased. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Eliza shrugged. “I wasn’t being nice. I was being truthful.”
Some of the ache inside her eased. Was Eliza right? Instead of giving up should she be pushing harder to win her duke? She’d been so afraid of losing him because she didn’t think herself able to withstand the loss. “You think I’m strong?”
Eliza looked down at her hands. “I am ashamed to admit that I think you might be the strongest of us all. Even stronger than me. So don’t give up. Go out there and get your duke.”
She sat back in her chair. Should she do as Eliza suggested?
He wanted her. He’d said as much. So how did she get him? “You know me. I’m not good at this. If he were a deck of cards, I’d know exactly which one was about to play.”
Eliza tapped her chin. “What has he played so far? And I’m not asking you to turn the man into a metaphor of cards. What has he told you? What do you know about him?”
Isabella’s mouth turned down. Should she tell her sisters? “I truly want your help, but what he’s shared is private.”
“Private is very good,” Eliza smiled. “Is he baring his soul?”
Isabella looked up at the ceiling. “Yes. I think he has.”
“And did you share yours? Did you tell him that abandonment is what you fear?”
She hadn’t. And her wince alerted all her sisters of that fact.
“You should tell him,” Emily leaned forward. “That is your next move. He’ll want to protect you from that.”
“That’s right.” Abigail began excitedly tapping her shoulder. “That’s one thing we know for certain. He’ll go to great lengths to protect you. You should tell him for certain.”
She nodded, rising from her chair again before she’d even taken a bite. But her sisters’ words rang with a truth that she couldn’t deny. “I believe you’re right.” Swallowing down her fear, she turned toward the door. If she were going to do this, she may as well begin.
But after ten minutes, she was unable to find his study. She’d been there before but somewhere in the massive expanse of his home, she got turned around. She came out at the main stairs just in time to see her uncle leave.
She covered her mouth, her breath catching, as she watched his angry stride toward the door.
When the door slammed behind him, she stepped out of the shadows. Had he just met with Bash? What had happened?
Bash came down the hall too, striding toward her looking tall and strong and like a dream in the form of a man. A sigh escaped her lips as she stepped into his path. “Bash.”
He slowed and without a word, gathered her into his arms. “Isabella, are you all right? I’m sorry for—”
She shook her head. “Don’t apologize. Please. But I do need to speak with you.”
“I need to speak with you too, but I have several urgent errands to run.”
“Now?” she asked, biting her lip as she looked up at him. She’d used her sisters’ enthusiasm to bolster her courage and now she was losing her resolve.
“Keeping you and your sisters out of trouble is a full-time job,” he said, but his smile was soft as he stroked her chin.
“Oh.” Her insides melted a bit. “Those kinds of errands.”
“We’ll talk later.”
She nodded again. “We want to go to a party tonight we received an invitation for. I mentioned earlier that Emily has a very interested suitor. He’s asked for us to attend.”
He frowned. “Tonight? Considering everything, you should stay here.”
She shook her head. “But how can we unburden you if we don’t find matches?”
He sighed. “There is far less urgency for your sister to marry. I’ve decided on a solution already, so you don’t need to go.”
“What solution?” She reached for his hand, her heart thudding in her chest.
“That’s what we’ll discuss tonight.” He brought her hand to his lips. “Stay here and stay safe.”
And then he strode off down the stairs and out the door.
They hadn’t gotten a chance to speak, but tonight she’d tell him everything that was in her heart.
Chapter Seventeen
Bash left the Archbishop’s office, a satisfied smile on his face. He’d gotten the license.
Now that he was about to marry her, tuck her safely under his title and his name, the rightness of the decision settled over him.
This was how it was supposed to be.
He only hoped she understood the need to keep his distance during their marriage.
But he’d worry about that later. It was the theme of their relationship, really.
Right now, he needed to go to the club. He’d hoped some of the guards had gathered information on the club’s visitor last night. Unlikely but possible. And he had to tell his partners about his decision to marry Isabella. A duchess would not be moonlighting as a gaming hell dealer.
But as he entered through the back door, there was an eerie silence about the place.
He found all his partners, including Mason and their silent partner, the Earl of Goldthwaite, sitting in the red room. “What’s wrong?” he said, not bothering with formalities.
Menace grimaced. “There was a fire.”
“Where?” Sick dread filled his stomach.
“The docks.” Goldthwaite answered. “It was next to several ships I use to transport goods. My boats were untarnished, but two boats burned, both from Carrington Shipping Company.”
Cold dread slid down his back. Isabella’s father’s company. “Pennington did this.”
Menace gave a stiff nod. “Most likely. Though I don’t know how we prove it. It happened early this morning, but no one has seen anything that I’ve been able to discover.”
Vanity ran a hand through his hair. A gesture the man almost never indulged in. “You were right. Isabella shouldn’t be here any longer. This situation is getting out of hand.”
He scrubbed the back of his neck. “You’re right on both counts. And I’ve decided I need to protect her completely. I’m marrying her. Tomorrow.”
Mason stood and crossed the room to embrace Bash in a quick tight hug. “Congratulations, brother.”
He gave a stiff nod. “Thank you. But we can’t celebrate for long. What are we going to do about Pennington?”
The room fell silent again. Finally, Mason spoke. “We’ve got to have him followed. If he tries anything else, we’ll have proof.”
“I agree,” Bash said. “And this other man? The one who is trying to pass money to my wife?”
Mason raised his brows. “You sound even angrier at the man who attempted to help than you do at Pennington.”
Bash grimaced. “I tried to tell you. She strips me of my control.”
“What do we know of the man so far?” Goldthwaite asked. The man had gone from ruined to riches in just a few years by being incredibly savvy.
“Well…” Bash stroked his chin. “Not much. He had a great deal of gold that he handed to Isabella. We know that her father had a silent partner. But no one knows who that man is. And we know that he handed her money here, rather than anywhere else because her identity is protected here too.”
Goldthwaite smiled. “I can always find silent partners. His name has to be on documents somewhere. Leave that to me.”
Menace gave Goldthwaite a smack on the back. “That’s why we brought this guy in.”
“Is it?” Blasphemy asked. “I thought it was just to torture me.”
Bash shook his head. The two men had an old feud but now was not the time. “Blasphemy, I’ve a job for you too. Find a man who looks like Isabella and let’s have him in the club to see if we can get our mystery guest to return.”
Blasphemy gave him a hard stare. “You want me to find a man who looks like a woman impersonating a man? Are you fucking serious?”
They all chuckled at that. “You can do it, my friend.” Bash said. “Now, I’d like to return home and check on Isabella. I wouldn’t put it past Pennington to bring the fight right to my door.”
“Good idea,” Infamy said. “I’ll come with you in case you need an extra pair of guns.”
“Thank you.” Bash took a steadying breath. They had a plan. Hopefully one that would begin solving the mysteries swirling about them.
But right now, he just wanted to see Isabella and know that she was all right.
Isabella stared down at the hastily scrawled note in her hand.
“What is it?” Eliza asked, her brows drawing together. “You’ve gone pale.”
“There’s been a fire,” she murmured. “Bash says he wants us to meet him at our home.”
“Oh good,” Emily said as she stood. “I need my embroidery. I can’t stand sitting here doing nothing.”
“It’s just odd,” Isabella murmured as she looked down at the note again. “He said earlier to stay here. And now he wants us to leave?”
Eliza came to stand next to her. “Let me see that.” She scanned the contents. Eliza frowned as she read the words. “I don’t know.”
Abigail cocked her head. “I, for one, could use some of my things, too. We left in such a hurry last night.”
Aunt Mildred walked into the room, finally having roused herself from bed despite the afternoon hour. She’d missed her sleep the night before. “What’s the problem?”
“His Grace told me to stay here this morning, but I received this missive that we should all meet him at the house.”
“Then let’s go.” Aunt Mildred waved her hand, gesturing them forward. “We mustn’t keep His Grace waiting.”
Isabella started forward, ignoring the ill feeling that had settled in her chest. He must need her for some reason. Perhaps just to gather their things so they weren’t lost?
But her unease didn’t lessen as they started toward their Cheapside home. A cold rain began to fall, adding to the gloom of the day. It was like the nights the men were particularly drunk. There was a sizzle of danger in the air that only grew worse as they approached the house.
“This is a mistake,” she whispered.
“He said he wanted us to come,” Abigail said, looking out the window. “And I want to gather my dresses. So many pretty new—”
“We should stop.” Then she reached over her sisters and banged on the wall of the carriage to alert the driver. “Stop.”
“Isabella?” Eliza asked, looking over at her as the carriage slowed. “What is it?”
“This doesn’t feel right,” Isabella answered. “Something is off. I can feel—”
“Who are you and what do you want?” the driver called as the carriage lurched forward again.
The girls gasped and Isabella fell back into her seat even as Emily fell toward her, bracing herself on Isabella’s legs.
“Stop that carriage or we’ll shoot.” a stranger’s voice called.
Emily squeaked out a tiny scream as Abigail ducked down. Aunt Mildred shrank into her seat. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Isabella didn’t point out that leaving had been the other woman’s idea in the first place. But she made a mental note to tell Bash they needed a new Aunt Mildred. This one wasn’t working.
The carriage turned even as it picked up speed and all the women tried to brace themselves as Eliza cried out when her head hit the wood frame.
Suddenly a shot rang out and the driver gave a cry. A thud followed and Isabella covered her mouth with her hands to keep from making a sound. Had the driver been shot? Had he fallen?
“Come on out, ladies,” the voice called again. “There is someone who’d like to visit with you.”
Aunt Mildred let out a gasp. “This is not part of the job.”
“Aunt Mil—"
“My name is Caroline. I quit.”
“You’re quitting now?” Eliza huffed as she grabbed up an umbrella, holding it in front of her like a sword.
Isabella straightened. “I accept your resignation. You may leave the carriage now.”
Abigail gave a quick laugh as the older woman turned pale, but that voice called again. “If you’re thinking you can escape, you should know there’s a man out here for each of you to make certain you’re escorted to your host.”
“It was a trap,” Eliza whispered. “That note wasn’t from Bash, was it?”
“No,” Isabella answered, her gut churning. “How are we going to get out of this?” Her hand shook as braced it on the handle of the door.
Eliza frowned. “Do we stay in or get out as they’re requesting?”
“Stay in,” Abigail inserted. “Don’t be a fool.”
“But then they can just drive off with all of us in this carriage.”
“Ladies,” the voice called again. It held a sing-song quality that made Isabella even more nervous. “Time to come out.”
“Eliza.” She drew in a deep breath. “One of us needs to climb out and make it to the driver’s seat to get the carriage out of here.”
“How close are the men? How many of them are there?”
Abigail peeked out one curtain. “I see two. Ten or fifteen paces away.”
“I see three,” Emily said. “Two further back and one right next to the door.”
Eliza nodded. “Ok, I’ll bash him with my umbrella and then Isabella will climb into the driver’s seat and whisk you all to safety.”
“But what if he grabs you?” Isabella asked. For a split second she saw the fear flicker on Eliza’s face before her sister carefully masked it again.
“I can’t have you being the only hero,” Eliza said as the door rattled.
Isabella tightened her grip on the door. “Eliza. You’re not likely to climb back in if—”
“I’ll be fine.” Eliza grabbed the handle too. Then she whispered, “Get our sisters to safety and marry that duke. They need him and so do you.”
Emily grabbed the handle too, pushing Eliza’s hand away. “Give me that umbrella.” Then Emily snatched it from
Eliza’s hand. Instead of helping to pull the handle, Emily gave the door a sudden push. “Now!” she yelled.
The door swung open and, with all three of their weights behind it, Isabella felt the moment that the door hit the attacker.
He grunted, stumbling back and Emily jumped out, hitting him with the umbrella as Isabella followed her out, scrambling to the front of the carriage and onto the seat. She saw other men rushing toward them, and her hands shook as she tried to grab up the reins. A scream from behind her made her swivel back. The attacker had grabbed Emily and was holding her in a beefy grip.
Eliza had also climbed out and was attempting to pull Emily from the man’s grasp.
Isabella, froze for a moment, torn between helping Eliza and getting the carriage back to safety. But if they were all caught, their heroics would be in vain and so she started for the seat, climbing up onto the bench.
Another man rushed toward Emily, and for a moment a scream built in her throat. What would the two men do to her sisters?
But this new man yelled, “Go!” And then he swung his fist, hitting the attacker with a force that sent the man sprawling to the ground.
Isabella gasped out her surprise recognizing him instantly. It was the mystery gambler from the night before. “You!”
In an instant, he pushed Eliza through the open door, and she fell to the carriage floor. “Go!” he yelled again and then grabbed up Emily and reached for the back of the carriage.
Isabella fumbled the reins and managed to grab hold and snap them, and the horses kicked into motion again.
“Isabella,” a voice rang out into the damp air. Uncle Malcolm. “Come back here.”
She didn’t look back nor did she answer as the carriage picked up speed. She’d never look at or talk to that man again.
Another shot rang out and Isabella looked back then to see the man covering her sister with his body. Were they both all right? Had he been shot?
But he didn’t let go as the horses sped away.
The rain fell harder, the streets nearly clear as Isabella pushed the horses at a breakneck pace. She needed to get her sisters to safety.
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