The Lost Baroness

by Judith B. Glad

  "But she's such a nice lady..."

  In concise, terse sentences, Buff related all Siri had told him about his landlady's behavior, both before her son was drowned and after. He had not believed it himself, not entirely. When he'd got done asking around Astoria, he'd decided Siri had spoken far too kindly about her treatment by Martine Pedersdotter. "Ordinarily," he concluded, "I'd stay out of a family feud, but what that woman's done is downright criminal." Leaning forward, he held Simmons' gaze. "So, are you willing to help?"

  "Well, sure. It ain't right for a woman's kids to be stolen from her."

  For the next half hour they discussed and discarded several plans. In the end, they were back to where they'd begun. Silas shook his head. "I just don't see any other way."

  "Soomey and Siri will want to go along," Buff warned.

  "Hell, don't I know it! We'll need 'em too. The kids might kick up a real fuss otherwise."

  "I hadn't thought of that. Well, okay, so that's five of us--"

  "Six. Evan's a good man in a tight spot."

  "Six, then." Buff rose and paced across the room and back. He stopped in front of the window and stared out. "There's no sign of the weather easing. Do we want to wait? I don't look forward to traveling overland. Not with a couple of kids."

  "Are you sure you want to take them to Hattie?" Silas said. "Won't she get the wrong idea, you bringing home a woman and her kids?"

  Hearing his tone, Buff turned to stare at him. His uncle had an unholy grin on his face. "I just don't know where else to take them. Astoria's no good. Martine could find them in no time. And if I'm not there to keep an eye on Siri, God only knows what trouble she'll get herself in."

  "Of course." Silas agreed, grinning. "The perfect solution."

  * * *

  "Men!" Siri paced the length of the Dewitt's sitting room. "They believe they always know what is best. 'Wait until we have a plan,' they say. 'Don't go off half-cocked!' they say." She paused and looked at Soomey, who sat on the sofa with a book open on her lap. "What does this mean, 'half-cocked'?"

  "I believe it means we should make very careful plans," Soomey said. She shrugged. "Boss says it has something to do with guns."

  "What is to plan? Martine is only one woman. Surely Buffalo and Mr. Dewitt could find other men who can help them force their way into the house and take my children away from her."

  "I suppose it is possible, but what if that woman summons the police? Can you prove they are yours?"

  "Why of course. They will know me. I am their mother."

  "A child's word against that of a respectable woman. I do not think so." Soomey looked indefinably sad when she said, "No one will believe a child. Few listen to them, and fewer consider their desires. Children, to many, are only possessions, and may be disposed of as their owners choose."

  For a moment Siri wanted to go to the small Chinese woman and offer what meager comfort she could. Then Soomey smiled and said, "Never mind. This time we will listen to our men. They are very clever and will make very good plans."

  "Buffalo is not my man!"

  "Ah, but you wish he were."

  Tired of lying to herself, tired of pretending, Siri said, "Yes. But he will never be."

  "Do not be too certain. There is something in the way he looks at you. As if he does not yet know his own mind, but is slowly discovering what he feels for you." She shook a finger at Siri. "Men are like ships at anchor, always tugging at what holds them. Only when they find a safe berth do they stop fighting their bonds. Buffalo has found his berth, but he is not quite ready to recognize it."

  "He never will. I am not a lady as he is used to. This--" She gestured at the soft lavender wool day dress she wore, the second of three Buffalo had ordered, unbeknownst to her. She loved the feel of the fine wool challis, the graceful folds of the skirt and the perfect fit of the bodice. "This is not me. I feel... trivs inte in such fine clothing. As if I am pretending to be someone else. When we ate in the dining room, there were more forks at my plate than Valter and I owned." The sing-song quality of her speech sounded in her ear. "I cannot even speak good English. Listen to me!"

  Leaning forward, Soomey said, "You are being very silly. Buffalo does not care for such things. Has he told you of his home when he was a boy?"

  Siri shook her head, unable to speak. "Only a little."

  "I have seen it. A log house, with two rooms and a loft. Neither room was much larger than this. The children all slept in the loft, girls on one side of the chimney, boys on the other."

  "But he is rich!"

  Soomey's merry laugh pealed out. "Rich? I doubt it. Boss told me that when Buffalo sailed from Boston eight years ago, he took five hundred dollars and gave his papa a promise he would make his own way. Whatever riches Buffalo has now, he has earned himself."

  "But how...?"

  "Honestly, you may be certain." Soomey's shrug showed that nothing else was important. "Ask him. Remember, Boss and I have not seen him for a long time, and know little of his adventures."

  Determined that she would do just that, Siri asked a question that had been on the tip of her tongue ever since she had met the Dewitts. "Why do you call your husband Boss?"

  "Because he was my master, once. I will tell you, because we have nothing to do until our men return with a plan."

  Siri listened enthralled, while Soomey told of a childhood of such incredible hardship that she was shamed. In comparison, her own youth had been luxurious. The men returned before Soomey could tell what happened after her parents sold her.

  Siri was almost sorry to see them enter.

  * * *

  Jaeger saw them as they descended the stairs early Friday afternoon. He rose and laid the newspaper aside. When they walked toward the wide entrance, he followed. Who are the others? The woman is foreign, yet they all treat her with honor. And why are they dressed so, as if they are laborers? Lachlan was as crude as most Americans, but he usually was well dressed.

  As the two couples climbed into a waiting carriage, he nodded to the scar-faced sailor leaning against a nearby wall. The man and his cohort would follow them and send word back. His other hirelings were waiting with a carriage. While he waited to discover where Lachlan and his party had gone, he would rid himself of all disguise. When he met Lachlan face to face this time, he would be himself.

  Today it will end, this fruchtloses Unternehmen, this waste of time. Today I will kill Lachlan and his woman.

  A shiver of anticipation speared up his spine.

  * * *

  They paused long enough at the Dewitt Shipping offices to pick up Simmons, then headed toward the boardinghouse. Buff had to smile at the women's appearance, now they'd shed their cloaks and removed their skirts. Both Siri and Soomey wore trousers and stout boots. They bundled their hair under dark watch caps, and smeared charcoal on their cheeks. The disguises turned them from beautiful women into street urchins.

  Once again, Siri seemed to have only one arm. At his insistence, her right arm was bound tightly against her body and her whole right side padded with wool batting. He had a feeling in his bones that things could get rough today.

  "How many were in the house when you left this morning, Simmons?" he said, once they were moving again. "Besides the kids?"

  "Four. Mrs. Peterson, the nanny, and two maids. All the boarders had left before I came to town."

  "All women," Silas said. "It doesn't make sense. How do we know there's not a guard there?"

  "Zhao Pin Yue did not mention a guard," Soomey said with some certainty. "He only says no one may enter the house without a key."

  "That's right, Mr. Dewitt. We all have to carry keys to the front door. And we're not allowed to have company, unless we tell Mrs. Peterson about it ahead of time. I wondered about that..."

  "If I was hiding a couple of stolen kids, I wouldn't want strangers about either," Silas remarked.

  "Did you speak to the police, Boss?"

  "No, Buff took care of that this morning." His gave a
short, sharp laugh. "Tell 'em"

  "It was almost too easy," Buff said. He took Siri's hand, feeling her tension in the stiff fingers. "As soon as I told them we were trying to settle a family fight, they lost interest. As long as we don't rough anyone up too bad, or burn down the house--"

  "Or start a riot," Silas interjected.

  "No riots," Buff agreed, grateful for Silas's attempt to make light of their mission. "Anyhow, as long as we keep it in the family, so to speak, they'll stay out of it. Oh, they'll be sympathetic, and promise to look into the matter when Martine reports it, but they won't do anything."

  "Let's make sure we don't do anything to change their minds," Silas said. He twitched the curtains aside impatiently. "How much farther?"

  "Maybe a quarter of a mile." Buff wanted to reassure him that all would be well, but the bad feeling was worse. There's trouble ahead...

  The driver pulled the carriage into a vacant lot where leafless shrubs partially screened it from the street. Soomey looked out. "This is good place. We stopped here before."

  "Let's just sit here a minute," Silas cautioned. "There's no hurry."

  One look at Siri's face and Buffalo knew that for her, at least, there was very much a hurry. He reached for the door handle. "I'll be back directly."

  Opening the door only as far as necessary, he slid out. Evan Jones was hitching the horses to a tree, so Buff only waved at him. Good thing it's raining so hard, he thought, as he made a quick dash across the street. Not likely to be many out in this downpour. The waiter who'd brought their breakfast had commented that folks were starting to worry about flooding, with all the rain the past couple of days.

  He worked his way along the alley, counting back until he reached the yard Simmons had pointed out. The cook's shack stood just inside the back fence, next to a strong gate. Has Soomey's friend done his job? Was the gate unlocked?

  He gave it a gentle push and saw it swing slightly open. Good!

  Moving on, Buff circled the block. He examined Martine's house from across the street, noting the good visibility from the wide front windows. The stairs were about ten feet from the door, Simmons had said, and all floors were uncarpeted. So there'd be no stealth in their invasion. They'd probably sound like a herd of stampeding elephants.

  As he stood there, he heard a carriage approaching. He turned his back and pretended to be looking at the house behind him, unoccupied and still under construction. The carriage went on by, moving at a sedate pace. When it turned the next corner, Buff headed back to his party.

  Simmons went up the walk while the other five stood in front of the house next door. Buff sure wished there was some way to leave the women out of this. As soon as Simmons was on the porch, he said, "Let's go."

  They ran toward the house. As the front door swung open, they were right behind Simmons. The mate headed toward the kitchen while Silas started checking the rooms in between. Buff led the women up the stairs, followed by Jones. "Remember," he said as they reached the landing on the second floor, "let us do any rough work. You two go after the kids." Jones peeled off and went to the first door down the hall. As Buff started toward the third floor, Jones kicked the door open.

  Just then there was a scream from downstairs. "Ignore it," Buff told Siri when she hesitated. "Go!"

  Once they were on the third floor, Siri pushed in front of him. "This way," she said, running down the hall. She stopped at the next to last door on the right. "In here."

  Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Soomey was holding a short-barreled gun in each hand. Well, hell! I thought she gave those to Katie. But he didn't have time to worry, because more screams came from downstairs, and a crash, as if something heavy had fallen. He kicked at the door.

  It gave, but didn't open. Losing my touch. He kicked again and the lock tore out of the door.

  The room was empty of all but a ginger cat and scattered toys. The cat opened great yellow eyes and stared at them, but didn't move from where it lay. "Soomey, go out into the hall and make sure nobody comes out of that other door," Buff said. "We're going in. Stay behind me, Siri."

  As he kicked at the door, a woman cried from inside, "I've got a shotgun. Stay away." She sounded scared, but determined. Well, hell. A deadly combination, women and shotguns.

  He motioned Siri to the hall. "Trade places with Soomey," he told her. "We'll go in from the other door."

  "The children are in there," Soomey told him when she came in. "I heard them crying. They are frightened."

  "Stay here and keep her attention," he said in an almost-whisper." Find something to beat on the door with, as soon as you hear me start a ruckus. I don't think she'll shoot unless we break in, but stay to one side, just in case."

  "What are you going to do?"

  "There are two doors. She can't watch them both. Step back." He knelt and looked through the keyhole, but saw nothing. The key was in the lock. On his feet again, he said, "Give me one of those little guns."

  Soomey handed him one without a murmur. Buff took a second to check it. Two barrels, over and under, large caliber.

  He ran out of the room and joined Siri who stood beside the last door. "I want you to move about ten feet away," he told her quietly. "No telling where she'll aim."

  Siri nodded, and moved to the end of the hall. She was chewing her bottom lip, but showed no other sign of nervousness. What a woman!

  He put his back to the wall beside the door, held the derringer close to the lock, and pulled the trigger.

  Children's screams came from inside, almost drowned out by a pounding on the other door. Buff ignored them and pushed on the door. It held. He fired again, and the door swung open.

  He barely had time to pull his arm out of the doorway before the shotgun fired. Twice, with scarcely a pause between.

  The edge of the door was gone, along with a bit of the frame. Good thing I was on the other side, he thought, as he ran inside. Siri was right behind him.

  He dove for the woman who lay on the floor, clutching at her shoulder. She hardly resisted when he pulled the thongs from his pocket and bound her hands together.

  When he turned around, he saw Siri sitting on the floor behind him. Her arm was around two tow-headed kids. All three were crying to beat the band.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  As soon as the last of them entered the house, Jaeger motioned to his henchmen. "Inside. Two of you to each floor. No noise."

  "What about whoever's in the house? What'll we do with them?"

  "I don't care. Just keep them out of my way. You three," he said, indicating the men he judged to be the most intelligent of the scum he'd hired. "You come with me."

  They went up the front steps quietly. He let the others enter first, in case there was a guard on the door. But no one prevented their entrance. A scream came from the back of the house as he passed through the door. Two of his men sprinted along the hall. He followed more slowly, checking each of the open doors as he went by. No one was in any of the rooms.

  In the kitchen his men were holding a big man in seaman's clothing and a skinny young woman at gunpoint. "She's a maid, Mr. Adler," one of the men told him. "Says this fella come in and told her she had to stay in the kitchen 'til he turned her loose."

  "Are those doors secure?" The one with a window led onto a back porch, but the other, beyond the big table, was probably a maid's closet or a pantry.

  "I checked 'em first thing," the smaller man said. "Nobody's comin' in them."

  "Where is the lady of the house?" Jaeger asked the maid.

  "Don't say anything, Sally," the sailor said. "They're up to no good."

  Jaeger removed the folding knife from his coat pocket and flicked it open. "You are not a pretty woman," he said, his voice soft, almost caressing, "but neither are you ugly. You would be very ugly with a scar across your face." He touched her cheek with the point, lightly, only denting the soft skin. "From here, perhaps, to...here." The knife traced a line across her upper lip to her opposite ear. He j
abbed, and a trickle of blood ran down her neck. "Where is the lady of the house?"

  "Sh-sh-she's upstairs. Front bedroom. Oh, please mister, don't cut me!" The maid fell to her knees and buried her face in her apron. "Please."

  Amused, Jaeger turned away. "Keep them here," he told his men, "quietly."

  His boots made only soft thuds on the well-waxed stairs as he climbed. There had been no sounds of battle from upstairs, but even so, he ascended cautiously. One of his men lounged outside the front bedroom. "Report," Jaeger told him.

  "There was two fellas on this floor. One of em's inside with the landlady and a maid. We had to knock him out. Hem's keepin' an eye on 'em. The other fella made it into that last room down there and locked the door. I been watchin', but he ain't tried to come out."

  "Very well. Make sure he does not."

  A shotgun blast sounded from somewhere above them, followed almost instantly by another. Then a crash. Another. And silence.

  "Stay here." Slowly, cautiously, Jaeger climbed the second flight of stairs. When he could see through the railing at the top, he looked along the dim hall. Pale light shone from two open doors at the back. No one was in sight. He climbed the last few steps, wondering where his men had gone.

  As if in reply, a man stepped from the second door on the right. He peered to either side, then gestured to someone behind him. Even in the dim light, Jaeger recognized his henchmen. "Hssst!"

  Both men recoiled. When they recognized him, they relaxed. He gestured them back into the room they'd come from. Checking the hallway one last time, he sprinted to join them. "What are you doing here? I told you to take care of anyone you found."

  "They was standin' in the hall when we come up," the slight ruffian with sallow, lank hair told him in a whining tone. "A tall guy with curly hair, just like you said to look for. And two lads. The big guy kicked the door in. One of the lads kept watch, whilst him and t'other went in. There was a lot of yellin' then. Pretty soon he come back out and went to the other door. He shot the lock out and somebody inside fired a shotgun." He cackled. "Good thing the big guy was standin' to one side, 'cause that shot took out half the door."