“For snakes,” the man chattered through clenched teeth. “Each one contained at least two snakes. I had to feed them every night, hence my knowledge.”
“Bleh,” Freddie grimaced.
Hades nodded. It all fitted. Only the Viper had already given them the slip. “Where would the professor go to?” he asked, pointing his gun at the man.
“I don’t know. None of us knew. We were just glad that he and the snakes were gone. He was such an odd man. And his guests kept disappearing.”
“The river,” Hades said suddenly. “This is where he put the bodies in the river. They floated downstream with the tide.”
“Bodies?” the man said, desperately trying to face away from the barrel of the gun, “I didn’t see any bodies!”
“I think that is how you’ll find your guests disappeared.”
The man retched suddenly. “I should have left when I had the chance.”
“Where is… Pedro?” Hades asked, recalling the man’s name. “Where did he go?”
The man took large gulps of air and stared in horror down at where he had retched on the floor. His eyes flickered sideways towards the end of the garden where the boathouse was and then back up to Hades. “I don’t know,” he said quickly, too quickly. “He just disappeared.”
“He’s lying,” Freddie said suddenly.
“I know.” Hades looked towards the boathouse and sprang up from the chair. Diving over the veranda balustrade, he shouted, “Freddie, wait here and guard that man.” He landed on the soft turf with a thud but quickly recovered. He ran down the length of the garden, and was only halfway down when lots of loud crashing followed by one final resoundingly loud splash emanated from the boathouse.
Cursing as the guns rubbed against his side, he pulled off his coat and threw it to the ground, leaving just the gun in his hand. Another fifty yards and he arrived panting at the boathouse. The outer door was slightly ajar. Cautiously he pushed the door open further and poked the barrel of the gun in.
“You can come in, Earl Harding.” James’ voice carried through the open door to Hades. “I believe I have found something of interest.”
Hades pushed the door open with his knuckles and entered slowly. James leaned against one of the posts that were used to tie the boats up against. His face was bloodied, and he held his arm close to him as if it hurt.
“What happened? I heard a loud crashing and a splash.”
James appeared to grind his heel slightly, which caused a yell to emanate from the water behind where he stood. “I caught us a little fish. Trouble is, he can’t swim, and my boot is on his hand.”
Hades walked forwards cautiously on the boards that surrounded the inlet to the boathouse. A white face appeared in the water, panting desperately. The face was connected to two arms that hung outstretched from the boardwalk a foot above, one hand clutching onto a post, the other firmly trapped beneath James’ foot.
Hades recognized the face. It was the footman interloper who had managed to somehow kill the kitchen boy. “Watch out Stanton, that man’s got acrobatic abilities!” he cried, as the man flexed his body suddenly and flipped in the water.
James straightened, lifted his boot, stopped and in the quiet second, waited. As the man’s body lifted out of the water, he drew his arm back and punched forward.
The flying man folded in half and dropped like a stone onto the boardwalk.
“That is what the crashing was,” James said unconcernedly. “The devil wouldn’t stop still for a few seconds. It was like catching a fish.”
“A fish that couldn’t swim.”
“Yes. So have I caught the Viper? Blasted man wouldn’t stay still long enough for me to check his ears.”
“No,” Hades said sadly, assessing the scar on the face of the prone figure. “I’m afraid we’ve caught Pedro, his assistant.”
“At least that is something.” James rearranged his cuffs slowly, and tucked his injured arm back against his body. “You should be able to find out where the Viper is if Pedro is amenable.”
“Yes. I propose we take him back to Freddie’s. There should be enough instruments there to be able to at least threaten him with.”
“Good idea. I noticed some rope in the cabinets at the back here.”
“Right, I’ll tie him up, you go back to the house and sit with Freddie. He is with another individual there who has also not been very forthcoming.”
James nodded and left Hades to tie up the unconscious Pedro the acrobat. The man was slimy and cold. Tying a long rope to Pedro’s foot, Hades hefted the body onto his shoulder and hefted the deceptively light body out of the boathouse.
He collected James and Freddie from the veranda and, without stopping, moved directly through the house and out of the front door. The butler appeared as he was making his way through. However he merely stared, and retreated back behind a door that Hades assumed led to the lower kitchens.
Hades threw Pedro’s body into the coach without much care—the man was connected with too much misery already to worry about his well-being. James and Freddie hurried after him and climbed in as the coach was moving off.
“I just left that man there, pinned by my sword stick. I’ll have to go back and retrieve it at some point, or you will have to reimburse me,” Freddie said plaintively.
“I’ll make it up to you, Freddie,” Hades said tiredly. He still hadn’t caught the Viper, and long hours of trying to get Pedro to talk were ahead.
“And I can’t believe you are bringing that man into my house. You’ve already said that he has murdered one person, and Stanton here said it was like skewering a fish trying to pin this acrobat down. What are we going to do to keep him from escaping?” Freddie sounded positively childlike.
“We’ll tie more ropes around him and threaten him,” Hades said tiredly. “It works every time.”
“I hope you know what you are doing.” Freddie huffed and sat back on his seat. “At least Bill should have arrived by now. I’m useless with this leg and Stanton’s arm is probably broken.”
“So do I.” Hades thought of his looming appointment with a certain lady at nine o’ clock that night. “So do I.”
CHAPTER 28
Melissa awoke to find herself fully dressed still, but lying outstretched on her bed, above the covers. She sat up quickly in a panic and surveyed the bedspread. The book lay where she had left it when she had fallen asleep, rereading the diary again as she lay on the bed. The remains of a candle lay sloppily across a bedside table, the wick burned to the bottom, and wax covering the candle holder.
She licked her parched lips and blearily staggered towards the dresser that contained a pitcher of cold water. Unhooking the glasses that still rested on her nose, she blindly poured some water into the ornate bowl inset in the wood of the dresser, and with trembling hands, splashed her face.
Bertrand Lisle. She rolled the name around in her mouth as the water dripped off her face. Melissa fumbled for a towel and patted at the cascading drops. How he must have laughed as he sent that condolence letter to their family. He took her father’s life with little emotion and then systematically bought up her father’s house and ruined his sister by letting her borrow more and more money to gamble with.
Had he given any thought to the small girl growing up in that household? Had he had any thoughts of compassion for the life that she would lead, orphaned and hated? Melissa stared sightlessly back at the bed where the diary lay. The conversation between Lisle and his servant Jeffries echoed through her head… ‘I can deal with him should he prove difficult...’
Of course the diary could not reveal whether Lisle was her father’s murderer. Her father could not write on after his death, but she knew her father’s ways, had known his ways rather. He had always been cautious. He would not have fallen down a ravine accidentally.
There was no time to undress and dress again. Melissa could see from the strong sunlight filtering through the drapes that it was already mid-morning. She would prepar
e herself that evening for her meeting with Hades. Until then she needed to find out where Lisle lived now. The easiest place for that would be the Royal Society. It was where all her father’s cronies had met up when they came back from their expeditions. His direction would be known there for certain.
And she would tell Hades. She would. He could help her catch and put away the man. She knew that she could not do it herself.
Melissa put her spectacles back on her nose and blinked at the sharper focus of the bedroom. She glanced at the dresser. The deadly bottle of henbane stood against the mirror. She shook her head. She had no time to lose. Whirling on a heel, she left her bedroom and clattered down the stairs to the hall. Pulling her cloak from the cupboard under the stairs, she rushed to the front door and drew back all the bolts.
“Miss, miss, where are you going?” Carter shouted as she pulled back the last lock. He thundered up the stairs from the kitchens.
“To the Royal Society. I will be back for lunch, or afternoon tea at least,” Melissa threw back as she stepped outside.
“At least let me send someone with you!”
“No time,” she yelled back. She didn’t want to be slowed down by Carter finding some maid. And she definitely did not want Mrs. Hobbs chattering away in her ear about love again.
Melissa flew down the front steps and out onto the road as Arturo bolted out of the front door behind her, his leash in his mouth. It was only a twenty minute walk to the Royal Society at Somerset House. Her father had described where it was often after he had been there for a meeting, and the stretch of the legs would have been good for the small animal. But as she paused, unusually, Arturo didn’t follow her, instead he hung back at the front gate growling and whining, his head cocked on one side. After a few moments of encouragement Melissa turned on her heel and started down the street – she had no time to spare.
But she had only taken a few steps down the road before she bumped into someone in her haste.
“Oof, I’m terribly sorry,” she cried, pulling her cloak closer to her. The bump had pushed her glasses askew. She reset them on her face and looked at who she had nearly knocked over.
It was a man of medium height, dressed like a gentleman who lived in Mayfair. He looked at her directly and glanced to the side where a large black carriage drew up alongside them.
Melissa narrowed her eyes. The man might have been quite nondescript, but she had never seen ears as hairy as those before, except once.
“Mr. Adder?” she said slowly. “What a coincidence.”
The man smiled slowly, gleefully revealing sharp teeth. “Oh yes, quite a coincidence my dear, yes indeed.”
“Can I help you at all?” Melissa couldn’t help noticing that Mr. Adder was dressed very differently to the way that she had seen him before. Now he was a model of high class fashion compared to the ordinary man she had met behind her house.
“Can you help me?” the man almost giggled.
Melissa wished he would stop repeating what she said. She needed to get on to the Royal Society. He was holding her up. Behind her Arturo’s whines escalated to full a frenzy of barks.
“If there isn’t anything,” she said, stepping to one side and trying to move forward away from the noise.
But the man mirrored her movements, blocking her path. “Actually there was something. Can I give you a lift anywhere?”
Melissa shook her head. She didn’t want to talk to this man about where she was going. She tried to step forward again but he stood in her path. She tried to turn around, but found that her path was blocked by yet another man who grinned at her revealing very yellow teeth. “Please move,” she said politely, raising her voice a little.
“Ah, but you see my dear, my question was really a command. We will give you a lift somewhere.” Mr. Adder’s voice floated over her shoulder.
“I beg your pardo—”
Suddenly the light was cut off as a sack was brought down over her head. Not again! She filled her lungs to scream, but it was no use. Strong hands grabbed her round the middle and judging by the direction, bundled her straight into the waiting coach. Melissa pulled her hands up to her face but found them held, and forced back down in front of her and tied together.
“I’m glad I found you, Miss Sumner,” Mr. Adder said, panting slightly. The leather creaked in front of her as he sat down on what must have been a padded seat. “I thought I might have to chase you all over London, but you very kindly went to stay at the one place that I was still keeping an eye on.”
Melissa’s mouth dropped open, but she quickly closed it again. Why had Mr. Adder been keeping an eye on the earl’s house? Surely if he had wanted some medicine he would have gone to the house in Bayswater?
“You know your father made things very difficult for me, and so I feel that it is some kind of retribution that I should be able to hold you in order to get yet another foe off my back.”
“Foe?” Melissa mumbled. “I don’t understand. I’ll get you any herbs that you want…”
Mr. Adder laughed. “You really are not very fast on the uptake are you? You have my name, I mention your father, and you are still fixated on your silly business as an apothecary.”
Melissa remained silent. His name? Her father? Mr. Adder… Melissa took an involuntary breath in. An adder was just another snake. And mentioning her father, no one mentioned her father to her, they had no cause to, unless… oh dear.
The Viper that she had set out to find had ended up capturing her instead and drawing her into his own circle of hell. She should have known that if the Viper was watching her house in Bayswater then he would have been watching the house in Hill Street too.
Melissa struggled strongly, wrenching at the bonds round her wrists.
“Stop it!” Mr. Adder grabbed at her wrists. “I’ve used twine. You’ll only hurt yourself. I need you in good condition for luring in the earl. He’s who I really want.”
That stopped Melissa in her struggles. The bastard wanted Hades as well. And there was no way that she could warn him.
“Mr. Adder,” she began. Perhaps reason would work. Perhaps she could convince him that Hades thought nothing of her. And perhaps that was true. But the man cut across her words.
“Silence. I don’t want to hear any more until we get to our destination. Then I will send word to your lover to come and get you. I’ll have him right where I want him.”
“But…” A cuff across the head stopped Melissa speaking any more. She didn’t want to break her glasses again. She needed to be able to see if she was to attempt an escape at some point.
She gritted her teeth and tried to follow the swaying of the coach, listening as much as she could for bells and shop noises. But it was no use. She did not know Mayfair well, and after an hour became aware that the coach would not be stopping.
Occasionally Mr. Adder would giggle to himself and shift in his seat, causing the leather to creak. Melissa stayed resolutely still, fearing another blow. Her lower body was beginning to numb.
Without her realizing, the motion of the coach sent her into a rocking sleep.
Melissa awoke as the coach came to an abrupt stop. A hand grabbed her roughly around the upper arm and pulled her out onto what felt like a gravel-like path below her feet.
The unmistakable smell of rhododendrons filtered through the hessian sack on her head, filling her with longing to see around her. As she was pulled further along the gravel, she caught the scent of camellias and roses. It was like being pulled back to another time, her father pulling her in a small cart down the drive at their house in Buckinghamshire, pointing out the different plants that were blooming, instructing her to smell the scent of the camellias.
Melissa’s heart became sick with dread. It wasn’t possible. She had thought she would never see the place again.
She stumbled as she was pulled up some front steps. Five, she counted. “One two three four five, once I caught a fish alive,” she sang softly.
There were carpets i
n the hall. That was a surprise. And there was the smell, and the heat. It was a musty smell, of drying earth and damp. She started to sweat. This wasn’t like her old home, even though her footsteps followed mechanically as she was pulled along through what she knew to be a dining room, then a study, and then into the room where her father had kept all his orchids to shade them.
The musty smell was stronger here. The arm holding her let go and soft footsteps retreated away from her.
“I must warn you, Miss Sumner, that you are in my most favorite room in this house.” Mr. Adder’s voice trembled and then squeaked slightly as he giggled. “The conditions are just right for my beauties.”
Melissa took a step forward.
“Stop right where you are,” Mr. Adder’s voice thundered. “You see,” he continued in more normal tones, “my beauties are asleep now, but when they wake up, if they see you moving, they will come and investigate.”
“Your little beauties?” Melissa whispered, trembling.
“Yes, I’ve left the lids off their tanks so that they can get used to being in a new place.”
“Tanks?”
“Of course! Snakes need very specialized environments in which to live. My particular favorites love the sun, but like it in the dark too.”
Hence the warmth and lack of light. Melissa shuddered.
“Ah, ah ah, none of that. You see, I don’t want you going anywhere, and I think my snakes are the best watch dogs that there are. And if you die, so be it. I need you as insurance to keep your lover away from me. If he comes after you, you both die.”
Melissa could barely open her mouth. How much constituted not moving? She was paralyzed in fear, but she needed to keep the Viper talking. She couldn’t be left alone here with all these snakes. Not after the death she knew they could cause…
But it was no use—his footsteps faded away and a door slammed to the back room. She was trapped.
CHAPTER 29
“I will not tell you anything!” Pedro, the acrobatic assistant to the Viper was propped in a chair, trussed like a turkey in the dining room of Freddie’s house. Bill sat in front of him sharpening a sword on one of the dining chairs whilst Freddie whistled and cleaned his set of guns for the second time that day. James had already left, a doctor having examined his arm and determined that it was indeed broken.
Dangerous Diana (Brambridge Novel 3) Page 22