by Monica Burns
While the man hadn’t said he would protect her from Ruckley, she knew he would attempt to do so. Rhea wasn’t sure how she knew that. She’d certainly done nothing to deserve his protection. Yet, instinct told her he had decided to champion her. Why else would he forgive her for leaving him to die in that dark museum? But Percy couldn’t protect her from Ruckley any more than she’d been able to keep Timothy safe from the sadistic brute. The thought of the boy made her throat close with tears. She’d failed him, and she could never forgive herself for it.
After a brief second, she suppressed the urge to cry and swallowed her emotions. Percy Rockwood was a problem she’d have to deal with soon, but she needed time to think before she faced him again. It was imperative she warn Arianna, especially since she had a strong suspicion Percy knew her brother-in-law quite well. The hackney rolled to a halt with a jerk, and Rhea winced as her head protested the abrupt stop.
In minutes she was standing inside Sherrington House with her small collection of luggage. Arianna emerged from the morning room with a look of pleased surprise on her face. The viscountess quickly crossed the entryway to greet her.
“Rhea.” Arianna kissed her cheek warmly then stepped back to study her. “I wasn’t expecting you until Wednesday.”
“I needed to speak with you about a matter that couldn’t wait.”
“All right, why don’t you freshen—”
“No. I need to speak with you now.”
Arianna raised her eyebrows in concern, but nodded her head in understanding. Quietly instructing the footman to take Rhea’s things upstairs, her sister gently pulled her into the morning room and closed the door behind them. A tray with tea and scones rested on a table in front of a dark blue couch. Gently, Arianna pulled Rhea toward the sofa.
“Come. Have a cup of tea. I’m certain you’re parched. When did you last eat?”
“I don’t want tea.”
“Well, you’ll drink a cup all the same. You look as though you’ve not slept in days. I’ll not have Aunt Beatrice chide me if you fall ill.” The stern reprimand in her sister’s voice made Rhea stare at Arianna in startled amazement. “Don’t look so surprised, Rhea. You’re not the only one capable of giving orders or taking care of those we love.”
“I’m simply unaccustomed to seeing you so strong-willed,” Rhea said with a sense of bewilderment. Almost overnight, it seemed her sister had gained a large measure of confidence, and she found it surprising. Arianna urged Rhea to sit down.
“That’s simply because you’re older than me, and you believed you had to be the strong one.”
Satisfied Rhea wasn’t about to leave her seat, Arianna turned and proceeded to pour a cup of tea. Her sister added a delicately-made scone to the saucer of the tea cup she handed to Rhea. As she took a sip of the hot brew, Rhea silently admitted she was glad her sister had insisted she eat something. The scone melted in her mouth, and without thinking, Rhea reached out to pick up another one of the treats as she sipped the hot beverage in her cup. Arianna sat opposite her in silence, only moving to refresh Rhea’s tea. Two more scones disappeared from the serving platter before Rhea picked up her fifth scone. She stared at it in surprise for a moment before putting it down on her tea cup’s saucer.
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” she murmured as she set her tea down on the table in front of her. Vaguely she noted the soft, polished sheen of the furniture and the scalloped, laced edging that formed a low barrier around the entire top of the table.
“I think it comes from going hungry for almost seven years,” Arianna said in a somber voice. “I often find myself stuffing bite after bite into my mouth whenever I eat. It troubles Blake because he understands why I do so.”
“How much have you told him about Ruckley? Does he know…”
Rhea’s words trailed off into thin air as her sister paled and a look of intense pain swept across her beautiful face.
“That I was a whore?” Arianna choked out. “Yes, he knows.”
“And Lucy? Have you told him about her?”
“No.” She shook her head in a barely perceptible movement. “I don’t know what he’ll say.”
“He loves you, Arianna. He’ll understand.”
“I lied to him. I told him I had no more secrets.”
“Why would you do such a thing?” Rhea said with a shake of her head.
“I didn’t want to lose him, Rhea. I was afraid he…it’s one thing for him to accept that I was far from chaste. But to forgive my bearing a child without knowing who her father is…that was too much to ask of him.”
“I think you misjudge Blake’s love for you, Arianna.” She leaned forward to touch her sister’s hand. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. If you asked him to give you the world, he would move heaven and earth to do so.”
“I wouldn’t be asking for the world. I’d be asking him to take my bastard daughter into his house. Love or not, what man would be willing to do that?” Arianna closed her eyes for a brief moment before looking at Rhea again. “Even if he agreed to Lucy being here, how would we explain her presence?”
“I don’t know, but he deserves to know the truth, Arianna. She’s not even one yet, but she already looks like you. Do you really think he won’t figure it out eventually? What will you do then?”
“I shall cross that bridge when I come to it,” Arianna bit out as a stubborn expression settled on her face. The look warned Rhea not to press further on the topic. “Now then, why don’t you tell me what was so important that you had to arrive three days ahead of your scheduled arrival?”
Her sister’s abrupt change in subject made Rhea flinch as she remembered why she’d come to London earlier than planned.
“He’s alive.”
“What?” Arianna looked at Rhea in puzzlement. “Who’s alive?”
“The man from the museum.” An image of Percy popped into her head. As alarmed as she’d been last night, there was a sense of peaceful relief to know he hadn’t died. “The man Ruckley shot is alive.”
“Dear God,” Arianna’s face drained of color. Relief swept across her face then pained dismay. “Did he recognize you?”
“Yes.” The instant Rhea saw her sister’s hand clutch at her throat, Rhea rushed to kneel at her side. Arianna’s knuckles were white as she gripped the wood arm of her chair, and Rhea gently wrapped her hand over her sister’s.
“It will be all right, dearest. Percy said—”
“You know him by name,” Arianna exclaimed in horror.
“It seemed rather absurd to call a man I left for dead by his last name.” Rhea deliberately omitted the fact that he’d kissed her as well.
Arianna leapt from her chair to pace the floor. The look of panic on her sister’s face was the same emotion Rhea had experienced last night. But her panic had dissolved into something else when she’d been in Percy’s company. For all his arrogant, demanding questions she’d never sensed anything from him other than a desire to help and his determination to find Ruckley. It was obvious he wanted to bring the criminal to justice. And she trusted him not to reveal her part in the museum incident. In truth, everything about him encouraged her to trust him.
The sudden realization stunned her. She’d learned never to trust a man, but for some unfathomable reason, she believed she could confide in Percy Rockwood without risk of betrayal. However, his insistence on finding Ruckley was troubling.
The man didn’t understand the danger in doing so. Worse, any effort he made to find Ruckley posed a great risk to the children she’d rescued and the ones she intended to save as soon as Mr. Ashford arranged it. Last night when she’d told Percy she didn’t know where Ruckley was, it had been a small lie.
While Rhea didn’t know where Ruckley was, Ashford did. Their aunt had hired the private investigator to find Arianna and Rhea after their father had died almost two years ago. A bitter taste filled her mouth at the thought of her father. The loathing and hate that welled up inside her threatened to overwhelm h
er senses, but she quickly buried the emotions beneath the rubble of pain and anger in the recesses of her mind.
When Ashford had found her and Arianna, they’d been picking pockets with Vincent. With Lucy in her arms, Arianna had been the distraction, while Vincent and Rhea worked their mark. Ashford had not wanted to bring Vincent with them, but Rhea’s stubborn refusal to leave the boy behind forced the private investigator to reluctantly agree.
After being reunited with their aunt, Rhea had approached the man to ask his help in her rescue efforts. Ashford had agreed more readily than she’d expected. Her decision to ask the investigator’s help had been a good one. The man exercised great caution in his efforts to rescue the children she’d cared for the entire time she was at Ruckley’s mercy. His methods had proven successful more than a month ago when Jack had raced into her arms with tears of gratitude on his cheeks. Luke Ashford hadn’t said why he was so eager to assist her, but the man clearly had a big heart, and she was grateful for his help.
Perhaps she should have explained to Percy what she was doing. Somehow she was certain he would approve of her actions. The moment the thought flitted through her head she brushed it aside. If she’d told Percy about her efforts to rescue the rest of the children, it could easily jeopardize her efforts to rescue the remaining children. She understood Percy’s desire to see Ruckley punished. No one, with the exception of perhaps Arianna, wanted to see Ruckley swinging from a gibbet as much as she did. She wanted to see the bastard held accountable for all the crimes she’d seen him commit. Achieving that end wasn’t a simple matter to resolve. The man’s power in the London underworld was far greater than Percy knew. Ruckley was second only to Thomas Gray when it came to power. Trying to bring Ruckley to justice would be like trying to enter Buckingham Palace uninvited.
It was difficult and dangerous enough just spiriting the children out of the man’s clutches without revealing she was behind the scenes giving the orders. One of the conditions Aunt Beatrice and Arianna had demanded of her was that Ruckley would not be able to trace the rescue of the children back to her. That had been an easy promise to make.
Rhea had no intention of letting the bastard learn she was working to rescue the children. It was just one more reason it was imperative to prevent Percy from finding Ruckley. She couldn’t risk Ruckley doing something to the children. The crime lord wouldn’t hesitate to harm them simply because he knew how much it would hurt her. He’d proven that time and time again.
But none of those thoughts confused or troubled her as much as the emotions Percy had aroused in her with his touch. The memory of his kiss sent a wave of heat washing over her skin. Unsettled at the vivid recollection, Rhea pulled herself back into the present as she watched her sister pace the floor. Slowly she rose to her feet.
“Arianna, it will be all right. You must believe me,” Rhea pleaded softly. “Percy made it very clear he’ll not report me to the Metropolitan Police. He gave me his word, and I believe him.”
“Won’t report you?” Arianna snapped fiercely.” Why would the man agree to such a thing?”
“I… I don’t know,” Rhea said hesitantly as she contemplated her sister’s question. Why had Percy said he wouldn’t go to the police?
“And what will we do if he goes back on his word?” Arianna stood tall and rigid with tension.
“He won’t do that,” Rhea said with a conviction that surprised her.
“You seem remarkably certain of a man we left to die on that museum floor,” her sister snapped viciously
“I’m the only one he knows was there. You know I would never betray you or Vincent.”
“I’m not suggesting you would, but what if the man decides to go after that bastard? If this Percy of yours goes after Ruckley, we both know what will happen. Ruckley will do whatever it takes to save himself. He won’t hesitate to name us as the guilty party when it comes to that night in the museum.”
“It won’t come to that,” Rhea said firmly, despite her fear of Percy’s determination to find the crime lord. “I’ll do whatever it takes to prevent Percy Rockwood from finding Ruckley.”
The minute the words were out of her mouth, Rhea knew what would be called for when it came to distracting Percy from his search. It startled her that the idea of seducing Percy Rockwood didn’t appall her. Not because she was incapable of doing so. Over the years, and simply out of self-preservation, she’d learned how to control the men who’d paid to use her body. Entering Percy Rockwood’s bed wasn’t a frightening thought. It was that she wanted to seduce him that made her heart skitter wildly in her chest. Rhea didn’t want to feel anything for any man. Yet Percy Rockwood did make her feel things. Sensations she’d never felt before. Arianna met her gaze with a look of horror on her face.
“Never. You’re never to do such a thing again, Rhea Bennett,” her sister spat out with a vehemence that would have alarmed someone who’d not known what they’d been through. “Do you hear me? Never. Not even if you think it will save me or someone else.”
“Whatever choices I make are mine, but your concern is unwarranted,” Rhea said quietly. “I honestly believe Percy will not break his word. I don’t know why. I just do.”
The anger on her sister’s face slowly disappeared from her features before she nodded with a reluctant understanding. Fingertips pressed into her forehead, Arianna grimaced. Rhea immediately closed the distance between them. She wanted to avoid distressing her sister any further, but she knew that was impossible. Rhea swallowed the knot in her throat.
“There’s something else.” She hesitated slightly as her sister’s already pale face became almost deathly in pallor. Arianna shook her head and waved her hands in a gesture of defeat.
“I doubt it can be much worse than what you’ve already shared with me.”
“Have you told Blake about that night in the museum?”
“No, I’ve already told you that he only knows a small bit about my past. I’ve never even mentioned Ruckley’s name, simply out of selfishness. I know Blake would hunt the bastard down. I’ve lost too much in my life to Ruckley already.”
“Well, you may have little choice but to tell him now.”
“I don’t understand,” Arianna said with confusion.
“Percy knows Blake.” The words seemed to have little impact on her sister as Arianna stared at her in confusion before shaking her head.
“A great many people know who Blake is simply because of his work in Parliament.”
“No, I think he knows Blake better than that. In fact, I think he knows Blake quite well.” Rhea’s stomach lurch slightly as she remembered Percy’s reaction to her brother-in-law’s name. There had been a look of astonishment on his face that had made Rhea believe he was friends with the Viscount. “I could be mistaken, but I don’t think I am. I had the distinct impression he and Blake are good friends.”
Arianna pulled free of Rhea’s grasp and moved to stand at the window. There was an air of defeated resignation about her that made Rhea’s heart ache. When Arianna had married the viscount, Rhea had been certain the past would never touch her sister again. The vanquished expression on Arianna’s face reminded her how fragile the wall was between their past and the lives they led now. She had hoped never to see her sister look so overwhelmed with fear again. Suddenly, Arianna swayed like a drunken sailor and grabbed at the window drapery to steady herself. Alarmed, Rhea hurried to her side.
“You’re unwell.”
“No, I’m fine.” The quiet response made Rhea frowned.
“Are you certain?”
“I’m perfectly fine, Rhea,” Arianna snapped. “It’s just a slight headache brought on by all this talk of Ruckley.”
Taken aback by her sister’s abrupt reply, Rhea stared at her in surprise. Her sister winced, but before she could speak, the door to the morning room opened. They both turned to see the Viscount Sherrington entering the room. The moment she saw her husband, the troubled expression vanished from Arianna’s face. In i
ts place was a look of intense relief and happiness as Arianna hurried forward to greet her husband.
“Blake, I thought you would be gone until late this afternoon,” Arianna said as she kissed him then drew back to look up at his amused expression.
“I finished my business much earlier than I expected.” Blake gently caressed his wife’s cheek then looked over her shoulder to smile at Rhea. “Good morning, Rhea. This is an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise. Arianna said you wouldn’t be here until Thursday.”
“I thought I’d come early so Arianna could take me shopping.” The moment she saw Blake raise his eyebrows in amazement, Rhea realized her mistake. Her brother-in-law was well aware of her aversion for dressmakers. She winced and shrugged.
“Actually, Aunt Beatrice threatened to order something made without my being present.” Rhea grasped at the first thing she could think of to hide her real reason for arriving at Sherrington house so early. “I decided to circumvent her efforts.”
“I think you made a sound decision,” Blake chuckled. “I’ve witnessed your aunt’s undaunted perseverance when it comes to achieving a goal. It’s a trait I’ve witnessed in other members of your family as well.”
“We’ve not even been married six months, and you’re already taking me to task for one of my idiosyncrasies,” Arianna said with a sniff of false anger at the teasing note in her husband’s voice.
“It is those very idiosyncrasies that make me love you all the more, my darling.”
As Rhea observed the couple’s playful banter, she noted Arianna’s fear had completely disappeared. In its place was a happiness that Rhea envied. The moment the emotion swept through her, Rhea viciously destroyed it. Arianna was lucky, and she was content to be happy for her sister without feeling the need for a similar happiness.
§ § §
The stairs and lobby of the Lyceum Theatre were crowded as Rhea followed Blake and Arianna out onto the sidewalk. With a confident gesture, Blake pointed toward their carriage, which was a short distance away. Cheerfully, he urged his wife and Rhea along the sidewalk toward the vehicle. In the process of moving through the throng, Rhea found herself falling behind. As she continued to make her way through the crowd, she bumped into a man moving past her. Thrown off balance, Rhea stumbled backward into a solid object and a strong arm wrapped around her waist to steady her.