by Stella Riley
‘Where is he?’
‘Ah. Like to know that, wouldn’t you?’
Skinner made a sudden feint to his left, then swiftly reversed it whilst nodding at someone Eden couldn’t see. A second later, something heavy and sharp slammed into Eden’s kidneys sending pain roaring through him and causing him to stumble. Skinner raised both knives, his intentions clear. Then, before he could drive them into Eden’s body, another blade arched through the air and buried itself in Skinner’s throat. He gave an unpleasant gurgle and went down in a fountain of blood.
Summoning his resources as best he could, Eden turned to deal with the man who’d hit him whilst five paces beyond and looking anything but cheerful, Tobias strode towards his handiwork. He dragged his knife from Skinner’s throat and immediately swung round to guard Eden’s back. There was a moment or two of scuffling confusion … and then a shot rang out. Tobias grunted, jerked oddly and doubled up, clutching his arm. Without hesitation, Eden drove his sword into his attacker’s heart and lurched towards his brother. Gabriel and Ned, meanwhile, both shot at the shadowy figure wreathed in smoke.
For the space of perhaps half a dozen heartbeats, everything froze. Then a single word punctuated the abrupt silence.
‘Retreat.’
And without further ado, Quinn’s men turned and melted swiftly back into the darkness.
Eden found the suddenness of it unnerving. One arm around Tobias’s shoulders, he said, ‘Where are you hit?’
‘Arm,’ mumbled Tobias, hauling himself upright on a hiss of pain, holding his knife in one hand and his left arm in the other. ‘It’s nothing.’
Eden rose, still holding on to him. ‘Liar.’
‘All right. It sodding hurts. But it won’t kill me.’
Gabriel arrived beside them.
Eden looked up. ‘Did you get him?’
‘I doubt it. Ned and I both fired at the smoke from his pistol. He’d have been an idiot if he just stood there waiting for it.’
‘What’s our situation?’
‘They’ve gone – but Ned and Trotter are checking,’ replied Gabriel concisely. ‘The women are unhurt, Peter has a nasty gash to his ribs and Nicholas, an injured knee. The rest of us merely have a collection of cuts and bruises. If the two of you can walk, we should go.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Tobias faintly. ‘Let’s. It’s been fun … but now I could use a drink.’
* * *
By the time they got back to Cheapside, Nicholas could barely hobble, Peter was white from loss of blood, the women were ready to drop with fatigue and Tobias was sounding a good deal less jaunty. It was a few minutes short of midnight.
In the hallway, arms folded beneath her magnificent bosom, Mistress Wilkes eyed them all with something akin to exasperation and said briskly, ‘The young lord and the girl are in the best parlour. And I’ll say now that if this kind of thing is to happen again, I’d appreciate some warning.’
‘Of course,’ replied Eden. ‘But at the moment, we need --’
‘I can see well enough what you need, Colonel. Food and drink; hot water, bandages, salves – and probably a doctor. So go on upstairs – and try not to bleed on the furniture.’ Upon which note, she sailed away in the direction of the kitchen.
For a moment, everyone simply stared at her retreating back. Then Rachel muttered, ‘Soddin’ hell. Whichever one of you is married to her is even braver’n I thought.’
Upstairs, Aubrey stood by the hearth and Mary was sitting bolt upright in a nearby chair. But as soon as the door opened, she rose and, stumbling towards her friends, said, ‘Oh thank the good Lord you got away all right. I was so afeared you wouldn’t.’ And then all three of them were talking at once, while Aubrey tried to ask questions of his own.
Ignoring the hiatus around them and leaving Gabriel and Ned to see to Nicholas and Peter, Eden settled Tobias into a chair by the fire and, moving very stiffly thanks to the agony in his back, went in search of brandy. Then, sloshing the amber liquid into whatever glasses he could find, he snapped, ‘Will you all just stop talking?’
Immediate silence.
‘Thank you. Now. One of you ladies see how badly Peter is hurt, if you please. Aubrey – go home and stay there. Tell Henry what’s happened and that Peter won’t be back tonight. If your sister’s still awake – which I doubt – you can assure her that the women are safe and that I’ll call on her tomorrow.’ Without waiting to see if Aubrey did as he was told, Eden turned back to his brother. ‘Toby – I want that coat off you before you pass out.’
‘I’m not going to pass out,’ grumbled Tobias, reaching half-heartedly for his laces. ‘What do you think I am – a bloody daisy?’
‘Yes. That’s exactly what I think you are. Now shut up and let Gabriel see the damage. If, in the absence of a doctor, one of us has to dig holes in you, he’s the one likely to make the best job of it.’
~ * * ~ * * ~
SEVEN
‘Wait! Just stop for a moment!’ said Lydia, holding up both hands to stem her brother’s flow of words. ‘Let me get this straight. You’re saying Colonel Maxwell assembled a small army and that, last night, you went storming into the Steelyard to rescue Jenny and Rachel and Mary. Is that right?’
‘Yes. More or less.’
It was the following morning and Aubrey was attempting to explain everything across the breakfast table. He’d expected Lydia to be delighted. Her expression suggested that she wasn’t – or at least, not entirely.
‘So – discounting Colonel Maxwell and Nicholas for a moment – both you and Peter knew this was planned. For how long?’
‘A couple of days,’ he said uneasily.
Lydia folded her arms and fixed him with a darkening gaze.
‘And Henry. Henry must also have known.’
‘Well, yes. Naturally, he had to be told --’
‘Oh – naturally! Henry had to be told. But I, apparently, did not.’
‘Colonel Maxwell’s orders. I suppose he didn’t want to get your hopes up in case something went wrong.’ Sighing, Aubrey offered her a placating smile. ‘Stop quibbling, Lyd. Surely the important thing is that the women are safe?’
‘Of course it is,’ she snapped, exasperatedly. ‘But I object to being treated like some frail, hand-wringing female who can’t be trusted not to succumb to the vapours. And I object even more to being kept in the dark about something that is very much my own concern.’
‘Fine.’ Aubrey pushed his half-empty platter aside and stood up. ‘Tell that to the Colonel. He said he’d call today.’
‘How nice of him to spare the time,’ she muttered. Then, ‘Wait. Did anything go wrong? Were you hurt?’
‘Not even a scratch. Peter has a nasty cut and --’
‘Will he be all right?’
‘Good as new in a few days,’ he assured her. ‘The only thing that didn’t go according to plan was catching that fellow Quinn … but I daresay the Colonel will find another way of getting answers.’
Lydia also rose, frowning a little.
‘Answers? What answers?’
Aubrey realised he should have kept his mouth shut. In Lydia’s current mood, he didn’t want to be the one to reveal that there had also been a blackmail letter she knew nothing about. Deciding to place this thorny issue squarely on the shoulders of the person whose decision it had been, he said evasively, ‘Colonel Maxwell could explain it all much better than me. I suggest you ask him.’
‘I will,’ she replied. ‘Oh - I will. And what is more, I don’t intend to wait on his convenience.’
‘Good. Then I’ll leave you to it and take myself off to Shoreditch. Jack has promised to teach me how to construct a basket-grip,’ he added, heading for the door. Then, half-turning, ‘Oh – and don’t bother to thank me or anyone else for last night. Just carry on carping, why don’t you?’
* * *
On her way through the chilly streets to Cheapside, Lydia acknowledged the justice of her brother’s parting shot. He was right, damn
it. The only thing that really mattered was having her women back, safe and sound; that and the fact that no one had been seriously injured during the rescue. So she would thank the Colonel nicely … and then tell him what she thought of his high-handed methods.
Mr Maxwell’s assistant was in the shop, trying to serve one lady whilst fending off enquiries about his employer from two others. Glancing over at Lydia, he said, ‘Go up, Mistress Neville. Things are a bit chaotic this morning and Mistress Wilkes is somewhat occupied – but I believe you know the way.’
‘Indeed,’ she nodded. ‘Thank you.’ And walked through to the stairs.
The parlour into which she’d been shown on her previous visit was occupied by Nicholas, sitting by the hearth, one leg propped on a footstool and Peter, his wound currently being re-dressed by the housekeeper. Of Jenny, Rachel and Mary, there was no sign.
Before either man could rise, Lydia said quickly, ‘Don’t get up. How are you both?’
‘A trifle battered but we’ll mend,’ replied Nicholas with a tight grin. ‘I suppose Aubrey gave you the glad tidings?’
‘Some of them, certainly. Where are my women?’
‘Major Moulton and Sergeant Trotter escorted them all home a little while ago. Don’t worry. They’re tired – and shocked, of course – but otherwise unhurt.’
‘Unlike the two of you.’ She turned to the housekeeper. ‘They’ve put you to some trouble, it seems.’
‘And not a word of warning, either,’ came the terse reply. Then, leaving Peter to replace his shirt, Mistress Wilkes dropped a slight curtsy and said, ‘These two will heal fast enough. My concern is for Mr Tobias. The wound’s clean but I’ve a suspicion he’s developing a fever – so you’ll excuse me going back up to him. Meantime, since I daresay you’ve come to speak to the Colonel, I’ll let him know you’re here.’
‘Thank you. I’d appreciate it.’
Mistress Wilkes – nobody’s fool – correctly interpreted both Lydia’s tone and the slightly martial gleam in her eye.
‘If you want to be private, you’d best wait in the back parlour.’
‘Yes. I believe I will.’ As the housekeeper bustled from the room, Lydia looked sternly back at Nicholas and Peter. ‘And if either of you even think of working until you’re well enough, I’ll have something to say about it.’
‘There’s a surprise,’ breathed Nicholas.
Peter merely grinned.
Lydia paced the meagre width of the rear parlour for a full ten minutes before Eden appeared. He had plainly pulled on his coat in a hurry and a frown lurked behind his eyes but he greeted her pleasantly, if a trifle briskly, saying, ‘I intended to call on you later. Didn’t Aubrey explain?’
‘He did. But I decided you’d already been put to enough trouble on my behalf.’
‘You mean you were too impatient to wait.’
‘That, too.’ She took a breath and reminded herself to be reasonable. ‘How is your brother? The housekeeper seems concerned about him.’
‘So am I. At present, our biggest problem is keeping the stubborn idiot in bed – and I’m hoping it doesn’t get any worse than that.’ He gestured to a chair, wincing slightly as the movement sent a spear of pain slicing through him. Then, with something approaching a sardonic smile, ‘But don’t feel you have to hold back on Toby’s account. I’m sure you’ve a number of things you want to say to me.’
‘Yes.’ She took the chair he’d indicated and sat very straight. ‘Yes. I do. Obviously, I’m immensely relieved that the women are safe and deeply grateful to you for everything you and the others have done.’
‘Obviously,’ he said dryly, slowly taking the chair facing her. ‘But?’
‘But I don’t appreciate you deciding I shouldn’t be told what you were about. Those women are my responsibility. So although I appreciate your help and recognise that I couldn’t have managed without it, I had a right to know what was going on.’
‘And now you do know.’
‘Now, yes. But you should have told me before. Didn’t it occur to you that I was half out of my mind with worry? That I might have felt better knowing something was being done?’
‘I could have been wrong, Lydia. If I had been --’
‘But you weren’t! My God – it comes to something when my brother, my footman and even my major-domo know more than I do myself!’
‘Aubrey, Peter and Henry knew because I needed their help – the same being true of Nick, Toby and Gabriel. Since there was nothing for you to do – other than sit fidgeting on a knife-edge – I don’t see how telling you in advance could possibly have been helpful. If you can, feel free to enlighten me.’
‘You’re deliberately missing the point,’ said Lydia, frustratedly.
‘So are you. The point,’ stated Eden unequivocally, ‘was to rescue the women – which we did … and to get out of it with whole skins – which we almost did. Anything else is completely irrelevant.’ He stood up with due care for his back. ‘Mistress Wilkes is doubtless busy upstairs. But if you’d care for some refreshment, I’ll --’
Lydia’s eyes narrowed. She said curtly, ‘Thank you – I wouldn’t. Where are you hurt?’
‘I’m not,’ he began. And then, when she continued to regard him with patent disbelief, ‘It’s merely a little bruising and some muscular stiffness. Nothing a hot bath won’t cure.’ I hope. Right now it’s bloody agony. He paused and then added reprehensibly, ‘Mistress Wilkes wasn’t inclined to kiss it better. But if you feel differently …?’
A little colour crept across her cheekbones but she said accusingly, ‘You’re just trying to change the subject.’
‘Yes.’ He smiled hopefully. ‘Did it work?’
Yes. All too well.
‘No. You should go and take that bath, then have Mistress Wilkes make you up a bran poultice.’
Amusement stirred in his eyes. ‘Lydia … I am not a horse.’
‘I know – but the principle is the same. First, however, I’d like to hear about this fellow Quinn. Aubrey said you wanted to question him. About what, exactly?’
‘Ah.’ With resignation, Eden sat down again. ‘How much did Aubrey tell you about Quinn?’
‘Aside from the fact he’s some sort of criminal, virtually nothing.’
‘He’s a powerful, ruthless and very dangerous criminal with an army of assorted killers at his disposal,’ agreed Eden, meeting her gaze with a level one of his own. ‘Amongst other things, he does other people’s dirty work. And he’s not stupid.’
Lydia digested this in silence for a moment. Then, ‘You think he was paid to take my women?’
‘I know he was. And I was hoping to discover the name of his client. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to lay hands on him.’
‘You say you know … but how can you be so certain?’
He’d known it would come to this. He’d just hoped to put it off for a time but, given the lady’s current mood, clearly that wasn’t going to be possible. Reaching into his pocket, he wordlessly handed her the note.
She read it … and then read it again. Finally, she said, ‘How long have you had this?’
‘Since the day Rachel and Mary disappeared.’
‘I see. Another little thing you elected not to mention.’
Eden sighed.
‘Do you know anything about any secret papers Stephen may have had?’
‘No.’
‘Then there was nothing to be gained by alarming you.’
‘There you go again!’ she said hotly, coming abruptly to her feet. ‘Making assumptions and decisions on my behalf – when nobody gave you the right. It – it’s maddening!’
‘So I see.’
She heard the almost imperceptible tremor in his voice.
‘And not remotely funny!’
Eden inclined his head politely but wisely kept his mouth shut.
Aware that she would never win this particular battle, Lydia dropped back into her chair.
‘The note says a week. When do
es it expire?’
‘Tomorrow. But the question is redundant. By now, whoever employed Quinn will know your women are gone and that he therefore lacks the means to coerce you into giving him what he wants.’
‘Whatever that is.’
‘Precisely.’ He let a brief silence develop and then said, ‘Presumably you can see the ramifications of this.’
‘Oh I think so. Somebody we can’t put a name to thinks I’ve got something I haven’t and is prepared to go to any lengths to get it. And, aside from trying to find this thing I don’t believe I’ve got, there’s nothing we can do about it until he tries again.’
‘I couldn’t have put it better myself.’
‘Goodness! I didn’t think there was anything you couldn’t do better yourself.’ She scowled moodily down at her hands and thus missed the flare of laughter in his face. ‘So what do you suggest I do?’
The laughter vanished as swiftly as it had come, leaving Eden’s expression rather grim. He said flatly, ‘Search everywhere you can think of for something of Stephen’s that you might have over-looked. And be very careful. This isn’t over. Until it is, you can’t afford to let your guard drop for a minute – neither you nor anyone who works for you. In the meantime, I’m going to ask Lambert to authorise a troop of Militia to find Quinn and arrest him.’
Seeing a point she thought she could win, Lydia pounced.
‘You could have done that in the first place. It would have spared your brother his injury and you a pain in the – in your back.’
He surveyed her under raised brows until he saw her fidget. Then he said mildly, ‘I do not have a pain in my arse. But if what you actually wanted to say was that I am one … why didn’t you?’
For a second, she looked completely flummoxed. Then, without warning, she gave him a dazzling smile and said primly, ‘Because one of us ought to remember our manners.’
And the other can’t afford to get distracted. Damn.
‘Very true. I apologise. As to the Militia – no, I couldn’t have done that in the first place because I might have been wrong. Now, however, I have proof that Quinn was holding your women against their will. If I can question him, I have some chance of finding the man behind him. A small chance, admittedly, because I imagine Quinn will lie and go on lying. But, at present, it’s all we’ve got.’ He stood up. ‘Did you walk here?’