Ice and Embers (Regency Redezvous Book 10)

by Melanie Karsak

  No. Oh no.

  I hugged the slippers to my chest.

  No.

  Marion.

  It had to have been Marion.

  How could she be so jealous about something so small? To ruin something so precious to me was just…unthinkable.

  I tossed the rest of my wardrobe into the chest and locked it. Slipping on my regular clothes and a coat, and pulling on a pair of boots, I got ready to go. I slid my slippers into my bag. They could be repaired, but the toe would never hold steady now. How could she?

  I blinked back my tears. On the other side of the tent, Lizzie and Amy were gushing excitedly. I steeled my heart, forcing myself not to envy them, then headed outside. There, I spotted Hannah on the arm of a handsome looking gentleman. From his dress, he looked to be a tradesman of some sort, a man of means but also the kind of man who could marry an actress without any shame, and walk about with her in public without fear of being spotted.

  My stomach churned. I headed toward the front of the theatre to look for Kai. There was no one there. I gripped my bag then walked down Freezeland Lane toward The Frozen Mermaid.

  The crowd on the Thames was merry. Everyone seemed joyful. Laughing couples, families, groups of young people together, everyone was having fun.

  And what about me? Who did I have?

  A lover who was ashamed of me.

  A friend who was missing.

  And no family.

  I was an orphan and a Cheapside actress with no talent and no future.

  I stopped at the entrance to The Frozen Mermaid and looked inside.

  “Miss McKenna?” one of the serving girls said, seeing me linger at the entry.

  “Is Doctor Murray here?”

  The girl shook her head. “I haven’t seen him today.”

  I nodded politely. “Thank you,” I said, and with a frown, I turned and headed in the direction of Captain Behra’s ship.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The scene outside the ship would have rivaled a festival to Bacchus. All around, the sailors danced with pretty girls while others played the strange assortment of instruments. The music was unlike any I had ever heard before. Torches lit the area surrounding the ship, and wine was being passed around in plenty.

  I balked as I neared the scene. It was a rowdy sight. The dancing couples were certainly not keeping within the bounds of propriety. The sailors’ hands roved across their partners’ breasts and backsides. In the shadow of night amongst the casks, I saw two lovers in the throes of passion. Their soft moans carried on the wind.

  “Miss McKenna,” a soft voice called.

  The young boy, Robin, bounded off the ship toward me. He’d been playing a pan-flute. He was still holding it when he rushed over to me. The glimmer of excitement shone in his eyes.

  “Robin,” I said with a smile. “I am sorry to bother your…crew.”

  “Troupe.”

  “Sorry?”

  “We’re a troupe. What did you need, Miss McKenna?”

  “I was planning to head back into the city, but I’m trying to find Doctor Murray. Do you happen to know where he went when he left Captain Behra?”

  “Left? Why, he never left. He’s still inside. Shall we check on him?”

  “He…he never left?”

  Robin smiled mischievously then took my hand. “Come on,” he said, leading me back up the plank.

  The others gathered there smiled happily at me but kept to their merrymaking. Robin led me on deck to the captain’s quarters.

  “Captain?” he called, opening the door ajar just slightly. “Miss McKenna wants to see Doctor Murray.”

  From inside, I heard what sounded like a muffled laugh.

  “Send Miss McKenna in,” I heard the captain call.

  Inside the captain’s quarters, the lamps had been dimmed. It was very warm.

  “What can I do for you, Miss McKenna?” the captain asked.

  It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light. When I finally got a fix on her, I saw that she was lying on her cot. I was shocked to see that she was topless. She smiled at me then reached out for a fur coat lying on the floor.

  I averted my eyes as she rose, seeing from the periphery that she had, in fact, been entirely naked. She wrapped the coat around her then went to her desk.

  “I…I was looking for—”

  “Wine?” she asked. She poured a goblet then handed it to me. She had the oddest expression on her face. Though she was smiling, there was so much anger buried behind that smile that I couldn’t quite understand how the two emotions could be contained on one visage.

  “I…no…is…was Doctor—”

  “Kai?” the captain said, turning back toward her cot.

  I turned then to see Kai lying there nestled under the blankets. His coat was off, the front of his shirt undone. He was fast asleep.

  “Kai?” I whispered.

  “He’s not used to our wine,” the captain said, setting down the goblet she’d offered to me. “He’ll need some sleep, I think. He’s quite worn thin.”

  I could feel the flush on my cheeks, anger and embarrassment mixing together.

  “Kai,” I demanded. “Have you lost your mind?” Fury swept over me. What was he…what had he done?

  “Elyse?” he called sleepily, but he didn’t rise. He sounded confused.

  “Best let him sleep it off,” the captain said. “Unless you might like to stay as well,” she said, letting her coat slip casually from her shoulder, giving the briefest glimpse of her breast. “I suspect he might enjoy that.”

  I gasped. Furious, I turned and stormed out of the captain’s cabin. Outside, the revelry continued, but Robin was nowhere to be seen.

  Behind me, the captain laughed.

  My cheeks burned. I headed down the plank and back onto the ice. As I walked back into the darkness, hot tears trailed down my cheeks.

  Kai had a right to his own life. He could do whatever he wanted, but still. It was…I was…I felt sick. I moved quickly through the crowd, tears wetting my cheeks. My emotions tumbled over themselves. How could Kai just bed that woman like that? Apparently, I didn’t know him at all. I’d always thought he was too fine a man for something like that. And for that woman to ask me to join them…well, I could barely believe what I had heard. Fury and sorrow wracked me. I gripped my bag, the ruined slippers inside, then headed back toward town. At the very least, I could make some use of myself and attend to his patient. Clearly Kai had been unable to do so. At that moment, I was so very sorry that I didn’t know how to reach John. I needed him. I needed someone.

  My eyes wet with tears, I walked blindly. My mind was reeling so feverishly that I was lost to myself. I came to a sharp halt, however, when I walked right into someone.

  I staggered backward, more mortified than ever.

  “Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry. I was—” I began, but then stopped when I realized who I’d crashed into. The foreign gentleman was there, steadying me by the arms so I wouldn’t fall.

  “Miss McKenna,” he said, looking surprised. He looked closely at my face, seeming to take in my distress. “What’s happened?”

  “I…” I began, looking back in the direction of the ship. “Nothing,” I said, dashing the tears from my cheeks.

  The foreign gentleman followed my gaze. He frowned hard. “Are you hurt?”

  “Oh, no,” I said with a gasp. “Just a bit upset. My friend…” I said, looking back once more. “It’s nothing.”

  “You’ve had an argument with your friend?”

  “Just…a misunderstanding. It’s nothing. I’m terribly sorry.”

  The foreign gentleman glared at the ship once more then offered me his arm. “Miss McKenna, I believe I failed to make an introduction. I’m Baron Moren,” he said. “And it would be my pleasure to escort you home.”

  I took a deep, shuddering breath. A baron? The girls were right, I was swimming in gentlemen…all the wrong gentlemen.

  “Thank you. I…I was planni
ng to visit some friends who live along the Thames. It’s not a far walk. Would you mind?”

  “Not at all. I’m sorry to see you in such a state, Miss McKenna. Especially after your fine performance tonight.”

  I took the baron’s arm. “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I said, trying to calm myself. The last thing I needed to do was make any more of a fool of myself.

  “You play Titania very well. Her words evoke sympathy when coming from your lips. A trick unfamiliar to most Titanias. You play her earnestly.”

  “I try to imagine her sorrow at the quarrel between her and her king.”

  “Does she feel sorrow? I always thought her argument to be petty.”

  “Oh, no,” I said. “At the end of the play, she professes her deep love for Oberon. I think she appears so angry because she loves him so deeply and their quarrel wounds her. In my mind, she wants nothing more than to be with him but is too prideful to find a way.”

  “I never considered it from that point of view.”

  “Of course, Oberon is no better. He loves her as well. His spite hurts them both.”

  The baron nodded thoughtfully but said nothing.

  “Do they enact much of the Bard’s work where you live?” I asked, hoping my ignorance of his barony wasn’t completely obvious. I still had no idea where, exactly, the gentleman was from.

  “No,” he said with a smile. “But we are quite familiar with Titania.”

  I nodded, unsure what to make of his comment.

  “Perhaps we shall see you as Persephone tomorrow?”

  “Yes. In the morning,” I said, gripping my bag once more. “Assuming the river is still frozen,” I added, trying to soften the mood.

  He smiled. “She’ll hold at least another two days, I believe.”

  “And will you return home then or do you have more business in London?”

  “We shall see.”

  It was clear then that I’d found the limit of that conversation.

  We turned off the ice and walked down the cobblestone road toward the Hawkings’ workshop. I cast a look out at the Frost Fair. The whole river was alive with excitement. Laughter, music, and lights danced across the frozen Thames.

  “It is a lovely scene,” I said, casting my hand toward the river.

  “The Thames is beautiful in all her seasons. But this is a sight to behold. It’s been nineteen years since the last Frost Fair. It’s amazing how much merrymaking a bit of ice can provide. Though I think your company is the first ever to perform on the river. It’s splendid.”

  I smiled at him. “We play at the Struthers Theatre year round. You’ll have to visit us there after the ice melts.”

  At that, he smiled but said nothing.

  Shortly thereafter, we arrived at the Hawkings’ workshop. The entire house was lit up, and from inside, I heard the sounds of clanging metal and an odd popping sound.

  “My friends are tinkers. Quite skilled, really, if a bit eccentric.”

  “All the best people are,” he said then let me go.

  He waited while I inquired at the door. A moment later, the Hawkings’ footman waved me inside.

  “Thank you so much for escorting me,” I told the baron. I didn’t know how to express to him how much his kindness meant to me after such an upsetting night.

  He removed his hat and bowed to me, his long blond hair falling forward when he did so. “It was my pleasure,” he said. “I hope to see you again, Miss McKenna. And, next time, with a smile rather than tears.”

  He had seen my distress, and he had cared. It moved me greatly. “Thank you.”

  With a nod, he turned and headed back into the night.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Miss McKenna,” Isabelle called happily from the top of the staircase. She waved then came thundering down the steps. I had to look twice when I realized that under her apron she was, in fact, wearing trousers. As she descended, she craned her neck to look around me. Not seeing Kai there, she frowned but then quickly smothered her disappointment.

  “How good of you to come,” she said, panting when she got to the bottom of the stairs. “Father is working in the basement. Is…will Doctor Murray be joining you? We haven’t seen him today.”

  “One of the ship captains was injured. He’s needed on the ice,” I said, masking my worry. It was not quite the truth but good enough. “I came in his stead. I thought I could call on the gentleman.”

  “Oh, you should. He’s making a marvelous recovery. The Bow Street Runners were here today. They think we may have a lead on identifying him. Someone is coming in the morning to pay him a visit.”

  “Really?”

  Isabelle nodded. “A gentleman went missing some days back. His family has been searching for him. We’ll see in the morning. Now come, you’ll want to say hello to my father,” she said, pulling me by the arm. She headed toward a door leading to the basement, pausing to scoop up a pile of books sitting on the floor by the door. “Watch your step, and don’t mind the smell.”

  “Smell?”

  Without another word, Isabelle led us downstairs. “Papa?” she called. “Papa, we have a visitor.”

  “Ah, Doctor Murray at last,” Master Hawking replied followed by the sound of metal clattering. There was a strange odor coming from the basement, an odd mix of sulfur and vinegar.

  “Oh, no. He’s not here. Miss McKenna has come.”

  “She’s not…you didn’t bring here down here, did you?” I heard him ask a second before I turned the corner.

  I understood his hesitation the moment I did so. On two long slabs, Master Hawking had cadavers laid out. Their delicate parts were covered, but the pale corpses lay exposed to the open air. That, at least, explained the smell.

  “Isabelle,” Master Hawking said, chiding his daughter softly. “You must remember that not all ladies—” he began then sighed. “Some ladies have softer sensibilities, my dear. Miss McKenna,” he said, bowing to me.

  “I may be an artist, sir, but I assure you that the human body does not frighten me. I’m afraid I’ve spent too many years at Doctor Murray’s side. I’ve quite gotten over any nerves.” Despite my bravado, I swallowed hard.

  Master Hawking smiled then turned to the tables and his nearby workbench. “Doctor Murray and I have been working many months on ways to help the wounded,” he said then waved me to his workbench.

  Isabelle hopped up on a nearby table to watch. “Do you remember the optics I showed you upstairs?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  Master Hawking tapped a glass jar filled with eyeballs then reached out and picked up one of the optics Isabelle had shown me. “Better than a glass eye, but not yet as effective as I had hoped,” he said then set it down. “This, however,” he said, picking up an odd looking ball inside a joint, “has shown promise.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “A knee,” he replied. “Well, at least the knee joint. Two canine trials have already proven successful.”

  I stared from the machine to the man. “How?”

  He laughed heartily and set the tinkered contraption back down. “Imagine it like this. Once the new, metal bones are set, the body will grow vines around it, holding it in place. That is the beauty. We also use nuts, bolts, screws, and clamping.” He then lifted an odd-looking bagpipe. “And this. Can you guess?”

  I shook my head.

  He inhaled deeply, let out a big breath, then breathed in again. After he exhaled he said, “No more death by consumption. I can repair or replace the lungs.”

  “But Master Hawking…that’s impossible.”

  “Oh no, my dear. I assure you, it’s quite possible. Doctor Murray understands the body. I understand the machine. When the two meet…”

  “It’s a perfect match,” Isabelle said, and this time I heard a wistfulness in her voice that made something mean in me tighten. Perhaps she wouldn’t think Kai was so perfect if she knew he was passed out drunk, and half naked, in the ship of a foreign captain.

&n
bsp; “It is truly a marvel,” I said then turned and looked at the bodies. The two men, both young, gone before their years, were pale as milk, their skin blue all around the edges.

  “Ah, my subjects,” Master Hawking said. “I’d appreciate your discretion on that matter, Miss McKenna. I’m sure you know acquiring subjects for research is a delicate matter.”

  By delicate, of course, he meant illegal. I had to wonder what role Kai might have taken in procuring the bodies.

  “Of course,” I said with a smile.

  “Will we be expecting Doctor Murray tonight?” Master Hawking asked.

  “He’s busy on the ice,” Isabelle explained then jumped back down.

  I nodded. “I wanted to come check on his patient.”

  “Fine man. He’s recovering very well,” Master Hawking said then turned to Isabelle. “Be sure to have some tea made for Miss McKenna. You must be frozen to the bone.”

  “Thank you. That’s very kind.”

  Isabelle waved for me to follow her. “Come on,” she said with a smile.

  “Thank you for showing me your work, Master Hawking. It’s quite amazing.”

  The old man smiled a wide and toothy grin. He nodded to me.

  Following Isabelle back upstairs, I pressed my gloved hand to my nose and tried to root out the smell, replacing it with the soft perfume that scented my clothes.

  “Why don’t you go up?” Isabelle said, pointing to the stairs. “I’ll come in a few minutes with some tea.”

  I smiled. The Hawkings were very charming, but their manners were so out of the ordinary that I hardly knew what to do.

  Without waiting for me to reply, Isabelle turned toward the kitchen.

  I went upstairs and down the hallway to the room where the gentleman was resting. I paused when I got to the door. It was highly irregular for a lady to enter a gentleman’s chamber unchaperoned. I knocked softly on the door.

  “Sir?” I called.

  “Yes?”

  “Sir, it’s Miss McKenna. If you are up for a visit, I thought to check on you. I’m very sorry, but I have no chaperone. I wasn’t sure…”