Ice and Embers (Regency Redezvous Book 10)

by Melanie Karsak

  “It’s okay,” I said then, brushing a lock of his hair away from his forehead. “It’s okay. I’ll stay with you. I won’t leave you here. If you can’t leave, then neither will I,” I said. “Kai, do you hear me?”

  “Elyse?” he whispered softly. “My stomach feels strange.”

  I set my head on his shoulder. Tears rolled down my cheeks, wetting his shirt. Taking a deep breath, I looked up. I wiped my tears then reached up and touched his cheek. “Kai, I love you,” I whispered. “I love you with all of my heart and all my soul. I’ve been a very foolish girl. The idea of losing you…I cannot live without you. Kai, I love you,” I said. Leaning in, I placed a soft kiss on his lips.

  At first, there was no reaction. His lips were warm and soft, but he didn’t return my kiss.

  I kissed him harder then, putting my hands on his cheeks, pressing his body closer to mine.

  This time, however, he pulled back.

  “No,” he said, a sharp, angry tone in his voice. “No. You have no right. Get away from me. My heart belongs to only one woman.”

  My stomach clenched into a hard ball.

  I was too late.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered then pulled back.

  At the sound of my voice, he looked up at me once more. This time, however, his eyes were clear. His brow furrowed deeply as though he was just coming to himself.

  “Elyse?” he whispered.

  He looked around, a confused expression on his face. “The captain? Where did that whore go? She was just here. She tried to—Elyse?”

  “Yes. Yes, I know. And we need to go. Now. Before she returns. Can you stand up?” I asked. Rising to my feet, I reached down for him.

  “I’ll bloody well try.”

  Steadying myself, I helped Kai stand. Once he was firmly on his feet, I led him to the door. Moving quietly, I unlatched the door and peered outside. The captain’s man was no longer at the end of the platform. I didn’t see him anywhere on the ship.

  Wrapping my arm around Kai’s waist, I nodded to him. “Come with me. Quiet.”

  Wordlessly, Kai followed me to the rail of the ship. I could tell he was weak on his feet, but there was no helping it. I had the baron’s word that he would keep the captain away, but he may not be able to manage for long. What would happen when the captain realized she had been fooled? We needed to hurry.

  “There is a ladder here. You’ll have to climb down. Can you make it?” I whispered.

  “Yes.” I could tell from the sound of his voice that he was trying to sound confident, but his slumping body told a different tale.

  “I’ll go first and try to steady you,” I said. Making sure Kai had hold of the rail, I swung over the side of the ship and started down the rope, moving quickly to the wagon below.

  “Kai. Now you,” I said.

  Moving slowly, Kai crawled over the rail.

  My heart slammed in my chest as I watched him struggle to hold on to the ropes. His foot slipped as he tried to feel for the rung.

  I tugged on the rope ladder, guiding the rung under his foot.

  “Doctor? Where are you going?” the captain’s henchman yelled from the deck of the ship.

  Kai moved with purpose then, trying to get down the ladder.

  The sailor appeared at the side of the ship above us, glaring down. He stared at Kai, then me, his eyes narrowing. He pulled his sword from his belt and lifted it.

  “Kai! Jump,” I called.

  Kai turned and leaped into the wagon. He grunted a little as he landed, but landed all the same.

  A second later, the sailor dropped his sword on the rope ladder. It fell half in and half out of the wagon.

  “Go,” Kai called weakly.

  I snatched up the reins and snapped them, clicking loudly to the mule who must have been dosing.

  From the deck of the ship, an odd-sounding trumpet signaled loudly. Its warning sound echoed across the ice.

  “Oh, Bottom. Move, please,” I called to the mule, snapping the reins again. This time, the mule got some spring in his step, and he rushed quickly away. I moved the mule carefully across the ice at a quick clip. We were already a good distance from the ship when I heard shouting.

  A sharp wind below then, and with it, a fog seemed to roll across the Thames, enveloping the space between the Frost Fair and the riverside in a thick mist. I clicked at the mule and drove the wagon off the ice toward the city. Only once we were off the ice did I look back at Kai. He sat slumped along the side of the wagon. He was not himself, but he was there. That was all that mattered. I needed to get him somewhere safe quickly.

  I turned the cart in the direction of the Hawkings’ workshop. He could rest there until he regained his composure. I drove down the bumpy cobblestone street, focusing so completely on my task that I didn’t stop until the wagon pulled in front of the Hawkings’ home.

  I rapped loudly on the door then waited, staring pensively back out at the ice. My heart thundered in my chest for fear that the captain would chase me here to seek out her revenge. Perhaps Master Shakespeare had taught me to expect too much drama. This wasn’t Hamlet, after all.

  “Miss McKenna?” the footman said.

  Master Hawking and Isabelle appeared in the foyer behind the servant.

  “Miss McKenna?” Master Hawking said, coming to the door.

  “It’s Doctor Murray,” I said, turning toward the cart. “He’s unwell.”

  Without another word, Master Hawking, Isabelle, the servant, and I went to the wagon where Kai sat staring at the frozen river, his brow furrowed in anger.

  “Kai,” I said, setting my hand on his shoulder. He was startled by my touch but then softened when he looked at me. “Kai. Come inside. Master Hawking will see to you. You’ll be safe here,” I said, whispering the last.

  He nodded grimly then slid off the back of the wagon. I slipped one of his arms over my shoulder while Master Hawking took the other. I noticed that he was walking with a limp.

  “What happened?” Isabelle asked, her wide dark eyes taking in the situation.

  “Bad people doing bad things,” I answered.

  Isabelle led us to the parlor just off the main foyer. She moved a stack of books from a chaise, and Master Hawking and I lowered Kai into the seat.

  “Elyse, my ankle,” he whispered, seemingly embarrassed. “Can you remove my boot?”

  I nodded then unlaced his boot, slipping it off. It was already swelling.

  I turned to Isabelle. “Can you bring some ice?”

  She nodded then rushed out of the room.

  “Kai, are you all right? Shall I call the Bow Street Runners?” Master Hawking asked, a distressed look on his face.

  Kai shook his head. “No. I’ll be fine now.”

  “I am so very sorry to bring another problem to your door, Master Hawking. It seemed urgent to get Kai somewhere safe,” I said.

  Master Hawking placed his hands behind his back then nodded affirmatively. “From the smell of you, Kai, I’d almost think Elyse just pulled you out of an opium den.”

  Kai frowned. “There has been some subterfuge done to me, I am ashamed to say.”

  Master Hawking nodded as he rubbed his chin. “I think I have something that will help if that is the case. I’ll be back in a moment,” he said, leaving us alone.

  I sat down on the chaise beside Kai then stared into my hands as I bit my bottom lip, trying to think of what to say. So much had happened. So much had gone awry. I shook my head and blinked back my tears.

  “Elyse?” Kai finally whispered.

  I took a deep breath then looked up at him.

  “I love you too. With all my soul. My mind is cloudy. I don’t quite understand what has happened, but I do remember some things. I…I, too, have been a very silly man. And, I admit, a jealous man. I don’t know how to live without you. I can’t. Don’t…please don’t leave me. Elyse, I love you,” he whispered then reached out and wiped a tear off my cheek. “I can’t live without you.”

&
nbsp; “I love you too.” I leaned in and placed the gentlest of kisses on his lips. This time, I was met with the full force of the man I’d known my whole life. I’d spent each day at his side, a friend, a companion. But it had always been more. He had always been a part of me. Why didn’t I see that it was more than friendship? It had always been the deepest of loves.

  “Oh,” a little voice squeaked from the door.

  Reluctantly, I pulled back and looked to find Isabelle standing there.

  A wave of emotions washed over her face: frustration, jealousy, understanding, and then acceptance. In one swift moment, it seemed that Miss Hawking had accepted that any hopes she’d had for her and Kai were not meant to be. She beamed a bright and honest smile toward us.

  “Here is the ice,” she said, holding a cloth. “I went outside for it. A man passed by, told me the Thames is breaking up below the bridge. They are evacuating the ice as quickly as possible,” she said, seeming to look for any bit of conversation to change the subject. “It’s like a parade passing out there.”

  “Oh no,” I whispered, turning back to Kai. “I have Marve’s wagon. My troupe.”

  Kai nodded, understanding at once. “Don’t leave me long, and please be careful.”

  “Don’t worry. Just stay here and rest. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Kai kissed my hand then nodded to me as I turned and rushed to the door. If I didn’t hurry, the Ice House and all of her belongings would sink into the Thames.

  I slipped into the wagon once more and grabbed the reins. Clicking at the mule, I turned the cart and headed quickly back to the ice.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  My hands shook as I drove the wagon back onto the river. Everything was in commotion as the Bow Street Runners had joined the Frost Fair officials in hurrying everyone off the ice. Rows of carts rushed both on and off the ice. I snapped the reins and pushed Bottom toward the Ice House. My eyes scanned the crowd for the baron and the captain. With the river cracking open, surely the captain had better things to do than worry about Kai and me.

  Speeding quickly down the ice, I soon reached the Ice House. I pulled the wagon up to the tent.

  Marve, Hobbs, and Amy were rushing from the back of the theatre to the tents, their arms loaded, when I arrived.

  “Oh, Elyse. Thank god,” Marve exclaimed when he saw me.

  “I’m so sorry. I just heard. I came as quick as I could,” I said. I eyed the others. They were all still dressed in costume. “Did they stop you mid-performance?”

  Marve nodded. “Titania’s bower scene. And we really had the crowd too. But come. Quickly. We must load everything that’s left at once and get off the ice. They said the first few ships nearest the bridge have already started to drift, some of the vendors’ tents went under the ice.”

  And then, as if on cue, we heard a loud crack in the ice in the distance. The frozen river under our feet seemed to lurch.

  The four of us exchanged glances. They headed toward the wagon while I rushed into the tent.

  “The wagon is here. Everyone. Quickly,” I called.

  Upon hearing my voice, Lizzie and Robert ran toward the front of the tent.

  “Elyse,” Lizzie said, dropping the bundle of costumes she was holding. She pulled me into an embrace. “Are you all right? Did everything go as planned?”

  “Yes, yes. Thank you, both. Kai is safe. Now, we must hurry.”

  They nodded.

  Lizzie squeezed my arms, bent to pick up her bundle, then rushed toward the wagon. I headed into the back, passing Hannah and Skippy as they rushed out with a trunk. After them, James and Josiah toted mirrors toward the wagon.

  “What can I do?” I asked.

  “In the very back, the last of Marion’s old wardrobe,” Josiah said.

  Taking a lantern, I headed toward the back of the tent.

  There, I found the last trunk of clothes. It was open. The elaborate costumes Marion had worn lay spilled in the straw. I righted the chest then stuffed the costumes back inside.

  I shivered as a hard wind kicked open the back flap of the tent. The chilled air swirled around me. For a brief moment, I felt the dark presence of someone standing behind me.

  And then, I felt a terrible searing pain on my skull.

  After that, there was only the stars.

  Chapter Thirty

  I woke, my head aching. I felt terribly dizzy.

  There was an odd sound like someone was chopping wood. Sprays of cold water splashed onto my face. I winced.

  “You’re to blame. You. Not me. This is your fault,” a muddled voice growled at me.

  I opened my eyes a crack to see a figure driving an ax pick into the frozen river. We were on a dark section of the frozen river. I looked up and saw London Bridge near us.

  Water splashed onto my face again.

  “You couldn’t just let him go, could you? Don’t lie and tell me you didn’t want him. I know you did. All along, it was him you wanted.”

  I squinted, trying to see, but my head ached miserably. The bitter taste of salt and metal tinged my mouth. Blood? I tried to make out the figure standing above me, but my eyes fluttered closed.

  There was a sharp tug on my foot then a curse as the large man’s boot I was wearing came off.

  “Red slippers,” the figure growled. I was grabbed by the ankle and pulled me across the ice. I felt the chill on the back of my neck, and something inside me screamed that I should wake up.

  When I opened my eyes, I was looking up at the moon.

  I tried to jerk my leg away from the rough hand that held it.

  The figure stopped.

  I shuddered with cold, and fear, and pain.

  “Awake? No matter. It’s done now.”

  The figure bent down and grabbed me roughly by the arm.

  John.

  “J—J—John?” I said through chattering teeth.

  “Jacob, actually,” he said. “Not that it would have mattered to you. You’re such a whore. You ran from me right to him, didn’t you? You were the liar all along, Elyse. Not me. You did this. You forced this on me. You. This is your fault,” he said then tugged my arm. “You deserve this.”

  “What? No,” I whispered.

  “And now, after all your pretty talk, you’ll give me up. You led me on. You spurned me. And now, no doubt, you’ll turn me over to the law. Oh no. I won’t die just because you couldn’t love me as I was. It was your fault I lied. I won’t go to the Tower for your pretty face.”

  He tugged hard. The cold river water hit me with such terrible force that it knocked the wind out of me. Yet at the same time, something very mean in me took over. I knew that if I didn’t act, and act now, I would die.

  I reached out and felt for something, anything, to hold on to. There was nothing but water.

  I opened my eyes. I was under the waves. Everything was black.

  The movement of the Thames below the ice tugged at me, pulled me down.

  I fought it. I gazed up through the water. I saw John’s distorted image, the moon at his back, as he stood over the crack in the ice watching me die.

  Kicking hard, I reached out and grabbed at the edge of the ice. It was sharp as glass. I pulled, trying to lift myself out of the water, but the Thames would not have it. I felt the dark water drag at me as my lungs burned.

  I pulled myself toward the surface, but the ice I held onto gave way, coming off in a frozen chunk. I began slipping underwater.

  I kicked hard, feeling the other boot give way. I kicked my legs like my life depended on it, and grabbed for the edge once more. But missed. My head hit the ice hard and I saw stars.

  My lungs burned.

  And it grew dark.

  And cold.

  And still.

  If we shadows have offended…

  If we shadows have offended…

  If we shadows have offended…

  Chapter Thrity-One

  As the last breath of air left me, I opened my eyes once more. />
  John stood above me, watching me drown.

  But a moment later, another figure appeared behind him. They lifted something large and dropped it on John’s head. He crumpled.

  Hands plunged into the water.

  I kicked hard, reaching upward.

  My hands connected with another’s. Someone took me by the hands and pulled me from the river. I coughed hard, retching river water. The unseen person knelt behind me, patting my back as I wheezed, gasping for air.

  “Elyse, breathe. Breathe! Cough out the water.”

  In the distance, I heard the whistle of one of the Bow Street Runners.

  I coughed, water clearing from my lungs. It burned as it expelled from my nose and mouth. It hurt, but I was alive.

  I opened my eyes just a crack and saw people carrying torches rushing toward me. In the crowd was one of the uniformed lawmen.

  “What’s happened here? Is she alive?” the Bow Street Runner asked in an authoritative voice.

  “Barely. This man tried to drown her. I plucked her out in time,” a feminine voice replied.

  “What happened to him?”

  “I cracked him on the head with guard of this sword. He’s out,” the person replied matter-of-factly.

  “Arrest him. You there, lift the girl. She needs to be taken somewhere warm. Let’s get her off the ice.”

  Strong hands lifted me. My head bobbed drowsily then leaned against a barrel-chested gentleman I didn’t know.

  “Your name, Madame?”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but could only cough.

  “My name is Marion Stovall. This is Miss Elyse McKenna. We are players at the Ice House Theatre.”

  I forced myself to open my eyes. Marion was standing beside the constable, a frustrated and upset look on her face. Her gown was completely soaked. In her hand, she was holding one of our stage swords. I cast a glance down at the ice where John—no, Jacob—lay sprawled. The officers were securing his hands with rope.

  “That explains why she’s dressed in men’s clothes. And the man who shoved her in. Who is he?”