Joss and The Countess (The Seducers Book 2)

by S. M. LaViolette

  While he hadn’t met Shelly, the other man had certainly seen Joss before.

  “Ah, well met, Mr. Gormley.”

  “Mr. Shelly.”

  The smaller man flushed at Joss’s significant look. “Er, I’ve taken the liberty of securing a table in the corner. To qualify for such a premium—and private—location I’ve had to order us meals.”

  Joss glanced around the place, which looked as though it had last been cleaned during the reign of Henry VIII.

  They’d barely lowered their arses onto the rickety chairs when a slatternly serving wench set down two heavy trenchers with a thump.

  “Two kidney pies, mash, and peas.” She stared at Shelly with disdain before turning her greedy eyes to Joss, her smile thawing. “And what can I get you to drink, Goliath?”

  Joss gave her a slight smile—as if he hadn’t already heard it a thousand times. “A pint of your house brew.” It had been one of his father’s few maxims that the only safe drinks to order in most tap houses were those brewed on site. Not that Joss had any intention of eating or drinking anything in this place.

  The wench sauntered off, her hips swaying in a manner that certainly caught Mr. Shelly’s attention.

  Joss cleared his throat.

  “Ah, yes.” Shelly leaned across the table, although nobody at any of the nearby tables appeared to be listening or interested.

  “After I received your note earlier, I immediately got in touch with one of the wardens on the incurable wing. He owes me a favor for getting him out of a tight spot. He said there are several rooms on the third floor of the west wing, which is the women’s side. Most of the cells are located off the main galleries, but there are two at each end that are self-contained. He says it is commonly known that some of the physicians take, er, special patients. Also, the patients in these rooms are not available for viewing.”

  “Good God—they still allow that?”

  “It is difficult to stamp out, especially at night when only the floor wardens remain. It is a way of earning extra money that they are reluctant to give up.”

  “So, you’re saying that paying them is the best way to gain entry?”

  Shelly nodded. “Do you think Selwood will send extra men? Could he be moving her tonight?”

  Joss pushed aside the congealing pie before propping his elbows on the table. He thought about the condition he’d left Selwood in a few hours earlier. He’d looked barely able to lift a finger, but it was better not to take chances.

  “Let’s assume he might and plan for every eventuality. If we can get past whoever it is that watches the front entry, how do we get into those rooms?”

  “He said they usually keep the keys on their person—that we’d need to get our hands on one of the warden’s keys for that particular floor. He was going to wander over there tomorrow night and then we might—”

  “We don’t have time for that; we need to go tonight.”

  Shelly had started shaking his head before he’d even finished. “I don’t think that is wise, Mr. Gormley. We have no idea what kind of situation we’d be stepping into. If Lord Selwood is committed to keeping his sister restrained—and actions like this would indicate that he is—perhaps he might even engage Runners or contact a constable.”

  Joss smiled. “Yes, I daresay you are correct. But we’ll have something far better, Mr. Shelly.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Alicia had only just fallen into a light doze when somebody knocked on the door.

  A candle flickered at the end of her bed. “My lady?”

  She sat bolt upright, blinking against the light. “Is it time, Maude?”

  “Yes, I just received word from Mr. Shelly. We are to wait at the Swan with Two Necks for Lizzy. It will be sometime four-thirty or five.”

  “But—” Alicia glanced over at the clock. “It is already four.”

  “Then we should make haste.”

  The servants loaded up her trunk while Alicia dressed in her warmest traveling clothes.

  Maude had suggested bringing a similar valise for Lizzy, just in case she had to leave wherever she’d been kept without any possessions.

  While Alicia struggled into her clothes, she thought about Joss. Oh, how she wished he’d been able to come to her tonight!

  Her face heated at her selfish thought; it sounded as though he had his own family problems to manage. Alicia prayed that nothing terrible had happened.

  She wouldn’t be able to say goodbye, but at least she could leave him a message to let him know that Mr. Shelly had found Lizzy much faster than he’d hoped.

  Alicia wished with all her heart that he could come with them to France tonight, but he’d warned her that he was tied to London for at least the next month..

  “I’m sorry,” he’d said, gently stroking her jaw. “But I can’t leave Melissa in the lurch.” His thin lips had quirked into a wry smile. “No matter how much I would like to give her a piece of my mind about her tricks.”

  “Oh, hush, Joss.” She’d kissed the end of his crooked nose. “Her tricks brought us together.”

  “Yes, and not without affording her a fair amount of entertainment in the process.”

  While they might have disagreed on his friend’s methods, Alicia had agreed with him when it came to keeping his word to Mrs. Griffin.

  “I’m hoping Shelly will find her soon, even though that will mean we must be parted,” she’d said.

  “But not forever.” He’d kissed her breathless. “And we can make the most of tonight while we have it.”

  And they had, oh, they had.

  But now she needed to write him a letter—even though she wasn’t quite sure what she could tell him other than she loved him and was leaving.

  Alicia had just finished struggling through her very brief missive and was sealing it when Maude appeared.

  “My lady, the carriage is ready.” Maude was holding her heavy fur cloak. “I thought I’d bring this—in case she is cold.”

  On their way to the carriage Alicia stopped to talk to the young footman, who looked wide awake for all that it was so early in the morning.

  “See that this is delivered to Mr. Joss Gormley first thing in the morning.”

  The boy’s eyebrows rose slightly, but he took the letter and was quick to nod. “Yes, my lady.”

  Once they were in the carriage Alicia was assailed by a sudden qualm as she saw the house—most likely for the last time.

  She grabbed the smaller woman’s hands and squeezed them tight. “Is this the right thing to do—taking her away? It is, isn’t it?”

  Maude’s face was exceptionally grim and she squeezed Alicia’s hands until the bones hurt. “This is the only thing you can do, my lady.”

  ∞∞∞

  Joss looked at the two women across from him and repeated what he’d just said. “Are you certain you wish to do this? There is danger involved, I can’t say how much—but it might be significant.

  Ella and Julia were fairly new to The White House and hadn’t been around the last time Joss worked for Mel. He’d chosen them for two reasons: they were both fit and could run if necessary, and they’d both come to Mel from a place so vile they had a deep-seated hatred of men who abused women.

  “You say this arsehole put his sister in Bethlem?” Ella repeated.

  “Yes.”

  “And you just need us to lure the men keeping her away?” Julia asked.

  “Yes. I think if you go in and ask to see the lunatics and offer to pay them—I’ll give you money to wave around.”

  Ella laughed. “If we can’t wave around something of our own to make them follow, then we’ve lost our touch.”

  “Yes, well, I don’t want you getting trapped by them. There is also the danger more men may have arrived. If so, we may have to come up with some other approach.”

  “We’re game, boss,” Julia, an exquisite blond with doll-like blue eyes said, hiking up her skirt and pulling a wicked looking blade from a holster on her calf.


  “Good God. Do you wear that all the time?”

  “I’m never without it.” The cold look in her eyes told him all he needed to know. Joss had realized a long time ago that most of the whores who came to work for Mel had arrived there via the hard route. Joss, with his happy childhood and relatively close-knit family, was the rare exception.

  “Well,” Ella said, getting to her feet, a huge grin on her full-lipped, sensual features, “I’m ready.”

  That was an hour and a half ago. They’d arrived at the spot where he’d agreed to meet Shelly—the overrun gardens to the north of the old building

  The older man was speaking to somebody who could only be the warden he’d mentioned. Joss and the two women approached and the warden stopped talking, his eyes shifty and nervous.

  Shelly turned to him. “He wants £4 to let the four of us in.”

  Joss eyed the warden. “That is extortion. What do you usually charge for entry?”

  To his credit, the man’s pockmarked face flushed a dull red. “If I do this, I’ll have to make myself scarce for a few days..”

  “Has Lord Selwood sent more men tonight?”

  “No, just the same two as always and the woman who watches the girl.”

  Joss nodded and reached into his purse, which he’d filled with money from Melissa’s safe before leaving.

  Before the warden could close his fingers around it, Joss grabbed his wrist and yanked him until their chests were touching.

  “You are not by any chance leading us into a trap?”

  “God no.” His eyes were wide with terror. “I’m not. I swear.”

  “Repeat the plan as Mr. Shelly told it to you.”

  “I will let in the women first and tell the floor warden they want to see the lunatics. While they distract him, I’ll admit you two. Once you have the key you can release the girl and I’ll lock up the nurse.”

  “And the two men with her,” Joss added.

  The man swallowed. “Aye, ‘course. And the two men. And you’ll take the girl and nobody will be the wiser until they come to check on her tomorrow in the late afternoon.”

  Joss cocked his head. “Until who comes?”

  “Why, the Earl of Selwood and his lady wife, sir.”

  ∞∞∞

  It was closer to five-thirty when Shelly arrived in a rented carriage. Alicia had walked a rut in the floor of the private parlor by the time the innkeeper showed the small man into the room.

  “You have her?” she demanded.

  “Yes, my lady. She is even now being transferred into your carriage.”

  “Transferred? By whom?”

  The door opened behind Shelly and Joss entered.

  “Joss!” Alicia made a choked sound before launching herself at him.

  “Shhh, my love,” he murmured, his chest rumbling beneath her ear. “You must make haste.” He held her away and leaned down to kiss her tears of relief from the corners of her eyes.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked in between sniffles.

  “Miss Finch will explain it all to you. But come, darling, you need to be on your way, it’s already later than I’d like.”

  Alicia’s traveling coach waited in the courtyard with a team of six, the postilions already mounted.

  Joss opened the door and handed in Maude before turning to her.

  “She is sleeping,” he gestured to the forward facing seat, where Lizzy was sitting upright, her body listing to the side. “You will need to keep hold of her, she must have been given some manner of sleeping draught and is impossible to rouse.”

  Alicia’s heart drummed in her ears. “Is she all right?”

  “I believe she may have fought her captors and they decided it was easier to drug her. Physically she appears sound.” He glanced into the coach and nodded at Maude. “Miss Finch will tell you everything on the way and Mr. Shelly will fill in anything she does not know. He will assist you when you reach Dover.” He leaned down and gave her a hard, swift kiss.

  When he pulled away she realized everyone around them must have been shocked by his actions and were now studiously looking in the other direction.

  “Now, you must go.”

  Before she knew it, she was seated beside Lizzy’s still form, Mr. Shelly on the bench across from her with Maude.

  Joss flipped the steps up and gave her a last lingering look before saying, “I wish you safe travels.” And then he shut the door.

  ∞∞∞

  Joss considered going directly to Selwood’s house and confronting the man’s wife this time—demanding an answer. But he told himself to let the matter go. Nothing could be done about it and Lady Elizabeth and Alicia would be better served if he did not stir the hornet’s nest he’d already kicked over. No doubt he would already have his hands full when they discovered Lizzy was gone.

  He summoned a hack and directed it to take him to The White House, settling back into the cold gloom of the interior before allowing his mind to retrace the path of the past few hours.

  He and Shelly had discussed what they’d learned about Lord and Lady Selwood on their drive to the Swan with Two Necks and had decided the information was best held in reserve. They could always use the truth if they the earl and countess tried to go after either Joss or Alicia and Lizzy.

  Joss’s heart ached when he thought of Alicia’s anguish when Maude told her the truth.

  And then there was whatever nightmare story Lizzy would have to tell. And it would be a nightmare because the scene in Bethlem hospital, even the private room she’d been confined to, was something Joss would never forget.

  The building was newish, but the construction methods had been so shoddy it was difficult to believe it wasn’t the old Moorfields hospital.

  All three floors had galleries that ran down the center with cells off to the sides. Some of the inmates roamed at will, some were chained bodily to metal bars from which they could not have moved more than a few inches.

  The warden who’d guarded the wing Lizzy was in had been dead drunk when they found him, making the task of lifting the keys that much easier.

  The two men Selwood paid to watch the door had all but run to Ella and Julia when they’d strutted down the gallery. It had been only the work of a moment for Joss to subdue one of the men into unconsciousness while Ella held the other at the point of her wicked blade.

  Lizzy’s room had been small and clean enough, but the air had been frigid and reeked of stale spirits. The source of the stench was the nurse, who snored heavily in the room’s only chair. The half-empty bottle of laudanum attested to the source of Lizzy’s unnaturally deep sleep. All in all, it took less than two hours to get in, get Lizzy, and return her to the waiting carriage.

  The hack stopped and Joss leapt out without bothering with the step. He paid the driver and let himself in with his own key. The front door was locked to the public at four a.m. each day and unlocked again at six p.m.

  Somebody had thoughtfully left a candlestick for him and he yawned hugely as he made his way all the way to the quarters he kept in the private portion of the house. Nobody was stirring, not even the charwomen, when he reached his room.

  He’d not slept for two nights running—yesterday evening with Alicia being far more enjoyable than tonight.

  His body had begun to shut down from lack of sleep and even his whirring brain had begun to grow sluggish after almost forty-eight hours without sleep. He’d only managed to toe off his boots and remove his coat and cravat before crawling beneath the covers of his cold bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow….

  ∞∞∞

  BANG! BANG! BANG!

  Joss jerked upright and stared from the door to the clock; he’d been asleep no more than twenty minutes.

  “This had better be important,” he yelled hoarsely.

  The door opened and Hugo stood in the opening. For once, he wasn’t smiling.

  Joss swung his feet to the floor. “Well?” he said when Hugo didn’t speak.r />
  “There are two constables here for you, Joss.”

  Well, that was fast. He nodded wearily and stood, going to his bureau and removing a fresh neckcloth. He tossed it on the bed and poured some cold water into his wash basin. “Tell them I will be down shortly.

  “Er, you already know why they’re here?” Hugo sounded tense and unlike himself.

  Joss plunged his face into the freezing water, scrubbed briefly with his hands, and then grabbed the towel and dried himself before answering. “They’re here about the girl? About Bethlem hospital?”

  Hugo’s brow wrinkled. “What? No,” he said before Joss could answer. “They’re here about Lord Selwood.”

  Ah, so that was it. The man would have him throw in jail for assault. Well, it had been worth it.

  Joss picked up his neckcloth and tied the world’s worst knot, surprised when Hugo did not take the opportunity to comment.

  Still, he’d be damned if he wasted time on his cravat if he was going to Newgate for beating a lord. He snatched up his coat, which he’d carelessly thrown over the back of a chair—that alone enough to attest to how exhausted he was.

  “I’m afraid I engaged in an altercation with Lord Selwood last night and I daresay he will take his pound of flesh.” He turned to Hugo, who’d helped him shrug into it. “You’re going to be in charge for a while, Hugo, until I can contact a solicitor and see what can be done about getting me out. I’d rather not disturb Melissa with this if it can be helped. You’ll need to tell Laura and the two of you can manage together.” He gave the whipcord lean man a hard look. “Just save your machinations for when I return, if you don’t mind.”

  Hugo shook his head, his mouth open. “Joss, I don’t think you understand—Lord Selwood, he—he isn’t the one who sent the constables. Lord Selwood is dead. And they are saying that you are the one who killed him.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Many things could be procured within the cold, thick, and unforgiving walls of Newgate, but all of it required money. Lots of money.

  While Joss had some money, he did not feel like wasting it on more comfortable accommodations. So that is how he came to be crowded into a cell with perhaps two dozen others.