by Jaimey Grant
*
Chapter Nineteen
Unfortunately for Derringer, the unease being experienced by his friends was spot on.
Everything went well at first. The duke arrived at the building that Tiny assured him was the residence of Jeremiah Miller and his wife Elizabeth. The landlady informed them that they lived in the top floor.
Derringer debated his next move. He thought about just bursting in and demanding the child. That would be in keeping with his reputation.
But there was the child to consider.
Derringer stood there, debating the amount of danger he was willing to put Rhiannon in, ignoring the two anxious fighters near him. He stared at the harmless looking façade, noted how alike it was to all the other packed-in houses on the street.
As his gaze moved up and down the street, a small boy came near, old and tattered clothing proclaiming him to be of the thieving trade. The duke smiled, casting a quick glance at his companions.
“We will need a diversion, boys.”
Bruiser caught on, fading into the shadows of an alleyway. Tiny meandered away, his movements unhurried and casual, a slightly well-off man out for an evening stroll. Derringer leaned against the Miller’s home, waiting.
The small boy glanced nervously at the duke, his face tense. Derringer smiled, tipping his head the slightest bit, acknowledging the existence of another human.
As the thief passed Tiny, the huge man took advantage of the child’s preoccupation, snatching him into the air. The shriek that burst forth from the boy’s throat echoed through the street.
Lights flickered to life in window after window, heads popped out to inquire as to the source of the disturbance, some even threw refuse out in the hopes of scaring away whatever beast made such a racket. The child continued to scream as Tiny moved out of sight.
Still, Derringer waited.
Beside him, the door opened. A woman stepped out brandishing a rolling pin, her face creased in annoyance.
Derringer stepped forward, smiling. “Madam?”
She visibly started, alarm making her eyes huge in her gaunt face. “Milord?”
“Astute of you,” he murmured, ignoring her look of incomprehension. “Where is Miller?”
A scuffling sound behind the woman drew the duke’s attention. “Never mind. I believe I hear him now.”
Derringer was inside the building before anyone realized. He pursued the fleeing man up the stairs until he stood before a door just recently slammed.
Derringer stared at that door for one second. Growling deep in his throat, rage suffused him, giving him the impetus he needed. He stepped back and kicked the door down.
~~~~~~
Levi muttered to himself all the way to Cheapside. He’d kill Hart when he got his hands on him. How dare he have the audacity to deny Levi his right to rescue his own daughter!
He had taken his leave at the party, assuring his wife that he just had a simple matter to attend to, apologized to his hostess for cutting out so soon after his arrival, and left in the greatest state of rage he could ever remember experiencing.
The hackney pulled to a stop short of Levi’s goal but upon stepping out, he realized why. Judging by the wailing that filled the street, someone was being tortured. The earl could hardly blame the jehu for refusing to venture further into hell.
Levi just shook his head, paid the man, and moved toward the screams of terror that seemed to reverberate through him. It was not Rhiannon. That was the only comfort he could take from the situation.
He turned the corner and saw Bruiser lurking near a particular residence. Levi’s tense muscles eased the slightest bit. If Derringer was in trouble, Bruiser would not have been standing there doing nothing.
Levi nodded as he passed, having just noticed the duke disappear into the building. A woman stood nearby, staring after the duke, her face a comic expression of shock. Levi smiled, tipping his hat.
“Madam.”
She started, her face so startled that Levi realized she’d had no idea he was there. “Odd bloke? Dressed all in black?”
She nodded.
Levi looked around, ignoring the other people who’d gathered outside to investigate the contretemps. He deduced the direction of the continued screams, and made his way toward them.
He glanced down an alleyway and saw Tiny. The giant stood with a grimy street urchin in his arms. Levi indicated with a slash across his throat that the sounds should cease and was only mildly surprised when the boy ceased his caterwauling with an impish grin.
Silence drenched the street. Levi found this nearly as unnerving as the screams. He ignored all that, returning to the building into which Derringer had disappeared moments before.
It was not difficult to find the duke. All he had to do was follow the sound of threats. Levi smiled at the inventiveness of his friend.
Any feeling of mirth was dispelled by the sight that greeted him at the mangled door of the Miller’s domicile. While a gun was trained relentlessly at his heart, the duke taunted the other man. Levi was stunned to realize Derringer’s disregard for his own life was total.
“What is all this then?” he asked, adopting an overall aura of casualness, despite the maddened tempo of his heart. Rhiannon was not present—but neither was Mrs. Miller.
All eyes met his, varying degrees of shock visible in each countenance. Levi shrugged. “Well?”
For some reason, Jeremiah Miller seemed to think it was an invitation to flee. And, somehow, he managed it quite handily.
Levi was never quite sure afterward how the man had slipped by him. He just had.
“What the devil just happened?” he asked the duke.
“It doesn’t matter,” replied Derringer shortly. “We have to get Rhiannon out of here before he returns.”
Perhaps Levi wasn’t the quickest fellow in all of London but he was far from the stupidest. “You think he has gone for help?”
Already moving to the other room, the duke’s reply was slightly muffled. “Of course he has. Do you think he’d let a windfall like Rhiannon slip through his fingers?”
Mrs. Miller was not pleased to have been left alone to deal with the Duke of Derringer. She screeched, shoved the sobbing girl at the two men, and was through the door before they realized. Levi snatched up the child, soothing her as best he could under the circumstances.
“How do you accomplish anything when everyone manages to escape you?” the earl asked. He murmured something to Rhiannon that seemed to calm her, forgetting in the next second what he said.
Derringer’s glare settled on his best friend. “They only escape me when I let them.”
Despite his instinct for self-preservation, Levi chuckled at such conceit. “Indeed. And for what possible reason would you let the Millers go?”
There was no opportunity for reply. Sounds of a brawl, then running footsteps, reached them. The duke shoved Levi to the window. “Climb down.”
“What!?”
“Whoever Miller hired has made it past Tiny and Bruiser. Are you eager to meet them? Here.” Tearing a cord from a nearby drape, he proceeded to lash Rhiannon to Levi’s chest. “Keep as tight to the wall as you can without crushing her. It will be difficult but both of your lives depend upon it.”
Levi wrapped his greatcoat around them both. “What of you?”
Derringer glanced toward the door. “Don’t worry about me. I will make sure you get away safe. GO!”
Levi needed no more urging. He nimbly climbed out the window, thankful for the first time in his life for such a dubious skill.
Actually, the second time in his life. He managed a grin as he moved along the narrow ledge beneath the window.
A shout from above had him pausing briefly. He glanced up, saw the black of Derringer’s greatcoat near the open window and continued his decent as quickly as possible—no easy task for a man his size.
The drainpipe shifted, threatening to come away from the building. Levi paused; Rhiannon whimpered. Taking a
deep breath, he focused on the goal, ignoring all sounds around him.
Later, he reasoned it was this intense focus that was to blame. No sooner had his feet touched the ground than a gunshot had him glancing upward. He watched, horrified, as the Duke of Derringer hurtled down. He landed at Levi’s feet, his body making a sickening sound as it connected with the cobbles.
~~~~~~
There was the expected amount of alarm when Levi arrived home with his wife’s daughter and his best friend. Derringer was senseless, rambling about anything and everything that happened to cross his mind and Rhiannon had resumed her anguished cries at the sight of the duke’s still form. Levi was nearly insane with the chaos of it all.
Tiny carried the duke, Bruiser bringing up the rear. Levi’s body eased when his wife entered the foyer. Her eyes widened at the sight before her but seemed to linger on Tiny longer than was strictly warranted, even in regard to his unusual size.
Tiny nodded to the countess and it was then that Levi remembered Derringer’s comment about Aurora’s acquaintance with the other man.
Locking eyes with his bride, Levi saw the horror and wondered if she would panic. Proving herself to be more sensible than her past actions would indicate, she moved forward swiftly, taking Rhiannon to quiet her.
She turned to the butler, “Direct Mr.Wilton to a guestchamber.” Her eyes met her husband’s. “What happened?”
“An accident,” Levi replied shortly. After directing the footman to send for a doctor and then Rhiannon’s nursemaid, the earl grasped his wife’s arm and urged her in the direction of the drawing room.
Aurora settled into a chair, her daughter clasped tightly in her arms. “An accident? Hart looks as though he’s been run down by a carriage.”
Eyebrows lifting slightly at his wife’s familiar use of the duke’s given name, the earl simply said, “Fell from a building, actually, but I suppose the injuries could be similar.”
He was not best pleased at Aurora’s stricken expression. Was she enamored of the heartless duke? He told himself how silly the thought was but there was something in him that would not let it pass.
“He will survive, I daresay,” he drawled, moving to pour himself a drink. He was relieved to see the child had dozed off. “I do hope you are not too disappointed.”
Genuine confusion stamped her brow. “Disappointed? I don’t understand. I should be deeply distressed should he die, of course. I am deeply distressed that he was hurt at all.”
Levi sighed, closing his eyes against the pain in his chest. This was no time to come over jealous like some young sprig in his first throes of calf love. Derringer hovered near death and Forester was still out there plotting the Lord only knew what mischief.
Swallowing his port, he turned just as the door opened to admit Nancy, the nursemaid. She took the sleeping Rhiannon and left the earl with his wife.
“Aurora, we did not catch Forester, as you are well aware.” He moved to her side, looking down at her. “We did not catch the Millers either.”
“You did not?” Her delicate features paled. “Where are they?” Standing, she moved to leave, saying, “Where is Rhiannon? We must keep her safe.”
Levi stopped her, his fingers closing gently over hers. “Rhiannon is safe in her bed with Nancy hovering protectively,” he said softly.
“But the Millers. Do you actually think they will just give her up? They must believe her to be of some value to risk the danger they have.”
He nodded. “I agree with you. I will find them, Rory. They will pay for the pain they have inflicted.”
Aurora’s face clouded. She bit her lip, under the power of some strong emotion that Levi could not name. A tear slipped down her cheek to be angrily wiped away with a brief swipe of her hand.
“I caused this. I caused all of this. Had I just left her with them, they would never have met Desmond and thought to use her for monetary gain. I caused this.”
Levi dropped her hand, cupping her face. “You did not cause this. Anyone who would ransom a child would have used her in some way for monetary gain, whether Forester was involved or not.”
She blinked up at him. “Do you think?”
“I do. The Millers have always seen Rhiannon as a source of income, Rory. First from your father and now from you. Had you not taken her, they would have blackmailed you anyway.”
Her eyes seemed to search his for the truth of his statement, finally clearing as she realized the veracity of it.
“What do we do now?”
As if in answer to her question, the butler scratched at the door to inform them of the physician’s arrival. “I have directed him to his grace’s chamber.”
~~~~~~
The fall from the building, although short, had caused more damage than anyone had thought possible. The physician exclaimed over the fact that the duke was still alive.
Derringer hovered between life and death for several weeks. Aurora insisted that she be allowed to tend him since it was he who restored Rhiannon to her. Levi was uneasy about this demand since he knew Derringer was a difficult patient. He tried to tell his wife this, but she remained adamant.
Rhiannon was not allowed near the sickroom. No one was sure exactly how much she understood of what had happened, so they were wary of letting her see the duke when he was still unconscious.
Levi spent the weeks of Derringer’s convalescence searching for Forester and the Millers. Unfortunately, they seemed to have dropped off the very earth. He made no headway at all until Adam remarked casually that he’d overheard a conversation between Winters and Lord Huxtable. Apparently, Forester was staying somewhere in Richmond.
Levi wasted no time seeking the man out. He arrived in time to learn that Desmond Forester was on a boat to America and they were not likely to see or hear from him again.
He had left a little present for Aurora before he’d departed. It came in the form of Percival Winters and his loose tongue.
One week after Rhiannon’s return, the whole of Society knew of Aurora’s youthful indiscretion. Thankfully, she was too busy to notice the sudden loss of her reputation.
~~~~~~
The Countess of Greville was sitting with Derringer one afternoon when Levi strode in, requesting a few words with her. She set aside her book, made sure the duke was comfortably settled, and followed her husband out.
He held the door open to the study, allowing her to enter, and shut it behind him.
“If I was not sure that Hart has been unconscious this whole time, I might be jealous,” he told her with a half-smile.
Aurora’s lips tipped ever so slightly at the corners, showing that she appreciated his jest. She remained silent, however.
Levi frowned. “There is something you should know,” he told her without preamble.
“What is that?”
Levi led her to a chair and made her sit. He sat across from her, leaned forward, and took both of her hands into his own. “Your secret about Rhiannon is not a secret anymore, I am sorry to say.”
A look of utter confusion and disbelief crossed her face and her breath caught in her throat, as if she’d had a fright. Shaking her head slightly, she said, “I-I cannot have heard you correctly.”
Levi squeezed her hands. “You did. Someone let the better part of London know of Rhiannon’s parentage. It will be the greatest scandal for some time.”
Her face grew weary, tired. Moments later, merely resigned. But she remained silent.
“Rory?”
Aurora looked at her husband. She summoned up a smile and inserted a bracing note in her voice. “It was going to happen. It is better sooner than later, I suppose. Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?”
Levi’s eyes widened slightly. “You are oddly easy about this,” he commented, unable to keep the suspicion from his tone. “I expected rage, upset, tears at the very least, not this calm acceptance.”
She shrugged, a sigh issuing forth that communicated her weariness more than words. “Of wh
at benefit is raging about it? What is done is done.”
His eyes narrowed. “What is done is done? While I must praise you for your calm, I cannot help but feel that you are taking this far too well.”
“Tears will not make it go away, Levi,” sighed his tiny wife. “Wishes will not make it fade. Anger will not take back the lies. I have no one to blame but myself and I can only pray that Rhiannon is not too hurt by all this once she is old enough to understand.”
Amazement flashed through Levi’s mind, mirrored, he was sure, on his face. He stared at her, wondering what she really thought about the entire situation. It was too unlike her to just dismiss it without so much as an angry curse.
He leaned back in his chair. “Aurora, I want you to tell me the truth.”
She jerked ever so slightly. “What do you mean?”
“Why are you dismissing this as though the death of your reputation is of no importance whatsoever? Why do you pretend that you don’t care? You went to great lengths to hide your disgrace before. What has changed?”
Aurora clasped her hands together, squeezing until her knuckles turned white. “Do not make me talk about this now, please, Levi. I need time to sort it all out, to decide what to do. Too much has happened in the past two months. Everything went wrong all at once and I don’t quite know how to cope with it all. Please just give me time.”
Time for what? he wondered.
~~~~~~
Nearly two months after Derringer had been injured, the Season was over and most of Society was already ensconced in their country homes or someone else’s country home. Lord Connor Northwicke stayed in Town so he could monitor the duke’s recovery, dabbling in medical arts being a passion of his, but he sent his wife and children on to Denbigh Castle with his family. Adam and Bri departed soon after Rhiannon’s return since his wife’s lying-in was imminent. She presented her husband with a healthy baby girl near the end of August.
Derringer, of course, regained consciousness and some of his strength. He was never an easy patient, but even the most thickheaded observer could tell he made an effort to be pleasing.