A Scandal Most Daring

by Rebecca King

  Tahlia fell in love with him right there and then. She knew she had been in love with him all along but to see Connor, a man usually so strong, so downright tough, so awkward about the prospect of facing a two foot tyrant was endearing.

  “He won’t eat you,” she teased. “Well, he might chew your boots a bit, but he is more likely to drool on you or scream in your ear.”

  “I don’t have much experience with two year olds,” Connor admitted. “What do I do?”

  Tahlia smiled in delight. “Sit on the floor and let him jump all over you. He will have no qualms about telling you what he wants you to do, believe me.”

  Deeply touched, Tahlia walked slowly but steadily across the room toward him. She knew then that she wouldn’t object to him living with them. To refuse would be tantamount to denying both herself and Joseph to become a proper family. She couldn’t do that to either of them. Not only that, but her heart wouldn’t be denied. She knew she would spent the rest of her life wondering ‘what if’, and regretting not even taking a chance with him. Besides, after what had happened of late, she knew he was not the rogue she had thought he was. He was someone who fought for King and Country, and had sacrificed a lot to do what he did.

  He needed a life outside of the Star Elite, and if she and Joseph were it then her life was complete.

  To his disbelief, he watched her walk toward him. His gasp was swallowed by the hard kiss she placed on his lips that was more of a branding. Her lips slid against his, tempting and teasing him with the joy of her new discovery, promising sensuality in the future, warning him of nights yet to come. Connor savoured each moment, and delighted in this new, rather forward side to her. He denied her nothing, he let her seal their new future – together – with a very loving, and smouldering kiss that was difficult to break away from. So much so that when she finally released him, it was he who slumped down to sit on the side of the bed.

  It was only when he watched her sail out of the door, and he realised he was alone, that he jumped off the bed and raced after her.

  When he caught her in the hallway, this time he left her in no doubt about her future, and snatched the sensual reins of control straight back off her.

  “Will you two get a room,” Oscar growled as he stomped past carrying his and Cecily’s cases. “You are making me blush.”

  Connor smothered a laugh. Tahlia playfully whacked his shoulder before she straightened her skirts. She sauntered casually down the corridor, but threw him a mock-dirty look before she preceded him down the stairs. He playfully began to chase her, and revelled in her laughter as she scurried down the stairs toward the study.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Delighted with the way things were progressing between them, Connor was still smiling when he entered the study moments later.

  “Afternoon all,” Barnaby said ruefully as he watched them jostle into the room.

  Once she had crossed the threshold, Tahlia threw Connor a mock stern look to which he merely lifted his brows innocently at her. She then realised there were new arrivals watching them and tried to behave with a little more decorum. She failed miserably when Connor came to stand beside her and swept a long arm around her waist.

  “What do you have?” he asked as he dropped onto a chaise beside Tahlia once the introductions were made.

  First of all, Barnaby confirmed the cause of Henry’s death to Tahlia. He smiled sympathetically when she slumped against Connor in relief. He then proceeded to explain to her that the jewels she was sent had been stolen.

  “It reinforces the fact that I need to get out of London. When they shot at us through the door, they were most likely trying to shoot me because I have been observing one of Sayers’ close circle of associates,” Connor explained. “I think I am on Sayers’ hit list.”

  Tahlia gasped and stared at him.

  “He won’t get me, but I need to lie low for a while,” he assured her.

  Tahlia nodded, and looked at him with such loving trust in her eyes that for a second, Connor went to kiss her again. Until he realised that he had the rather amused gazes of four of his colleagues watching them. Wrinkling his nose up at them, he settled back against the chaise, but made no apology when he drew Tahlia against him.

  Thankfully, Tahlia was completely at ease with this tactile display of affection, and settled against him without a murmur.

  Barnaby looked from Connor to Tahlia and back again. Although he wouldn’t say as much in front of Tahlia for fear of embarrassing her, they really did make a handsome couple. Shaking his head in disbelief at just how besotted Connor clearly was, he turned his attention to the Star Elite’s biggest problem.

  “Now, about how we are going to get you all out of here,” he began. “Here is what I think we should do. Each of the men will to take someone with them when they leave this house. We will each take a different route, and will meet at a coaching tavern on the outskirts of Epping Forest tonight. How you get there is entirely up to you. However, you are not to leave the area. Matthew will find you. He will have coaches waiting to take everyone on different routes to Rutland. You will, of course, take a roundabout route, and will need to double back a few times.”

  “Why?” Tahlia asked with a frown. She asked Barnaby, but glanced up at Connor.

  “Because we might get followed, Tahlia,” Connor explained. “If we take a meandering route, we have the opportunity to double back and check to see if anyone is following us. If not, then we can take an alternative route to the main roads. It takes longer to go anywhere but means we can avoid anyone trying to keep tabs on us.”

  Tahlia nodded but couldn’t see how such a scheme could possibly work. The men seemed confident they could do it, though, so she kept her opinions to herself.

  “Tahlia, you will stay with Connor at all times. Oscar is going to take one coach, and Cecily will take the other. You will need to journey overnight, and swap coaches several times, so it is going to be a long journey I am afraid. It is better if you don’t stop travelling at all unless it is to change horses. Matthew will arrange food baskets to take with you to make the journey less arduous.”

  “Harley, has already gone ahead to arrange for fresh horses to be ready for you all. It is anticipated you will reach Rutland sometime in the next four or five days.”

  Tahlia jerked when she realised how long it was going to take but understood that it was for the best.

  Barnaby studied her. He saw her worry and remained quiet for several moments while he waited for her to weigh up the pros and cons of the arrangement. When she nodded, he took it as acceptance and heaved a sigh of relief that she was at least sensible. Connor had chosen well.

  “When you get to Rutland, take the time to go and see McManners, Connor. He is waiting for you. We will send you the all clear when we find this Count, and uncover whether he is Sayers or not. This portrait is the best lead we have so far. It is an incredible stroke of genius on Henry’s half to draw it. I think it may be the one piece of evidence that may break this case.”

  “We have nothing else to go on at the moment,” Connor declared flatly. “Because nobody can say what Sayers looks like we are fighting a veritable ghost.”

  Barnaby nodded. “Right, well, unless anyone has any objections, we will leave within the hour. We have brought a pile of cloaks which all look the same. Nobody leaves this house without one on, with the hood covering the face.”

  If her life wasn’t in danger, Tahlia would have enjoyed the excitement of this situation. As it was, the memory of the fraught hour they had spent damping down the fire in the room next door warned her that this was no elaborate game. The people who had attacked the house last night meant business. If anything went wrong any one of them could wind up dead.

  Connor lifted their clasped hands and kissed her fingers when he felt her go tense beside him.

  “It won’t be long now. If we walk to the Thames, and maybe catch a barge, we can make our way down the river and disembark on the outskirts of town somew
here.” Connor looked at Barnaby. “We will be there,” he promised.

  “What about us?” Cecily asked nervously.

  Reg grinned at her. “We will take a rather different route. Rest assured; we will be in no more danger than anyone else out on the street today. Just do as you are told and nothing should go wrong.”

  “Should?” Cecily gasped.

  “There are no promises in any of this,” Connor warned darkly. “Look at how desperate they are. Desperate men do stupid things, so don’t hesitate if you are told to do anything. Just do it and ask questions later.”

  “What are you going to do about this Valentin fellow?” Tahlia asked curiously.

  Connor looked at Barnaby, who nodded.

  “The men will go undercover, like when I met you,” Connor’s eyes met hers. “They will watch the ballrooms, and social functions held by the ton, and keep an eye out for the man. Then they will follow him to see where he goes. We need to find out exactly where this man hides out. If it is Sayers, we will follow him and see who the majority of his contacts are. As soon as we have enough men in the area, we will then arrest the entirety of his network.”

  “He has people working for him in the counties. We need to locate them because they will need to be arrested at the same time,” Isaac added.

  “There will be some who escape, I don’t doubt, and we will then start an operation to round everybody up,” Ben added.

  Connor nodded. “Because I am now one of their targets, I am going to stay in Rutland where it is safe. It is a small county; small enough to be too risky for Sayers, so it is the best place I could lie low and wait for the man to be arrested. I am going to meet up with the boss of one of the local branches of the Star Elite, and work with them for a while until I hear from Barnaby.”

  “What then?” Tahlia asked weakly.

  She wasn’t just asking about his work. She fully understood the dangers he faced, and wanted to know what this meant for them. She wanted to protest to him putting himself at risk at all, but then knew it wasn’t her place to. Connor was a fully grown man who was perfectly capable of making his own decisions in life. He didn’t need her placing demands on him.

  “Then, I will need to join the rest of the men to move in and arrest either a local network, or Sayers’ main network here,” Connor replied frankly. “Having worked on the investigation, it is something I need to do.”

  She nodded, but didn’t understand why he would willingly return to an area where he knew someone wanted him dead.

  “First, we need to get you out of London,” Barnaby interrupted. “There are plenty of barges on the Thames. Someone will allow you to sit under cover on board. Once you are on your way, you will be impossible to find. It is the safest way to get you out of here, Tahlia. If we didn’t think you were able to do this we wouldn’t suggest it.”

  Isaac looked at Tahlia apologetically. “You can’t take any bags because you will stand out. Barnaby will send them on once the house here is closed up. He is going to get the windows repaired today and have extra locks fitted everywhere once we are gone.”

  Reg pointed to an empty packing crate in the far corner. “Once everyone has gone, men will come to collect the packing crate with your belongings in. From here, it will go straight to the War Office. A coach will take it to Rutland in a few days.”

  “One thing Sayers doesn’t do is watch the War Office. Not only are there too many people coming and going; it is impossible to try to track anybody. There are too many people about who might recognise him as Valentin,” Barnaby explained.

  “Nobody challenges the War Office,” Ben added wryly.

  “With your permission, Tahlia, I should like a set of keys to this house,” Barnaby said after a few moments of thoughtful silence.

  “Thank you,” she murmured when Oscar handed him a set of the house keys.

  Barnaby nodded, and turned to Connor. “What about your lodgings?”

  “I need to give notice,” Connor replied. “I don’t intend to return to London.”

  “Now you sound like me,” Tahlia told him ruefully.

  He grinned at her. “Now that I have a – what is it? A two foot tyrant to jump on me, I think I will be a bit too busy to make the journey back here.”

  Tahlia shared a smile with Cecily, who began to laugh.

  “Brace yourself,” Cecily warned with a grin. “When you meet Joseph, Sayers is going to seem like a rank amateur.”

  “He is not that bad,” Tahlia laughingly protested. “Well, not much.”

  Connor shook his head. He still wasn’t altogether sure he was capable of fulfilling the requirements of this fatherhood business, but he was willing to give it a go.

  “Good luck,” Barnaby laughed. “If you give me your keys to your lodgings, I will pack your things up, give your notice, and send your things to Rutland with everyone else’s.”

  “Right then, if you want to put your cloaks on, we will be on our way,” Ben sighed, and went to fetch the pile of cloaks.

  Tahlia’s stomach dropped to her toes. She glanced nervously out of the window. Now that it was time to leave the safety of the house she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to do it.

  “Are we not going to wait until night-fall?” she asked tremulously.

  “It is best to move when the streets are crowded,” Barnaby replied.

  “But, won’t they mug us or something? Surely if the streets are busy we are at a greater risk of being hurt?”

  “It is safer to be with people in nicer weather because there will be witnesses around to see anybody launch an attack. They are also likely to be mobbed by the public if they do attempt anything. Besides, we can hide in a crowd of people a lot easier than if we are in a deserted street.”

  Tahlia had to concede that Connor had a point.

  “I need to clear the things out of the safe Henry left me,” she said as an afterthought when she was on her way out of the room.

  “I want to show the safe to Barnaby. I will empty what’s left. It would be safer for me to carry the jewels Henry wanted you to keep.” Connor waited for her to nod and gave her a reassuring smile.

  “I have taken the rest of the jewels to the War Office,” Barnaby warned.

  Connor nodded. “Henry left Tahlia a small pouch of jewels he has purchased over the years for her and Joseph. The receipts for the purchases are with the gems. It is all legitimate, I have checked.”

  Barnaby nodded. “Show me this safe,” he ordered.

  “Do you think she will be able to do this?” Ben asked when they had closed themselves into the library.

  Connor nodded. He didn’t doubt Tahlia’s hidden strengths for a second. After all, she had left London three years ago with her reputation in tatters, and had forged a new life miles away all by herself. Not only that but she had raised a son while there. He knew she would cope with whatever lay ahead. This time, he was by her side.

  “She will hate every second of it, but she won’t whine or anything. We will do it because it means that we can go to Joseph. Tahlia would climb mountains if she needed to,” he advised, and knew without question that he was right.

  “Enjoy your new life, my friend,” Barnaby said as he held his hand out. He shook Connor’s hand effusively and stood back while Ben, Isaac and Reg did the same.

  “Make sure we get invited to the wedding,” Reg ordered.

  Connor’s grin widened. “It will mean a hasty trip to the counties. I don’t intend to wait long once we are there.”

  “Don’t arrange the wedding for the next week or two,” Barnaby protested. “We have a Count to catch, don’t forget.”

  He grinned when Connor snorted.

  “Good luck with that one,” Connor mused ruefully.

  Strangely, Connor felt no reluctance at leaving them to it. It was a relief, in a way, to leave it all behind for once and get a bit of life back. The dark days of danger around every corner would be replaced with a life he wasn’t used to yet, but he almost relis
hed the challenge of the new experiences that lay ahead.

  Every man in the Star Elite knew that the odds were stacked against them. Sayers’ gang of criminals stretched far and wide, and could be as brutal as they were secretive. But nobody from the War Office would ever surrender to a third rate criminal. Their fight to bring the man, and the entirety of his network, to justice would continue no matter who was working on the investigation. It had now turned into something of a quest for all of them not to allow Sayers, an underworld criminal, to thwart them.

  “Right, well, let’s get you on your way then, shall we?” Barnaby announced and went in search of his cloak.

  With a nod, Connor, Reg, Isaac, and Ben set to work.

  Everyone converged in the hallway and donned identical cloaks. They looked like a group of monks all lined up as they were with their hoods up. Tahlia shivered in disbelief at just how sinister they looked. She didn’t believe for a second they weren’t going to draw attention, and started to wonder if they were right after all.

  “Are you sure we wouldn’t do better wearing our normal clothes?” she asked. “We are never going to lose ourselves in a crowd in these.”

  “We can,” Connor grinned. He dipped his head and peered into the depths of her hood but could see nothing more than the tip of her nose. “They can’t see who we are, or what we are wearing underneath. If we are followed we can wait for the right opportunity and remove our cloaks. We can then sail right past them wearing ordinary clothes without them even noticing us.”

  Ben snorted. “They will be looking for people with cloaks on. Nobody will look twice at a man walking arm and arm down the street with a woman.”

  “Oi!” Oscar protested as he looked warily at the man beside him. “I am not walking arm in arm with him. Now that would draw attention, and for all the wrong reasons.”

  A smatter of sniggers rippled around the hallway.

  “If you even tried, I would shoot you,” Ben snorted but, even so, couldn’t hide his grin.