“I was utterly horrified by his comments. They were so unlike the man I have known for years; and for the first time in my life I found myself unable to do my duty. Recognizing it could cost me my position, I drove the carriage—for while I was provided a carriage, I was not provided a driver—so I drove the carriage directly here. I then used that carriage to do just as he stated, and I spent the entire day away from the office, working on my other cases. When I returned late in the evening he mentioned Barthemores’ men had come for the girl a few minutes after I left, and they have returned several times since saying she had not been delivered.
“I told him I had visited a suspect and when I returned to the carriage the girl was no longer inside, nor was she to be seen on the streets. Having no possibility of finding her, I continued on with my other investigations.”
Yardrow let a faint smile sneak to his lips. “I had expected to be called down, possibly fired, but to my surprise, he only asked me to write it down and make sure it was properly filed. He then thanked me for my dedication to the job.”
Antonio shook his head. “It must have been a hellish day for him, giving you clues the size of a barn door and you can’t seem to catch on.”
Yardrow smiled. “In retrospect, it does seem all very obvious, but at the time it only seemed like a nightmare.”
“Not like you at all to be so dense. You are normally quite intuitive.”
“Well, my intuition returned quickly, and I realized that Dewey Barthemore was not who he appeared to be. When the three Spanish men returned the next day demanding we find the girl, I recognized one of them. He worked for the Spanish Embassy.”
“Did that make you regret giving me his name?”
“Not at all. It did help me understand why a man would want to remove the corpse of a King’s man from the street and carry it two miles away, taking great risk of being seen in the process.”
“Well, he probably weighed the risk of not doing so and found that to be even more dangerous. You found that body on the other side of town, you say?”
“I was driving a carriage again. I find that no one pays attention to a poor driver seated upon a carriage. He can sit up on his seat all night and if anyone thinks about it at all, it’s probably just the thought they are glad it’s not their lot in life. No one gave a thought to my passenger either as I drove him across town.”
Antonio smiled. “I’ll have to keep that in mind. Now back to the doctor’s name?”
“I’m not giving it to you. I cannot have bodies littering the streets every time we speak.”
“I wasn’t asking to litter the streets. I just wanted the name of a doctor who can be bought.”
“I am still not inclined to give it to you.”
“As you wish. However, from the quick response time he must have an office nearby, so I am guessing Dr. Raymond, or Dr. Rutherford.”
Yardrow face hardened. “How is the girl?”
“The length of time it took you to ask that question proves your priorities are with the chase verses the victims.”
“Will she survive?” Yardrow demanded.
“She was close to death when you brought her here. Without immediate and excellent medical care, she would have died. Even a first-year doctor could have seen that her injuries were serious and severe. However, we are fortunate the doctor lied and declared her fine. If she had gone to the hospital, I doubt she would have lived. When you brought her here, you saved her life.”
“Then she did survive?”
“Physically she is recovering. Emotionally, that will take time. However, caring for the younger children seems to be a grand distraction.”
“Younger children?”
Antonio looked at him in surprise. “You have been too busy to keep up on the news of your most wanted criminal, the Satan of South End. It seems the devil himself brought a wagon load of his progeny to a god-fearing community and left them to be cared and nurtured. Only trouble was that no one wanted a child of Satan in their homes, so Satan had no option but to return and collect his children; all crying in terror because Satan had come to take them to hell. Instead, he brought them to the very kind Lady Ann, where they, plus one injured young girl, reside and heal from their ordeals. Lady Ann has renovated the third floor into dormitories, procured clothes, school books, and very fine teachers for the poor children whose only sin was to be driven in a wagon by Satan.”
“It was Rutherford,” Yardrow said. “He has always given the appearance of being an excellent doctor, and his reputation is sterling. But I’m learning that appearances and reputations can be wrong in both directions. I am sorry your efforts were so poorly rewarded.”
“Don’t be. Whatever lives the children have from this point on will be a thousand times better than the one Goodheart promised them. They have not just been saved from lives worse than death; they have escaped lives of never-ending poverty and hunger, working from dawn to night just to survive. Instead, they have moved into a higher echelon, where, depending upon the skills they possess, Lady Ann will see them placed in honorable work with decent wages. Their ride to hell has brought them to the closest thing to heaven there is on earth.”
“And Lady Ann will be called an Angel of Mercy and you will remain the Satan of South End.”
Antonio shrugged.
Yardrow stood up. “I fear I am keeping you from your dinner.” He lifted the blue bottle from the table. “Not sure what to do with this now.”
“Leave it. I have a friend who collects antidotes.”
“I’ll keep that in mind if I ever need one.”
Antonio walked over to him and shook his hand. “If you ever need one, I’ll see you get it.”
Chapter 40
They were all seated for dinner, and evidently waiting for Antonio. Well, almost all waited. Amy seemed to be chewing something very slowly, so no one would notice.
“I am here, so let’s eat before Amy starves.” He placed the blue bottle by Ann’s plate.
She looked up at him to explain the bottle.
“Antidote for a venomous snake from Tasmania. Seems a virtual epidemic of blood poisonings going back over two years finally came to Metropolitan Police’s attention.”
Ann frowned.
Antonio kissed her cheek. “It’s a gift of appreciation.” He then took his seat. Noticing Amy’s dish was already empty of food, he worried the poor thing would starve before the next serving. He stared at Dodson and then her plate and his. Dodson approached the table and removed both plates.
She stared wistfully at his plate as it left. “The salad was very good.”
“You certainly seemed to enjoy it,” he teased and leaned back as the plates were returned with smaller portions for each.
Amy smiled in appreciation and devoured her second portion.
Now recognizing they had a starving young lady at the table, Dodson and the cook conspired to keep her plates replenished.
Ann waited until dessert to tease the girl. “Amy, I am pleased to see your appetite has returned so robustly. If you keep this up, the entire troop will be forced to go on rations.”
Both Domnika and Catherine burst into laughter, for Amy’s appetite had been amusing them all through the meal.
Amy blushed and set down her fork.
Antonio instantly fed her a piece of his cake. She was so appreciative, that he fed her another and another until his dessert had been ravished as well.
As he placed his hand on the edge of the table and pushed back, his hand slid across the wood. Everyone stopped and stared at his awkward behavior.
Domnika teased him, “You should never drink wine on an empty stomach, and given Amy ate most of your meal, I imagine your stomach remains quite empty.”
Amy placed her hand upon his chest to check his health.
“I am neither drunk nor ill,” he assured them. “Someone has placed honey on the edge of the table.”
Dodson was there immediately wiping his hand clean and then the tabl
e. “Sorry, sir, I will inspect the table personally in the future.”
“But how did it get there? We didn’t have honey during our dinner or lunch.”
“These things will happen when you are barracking a troop of soldiers,” Ann explained.
“Soldiers?”
Catherine laughed. “Mother thought the idea of twenty-seven children to be overwhelming, but once they became little soldiers, she knew how to handle them. The troop has been divided into squads, captains assigned, camp rules provided, and bunks allotted. Each day a roster gives times of baths, meals, and naps. If a soldier fails to show at his or her appointed time, then they have to face the general.”
Antonio laughed. “I cannot believe this is how she raised you, Catherine,” he teased.
Ann shook her head. “It certainly wasn’t. I found mothering one small girl a tremendous challenge, given I lacked the skills. The idea of mothering twenty-seven was beyond me, but twenty-seven soldiers: that is barely a regiment.”
Domnika then explained how the honey came to be on the table. “The squad that performs the best gets honey and bread after their meal. The winning squad ate last today. There are several small soldiers in the group that can barely see the top of the table. We know they need chairs, but it is taking time for Mr. Jeffries to teach the soldiers the basic carpentry skills required.”
“Has Mr. Jeffries seen any that show promise of being good carpenters?” Ann asked.
“Davy, but he’s shown skill in everything he’s been taught so far,” Catherine replied.
Ann stared at Antonio. “I think we have another Bandito on our hands.”
Antonio rolled his eyes. “God help him.”
***
Their party adjourned to the sitting room where Catherine and Domnika reviewed the day’s performance of the squads and specific incidents of improved morale.
The amusing stories made Antonio wish he could spend time with the children.
Gunter’s favorite remained the boy, Davy. “I look forward to seeing how the boy does in hand-to-hand combat.”
“It’s a good idea to teach the boys to fight,” Antonio agreed.
“Not just the boys, the girls get to learn as well,” Amy informed him.
Antonio knew better than to object on principle in this audience of women. “Is it even possible for you to teach a little girl to fight without terrifying her?
“I taught Lil Bit with no problem,” Gunter replied. “In fact, she was a little terror. She’d come after me with her claws out and face all in a snarl. Then just when she’d have me laughing so hard I forgot we were in battle, she’d clench that fist like I taught her and pop me in the gut.”
Everyone at the table looked at Amy in surprise. “I was five.”
“And a good strategist even then,” Ann observed with satisfaction. She then looked at Antonio. “The girls want to learn to protect themselves. They’ve seen the dark side of being helpless. What they learn here will give them confidence and might just save their lives someday.”
Chapter 41
As her first ball neared, Amy’s attempts at seduction had all come to naught. Antonio’s willpower proved immovable. Not only would he not progress beyond kissing, but now he refused to kiss her, claiming her two tempting to dare. Having used all of her resources to change his mind, she finally decided upon the trump card that had swayed Mrs. Halloway.
Her only problem was she couldn’t let it sound like blackmail: ‘bed with me or I will bed with all the gentry.’ That would be no way to begin this new phase of their life together. She went to Catherine and asked if she could tell Antonio her story. She could see Catherine’s reluctance.
“The ball is just three days away. If I do not relieve this pent-up passion inside me something terrible will happen, I know it.”
Thus, with dread that Antonio would no longer think well of her, for the sake of her friend, Catherine agreed Amy could share her friend’s time with Count Velaski.
Antonio did not seem surprised by Catherine’s story, but he was very surprised and most put out at Amy’s proposed solution to keep her safe.
“For once your logic has failed you, Amy. Ruining yourself is not a means of protecting yourself from unwanted advances.”
Unwilling to state she was planning to marry him, so in his eyes she would not be ruined, Amy also found her argument weak. Realizing she would not win the fight, she stormed from the room in frustration with one parting shot. “Fine, if you will not help me protect myself, then it is up to you to protect me. I pray for both our sakes that you can save me. I am so pent-up with need, that I will probably swoon when the first gentleman touches me.”
***
Amy’s warning greatly disturbed Antonio and he went to Ann for help. “You have to talk to her. Amy is convinced that she has no willpower or say in what she does, and that the first man who touches her will sweep her from her feet.”
Ann stared at him. “How can I possibly tell her that won’t happen? It’s precisely what happened to Catherine.”
“Catherine and Amy are very different young ladies.”
“Yes. Catherine is calmer and less likely to act on impulse. Amy is so full of love and passion she positively glows. I would like to believe Amy has the willpower to refuse an experienced seducer. My daughter certainly thought she could handle her emotions. But I am faced with the reality that my daughter was compromised after one dance with the count. If Amy is certain she cannot presently manage the feelings of passion within her, then I must agree she is in grave danger. So, I have a hard question for you. I know you will try your hardest to protect her, but if you fail and she is compromised by another man, will you love her as you do now?”
“She is not going to be compromised,” he growled.
“Answer my question,” Ann demanded.
“Yes, of course I would!”
“Are you certain you would not let your own guilt from failing to protect her turn your love into anger that she failed to protect herself?”
“She can protect herself.”
“Amy says she cannot. She is not one to say what she doesn’t believe. If she does not think she can stop a seduction, I can assure you she will be seduced.”
Antonio cursed and threw himself on the couch. “I am in hell, Ann. Tell me what to do?”
“I cannot advise you other than trust Amy to know her own strengths and weaknesses and try not to kill any of her suitors. I fear that would be more than even Inspector Yardrow will overlook.”
Chapter 42
The three young ladies came down the stairs in a line. Antonio could only see one. Amy was in a dark blue gown looking far too sensual for her own good. He heard Gunter cursing softly behind him. He couldn’t argue with the man’s sentiments. They were going to have a hell of time keeping her safe if she dressed like that. He grabbed Ann’s arm and pulled her off to the side.
“Is that gown even appropriate for a young girl?”
“For a young girl? No. For a young lady in the marriage market, absolutely.”
“But Catherine’s dress is not half so provocative!”
“Catherine is engaged to be married. She is no longer in the marriage market. If you are trembling in fear of what is to come, you have only your own stubbornness to blame. I told you exactly how you could solve your impasse with Amy and if I recall you questioned whether I was a lady at all.”
“Ann, I told you to stay out of this,” he growled.
“Fine, you do your job, and I will do mine.”
“Well, yours appears to be to dress her as a whore,” he whispered.
“I’ve done nothing of the kind. It is not the dress that is making Amy so seductive, it is the pent-up passion inside her. Domnika’s dress is far more risqué, but I doubt you could even tell me the color of her gown.”
When Antonio could not, Ann rejoined the group, giving last minute advice to the young ladies, ensuring they had their dance cards and ribbons in their purse.
Antonio was supposed to ride inside the carriage with the ladies, but he wanted to give Brick some last-minute instructions and repeat the descriptions of the men he wanted kept away from Amy at all cost. Worried by Ann’s comments three days prior he had broken into the Stanton’s home and stolen the list of attendees who had accepted invitations. He spent the next hour copying the list and then returned the original back to Mrs. Stanton’s desk.
He knew at least five men on the list who were notorious rakes. But instead of following Ann’s shocking advice, he had spent the last three days lecturing Amy, demanding that self-control was a state of mind. If she wished to control her passion, she could do it.
She had quietly explained to him she did not believe that was the case, but she trusted her protectors to save her from ruin. They had kept her safe all these years, they would not fail her now.
Her comment seemed to exclude him since he had not protected her all those years. The slight had angered him, and he yelled at her. They had been watching over the children marching and holding their wooden rifles. His outburst caused a violent reaction in the children. To his surprise, instead of running to the trees in fear, they came to her defense placing all twenty-seven bodies between him and her. Their wooden guns aimed ready to run him through or shoot him if only the guns were real.
Except for Davy. He held the wooden gun like a club and looked very prepared to engage in true battle. Before he did, Antonio had held up his hands in surrender and left the garden. He could hear the troops celebrating their victory as he walked away.
***
“You’ve already told us all of this,” Brick complained as Anthony repeated the importance that the men protect Amy from rogues. “But unless they come into the servants’ areas or the gardens there isn’t much we can do. And even if they do come into the servants’ area, I don’t think my bludgeoning them over the head and locking them in closets is a well-conceived plan. Gunter talked it over with the colonel and we are going with Lady Ann’s plan.”
Love's Betrayals (The Extraordinary Life of Amy Winston Book 2) Page 21