by Marie Laval
He ran back outside, shouted for Knox to call for a doctor, and ran upstairs to check the apartment. It too had been ransacked. There was no sign of the burglars.
The physician who arrived in the following half-hour pronounced James a very lucky man. He had a couple of cracked ribs, a bruised nose and a few loose teeth, but he had survived what had been a ferocious beating.
‘I’m so sorry, Mr Knox,’ the young man muttered after recovering from a fit of coughing and sneezing caused by the smelling salts the doctor had waved under his nose. ‘They were much stronger than me. I couldn’t stop them.’
‘What happened?’ Lucas asked.
‘I was just about to open up when I heard a crashing noise at the back,’ James explained, holding a cold compress to his cheekbone. ‘Two men broke in. They wanted to know where you kept your papers and where the safe was.’ He shook his head. ‘They wouldn’t believe me when I said you didn’t have one.’
‘Poor James, I’ll get a cab to take you home,’ Knox said. ‘And don’t even think about coming in for the rest of the week.’
‘I think they were Welsh or had some sort of connection to Wales,’ James said as Knox and Lucas helped him into a cab. ‘Just before I blacked out, I heard them mention Wrexham. That’s a town in Wales, isn’t it?’
He raised hopeful eyes to Knox. ‘Perhaps that’s where they’re from.’ The young man waved good bye and Lucas and Knox walked back into the bookshop.
‘What can that possibly mean?’ Knox scratched his head.
‘That the police inspector warned Callaghan, who in turn sent his thugs here,’ Lucas said. He raked his fingers in his hair and hissed a breath between his teeth. ‘That explains why we were in his office for so long and why we didn’t talk to another officer. Wrexham never had any intention of investigating the Brotherhood. I wager the file we gave him has already been destroyed. I also bet we’ll have killers on our backs before long.’
He took a deep breath.
‘Harriet! I must go to her house in Charlotte Street straight away.’ He turned to Knox. ‘You’ll have to be very careful.’
‘Don’t you worry about me,’ the elderly man replied. ‘I have another trick up my sleeve. I spent a couple of hours last night copying the documents and lists from Oscar’s file. Callaghan isn’t leaving me any choice. I’m going with the whole story to a good friend of mine who happens to be a senior editor at The Times.’
He sighed heavily. ‘But what about you? What do you intend to do?’
Lucas shook his head. ‘I’m not sure,’ he answered, truthfully. ‘The most urgent matter is to make sure Harriet is safe. Then I’ll come back to deal with Drake.’
The two men shook hands. Lucas slung his travel bag over his shoulder and caught a hansom cab in front of St Paul’s Cathedral. He drummed his fingers on his knees during the whole journey to Charlotte Street. When the cab got stuck behind a beer cart blocking the street while casks were being unloaded, he paid the driver and jumped out. There wasn’t a minute to lose. Harriet might be in danger.
She put her hand in front of her mouth and yawned. It was the third time in as many minutes.
‘Another cup of tea, Harriet?’ Aunt Elizabeth’s face was blurred.
Harriet blinked and rubbed her eyes.
‘No, thank you. I feel a little strange,’ she said, aware that her voice sounded slurred. Her legs, her whole body felt so heavy she couldn’t move from the armchair in the drawing room.
Aunt Elizabeth tightened her lips. ‘I gave you something to soothe your nerves. We don’t want a repeat of what happened yesterday in Aylesford, do we?’
‘What did you give me?’
‘A few drops of laudanum in your tea, that’s all. It will keep you calm while we are waiting.’
‘Waiting for what?’ Harriet made a conscious effort to keep her eyes open and straighten in her chair.
Aunt Elizabeth stood up and walked to the window. Lifting the muslin curtains, she peered into the street.
‘Archibald will be here any minute.’
Harriet’s heart quickened, fear dried her throat. Had the police not arrested Archie yet? Lucas and Knox had been gone for hours.
‘How could you do such a terrible thing last night?’ Elizabeth complained once more. ‘Do you have any idea of how much you embarrassed your fiancé? Your father—God bless his soul—did you a great disservice by bringing you up so loosely. I did my best to correct your temper, your high spirits and bad habits, and show you how a young lady should behave, but…’
‘Please listen to me, Aunt Elizabeth,’ Harriet started, struggling to focus on the slim figure dressed in dark grey at the window. ‘Archie is a bad man. He is involved in criminal activities with Lord Callaghan. In fact, Lord Callaghan was the one behind the death of Father’s colleagues in the desert. He wanted Father dead all along.’
Her aunt spun round, dropped the curtain sharply and walked over to her. She grabbed her shoulders.
‘How can you utter these terrible lies? Have you no shame?’ Her voice shook with repressed fury.
‘But it’s true! Why don’t you believe me?’
She didn’t see her aunt raise her hand but she felt the burn of the slap across her face. For a minute, she was too shocked to react. If her aunt had been harsh on her in the past, she had never once struck her.
‘Lord Callaghan was awfully disappointed by your behaviour last evening. Can you not see that we need his protection now your father is no longer here? I am not going to let you ruin everything with your spoilt, stubborn ways. You will go to your room at once and stay there until Archibald comes for you.’
Harriet felt dizzy and weak but she shook her head.
‘I won’t marry him. I don’t want to.’
‘You should count yourself lucky Archibald still wants to marry you, although I really can’t understand why he would bother himself with such a headstrong, troublesome girl.’
There was a knock on the parlour door and Nelly came in.
‘A gentleman is here to see Miss Harriet,’ she announced.
‘Who is he and what does he want?’ Elizabeth barked at the girl.
‘He said he wanted to talk to Miss about some artefacts that belonged to her father.’
‘I remember him…He came yesterday. Tell him Miss Harriet is busy,’ Elizabeth answered.
The door opened wide and Lucas’ tall silhouette appeared behind Nelly.
‘I am afraid this cannot wait, Madame,’ he said.
‘Lucas, thank Heavens you’re here!’ Harriet couldn’t hide the relief in her voice. She tried to get up but collapsed on the chair straight away. Her legs felt as though they were stuffed with cotton wool.
‘What’s wrong?’ Lucas frowned and walked over to Harriet. ‘You look dreadfully pale.’
‘Please help me get out of here,’ she whispered as he pulled her up into his arms. ‘Archie is coming to get me. My bag is still in the hall, with my coat.’ She leaned onto his arm.
‘Wait a minute.’ Aunt Elizabeth stood in the doorway as if she wanted to prevent them from leaving. ‘Where do you think you two are going?’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘Who exactly are you, Sir?’
‘A friend,’ he replied.
‘Well, you can’t take Harriet away. She is getting married tonight.’
Lucas tightened his grip around Harriet’s waist to hold her up.
‘No, she isn’t. She is taking the train to Dover with me. Please stand aside.’
Harriet looked at him, stunned. He was taking her to Dover? And then what? This, however, wasn’t the time to ask. They had to make it out of the house first.
‘Please stand aside, Madame,’ Lucas repeated.
Was it the ice in his eyes, the grim determination on his face, or the threat in his voice? Aunt Elizabeth did as she was told.
‘You won’t get away with this, Archibald will catch up with you, you’ll see,’ she snarled.
Harriet had no idea how she managed to get out of th
e house and into the street and climb into the cab stationed outside. She must have dozed off while travelling to the railway station because the next thing she knew, Lucas was stroking her cheek to wake her up. They had arrived at Norwood Station where the South Eastern Railway ran trains to Folkestone and Dover.
‘I’ll get our tickets,’ he said as he helped her out of the cab.
She stumbled on the pavement and Lucas held her more tightly. They queued at the ticket office then walked down the platform just as a uniformed controller waved a flag to signal for departure. The train let out a cloud of steam which made her cough and started as soon as they shut the door behind them. Lucas chose an empty compartment. He slid the door shut then slung their travel bags into the luggage net overhead.
‘I was afraid we wouldn’t make it,’ he said, sinking into his seat with a sigh of relief. He leaned forward, took her hands in his. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Tired,’ she answered with a forced smile. She had so many questions for him, yet her mind was so fuzzy she felt quite unable to articulate any.
‘Why didn’t the police arrest Archie and Lord Callaghan?’ she asked at last.
‘The policeman we spoke to was in Callaghan’s pocket.’ Lucas then explained about the incident at Knox’s bookshop. ‘I fear he must have destroyed the file.’
‘Then it was all for nothing!’
He smiled and shook his head. ‘Not quite. Knox made copies of the most important papers last night. He is taking them to The Times. Once the scandal breaks out, the police will have to investigate properly. Callaghan and Drake’s days as free men are numbered.’
‘I see…’
What she really wanted to ask him was what he intended to do once they were in Dover, but suddenly overcome by weariness she leaned her head against the window pane and closed her eyes, lulled to sleep by the dull, rhythmical noise of the train. They were safe for now. She would think later.
The train came to a halt with a sudden jolt. She banged her head against the glass and opened her eyes, confused. It was dark.
‘Lucas?’ Her voice echoed in the empty compartment.
She walked to the door, felt for the handle and froze. She heard men shouting further up the corridor and a woman screaming. The door slid open and a tall silhouette stood in front of her.
‘There you are!’
She gasped and stepped back until she stood against the window. Archie walked in and pointed a pistol towards her.
‘I see Saintclair left you all alone,’ he snorted. ‘One of my men has probably killed him by now and thrown his body on the track.’
Harriet swallowed hard.
‘It’s over, Archie,’ she said, tilting her chin up. No way would she show him she was shaking with fear. ‘The truth about Lord Callaghan will be all over the papers tomorrow.’
He gave out a short laugh. ‘I don’t think so, dear. The documents your father so painstakingly collected were destroyed this morning. The police inspector made sure of it.’
She looked into his cold, sneering eyes. They were the eyes of a stranger.
‘There were copies of everything.’
Archie came closer.
‘Copies or not, nobody will ever dare challenge a man as important as Callaghan.’ ‘Why are you here then?’ she asked.
‘I want to get rid of Saintclair…and I want the Barbarossa map. I know you have it. You wouldn’t have left Charlotte Street without it.’
She caught her breath. It was Lucas who had the map, but she might be able to distract Archie long enough to have a chance to sneak out.
‘It’s in my bag,’ she lied, gesturing to the luggage net above.
He took a box of fuzees from his pocket, struck one to light up the oil lamp that dangled from the ceiling then ordered her to sit down while he retrieved her bag and brought it down. She hoped he would look for the map himself. Instead, he threw the bag next to her and asked her to open it.
‘Hurry,’ he said.
She took her time to look through her things, lifted a petticoat and a chemise out and folded them back again, took a small toiletry bag and pretended to look inside.
‘Get on with it.’
The train jolted forward, started again. Archie lost his footing, dropped his pistol and cursed. Now was her chance. She jumped to her feet and threw the bag with all her strength into his face before grabbing his pistol and running out towards the back of the train. The first-class corridor was empty. The second class, however, was busy. She hid the pistol in the folds of her dress to squeeze her way past people. They were all talking about an incident that had forced the train to stop in the middle of the Shakespeare Cliff Tunnel.
‘I heard there were men fighting in the end carriage after the Ashford stop,’ one passenger said. ‘That’s why the guard pulled the communication cord.’
‘It must have been a false alarm if the train started again,’ another passenger commented whilst checking his pocket watch. ‘I hope we make it for in time for the steam packet. I have an important meeting in Ostende first thing tomorrow morning.’
In the third class carriage too, people were talking about the fight that had broken out between a tall, dark-haired gentleman and two men armed with pistols.
‘I was so scared. Those two men looked like thugs. The gentleman they were chasing didn’t stand a chance,’ a woman was saying in a shrill voice, fanning her flushed face with her lace handkerchief.
By the time she reached the end carriage, Harriet was frantic with worry. She was about to open the door that led to the observation platform when she saw a crumpled form on the floor—the guard. She knelt down next to him, saw that he was breathing, and quickly carried on to push the door. Cold air whipped her face, mixed with the smells of coal smoke from the funnel, and damp from the tunnel’s wet rock face. The train’s tail light gave out a feeble glow, enough to see the track at the back of the train. Where was Lucas? She walked onto the platform and leaned against the wrought iron balustrade. A noise above made her raise her head. A shadow hovered over her and she let out a frightened scream.
‘Harriet!’
Lucas jumped from the rooftop onto the platform.
‘I was waiting for Drake.’
‘Thank Heavens you’re safe! I thought Archie’s men had killed you,’ she said, hurling herself into his arms.
He pressed her against her and she breathed in his scent, felt his warmth around her. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed the top of her head then took a step back.
‘I knocked them out and threw them out onto the track. Whose is that?’ He pointed to the pistol.
She nodded. ‘Archie’s.’
‘Careful, it’s armed,’ he warned. ‘You’d better give it to me.’
The door flung open and Archie ran out, dishevelled, breathless, one eye swollen and blood trickling from his nose.
‘Good, I see we’re all here,’ he said. ‘This time, I’ll make sure I finish the job.’
He looked at Harriet. ‘Sorry, dear, but I will have to kill you too. I wouldn’t want you telling stories about me to the police.’
He produced a firearm from behind his back and pointed it at Lucas. Harriet was faster. Without a second’s hesitation she raised her pistol, aimed and fired. Archie opened his eyes wide, looked down at his chest where a red stain was growing bigger and bigger. She dropped the pistol as if it burned her hand, and stared at him in horror as he held onto the balustrade and collapsed onto the wooden boards. A strange gurgling sound came out of his mouth, his eyes glazed over, and then he stopped moving.
‘I killed him,’ she whispered.
‘You most certainly did.’ Lucas took her in his arms.
She started shaking and he held her closer.
‘You did well, Miss,’ a man’s voice called behind her. The guard appeared in the doorway, rubbing his forehead where a red bump was clearly visible. ‘I heard what that man said. He said he was going to kill you both.’
‘We’
ll soon be in Dover, we’ll get the police on board as soon as possible,’ he added. ‘I take it you two are boarding the steam packet for Ostende? That’s the only ship due out tonight.’
‘I am,’ Lucas answered shortly.
Her heart sank, but she forced a smile. There was no need to ask Lucas what his intentions were any longer. He had just answered.
‘Can I go back inside?’ she asked the guard. ‘I think I need to sit down.’
‘Of course, Miss,’ he said, offering his arm. ‘I’ll take you back to your carriage.’ He turned to Lucas. ‘Would you mind staying out here, sir, to watch over him?’ He glanced at Archie’s body.
Lucas replied that he didn’t mind.
When the train arrived at Dover station, passengers were told they had to stay on board and wait for the police to arrive and take statements. A police detective interviewed Harriet in her compartment. It took her over an hour to tell him about Lord Callaghan, Archie, and their criminal associates, explain what had happened to her and her father in the Barbary States, and how Lucas had helped. From the way he shook his head as he took notes and muttered to himself, it wasn’t hard to see that the man was overwhelmed by her revelations.
Finally she was allowed to step down from the train. The detective said Lucas had been interviewed earlier.
‘All the other passengers bound for Ostende have been taken to the harbour, but Mr Saintclair won’t leave until he has talked to you.’
‘He’s over there, by the hansom cab station,’ he added, pointing to the tall, dark figure standing under a gas light in the rain. He touched his hat and bowed his head before walking away.
Lucas didn’t seem bothered by the rain that ran down his hair, his face, and drenched his jacket. The gas jet threw a ghostly white light onto his face.
‘At last!’ He walked towards her. ‘Is everything settled? I tried to see you before but the constables wouldn’t let me through.’