by Darcy Burke
He continued to hold her, as tremors coursed through her body. Or maybe they were his. He wasn’t quite sure where she ended and he began. He kissed her neck as he slowly withdrew from her. Gently, he eased her legs from his waist and guided them to the floor.
She gripped his shoulders until she found her footing, then she kissed him soundly and thoroughly. He couldn’t help but smile into her mouth.
When he drew back, she regarded him with a satisfied gaze. He had nothing to offer her to tidy herself—they’d taken his cravat hours ago. He supposed he could offer his waistcoat. Now that he was unshackled, he could remove it. He rebuttoned his fall. “Do you need anything to clean up?”
She shook her head, and still there was no blush. Not only did she look different, she really was different. “I’m fine. Petticoats can serve multiple purposes.” She sank down to the pallet.
He went to the door and listened. He couldn’t hear anything from the corridor, but knew George and the hulk had to be out there. His mind began to play scenarios where he took on the brute while Audrey attacked George. He glanced back at her and wondered if she could do that.
He joined her on the pallet, tucking her into the crook of his arm as he propped himself back against the wall. She curled beside him, laying her head upon his shoulder and bringing her knees up so they nuzzled his thighs.
She traced her fingertips over the buttons of his waistcoat. “What will we do when this is all behind us?”
How he hoped there would be an opportunity for them to find out. He would expend all of his energy to see her to safety, and if he was somehow saved ... well, he didn’t expect it. Not that he would say that. She’d made her opinion on his cynicism clear. Instead, he decided to indulge her fantasy. And it wasn’t a trial. Thinking of a future with her, even if it was hopeless, gave him comfort. It was how he’d spent many of the long days since he’d been arrested.
“This may surprise you, but I actually liked Wootton Bassett. Not the town specifically, since we didn’t really see much of it, but I enjoyed the time we spent with Fox and Miranda. Their life is simple and ... purposeful.”
Her hand stilled, her palm flattening against his chest. “Yes, it is. You liked that?”
He nodded. “What Fox does there with the orphanage is astonishing. He impacts so many lives. Without him, those children would suffer terribly.”
“Like you did.”
“Worse. Many of them are younger than I was. I shudder to think what would’ve happened to me if I’d been orphaned at a younger age.” Because of his pretty face, he undoubtedly would’ve been forced into prostitution. That path had been suggested to him several times.
She tucked her hand beneath his waistcoat and pressed her hand over his heart. “Me too.”
“When we stayed with the hermit, I liked that story.”
“What, me being your sister? I’m afraid I didn’t care for that part.”
He chuckled and kissed her head. “No, I don’t care for that part either. I did, however, enjoy pretending to be a schoolmaster. Do you think ...” Oh, now he really was fantasizing.
She lifted her head and looked up at him. “Do I think what? That you could teach?” She reached up and touched his cheek, directing his gaze down to hers. “I think you can do anything you put your mind to. Especially if I help you.”
“When you tell me that, I believe it.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her.
A few moments later, she settled back against him with a contented sigh. “Do you envision opening a school at Stipple’s End? I think the Foxcrofts would love that. I know they’d like to enlarge the orphanage, but they need more help. I think Miranda’s invitation for us to stay was genuine.”
“Yes, that’s what I was hoping. Provided they forgive us for lying to them and for taking one of their horses.”
“We only borrowed her. I’m sure Posy returned to Wootton Bassett when she ran off.” Audrey yawned. “And that’s what we’ll do. After we’re married, of course.”
“Of course.” He tucked a wayward curl behind her ear. “Sleep if you want. I’ll be right here.”
A few minutes later he heard the even tone of her breathing as she drifted into slumber. He hated that she’d come back for him, but he couldn’t regret this time he’d had with her.
The sound of the door jarred him awake. Shit, he hadn’t meant to fall asleep. He shook Audrey, then pulled the knife from her boot. “Wake up.”
He jumped to his feet and rushed toward the door, anxious energy pumping through him.
The brute came in first. Ethan didn’t hesitate. He charged forward, knife in hand, but his opponent was viciously strong. He rushed at Ethan and knocked him off balance, sending him crashing backward into the wall. Pain exploded in Ethan’s skull, but he pitched forward in an effort to take the big man down. The man’s fist landed against Ethan’s wrist, and Ethan dropped the knife.
Audrey’s shriek filled the small room. George had her by the hair and was drawing a knife from his belt.
Ethan put up his hands. “Stop! Let her go. She isn’t part of this.”
George dragged her toward the door.
Where the fuck was her pistol?
She tried to reach down—presumably for her gun—but George yanked her hair, pulling her upright. “Ethan!”
The larger man grabbed Ethan’s arm in a vise-like grip.
Ethan tried to pull free to get to Audrey, but it was pointless. “George, she’s just a worthless whore.”
“Then what do ye care if she dies? The Jagger I know would put ’is own survival before anyone else’s, but then she didn’t call ye Jagger jes’ then, did she? I don’t think she’s a worthless whore at all.”
Too late Ethan realized their mistake.
“You’re wrong,” Audrey said, ever his defender. “Jagger would lay down his life for the people he cares about, or for those who can’t help themselves.” Her gaze connected with his. “I know this about him.”
Ethan’s heart warmed at her confidence, but it wasn’t helping their cause at all. The more she said about him, the clearer it became that she wasn’t some indiscriminate prostitute from upstairs. “She doesn’t know shit, George. Just take her back to the common room so she can find another bloke.” He gave her a meaningful stare.
“Ollie, lock ’im up again,” George said. He kept his hand twisted in Audrey’s hair and his knife against her throat. Ethan longed to drive that knife into his heart for daring to touch her.
Ollie tugged him toward the shackle, but Ethan made it hard for him. He kicked out at him and threw his fist into his gut, which felt as though it were made of iron. Ollie slammed him into the wall as he reached down for the shackle. He slapped the metal around Ethan’s wrist. “Damn, ye got a key, George?”
“Reach into my waistcoat pocket there, lovely. That’s right. Now toss the key to Ollie. There’s a girl.”
Ethan couldn’t tell what was happening because Ollie had him shoved against the wall so that all he could see was the corner. He tried to twist his neck, but Ollie only dug his arm harder across his shoulder blades.
“Bitch!” The report of a pistol sounded. Ollie’s hold loosened enough for Ethan to turn around and see Audrey holding her smoking pistol over George who appeared to be bleeding from his hip.
Ethan tried to get to her, but Ollie held him back. Running boots echoed from the corridor and then a pair of faces appeared in the door.
One of them said, “What the ’ell happened?”
“She shot George,” Ollie said.
“Take ’er to Jimmy,” the new arrival said. The second man came into the room and clasped her wrist. She cried out as he easily took the pistol from her fingers. She tried to pull away and her gaze met Ethan’s.
His heart twisted as he watched her dragged from the room. His hope that she’d make it out of the Cup and Burrow withered and died. When Ollie’s fist found his gut once more, he crumpled to the floor and prayed that Audrey wouldn’t suffer.
Audrey kicked and thrashed at the man who pulled her away from Ethan, but it was no use. As soon as he got her into the corridor, the second man picked up her feet and carried her.
“Keep yer mouth shut.” Another pair of men passed them. “Fetch George. The bitch shot ’im.”
They carried her through another doorway and then dumped her to the floor near a large table. She blinked as she pushed herself up to a sitting position.
“Miss Cheswick?” Jimmy stood from the table and stared at her. “Didn’t I let ye leave?”
“Yes.” She got to her feet on quaking legs.
“Ye should’ve stayed gone. I won’t be so nice a second time.” He scrutinized her appearance. “Particularly when ye look as if ye belong ’ere. Doesn’t she, lads?” He laughed and the rest joined in. When the laughter died down, he nodded at the two men who’d carried her. Each man grabbed one of her arms and held her still.
Jimmy came around the table, his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped just in front of her. “Now, why did ye come back?”
She smelled the gin on his breath and fought not to recoil. “To see Ethan.”
Jimmy’s hand snapped across her cheek so fast, she didn’t see it coming. But the pain lingered, setting her cheek afire. “Don’t make me hit ye again. I really don’t like hurtin’ women.”
Her eyes watered. She struggled to think of what to say. “I came to see him and you.” She cringed, waiting for his hand to strike again and when it didn’t, she rushed onward. “He was like a son to you. I can’t believe you want to hurt him. He only wants to be happy. With me. Can’t you let him do that?”
He squinted at her a long moment. “’E won’t be happy with ye. I’ve seen ’im with women over the years. ’E’ll tire of ye soon enough. Then ’e’ll move on to his next Society conquest. ’E’s fooled ye like ’e fooled me.”
She didn’t believe that for a moment, but wouldn’t try to convince him otherwise. “Fine, then let him do that. Why does he have to be a criminal? Why won’t you just let him be free?”
Jimmy wrapped his hand around her neck and she worried she’d gone too far. He leaned close. “’E is a criminal. ’E’s exactly what I made ’im and that’s all ’e’ll ever be.” Spittle shot from his mouth and landed on her cheek.
He let go of her, shoving her back as he removed his hand. The men tightened their grips on her arms. She swallowed, anxious about what would happen next. She hoped and prayed they still had a chance once they got outside.
Jimmy strolled back to his place at the head of the table and looked down. “I suppose I’m done with my breakfast.” He swept the plate from the table. Because it was metal, it didn’t break, but hit the floor with a loud thud. “Get ’im ready. ’E’s got a trial to attend.”
Several men stood from the table and disappeared through the doorway toward the room where Ethan was being held. Audrey tensed.
“And ye shot one of my best men.” Jimmy shook his head. He came back toward her and didn’t stop until he’d clasped her chin in a firm, painful grip. “Ye’re goin’ to have a front-row seat at Jagger’s trial and hangin’, and then I’m goin’ to work ye upstairs until ye can’t walk. Do ye know how much money I’ll make off Jagger’s lovey?” His gaze dipped to her breasts and he dug his fingers into her flesh. “Let’s hope ye fuck as well as ye look. Eh, it doesn’t matter, does it, lads? They’ll pay for the novelty, not the skill.” He sneered in her face and let her go before turning away from her.
Stark fear like she’d never known turned her limbs to jelly. If not for the men holding her up, she would’ve sagged to the floor.
Long minutes passed during which Jimmy retook his seat. He stared moodily at the table. To Audrey he looked upset, disturbed perhaps. She couldn’t stop herself from trying to persuade him to change his mind.
“Jimmy, it’s not too late to let Ethan go.”
“Shut ’er the fuck up, will you?” He turned to the corner where Marie sat on a small stool. Audrey hadn’t even noticed her. “Find somethin’ to gag ’er.”
Marie pulled a long, white cloth out of her pocket as she came toward Audrey. She didn’t say a word as she put it in Audrey’s mouth and tied it at the back of her head.
Ethan’s scent filled her nostrils and she realized it was his cravat. She heard the sound of boots and turned her head just as Ethan was led into the room. There was a bruise blooming on his cheek and blood trickled from his lip.
“Clean ’im up, Marie, and put ’is boots on.”
Marie went to a washbasin and dampened a cloth, which she used to cleanse Ethan’s lip. He stared stoically at Audrey, his eyes cold and dispassionate. She sensed he was working to mask his emotions and wished she could do the same. But a tear leaked from her eye, and she realized that was hopeless.
Next, Marie fetched his boots from somewhere behind Audrey. She put his feet into them and the act reminded Audrey of when she’d helped him after he’d been wounded.
“Bind ’is hands.”
One of the men came forward with a rope. Ethan stuck his hands out without being asked. The rope was circled around his wrists and bound tightly.
Another tear snaked from Audrey’s eye, and her throat nearly closed with anguish.
Jimmy stood and straightened his coat. “Let’s go. ’Im first.”
The men flanking Ethan grabbed his arms and nudged him forward. He moved toward Audrey. “It’s all right. You’re going to be all right.” He said the last so softly, she had to strain to hear.
Then he turned and walked from the room.
Jimmy jerked his head toward the men holding Audrey and they brought her forward. Jimmy took the place of the man on her right. “I want ye right beside me when we watch ’im swing.”
The doorway wasn’t big enough to allow them all to pass through together, so Jimmy went first and he pulled her over the threshold. They moved through his throne room and into a corridor that emptied into the nearly empty common room. Audrey searched the tables and corners for Scot, but didn’t see anyone save a slattern leaning against one wall and a man passed out across a tabletop. Everyone must have gone outside to watch the hanging.
Emotion gathered in her chest, and she struggled to breathe. Tears came fast now, tracking down her heated cheeks. They moved outside into the late morning. Gray skies and drizzle met them; still, it was much brighter than the interior of the Cup and Burrow, and Audrey had to blink several times.
They moved into the street, which was lined with what looked to be hundreds of people. All of St. Giles’s denizens had turned out. The crowd was thick and raucous, with shouting and singing and the smell of food mingled with decay and impending death.
Audrey looked ahead of her and fixed on Ethan’s back. The dark green and bronze silk of his waistcoat rippled over his back as he walked. Then she caught sight of the scaffold and the rope.
Blackness edged her vision and she fell to the street.
***
Ethan heard Jimmy swear and turned his head to see Audrey being dragged to her feet. Her eyes rolled back in her head. Jimmy slapped her hard.
Ethan lunged toward him, aching to inflict pain and damage, but the men holding him kept him from moving. “Don’t touch her, Jimmy!”
Jimmy turned and looked at him, his eyes dark and narrowed. “I’ll do whatever I like to ’er. Especially after ye’re dead.” He grabbed Audrey’s chin and shook her until she blinked. “Keep yer wits about ye, gel. The best part’s comin’ up.”
He waved them all forward and the procession continued.
Because he had no choice, Ethan turned and walked toward the scaffold, but he didn’t look at it. Instead, he scanned the crowd in search of Jason or Carlyle or Sevrin or any of the idiots who’d launched this futile plan.
At last his gaze settled on Scot. He was standing in the front of the crowd. As Ethan drew close enough, he mouthed, “Save her.”
Scot nodded imperceptibly, and Ethan had to
trust that he would. Next, he caught sight of Sevrin, then Carlyle. Finally, he saw Jason, who was standing very near the scaffold. His familiar gray eyes were impassive. They briefly met Ethan’s, softened slightly, and then moved on.
Love for his brother swelled in Ethan’s chest. At this perhaps eleventh hour of his life, he finally had the family he’d sought. And he’d put all of them in harm’s way.
The sound of a pistol cocking behind Ethan drew the men holding him to turn. Ethan spun with them and things seemed to happen in slow motion. In his peripheral vision, he saw men moving, but his gaze focused on the man holding the gun.
Teague.
And he was pointing it at Jimmy. Other men around him had also drawn pistols, but no one had fired yet.
“You don’t get to hang him.”
Jimmy smiled malevolently. “That yer job, Runner?”
“Damned right it is. And you sure as hell don’t get to brutalize women.”
Ethan kicked at the men holding him and pulled to get free. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jason move and then he heard the report of a pistol as Teague fired his weapon.
“Audrey!” In the ensuing commotion, Ethan got one of his arms free and punched the man still holding him. It was enough to make him release his grip on Ethan.
Ethan watched Audrey go down, but saw that it was Scot who’d knocked her to the ground, not Teague’s bullet, which had appeared to go wide.
Jimmy lifted his pistol and pointed it at Teague. Ethan didn’t think. He tackled the Runner as the gun fired. They both fell.
Burning pain sliced into Ethan’s shoulder. Audrey’s scream rent the air. His head hit the cobblestones and blackness descended.
Chapter Twenty-three
Audrey watched the bullet hit Ethan in the shoulder as he tackled Teague to the ground. She pushed at Scot and her hand brushed the hilt of a knife tied to his waist. She unsheathed it, taking it from him as she’d taken the pistol from George back at the Cup and Burrow.
There was fighting all around her, but she looked for the shock of white hair. Rain fell into her eyes and she swiped at her face, pulling the cravat from where it had dislodged from her mouth when she’d fallen. She managed to roll out from under Scot, who was now engaged with one of the men who’d been behind Jimmy.