Her stomach gave a sick little lurch. When his lordship learned the truth about Grey, that The Smith was her brother, he would likely call the marriage off. What peer of the realm would want to admit a common criminal to the ranks of his family? Nor should he. Her heart gave a horrid little squeeze. After all, he was only marrying her to save her reputation. Now it seemed she didn’t have one worth saving.
She tried to imagine going to Jaimie and asking him to release Grey. She could see herself asking, but she could not see him saying yes. It was surely beyond the realm of possibility. Oh, heavens above, she needed to get to the bottom of exactly what was going on. ‘Help me dress.’
Mims looked relieved.
‘No promises, mind.’ Another thought crossed her mind. ‘Who is the boy who put a note in my reticule?’
‘What?’ Mims looked guilty. ‘There is a boy, my lady. Mrs Plunkett’s lad. He occasionally brings me messages since we’ve been in London.’
‘Messages?’
‘Yes. Grey were keeping an eye on you, like. Keen to know what you were doing. You and his lordship, too.’
‘And you told him, of course?’
Mims beamed. ‘I told him everything he wanted to know, my lady. I was sure he would come back to us one of these days. And now he has.’ Her face fell. ‘In a manner of speaking, since it is somewhat too late, I suppose.’
So that was how Grey had always managed to avoid capture. He’d used her own servant to gather information to ensure his freedom. He knew she’d always talked things over with Mims. ‘It is a great deal too late. Why did he not speak to me?’
Mims gave her a blank look. Shook her head. ‘He didn’t say.’
What on earth would Jaimie say? The ache in Tess’s chest seemed to intensify. She threw back the covers.
No sense in putting it off.
Chapter Fourteen
‘Lady Theresa.’ The butler stared down his nose in disapproval.
Tess ignored him, pushing past him into the hall with Mims hard on her heels. ‘Where is his lordship?’
‘In the conservatory, my lady.’
Well, at least he wasn’t in bed. ‘No need to announce me, I know the way. Mims, see if the kitchen can rustle up a cup of tea.’
The butler drew himself up in affront. ‘I will have tea brought in to you, my lady.’
Tess nodded her thanks and headed for the conservatory. She found Jaimie sitting at the bench staring at one of his plants. Though he was in his shirtsleeves and looked positively rakish, his attention was somewhere way off in the distance. He looked far from happy.
He looked up at the sound of her steps on the marble tile and straightened. ‘Lady Tess.’ He glanced up at the clock in the corner. ‘To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit at this early hour?’
On the walk over to his house, Tess had decided that telling him the truth was the only option. ‘The man you arrested last night is my brother, Greydon Hammond.’
Jaimie looked down his arrogant nose. ‘I know.’ He frowned. ‘I recognised the small crescent-shaped scar on his cheek from the sketch you showed Mrs Plunkett.’
He knew? ‘I had no idea Grey was the burglar you were seeking. You do believe me?’
His expression tightened. ‘Someone was passing him information about my plans.’
Oh, dear. She could not tell him about Mims. She did not want her arrested as an accomplice.
‘What are you doing here, Tess?’ Realisation dawned on his face. ‘Have you come to ask me to set him free?’
He also got straight to the point. ‘Would you?’ she asked.
He shook his head, but more than the denial, the look of disappointment in his eyes hurt. Could he not understand her loyalty to her brother?
‘You would be asking me to free a criminal who has been terrorising half of Mayfair,’ he said, ‘and ruin my reputation.’
‘I quite understand,’ she said briskly. Though she had hoped he might do this for her. But then men always let you down when you needed them the most. ‘I would like to see him, if I may.’
‘See him?’
‘Yes. I need to ask him something.’
‘You want to know about your bracelet. I wouldn’t hold out any hopes in that direction, if I were you.’
‘You are not me. I trust Grey.’
‘You also received a communication from him, did you not, and you did not tell me.’
‘I—’ She halted her denial. ‘I am sorry. I wasn’t sure what to think. He wanted nothing to do with me. I thought it might be because of my association with you.’
He took a deep breath. ‘You should have trusted me, Tess. Told me what was going on.’
‘I apologise. I was going to tell you at the picnic, but we became otherwise...occupied.’ He didn’t look in the least mollified. She plunged on. ‘Will you take me to see him? I would go myself, but I fear they will not let me into the prison.’
He glared. ‘I should hope not. Newgate is no place for a lady.’
‘But surely in your company...’
‘Not under any circumstances.’
She rose to her feet. ‘Then I will simply have to go on my own.’
He stared at her. ‘You really are headstrong, stubborn and wilful. I kept making excuses for you, but I am a fool.’
What was he talking about? ‘He is my brother.’
He stilled. ‘One of the things I admired about you, Tess, was your loyalty; however, in this case it is misplaced.’
He clearly wanted her to choose. Grey or him. She stared at him in disbelief. ‘I cannot walk away from him in his greatest time of need.’
‘It would be better for all concerned if you did.’
Better for him, no doubt. He would not want to be aligned with a woman related to a criminal. She pulled out the engagement ring from her reticule and placed it beside one of the flowerpots. ‘It is a good thing we did not tell anyone about this.’
His mouth hardened into a flat line. ‘You will do anything to get your own way, won’t you?’
‘I need to speak to Grey. I must thank you for all your kindness and help these past few weeks.’ Her voice caught in her throat. The pain around her heart was almost unbearable.
‘Devil take it, Tess, there is nothing you can do now to help your brother. He clearly has no intention of providing his real name. No one will ever know you and he are related. Let it go.’
She could not expect Jaimie to sacrifice everything he held dear for her sake. His reputation. His honour. ‘If I do not try to help him, I will know.’
She headed for the door.
‘Were you passing information to him? Details of my plans? Helping him avoid capture?’
The blood drained from her head, making her feel dizzy. He thought she had been working against him all this time. ‘Does it matter? You have captured him at last.’
Disappointment filled his expression. He glanced over at the ring and back at her. ‘No. It doesn’t matter. Come. If you are that determined to speak to him, I will take you.’
* * *
The ride over to Newgate was accomplished in silence. Tess stared silently out of one window and Jaimie out of the other, while Mims sat beside her mistress, twisting her handkerchief in her hands and glancing from one to the other of them.
Jaimie didn’t want to believe that she had deliberately betrayed him. Used him for her own ends. Clearly, he was a fool. Because if she had not, she would have denied it.
Dammit, he would never understand women. And to think he had begun to believe she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Actually offered to marry her! Thank God she had given him back his ring. Except that it hadn’t made him feel the slightest bit glad.
If only she had trusted him...
A sick feeling came over him. He’d been fooling himself
. Making out he was only marrying her out of duty with a little bit of friendship and a lot of lust thrown in. Telling himself the wooing had been simply smoothing the path. He’d wanted far more than a dutiful wife. He wanted a helpmeet. He wanted the sort of marriage enjoyed by his parents, what he remembered of it. Honestly, he’d never thought he’d find such happiness after Hester. Never thought he’d deserved it, in truth. And then Tess had come along and given him hope.
Hope she’d now crushed. He should have known better. She had never trusted him from the start. Never given him the full story. Well, he would learn the full story now, because he would not allow her to be alone with this brother of hers. The man was as brutal a fellow as he’d ever met. A bruiser of a man. And tougher than the horse nails he spent the other half of his life pounding into shape on an anvil.
The carriage drew up at the entrance to the prison. ‘Wait here.’
She stared at him, her eyes large in her face and full of questions.
‘I’ll have him brought up out of the cells to a room where you can meet with him alone.’
Shock filled her expression, followed swiftly by understanding. ‘Yes. Yes of course.’ She swallowed. ‘I will wait.’
Well, at least she was trusting him that far.
‘I will be as quick as possible.’ And it was going to cost him a pretty penny to grease the right palms to make sure she didn’t have to walk amongst the scum that inhabited the prison.
Luckily for him, the prison governor was in his office and the arrangements were made in short order. When he got back to the carriage, Tess had draped a thick veil over her bonnet. Thank heavens for that bit of discretion and her cleverness. One never knew when a newspaper reporter might be hanging about. There had certainly been enough of them outside the prison the previous evening when news had spread that he had finally captured the notorious Mayfair burglar. If they weren’t very careful, Hammond’s link to the Ingrams would soon be known to everyone in town and Tess would be ruined. It was the way it worked.
They entered the prison through the governor’s private door. The guard who opened it led the way down a corridor and up a flight of stairs. Even here the smell of the inhabitants lingered, musty and stale and unpleasant.
At the top of the stairs, the guard unlocked a heavy wooden door. ‘In here.’
It was gloomy inside and only a small window high in the wall let in any light. It took a moment for Jaimie’s eyes to adjust and pick out the figure standing in the shadows in the corner.
Tess threw back her veil and stared about her.
The man shifted, the clank of his chains drawing her attention as he moved into the light. He had a split lip, a black eye and a gash across his cheek.
Jaimie frowned. The fellow hadn’t looked nearly that bad when he’d left him here yesterday.
‘Oh, my sainted aunt!’ Tess said, sounding horrified, shooting an angry look at Jaimie. ‘Grey, what have they done to you?’
‘Tess?’ He jerked backwards, lifting his hands as if to ward her off. He glared at Jaimie. ‘What the devil are you thinking bringing her here?’
‘I made him bring me,’ Tess said defiantly.
‘What is he? A man or a mouse?’
Jaimie swallowed his temper. ‘Tess, some of those bruises are because he resisted arrest. But not all of them.’ He glared at Hammond. ‘Have you been fighting with your fellow inmates?’
The man said nothing.
Indeed, it seemed out of character. Though he’d tried to escape, once he realised he was outnumbered, he’d surrendered when he could have done some major damage to his captors before they finally had him subdued.
‘Grey,’ she said brokenly. ‘Why did you never contact me? You know I would have helped you, if you needed money.’
The prisoner gave her a look that was not quite loathing, but was not in the least friendly. ‘Did you not get my note? Did I not tell you to leave me alone? I don’t want you here.’
Tess flinched. Hurt filled her expression.
Jaimie’s ire rose another notch. ‘Mind your manners, convict.’
Tess shot him an angry look and turned back to the prisoner. ‘I came to see if there was anything I could do to help you.’
‘There isn’t. They caught me fair and square. Go back to your nice life, Tess, you are not wanted here.’
‘Be civil to your sister,’ Jaimie said. ‘She’s been beside herself worrying about you. Not that you deserve it.’
The younger man shot him a look of dislike. ‘If not for her, I wouldn’t be in this situation.’
Jaimie frowned at the odd choice of words. ‘Your sister wants to know what have you done with her diamond bracelet.’
Beneath the grime, Hammond paled. He curled his lip. ‘So he was right—you are going to lay that at my door.’
‘What do you mean?’ Tess asked, shocked. ‘Who else would have taken it?’
Hammond turned his back on them. ‘Go away.’
Tess shot Jaimie a glance of appeal. ‘May I not talk with him alone?’
Desperate men did desperate things, but the look in her face was so full of hurt, so full of betrayal, he found himself acceding to her wish. ‘I’ll go, if you promise not to get any closer to him than you already are.’
She gasped. ‘What? Why?’
‘Because I’m chained to the bloody wall,’ Grey said, his voice harsh and full of loathing. ‘And if you stay where you are, I can’t reach you and take you hostage.’
Tess gave a little start. ‘You would never do that to me.’
‘Can’t be too sure of that, can you, your bloody ladyship?’
‘Mind your language, in front of a lady,’ Jaimie said.
Hammond gave a bitter laugh. ‘Why should I? Those rules are for gentlemen. I’m nothing but a common thief. A bastard common thief.’
A common thief with the accent of a well-educated man.
Jaimie focused on Tess. ‘Do I have your word? It is the only condition under which I will leave this room.’
She nodded. ‘I promise.’
Against every instinct he had, he walked out and left them alone.
* * *
The moment the door closed, Tess approached Grey. He’d changed since she’d seen him last. He was taller, broader and angrier. The fury in his eyes was painful to see. He’d always been devil-may-care as a lad. Cheerful and friendly. Could he really have altered so much? She stepped closer and held out her arms. After a moment of hesitation, he walked into them. Rested his forehead on her shoulder. ‘Dammit it, Tess. You should not be here.’
‘Bad as it is,’ she said softly, ‘I am happy to see you.’
He made an odd sound and pushed away. ‘Don’t get so close. I’m filthy.’
She gestured to the chair at the table. ‘Sit down.’ She took the one on the other side. ‘What happened, Grey? You never stole a thing in your life before.’
‘Tell that to your cousin.’
‘Phin?’
‘Who else?’
‘What happened, Grey?’
‘If I tell you, he’ll have you behind bars, too.’
Her heart rose in her throat. ‘Tell me.’
He shook his head and stared at his hands. ‘That man, that Lord Sandford, what is he to you?’
‘A friend.’ Barely a friend.
‘I led him a merry dance.’ He grinned and then hissed in a breath. He touched the cut on his lip. ‘Phin sent men over here last night.’
‘Why would he do such a thing?’
‘The night he kicked me out, he followed me. To make sure I never came back. He had that groom of his give me a serious beating. I still came back.’
She could scarcely believe what he was saying. ‘Did Phin know you took my bracelet?’
He gazed at her, hunched a shoulder and turned away. ‘T
hank you for coming, Tess. Now if you don’t mind I’d like to go back to my nice cosy cell.’
‘What did I say?’
* * *
A thump came on the door. ‘Five more minutes that means,’ Grey told her.
‘Oh, no,’ she protested. ‘We’ve barely begun talking. I still don’t know how you turned into a burglar.’
‘I’m a bastard, remember. It’s in my blood.’
None of this made any sense. ‘Mims has explained that you were using the money to pay people who were wrongfully dismissed and shopkeepers who were going broke. Like the people Father owed money to when he died. Is that what you used the diamonds for? Is that why you stole them and didn’t come back?’
‘Believe what you like. Just get out.’ He stood and clanked back to the corner, turned and faced the wall.
She got up and started towards him. She remembered him like this when he had first come to live with her and Papa. It had taken her a long time to get him to trust her. ‘Grey, this is me, Tess. I’m here to help. Please don’t turn your back on me.’
‘Warder, we are done here,’ he shouted.
The door swung back. ‘Time’s up,’ the warder said. Behind him a grim-faced Jaimie stood waiting.
There was nothing more she could do or say.
* * *
Jaimie led her out the way they had come in. ‘I have arranged for a private cell for him,’ he said, ‘rather than the stinking hole where they put him. He’ll get a bath and food.’ It wasn’t much comfort to offer, but it was better than nothing.
‘Thank you.’ She sounded distracted, almost as if she hadn’t heard a word he had said.
When they were finally outside and could take a deep breath, she turned to face him.
Jaimie knew what was coming, of course, because he had been standing at the listening post in the room next door. There was no privacy in a prison.
‘Is there nothing more you can do?’
He inwardly cursed the hopeful note in her voice, at the appeal in her gaze, and gestured her towards his carriage. ‘Let us not discuss this in public.’
He helped her into the carriage and sat down opposite. ‘There is nothing to be done. The ton wants justice.’
Rescued by the Earl's Vows Page 20