“There is news about Fornier,” Harry growled as he glanced around the empty hallway. “Jacob has sent word that Fornier is in a house by the dockside.”
“The same house Marcus and I went to take a look at this morning?”
“No. This one is in the same area but further back from the dockside. Sir Hugo has given us instruction that we are to move now.”
“Let’s go.” Rupert waited long enough to find Marcus, and stopped only long enough to write a brief note to Thea explaining where he had gone and that she was to remain inside and not open the door to anyone. He left it on the small table beside the bed and placed a white rose he purloined from the large arrangement of flowers in the hallway beside it before he tip-toed out of the room.
Seconds later, he quietly followed Harry out of the back door of the house. Determined to get this over and done with, he ignored the biting winds that nipped at his cheeks, tugged the collar of his coat up around his ears and hurried after his colleague.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Thea yawned and rolled over in bed. Outside was already dark. She was blissfully warm and content. The plush pillow beneath her head smelled of roses and it reminded her of her small house in Leicestershire. It was such a long way away that it felt like another world entirely. For an instant she wanted to be back in the comforting walls of her own bedroom but then her thoughts turned to Rupert, and she was glad that she was at Ridings instead.
As her senses returned she frowned at the canopy above the bed and took stock of her situation. After her bath she had dressed but had felt weary beyond belief and, rather than head downstairs for supper, had climbed onto the bed for a quick nap instead. She glanced down and frowned at her clothing. Someone at some point had covered her over with a blanket but not bothered to wake her. Somehow she knew that it had been Rupert.
Winds rattled the windows alarmingly and, with a shiver, she rolled off the bed and took a moment to gather her shawl about her shoulders. She frowned and wondered where he was. All about her the house was still and quiet. A blue sheet of notepaper sat on the table next to a beautiful white rose. Her heart warmed at the sight of it and she had a soft smile on her face when she picked the rose up and sniffed the wonderful scent that had woken her. She took a moment to savour the softness against her cheek before she turned her attention to the note Rupert had left her and immediately she went cold.
She read the words over again and again as her horror grew. Fornier had been found and was in a location where he could be cornered and captured. She thought of the harsh hands that had so cruelly tried to force her into the carriage earlier and felt a sickening sense of dread wash over her. To think of Rupert out in the darkness, facing such danger, filled her with horror but there was nothing she could do about it except sit at home and wait.
Her thoughts immediately turned toward her uncle, and she pushed off the bed. If she had to sit by herself to wait for Rupert to return she would go quietly mad. She had to do something that would take her mind off her worries, but had yet to go to the shops and purchase any sewing materials, and besides read there was very little else to do except while away the endless hours with her uncle.
She was standing outside her uncle’s bedroom door when a series of rapid knocks on the front door drew her attention. When the butler didn’t immediately answer, the knocks grew steadily louder until she began to wonder if the door would hold firm under the force of the attack. She watched Marcus disappear into the Library and carefully made her way down the stairs to find out what they should do. Argus stood at the bottom of the stairs, clearly waiting for instruction. He should answer the door, but the knocker had been removed to indicate that nobody was available to accept visitors. It was the height of bad manners for anyone to ignore such a clear signal that visitors weren’t welcome and knock on the door anyway, but that didn’t appear to matter to the person outside who continued to hammer relentlessly on the door anyway.
“Who is it?” She asked Marcus when he appeared in the library doorway.
“I don’t know,” the frown on his brow warned her that he was worried. She wanted to ask where Rupert was only for the butler to shift awkwardly beside her.
“What would you like me to do, sir?” Argus whispered.
“Is the back door still locked?”
“Yes sir.”
“Keep the women in the sitting room back there, like I told you,” he ordered and turned to Thea.
“I am at home and can speak to them directly if you want to stay out of sight,” Thea offered reasonably. If she was honest, it was the very last thing she wanted to do but she couldn’t shy away from the social duties required of her. She frowned at Marcus. “Has the doctor been today?”
“He came first thing this morning, before his surgery started. He isn’t due back for a couple of days now.”
Thea frowned at another series of heavy knocks reverberated around the empty hallway. “It doesn’t look like they are going to go away.” It sounded as though they were under siege and wondered if the banging would ever stop.
“Such scandalous ignorance of etiquette,” the butler declared, more than a little peeved at the persistence of the person attempting to gain entry.
“It could be someone to do with your business,” Thea warned and gave Marcus a knowing look.
“They would come by the back door. Only Rupert and I use the front door.” Indeed, Jacob had used the back door when he had come by earlier with the latest news about Fornier, but he couldn’t tell Thea that.
“We had better answer it. It could be something to do with John’s business,” Thea reasoned.
“But we have taken the knocker off,” the butler protested, outraged at the thought that anyone of the master’s acquaintance could be so uncouth.
“I know, but they are clearly not going to go away.”
After several moments of careful consideration, Marcus nodded. “Remain where you are, Thea. Don’t invite them into the house. I will only be in the library if they pose a risk to you. Whatever you do, don’t agree to go anywhere with them, no matter what they say. Rupert will not send word for you to meet him anywhere, so don’t fall for it. If there is any kind of threat whatsoever, head for the back of the house and go straight outside and stay in the yard. Find somewhere to hide and don’t come out until Rupert or I come and find you.” He cursed the fact that there was nowhere closer in the hallway where he could hide. Instead he had to make do with whatever hiding place was available, and that was behind the door in the library.
Thea stood at the bottom of the stairs and watched as the recalcitrant butler yanked the door open, clearly displeased at the lack of etiquette, and willing to eschew all of his years of training to prove his displeasure. After a brief discussion, the door was pushed open wider by the man on the doorstep. Thea watched him stalk arrogantly into the hallway and immediately disliked him. He was a tall, rather splendidly dressed man whom she immediately assumed was someone connected with her uncle in some way. His outfit alone must have cost hundreds of pounds. She briefly contemplated waking her uncle up, but then discounted the notion. If the man was wealthy he would be aware of etiquette, and the removal of the knocker from the front door. To ignore it and demand entrance was the height of bad manners, however this clearly didn’t matter to the arrogant, almost lordly man who stalked into the house as though he owned it.
Thea’s back immediately straightened and she felt her hackles rise with indignation as the man barely threw her a glance as he stalked by her, straight into the sitting room. She wanted desperately to glance at the doorway to where Marcus was hiding, but daren’t take her eyes off the invader. There was something about the arrogantly harsh stare that rang warning bells that this man was not here for a social call. She struggled to keep her face a mask of polite indifference as she watched him move deeper into the house and, by the time he drew to a stop before her, she had adopted a polite mask of indifference that matched his own.
“Can I help you?
”
“I am Frederick Van Heisen.”
“Mr Van Heisen,” Thea nodded politely. “How can I assist you?” She kept her gaze as unwelcoming as she could manage and kept her hands from shaking by clasping them before her and holding them at her waist. She glanced at the butler who remained beside the front door, ready to open it once their visitor was dispatched.
“May I have the liberty of taking your name?”
“I assume that if you have business to call at the premises, then you should know my name,” she replied challengingly and studied him almost defiantly when a flash of hardness settled over his arrogant features.
“I came to speak to the owner of the house,” the man drawled as he glanced disparagingly around the room.
“About what exactly?”
“Are you the owner of the house?” He repeated.
“I am a relative of the owner of the house. The owner is indisposed at the moment, hence the reason for the door knocker being removed.”
The man smirked at the pointed reference to his ignorance but made no apology for his bad manners. Instead, he sauntered negligently over to the brandy decanter and poured himself a liberal dose. Thea’s hackles rose. How dare he just walk into anyone’s house as though he owned the place and help himself – to the brandy none the less?
“It is a dangerous business you are in,” he drawled quietly as he swirled the brandy around in the crystal glass he held.
“I beg your pardon?” Thea demanded coldly. She eyed the brandy before she stalked across the room, yanked it out of his hand and slammed it back onto the tray that rested on the bureau. “I think, sir, that you have taken enough ill-mannered liberties. I insist that you state your business and leave.”
Whatever else she was about to say was swallowed by her gasp as her arm was clutched in a fierce grip that almost lifted her off her feet. Tears pooled in her eyes but she threw her head back and glared up at her unwelcome visitor defiantly. “Get out now,” she snarled. “Argus! Argus, get this man out of the house.”
“I will call for assistance,” the butler announced and disappeared into the hallway.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“I have no idea who you are, or why you are here, but I demand that you leave this house this instant.”
“I am here to warn you that you are dealing with something that you cannot control.”
“What?” Thea frowned and wondered if the man was mad. The more he talked the more she knew that he was something to do with Rupert and the business with the Star Elite, but he didn’t sound French.
“I have invested heavily in the people I do business with and I am not about to let anyone ruin my carefully made plans. You can never hope to win against the level of people who are involved in this.”
“Level of people? Are you mad?” Thea gasped and glared at him with hatred in her heart. If this was the man Rupert was up against then she had to do everything she could to ensure that he went nowhere until Marcus was in a position to arrest him. However, first Marcus had to know that the man before her, this Mr Van Heisen, had actually done something wrong.
“What are you doing in my house, Van Heisen? As far as I am aware we are not of close acquaintance, so you should not feel at liberty to approach my house uninvited. State your purpose and be quick about it but, first of all I suggest that you unhand my niece,” John drawled as he wandered into the room as though he hadn’t a care in the world.
Thea almost wept with relief as she watched him saunter across the sitting room, and wondered where Marcus was.
John glowered at Van Heisen’s fingers around Thea’s arm at which point the visitor carefully removed his hand with an unconcerned grin. As soon as she was free Thea hurriedly moved to stand beside her uncle.
“I came to issue you with a warning.”
“So I heard, but you are issuing it to the wrong person. Thea has done nothing wrong and has no clue what you are talking about. To be honest with you Van Heisen, I don’t either, so get to the point. I take it that you are responsible for shooting me?”
Van Heisen smirked but didn’t answer.
“Got yourself into some sordid business, I take it?” John shook his head solemnly. “Of all of the cut throats in London, I never considered that even you would stoop so low as to deal with the French. It is treason, you stupid man, and a highly punishable offense.”
“It is a very lucrative business, when it is running smoothly. I have invested heavily in my profitable venture. Everything was turning an excellent profit, until you got yourself involved.”
Thea turned her horrified gaze toward her uncle and felt a sinking betrayal chill her flesh. She felt physically sick and she silently pleaded with her uncle to deny the allegation.
“I am not involved in any of your sordid schemes, Van Heisen. I suggest that you now leave my home immediately. I can assure you that I have no connection with any of your business. My life hasn’t stooped that low yet and I hope to God it never will.” He placed a comforting arm around a clearly shaken Thea, and mentally applauded her for her strength in the face of adversity. She was doing a credible job of staring the man down and refusing to be thwarted by his threats and menace.
“I think that you had better stop meddling in matters that don’t concern you,” Van Heisen growled.
“How so? I have merely been going about my business.”
“I know of your connection to the Star Elite. You are a fool if you think you can take on the likes of the people I am involved with. My contacts are powerful and influential people who can destroy you in a few effortless conversations. Your reputation can be destroyed forever if we choose.”
“Your reputation is one of a thug and a bully Van Heisen,” John snorted disparagingly. “If you had any notion of the rumours that were going around in the reputable establishments of London, you would know just how seriously damaged your reputation is. If you seriously think that anyone would consider believing any ridiculous story you put about, then I can only feel extremely sorry for you. As it is, I have it on good authority that you are a very frightened man. One who is facing bankruptcy as we speak, and investigation by the War Office for being a traitor to king and country. I should be a very worried man if I were you.” John’s voice dropped to a ruthless drawl and, for his own peace of mind, he eased Thea toward the door and the relative safety of Marcus, who stood listening to every word. “Now, I suggest you get out and take your ridiculous threats with you.”
Marcus had given him instruction to find out what he could but he wasn’t prepared to have Thea in any more danger. He wanted the Van Heisen out of the house, and quickly.
“I know about your links to the War Office and know you are a bigger threat than you pretend to be.” Van Heisen turned cold eyes on Thea, who had started to edge toward the door. “Stay where you are.” He watched Thea freeze and then quite deliberately returned to the table and picked up the glass of brandy she had taken off him earlier. With his eyes locked firmly on her, he slowly took a long sip before he sauntered over to stand before the fireplace. He placed one highly polished foot on the hearth and leaned an elbow arrogantly on the mantle. In doing so, his jacket opened and revealed the wicked looking pistol he wore on his hip. Thea’s stomach lurched and she turned her gaze away.
“State what you want and then get out of here,” John demanded loudly. His fists clenched with raw fury at the man’s bad manners, and thuggish behaviour.
“I came to ensure that you pay for your treachery,” Van Heisen drawled, and withdrew the top part of his cane which revealed a gun. The small object didn’t look all that threatening but John knew from personal and very real experience, how excruciating it was to be shot. He had no intention of reliving the experience or facing Rupert’s fury if Thea received a bullet in his stead.
The sight of the gun was enough for Marcus who rushed through the door and grabbed Thea around the waist, dragging her to the ground. He was aware of the loud retort of th
e gun and watched a cloud of dust appear in the air above them. Beneath the chair they lay behind he saw John lying on the floor on the other side of the room. Drawing his own gun, Marcus knew there was little choice and pulled the trigger as he stood upright.
The surprise on Van Heisen’s face as he watched the rapid expansion of blood stain his shirt warned Marcus that the man was not fatally injured. Marcus stood and watched the hand that held the glass of brandy go limp. The glass fell from his useless hand into the fire, spilling its contents into the hungry flames. The resounding roar that filled the room matched the scream of horror that came from Van Heisen when flames shot out from the fireplace and caught the back of his jacket. The crackle of the cotton material as it caught fire was accompanied by Van Heisen’s pleas for help as pain registered on his arrogance.
Thea covered her ears and meekly followed Marcus as he hauled her to her feet and carried her out of the door. John stood and yanked a curtain down and tried to cover the writhing man, but the only thing he succeeded in doing was setting fire to the curtain, the tail end of which how lay in the fire. Within seconds the curtain and the man were well ablaze with a ferocity that warned both John and Marcus that there was no hope of survival.
“God, help him someone,” Thea gasped when Van Heisen continued to scream.
“It’s too late Thea. Even if we could get to him, his injuries now make him beyond saving.”
Her gaze locked on the huge huddle of fire that now lay before the fireplace and watched in frozen horror as the fire started to eat away at the rug the now silent Van Heisen lay on. The wooden floorboard began to char beneath him and fill the air with heavy smoke. A wave of helplessness swept through her as smoke thickened and blurred her vision. It stung the back of her throat and made her cough and she turned away from the macabre scene within the room as her eyes watered.
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