“Are you still angry with me, Lizzy?” His bright blue eyes bore into her. She longed to touch the sharp planes of his cheek and jaw.
“No, I cannot seem to remain angry with you.”
“Perhaps you should give up trying.”
“Yet you vex me on a regular basis.”
He laughed. “I suspect I shall do so for the rest of our lives, my dear.”
His idea of the future did things to her that were not at all ladylike. “However long that may be.”
A deep frown pulled at his lips. He took her hand, placed it in his palm and traced each finger with his other hand. “Shall we talk of something else?”
His simple touch sent a vibration through her. “What happened that day at Fatum?”
Sorrow filled his eyes, and he clutched her hand tighter. “That is a story which will take longer than the short ride across town.”
“You do not wish to tell me. I understand.”
He closed his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them, he pulled her closer. “I will tell you anything you wish to hear. I promise to keep no secrets from you. The events of Fatum are horrible and painful, but I will share them with you. I would only ask that we be at home with the proper amount of time to relay the full story.”
“As you wish.” She had no idea how she had managed even three words. Her heart leaped in her throat.
“Shall I tell you about my childhood? That will not take long.”
She laughed. “The story of your entire childhood can be told in the short drive across town?”
His grin was worth any subject change. “Oh, indeed. I can tell you everything about my youth in just a few minutes.”
“I’m listening.”
“My father wanted me to take the family name to a new high. He, himself, had failed in this endeavor, so he put all his hope in me.”
“What height is that?”
“Mr. Foxjohn wanted to be titled. He wanted it very badly. In fact, he wanted it so much he had me schooled with every possible advantage. By the time I was ten, I disliked my father so intensely I could not stand the sight of him. My mother tried to show me some affection, and while I would not say she succeeded, I appreciated the effort. When I came home from university, they had picked out a rich bride for me. By marrying her, I could eventually obtain her father’s title of earl. She, like them, was a cold, unpleasant woman. I refused to have that kind of life. I promised myself, if I ever married and had children, there would be love in my home. My children will know who I am, and they will most definitely know my love for them.”
Her heart broke. “Your parents must have been displeased.”
“To say the least.”
“What did they do?”
He crossed one leg over the other and his arms over his chest. “After a very heated debate, my father told me he would buy me a commission. You see, he still had hope that if I distinguished myself in battle, I might be knighted at least. Perhaps more if my deeds warranted it.”
“And did you go into the army?”
“No. Before the commission was purchased, I ran into Drake Cullum. He fought some horrifying creatures in the street. I assisted him. Afterward, we had a brandy together, and he offered me a place in The Company.”
“What did your father say when you told him?”
“I wrote him a letter. Cowardly, I know, but at the time, it seemed cleaner. He wrote back and indicated his displeasure. I never returned home, though he does allow me to use the townhouse in London and the gesture is appreciated.”
“That is the saddest story I’ve ever heard.”
“I doubt that. Even I can offer sadder.”
The carriage rolled to a stop. If she’d had more time, she would have told him of the little boy she pictured him as. All the boy had wanted was love from his parents, and his parents demanded more from him. Too sad to put into words. How many tears had he shed, waiting for the love he would never have? Her chest ached with the notion.
Rather than knock on the front door and create a scene, Thor went around to the servant’s entrance and inquired. He returned a few minutes later with a plump maid. Her gaze darted down the street and back at the house and she stood stiff as a lamppost. Mousy brown hair escaped from under her cap, and she bit her nails.
Elizabeth stepped down from the carriage with Reece behind her. “What’s happened?”
Thor shook his head. “Miss Tally has gone missing. Lass, tell them what you told me.”
The girl tucked a stray hair under her cap and kept her eyes lowered. “Tally was a good maid and a good girl. The house was well pleased with her. She was a good girl.”
“I know. I was her friend. What is your name?”
“Susan, miss.”
“When did Tally go missing, Susan?”
“Eve before last. She’d been real nervous, like for a day or so. Said someone followed her home from running the lady’s errands. I told her she was being silly. I shouldn’t have said that.” Susan brushed tears from her cheeks.
Reece crouched down so he stooped eye level with the girl. “You have done nothing wrong. Where had Tally gone when she did not return?”
“She ran to pick up a hen. The cook’s assistant should have gone, but she was feeling poorly, so Tally said she would go.”
“What time was that?” Elizabeth asked.
“Not past three, miss. She would have been back before dark but she never came.” More tears followed.
Elizabeth wished she could shed a few tears herself. They had let poor Tally down.
Reece’s voice rang with confidence. “We will find her. Do not worry, Susan. We will find her and bring her back.”
“Will you, sir?”
“I have said so.”
Susan looked at Elizabeth.
What could she do? She nodded and smiled.
A few moments later, they were on the road again and heading to Bedlam. Perhaps she should commit herself there too.
Much of the building was condemned a few years earlier. They planned a new hospital south of the Thames. The place looked to be falling down around itself. The entrance required a great deal of force to breach, and once inside, not a single wall or floor stood straight or level. It wreaked of neglect and should have been a freak show act rather than a hospital. Cries filtered down the stairs, and puddles from the leaky roof dotted the floor. How could anyone survive such a place?
Reece stepped away to make the inquiry. Thor stepped closer, and she was grateful for his protectiveness. She could handle a few demons, but this place struck fear like hell on earth. When Reece returned, he wore a grim expression. He said nothing, grabbed her hand, and the three of them made their way up the steps. Her fingers itched to hold her ears and block out the screams and cries of terrorized patients.
Reece hesitated with his hand on the doorknob.
She squeezed his other hand, hoping it would lend support.
He pushed the door open.
The sight was too much. Elizabeth screamed and ran to the side of Carlotta’s bed. Strapped down with leather bindings around her legs, chest, and throat, she stared in wide-eyed terror. “Dr. Barns cannot know about this.”
Brown matter had splattered the white walls of the eight-foot square room. Feces and vomit wafted out of an abandoned bedpan. Carlotta’s skin was blotchy, and her lips cracked.
“Perhaps they clean her up when they know the doctor is coming.” Reece pushed the hair back from Carlotta’s face and examined her empty eyes.
With shaking hands, Elizabeth worked the buckle free from her neck.
Reece tugged loose the other two while Thor removed his long coat. They wrapped Carlotta in it, and Thor carried her out of the asylum.
A nurse chased after them. “You cannot take that woman. She’s a patient. I will contact the authorities.”
Reece spun back. “You may call on the devil himself. The conditions here are an abominat
ion. No human should be subject to such a state of horror.”
The nurse put a fist on her skinny hip and pointed with the other hand. “They don’t care. That woman you’re stealing is insane. What difference does the building make?”
Grabbing his arm, Elizabeth worried for the nurse’s safety. “She is not a demon, Reece. She only seems like one.”
His muscles relaxed under her hand. “Indeed.”
They turned and climbed into the carriage.
Carlotta wept but did not speak. She held onto Thor as if he were an angel pulling her from the depths of hades.
Elizabeth had to pry her hands free so they could place her inside the carriage. “Come, Carlotta, we will take care of you. You won’t go back to that place again. You’re safe now.”
The words had the desired effect, and she released Thor and latched onto Elizabeth for the ride to Reece’s townhouse. Bathed and dressed in a fresh nightgown, as soon as her head touched the soft, clean bed, Carlotta slept perhaps for the first time in weeks.
Reece assigned a maid to sit with her, and Elizabeth went to her own room to wash and change.
She found Reece drinking brandy in his study. “I’ve sent a note to Dr. Barns, letting her know we have brought Carlotta here.”
“I hope you were not too harsh.”
He downed the liquid in his glass. “I was truthful.”
“Then we shall be hearing from the doctor quite soon.” She sat and watched him pace the room.
“I had no idea the state of Bedlam had come to what we saw today.”
“I was also surprised. I had no notion. Will the new hospital in St. George’s Field be better?”
“I should hope so. We shall be sure and look into it.” He collapsed on the couch next to her and threaded his fingers through hers.
Her fingers still trembled, and he kissed them. “I have never seen anything as terrible as what we witnessed today. Not even when I was strapped to the altar can compare. That was the work of demons. The idea men would be so cruel to their own breaks my heart.”
After pulling her close, he kissed the top of her hair. “It is an abomination.”
“Thank you for allowing her to stay here for now.”
“We could not leave her in that state.”
“Some men might not care about the fate of a woman of ill repute.”
“By my recount, she has suffered more than her share. We will try to find a better life for her.”
Wrapping her arms around him, she let his warm male scent envelope her. She could love this man, if only in her dreams. Even after all they had seen and his small insight into his past, she wanted more. “Do you think you might tell me about the day you were wounded now?”
Kissing the crown of her head, he sighed. “If you really want to hear about it.”
“If you do not mind telling me.”
“I will tell you anything you want to know. This is a story I have only told once when Drake demanded a report. I was very sick at the time.”
“If this is too painful, I can wait.”
His arms tightened around her. “No. I want to tell you.”
If he wanted to tell her, did it mean he trusted her more than others? She hoped she lent him strength.
“We arrived at Fatum only hours before the moon reached the point when the ritual would likely begin. The plan was for most of the hunters to create distractions and kill the demons in the barricaded yard while Gabriel, Lillian, and I went looking for Belinda. We used black powder to take down parts of the barricade. The scene outside the manor was complete madness. Demons were running in every direction. Hunters stormed through the holes, and we climbed over, descending unnoticed.
“Inside the walls were all scorched black with red symbols painted everywhere. They boarded over all the windows and only torches produced any light. Even the air was bitter inside that evil place. We were attacked in the foyer first by trebox. One stabbed me but not too seriously. Then the pravus attacked. At the time, no one had ever seen that type of demon before. We had no idea their bite would poison the blood.”
“Is that when you were bitten?”
He nodded. “Gabriel tore the beast from my shoulder and Lilly killed it. We moved farther into the house. I kept watch while they went down to a stone cell dug out under the house. The demons kept Belinda there. By the time Gabriel and Lilly came back up the steps, I could already feel the heat from the poison in my blood. My energy drained but we had no time. We found Belinda hanging from her wrists above an enormous swirling hole in the ballroom floor. Four of those bull-faced priests chanted in the corners of the room. I was too weak to be much help in a fight so I waited at the door, ready to pull them out.”
“Did you see the master ascend?”
“I saw Lilly kill two priests and Gabriel risk everything to retrieve his wife. I saw the gateway explode with energy I cannot possibly describe. I felt the heat of his fury when Belinda pulled away. I do not know what I saw, but it was more energy than matter, and it looked as withered as I was when it spewed from the hole.”
“My God.”
“By the time the others were out of the ballroom, Fatum was crumbling around us. Lilly grabbed me and dragged me from the house. Thor had to go in and keep the master from pulling Belinda and Reece back into his clutches. I do not remember much after that. I may have lost consciousness.”
She didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I made you relive something that must have been horrifying. I should have left it alone.” Tears burned behind her eyes.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. I relive those moments every moment of every day. They are always with me. It is rather a relief to have someone to share it with.” His cheek rested against the top of her head.
“If that’s true, I’m glad.”
“Of course it is true. I suppose I could have talked to Gabriel or Lilly about the day, but I think we all avoid it. None of us want to remind the others in case they had managed to put it all aside. Telling you somehow makes the entire thing seem further away.”
Her heart screamed at her to tell him how she felt, to agree to become his wife. Her head ignored the plea.
Chapter 6
Maybe he had lost his mind. Reece Foxjohn fully accepted that all good sense went out the door when he was in Elizabeth Smyth’s presence. She muddled his brain to the point where he would give anything to have her be his wife. He’d never even wanted to marry before meeting her. He’d asked Lilly to marry him only out of a sense of duty and respect. He and Lilly might have managed together nicely. They were friends and that went a long way. If his own father and mother could tolerate the sight of each other, they might not have loathed him so much.
He shook his head, trying to dispel the negative thoughts.
In light of the fact that they had no clue where to start looking for poor Tally, they had opted to spend the day at home. They had gone to the market where she’d picked up two hens before disappearing from sight a block away. Quite a few people saw her that day, but no one could tell them what had happened to her after she left the shop.
Clearly, the state of the investigation upset Elizabeth. Maybe she wanted to relieve some stress. Whatever the reason, she had agreed to a hand-to-hand battle and he would need all his wits to stay on his feet.
He tossed his cane away and bent his legs to find better balance.
“Are you certain you want to do this, Reece?” She circled him.
“Quite sure.”
Twenty minutes later, sweat dripped down his neck and face and she had pinned him twice. Though, even he could see his strength returning. A week earlier, he would not have been able to go a second round. Still slow, he would continue working, and the time had passed to do away with his cane. It slowed him down. Leaving it on the floor, he bowed to his opponent. “Thank you for the match. Very invigorating.”
“You
are getting stronger every day.” She thanked the footman for the towel and wiped her face.
“I agree. There is still much work to be done, but I never thought I would come this far in such a short time.”
Garvey stepped inside the remodeled ballroom. “Sir, Lord Shafton is here to see you and Miss Smyth.”
“Oh dear,” she said.
“Please put him in the study. I’ll get cleaned up and meet him in a few minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Lizzy, will you join us when you are ready?”
Her smile reached her eyes, lighting them like fireworks. She nodded and ran up the stairs.
He stared after her with the butler at his side. “Garvey?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Do you understand women?”
“I’m afraid not sir.”
“Pity.”
“Indeed, sir.”
* * * *
Reece found David Clayton, The Earl of Shafton, standing over a map of London in the study. His stomach hung over his trousers and his gray hair thinned. He’d held a book in his hand and fiddled with the binding.
“My lord, had you let me know you were coming, I would have been better prepared to receive you.”
Shafton crossed the room and the two shook hands. “I only heard today about your experience in the park. Sorry for arriving unannounced, but I came directly from the office.”
“In that case, we had better wait for Miss Smyth to join us. It was she who the vortex tried to swallow.” His voice remained calm, but his gut tightened with the idea that some information might be forthcoming.
Shafton looked toward the door and frowned. He gripped the book and paced the room. “Perhaps you already know, I am charged with information gathering here in London.”
“I had heard. Have you come to bring us information or gather from our experience, my lord?”
“I want to hear your experience, but I also want to show you something I’ve discovered.” He stopped pacing and again looked at the door.
“Of course, we are happy to help and would welcome your knowledge.”
He stopped at the desk, opened the book, and pointed to a page. “Look here.”
Betrayal Page 10