“I do not know what you are talking about.”
“I think you probably do, but as I said, I am a very patient man.” He smiled.
Indifference was the best answer to the Dorian problem, but the quiver of need between her legs didn’t want to comply with her determined mind. “We should get some sleep, then leave here as early as possible.”
He pulled on his trousers and lay back down.
Lillian found a spot in the grass several feet away from him. Her mind churned with the events both before they arrived at the pond and after. In spite of the constant assault of information, exhaustion won out and she slept.
Chapter 5
Dorian stood looking down at her sleeping form. She was a riddle he couldn’t quite solve. The last embers of the dying fire illuminated her beauty, though even in sleep her expression remained serious.
It wasn’t easy, but he pulled away from her side and readied the horses as quietly as possible. The rustle of skirts alerted him, and he turned toward the fire.
“You’re up early.” Her voice held a sexy strained sound at the early hour.
His body ratcheted to attention. “You said you wanted to get an early start. I was awake and thought to give you a few extra minutes of rest.”
Brushing out her skirts and gathering her weapons, she kept her head down. “I appreciate that.”
The carriage secured, he approached with caution as she slid her blade into the clever sheath in her boot. “You never did tell me where you got those knives of yours.”
She snapped the second blade into place in her boot. “No I did not.”
“I do not want there to be awkwardness between us, Lilly. I’m not going to lie to you. Nothing has changed for me with regard to you.”
She stood up straight and finally looked at him. “I’m sorry about last night. I should not have done what I did. I should not have led you on. It is not something I generally do under any circumstances.”
Leaning in, he kissed her cheek. Her skin was soft as a dove’s feathers, and he loved the little catch in her throat at the contact. “You and I are going to be all right, Lilly.”
She took a step back, her expression serious. “Of course we are.”
Without another word, she walked past him and went to the small trunk at the back of the carriage. She retrieved a brush and ran it through her tangle mass of hair.
He remained torn between regret over the loss of intimacy and the joy of knowing he affected her. She might not want to admit her feelings, and perhaps she was afraid to explore them, but she certainly was not indifferent to him. He had seen her passion, and while she tried to make him think it was from the fight, he didn’t believe her. She’d just admitted as much.
He stepped away and took care of his personal needs. When he returned to the clearing, he admired the precision of her fingers in braiding her long hair. When she had a long plait formed, she wound it around the crown of her head and pinned it up in a severe bun.
Once they’d returned everything to the carriage, she walked away past the pond and into the trees.
Of course, he followed. A deer path ran through the thick brush, and she followed it as if she’d done so many times before. A smaller clearing opened up and the standing stones she spoken of came into view. They were smaller than the ones at Stonehenge. These were no taller than a man.
Lillian picked some wild flowers and stepped to the middle. Dried flowers rested on a flat rock. She brushed them away and placed the fresh ones in the center. Serenity softened her expression as she bowed her head.
He followed her back toward the pond. “Whom do you pray to at the stones?”
She shrugged and continued on the deer path. “It is only my way of thanking whoever protects us here. Maybe some druid god long forgotten by men. I do not know, but something protects this place.
They climbed up and Lillian took the reins. She slowed at the edge of the woods, and they looked in every direction to make certain no one saw them exiting the safety of the hiding place. No one in sight, they drove onto the high road.
“Where did you get those interesting blades of yours, Lilly?”
“You have a great many questions.”
“I suppose that is true. They are Oriental in origin?” The line of questioning wouldn’t expose all of Lillian’s secrets, but he longed for all the information he could get on any subject.
“Japanese.”
“Where did you get them?”
“I won them in a billiards game.”
A charming image of her leaning over a gaming table rolled through his mind. “Really? I do not think I have ever seen a woman play billiards. I had no idea you enjoyed gambling.”
The roads had dried nicely, and she snapped the reins. The horses broke into a trot. “I do not. It is a rather long story.”
“We have a long day of riding. Perhaps you might tell me what is sure to be a remarkable story.”
Her luscious lips turned down. She returned her attention to the road. “Why is it that you do not like to be called by your title?”
“Are we trading information?”
One side of her mouth turned up. “I do not know, Dorian. Are we?”
He longed to kiss her until all the sarcasm drained and all that remained was passion. “My father was the last landed marquis. He lost his lands at the start of the revolution. To keep his family alive we moved to England. He managed to carry our most valuable belongings out and with them purchased some lands here. There is no point in holding on to a title that has no value. The monarchy of France was overturned and no longer exists as it did in the past. I am not one to live in the past, Lilly.”
Her frown deepened. “I was not expecting such an admirable response.”
“You need not look so unhappy about your admiration.” He laughed.
“I was hoping to find you flawed. A scandal associated with your name would have done nicely.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
She huffed and pushed the horses faster. A few strands of hair escaped her braid and her cheeks flushed. She was stunning. “When Reece and I took our first assignment, we were sent to London. Some shady types had rented space to a demon cell. In order to get close to them, we posed as gamblers. I won the sai blades from an Oriental man who thought my gender meant I could not possibly win.”
“How did you learn to use them?”
A slow grin spread across her face. “I won a week of lessons from the same man.”
“You spent a week with a strange man of questionable character?”
Lillian pulled the reins until the carriage stopped. “I did what I needed to do to advance my skills and get closer to the demon cell. Understand something, Dorian. I protect humanity from demons. That is my mission. I do what needs to be done to succeed.”
“The Company’s mission is to rid the Earth of demons.”
Her gaze slid away from him. “My mission is not always in complete alliance with The Company. I protect the weak. People need me to think of them first.”
“Does Drake know of your personal goals?”
She cooed to the horses and they trotted. “Perhaps you can tell him when you return to your post.”
It was his job to report to Drake Cullum and do his bidding. It was not far from what she too signed on for when she joined The Company. Lillian had her own agenda. He’d have to gain her trust. “You are very proficient with the blades for only one week of training.”
“It was enough to learn the principals. After that, I worked with them daily until they were part of me.”
“But they are not your only resource.” A whip and throwing knives as well as a crossbow tucked into clever straps under her skirts.
“I am proficient with a great many weapons, but the sai are my weapon of choice. Belinda has her sword, Reece his pistols, and I have these thin, sharp, short-swords to get the job done.”
“Do you ever wish for a normal life, Lilly?”
“More q
uestions.” She sighed. “If my life were normal, I would be a rich man’s whore. No. I never wish for that, Dorian.”
Anger rarely overwhelmed him, but he wished the lord who took advantage of a poor young girl was still alive, so he could kill him.
They rode south, stopping each night at a coaching inn or posting house, but with no repeat of the intimacies they had shared by the pond. In fact, Lillian kept her distance from him, speaking only of The Company and demons. Dorian tried to engage her several times, but no further personal information was shared.
Edinburgh bustled with humanity, all of them oblivious to a world in danger of being overrun by demons.
Lillian and Dorian rolled down High Street and completed the royal mile to the castle.
They rode past Edinburgh Castle’s main arched gate with its statues and torches. Guards dressed in formal kilt and hat flanked the bridge. Neither moved a muscle or shifted an eye as the carriage rolled by.
A boy of perhaps sixteen appeared from around the corner and ran toward the carriage. “My lord, we had a message you were on your way. Is Mr. Cullum arriving as well?”
Dorian jumped to the street and ruffled the boy’s dirty-blond hair. “No, Tom. He shouldn’t return for some time. I believe he will go to London for several weeks after Inverness. Not to worry.”
“Oh, I’m not worried, my lord. I just want to have the stables in order if the boss is on his way.” Tom shuffled from foot to foot.
With a smile for Tom, Dorian turned to hand Lillian down from the carriage. “Have you been here before, Lilly?”
“Not since Reece and I were in school and met Cullum.”
“Miss Lillian Dellacourt may I introduce Tom Meikle? He’s been with us almost a year. Tom is a fine man around horses and carries all our important messages within the city limits.”
She beamed at him. “A very important position, to be sure. Hello, Tom, it’s nice to meet you.”
Tom’s eyes widened, and then he seemed to find his feet and the cobble drive particularly interesting. He shifted from one to the other and didn’t make eye contact. “Nice to make your acquaintance, miss.”
“I would appreciate it if you treated these horses to an extra scoop of feed. They have had a long few days.”
He brightened. “I’ll get right to it, and they’ll have a good rub down as well.”
“Thank you, Tom.”
Dorian said, “Can you have our things brought over to my townhouse?”
“Yes, sir.”
Tom gently tugged the horses and carriage around a corner.
“He’s a good fellow,” Dorian said.
She watched the corner until they were out of site. “I’m sure he is. Shall we go down?”
Dorian led her to a small side door and knocked. The castle loomed above her. It was just as intimidating as it had been years ago when she’d followed her first order to meet Drake Cullum.
The window in the center of the door slid open, revealing a pair of eyes, one blue and the other clouded over. They scanned the two of them before the window closed with a brisk whoosh. He pulled back the bolt with a screech of old metal and opened the door.
“Tybee, this is Lillian Dellacourt.”
“I know who she is.” The hunched man spit the words out as if they were vile.
Dorian grinned and nodded. “We are here on official business and will be accessing the old records room.”
“Go then. I’m not here to stop the likes of you. Better take lanterns before you make the second way down, or you’ll be tripping over your own feet.”
Dorian set out down the narrow steps to the under-castle. Long forgotten catacombs converted years earlier to house the headquarters of the demon hunters. As instructed, he took a lantern from the wall sconce and handed it to Lillian before securing a second one, which he carried.
“He is most charming.” Lillian’s low voice quipped behind him.
“He may be a resource if we could get more than four words out of him.”
“How so?”
“Tybee has been here longer than Cullum.”
“I didn’t know there was a Company before Drake Cullum.”
“There is a lot we don’t know. I know very little about the history of The Company, but I know Shafton has been in it since the beginning.”
They reached the bottom of the stairs and walked down a long hall, another set of stairs, and finally, to an indistinct wooden door. “This is it.”
“What is behind all the other doors?”
“On the level above are a few offices and weapon storage. We also have some sleeping quarters in case we have to hold up here. There is a kitchen of sorts and a pantry down on this level. As for the rest, I believe they are empty, though I have never bothered to check.”
The door opened without the need of a key. Dorian had only been inside once before to see to some research for Cullum. It had not changed in over a year’s time. Dark, musty, and stacked floor to ceiling with scrolls, papers, books, and boxes, they crossed the threshold and a chill ran down his spine.
“This is most unpleasant,” Lillian said.
Had she experienced the same chill, or was it only the dust and stale smell? “I agree.”
“It reminds me of many of the demon dens I have visited. A kind of heaviness hangs over the place.”
“It binds the room.” Tybee’s voice cut through.
Both he and Lillian startled at the unexpected invasion from the doorkeeper. Lillian already had a blade out of her boot, but she slid it back home at once. “Mr. Tybee, you startled me. It’s not a good idea to surprise a hunter as a rule.”
Tybee shuffled to the ancient scarred table. He placed a larger lantern in the center and turned it to full light. His face appeared burned on the side, which explained the clouded eye. Dorian had never noticed this in the shadows of the doorway. He wore castle livery, though it hung loose around his rounded shoulders. “Cullum sent a note instructing me to help you if you came here, miss.”
Lillian half-smiled. She smoothed a few loose hairs back from her face. “And how can you assist me, Mr. Tybee?”
The gruff ebbed away under her gaze. “I know this room best of all. No one comes here. Even I stopped looking a long time ago.”
“You are the librarian?”
“I was, before.”
“Before you were burned?” She said it so gently it didn’t feel as hurtful as if someone else had asked such a personal and sensitive question.
“It was in here where the beast came and set me aflame. Afterward, the castle was bound, and this room has special spells set around it to keep the demons out.”
“Where do you suggest we begin?” Dorian asked.
“Well, that depends on what you’d be looking for.” Tybee waited, leaning on the table for support.
Dorian wanted to ask for the information about the gates, but this was Lillian’s quest, and he kept silent waiting for her to speak.
“I would like to start at the beginning, Mr. Tybee. I need to know how this all began, and just maybe there will be a clue about how to end it.”
He hunched more and drew in a breath that caused him to wince. “There are no documents describing how the demons came to our world. I’d have seen such a thing long ago. You think I neglected something?”
“I have no idea. I only know we have gates we need to find and then no idea how to close them.” She managed to say it without accusation. She had a kind of magical way with people.
The doorkeeper stared at her with his good eye. Tybee seemed to know her. He’d been with The Company a long time. Perhaps he remembered when Lillian visited years before.
“The oldest papers are in the far corner. It may be a fresh set of eyes will find something we didna’ all those years ago.”
“Thank you.”
He waved one bony hand and walked out into the dark corridor without the benefit of a lantern to light his way.
“I had no idea the castle had spells around it
to keep evil out.” Dorian had learned a few things that needed further explanation in the short encounter.
Lillian walked to the corner with her lantern. “And who can cast such spells for The Company?”
He followed her. A fire had scorched the area and everything was covered in soot. “This will get quite messy, I’m afraid.”
“Come now, Dorian, a little soot never hurt anyone.” Her smile was infectious as she removed her pelisse and draped it over a chair.
He took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and tugged off his cravat. His valet would be furious, but there was no help for it.
He’d seen her fight, but her voracious study of each and every document surprised him. “Look at this.”
He’d been reading a passage in a fifteenth century account of a supposed demon attack in Surry.
She passed him a signed document.
He welcomed the distraction. “Drake Cullum’s contract? I’m surprised it’s down here in the archives and not above in a file drawer.”
“Yes. It’s odd, but look at the wording of the last paragraph.”
“The party agrees to take over the running of The Company of demon hunters for the good of the organization in that the previous sponsors have utterly failed in their assignments and promises to all countries involved. Further, the remaining sponsors will from here forward agree to remain under the command of the party.”
“This is strange. Why would they have put such a thing in the contract?” She narrowed her eyes as if the answers were there, but she was missing them.
“If I were to guess, it was entered here as insurance so the ‘sponsors’ would indeed answer to Drake.” The rest of the document read like any other business arrangement. Only those two sentences stood out.
“Did you note the date?”
“Twenty five December in the year of our lord seventeen hundred and ninety six.”
“Nearly ten years ago.”
He nodded. “And on Christmas Day.”
“Who do you suppose the sponsors were, and what was their failure?”
“I have no idea, Lilly. At least we know we must dig back beyond this date for our answers. Perhaps it will lead to more than one answer.”
Deception Page 7