She crept along the dark, narrow alley, trying not to think of the dirt and debris beneath her shoes. The brick wall was a good six feet high, but she had climbed higher. Not for a long time, of course: not since she was a girl, making up wild adventures at Allyngham with Tony and Alex. How long ago that seemed now!
‘Can I help you over the wall, my lady?’
Eloise smothered a scream as she spun around to peer at the black shape towering over her. It was far too dark to see, but there was no mistaking the deep, mellow voice, and even as her heart settled back into a steady beat she felt her fear subsiding.
‘Jack! What are you doing here?’ she hissed.
‘I have come to help you.’
Her spirits lifted. She said gruffly, ‘I thought you had left town.’
‘No. Alex was worried about you and since he is not fit enough to help you, it seems I must.’
The elation she had felt a moment ago was somewhat dimmed. Could it be that Jack was doing this for Alex’s sake? From his angry tone it seemed likely. She reached out in the darkness and gripped at his coat with her fingers.
‘You must go away, Jack, now,’ she urged him. ‘It is far too dangerous for you. If I am caught, then Sir Ronald may be angry, but he will still want to marry me to gain control of my fortune. I may even be able to placate him, if I am alone…’
He silenced her by pressing his fingers to her lips.
‘Let us be quite clear about one thing, madam, you are not marrying Deforge, whether we succeed tonight or we fail. Now no more talking or the sun will be rising before we get out of here!’
His tone brooked no argument. Eloise allowed herself to be lifted up on to the wall and she nimbly swung her legs over and dropped to the ground on the other side. Jack followed a moment later. Fitful moonlight illuminated the yard in shades of blue and black, and she concentrated on finding the best route up to the study window. She scrambled on to a water barrel and from there climbed on to the roof of the outhouse. Her soft shoes made no noise on the tiles: she gave a fleeting smile, remembering Alice’s comments that a pair of solid leather boots would be more fitting for a schoolboy than dancing slippers. That, of course, was before she had shocked her maid into silence by explaining the real reason for her purchases.
The moon slipped behind a thick cloud, plunging her into momentary darkness and she stopped, unable to see her way. She felt Jack’s hand on her shoulder, steadying her. As the darkness eased she moved forwards until she was standing directly beneath the study window. When she had been inside the room with Sir Ronald she had noted that the window had a new sash frame, secured only by a brass fastener. She took out her penknife and reached up, planning to slide it between the two frames and push back the fastener. Behind her she heard a faint snort and Jack leaned close to breathe his words into her ear.
‘You need to grow another six inches to reach the catch, my dear. Allow me.’
In an instant the deed was done and Jack was carefully pushing open the window. Another moment and they were both standing in Sir Ronald’s study. The moon shone directly in through the window, bathing the room in a silvery light and making it unnecessary for Eloise to use the tinderbox and candle she had thoughtfully tucked into her pocket. She moved swiftly to the desk, penknife in hand, but once again Jack forestalled her.
‘Did your education include picking locks?’ he whispered.
‘Of course not.’
‘Then let me do this. If we are careful no one will know we have been here.’
From his pocket he drew a thin length of wire. It was bent at one end and he carefully inserted it into the drawer lock. He gently moved the wire until she heard a faint but distinct click and Jack pulled open the drawer.
‘Where did you learn that?’ she breathed, wide-eyed.
He turned his head to grin at her.
‘Some of the men in my regiment came from the stews and rookeries of London. They would have been very much at home here.’ He reached into the drawer and lifted out a small, leather-bound volume. ‘Is this what you have been looking for?’
With shaking hands Eloise took the book and ran her thumbs over the embossed cover. An ornate letter A was enclosed in a circle of acanthus leaves: the Allyngham family crest. Quickly she pushed the journal inside her jacket.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered, fastening the buttons of her coat. ‘Let us go now.’
She watched Jack slide the drawer back into place and lock it again. He straightened, looking around him as he put the metal rod back into his pocket. Eloise touched him arm.
‘We must go,’ she hissed.
Jack raised his hand. He was looking towards the wing chair, where a shaft of moonlight fell upon a bundle of straps lying over one arm. He walked over and picked them up. Eloise thought at first it might be a belt, or a dog’s leash, but when Jack held it up she saw the straps were connected into an intricate webbing.
‘What is it? It looks very much like a pony’s head-collar, only it is far too small.’
‘This is no head-collar,’ murmured Jack, carefully draping the harness back over the arm of the chair. ‘It is something much more interesting than that.’
There was a thud from somewhere below and she froze, her heart beating so hard she thought it might break through her ribs.
‘The front door,’ hissed Jack. ‘It must be Deforge returned. Quickly!’
He pushed Eloise towards the window. She slithered out on to the roof and descended hastily to the yard with Jack close behind her. He threw her up over the wall and she huddled in the shadows until he joined her. As soon as he reached the ground he took her hand and they set off at a run out of the alley.
Jack did not stop until they had crossed Oxford Street and were out of sight and sound of the highway, where carts and wagons were beginning to make their way into the town. At last he slowed his pace and Eloise was able to catch her breath. She pulled her hand from his grip and leaned for a moment against the wall. She felt very light-headed. When she had set out that night she had been nervous, but determined upon her course of action: as soon as Jack had appeared her fear had diminished—in a strange sort of way she was even enjoying their adventure.
Jack was watching her, his hands on his hips and his feet slightly apart. She was pleased to note that he, too, was breathing heavily. In the dim light she realised that he had come dressed for the night’s work: he had replaced his modish jacket and light pantaloons with a tight-fitting black coat, black breeches and stockings, and instead of his snowy white neckcloth he wore a dark woollen muffler wrapped around his neck. She glanced down at her own apparel and a quiet laugh shook her.
‘We look like a couple of housebreakers!’
‘We are a couple of housebreakers.’
‘Are we safe now, do you think?’ she asked him.
He took her arm again.
‘As safe as one can be on the streets of London at this time of night,’ he retorted, making her walk on. ‘Of all the ill-judged starts! Don’t you know how dangerous it is to come out alone at night?’
She put up her chin.
‘How do you know I didn’t take a cab to Wardle Street?’
‘Because I followed you.’
She pulled her hand free and stared up at him. The flaring street lamp cast deep shadows across his face. Eloise could not see his eyes but she could almost feel the anger burning there.
‘Alex told me you had left town.’
He let out a long breath, as if controlling his temper.
‘That was my intention. I was finishing my packing when Mortimer came to tell me he was anxious about you.’
‘But he knew nothing of my plans!’
‘He knows you. Once he learned you were not accompanying Deforge to Edgeware this evening he guessed you were up to something. I merely had to watch your house until you made your move. I was not fooled when a slip of a lad emerged from the servants’ door in the middle of the night.’
He began to walk on agai
n, and she fell into step beside him.
‘Then I am very grateful to you.’ She tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. ‘I am very glad you came, Major.’
He put his hand up and briefly clutched the fingers resting on his sleeve and her spirits rose a little. Perhaps he was not quite so angry with her. She glanced around, suddenly anxious.
‘Sir Ronald’s men, the ones who were following you—’
‘No need to worry about them any longer. They are even now on their way to the coast where they will be pressed into service on one of his Majesty’s frigates.’ His wicked grin flashed. ‘Deforge is not the only one who has fellows willing to carry out his more—er—dubious orders.’
‘Oh.’ She digested this in silence for a few moments.
‘I shall write to Sir Ronald immediately,’ she said, ‘to terminate our engagement.’
‘No, do not write to him just yet. I was careful to close the window when we left so I hope our visit to Sir Ronald’s house will not be noticed, and if that is the case I do not believe he will discover the loss of the journal immediately. I understand he is attending the Keworths’ party tomorrow, that is, tonight. Do you go with him?’
‘Yes, I am engaged to join him there, but now—’
‘I want you to go, Eloise. Act as if nothing has changed. I have a plan to rid the town of Sir Ronald Deforge for good, but it will work best if he does not suspect anything.’
When they turned into Dover Street, Eloise noticed that the lights were still burning in Kitty Williams’s house.
‘I have not thanked you for securing Ainsley Wood for me,’ she said. ‘For making Lord Berrow agree to sell it.’
‘I want no thanks for that.’
‘You have been very good to me. It is more than I deserve, after I was so impolite in sending you away.’
‘Hush, now. We will talk later.’ They were opposite her house and Jack stopped. ‘When you get inside, make sure you burn that damned book.’
‘I will.’
He led her across the road and followed her down the area steps to the basement door. The scrape of the bolt told Eloise that her maid had been looking out for her. She looked back at Jack.
‘Will you not come in?’
‘No, dawn is breaking and I must get back. I would have no one guess just what we have been doing this night.’
She was disappointed, and her hand fluttered as if to detain him. He caught it and held it for a moment.
‘You have the journal now. Destroy it before it can cause any more harm.’ He raised her fingers to his lips. ‘And no sooner have we secured the good name of Allyngham than I shall be asking you to change it!’
Eloise sat before the kitchen fire, tearing sheets from the leather-bound book on her lap and feeding them into the flames.
‘Never seen anything like it, in all my born days,’ muttered Alice, bustling around behind her. ‘Running about the town dressed as a boy and breaking into houses! Why, miss, I’ve never heard of such a thing. Even Master Tony’s most outlandish tricks never included thievery!’
‘Enough, Alice,’ said Eloise, frowning. ‘I told you I was merely recovering my property, it was not stealing.’
‘And heaven knows what would have become of you if Major Clifton hadn’t been there to protect you. Still, all’s well that ends well, as they say, and now that you have burned that book you have no need to marry nasty Sir Ronald Deforge. I must say I was never in favour of that, even when you explained to me why it must be so. And unless my ears was deceiving me, it’s Mrs Clifton you’ll be before the year’s out. You couldn’t wish for more, could you, my lady?’
Eloise did not reply. She pushed the last of the pages into the fire and sat back. The euphoria of the last few hours had melted away, replaced by a heavy depression.
There was no mistaking Jack’s last words; he meant to marry her, but even if his plan worked and Deforge was no longer a threat, she must still tell him the truth about her marriage. He had not asked to read the journal: he was willing to forget her past but she could not. He had said he wanted no secrets. Well, there would be none.
An inner demon whispered that it was not necessary: Jack need never know. She clasped her hands together so tightly the knuckles showed white in the firelight. No. He had to know. If he loved her then perhaps it would not matter, but she was not sure how deeply he cared for her. He desired her, she knew that, but love—she dared not believe it. She was an obligation, the widow of a comrade, left to his care. And perhaps part of her attraction was the fact that in marrying her, Jack could thwart Sir Ronald. But could Jack really love her for herself? She found it hard to accept. She was so different from his first love, the incomparable Clara. She trusted him not to expose her, but once he had taken his revenge upon Sir Ronald, once he no longer needed her help, she must tell him the truth about herself, and give him the chance to walk away.
So you would throw away your chance of happiness. The demon in her head would not be silenced. Do you think he can love you, once you have shattered his opinion of Tony and destroyed his friendship with Alex? You have only to keep quiet and you can all be happy.
‘No. I will not lie to him.’
‘I beg your pardon, my lady?’
Eloise started, blushing as she realised she had spoken aloud.
‘Nothing, Alice.’ She pushed herself out of the chair. Suddenly she felt desperately tired. ‘It is time for bed, I think.’
Chapter Eighteen
A sleepless night did nothing to relieve Eloise’s depression, but neither did it shake her resolve to tell Jack everything. And once the truth was out, she doubted very much if he would want her for his wife.
She dressed quickly and dashed off a note to Alex, telling him that the diary had been destroyed and asking him to call. She sent her groom to deliver the message and remained at the window, watching, until his return.
‘Well,’ she demanded, ‘did he send me an answer?’
Perkins tugged his forelock.
‘Mr Alex says to give you his regards, m’lady, but I’m to tell you that he is gone out with Major Clifton and he will see you at Keworth House tonight.’ The groom nodded, smiling. ‘I must say it is good to see Master Alex looking so well, ma’am. Left off his sling, he has, but he is still using a cane.’ He winked at her. ‘He’ll do his best to put that aside before he has to walk you to the altar and give you away, I’ll be bound!’
‘That is enough of your insolence, Perkins, you may go now!’
Eloise hunched her shoulder and turned away from the groom’s knowing grin. That was the problem with having retainers one had known since childhood, they were more like family than servants. Her irritation died away: at least she would still have Perkins and Alice to keep her company in her lonely future. She put a hand up to her cheek, her dilemma growing greater the more she considered it. By confessing everything to Jack she could lose Alex’s friendship, too, once he realised she had divulged the truth.
These depressing thoughts combined with her fears that Deforge might discover the theft and call upon her. She tried to stay calm, telling herself that there was no longer any danger, but she knew that Deforge was capable of revenging himself upon those who moved against him. Jack might have removed some of Sir Ronald’s henchmen, but there would be others. Her anxiety made the day one of the longest Eloise had ever spent and it was with some relief when the time came to change her dress and order her carriage to take her to the Keworths’ card party.
‘Shall I be coming with you, m’lady?’ asked Perkins, when she descended the stairs, the candles glinting from the diamond cluster at her neck and the tiny diamond drops hanging from her ears.
Eloise looked at the groom as he stood before her, twisting his cap in his hands. She had received no word from Jack or Alex all day, and at that moment Perkins seemed to be her only friend in the world.
‘Yes, if you please,’ she nodded. ‘Jump up on the back and stay with the carriage.’
Keworth House was ablaze with light when the Allyngham town coach rumbled up to the door. Reluctantly she prepared to alight. She had no idea what Jack was planning. He had asked her to trust him and she would do so, but once this was over she knew he would ask her to marry him, and she would have to tell him the truth. In her imagination she saw the blaze of desire die from his eyes, to be replaced by a look of revulsion. It could not be avoided. Better now than in the future.
A light drizzle was falling. She put up her hood and grasped her cloak about her, glad that the chill night air gave her some excuse for her trembling. However, once she was inside the house there was no escape: she was obliged to straighten her shoulders and make her way to the main salon, no sign of her inner anxiety showing in her face.
The news of her betrothal was still the talk of the town and there were more congratulations to be endured as she made her way up the grand staircase. She was relieved to move into the candle-lit salon where dozens of little tables had been set up and nothing more than a gentle murmur disturbed the players who were intently studying their cards. Lord and Lady Keworth were renowned for their card parties. In the past Eloise had always declined their invitations because she found nothing to amuse her in games of chance, but looking around the room she realised how few of her acquaintance shared her view, for the cream of society was seated around the room.
‘We are delighted to have you join us tonight, Lady Allyng-ham,’ her hostess beamed. ‘We are very fortunate to have so many friends here tonight.’ Lady Keworth bent an arch smile towards Lord Berrow, who was passing at that moment. ‘You, too, are a veritable stranger to our little parties, my lord.’
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