by Connie Mason
“It was a combination of many things. Lord Porter refused to believe one of his own men could turn traitor, but I am not so naïve. You’re despicable, Dempsey. Why did you do it?”
“Money, of course, is there any other reason? The French paid well for information, and I had access to secrets others did not. I knew the names of every spy working in Paris and throughout France.”
“Bastard,” Reed hissed. “Justice will be served. There is no informer, is there? You’ve set a trap and expected me to walk into it. It won’t work, Dempsey. I’m one step ahead of you.”
Dempsey smirked. “Are you? We’ll see about that.” He rose. Reed pushed back his chair and gained his feet.
“There’s something outside I wish to show you.”
“Is this another trick, Dempsey? You may as well give yourself up, for I won’t fall for your lies.”
A grin lifted the corners of Dempsey’s mouth. “Will you not? How fond are you of your fiancée?”
Reed’s right hand shifted to his pocket, where he’d placed his pistol. “I wouldn’t if I were you,” Dempsey warned. “My partner has orders to kill Lady Fontaine if anything happens to me.”
“I don’t believe you. Fleur is tucked away in her bed, where she belongs.”
“I beg to differ. My partner has her in his carriage, all nicely trussed and gagged. You did notice another carriage parked across the street when you arrived, did you not?”
“Even you wouldn’t stoop so low as to drag a woman into this.”
“Would I not? The Black Widow has a price on her head in France. I stand to collect a hefty reward for her capture or death.”
Reed went cold. Was Dempsey telling the truth? Did he have Fleur? “Hurt Fleur and you’re a dead man.” His voice was low and deadly.
“Why did you betray me? Why do you want my death when I am no longer a threat to Napoleon?”
“Your death is not as important to me as it is to my partner.”
Reed went still, his hand hovering near his sword. “Your partner? Name the bastard.”
“Come with me and find out.”
Reed was torn. If his enemies had Fleur, he couldn’t afford to take chances. He would have to go along with Dempsey. Thank God he’d had the foresight to bring men along with enough sense to follow his orders.
“Very well, I’ll play your game.”
“This is no game, Hunthurst, this is very real.”
Bound and gagged like a Christmas turkey, Fleur cursed herself for an idiot. How had she allowed herself to be tricked by Duvall? Like an irrational fool, she had believed him when he’d said Reed had been hurt, and to make matters worse, she hadn’t paid attention to where he was taking her. It wasn’t until she became aware that the ride to Hunthurst Manor was taking too long that she realized she had fallen for the oldest trick in the world.
When she had confronted Duvall, he reacted quickly. Before she could gather her strength to struggle, he’d pulled a rope from beneath the seat and bound her arms and legs. When she opened her mouth to scream, he had stuffed a rag into it.
Fleur knew where Duvall had taken her. When she smelled the stench of the Thames, she realized they were somewhere in the vicinity of the docks, probably near the Crow’s Nest. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why she had been abducted. Dempsey had set a trap for Reed, and she was the bait. Furthermore, Dempsey and Duvall were in cahoots. Dempsey was a traitor and Duvall a French spy. Why hadn’t she seen it before? Because her inclination had been to place Dubois in the role of spy and to ignore Duvall as an annoying but harmless hanger-on.
“It shouldn’t be long now,” Duvall said. “We’ll soon have Hunthurst right where we want him.”
Fleur tried to speak, but the gag cut off her words.
“I planned all this, you know,” Duvall bragged. “Finally I’ll get what’s coming to me. And you, Madame Black Widow, will get what you deserve. Your rescue of Hunthurst undid all my careful planning to end his miserable life.
“I even helped his brother to his final reward, did you know that?”
Horror-stricken, Fleur stared at Duvall in disbelief. Duvall was a monster—no, worse than a monster. Did Reed know what he was walking into? She prayed he wouldn’t fall into the trap Duvall and Dempsey had set for him.
Reed kept his wits about him as he followed Dempsey out the door and into the dank, dark night. From the corner of his eye he saw John and Bates edging out from the shadows. With a shake of his head, he indicated that they should remain hidden. He had to think of Fleur above all else. He had to know if she was in danger before summoning help.
Dempsey prodded Reed toward the carriage that had been parked across the street but was now parked in front of Reed’s own conveyance.
“Turn over your sword and whatever else you’re carrying,” Dempsey ordered. He held out his hand. “Knowing you, you have a concealed weapon somewhere on your person.”
“Why should I? Show me proof that Fleur is inside the carriage as you claim and I might consider it.”
Suddenly the shade was rolled up and a lamp flared inside the carriage. Reed blinked and stepped close enough to peer through the open window. What he saw nearly brought him to his knees. Bound and gagged, her eyes wild with fright, Fleur half sat, half reclined against the squabs.
Reed lurched forward, reaching out to open the door of the carriage and rescue his love. Dempsey grasped his arm, pulling him back. “I wouldn’t if I were you. Make another move like that and there will be consequences.”
“Damn you!” Reed snarled. “Release her at once.”
Dempsey chuckled. “I don’t think so, Hunthurst. You see, we have you and your lover where we want you. Both you and the Black Widow have been thorns in Napoleon’s side, each in your own way. I am neither rich nor titled. The reward for the Black Widow should set me up for the rest of my life. And my partner has even more to gain from your death than I do.”
“Who is this mysterious partner of yours, Dempsey? When will I meet him?”
A face appeared in the window. Stunned, Reed staggered back. “You! We are cousins, Duvall. Why do you want me dead?”
“Are you so naïve that you don’t realize I want the earldom for myself? You were supposed to die in prison when I left France. Did you know I helped your brother to his final reward? Until you survived Devil’s Chateau against all odds, no one stood in my way of inheriting the earldom.”
Duvall had killed his brother! Enraged, Reed reached for Duvall, eager to wrap his hands around the traitor’s neck and squeeze the life from him. The pistol pressing into Reed’s side effectively cooled his anger.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Dempsey hissed. “Hand over your weapons and get into the carriage. If you cooperate, we might consider letting your lover go.”
Reed recognized a lie when he heard one; they both would die. But remaining alive was his only chance of helping Fleur. He removed his sword from its scabbard and handed it to Dempsey.
“The pistol, if you please,” Dempsey snapped. “I know you too well, Hunthurst. You wouldn’t venture out with only one weapon at your disposal.”
Reed reached in his pocket, removed his pistol and handed it to Dempsey.
“Anything else?” Dempsey asked.
“You’ve got everything,” Reed growled.
Apparently Dempsey wasn’t satisfied, for he proceeded to search Reed’s person. Reed held his breath, hoping Dempsey wouldn’t discover the wickedly sharp blade hidden in his boot. He didn’t.
“Now get in the carriage,” Dempsey said, opening the door and pushing Reed inside. Reed didn’t struggle. As long as he and Fleur were together and alive, there was a good chance they could remain that way.
“What makes you think we won’t be followed?” Reed drawled as he settled down beside Fleur.
“The streets are deserted; I saw no coachman or servants lurking about your carriage. Obviously you came alone,” Duvall said.
Reed said nothing. He knew J
ohn Coachman was intelligent enough to follow him.
Dempsey scrambled into the driver’s seat and took up the reins. The carriage rattled off down the street.
Reed glanced at Fleur, trying to convey a confidence he didn’t feel. “Untie Lady Fontaine. Keeping her bound and gagged is cruel and unnecessary.”
“She’ll stay as she is for now.”
Reed swallowed a curse. “Where are you taking us?”
“To a place you won’t be found. Once we’re sure we’re not under suspicion for your disappearance, we’ll dispose of you and your lover.”
“At least tell me how you two came to be partners,” Reed said. “You and Duvall are unlikely allies. How did a spy for the Crown and a nobody like Duvall meet?”
Duvall stiffened angrily. “I beg your pardon! I’ve always known I was third in line to the earldom after you and your brother. I was working in Paris as a minor official when I stumbled across Dempsey. I learned he was selling information to us and sought him out. When he mentioned that Reed Harwood was working undercover in Paris, I immediately jumped on the news. Together we arranged for you to be apprehended and imprisoned in Devil’s Chateau. Soon after, I left for England to put a period to your brother’s life.
“You can imagine my shock when you showed up in England alive,” he continued. “I thought you had died an ignominious death in Devil’s Chateau. After you assumed the earldom, your death became my mission in life. When Dempsey returned to London, we teamed up for a mutual cause.”
“In London,” Dempsey revealed, “I learned that the new Earl of Hunthurst was alive and well and that the Black Widow had fled to England. Eventually we put two and two together and came up with Countess Fontaine. It wasn’t difficult.”
“You are both beyond despicable,” Reed snarled. “You, Dempsey, betrayed your own country for blunt, and you, Duvall, wanted a title badly enough to kill for it. What will you do next?”
“I plan to retire once I collect the reward for disposing of two of France’s enemies,” Dempsey revealed.
“And I will become Earl of Hunthurst. Quite a feat for a French nobody,” Duvall mocked. “Once you announced your engagement to Lady Fontaine, it became imperative to kill you before you produced an heir.”
Fleur whimpered beneath her gag. Reed reached over and patted her bound hands, trying to convey confidence. He still found it difficult to imagine Duvall and Dempsey as cohorts. The only thing clear about this entire fiasco was that greed drove both men.
“We’re here,” Dempsey said as the carriage rolled to a stop. Dempsey opened the door and stepped down. Duvall followed. “Get out,” he ordered, motioning to Reed.
Reed hesitated. “What about Fleur?”
“She’s coming too. Don’t try anything funny—Dempsey has a gun trained on you.”
Reed stepped down and reached for Fleur. “Trust me,” Reed whispered as he lifted her out of the carriage. “I’ll get us out of this.”
Reed took a few moments to get his bearings. Though he didn’t know exactly where he was, the rundown buildings and narrow, garbage-littered streets spoke volumes about their location: the slums of London. Holding Fleur in his arms, Reed was prodded down a narrow alleyway between buildings. He tried to avoid unidentifiable piles of refuse as he walked. Midway down the alley, he was told to halt before a narrow door in one of the deserted buildings.
Dempsey opened the door. “Inside,” he growled.
Still cradling Fleur in his arms, Reed stepped into a dark, dank hole that stank of abandonment. His emotions shut down; his old terrors roared to life.
A gurgling sound erupted from his throat as he plummeted down . . . down . . . down, into hell.
Chapter Twenty
The door slammed shut behind them and a bar slid into place outside. Immediately, Fleur reached up and tore the gag from her mouth. She felt Reed’s body tense, heard an animal sound erupt from his throat and cried, “Reed, put me down.”
Silence.
“Reed, put me down and untie me.”
Nothing.
“Reed, you’re frightening me.”
His body was stiff, his breath coming in short gasps. She felt him retreat to a place within himself she couldn’t reach. What would it take to keep his demons at bay?
“Damn it, Reed, don’t do this to yourself. You’re not in Devil’s Chateau. That part of your life is over. Don’t go back there.”
Though she couldn’t see him, Fleur sensed him looking at her. Little by little she felt his muscles ease, as if he were fighting to regain control.
“Fleur? Thank God you’re here!”
Fleur released a heartfelt sigh. “You left me for a minute there. What were you thinking?”
He shuddered. “You don’t want to know. Forgive me, love.” Carefully he set her on her feet.
Fleur swayed on her bound legs and would have fallen if Reed hadn’t reached out to steady her. “Please untie me, Reed. We need to find a way out of here before our captors return.”
Reed’s trembling hands slid down her arms to her hands. They were bound tightly, the knots secure.
“Hurry, we don’t know when they will return.”
“I don’t need to untie the ropes; I can cut them with my blade.”
Fleur feared Reed had really gone off the deep end. “Dempsey took your weapons before you entered the carriage.”
“Not the knife in my boot. Dempsey must be losing his touch. I never would have missed such an obvious hiding place. Give me a second to remove the blade and I’ll have you free in no time.”
Reed bent, found his weapon and reached for Fleur’s hands. He positioned them carefully before slicing through the ropes.
“Thank you,” Fleur said, rubbing the circulation back into her wrists.
“Now for your legs.” Reed felt down her skirts until he reached the place where a rope had been wound tightly around her calves. With great care he placed the blade beneath the layer of ropes and sliced outward. The ropes fell away.
Fleur felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her, leaving pain in its wake. She stifled a sob as she attempted to massage her calves.
Reed knelt in front of her. “Hang on to my shoulders and let me do that for you.” He placed his hands beneath her skirt and rubbed vigorously. “Better?”
“Much better. What about you? I feared . . . ”
“Once I realized I wasn’t alone, that you were with me, I was able to bury my fears.” His arms went around her. “You have a calming influence on me, my love. You give me the courage I need to put my demons behind me.”
“You’re strong, Reed. You could conquer your fear of dark places on your own.”
She felt Reed’s shoulders stiffen. “I could manage on my own, but I rather like having you with me when terror strikes.”
Abruptly he released her and stepped away. “Shall we explore our prison? You need to walk a bit anyway to get the blood circulating in your legs. Give me your hand.”
Their hands met and meshed. “You lead, I’ll follow,” Fleur said.
“First, I need to know how large a room this is. I can tell by the sound of our voices that the room isn’t large. The darkness is so complete, I’d guess there are no windows. Let’s start at the door and circle the room.”
With one hand outstretched and the other clasping Fleur’s, Reed shuffled forward until his hand came in contact with the door.
“We’ll start from here. I’ll count our paces to get an idea of what we’re dealing with. Be careful, I don’t know what obstacles we’ll encounter.”
Fleur stretched out her free hand to avoid bumping into things as she walked at Reed’s side.
“I’ve reached a corner,” Reed said. “Now let’s walk down the side wall.” Hand in hand, they shuffled along together.
Suddenly a clatter broke the silence. She heard Reed curse and felt him bend down. “What is it?”
“I bumped into a bench. I’m going to have a bruise on my shin, but that’s th
e least of my worries.” He pulled her toward the bench and eased her down. “Wait here, I’ll return as soon as I’ve finished exploring.”
Fleur felt him drift away. She listened for his footsteps, sucking in a relieved breath when they came to her loud and clear. She was beginning to share his fear of this place.
Fleur began talking, rambling, really. She had no idea afterward what she’d said. Then he was with her again, settling down beside her. Her fear receded, though her heart was still pounding.
“The room is roughly six feet by ten feet,” Reed informed her. “There are no windows. Except for this bench, it is empty.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“I’m still thinking.”
“I don’t understand why they didn’t kill us instead of bringing us here. Not that I’m complaining,” she added.
“It wasn’t convenient for them. They want to make sure they are seen in public so no one will connect them with our deaths. I believe they’ve hired thugs to do their dirty work. It was probably hired thugs who made those attempts on my life. Fortunately the killers weren’t skilled. The stews are full of men eager to do anything for enough blunt. My guess is that Dempsey and Duvall made sure they were seen elsewhere when their men were trying to kill me.”
“How long do you think we have?”
“They won’t risk killing us in daylight, so I expect something to happen before dawn. We have a few hours yet. Can you stretch out on the bench and sleep?”
At the moment, sleep was the last thing on Fleur’s mind. “I don’t think so.”
“Lean against me and relax. I need time to think. I have my blade; that will be of some help.”
“Your blade will be of little use against more than one man.”
“We’ll face that hurdle when we come to it.” His arm came around her shoulders and hugged her close. “Rest while I consider our options.”
Reed sounded so confident, Fleur allowed herself to relax against him. As she leaned toward him, she felt something poke into her side. Excitement raced through her when she realized what it was. “Reed, I have a pistol in my pocket. It’s loaded and primed. Thank God Duvall didn’t think to search me.”