“Who?”
“Someone who thinks he’s the Raven.”
“Thinks? I don’t understand. He signed himself the Raven.”
“He isn’t. He’s an imposter. However, it doesn’t matter who he says he is. Not now.”
“But how does he know me? And what does that note mean?”
Nathan strode to the window and wrenched back the thin curtains to peer out into the street. “Shit.”
“What? What is it?” Rose came alongside him, desperate to understand what was going on.
“Nothing. There’s no one.”
The curtain fell back in place as Nathan stepped away, grabbed his clothes and quickly dressed.
“Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?”
Nathan dropped to the side of the bed. “Whoever is acting as the Raven now is not the originator of such a moniker.”
“How do you know this? You’ve been out of the country for years.”
Nathan lifted his gaze to hers, and something in his eyes spiked a warning in her. It wasn’t fear, but a deep regret she witnessed there. “Because, squirt…oh, bloody hell.” He stood abruptly, pivoting toward the door. “I…we don’t have time for this. We need to get moving. Dissecting the past isn’t going to get your father back.” Nathan picked up the note from the bed. “This is a warning. Somehow he knows your father is about to be moved. He knows what’s going on with Prince Randolph.”
Something twisted in Rose’s chest, and she sank down on the bed beside Nathan. “But they say forever.” Tears falling, she clutched Nathan’s arm. “They’re going to kill him, Nathan. Kill him. I’ll lose him. I cannot. We have to do something.” Sudden realization flashed, and she dropped her hold on him as if his touch scalded. She sprang to her feet. “Oh dear God, last night…while we were…oh no, dear God, forgive me, Papa.”
“Rosie.” Nathan stood and stepped toward her, but she held up a hand to stall him.
“Don’t come near me. Never again.”
“Rosie, squirt.”
“Shut up. Don’t speak to me.” What had she done? “While we…” She couldn’t say it; thinking about what she had done overrode her words. “We played while my father’s life was in danger.” Shame clenched her heart, and she tugged the edges of her robe closer as if it would ward off the chill now seeping through her veins.
“He would understand.”
Rose rounded on Nathan. “Would he? He’s holed up somewhere, alive…dead.” She hiccupped. “This Raven had the wherewithal to know what was going on, yet we…we…” She scooped up Nathan’s boots and threw them at him. He caught one, but the other fell at his feet. “Get out, Nathan. Get out. I want to dress.”
“Rosie?”
She disconnected her gaze from him, lips pressed firmly closed.
For a moment, he stood there as if weighing what he should do; then silently he retrieved his second boot and straightened. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
But Rose didn’t answer him. Right now she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to see him or speak to him again. In truth, she wasn’t just angry with him but furious at herself. For letting herself down. Letting her father down.
The door closed behind him, and Rose stared at it. Part of her hated Nathan Hawk at that moment, but another part of her craved him, desperately wanted his kisses, his arms about her, reassuring her, loving her.
Forget it. Forget him.
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the images of last night, willing the heat of those images to abate and be replaced by the icy chill that would be her salvation.
But she couldn’t just stand there. The Raven’s note hinted that urgency was of the essence. Shoving aside her emotions, she quickly washed her face in the water from the jug in the corner of the room, then dressed and secured her hair with the few pins she could scavenge from the floor where they had fallen last eve. Finally, she tugged her cap on securely.
She glanced at her image in the small cheval mirror by the dresser. The mirror had been her mother’s.
Rose’s heart hitched.
Dear Mama.
She had promised as her mother lay dying that she would look after her father, and now look what had happened. She had failed.
She raised a hand to her cheek, trailing the tip of a finger along the seam of her lips. Lips that Nathan had kissed. Not once, but so many times. Delicious kisses.
Everything was different now, but she couldn’t let that intrude on finding her father. That was paramount. Not loving Nathan.
No. She didn’t love him. That wasn’t allowed.
Spinning from her reflection, she forced such thoughts away and yanked the bedroom door open, striding out of the room and away from the visible reminder of what had transpired last night, determined she would not fail her father again.
Nathan stood at the top of the stairs, leaning again the wall, arms across his chest, one leg over the other. He nodded to the bag at his feet. “I’ve packed some food so we can eat on the way.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Not now, perhaps, but we need food to keep on going. We have no idea how long it’s going to take us to find Alex.”
Rose sidestepped Nathan and descended the stairs. But before she headed outdoors, she entered the workshop and gathered the small bag where she’d deposited her efforts from the last eve. Satisfied they were secure in the pocket inside her jacket, she returned to Nathan’s side. “How are we going to get to Randolph’s lair?”
“The same way we got away. By boat. Come on.” Nathan led the way, and they headed down to the docks. The streets were still empty, a few drunkards resting their inebriated souls as they lay sprawled where they’d dropped. Down at the closest dock, sailors prepared ships for departure, a few divesting themselves of their catch.
The air hung thick with the fragrance of fish and the curses of dockworkers.
They headed to where the smaller vessels were moored. Nathan called to one crew after another, requesting passage. All declined.
Frustration etched across his visage. “Bloody hell, you’d think they’d want to earn a bit extra.”
“Perhaps it needs a woman’s touch. Hide yourself.” Without waiting for Nathan’s answer, Rosie walked up to the closest vessel. She glanced back at Nathan, who still stood where she’d left him. She waved him away. “Go on. Shoo. Go hide.”
Confusion and something else glinting in his eyes, Nathan said nothing but obeyed her and went to stand a few feet away but not visible to whoever was on the vessel.
Satisfied he was well hidden, Rose approached the boat. “Hello. Can you help me?”
A rough-looking sailor, age indiscernible, straightened from his task of coiling an anchor chain and turned to her. “What you want? Ain’t taking on any crew.”
“I’m not looking for work but passage.”
“You?” The man stepped to the side of the vessel, his head to one side as he realized not all was as it seemed about Rose. “You be a girl.”
“I am, and I’m looking for a knight in shining armor.”
“What?”
She stepped onto the boat. “I need help. My husband is a brute. He beats me and…I am running away.”
“I don’t want to get involved.”
“But you must help me. I have no other way. Please.” She reached out and clutched the man’s arm, coming close. “I can make it worth your while.”
The man cocked his head, his interest clear. “What you suggesting?”
Just then, Nathan stepped aboard. “Nothing that you might fancy, old man.” He wrapped a proprietary arm around Rose’s shoulders and drew her into his embrace.
Rose tried to twist from him, but he held her fast. “What are you doing? Go away. You’ll ruin everything.”
“You’ll not flaunt yourself.”
Rose’s cheeks heated. “Don’t be so stupid. I had these.” Rose dug into her jacket pocket and drew out a pouch. She tugged at the rope and tipped out a diamond.
The boat master’s jaw dropped, his gaze riveted on the jewel.
Nathan knew it to be a fake. The man did not.
“We’re desperate. We need to get to Chorley Manor urgently, and by river is the fastest way.”
“What’s the hurry?”
“My father, he has been…apprehended by criminals. They are forcing him to do something he doesn’t want to do. We need to get to him.”
“Your father, eh?”
Rose nodded, struggling to curtail her rising panic. She clenched her fists at her side. “We have asked nearly every vessel owner along this dock. They all declined. You are our last option.”
“So you thought you’d bribe me.”
Shame churned in her gut and her cheeks heated. “I’m sorry, but time is running out. He’s all I have left.”
Nathan intervened. “What she says is true. Someone has kidnapped her father, demanding he recreate something so they can steal the original. We have had word they are about to move him, or…” His words trailed off, his meaning utterly clear. “If you don’t want the jewel, I can offer you a considerable sum.” Nathan dug into his pocket and pulled out a canvas pouch. Coins clinked from within. Untying the cord, he tipped the pouch, and several gold coins fell into the palm of his hand.
The captain’s eyes widened even more than when he’d spied the jewel.
“There’s plenty more in the pouch.” Nathan tossed the few coins back into the pouch and tied it securely.
Rose’s gut tightened as the man hesitated, looking at the gold, then the jewel still in her palm.
Finally, he reached for the pouch of coins. “No offense, miss, but a jewel ain’t much use to me. Gold, well, that be different.”
Rose exhaled a relieved breath. “Thank you.” She reached forward and kissed his cheek. “I knew you would help. You have a kindly face, and I see a ring on your finger. I guessed you have a wife, maybe a daughter too.”
“Aye, my Sally and I have been blessed with three daughters.”
“So you understand a good marriage and a daughter’s love.”
“Aye, that I do. Now, if we’re to get you two away, we must go with the tide afore it turns.”
Chapter Fifteen
Once the vessel took to the river, Nathan paced the length of it. The captain seemed capable. The wind filled their sails, and though they were making good time, Randolph’s home was some miles upriver.
But something bothered him. He chanced a glance at Rosie. She sat at the bow, her back rigid, eyes straight ahead. He recognized her desperation, felt it as if it were his own. He also recognized that he would do anything in his power for Rosie Valetta. Anything.
Last night had changed everything.
“Shit!” His expletive burst from his lips, and he upped his pace. Dropping his head, he shoved his hands deep in his pockets. His fingers caressed the crisp parchment of the Raven’s letter.
Something did not add up.
He withdrew the note and scanned the message once more.
Anyone could have written it.
But Nathan knew it wasn’t just anyone.
He had been gone for ten years, but to his mind it had to be someone who perhaps knew him from days of old. Very few could offer the same skills that he had used back then. Only one person came to mind.
Nathan fingered the parchment, recognizing the fine quality of the paper. Expensive. So it would seem that the Raven had considerable success that he could afford such luxury…or have access to it.
Again, one person came to mind.
“Look to port,” came the captain’s sudden call.
Nathan stuffed the note into his pocket. He’d deal with his suspicions later. Right now he had to find Alex and the diamond.
Under the captain’s watchful inspection, Nathan lowered the sails as the vessel neared the small wharf. He recognized it instantly. Now all they had to do was escape detection.
As he secured the hefted rope to his shoulder, Rose came alongside him. “You’re rather adept at handling a boat.”
“I crewed my passage to the American Colonies.”
“When you ran away?”
He nodded, then jumped to the wharf and quickly secured the vessel. Back on board, Nathan retrieved the pouch of gold from his pocket. “This is for you.” He held it out to the captain. “For prompt and efficient service.”
The man took it, his smile beaming. “I did what any man would do for his daughter.”
Rose leaned into him, gathering him in a hug and kissing his cheek. “Thank you.”
A blush stained the old man’s cheeks beneath his time-worn wrinkles. “Be off with you now. Go and find your father. He deserves a daughter like you.”
Rose eased away, and Nathan spied the tears glistening in her eyes. His gut twisted, heart thumping. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, and, sweet Jesus, he desperately wanted to make love to her again.
But I can’t. I’ll get in too deep.
Nathan fisted his hands. “We need to get going, squirt.”
The captain chuckled gruffly. “I think ’tis very appropriate. Small, but mind you, she certainly has spirit.”
Nathan laughed with him. “That she has indeed.”
Rose harrumphed and rolled her eyes. “Typical males, talking about a woman as if she were not there.” She pivoted away and jumped to the wharf, shoving her hat down hard on her head.
Shame she covered that beautiful hair of hers. He remembered threading his fingers through it and feeling it slide across his skin.
A shudder rippled down his spine. He needed to shut down those thoughts.
On dry land again, he waved to the captain, then nodded toward the pathway twenty yards ahead. “Along the same path we came out of. That at least will give us some coverage to get as close to the prince’s residence as possible without detection. Have you thought of what you want to do next?”
Rose cast him a glance. “Walk right in, of course. Just as I told you. It’s the only way. We already know he’s a greedy man, and that’s what I’m relying on.” She patted her jacket pocket. “We have the one thing that will draw out the prince.”
“You’re a clever wee thing, Rose Valetta.”
“Just think of it as understanding the rich and powerful. I’ve seen enough of them over the years in their dealings with my father. They always want more and more.”
“And that’s what we’re relying on, as far as the prince is concerned.”
“Exactly.”
Finally, they reached the perimeter of the palace grounds as the sun cast its afternoon shadows. To their right was an ornate wrought iron gate with the embellishment of a coat of arms at the center of the span across the entrance.
“What are you waiting for?” Rose had already entered the grounds.
“Are you sure you want to just barge in there?”
“There’s no alternative. Besides, if we sneak in, they’re likely to shoot as us.”
“And they won’t now?”
“Not if we’re open with them. Now come on, don’t dawdle.”
Nathan offered a jaunty salute, though it didn’t stem his disquiet. “Yes, ma’am, whatever you say.”
“You got it right, finally.” With a determined set to her shoulders and a long stride, Rose Valetta, the young girl who had blossomed into a ravishing beauty who set his heart to beat faster, set out toward the monolithic residence.
They hadn’t gone more than fifty yards, the residence still about another fifty in front of them, when the guards stormed from a guardhouse, rifles drawn as they charged toward them.
Nathan grabbed Rose’s hand and pulled her to his side.
“We’re aware of that. We’ve been guests before.” Rose’s tone was strong, with not an ounce of hesitation, rousing Nathan’s admiration. “We have something Prince Randolph wants.”
“And what would that be?”
“The Pasha Star.”
The guard’s eyes widened. “What do you know about it?”
“I’m Rose Valetta. I believe you have my father here. He was seconded to help the prince obtain the diamond.”
The guard directed his rifle at Nathan. “Who’s he?”
Rose too glanced briefly towards Nathan. “Someone with a vested interest,” she said.
He’d followed Rose’s plan this far, but he sure as hell wouldn’t let her go into the lion’s den alone.
The guard beckoned. “Follow me, but any sudden moves and you’ll feel a bullet in your back.”
With Rose’s hand still secure in his, and girded by the posse of guards, they were led into the entrance, down numerous corridors, and up a sweeping grand staircase lined with copious portraits—all of a rather dour disposition. They finally arrived at a set of floor-to-ceiling double doors.
“Wait here.” The guard knocked on the door, and at a response, he entered.
Rose spied the prince. Bejeweled and bedecked in royal regalia everything seemingly glittering, and even at this distance, it was his gaze that held her captive. Dark. Cold. Evil.
She shivered, but determined to push away her fears. Her father needed her.
“Your Highness, I have two intruders. They claim to have the Pasha Star.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“That is what they say.”
“Then show them in. I’ve had enough with that Valetta. He’s of no use at all. Time to get rid of him for good.”
“That’s the other thing. The woman claims to be Rose Valetta.”
“The daughter?”
“So she says.”
“Send them in, Captain. Don’t wait. It is urgent that I obtain that diamond, and if she has it, then I want it. I will not wait any longer.”
To Love a Thief (Steel Hawk) Page 16