Using the walls as guidance, she trailed her fingers along the uneven brick, uncaring as the roughened surface gouged at her hands, tearing at her nails.
Their guide ahead came to a halt, and fear scurried through Rose’s veins. “What’s wrong? Why have you stopped?”
“Just taking a precaution.”
After a minute of enforced silence, though her heartbeat echoed loudly, the guard motioned them onward. “We’re nearly at the gate. If all is well, the gate has been left open.”
Nathan, still burdened by her father’s weight, asked, “And if not, what then?”
“Then we’re stuck and we have to go back.”
“We can’t go back. We have to get it open.” Rose elbowed her way past the guard and strode through the water, uncaring that rats squawked as she kicked through the swirling mire. The gate had to be open. It had to be.
She spied a ray of moonlight. “There it is. There.” She surged forward, desperate to reach the gate.
Please, God, let it be open.
She wrapped her bloodied fingers around the iron bars and shoved hard.
It didn’t move.
No! No! No! It had to open. They could not go back. Going back meant death. Meant failure. She pushed at the gate, shoved hard, rattled the iron palings, and still nothing happened. The others arrived behind her, and she pivoted to face them. Tears of frustration streamed down her face, her fear rampaging. “It’s not opening.”
Slumped against the gate, she grazed her hands down its rough-hewn bars and into the surging waters. Her fingertips scraped across something. “It’s…” She yanked it above the waterline. “There’s a lock, Nathan! A lock.” Desperation charged through her, and she grabbed at the rusted bars and shook hard. The door rattled but did not open. “You’re meant to be open. Open, do you hear me?”
Hands rested on her shoulders. “It’s okay. It’s…”
Rose rounded on Nathan, shaking his hands from her shoulders. “No, it’s not. It’s bloody locked. We can’t get out, we’ll have to go back and then…” Her focus shifted to her father resting against the wall, fetid water soaked into his filth-covered clothing. “I’m sorry, Papa.” They had come so far, only to fail. Rose pushed way from the gate and went to him. “I tried.” She fell silent, her words engulfed by a hiccupped sob.
Her father trailed a hand over her head, just as he had done when she was a child. How she wished she could go back to those days. So simple.
Then she spied Nathan. Would she really go back to those days when Nathan was not around? Could she not have him in her life—especially after last night?
The simple answer was no, she could not.
Last night changed everything, and right here, now, in the sewer of hell when they might not survive and the next moment they could be captured and murdered by a power-hungry royal, something tugged fiercely at her heart.
She loved him. Loved him so much, but as swift as the delight of such revelation, it was followed by stark reality. What use was it to love Nathan Hawk? They were all likely to die this day. Loving him was futile.
Nathan clasped the lock in his left hand. “It’s basic. Easy.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“My past is actually coming in handy. Have you got a hairpin?”
“A…”
“Don’t argue, Rosie, not now.”
Rose reached beneath her cap and tugged her braid loose. With it came the hairpin Nathan asked for. She passed it to him.
“Now hold that lantern a bit closer.”
The guard obeyed.
Nathan nodded. “Just a bit higher.”
Rose watched as Nathan inserted the hairpin into the rusted lock. He pushed it several times, his lips pursed, concentration intense. It was as if he were listening for something. Waiting.
Another tiny push.
“There.” He smiled his satisfaction. “My misspent days are coming in handy.”
“Picking locks?”
“How do you think I gained my superior knowledge and experience?” Nathan didn’t wait for her reply, and in truth, it wasn’t coming.
A misspent youth.
Picking locks.
The Raven.
The lock clicked loudly, the noise a welcome sound in this hellhole of waste. After tugging the lock free, Nathan tossed it into the watery depths, and, with a shoulder to the gate, he shoved at the iron bars. Despite the rust, and its antiquity, the gate opened with a groaning creak of rusty metal grinding against metal.
A triumphant Nathan turned to her. “Easy when you know how.”
An owl hooted, followed by the sudden squawk of crows that took to the air. Then she heard footsteps. Shouts. Barely fifty yards to the right, several flaming torches hovered as if ghosts. But they were no phantoms of the night. “Soldiers. They’re here.” Rose hefted her father to her side. “We must hurry.”
Nathan slipped through the gate, reaching for her father, and Rose followed.
The guard did not.
Rose turned to him. “Are you not coming?”
“Nay, I’ve got you this far, ’tis up to you now. If it became known I helped you, my family’s life would be in danger. Prince Randolph does not take kindly to those who work against him. He’s a greedy bastard, but now he has that diamond, he’s cock-a-hoop.”
Rose reached out to the guard and took his hand. “Thank you for all your help, but don’t be too sure about Prince Randolph. Not yet.”
“Take the path to the left. McTaggart and his pig slop cart awaits you. Hurry, the guards are upon us, though they won’t think to look here. Not yet at least.”
Spinning from the guard, offering a last wave, Rose reached for her father’s hand. “We are nearly there, Papa.”
But Nathan hesitated. He reached out and shook the guard’s hand. “Tell him…tell my old friend, thank you.”
Then he was at her side, and they ran from the sewer’s watery path into the encroaching forest, the path entwined with bramble and broken branches proving far more dangerous than the rats scampering about their watery escape.
They ran down the path until they reached its outskirts, and there, partially hidden behind several large oaks, was a wagon and horse team and its master. Nathan grabbed her, holding her to him. “Wait. We don’t know if it’s safe.”
“But the guard said there would be someone here to take us.”
“True. But let’s just take a precaution. We’ve come this far. It could be a trap.”
Her father wheezed at her side, but his gnarled hands clasped at hers. “He’s right, daughter.”
Stamping down her frustration and fear, Rose watched as Nathan walked up to the man and his cart. She cocked an ear, trying to listen, but from behind them, the sound of hounds and soldiers crashing through bracken escalated her fear to panic. She grabbed at her father. “Either we leave with this man and his cart, or we die. I choose we leave.” She hauled her father to her side, and they left their hiding place to come out into the open. “The soldiers,” she warned Nathan. “We need to go.”
“Aye, they’re on their way true enough.” The owner of the cart scowled. “Bloody bastards. Best ye get in quick.”
Rose eyed the cart covered in food scraps. “Where?”
The man walked to the rear of the cart and shifted a barrel. “In there.” He pointed to small opening, beneath which seemed to be a false bottom.
Rose stared at the opening, and then turned in the direction of the increasing ruckus from the oncoming soldiers. “But there’s not enough room for the three of us.”
“You two.” The man pointed to her and Nathan. “Get in, and the old man can wear this.” He threw a tatty coat and baggy felt hat to her father. Surprisingly, despite his injuries, he caught it.
The cart owner nodded to her father. “Say nough
t, and they’ll think ye be me brother Jed. ’E’s a bit funny in the ’ead, ye see. So silent it is and maybe look a bit addled.”
Her father offered a half smile. “I’ve no doubt I’m rather addled already my friend, given the last few days.”
Rose swiftly helped her father into the garments. She kissed her father’s cheek. “I love you.”
“As I you.” With a shove from Nathan, her father climbed onto the cart seat, then she and Nathan worked their way into the cart’s cavity.
All went dark as the man slipped the barrel back in place. Rose heard the sound of something being moved above them.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be the slops. He’s using them to cover our entrance point.”
Rose’s breath hitched, and she clutched at Nathan, desperate for security.
He held her to him, his body warmth offering some comfort.
“What are you doing, old man?” The guards. Rose recognized the voice of the man Nathan had knocked out.
“Taking the slops is all, but the horse has a stone and slowed me down.”
“Are you sure?”
“What does it look like? Ain’t no food fit for that bloke you got up there.”
“Have you seen three fugitives?”
“Ain’t seen no one except me pigs. It’s just me and me brother, Jed, at the farm, but he ain’t much use. Addled in the head he is. Never says a bloody word. Useless. Could do with some company for a change. That Bessie that cooks up at that fancy home sure is a sight for this old man’s eyes. I could do with her warming my bed.”
There was a snigger of laughter from the soldiers.
“Well, get on with you, then, and don’t hold us up.”
“Me? No, sir, whatever you say.” The cart shifted slightly. “’Tis time to get the pigs fed. Otherwise, they might rampage, and an angry pig don’t make good eating.”
The reins cracked and the cart jerked forward. Rose yelped and then clamped her jaw closed.
“Stop!”
The cart stilled, and fear hitched in her chest. Oh my God, they were free, free, and she had ruined it. She cursed silently as tears trickled down her cheeks.
“What was that noise?”
“What noise?”
“I heard someone.”
“You been drinking too much. Ain’t no one but me and Jed.”
“Shut up, don’t be so impudent.”
Rose’s breath stilled as the echo of the guard’s footsteps neared. He had walked to the end of the wagon. All he had to do was shift that barrel.
“What’s in here?”
The cart moved again, rolling Rose toward Nathan. His arms went around her.
“That’s my little bit on the side. You wouldn’t deny an old man a tipple now and again, would you? It’s the best whiskey in the district. Would you like a sample?”
“Whiskey, you say?”
“Aye, made by Fred Turner five miles yonder. Best barley whiskey you ever tasted.”
“Let me try it.”
“Tell you what. I’ve still got me some at home. Why don’t you take this lot as a gift from me.”
“Why would you gift it? What are you trying to hide?”
“Me? Not a bloody thing. I’m doing you a favor. I’ll keep an eye out for those bad ’uns you’re looking for and let you know if I sees ’em, and if I give you this whiskey, well, then you won’t be looking to stop me next time I’m hauling it home.”
“I see.”
Suddenly everything went silent. The cart jolted. The barrel was being moved. They would be discovered. Rose shoved at Nathan, desperate to get out. She had to save her father. He didn’t budge, and she shoved harder, a silent scream begging for release.
Suddenly, Nathan kissed her, full and demanding, his hands tangling in her hair.
She tried to pull away, wanted to get free, but his kiss drugged her until slowly her breathing eased and her panic subsided.
But worse, she realized she could never give up kissing Nathan.
Chapter Sixteen
“Oh, my goodness. Alex! Alex Valetta, you old rascal. Look at you.” Princess Mary dashed across the room, her gown billowing out behind her. Ignoring the muck and grime that covered him head to toe, she grabbed Alex’s hands and drew him to her. “Oh, my poor friend, what have they done to you?”
“Not they,” Rose interrupted, slightly disconcerted seeing the familiarity between her father and the princess. “None other than Prince Randolph and his goons inflicted this on my father. He was responsible for kidnapping him.”
The princess shook her head, sadness darkening her eyes, expression somber. “I’m so sorry you have been brought into the struggles of my country.”
“It is my country too, Your Highness, even though I have been gone many years.”
“Your Highness? Alex, we are old friends. Let us not bother with such protocol.” The royal turned to her maid, who stood beside the open door. “Serena, please see that rooms are prepared for our guests, clean clothing and baths, of course, and for now perhaps a hot cup of tea for you all.”
Rose eyed the lush velvet and silk-covered furniture. “But Your Highness, we’re filthy, we cannot…”
The princess waved a hand. “Oh, phooey, I do not care about a little dirt. I am just thankful you are all alive.” Her smile rested on Rose’s father. “And you, especially, dear Alex. Oh, it is so good to see you. It has been so long. You got my letter.”
“Yes, but you know I would never have divulged our secret.”
“The diamond,” Rose prompted.
The princess’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my, in all the excitement of seeing your father again, I completely forgot about the diamond. Did you find it?”
Nathan’s lips pursed. “Unfortunately not.”
“So how did you manage to convince Randolph to give over your father?”
“We played on his greed.”
The princess nodded, her understanding immediately clear. “The man has an unquenchable greed. But what did you give him?”
Rose smiled, only now relishing the fact that her plan and her skill had fooled a connoisseur of jewels. “A fake.”
“Good Lord, a fake? How?”
“My daughter is truly skilled in the craft of paste.”
Princess Mary’s jaw dropped as she looked from Rose to Alex and back again. “You made the fake.”
Rose’s chest puffed with pride. “Absolutely.”
“And it was so perfect that it fooled him. He believes he has the real diamond.”
“He does.”
“I cannot believe he just let you go like that.”
“He didn’t. There was a slight hiccup, but we had a bit of inside help.”
“Inside? From whom? Randolph’s men are loyal. If not, they suddenly disappear.”
Rose gulped, the reality of what they’d escaped at last hitting home. Her knees buckled beneath her, and if Nathan hadn’t wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her to him, she would have fallen to the floor right then and there. “Hang in there. It’s nearly over.”
Nathan was correct. It wasn’t over. They still had to find the real diamond.
They?
Yes, they. They were a team, she and Nathan, and the realization that she was part of something, a unit, caused a comforting warmth to flow directly to her heart.
The tea arrived and silence ensued until the maid exited. Rose had never felt so grateful for a warm drink.
“I am so relieved you are safe, Alex, and am so sorry my family again has brought you such trouble.”
Her father shook his head. “I may not have resided in Zarrenburg for many a year, but I was born there. Part of me will always love my country. But not if your brother-in-law takes power.”
The princess’s brow creased. “No. I can
not let that happen. I promised my late husband that I would do all in my power to keep Zarrenburg on the track he started. The world is changing; people are changing. Our country must progress from the dark ages of a single-power entity. If Randolph takes power, everything we have strived for will be for nothing.” She fixed Nathan with an intense stare. “Mr. Hawk, you must find the diamond. I cannot allow him to get his hands on it, and though I am sure your fake is a perfect replica in every way, Rose, I fear if he finds out this truth before he leaves London, he will be hell-bent on revenge. I cannot risk that, nor can Zarrenburg. We must find the diamond.”
“No need.”
At Alex’s quiet interruption, all eyes turned to him. Though obviously exhausted, his eyes glittered with excitement. “I know where it is.”
For a moment, Rose would have sworn she heard every heart beat in the room skip a beat.
Princess Mary grabbed Alex’s hands. “Where? Oh, Alex, I knew you would come to my aid.”
“Papa?”
“When those men visited me the first time, I knew if they returned, I would not get another chance. The diamond was already on display, though the exhibition had not opened.” He cast a glance at Nathan and offering a sheepish shrug of his frail shoulders, “I hope you can forgive an old man for remembering your unique design. No one else has anything like it, you know. It is truly impregnable.”
“Except by you.” Nathan’s despondency was etched in every exhausted line on his face.
Without thinking, Rose reached for Nathan’s hand, and, linking her fingers with his, she gave it a slight squeeze.
“I went to the exhibition during the night, and, using the code I remembered you talking about all those years ago, I took the diamond.”
“You knew the date, Papa?” The date Nathan kissed her.
Her father turned to her and offered a gentle smile. “You were a young woman, blooming. I took the diamond for safekeeping because the princess is correct. If Randolph gets his hands on the diamond, Zarrenburg will go backward. He cannot steal his way into power and”—he reached for the princess’s hands—“I will not let him blackmail you with an untruth, Mary.” He looked in her eyes, a gentle smile on his face. “Stefan is Mary and Prince Johan’s son. Not mine. As much as I loved Mary, I knew we could not make a life together in the times we lived in. I was a craftsman, not acceptable in royal circles.”
To Love a Thief (Steel Hawk) Page 18