by Rebecca King
“How awful,” she whispered. She had witnessed first-hand how ruthless they could be. “The two men in the yard weren’t people they stole from, were they?”
“No, they were part of Sayers’ gang. We think they were trying to profit from double-crossing Sayers, and Chadwick was sent to stop them.” Barnaby sighed, talking freely to Rose helped him get some perspective on what he was truly involved in. “Recently, the burglaries in London became less frequent, and a far less of a professional job was made of the thefts.”
“But things got stolen?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“How were they less of a professional job then?”
“More noise was made, Rose, and damage was done. There have been a couple of instances when the burglar didn’t even manage to break into the safe,” Barnaby explained. “On the last ‘professional’ job as we call it, a lot more was taken than usual. Several rare and extremely expensive items were stolen that went far beyond what Sayers usually ordered. Then the burglaries stopped for a while. We think the burglar, a prolific thief called Victor Mainton, stole enough for himself and left London shortly afterwards with his sister. Where he has gone and why now we don’t know. Nobody seems to know where this man moved to; he has just vanished. Sayers is looking for him just as much as we are so we know he is alive but nobody can find him.”
“Is he around here do you think?” She shivered at the thought.
“I don’t know,” Barnaby sighed. “I wish I did. He took his sister with him but simply disappeared. They left their mother behind in London, but she didn’t have a clue that they even intended to go.”
“Poor woman,” Rose whispered.
“Oh, don’t feel sorry for that old bat,” Barnaby snorted. “She is harsh and was undoubtedly cruel to her children. She raised them in squalid conditions that are only one step higher than the gutter. I am sure they were glad to be rid of her.”
“Good Lord,” Rose whispered. “So they left her behind. I hope they manage to keep hidden.”
Barnaby looked at her. “You do?”
“Yes,” she replied frankly.
“He is a burglar, Rose. He stole a lot of jewels worth an absolute fortune to furnish his new life. Do you not think he should be behind bars?”
Rose considered that for several moments. “I cannot even begin to imagine the kind of life they grew up in, you understand? However, one never knows what someone is prepared to do in desperate times. If the man had no funds but was being made to steal anyway, I think I would steal a bit extra to buy my freedom as it were. I am not defending what he did at all, please don’t understand, but in his situation I don’t doubt that I would consider doing the same. Even if I didn’t go through with it, I would consider it. I mean, what is the worst Sayers could do?”
Barnaby looked hard at her. “Catch him and kill him and his sister.”
“Yes, but from the sound of it the alternative is to remain in squalid conditions in London and continue to steal for someone else’s benefit. At some point you would catch him and put him behind bars. He would be no better off no matter what he stole, how much, or how often.” Rose sighed.
“He should be put behind bars,” Barnaby grumbled.
“Maybe he would be safer behind bars,” Rose shrugged.
Barnaby instinctively scoffed at the notion. Given that Sayers had valuable contacts behind bars, he would ensure that Mainton was ‘dealt with’ even in prison. It was no safer for a traitor in gaol. In fact, Mainton wouldn’t be able to escape Sayers’ clutches even under armed guard if Sayers had a mind to kill the man. Maybe Rose was right. Maybe Mainton was safer on the run. Unfortunately, he was now a hunted man. He was a veritable mind of information that was extremely valuable to the Star Elite, and someone Sayers wanted to silence forever. Barnaby couldn’t figure out which situation was best.
“Maybe you are right,” Barnaby murmured. “However, he is a criminal and needs to be behind bars. While he is free for now he has to live every day with the knowledge that Sayers, Chadwick, and others in Sayers employ, all want him dead. He has to live with the threat that he could be found one day, and will inevitably be murdered.”
“Not only that, but his sister will be murdered as well,” Rose said solemnly. “It is enough of a punishment on its own really, isn’t it?”
Barnaby lapsed into thoughtful silence while he thought about that. He had to admit that she was right. If only they could find out where Mainton was, and get there first they could ensure the man remained hidden, carried on with the life he had established away from crime, and hopefully create enough trouble for Sayers to focus his attention elsewhere. It would be for Sir Hugo to negotiate some bargain with Mainton to ensure he gave evidence to a judge in court when needed in lieu of a lighter prison sentence. At least the Star Elite would get the valuable facts they needed to break the crime syndicate up once and for all.
“Why were those men in the coal yard? I mean, it is miles away from London. It is an obscure place to meet,” Rose asked making a valiant attempt to shake off the melancholy that had settled over her.
“They are looking for Mainton,” Barnaby said simply. “It was a mere fluke that you came out onto the balcony at the same time that Chadwick caught up with his traitors.”
Rose hated to have to ask her next questions, but she did.
“Are they likely to know who you are, Barnaby?” Rose asked quietly.
Barnaby thought carefully. “I should like to say no, but in all honesty I am in just as much danger as you right now. I have to be honest with you Rose, of late Sayers always seems to be one step ahead of us. Since we arrested Chadwick’s brother a couple of months ago, and killed a man whom we thought was Sayers, we have always been one step behind the thug. We just don’t seem able to get a lead, or a break, or a kernel of information that would mean we are ready and waiting for Sayers to walk into a trap. It is so frustrating but has happened so often that we have all started to look for a reason.”
Rose thought about that but couldn’t offer him any solution. She had no idea what this Star Elite organisation was doing so couldn’t really offer any advice.
“How many of you are there? I mean, this Star Elite organisation, is it very big?”
Barnaby grinned. The transformation in his face was so startling that it stole her breath. She stared at him for a moment and watched the animation in his face in bemusement while he spoke about something he really cared about.
“There are about thirty of us but the numbers are growing each month. Some of my colleagues have married and moved into the smaller groups working in the Shires. The men who work in London are mainly single and able to move up and down the country at will.”
“Like this,” Rose sighed. It was evident from the enthusiasm in his tone that he loved what he did.
“Yes. It is an easier job to do if you are not married. This kind of work is incredibly dangerous,” he grinned at her. “As you know, you have to be able to move at a moment’s notice. That is difficult if you have a family to consider.”
“Yet your colleagues manage it,” she replied.
Barnaby shrugged. “They seem to have found their niche in life, yes.”
But it isn’t your niche, Rose thought but didn’t actually say the words.
Silence settled between them while she contemplated the impossible situation she was now in. While he had told her a lot about what he did, she knew absolutely nothing about him – the man. She wanted – no - yearned to ask but knew it was foolish to do so. While theirs was a relatively new acquaintance, she couldn’t contemplate what her life would be like without Barnaby in it and knew, even now, that she would miss him. To know everything about him, the man, would just make that loss even harder to bear. Clamping her lips firmly closed she turned her attention to his work. It was then that something dawned on her.
Barnaby had been watching the shifting emotions on her face as she cogitated over what he had told her. He had expected more questions abo
ut what his daily job involved but was surprised when she finally did speak.
“Do you plan to capture Chadwick?” she asked, well aware that someone like Chadwick wasn’t going to be put behind bars quietly. Neither could she ask Barnaby outright if he intended to kill the man.
“We are going to stay alive, Rose, whatever we have to do,” was all he said in reply. “However, Chadwick is far more valuable to us alive because he works so closely with Sayers and can identify him, so we need to get the man behind bars for questioning if we can.”
Rose didn’t know why but she heaved a sigh of relief. “Have you caught any of his other friends?”
“We caught Chadwick’s brother a couple of months ago but he died in prison from a heart attack not long after he was arrested. He was grossly overweight and had led a tough life. He got set on by a cell mate who took exception to Roger’s behaviour. Not long after the fight, Roger was found dead in his cell. The Coroner said he had died of a heart seizure.”
“Good Lord. He didn’t tell you what this Sayers looked like before he died?”
Barnaby shook his head. “We tried everything. We offered him a more lenient sentence, plenty of money, all sorts of things for his family, but he refused to tell us. He just kept saying that Sayers isn’t Sayers anymore.”
“Of course, the Russian Count,” she murmured with a nod.
“We think he is masquerading as a Russian count,” Barnaby prompted. “We just can’t be sure.”
Rose looked at him blankly. “What makes you think this Count is him then?” She watched Barnaby’s face break into a rather pleased smile.
“Because one of my colleagues recently married a wonderful woman who found a picture of a Russian Count her uncle considered suspicious. We investigated and discovered that this Count appeared in the ballrooms of the ton not long before the thefts began. He has also attended functions at each house approximately a week or so before the houses are burgled. We think he is attending social functions to scout out which items of jewellery he wants to help himself to. Because of his crimes, Sayers is now a man of wealth. He and his colleagues hate the aristocracy for their money if nothing else. None of them would have any qualms about stealing from Lords and Ladies, and murder if they had to, especially if it meant keeping what they had gained.”
“How awful,” Rose whispered.
“It is a fact of life I am afraid, Rose,” Barnaby replied.
“How do you plan to arrest him?” She knew it was none of her business but was curious.
“As soon as you are safe, my colleagues and I will intercept Chadwick and put him behind bars where he belongs. We will hustle him before a magistrate as a matter of urgency. As soon as you have testified to the judge what you have witnessed, you will be free to return to your normal life as you see fit.” He smiled at her. “Of course, you need to make your mind up where you intend to stay. If you don’t wish to go home, you need to decide how to let your parents know, and brace yourself for any objection they might make.”
Rose thought about that. There was something about that statement that left her with a strange feeling of disquiet that she couldn’t quite shake off. It had nothing to do with her parents, or any confrontation that might occur as a result of her decision. It was more to do with having to say goodbye to Barnaby.
“How long is this likely to take exactly?” she asked with a frown. She couldn’t bring herself to ask him how much longer they would be together.
“We will be in Portsmouth soon,” Barnaby shrugged. “After that, it depends on how long it takes my colleagues to decide on a way to get us out of the area undetected. From here it takes about two days to London if you take a direct route. We will have to go the long way around.”
Rose realised then that he intended to hand her over to the care of his colleagues as soon as they reached Portsmouth. That meant they had only a few hours together. Determined not to feel sorry about it, she began to think about what she wanted to do once this was all over. What she obviously couldn’t do was rely on Barnaby to be there.
The prospect of facing life alone was daunting. Was she ready for it? If she wasn’t, could she really go back to her old life now? This adventure, for want of a better word, had certainly changed her outlook on life. She realised now just how much of a protected life she had led; and how sheltered she had been from the larger world. She had certainly never travelled anywhere. Why, this was the farthest she had ever been away from home and, while she was enjoying the new sights and sounds of the country, she felt all adrift and uncertain of, well, anything.
“I meant, how long will I be in London?” Rose asked dryly.
Before this goes any further and I do something I will really regret like fall for you completely, I need to put some distance between us.
She quickly closed out the small voice that warned her it was already too late; that she had fallen for him and deeply. She knew virtually nothing about him. It was foolish to mistake gratitude for anything deeper and more lasting, but she felt a connection to Barnaby that she had never felt toward another human being in her life and it had nothing to do with Chadwick, or the adventure. There was just something about him that appealed to her, it was as simple as that.
“I don’t know,” Barnaby replied.
“I cannot help but think I should have just gone home in the first place. I mean, if I can vanish in London I can vanish just as easily here. I know these parts better than Chadwick. Besides, he has no idea where I live, I-”
“No,” Barnaby snapped.
Rose blinked at the swift change in his demeanour. He had switched from being open and amiable to stern and commanding in a heartbeat and it rattled her.
“You are coming with me, Rose,” Barnaby said firmly. “Look, I know you probably don’t like the idea of living in London for a while but the Star Elite won’t put you in just any squalid dump. You will be well looked after, and will be provided for while you in our c-care.” He almost said ‘custody’, but suspected she would object to that particular phraseology. When he slid a look at her, he shook his head when he saw doubt on her face and swore beneath his breath, but not quietly enough for her not to hear him.
“You have a guttural mouth,” Rose chided.
Barnaby glared at her. “I am a little stressed right now, alright?”
Rose glared right back. “I refuse to relinquish my life to you.”
Great, now she sounds like me, Barnaby mused ruefully. He glared at her while inside he fought a smile. He began to suspect that she was as thrown by what shimmered between them as he was and was also valiantly trying to ignore it.
That’s good because between the two of us we might be able to get through this and keep our hands to ourselves.
He pinned Rose with a dark look. “You don’t have a choice. This is Star Elite business you are involved in. This is not a game.”
“You think I don’t know that?” she demanded, her eyes flashing with temper.
“I am just saying,” he sighed.
“I know,” Rose snapped with a huff. “And I cannot wait for it to be over.”
With that they both allowed silence to settle between them.
CHAPTER TEN
“Oh, no,” Rose moaned as she dismounted from her horse at the farmhouse and stepped straight into a puddle of something that was brown and stank to high heaven. She lifted her dripping boot up and felt her stomach heave at the smell that assaulted her nostrils. Carefully stepping out of the way, she gasped when her foot then landed on something soft and squidgy and immediately slipped out from beneath her.
“Oh, Lord,” she murmured when her bottom hit the ground.
Barnaby laughed at the disgust on her face. She had indeed land in the doo-doo, and wasn’t best pleased about it if the look of horror on her face was anything to go by.
“It’s not funny,” she snapped as she tried to regain her footing only to find herself unable to gain any purchase in the thick mire now soaking through her clothes.
>
Barnaby winkled his nose in disgust as the stench filtered through the air but made no move to help her.
“Get on all fours and crawl to drier ground,” he suggested.
Rose glared at him. “If you were any kind of gentleman you would offer me a helping hand.”
“Not when you smell like that I won’t,” he snorted. With a grin he left her to get herself free and went in search of a trough. Minutes later he deposited a bucket of ice cold water beside her.
Rose glared at him balefully, her fury burning brightly at the sight of the smirk on his face. She had thought her humiliation was complete after what had happened in the hut. Now she knew it definitely was.
Drat the man she thought angrily. It irked her that she was now a sodden, stinky mess whereas he was cool, clean, and just as handsome as ever. In fact he looked heart-breakingly gorgeous, if a little piratical shielded by the darkness as he was.
“Come on,” he suggested with a nod toward the barn. “Now that you are er – wet - you need to get into the barn so you can tidy up.”
In spite of the fact she smelled like a manure pile, Rose tipped her chin up and stalked regally into the darkness of the huge building. Barnaby helpfully carried the water and deposited it on the floor next to her.
“Help yourself. I will go and see what I can find for you to change into,” he offered before he vanished without a backward look.
Rose squinted at him and cursed the darkness that rendered her unable to see if he was laughing at her. She thought she had heard a snigger or two there but couldn’t be sure. Rather than deign to answer, she waited for a minute or two and then began to peel her clothing off. The cold material clung to her skin, but it wasn’t as frigid as the water she washed herself with. Her teeth were chattering by the time she had finished removing the gloop and the stench had subsided. She then realised she had yet another problem - there was nothing for her to change into. Clutching an old sack that had been draped over a stable door to her chest, she crept to the doorway.