Spies and Secrets 02 - Daring the Duke

by Anne Mallory

  “I do apologize, Miss Kendrick, but your beauty is intoxicating.”

  The men readily agreed, and Travers took the opportunity to whisper, “I want the butterfly pin Chalmers gave to his old flame, the Marchioness of Angelford. Prove you are the best, Audrey, and I will give you news of your sister.”

  Audrey’s heart leaped, and she gratefully accepted the glass of lemonade an eager suitor offered. Travers smiled and walked away, taking her inept stepfather with him.

  The musicians launched into a lively reel. “Would you do me the honour of this dance, Miss Kendrick?” a young man with curly brown hair asked.

  She nodded and handed her half-finished lemonade to another suitor.

  They joined the dancers on the floor. Maintaining a proper distance, they traversed the floor with the others in tempo to the music. Audrey scanned the group on the edge of the dance floor. Her eyes met Stephen Chalmers’s, and heat and cold rushed through her. So dangerous. What was she doing here?

  She stepped away, then met her partner, performing the appropriate steps, every step taking closer to her adversaries. Every step one closers to a four-walled cell.

  One of the men in the group was speaking to Chalmers, but the duke’s attention was focussed on her. She felt herself pulled toward him and sensed her partner’s shock as she led him in that direction.

  She looked at her partner for the first time. “Oh, I beg your pardon, sir.

  It’s a bit stuffy in here.”

  The man nodded enthusiastically. “Indeed. Would you like to take some air, Miss Kendrick?”

  The dance ended. “No, thank you. I think I will return to my stepfather.”

  A brandy-smooth voice caressed her ear. “Miss Kendrick, how wonderful to see you again.”

  He addressed her dance partner. “I’ll return Miss Kendrick to her stepfather.”

  Her partner looked crestfallen, bowed awkwardly, and deferred to the duke before moving into the crowd.

  Audrey faced Stephen Chalmers. “Good evening, Your Grace. I don’t believe we have been properly introduced.”

  “I thought our introduction today quite proper.” He drawled lazily, examining her from head to toe. “And if you wish to do other than speak, I have no objections.”

  Heat uncurled within her. “You are a scoundrel.”

  He smiled slowly. “And you are the perfect foil for a scoundrel.” Another set was forming on the floor. A waltz. “Would you care to dance with me?”

  Lord help her, she put her hand on his arm and walked with him onto the floor.

  “You are from Cheshire, I hear?”

  Audrey pulled herself into her role. “Yes, we are only in London for the season.”

  “How are things in Cheshire these days?”

  “Quiet. Normal. Peaceful.”

  “Sounds pleasant. Why did you decide to venture to the city? London is noisy and full of strange happenings and … crime.” The pause was nearly infinitesimal, and Audrey forced herself to pretend it was absent.

  She had to keep her wits together tonight.

  “What brings every young woman from the country to London?

  Adventure. Excitement.” She tipped her head back and felt burned. His green eyes were smoldering, but she couldn’t read the emotion.

  “Adventure? Most women come during the season to find a husband.”

  His lips curved suggestively.

  “I suppose that is an adventure to most women, Your Grace.”

  Too true. But you seem much more interesting than most women.”

  A tingle passed through her. “I am sorry to say you likely to be disappointed in me, Your Grace.”

  “I’m sure that will not be the case, Miss Kendrick. I have a feeling London will particularly exciting this season.”

  A sinful glint lit his eyes, and she bowed her head. “I’m sure it will be when you find some other lady to attend.”

  “But there is no other lady’s interest that I wish to catch so much as yours, Audrey.” He pulled her slightly closer than was proper, and his leg brushed hers.

  The inflection made her heart skip. He was suspicious, but he didn’t know. He couldn’t, or she would already be in prison. But a devil inside caused her to say, “And too long to chase endlessly after something you can never hope to catch, Your Grace.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. The reverberations vibrated through her. Other couples turned at the sound. He tugged her closer still, and she pinched his arm. He laughed again, returning them to proper positions.

  The music ended, and she saw the mischief shining in eyes.

  “Come, I will introduce you to my friends.”

  Panic caught her. In no way did she want to meet the two other men who love to have her head on a platter.

  “No, thank you, Your Grace. I must return to my stepfather. Good evening to you.”

  She curtsied and tried to keep her pace calm as she walked toward her stepfather, before changing directions and climbing the stairs to the ladies’ retiring room.

  She opened the door and was relieved to find the room empty. Walking around the two chaises and multiple cushions to get to the mirror, Audrey pressed a hand to her cheek and looked at her reflection. At least she appeared composed.

  Was Travers going to make her attend more of these engagements? She didn’t know how many more she could handle. She was a back-alley worker. Being so-exposed was a new and frightening feeling. And damn if she didn’t hate being frightened of anything and anyone.

  The door opened, and a lovely lady with honey-coloured hair entered.

  Audrey assessed the newcomer with a mixture of dismay and interest. A gem-studded butterfly brooch was pinned to the dress of the Marchioness of Angelford—Stephen’s ex-mistress, although society at large had not seemed to grasped that fact yet.

  “Good evening,” the woman said, with a cheerful smile.

  Audrey returned the greeting and praised the good fortune that had prompted the lady to enter the room. If she could lift her brooch, she could leave the damn ball. She pretended to arrange her hair in the mirror as she surreptitiously studied the ping. It seemed to be securely attached.

  Why would her husband allow her to wear a gift from another man? It went beyond all of Audrey’s reasoning abilities and her knowledge of the marquess.

  “We haven’t been introduced, but I’m Calliope.”

  Audrey looked at her in surprise, then at the rest of the retiring room.

  They were still the only ones present.

  Covering her lapse, she said pleasantly. “My lady, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Audrey Kendrick.”

  The woman waved her hands. “Please call me Calliope. After all, I saw the way you and Stephen were dancing.”

  What? What was the lady prattling on about?

  “If that was any indication of the future, we will probably be seeing each other frequently.”

  What was this lady implying? If she thought she was going to join them in any tawdry activities, well she could take her pretty little fan and stick …

  “You looked flushed. Are you feeling well?” Calliope peered at her and held out a towel.

  “The house is a bit warm, is all.” Thank goodness for tired excuses.

  Calliope nodded. “I know, but one becomes accustomed to it. This is your first season?”

  “Yes, although I have attended a few balls.” Mostly masked balls, which made it relatively easy to relieve the owners of their possessions. Since she had been raised in a genteel home, she had always been assigned to the upper-class functions but until recently had never attended as herself.

  That she did now only underscored her danger.

  “Would you like me to fetch you something to drink?”

  She seemed genuinely nice, and Audrey had to stop a frown. What was happening here? It was difficult not to like the woman, even though Audrey didn’t want to. She was married to one enemy,
good friend to another, and the ex-mistress of the most deadly one, no matter that Calliope and Stephen had always acted a bit too fraternally toward each other whenever she had seen them together.

  “No, thank you. My father will worry if I’m gone too long.” She couldn’t snatch the pin while Calliope was looking at her.

  “I’ll return with you.” Calliope walked with her to the door. “We shall have to meet for tea sometime.”

  Three ladies entered the room and collided with them. During the confusion Audrey took the opportunity to smoothly relieve Calliope of her beautiful pin. Guilt kicked in, but she needed the pin. The marchioness probably had thousands of brooches and other pretty trinkets.

  They walked down the stairs while Calliope chattered good-naturedly.

  Audrey felt worse with every step. They reached the bottom step, and Audrey saw Stephen walking toward them.

  “Wonderful to meet you, Lady Angelford,” she said, and quickly slipped in to the crowd, heading in the opposite direction. For once she was relieved to see Travers standing near. She surreptitiously motioned to him and wended through the crowd toward the door.

  Stephen saw her rushing toward the exit decided to let her go. He wasn’t pleased with his decision, but he needed to consider his next move. The game pieces were ready.

  Calliope whispered to Stephen, “I like her,” as she passed by to join her husband. Something was different about Calliope, but he couldn’t pinpoint it. Perhaps it was the secretive smile. He ignored it, as there was nothing to be gained from getting irritated with friends.

  That Calliope liked Audrey made sense. They were both unconventional.

  He frowned. No, Audrey was different. She was a criminal. All criminals were cut from the same cloth. Damn. This assignment might prove maddening.

  Roth came to stand next to Stephen. He too was observing her retreating form. “Lost your touch, Marston?”

  Stephen scowled. “Don’t call me that.”

  “Why? That’s your name now. Can’t go around calling you Chalmers anymore.”

  “Bloody title.”

  Roth’s smile turned slightly wicked. “Looks like the girl wasn’t impressed.”

  “Oh, I think I turned her head a bit too much.”

  “Must be why she ran to the retiring room after dancing with you and is now making to leave the ball entirely.”

  Stephen told Roth what he could with his suppositions in unflattering terms.

  Roth laughed. “You were right. Tonight is proving to be vastly entertaining.” He took a sip of his drink. “You should have seen the two of you on the floor. Set the tongues wagging, you did. Beautiful girl. Who is she?”

  “Her name is Audrey Kendrick.”

  “And?”

  “And what?”

  Roth shook his head but continued to smile. “You are in a foul mood.

  And because of a girl running from you, no less.”

  Stephen didn’t answer so Roth continued, “Since you don’t want to talk about the girl, how about finally telling me the identity of Hermes?”

  “I’m debating whether I want to tell you anything now, old man.”

  “Sour grapes, Marston, sour grapes.”

  Stephen held back a smile, suddenly in a much happier mood. Oh, he’d get his revenge all right.

  “Hermes is here tonight.”

  Roth looked around suddenly serious. “You’re teasing. Here? You know, I always thought he might be someone connected to society.” He studied the crowd, and Stephen debated whether to let him suffer all night. Roth would assuredly make a very thorough search of the entire ballroom.

  Probably interrogate the populace while he was at it.

  “Yes, here.”

  Roth continued his study of the crowd. “Dammit, Chalmers, are you going to tell me or not?”

  Stephen smiled. Victory was so sweet. “Actually the thief was here.”

  Roth frowned.

  “Regrettably, Hermes fled from the ball, immediately after I danced with her.”

  Chapter 4

  Audrey slid through the open window and landed in crouched position on the floor, listening. No creaks, no stirrings; all were abed. She straightened and peered into the darkness. A rare wave of nerves swept though her. Something was odd tonight, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.

  Thin beads of moonlight streamed through the window, allowing for just enough light to outline the bulky desk and portion of the floor. She pushed her nerves aside and crept toward the desk.

  The papers were supposed to be inside a secret compartment at the bottom of the desk. Audrey crouched and skimmed her fingers along the underside of the wood. Her fingers grazed a clasp. Disgustingly easy. It must have been the multiple brushes with Chalmers today that had set her teeth on edge.

  This was a job for a green lad. If she was going to risk her neck while being pressed into service, the least Travers could do was come up with something more challenging. She activated the mechanism. A concealed drawer popped open. She removed the stack of papers, closed the door, and reset the leaver.

  Audrey tucked the papers under her shirt and into her breeches. She would read them later, before giving them to Travers. She needed all the ammunition she could accumulate to save Faye. And if blackmailing her blackmailer was the only way to free her sister, she’d do it.

  Audrey moved toward the window. There was no use dawdling. Only striplings made the mistake of lingering at a scene. She was halfway to freedom when she stopped.

  The air had changed. Her scalp prickled, and she whirled around to face the other person in the room. So silent. How had she missed him? Why had he waited to show himself? And why hadn’t he sounded the alarm?

  She lashed out with her right foot, but her blow was deflected. A shaft of moonlight settled in front of her, cut in twain by her body. She was silhouetted in the light, easy to see. Cursing inwardly, she dove and somersaulted away from the desk. She grabbed one of the knives from her left sleeve and hurled it at the figure.

  The knife was somehow blocked, and the steel clattered harmlessly across the floor. The sound was deafening in the otherwise silent house. Audrey could hear the walls waking from their heavy sleep. The inhabitants would be next.

  She needed to incapacitate her assailant as silently as possible and get the hell out of the house. She could discern a faint outline, and though the man was tall and broad-shouldered, he wasn’t a beefy thug. She might be able to sustain his weight before he hit the floor. She grabbed a bust on the edge of a side table and launched herself at the figure.

  Her aim was perfect, but at the last instant the man stepped to the side and pulled her tightly against him. The bust dropped soundlessly on a padded settee. The man’s ironclad grip sent alarm bells ringing in her head. He was so quick, so steady. She jerked uselessly for a few seconds but was unable to free herself. He was too strong.

  If she was caught, all was lost. She couldn’t be caught, wouldn’t be caught. A dark cell and malicious smiles swirled in her mind. Panic gave her strength.

  She was off-balance and made a final effort to swipe his legs. It worked.

  The poorly executed manoeuvre sent the man to the floor, but he never loosened his grip, and she landed on top of him.

  The thud echoed through the house. The stirrings began. Audrey tried to break free, but the man’s grip was firm; he wouldn’t release her.

  A door opened downstairs. Footsteps sounded in the foyer.

  Audrey squirmed and tried to kick her captor. His legs coiled around hers, locking her in place. No mere toady, but a seasoned professional. Her panic neared hysteria. She was headed straight to jail, or worse, straight to the hangman’s noose.

  Footsteps sounded on the bottom of the stairs.

  She tried to free one of the knives at her waist. His hold tightened.

  Confusion joined the panicked emotions flitting through her brain. The main wasn’t trying to hurt her; he wa
s restraining her. Toying with her. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he was testing her.

  She pulled her head back to slam into his nose, but he anticipated the move and rolled them over, pinning her beneath him. The action rolled them in the patch of moonlight streaming through the window. Audrey got a first look at her captor and froze.

  Eyes that would be bright green in the daytime speared her with their darkness. She caught a brief whiff of pine as the footsteps continued their ascent.

  She would have known his identity earlier had her mind not gone into a panic like a green girl on her first job. Trapped. Everything she had worked for, gone. Her sister would be lost, and there was no redemption for Audrey.

  Footsteps crested the top step, and she couldn’t stop a panicked breath.

  His expression changed, although her panicked mind and the darkness wouldn’t allow her to read his face. The footsteps paused at the door, and the telltale sound of the knob turning caused her breath to lodge. The door rattled as the person on the other side tried to open it.

  Someone had locked the door. Stephen? The person on the other side of the door retreated. Back down the steps, back across the foyer. Back to find the key.

  Stephen continued to stare at her, his warm body pressed into hers. One thigh lodged between her legs.

  “What—” She licked her suddenly dry lips. “What are you going to do?”

  He didn’t move, keeping her trapped beneath him, his lips mere inches from hers. His breath caressed her cheek. “I suppose I should take you to the magistrate.”

  She refused to let the tears fall. “I suppose so.”

  He swore and rolled off her. Reaching for the tinderbox on the desk, he lit a lamp. Audrey pushed herself into a sitting position and glanced at the open window. She might be able to make it.

  “You won’t make it,” he said as he leaned against the desk and crossed his ankles.

  She crossed her legs, mimicking his relaxed posture. A slight smile appeared before he shook his head, and his face was unreadable once more.