by Anne Mallory
And Travers was no innocent. With him, no one was safe. She knew someone else was pulling his strings, but that didn’t lessen her dislike of Travers’s actions. The danger was so incredibly high. The risks multiplied with each new assignment.
She wanted to cry with the frustration of it. lnstead she said, “You still plan to go through with your shipping scheme?”
“Maddox talks too much.”
“Then you shouldn’t have drawn him into this.”
Travers narrowed his eyes but answered her question. “Yes, we mean to go through with it. And you’d better support me. It is only a matter of time before things fall into place.”
“We? Who else are you working with?”
She saw fear pass over his face before masking it. “That, my dear, is none of your concern.”
“What will the Exchequer say if he finds out that you’ve been tampering with the shipping schedules and the cargo manifests and profiting from the illegal merchandise you’ve been unloading? He would be highly embarrassed and angered, and you would be going to the scaffold faster than I.”
” And why would he find out? My plan is perfect. And if he finds out, well, accidents are so common nowadays, something you should remember.”
“One thing makes sense. If you want to get to the top, the only way you are going to accomplish it is by accident.”
Travers gripped his tankard. “I told you to hold your tongue.”
“This is a dumb plan, Travers. I know you have debts, and, due to your unfailingly stupid desire to unseat everyone that has wronged you, you have formed alliances with some vicious people, but you are in way over your head. All it takes is one mistake, one person to plant the seed of doubt, and everything will fall to pieces around you.”
“ln that case, perhaps I’ll be forced to eliminate everyone who knows the plan.”
Audrey forced her muscles to relax, but her knife was in hand if Travers moved an inch.
Travers snarled. “Why so tense, Audrey? Worried that your sharp tongue has finally gotten you in over your head?”
“Go to hell.”
“Ah, I believe we are already there. Let’s enjoy it, shall we?” Travers toasted her and took a drink. “My partnerships with the ‘vicious people,’ as you called them, are ingenious. I will be rich, powerful, and untouchable. Mark my words, in five years will be Prime Minister. And then, my dearest Audrey, you will be begging for my favor.”
A young serving girl splashed a tankard down before Travers, her bountiful breasts nearly popping from her dress as she pressed against him. Travers threw her a coin and shifted his gaze back to Audrey. The serving girl brushed seductively against him, but pouted upon receiving no encouragement. She grabbed the coin and flounced from the table.
Travers took a drink and smiled. “I only tell you these things because you are now mine, Audrey Kendrick. I own you and your sister.”
Audrey chose to ignore his words, as they only made her think violent thoughts. She noticed the serving girls whispering among themselves and eyeing Travers. He only needed to crook a finger. She didn’t know why they couldn’t see beneath his handsome, aristocratic features. She could barely stomach looking at him; it was like seeing a petulant monster hiding behind an ill-fitting mask.
Travers was a second son of a viscount, with an ego not quite large enough to overcome his feelings of inadequacy. He believed with every ounce of his being that his birthright had been stolen. And he made everyone pay for the theft.
Attracting his attention was one more sin she could lay at Maddox’s feet.
Maddox, who always needed money and had arrived in London furious that he could no longer claim guardianship over Faye and Audrey and touch their amassed monies. So instead Maddox had figured out another way to make money off them by selling their identities to Travers. Dear Lord how she hated Maddox and Travers both.
She tamped down the feeling and forced a smile. Let him believe her cowed by his bizarre designs for power. “I understand the shipping interests and the Exchequer plot, but what about the watch?”
“The watch is a personal item. It is mine.”
“Somehow I doubt that.”
His eyes narrowed. “It’s mine, and you will get it back for me.”
“So, does your partner know about this side project of yours?”
Fear passed over his face. He waved his hand, trying to act nonchalant.
“This is no concern of …of my partner ‘s.”
For a second she had thought he might divulge the man’s name. Although she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to know. Sometimes knowledge was dangerous. “You still want me to steal it then?”
He gave her a look that said, “Of course.”
“Then release my sister from Newgate, or no deal.”
“There is no ‘deal,’ don’t you understand? I repeat, you are mine to do with as I will. All will happen in good time.” His voice trailed off as his dark eyes devoured her.
She again felt the need to bathe. “No. There is no way you will convince me. And if you touch me, I will cut off whatever body parts make contact.”
“Even dressed as a boy, you are breathtaking when angry, my sweet. But do remember in which part of Newgate you were housed. A word from me, and your sister will be hanging from a beam by the Old Bailey.”
Every muscle in her body clenched. “You wouldn’t do it. You have to know you would soon follow. ”
“Perhaps. But I am willing to take the risk. Are you?”
Audrey stood and said nothing. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
“Dr. Smith will be by in the morning. You’d better have the papers in hand. Faye’s release in a few days depends upon it.”
She took a couple of even breaths. “You will release her then?”
“As long as you do as promised. I’m not a monster, Audrey.” He opened his eyes wide, but couldn’t quite wipe the smirk from his face. “If you would only agree to my plans, everything else would go so much more smoothly.”
She turned to leave, but his parting words caused her to pause. “Oh, and Chalmers is being taken care of. He shouldn’t bother you for a good while.”
She whipped around. “What are you planning?”
Travers lost his smile and narrowed his eyes at the edge in her voice. She realized her mistake immediately and tried to sound offhand. “I just want to make sure his friends don’t rush in and retaliate against me.”
Travers looked slightly mollified, although the corners of his eyes were still crinkled in suspicion. “Just an unfortunate accident. Nothing that he won’t survive. He will be ripe pickings when we need to use him. See you in the morning, my sweet.”
Audrey turned and maintained a normal pace through the tavern. She pushed through the door and walked a block before bending down behind a tree to catch her breath. She felt as if she had raced across the English countryside. Stupid, stupid. She couldn’t care about Chalmers. And what was more, she couldn’t let Travers know she did. Stephen would become another Faye, to be used against her. Except in his case she had a feeling Stephen wouldn’t survive Travers’s wrath.
Faye. She had to get her out of Newgate. Bile rose in Audrey’s throat at the thought of entering the prison, but somehow she had to manage it.
Travers was deceitful and unpredictable. She couldn’t wait for his next promise to release her sister and next threat to hang her.
Audrey pushed herself to her feet and began walking. The merchant’s house was just down the street. She would steal and deliver the papers.
She had to allow time to find and release Faye. Time to figure out how to get out of this mess and away from Travers’s madness.
Audrey increased her pace. She rapidly passed houses and celebratory groups; none of the drunken revellers took notice of an undistinguished boy on the street. A hack whistled as she approached an unremarkable West End house. The hack disappeared down the street, and all was quiet
.
Slipping around the side of the house, Audrey removed her picklock and opened the back door. Somewhere inside were the shipping documents Travers needed in order to reroute the cargo.
Audrey walked into the main hall. Good thing the merchant and his wife were gone for the evening, because she had no idea where to find the papers. She rifled through the drawing room quickly. She tried the merchant’s office next. Not in the desk. Not on the shelves. The only item in the hidden desk compartment was a lightly braided, feather-soft whip.
And the portly man had looked so stodgy. Some humor returned, and Audrey smiled as she replaced the implement.
She made quick work of the rest of the first floor and headed for the stairs. The master bedroom was the next most likely place. She checked the hallway clock. Plenty of time. Still, she quickened her step.
Audrey opened the door to the master bedroom and stopped. A cold rush of panic started in the center of her chest and spread outward, freezing her lungs and throat. Stephen Chalmers was lounging in a chair facing her and reading from a sheaf of papers.
“Good evening, Audrey. I expected you sooner. ”
How had she not seen the light?
“The heavy hallway rug blocks the light so well, don’t you think? I had to experiment several times to make sure.”
She automatically looked at the Aubusson rug. It was indeed thick.
“But you went home.” Her throat was dry and scratchy, her brain a second slower than usual.
“And so did you.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Reading. What are you doing here?”
Some spark returned. No one had jumped from the closet to arrest her.
“Looking for something to read, actually. What have you there?”
She couldn’t sense anyone else in the room. She casually walked to the window and peered through it. No one waiting for him on the street.
“A few boring shipping documents.”
If it was just the two of them, she had a chance for escape. A slim one, but it was a chance nevertheless. She would still be a fugitive, but she’d be free. She would have another opportunity to figure out a way to save Faye and flee the country.
“Audrey, you look as if you’re readying for a fight.”
Her muscles had tensed, and she was indeed reaching for one of her hidden knives.
He sighed. “I’m not here to fight with you or arrest you. I could have had you the other night, and we both know it.”
“Then why didn’t you?” Her heart beat a mad thump in her chest. Her hand was only an inch from one of the short blades.
He shrugged and languidly stretched his long legs forward, leaning back in the chair. “I didn’t feel like it then, nor do I now. ”
“But you hate criminals.”
His features tightened momentarily, but he regained his lazy air. “If you’d like me to catch you, I can.” He scanned her slowly and his gaze made her heart thump in an entirely different rhythm. “It would undoubtedly prove exhilarating.”
“Chalmers, if you’re not going to arrest me, then what do you want? And why are you here?” She let her hand drop to her side. She seemed to be asking
those questions a lot lately, but no one seemed to care what she wanted.
“I’m trying to answer that question myself.”
He rose slowly and walked toward her. She stood still as he tucked a stray lock of hair into her cap. “What do I want from you, Audrey?”
She held her breath. A tight feeling inside echoed the stroke of his fingertips. The warmth of his hand urged her to step to him. She stayed in place.
“What’s going on, Audrey? You’ve never been this careless before.”
“I’m spending all my time these days dodging you.”
“Yes, but dodging me by yourself. Where’s your sister?”
A streak of alarm shot through her and the urge to bolt manifested itself.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Chalmers.”
He studied her and lightly drew a finger across her cheek. For the second time that night, she felt as if he could seduce her merely with a caress.
“You’ll tell me.”
She closed her eyes, then he was gone. She heard his footfall on the stairs; he made no effort at stealth.
Why had he let her go again? What did he know about her sister? There was no getting rid of Chalmers. He would just keep popping up in unlikely places. She had no choice now but to involve him in her plan. At least if he worked with her, she could somewhat control him.
She looked at the papers stacked where he’d left them on the chair. With reluctance, she walked over, lifted them, and read the top document. They were the papers she sought. She had known it as soon as she’d seen them in his hands.
How had he known she would be here tonight?
What game were they playing?
Chapter 7
Stephen finished writing the note to his superior, explaining the papers he had switched the night before. It had been a near thing. He had arrived only minutes before Audrey, and it had taken all of his acting abilities to maintain a casual air.
His orders were to discover who was behind the changed cargo manifests, schedules, and routes. Who it was that was allowing illegal goods onto the docks. Someone crafty enough to ask the right questions, and someone with the right connections to gain access to the information. It had to be someone in an important position.
That person was using Audrey to gather and change information. Stephen was using Audrey to make sure she gathered the wrong information.
Whoever had hired her wouldn’t know the difference in the switched shipping papers. Stephen had painstakingly changed the information, making sure all of the new information looked valid. In two weeks the villain would be forced to show his face at the docks to inquire about one detail. Or HER face, he amended. He would never again underestimate or overlook women as suspects.
In two weeks this mess would be over—for better or for worse.
“Your Grace, Lady Stinson and Lady Appling are here to see you. I seated them in the parlor.”
Stephen sighed and stood up. “Grimmond, we are alone. Stop calling me ‘Your Grace.’ ”
The butler raised a brow as Stephen walked toward him. “I will bring tea to the parlor, Your Grace.”
Stephen tweaked the butler ‘s coat, skewing it slightly from its impeccable position. “Thank you, Grimmond.”
A martial light appeared in Grimmond’s eye, but the loud rap of a cane in an adjoining room produced a smug expression on his face and seemed to forestall his usual retort.
“Have a good meeting with Lady Stinson, Your Grace,” he said, the smug look still evident.
Stephen sighed again as Grimmond walked from the room in a stately manner. He knew why the two ladies had come. He might as well get it over with.
The ladies were silent as he entered the library. Lady Stinson’s hawkish gaze was piercing, but he gave her his best smile and nodded to Lady Appling.
“How lovely of you two ladies to stop by.”
“Marston, we’re here to talk about matters of importance.” Lady Stinson rapped her cane.
Stephen reined in the grimace over hearing his title. He wondered if he would ever grow accustomed to it.
“And what serious matters would you like to discuss, dear ladies?”
“Your predecessor promised seasons for his three cousins, Meg, Mary, and Margaret. I want to know your intentions.”
Stephen raised a brow. “I have no desire to marry any of my cousins, no matter the distance of the connection.”
Lady Appling pressed in front of Lady Stinson, her lashes fluttering on colorless cheeks. “Well, you’ll have to marry eventually, and you can’t do better than my sweet Margaret.”
Lady Stinson sent her sister a scathing glance and rapped her cane on her left foot, causing Lady Appling to recoil to the c
orner of the settee. “Or my Meg or Mary.” She turned back to Stephen.
“The point is, what are your intentions as to honoring the gentlemen’s agreement between the seventh duke and our families?”
“I will, of course, honor it, Lady Stinson. I see no reason to change the arrangement as long as I don’t have to attend any fittings.”
Lady Stinson looked down her nose, a quite impressive feat as her nose was somewhat prominent. “Your levity in this matter is misplaced, Your Grace. I want to be reassured that the girls will have their promised seasons.”
“They will.”
Some of the tension ebbed from Lady Stinson’s shoulders. “Excellent.
You were always a good sort—should have been sent to us after your parents died. We wouldn’t have shuffled you around the countryside.”
Stephen stiffened but continued to smile.
“Looks like you are finally over your wanderings, though, and may I say I’m glad. Good to see you take the reins and steer the family in the correct direction. Too many poor decisions in this family recently.” She levelled her gaze at him. “I’m expecting you to avoid that path.”
“Your vote of confidence warms my heart, Lady Stinson.”
“Good. We will leave you now, Your Grace. Thank you for receiving us.”
Lady Appling recovered her composure and smiled becomingly as she trailed behind Lady Stinson.
He had seen Lady Stinson’s free hand knotted in her skirt. She hadn’t been sure he would honor the promise. He took no offense; pride was the only thing holding Lady Stinson together. Her husband had lost their wealth at the tables, and Stephen had always admired the lady’s pluck.
Not, he shuddered, that he would want her as a mother-in-law. He had spent a small amount of time in her presence during his “shuffling,” as she called it, although never in her household. Luckily he had ended up with a distant cousin of his father’s, the late Viscount Canfield. The viscount had been a much-needed mentor, and Stephen had become fast friends with his oldest son, Brandon. Running wild with Brandon over the estates had saved his sanity. The memories brought a smile to his face. He needed to pay Brandon a visit soon.