Spies and Secrets 02 - Daring the Duke

by Anne Mallory

  Audrey’s heart quickened from its languid beat. “Would you believe l tumbled down some stairs and hit a fireplace poker?”

  He rolled them on their sides, and continued to stroke her hair, not answering.

  “You had a nightmare the other night.”

  She shook her head and picked at the corner of her pillow. “Sometimes that happens.” She thought of Stephen’s blond hair matted with blood and shuddered.

  “How did you get the scar, Audrey?”

  She sighed and shook her head. “I had a partner once. He ran with Flanagan a long time ago.” It seemed centuries ago. Another world.

  “What happened to him?

  “He was very dashing. Women were always trying to lure him into dark corners. One finally succeeded.” Her mouth tightened. “I arrived just in time to receive a knife in the side before she shot him. Reprisal for a job he had done in St. Giles against a rival. The rival was another pretty face that hated him and sent his doxy to get rid of the competition.

  “l told Johnny never to trust a pretty face. But it’s hard to say that to someone as pretty as Johnny was.”

  “Did you love him?”

  She cocked her head, considering the question.

  “He was like the big brother I never had. He was bigger than life. He had a real talent for acting and pulled off a lot of the larger jobs that involved higher society. Therefore, we worked together a lot. But he started to believe he was invincible.” She l gave him a pointed stare. “Not unlike you.”

  “You think that I believe I’m invincible?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “No, Audrey. I can be hurt as easily as the next man.”

  “Ah, but I don’t believe you, Your Grace. You are one of those people to whom everything comes easily Charmed and charming.” She looked into his eyes. “I hate you for it, you know.”

  “Yes, Audrey, I know.” His voice was soft and l he continued to stroke her back, not breaking eye contact.

  Right before they fell asleep in each other ‘s arms, she had the distinct impression he had just peered into her soul.

  Chapter 20

  Audrey woke to the sweet smell of lilies. She opened her eyes and saw vases of flowers winking at her. Stephen sat on the edge of the bed. “I need to go out. Feel free to use the library or anything else you might find. But don’t go outside.

  Stay out of the gardens even. They are still looking for you.”

  He kissed her and left.

  An hour later she was meandering through the conservatory, poking plants and smelling the flowers, when a servant knocked on the doorframe.

  “Miss, a note arrived for you.”

  She opened the paper. It was from Travers telling her to meet him immediately at the Green Man. The writing was nearly illegible, and it alarmed her. Travers’s usual handwriting was overly neat. She tapped a finger against the edge. Stephen had told her not to leave, but she hadn’t actually agreed to his dictate.

  Twenty minutes later she was dressed as a servant and tiptoeing through the back, carrying a bag of money from her case. She had left her case, hoping to make it back before Stephen and thus avoid any unpleasantness.

  A twinge of guilt assailed her, but she pushed it aside. Her sister was still in danger. Freeing her was still the number one priority.

  Travers wasn’t sitting in his usual spot. Instead he was up near the front, nervously watching the door. The relief on his face was evident when he spotted her.

  “Do you have it?”

  He latched on to her wrist. She tried to free herself, but some sort of terror had given him added strength. “No. I don’t.”

  His grip tightened. “You must get it.”

  “I don’t know if I can do—”

  “I’ll kill her! I’ll do it! Bring me that pocket watch, or I’ll do it!” Travers was shaking violently. No one seemed to be paying attention to his raving. The tavern was mostly empty; only a few lone figures were scattered throughout.

  Travers ran a hand through his hair and she took advantage of his inattention and freed her wrist, scooting a few feet away from him. He seemed to be hanging on by a thread. “What is going on?”

  “He’ll kill us all. But I’ll make sure he kills her first, with you watching.”

  He pointed at her, hysteria driving his actions. He was breathing heavily and gave a mad laugh. “It’s no use.”

  This Travers truly frightened her. “What do you mean? What happened?”

  “He isn’t pleased. Marston has been sniffing around, asking questions, confiding in friends. Too many people know. You didn’t see his eyes.” He nearly whispered. “They were mad. He wanted Marston killed, and Leonard blew the job.”

  Audrey didn’t think Travers had any right to talk about wild eyes and madness at the moment.

  “Who? One of the Hendrix brothers?”

  He reached out and grabbed her wrist again. “No, you fool. The Hendrix brothers are nothing.”

  Fear pulsed through her, leaving her dizzy. Who had he gotten mixed up with? The Hendrix brothers were nothing?

  “Oh, God, Travers. What have you done?”

  He pushed her arm away. “Nothing. Just go get the watch.”

  “Let me ask Marston. He can help you.”

  Travers’s eyes were dead. “No. lf you tell him, your sister dies. He knows where she is. He’ll do it if Marston finds out. He’ll kill us all if Marston finds out.”

  “Let me get Faye. We’ll help you. We’ll leave Marston out of this.”

  “No. He found out about the watch. Nearly killed me when he found out l was using you to get it. Now he wants the watch as insurance. You have to get it for me.”

  Audrey wanted to again ask who he was, but Travers had shut down. She left him slumped in the corner, staring at the table. Shaking, she hailed a hack and headed back to Mayfair.

  Too upset to follow her normal procedures, she never saw the man in the corner who slipped from the tavern.

  She made her way to Flanagan’s. It was a long walk, and she needed to stay alert. Her fragile relationship with Stephen was about to crack. She was going to renege on their agreement and betray him just as she had feared from the start.

  She could tell him … but Travers’s warnings sounded in her head. He hadn’t been faking it—Travers was frightened, and that terrified her. No, she was going to have to do this one last thing and hope that she could somehow make it up to Stephen. Maybe by rotting in prison.

  By the end of the walk she was sweaty, tired, and miserable. She entered Flanagan’s lair without problem, dumped the money bag on his desk, and plopped into a chair.

  Flanagan’s brow rose, but he merely spilled the contents of the bag onto his desk. “Leonard’s fled the country again, but talk is that you killed him.”

  Audrey slouched in the opposite seat. “To be honest, I almost did. He followed me from the city. Said he was under orders to collect your money.”

  Flanagan tested a coin between his teeth and picked up another. “I wouldn’t send minions after you, Hermes. You might be a right pain in the arse, but you’ve always honored a deal.” He pawed through the rest of the coins and notes, then pushed them aside. “Just like I don’t need to test the rest of these or ask for an accounting.”

  “Leonard and three others attacked us last night. I knew then he wasn’t working for you.”

  “Nope. And I don’t believe you killed that solicitor fella neither.”

  Audrey grimaced. “Thank you for that vote of confidence. Am I to take it from your comment that others believe I did?”

  He nodded. “Many believe it.”

  “Well, the Duke of Marston doesn’t. And he can vouch for my whereabouts that night.”

  Flanagan looked speculative. “But will he? You’re going to be on the wrong side of him this l time tomorrow, ain’t ya?”

  She stiffened. “It’s no matter.”

  “Wouldn’t sa
y that. You’re in deep, girl. But there might be some good news for ye.”

  Audrey’s skin tingled. “You located Faye?”

  “Not yet, but the boys are closing in. By the end of the week, I should think.”

  Her shoulders drooped. The end of the week was too late.

  “Go home and get some rest, you look terrible.” He paused. “Or would you rather stay here?” His too-perceptive eyes searched hers.

  “No, I need to take care of some loose ends. But … thanks.” This was new territory for her. Flanagan was a good man, but he had never been overly demonstrative.

  He sat back and studied her. “I’ll be glad to see you sail away, Hermes.”

  “What?” How had he known?

  “Of course, it won’t be the same here in London without you. But you were slipping away. I could see it in your eyes. Why do you think I let you leave Olympus?”

  “I left because I wanted to.”

  “Aye, but I didn’t have to release you. From the outside it wouldn’t look to be in my best interests even.”

  She knew where the conversation was going, where she didn’t want to tread, but it was as if Mesmer sat before her. “Then why did you do it?”

  “You know why. A few more jobs, and you were going to end up like the bird that shot Johnny. Cold inside.”

  “What’s to say I wouldn’t still turn that way?”

  He ran a coin through his fingers. “Only you, Audrey, only you.”

  The last time he had called her Audrey had been when he told her it was no longer her name—that Audrey was dead, and only Hermes remained.

  Audrey had been born again, but a yawning chasm was still before her.

  The bridge that had been tentatively constructed in the last few days with Stephen was about to be broken.

  She put a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Flanagan. I’ll see you again soon.”

  “Expect so, expect so. Happy hunting.” He looked back to his coins with a jerking motion. Emotion clogged her throat. Oh, yes, those long years ago when she had been deposited in the back alley—things could have been so much worse. Maddox had done her a favor, though she’d never tell him so. Audrey turned and walked through the door. No gesture would be welcome. No gesture was needed.

  She looked at the sky, the sun was sinking—it was growing late. Stephen would return to his town house soon, and she needed to get there before he did.

  Retracing her steps through the back of the yard, she breathed a sigh of relief to see the conservatory in darkness. She had made it.

  She stepped toward the door and an arm reached out and grabbed her. .

  Chapter 21

  “Dammit, Audrey,” Stephen was still saying twenty minutes later as she was toweling off from her bath. He had been tight-lipped after seizing her at the door, but he had ordered her a hot bath after fully seeing her.

  If she weren’t still feeling so miserable, she would have kissed him for it.

  “I asked you to remain here, and you left. You know you’re a marked woman with the runners after you.”

  “Stephen, it’s you someone is trying to kill. How dare you accuse me of taking risks when you always put yourself in jeopardy.”

  He seemed oddly intent. “One can’t live a life in fear.”

  “Exactly! That is my point.”

  Something flared in his eyes, and it made her nervous. He got that look when he was about to declare checkmate. “Audrey what do you want?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What do you want from life? What will you do after you find your sister?”

  “I don’t know.” She felt tired. “I suppose I’ll wake up again the next day and go to sleep at night.”

  “And?”

  “And that’s it. I try not to think too far ahead. My motto is to live each day fully because you may not have another to experience.”

  “Sounds like you are afraid to live.”

  Irritation surged within her. “I can read your face and know what you are thinking. But it’s not easy on the streets. People die all the time, Chalmers. It doesn’t pay to stare at the stars and ignore the horse droppings in your path.”

  “If you don’t have dreams, you’re an empty shell.”

  She gripped her towel so hard that her hands hurt. “An empty shell is still a live shell.”

  “It depends on your definition of alive.”

  “Life is betrayal.”

  “Or maybe you betray life.”

  She launched herself at him. He caught her, wrapping his arms around her chest. She made a few primal sounds and struggled to pull free. He spun her around and stroked her hair.

  Agonizing sobs poured forth. He picked her up and carried her to the large armchair against the wall. Sitting down, he cradled her in his lap.

  She gripped the back of his hair as if grabbing a lifeline.

  As if sensing in herself that soothing noises weren’t what she needed, she grabbed his face and kissed him hard. The next few minutes were a flurry of towels, hands, and lips.

  Not bothering to move from the chair or waste energy doing anything that required time away from touching and kissing, they made love like there would be no tomorrow. lt was wild, passionate, and slightly desperate.

  The actions of two people holding on until the end, desperately hoping for more and trying to extend the present.

  It was sad, joyful, exhilarating, and heartbreaking.

  They finally dragged themselves into bed and lay entwined, clinging to each other, not willing to relinquish the night.

  She rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. He stroked her back until her breathing became even. She had told him that she detested him for his charmed life. But the only thing she hated him for was making her fall in love with him.

  Stephen smoothed Audrey’s hair and gazed at her sleeping features. The recurrent question was ever-present. What was he going to do with her?

  He closed his eyes, and soon his breathing was as even as Audrey’s.

  Audrey waited for Stephen to fall asleep. She had feigned sleeping so many times she considered herself a pro. This time she had truly earned the title.

  She looked at his handsome profile, relaxed in sleep. Lord, he was good-looking. And thoughtful. And caring. And stable. He was the most wonderfully grounded man, but with a verve for life that would always keep him from being stuffy. Dear God, why had she fallen in love with this man?

  Audrey slipped from his embrace, regretting more than ever her chosen path. There was no room for a man in her life. And if there ever were room, a woman like her didn’t deserve a perfect man like Stephen.

  She slipped into the closet and gazed at the bureau. Inside was the secret compartment she had never found. The compartment he had opened while she had been undressing for her bath. She bit her lip. That he had trusted her enough to open the compartment while she was even in the same house, no less in the next room over …

  She swallowed and buffered her resolve. Kneeling, she turned a series of knobs, exposing the bounty beneath. It was an ingenious system. The lever was completely invisible until triggered. And the innocuous-looking bureau already contained a very easy-to-find hidden compartment, making the one underneath that much more devilish.

  She opened the box and was startled to see the keepsakes within. Her white satin ribbon from the costume ball was on top. The last time she had seen it, he’d been caressing it with his fingers, a sad pensive expression on his face. A miniature of a smiling blond woman was next to the ribbon. Her features proclaimed her a close relation. His mother no doubt. A heavy signet ring was alongside. His father’s?

  Audrey could scarcely breathe. He had placed her ribbon inside the box with his most private and treasured possessions.

  Remorse clogged her throat as she moved the things aside. She had to think clearly, rationally—like Hermes, master thief. Some documents and items occupied the next layer, and she sh
ifted them as well.

  A dull glint caught her eye. A pocket watch.

  She picked it up and examined the watch that Travers so desperately desired. Opening it she traced a set of initials and what appeared to be a family motto. It had to be a gift from Travers’s father or brother. It looked like a family heirloom, which would explain Travers’s bitterness.

  This was the one item that she knew would buy her sister’s freedom.

  The item that would lead to Audrey’s damnation.

  Audrey reassembled the contents on top, pausing over the ribbon, miniature, and ring. She added a letter she had written earlier and locked everything in place.

  Stephen would know it was she who had taken the watch, but perhaps he wouldn’t check for a day or two. Just enough time for her to save Faye and, she hoped, make amends.

  She dressed in her shirt and trousers, pocketed the watch, and stepped back to the bed. Stephen was sound asleep, breathing deeply.

  The last few days with him had been beautiful and warm, like the summer. Their frenzied passion and the soft, whispered words in the dark had been a glorious autumn. And now the inevitable winter. Barren trees, frost, and cold nights. She had been walking down winter ‘s path for so long. The reprieve with Stephen would forever be locked in her heart, a memory.

  The clogged feeling threatened to overcome her, and she turned away.

  She abandoned her traveling case and slipped through the door, silent tears streaming down her face. Despair and regret mingled. She’d be fine.

  Faye would be saved and could make a new life in America, while Audrey accepted the responsibility for her actions. It was time for her to pay the price.

  She stepped back onto the streets.

  Stephen waited until he knew she had left the house. She moved noiselessly, but something inside him signaled that she had slipped out the front door.

  He wiped a hand across his face and sat upright. She had taken the watch.