She tried to tell herself that she wasn’t his lover. She may have been in the past, but Ewan was loyal to Muriel. Her shock last night had turned her mind, but it was on straight now. Once they were able to speak, things would be better.
When she was across the street from the storage area she stopped and surveyed the street. There were men roaming about, many of them carrying sacks of things on their shoulders, or pushing carts. Not a one of them paid her any mind, so she didn’t think they worked for Seeps. That didn’t mean a few of his men weren’t hiding in doorways, looking out for anyone who tried to break into the storage area.
A thought occurred to her as she stared at the building. The cats. She’d been so preoccupied with the strange man in the house, with leaving, that she hadn’t thought to look for the cats in the house. Were they still there, or had Seeps and his men found them before they’d taken Ewan away?
She wished she’d thought about it before she’d left the house, but she had other things on her mind at the time. And she had other things on her mind right now, too. She needed to get inside that building without being seen. How would she do that?
First things first, she said to herself. She needed to take a turn up and down the street to see if she attracted any attention. Right now, she wished she still had her hat. It would hide her face from those on the street.
“You’re wasting time,” she mumbled to herself as she started toward the storage area. There were many buildings around it, where she figured men worked, the men who were staring at her as she walked toward the building. Something told her she was the only female in the area. Yet, she didn’t feel threatened. She was just an object of oddity for them.
She stopped in front of the building and put her hand on the knob.
“He’s not there,” a voice behind her said.
Muriel wheeled around to find a man, in clothes that looked like they hadn’t been laundered in two weeks, staring at her. He was smiling, which made her feel better.
“Mr. Seeps?” she asked.
“Don’t know his name, just that he’s a block from the university,” the man said. “Paid us to move boxes in there some time ago. Haven’t seen him since yesterday.”
“Was he alone?” she asked.
The man cocked his head at her. “You his doxie? He’s never had a woman with him before, so if you’s meeting him here to get away from his wife, you’re safe.” He winked, and Muriel felt herself blush. But then she saw an opportunity.
“He told me to meet him here,” she said. “He told me there were things inside the building he wanted me to see. The door’s locked, though, so I suppose I’ll just wait here on the street.”
“Now, that won’t do,” the man said. He winked at her again. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring.
“He gave this to me so I could work moving things in while he was in school,” her savior said. “I just never gave it back to him.” He unlocked the door, and then put the ring back in his pocket. “You go wait for your man.”
More like look for my man, Muriel said to herself.
“Thank you very much,” she said. She prayed this man wasn’t one of Seeps’ thugs, blindly leading her into the building so she could be trapped. Something told her he wasn’t, but you could never be too cautious.
She went inside, but before the door could close he followed her in. She watched as he took up a lamp and lit the wick. He handed it to her and then went back out. When he was gone she threw the bolt on the door. She was pretty sure she heard laughter from the other side. Was he laughing because she was trapped here, waiting for Seeps’ men to come back and hurt her?
Muriel lifted the lamp and surveyed the room. She didn’t see any cats, but she did see boxes and the sarcophaguses and statues she’d seen the other evening. In other words, it all seemed the same, which gave her little hope that Ewan was here.
“Don’t be so negative,” she said to herself. “It’s not like they’d leave a banner that said, look here. Unless Ewan put up a fight, things would be exactly the same.”
She moved into the center of the room.
“Ewan?” she said, keeping her voice soft. It had worked the other evening when she was looking for Seeps. So maybe it would work now.
“Ewan, are you here?” No words. No sounds. No thuds. “Damnation, Ewan, where are you?”
“What have I told you about your language?” His voice sounded muffled, and far away.
She wheeled around and saw an empty space.
“Where are you?”
“Downstairs,” he said. “The stairs are behind the largest statue in the back. But there is a door at the bottom of the stairs, and it’s locked.”
“Damnation!” Muriel said.
“You’re winding yourself up for a really good spanking when this is all said and done,” Ewan said. “Now, look around to see if you can find a key. Try the wall near the stairs. And hurry, there’s no telling when Seeps will be back.”
Muriel searched, and searched, and she found nothing. Then she thought about her friend outside. Surely when he’d moved statues and boxes he’d moved them downstairs, too. How would he react if she asked about the key?
She didn’t have time to wonder how he would react. She hurried to the door and threw the bolt. He stood not far away, smoking.
“Do you have a key for the basement?” she asked.
“The same key,” he said as he reached into his pocket. He handed her the ring. “Bring it back when you’re done.”
Muriel was somewhat surprised that he didn’t question her need to go to the basement. She hurried to the door and fitted the key. It turned easily and Ewan stepped into view.
“I knew you’d find me,” he said.
“This was the only place to look,” she said. “Well, that or the university. Too many people there right now.”
“We need to get out of here,” Ewan said, just as noise sounded behind them. He pulled her inside and slammed the door shut, locking it behind them.
“He’ll have a key,” she said.
“True, but the locked door will give us time to figure out an escape plan,” he said. Then he added, after a pause, “I hope so, anyway.”
Chapter 14
“Speaking of a key, how did you get it?” Ewan asked her.
Muriel told him about the man on the street and he shook his head. “Big guy, wearing overalls?”
A sick feeling filled her stomach and she nodded.
“Yeah, he carried me down here,” Ewan said.
“How stupid I was,” Muriel said.
“Don’t fret love, we do have the key, as you said. Of course, I’m sure he’s waiting upstairs to keep us down here.”
Muriel held up the lamp.
“And there is that, too,” Ewan said. “They left me in the dark. Perhaps we can explore and find another way out.”
He took the lamp from her and held it high. The illuminated space made Muriel gasp.
“What is this place?”
“As far as I can tell, or from what I saw while I was talking to Seeps, it’s a reproduction of an Egyptian temple,” Ewan said. “They hold rituals down here.”
Shivers racked her body and she pressed her back against the door. “Black magic?”
“Not necessarily,” Ewan said. “If I understood right it’s a sexual ritual, done to promote fertility and, well, having a good time.”
There was a large stone table in the middle. On either side were statues, not of the cat but of a naked man, holding an erect phallus. The walls were filled with paintings of people in various sexual positions, and there were candles placed at various points around the room.
“If what Seeps told me is to be believed, they come down here not for an orgy, but to watch a couple have sex on the altar. They say spells over them while they are copulating. Something tells me this is a thing of their own making.”
“I’m sure our friend upstairs has sent someone to notify Seeps that you are here,” Ew
an said. “We need to try and get through a few of the doors over there and see if we can get out.”
“Seeps thinks I’m on my way to London,” she said.
Ewan turned to her. “Why do you say that?”
She told him about her morning visitor, and how he’d put her on a train, and how she’d escaped him.
When she was done speaking he gathered her in his arms and kissed her. She melted into him, savoring the feel of his arms and lips. How could she have thought he would lie to her?
When he broke the kiss, he held her face in between his hands and kissed the tip of her nose. “Stay in the center of the room and listen while I try doors. There’s no telling when they will come back and whom they will be.”
Muriel moved to the altar and stood in the center. She watched as Ewan tried the key in each of the locks. As he worked he talked.
“Seeps and Brown were partners,” he said. “They had quite a lucrative business, from what I understand, until Seeps decided he wanted to keep all the money. I’m not sure why Brown didn’t just kill him, except for the fact that Seeps produced all the scrolls they sold to people.”
He was on this third door now. He walked inside, looked around and came back out. “Like all the rest, it contains a statue and a stone altar.”
“Seems to me it would be uncomfortable to have sex on there,” Muriel said.
Ewan shrugged. “I would think the participants’ level of excitement would be high, so they might not care.”
“You’re probably right,” she said.
He was in front of another door now, this one close to the back of the room, toward what she thought would be the outside of the building.
“What do we do when we get out?” she asked. “You’ll notice I said when, not if.”
“I appreciate your confidence, my love,” he said. “There is only one thing I think we can do, and that is go to Mr. North and confess all. I can only hope he isn’t in league with Seeps.”
She took the opportunity to tell him about Mr. Doors. “I think we have about an hour left before he goes to Mr. North.”
“Excellent,” he said. “You’re very smart, my love. You think of everything.”
“I try,” she said, sheepishly.
Ewan pulled, then pushed, then pulled again on the door. “This one doesn’t seem to want to open.”
She watched as he continued to wrestle with it. Finally, there was a loud groan and the door opened. A horrid smell filled the room, along with, blessedly, sunlight.
“It’s a stairwell leading upstairs,” he said. “But I hate to guess what we have to walk through to get to the top.”
“I don’t care,” Muriel said. “Let’s go before they come back.”
After the first step, Muriel wasn’t sure she didn’t care. Her foot sunk into muck, a mixture of what she didn’t know, but the rank smell made her gag. There was no telling how long things had built up in this unused space.
By the time they were at the top of the stairs, Muriel felt as if she would vomit. “I need to change my clothes before I lose the scones I ate earlier.”
“Where are your clothes?” he asked.
“On the train to London without me,” she said. “I can’t spend the day in these.”
“And I can’t do the same with mine,” he said. “But we need to get out of here before they figure out we’ve escaped. There’s a few shops near university where we can purchase a few ready-made items. We need to meet your friend Mr. Doors before he goes to Mr. North.”
“His wife’s sister has a teashop,” she said. “Perhaps we can sit there and make a plan.”
They started to walk, and after a few blocks the smell seemed to dissipate. “We’ll go toward the teashop and make a plan,” he said. “Perhaps we can get your friend Mr. Doors to go and buy us some clothes so we don’t have to go into town. Where were you supposed to meet him?”
She told him the place. “I don’t think there’s much more than thirty minutes until he’s supposed to go for Mr. North.”
They went as quickly as possible, and when they neared the place where she’d exited the cab, Muriel saw Mr. Doors waiting. He pulled a watch out of his pocket and examined it. When he looked up and saw her, he smiled. As she came closer he wrinkled his nose.
“I had to rescue my friend,” she said.
Mr. Doors nodded. “You’ll need some new clothes. What do you need? A dress, trousers and shoes for you both?”
“Yes,” Ewan said. He held out his hand and introduced himself. Then, Muriel watched as he pulled his money clip from his pocket. He handed Mr. Doors several bills. He made a plan to buy clothes, and then ask Mr. North to meet them there that afternoon around four.
“That will give us a little time to come up with a plan,” Ewan said.
“A plan for what?” Muriel asked. “We have to get the scroll back from Seeps and give it to Brown, or else we’ll have to move to America to escape Brown’s wrath. Then, if we take it from Seeps, he’ll come after us. We’re caught in the middle.”
“Yes, we are,” Ewan said. “Which means we need to think fast, and think smart. Let’s go to the teashop and see what we can come up with.”
By the time they got to the shop, Mr. Doors was waiting for them. Mrs. Keats provided them with a private spot and some warm water, soap and a cloth. After they were cleaned up they sat at the table with Mr. North and Mr. Doors, enjoying excellent tea and scones.
“I can appreciate your predicament, but, as Miss Robertson said, they haven’t done anything illegal, so I’m afraid the authorities, including myself, cannot help,” North said.
“They’re confidence men,” Ewan said. “They’re selling people fraudulent scrolls.”
“Unless those people come forward there is nothing we can do,” North said. “I admit that Seeps’ involvement in the scheme constitutes a break in the university’s morality clause, and I could possibly get him dismissed.”
“That won’t do us any good,” Ewan said. “In fact, it might make matters worse.”
“Then I’m not sure what you want me to do,” North said.
“Right now, I don’t either,” Ewan said. “I need time to think. We need to be somewhere where they won’t find us.”
“I’m sure we can get you a few rooms at the inn,” North said
“Too easy for them to find us,” Ewan said.
Muriel felt the world drop out from under them. They were indeed in the middle of a very bad situation. She had already told Mr. Doors that they were not married, so she could not expect him, or any of his family members, to offer them a room together.
North smiled, and to Muriel it looked like he’d just come up with a plan.
“There is one place I can think of that Seeps wouldn’t look for you,” he said.
“Where is that?” Ewan asked.
“The third floor,” he said. “We could put cushions, blankets and pillows up there. All his things are back down in his office now, and there is no reason for him to look up there.”
It was an unexpected gift, and Muriel looked to Ewan, who nodded at her.
“I have to admit I am reluctant to leave you there together since you are not married,” North said. “I will ask one of the porters to stay.”
“So, I’m alone with two men?” Muriel asked. “No thank you. I am comfortable with Ewan, whom I will marry, as you know.”
North opened his mouth, but Ewan held up his finger. “If that is what you are worried about, let us find a church where we can marry now. Surely a priest would be willing to perform the rites in order to protect Muriel’s reputation.”
“I don’t need protecting!” Muriel could feel the heat in her cheeks.
“Muriel, it’s the way of the world,” Ewan said. “Are you opposed to marrying me now?”
“Shouldn’t we be worried about finding a way out of situation?” she asked.
“This is part of it,” Ewan said. “Gentlemen, if you will give me a moment to talk with Muriel, p
lease.”
North and Doors left, and Ewan leaned closer to Muriel. “Are you still angry with me about Janice?”
“So, that’s her name,” Muriel said. “I have to admit, I’m not quite over the hurt.”
She could see the dismay on Ewan’s face. “Does that mean you won’t marry me when this is over? Have I permanently damaged your love for me?”
As an answer, she leaned over and kissed him. “No, you have not, but it did hurt.”
“And I promise I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you,” he said. “Please, Muriel, I love you. I’m sorry for what happened. Marry me today. Let me show you that you are the only woman in my life, and I care nothing for Janice.”
His words warmed her heart, and she nodded. “What about everyone back in London, who is expecting a rather large wedding in a few months’ time?”
“Then we’ll do it again, and I’ll spend every last quid I have on it,” he said.
“I’d rather you spent it on our new home,” she said.
“Then I will.” He kissed her, a gentle one that still made her toes curl. “You stay here. I’m going to take care of a special license, which I will say is necessary because I have already compromised you, and then I’m going to send a message to Brown, and to Janice. I think I might have an idea that could allow us to slip away from the problems facing us.”
“What is the idea?” she asked.
“Later, after we’re married, I’ll tell everyone. Right now, first things first. You stay here and I’ll take care of everything.”
“Something tells me you will,” she said.
Four hours later, Muriel stared at the simple gold band on the ring finger of her left hand. The priest who had married them had given her a look that said he knew she was a fallen woman, but it was a good thing she had a man to bring her out from the gutter.
They were back at the teashop now, sitting with North, Doors and his wife, and his sister-in-law, Mrs. Keats. She had prepared a wonderful cream tea to celebrate their nuptials, which they had all enjoyed.
Muriel’s Adventures Page 17