by Ava Rose
What had he been thinking, failing to bind the minister’s hands securely enough? Pen began to reach for his own gun, going against his earlier decision to respect hallowed ground.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Mr. Anders warned. “Move again and I will shoot.” His gun was pointed directly at Libby.
“What do you want?” Pen asked him.
“Money, of course. And my freedom.”
“Always money,” Anna rolled her eyes.
Pen begged her with his eyes to be careful. At least, he hoped she could read that message in his quick frown.
“And freedom?” she continued. “If that means so much to you, why did you hold a woman captive?”
“I was paid.”
“Do you not have a conscience?”
“You say that because you have money. You were born to privilege. You don’t know what it feels like to worry about your family starving.”
Anna scoffed. “Now, that is utter humbug. You get paid by the church and you get paid well, too.” The man was an idiot if he thought he could fool Anna into believing his nonsense. Pen figured she probably knew more about the wage system than he did.
The minister’s attention was fully on Anna now. This gave Pen the opportunity to quickly release his revolver and fire. The shot grazed the other man’s hand and catapulted the minister’s gun away, and he sank to the ground with a scream. “You shot me! You shot me!”
Anna raced over and collected up the gun. Libby finally moved, gathering her heavy dress in her hands and walking up to the prone minister. She landed a kick in the middle of his back. “My brother showed you mercy!” Her boot connected again. “Your knuckles are grazed, no worse than a fist fight. I would have truly shot you, right between the eyes!” She let out a string of expletives that would make a sailor gape.
Pen interceded and pulled her to him. “It’s all right, Libby. Let’s go.”
“No, it’s not!” She pushed him away. “They’ve ruined my life! And probably Mary’s, too.” She broke down in tears, then, sobbing as if her heart would break.
He swept her up in his arms and made for the crypt exit. As he passed the minister, he saw Anna moving toward him and paused to see what she would do. She bent over Anders, drew her fisted hand back, and let fly. Pen winced at the force of the punch, even as his thoughts celebrated her action. He certainly would not want to be on the receiving end of a punch like that.
Anna did something strange with another hair clip and relocked the crypt behind them. She joined him as they left the chapel. “The shot hardly even grazed his hand,” she said. “He’ll be all right in there until we can get the police. Won’t he?”
His heart swelled. Even in her anger against a nasty criminal, she was thinking about the wellbeing of others. “He’ll be fine,” he assured her. “I’ll have my man James fetch the police at first light.”
It was over now and Libby was safe, but some potentially lasting damage had been done. There was no denying that.
The fog was thicker than before and the streets were silent and deserted. Hours ago, the desertion in his heart would have mirrored that of these streets. But his heart in this moment was full. His sister was safe and the woman he loved reciprocated his feelings.
It didn’t take long to rouse his man and organize for their carriage to be brought out front. He left James to arrange for the police first thing in the morning, and took it upon himself to drive the women to another establishment for rest. The Lexington Inn was not far from the Five Castles but a far more suitable abode in which to leave the women he cared for. There, he reserved a room for Anna and Libby, and another for himself.
He was loathe to leave the ladies by themselves, but there were matters that needed his attention: William Singer and his thugs needed to be detained until sunrise when the police would come and take them into custody.
He had requested a horse, and was preparing to return to the Five Castles, when a knock sounded on his door. When he opened it, Anna was standing there with two steaming mugs of chocolate.
“I thought you could use one of these.”
Oh, Anna. How thoughtful.
She handed the mug to him and he took a large sip. The chocolate warmed him, but the gesture warmed him even more.
“Libby has had a bath and is resting. She is so very exhausted, poor thing.”
Setting down his mug and then hers on a small table between the chairs by the fireplace, he took her dainty hands in his large ones. “How are you?” His fingers stroked her cheek tenderly. “You’ve hardly had any time to regain your bearing.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “I am glad this is over, Pen. I thought it would never end.”
He had thought so, too. It had been like living a nightmare and at some point, he’d been convinced they would never see Libby alive again. He pulled Anna into his arms. She had been brave throughout. “Your courage is unlike any I’ve seen, Anna.”
“Any woman, you mean?”
“No. Any person.”
He felt her relax completely against him and he held her for a long moment before pulling away with great reluctance. “I have to leave now,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her softly on the cheek.
“You’ve not finished your chocolate.”
He chuckled, then raised the mug to his lips and drank it all in one long draft. “Happy?”
She nodded with a smile. “Be careful.”
Pen pulled her close once again and pressed his lips to her forehead. “I will.”
Libby was sitting up in bed hugging her knees to her chest when Anna returned to their room. She seemed lost, just staring into space. The sight was disturbing. Anna climbed onto the bed and sat beside her friend with her legs folded beneath her.
“Libby,” she said, carefully touching her shoulder.
Her friend did not move. She continued to stare ahead unblinkingly.
Anna shook her slightly, and Libby finally released a sigh. “Anna, I caused this.”
Her heart felt leaden at the words. She didn’t want Libby blaming herself. How could this possibly have been her fault? She’d fallen victim to a diabolical scheme that had almost cost her her life. It was most definitely not her fault.
“You didn’t cause this, Libby.”
“What led you to find me?” She still had not looked at Anna.
“I went through your journal and found some of your letters.”
Libby did turn to look at her then, her hazel eyes flat and hard. Anna suspected the loathing she read there was directed at herself rather than Anna. “Then you must know of Sir Anthony.”
Anna gave a small nod.
“I had never met him prior to the incident. I first received his letter several months ago. He wrote that he saw me at one of the balls we’d attended but never got the chance to be introduced. I felt a sense of adventure in corresponding with a man I’d never met; it was intriguing.” She paused and heaved a sigh of distress. Anna ran her palm up and down her friend’s back in a soothing motion. That seemed to provide some comfort and eventually Libby continued. “He created an image of the perfect man; an advocate for equality, intellectual, well-traveled. We had very similar interests and I could not help but be enchanted by his words.” She fell silent for a moment. “He wanted to meet with me and his last letter was an invitation to meet him in Cambridge. At first, I was incredibly happy and even penned down the location and date, but after some time and a bit more thinking, I felt something was wrong with his invitation. Why would a gentleman ask a lady to meet with him for the first time outside of town and in such secret circumstances? It didn’t make sense. It was not proper. I responded, declining his invitation. I had thought to invite him to the house instead, but decided against that, too.”
“Your response caused him to kidnap you,” Anna whispered, horrified at what had been done.
“He thought he could lure me. Anna, what hurts the most is that I almost fell for his lies.” Her voice was bitter with resentment.
“When I went up to change my dress, I saw a light in the garden from the window in my room. It seemed unusual because the light kept flashing continuously. I opened the window to see better, but in the end decided to go and check it out in person. Instead of going through the sunroom, I went toward the servants’ entrance and that was where someone got me. They put a damp cloth to my nose and that’s the last thing I remember until I woke up in a room and I was tied to a chair. He said that I would have to marry him and if I refused, he would hurt my family. Especially my little sister.”
Anna rather thought it would be better if Libby stopped talking and rested, at least until the police interviewed her on the morrow. This recollection was clearly very difficult. “Libby, if talking about this is too hard—”
“No, Anna. I want to talk about it. It helps.” She smiled a little then, and Anna was moved by the sight. Libby may have gone through a lot of suffering in the last couple of days but her spirit was still unbroken. For that, Anna was truly grateful. “It was a nightmare but it is over now. Right?”
“Yes,” Anna confirmed. “Yes, it is.”
Libby then stretched out and rested her head on Anna’s shoulder. “He said he had men ready to take Mary if I did not cooperate. I believed him because of that incident with the maid in my room. You remember that, don’t you?”
Anna had forgotten about it, until now. About four months ago, Libby caught a maid going through her things. Although nothing had been found missing, the girl, Maria, had refused to disclose what she had been looking for. Naturally, she had been dismissed with an investigation carried out that had yielded nothing.
“I do now. Do you recall that new footman, Van Daal? We found that he’d been paid to watch you the night of the soiree and for some time prior.”
Libby raised her head to stare at Anna. “I knew something was not right with him. I felt his eyes on me throughout that evening.” She shook her head. “You can’t trust anyone these days.”
“The driver who transported you here said that you were drunk.”
“I sat tied up in that chair for a long time. Or, it felt like it, anyway. He gave me a drink. I had hoped for water but accepted the brandy thinking it would help with my nerves. He must have put something more in it because I don’t really remember the journey to this place. Not a piece of it.” She lowered her head back onto Anna’s shoulder as she continued to relate the event. “I regained some of my sensibility in the chapel when he forced me to sign the marriage papers and the register. I did that for Mary.”
“You thought you were saving her. You were trying to do the right thing. I would have done the same.” She nudged her friend. “Libby, I would have done that if I thought you were in danger.”
Her friend’s eyes pooled and her chin quivered. “You came out here for me.”
Anna wrapped her arms about Libby’s shoulders. “Of course. And I would do it all over again.”
They shared a quiet moment before Libby continued. “He gave me a document to sign. It would confirm that I married him willingly and of my own volition, which will immediately transfer all of my possessions and inheritance to him. I refused. He threatened me again, but I couldn’t do it. Call it a delusion, but I felt that you and Pen were coming for me. It gave me the strength to resist. He put the damp cloth over my nose again and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was in the crypt, tied to a chair, yet again.”
“I am glad you didn’t sign the paper.”
“So am I.”
“Do you know where this scoundrel is?”
“He never came back. I haven’t seen him since he put me in the crypt.”
There was no indication that she knew a kill order had been placed on her head. That was a good thing and Anna preferred to keep it that way.
“I am sorry about your dress,” Libby said after a long moment.
“A dress is nothing in the scheme of things,” Anna answered in a light tone. “Besides, your brother already bought me another one.”
Libby smiled and said slowly, “Did he now?”
Finally the calm of the night began to envelop them both and Anna lay down beside Libby. It would be good to get some rest at last. She was on the verge of sleep when she heard slow footsteps approaching their door. The hairs on the back of her neck instantly stood on end. Those weren’t Pen’s footsteps. His were sure and determined. These were slow and stalking.
Her body went rigid with fear, but she reached deep within herself to pull forth the will to not let fear take control.
Reaching under her pillow, she pulled out the Colt she’d placed there earlier and sat up, careful not to let the bed creak. Libby stared at Anna, the terror in her eyes a reflection of what Anna felt on the inside. She pressed a finger to her lips telling Libby to be quiet as she lowered her feet to the floor.
She padded across the room and stood about two feet from the door, her gun aimed directly at its center. Libby moved near, the fireplace poker raised in one hand. Whatever devil was on the other side of the door, they would face and defeat it, together.
The footsteps stopped right in front of the door. The air thickened with an amalgam of dread and resolute expectancy as the moment drew out. Every slow second that ticked by constricted Anna’s nerves. Her hand tightened around the Colt and her thumb twitched in readiness.
Something white slipped into the room from underneath the door. A paper. And the footsteps began to retreat. Anna looked to an equally disoriented Libby and they waited until they could not hear anything before diving down to retrieve the paper. Libby got to it first, and Anna moved to her side to read what was on it. A single sentence written in ink: I am not finished with you!
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
In the search for his sister, Pen and Anna had inadvertently uncovered a crime that, though still in its infancy, greatly threatened the genteel ladies of Boston. These women were born into fortune, making them easy prey for the hard-hearted.
When Pen returned to the Five Castles, the first person he sought was James. He had some thought of gathering up their prisoners in the storeroom and moving them over to the church crypt, but when they returned to the bar, he was dismayed to discover the door open and their prisoners gone.
They went back to the front hall to find the innkeeper, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a new man standing behind the desk. His name plate said Julius Crispin.
“I am looking for Mr. Baker,” Pen said to the man.
“He has retired for the night, sir. I am on duty now. Can I help you?”
Pen was not in the mood for politeness. “Get him for me.”
Julius frowned. “But, sir—”
“I said. Get. Him. For. Me.” A threat punctuated each of his words and the man scurried away.
After a long wait, he returned. “Mr. Baker is not in his chambers, sir.”
Pen looked at him long and hard, subjecting him to intimidation to determine his veracity.
“I swear it. He was not there.” The man cowered.
“Do you know William Singer or Vincent Day?”
Julius gulped and nodded, his brows creasing into a frown.
“Have you seen them?”
“I only commenced my shift two hours ago. I have not seen either of them in that time.”
Pen inclined his head. “Why do you look nervous then?”
“Those men make me nervous. They are rough. I don’t know why Mr. Baker is working with them.”
This did not bode well. Either the innkeeper and the thugs had run away or they were out enacting their plan to collect other ladies on their list. Pen thought fast. “Where is Alexander Hoffman staying?”
The man blinked in confusion.
“Alexander Hoffman is a guest here. Which is his room?”
; “Oh! Let me check.” He consulted the register, his fingers moving down the names before settling on one. “There! He is on the fourth level. I can take you.” He began to move around the counter.
Pen held up a hand to stop him. “I need you to stay here, and send word to me immediately if you see any of the men I am looking for.”
“Right away, sir.”
Pen headed for the stairs with James close behind. He paused at the foot of the stairs and turned.
“James, I need you to find someone for me,” he said in a low voice. “A maid in this establishment by the name of Marguerite.”
James nodded carefully and said, “I know her. I met her earlier.”
“Good.” He clapped him on the back. “Go find her. Once you do, take her to the Lexington Inn, to Lady Anna.”
With that, he took the stairs two at a time to Alexander’s room. He was acquainted with the man; even had one or two business dealings with him. There would be no need for introductions. He reached the room and began to knock. Not too loudly, but enough to wake the person sleeping within unless they slept like the dead.
Pen hoped he did not sleep like the dead: there were five ladies in his care.
The door opened and Hoffman stood before him barefoot and in his nightshirt, rubbing his eyes and squinting up at Pen. It took a moment for him to register who it was.
“Armstrong-Leeds? What the devil?” He was clearly surprised.
“We don’t have much time, Hoffman. Where are the ladies in your care?”
He pointed toward a door down the hall. “Two are there.” Then he pointed at the door next to it. “And three in there.”
“I need you to not panic. I received word of an abduction plan and some of those ladies are the target.”
“Good Lord!” Hoffman’s eyes widened and he stepped out of the room into the hallway. “My sister…And Sophia…” Moving to the door on the left, he began to pound on the wood. It opened on the fourth knock and a red head poked out.
“Thank God, Rowena! Where is Martha?”