George nodded, a ghost of a smile cracking his normally tough demeanor. “Yes, my lord.” He gave a half bow while Howard bent double at the waist.
Once they’d moved out of earshot, Clarence spoke with Lamberth. “There is someone pretending to be me, or rather, The Dark Duke, whom I believe has Lillian and Janice. At least, it defies coincidence to think that two other women abducted are being held by someone calling themselves after my moniker who aren’t them.”
“Agreed.”
“They have already killed others. Whoever this is, has no scruples, obviously, and is probably the person I’ve suspected of controlling Jarvis. I am giving the peelers the information I have, then leaving with the boy. You may come or stay with the peelers.”
Lamberth drew himself up to his full height and squared his shoulders. “I will be coming with you. I brought my old pistol with me.”
Clarence nodded his approval, not surprised by his choice, now that he’d come to know him. The peelers arrived then. Lamberth removed himself to the carriage, and Clarence took them back to his study and handed over the bow runner information he’d gathered and explained the situation.
“My lord, you should allow us to take care of it,” the sergeant said.
“You cannot get there in time. Take this information and prepare a case. Find out who it is in case they are not at the same place as the captives. Whomever it is has already committed murder, and they are pretending to be me.”
The sergeant gasped. “We will get to the bottom of this, Your Grace. You can be sure of it.” The man’s head bobbed in affirmation, his dark locks falling forward.
“If you’ll excuse me, I must be going.” He left and joined the others in the carriage.
Moving at a clipped pace, he gritted his teeth. Unlike last time, he had nothing to distract himself or the others with. All his concentration lay in getting to Lillian on time. He’d nearly left before the peelers arrived, but he didn’t know who to trust to give it to them in his stead. For all he knew, there was a spy in his household. But every second cost him.
He stared out the window at the gray day. Rain started about the same time that houses became sparser. The carriage slowed as it slogged through mud, and he despaired of rescuing her. He had no idea how long they’d hold her, what they wanted her for. Jarvis’ motives were easy, but what about the person behind it, who impersonated him?
Then they turned down a lengthy driveway. Clarence came to attention, gripping his weapon under his cloak. Lamberth’s cloak was a somber brown. As he stared at it, he made a sudden decision. “Take off your cloak,” he said.
“What?”
“In the wars, did you have one?”
“No it hindered…” Lamberth shook his head. “I am definitely aging. You’re quite right, Your Grace.”
By the time they lumbered to a stop, both of them had folded their cloaks up and had their weapons ready. They alighted without the aid of footmen, and Howard met them. “I brought us around back, sir. They would take us for delivery if they just heard the horses.”
“Good thinking.” They followed him into the kitchens.
The cook gasped then stifled a scream when she recognized Howard. “Is this he, then?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s the real Dark Duke. He’s come to save us all.”
Howard’s praise made him a little uncomfortable, and he hoped he could live up to it. “I will try. I’ve notified the peelers and had a rider following us so they could report back as to our location. Where are the ladies?”
Howard went to the kitchen in the doorway leading into the main house and peeked around the corner.
“Grandfather is coming. He can take you. He’s been giving them water.”
“I sent bread up for the poor dears,” the cook interjected.
An elderly man came in, still carrying the bread. “The Dark Duke is in there with them. I couldn’t get to them. The voice said—” His own voice cracked. “That they were going to be killed. I can’t…”
Clarence strode over to him, ignoring the twinges of pain on his side. “Take me to them. I am the Duke of Canterbury. Whomever has been saying they are The Dark Duke has been lying to you.” Anger ran through him again at the reminder of what the imposter had been doing while claiming to be him.
The man’s bushy eyebrows went high up his forehead. “Saints be praised. Come with me. Hurry.”
For an elderly man, he moved quickly. Clarence pushed to keep up with him. Up some winding stairs, it took him a second to realize they traveled the servant’s way. Lamberth kept pace right behind him.
“First door on the left,” the old man said. “You can hear them talking.”
Clarence nodded and motioned to Lamberth to drop across the hall while he snuck up to the side of the doorway. He prepared to peek in when he heard a blood curdling scream. Giving up all pretense at stealth, he ran in, holding his pistol up.
A figure in all black hunched over a torture table. When he ran in, the figure stepped back.
“Clarence!” Lillian screamed.
His knees nearly buckled in relief to know she still lived, but he kept his concentration on the imposter.
“It’s your cousin. She’s the imposter.”
Clarence stood immobile for a moment, staring from Lillian back to the person standing there.
Lamberth exclaimed, “What?”
“It’s Lady Amber,” Lillian supplied.
Lady Amber reached up and pulled off the hat and mask, shaking her head to release her hair. The mass of thick auburn hair flowed down, and she smiled brightly at them. “It is I,” she said proudly. “Originally, I’d thought to watch you suffer as you found your beloved’s body then arrange an accident. But it will be so much more satisfying to have you watch me kill her, to have to see the blood leave her body and know you can do nothing about it.”
Clarence held the pistol up. “No, I don’t think I will.”
She laughed and tossed her hair. “You don’t have a choice. The servants are too afraid of me to interfere. Besides, you won’t shoot a lady. It’s against your bloody code of honor,” she said mockingly.
“I do not see a lady, but a criminal. If you were half the lady your mother was, you’d understand what being a lady actually meant. You’d understand that code of honor.”
His cousin’s face screwed up into a fierce scowl. “You know nothing,” she screeched at him. “My mother kept me from being my true self. She tried to control me and father. She was a bitch.”
He’d never understood why his aunt took her away and hid, but he began to get a clue. Her daughter showed signs of needing Bedlam.
“Your mother was a lady who didn’t deserve to be beat. Any man who resorts to that isn’t a true man. You protect your women and children.”
“Men of honor do not beat their wives. Only those who are weak,” Lamberth added.
“You know nothing of my father. Don’t talk about him. Don’t either of you talk about him. You are not worthy to wash his clothes.”
“Why? You don’t like what you’re hearing?” Instinct told him to keep her off balance, but more, he wanted her attention on them and not the women. Seeing Lillian tied up like that, hurt, grabbed his heart and made him feel helpless and furious.
“You are nothing,” Amber seethed. “Nothing. You ruined my life.”
He blinked, the shock distracting him from his anger. “Me? How?”
“You told. You’re the one who said father was hurting my bitch of a mother. He was only trying to show me how to behave properly. You never let the weak rule you. Then you had to go and take away his money. You had no right.”
“I was ten, Amber.” Bloody hell, was all this from something he’d done as a child?
“My father loved me. He paid attention to me. Gave me hugs. Mother always just told me I was bad for wanting to hurt the kitties. Father praised me. He showed me how to do it right.”
Clarence was dumbstruck and sickened. He remembered the dead
barn cats strewn across the stables, the horrific scene had given him nightmares for weeks. He could barely countenance what he was hearing and wanted to throw up his earlier meal. That he was related to her… All at once, he had an inkling how Lamberth must have felt when he realized that Jarvis had kidnapped his own niece.
“You killed poor defenseless kittens?” Janice said. “No wonder you and Jarvis do so well together.”
Though Janice’s words were aimed at Amber, she stared at him, signaling with her eyes. He jerked his head to look behind him in time to see Jarvis raise his pistol to Lamberth. Clarence shoved the earl to the side, and the shot went wide, hitting Amber who’d come at him with her own pistol she must have been hiding while they spoke.
“Clarence!” Lillian cried out.
Amber fell into him, her pistol clattering to the floor. His hands became tangled, and he couldn’t get righted to take a shot at Jarvis who had a long dagger out now and stalked Lamberth. He shoved Amber off him and started to raise his arm, but he would have been too late.
Horrified, he tried to stand between Lillian and her father. It was all he could do, protect her from seeing it while he lunged toward Jarvis. Before he could do it, though, a heavy basin broke over Jarvis’ head.
Clarence stared at a point behind Jarvis and saw the elderly man. He’d saved them. He ran to Lillian and took her out of the restraints while Lucas moved toward Janice, and Lamberth crawled over to Amber and took the pistol.
He pulled Lillian onto his lap and held her head to his chest. She sobbed against him, and he thought his heart would burst with the pain she’d suffered. “God, Lillian, I am so sorry. Beloved, don’t cry. God.” He rocked her back and forth. That this strong woman had been brought to such soul wrenching sobs because of him broke him like nothing else he’d ever experienced.
Lamberth found some rope and tied up Jarvis. Clarence sent him a questioning look, silently indicating Amber. The earl shook his head, and he knew relief. Dead, she couldn’t hurt anyone.
“Take her and Janice home,” Lamberth said. “Take the man who saved us in your carriage as well. I’ll wait here for the peelers. I’d appreciate it if you’d give someone directions to have my carriage brought out here.”
Lamberth’s tone held something new which Clarence was too upset to decipher right then. He just wanted to take Lillian home and have a doctor look her over. “I will,” he responded, then helped Lillian to her feet. The elderly gentleman helped Janice, though he worried for a moment.
He stopped at the doorway and stared down at Amber. She’d caused a lot of damage. And, if he was right, was the one behind Jarvis he’d not been able to track and caused the huge shipping losses. What else was she responsible for?
Chapter Seventeen
Jarvis awoke to his brother standing over him, pistol at the ready. The back of his head throbbing painfully, he held it while pulling himself to an upright position against the wall. The blasted servant would pay for that. His bloody brother would as well.
“Shoot me then,” he said in a bluff. He knew his brother—too weak to shoot family.
“I am waiting for the peelers. They will take you to goal.”
Jarvis laughed and pulled one knee up to support his arm. The laugh made the pain in his head worse, but he ignored it. “Will they, dear brother? I am the Baron of Chatham, brother to the Earl of Lamberth, uncle to the Countess of York, favored of the queen for her service to the queen’s father.” He sneered. “I will be released on my own recognizance, and the charges dropped. Or, if there is a bobby anxious to have one over a lord of the realm, I will stay but a few days, in comparative luxury, while Polite Society tears you and your family apart. I will sell my story to the penny dreadfuls, how my own brother threatened to kill me when all I was doing was attempting to save myself from The Dark Duke’s clutches while rescuing my niece.”
The hesitation in Robert’s eyes had him sneering, but he kept a straight face. God, Robert was weak. Jarvis should have inherited the title, not this sniveling man who was all about King and Country to the point of idiocy.
“You…were trying to help?”
Jarvis nearly rolled his eyes, but only dropped his head in pretend sorrow. “Yes. My poor niece in the clutches of that ruffian? I couldn’t let it go. My servants told me they heard a rumor. I was here to check if it was true before coming to tell you.”
“Lady Amber said you tied her up…”
“You mean the cousin of The Dark Duke, the one who has been trying to ruin me for God knows how long? That Lady Amber? I am hurt that you would take her word over mine, brother. I came because I thought that Canterbury had finally found his best way to revenge me through my family.”
He dared a peek up to see his brother’s reaction. Sure enough, the pistol was starting to lower. He glanced over toward the torture racks, and then saw the black figure on the floor. “Is…is he dead?” He started to move, but Robert clicked back the hammer.
“Yes, the person on the floor is dead. Who do you think this person is?”
“I have no idea. I presume whomever they are that they are in cahoots with The Dark Duke. Canterbury is a dirty liar and schemer.” Well, the schemer part was definitely true. Look how he’d screwed him with the fake opium. “Young Robert and I were meeting here to help. I’d feel sort of responsible if something happened to her because of Canterbury’s obsession with vengeance upon my person.”
“My son is helping?” The incredulousness in his brother’s voice told him he’d better step back.
“Why would he not? He is a Lamberth, after all. He was bit annoyed that she’d managed to get herself into trouble, of course, and resented the loss of his personal time, but family is family, Robert. We both know that.” There, he saw the hopeful expression begin. Stupid man. Of course he wanted his son to be as weak as him. Jarvis wanted to spit on him, but as he held the gun…
They heard footsteps on the passage. “Hurry, Robert. Make your decision quick. Let me go and avoid the scandal, or turn your own brother trying to save his niece over to the magistrate. Which shall it be?”
God how he wanted to jump up and kill his brother with his own hands. Before Robert answered, Young Robert dashed around the corner and came to an abrupt stop.
“Father!”
“It’s okay, nephew. I’ve explained how we came to save your sister.” Hopefully the fool would understand what needed to happen.
Young Robert met his gaze and nodded. “Of course! We were quite distraught when we learned the chit had gotten herself into trouble. We didn’t want to bother you, Father, until we saw for ourselves.”
Jarvis had to drop his face to hide the grin. He couldn’t have scripted a more perfect answer. “You see, brother,” he said with his face back to somber lines, “our intentions were honorable.” He was tempted to try to take a run on Robert, but if his brother shot, it wouldn’t be at his son, so Jarvis saved his own skin and kept the weak coward talking.
“Take my son to your estates and wait there for me. I will take care of the peelers. Now go, before I change my mind.”
Jarvis smiled and carefully stood up as Robert still pointed the cocked pistol at him. “Thank you, brother. I will pay you back.” For stopping me from killing off your daughter. “Come, young Robert. Let us go rest at my home. We will eat and relax and celebrate for your sister is safely ensconced in her mother’s bosom by now, no doubt.”
Young Robert gave his father an evil look which pleased Jarvis to no end. He stepped between the father and son to hide it. Young Robert turned and left, Jarvis following. He didn’t say anything again until they sat in the carriage headed back to London.
“We will have to make new plans. I will take over now. Our leader was killed by Duke Canterbury.”
“What?” Robert exploded. “How’d he find out?”
Jarvis rubbed the back of his head. “I do not know for certain, but I suspect that Lucas, the butler, did it. He must have. I will find out for sure and kill whomeve
r betrayed us. For now, we need to focus on getting rid of Lillian and staying out of public eye in case your father changes his mind. He is weak and may be talked into believing his duty is to his daughter instead of you.”
Robert laughed. “No, he will not. He rarely says no. Even now, he only had me sent to his estates. He thinks me to be like him. As if I would ever be so puny.”
Again, Jarvis hated that he would have to kill Robert. So much potential lost. He’d better try and sire another babe on his wife. The last one died of a fever. Such tiresome work. He found women to be distasteful. “You just remember who has cared for you, son.”
“I will not forget. I will be generous out of Lillian’s trust and give you plenty. You will not be the pitied brother any longer.”
Jarvis gritted his teeth. “The pitied brother?”
“Everyone knows that you resent my father being of higher rank than you and that your coffers do not match his. Perhaps you can save one of the queen’s future children from a danger you set up and receive a higher rank. Mayhap even duke.”
“Maybe even save her from a plot to kill her. I will make it so.” The pleasant thought of being a duke had him reconsidering killing Robert. After all, would be good to have someone around to be his lackey. For now, they had a murder of a different sort to plan.
“But first, we must get our hands on your sister’s money. Your father will no doubt hide her away in her room. We will park nearby and approach from the alley. You will go up the backstairs once the house is quiet. You are to shoot her in bed. Can you do it?”
Robert’s smile came easily. “Yes. I will teach her to put on airs. But if the house is quiet, how will I escape? The pistol makes a devil of a noise at night, even worse than the day.”
Jarvis lifted his brows. He wondered how his nephew had learned that bit of information. “You shall take one of her pillows and shoot with it over your barrel.”
“What a grand idea. I shall employ it.”
“Now, that that plan has been taken care of, tell me, were you practicing a shoot or on a hunt when you came of the knowledge that a gun’s report sounds louder in the night?”
Darkest Valentine Page 15