by Rebecca King
Elspeth frowned at Aaron. “You aren’t easy to get in touch with because you are quite clearly busy with your own life. Why should he burden you with his troubles?”
“Because we are friends; childhood friends,” Aaron reminded her. “Thomas always told me things he couldn’t discuss with anybody else, even you, Elspeth. It wouldn’t be the first time he has come to me with a problem he needed to talk through. It is what friends do.”
“Has he told you about any trouble he faced that might have taken the money?” Elspeth asked.
“No. The last time I saw Thomas he appeared quite happy. He said his investments were working well, and that you were content with your lot, Elspeth. He seemed just like Thomas. There was certainly no hint that he was in any kind of danger, trouble, or faced any particular problem in life he couldn’t deal with,” Aaron informed them all. “But then only a couple of weeks later, I received a note from him hinting that he was in financial trouble. He asked to meet with me because he needed my advice.”
“How odd,” Oliver murmured.
“So why in the Hell would he need over three thousand pounds?” Callum asked the group seated around the table. “What could have gone wrong in two weeks?”
“Do you think he might have bought a house somewhere?” Oliver asked after several moments of thoughtful silence.
“Why?” Elspeth cried.
“If Thomas believed he was going to lose this house, maybe he bought somewhere else,” Callum suggested.
“For three thousand pounds?” Phillip snorted. “It would have to be a bloody big house for that much.”
“He already owns – owned – this one. He didn’t need to purchase another,” Elspeth replied.
“I know,” Aaron sighed. “We are just thinking aloud because it helps to get the facts in order. To be honest, I just don’t have a clue what he might have needed three thousand pounds for.”
“Have you checked under the floor boards and the like? You know, for hiding places, that kind of thing,” Callum asked.
“Thomas took the money out of the bank the day he left for London. He got up in the morning, then told me he was off to London in his usual jovial way. There was no indication anything was troubling him. Once he left here he must have stopped off at the bank, withdrawn the lot, having taken the housekeeping and the other pouches of coins with him. He didn’t come back here. He immediately left for London. I just have no idea why, and why he has spent the last several weeks before his death ignoring the bills that have been piling up. Aaron, none of them have been paid for weeks,” Elspeth hiccupped tearfully. “He had the money in the bank. Why didn’t he pay the bills? We owe people a fortune.”
“We can sort the bills out, don’t worry. We can calculate how much has been spent and it can be taken out of Thomas’s estate before any money is handed over to any relations who might inherit from him. If the solicitor has already transferred Thomas’s estate without clearing his debts then his conduct must be called into question,” Aaron informed her.
“From the sound of it there isn’t any money in the bank to clear the bills,” Callum said.
Oliver leaned back in his seat. He looked sadly at Elspeth. “Given there is no cash available, for the solicitor to clear the debts the house would have to be sold, wouldn’t it?”
Aaron nodded.
Elspeth’s head was starting to ache. While it was wonderful that they were prepared to help her, the speed in which Aaron’s friends worked left Elspeth with the distinct impression that she didn’t have a clue how to help herself. It was humiliating, or would have been, if Aaron and his friends hadn’t just opened a doorway to a perplexing problem that left her completely flummoxed to find a suitable answer: would she have a house to live in or not?
CHAPTER THREE
“We will go and speak with the solicitor and the bank to find out what they know. It is best if we do it in an official capacity because then they will have no choice but to answer all of our questions and let us see the files they have,” Oliver told her.
“For now, I would like you to come into the front parlour with me and take a look at who we found trying to break into the house,” Aaron added.
“He is still here?” Elspeth gulped.
“He can’t hurt you. We need you to tell us who he is, so we can find out why he was trying to get into your house,” Oliver informed her.
Elspeth followed Aaron through the house with a deep sense of trepidation. If he had said she didn’t need to go, and he would get the interloper to the magistrate, she would have happily stayed in the kitchen where she belonged. As it was, Elspeth crept cautiously into the front parlour only to stare in horror at the hooded figure firmly tied to one of her kitchen chairs.
Oliver stalked boldly up to the figure and yanked the hood off the man’s face.
“Frederick!” Elspeth gasped.
She stared blankly at her cousin, who blinked several times while his eyes adjusted to the light. When his gaze fell on Elspeth his entire face changed. Frederick’s eyes, which had previously been wide and unfocused, narrowed sharply, almost spitefully upon Elspeth. His thin lips curled into a snarl of fury.
“Get me out of this chair at once,” he demanded.
Elspeth didn’t move.
“What were you doing trying to break in?” Aaron asked.
“Who in the Hell are you?” Frederick thundered. “If you are responsible for this I warn you now I shall have you reported to the magistrate for abduction.”
“I haven’t abducted you,” Aaron retorted. “You are here, aren’t you? It is where you were trying to get into when we caught you trying to force the lock on the conservatory. I just helped you get inside.”
“I own the house,” Frederick thundered.
“Do you have the paperwork to support your claims?” Oliver demanded.
From his position in front of the window he was far enough away for his face to be hidden by shadows. He was also close enough to the window so his entire being was nothing more than a somewhat sinister outline which was occasionally illuminated by flashes of distant lightning. It was hauntingly eerie to see and had such an effect on Frederick that he gulped warily.
“It is only a matter of time,” Frederick muttered. “Everybody in the family knows that the house can only be inherited by the men in the family. It is a stipulation on the house’s deeds. Thomas had no issue at the time of his death, so the property in its entirety goes to me, the next in line as it were.”
There was such an air of arrogant scorn on the man’s face that even Aaron wanted to slap him. Oliver hissed his displeasure.
“But do you have the paperwork to support your claims?” Oliver persisted. “Do you have a title deed that states you have rightly inherited the property?”
“It is as good as mine, everybody knows it,” Frederick reported coldly. “Now I demand you release me this instant.”
“You don’t, at present, have the paperwork that proves you own this property legitimately,” Aaron pushed. It wasn’t a question.
“No. If you wish to be pedantic about it, I don’t yet, but the solicitor is already dealing with the paperwork. It is only a matter of time before my name is added to the deeds.”
“But it isn’t your house yet,” Oliver persisted.
“No.” Frederick looked at them sullenly.
“So why were you trying to break in? If it isn’t your house – yet – you have no right to force entry,” Callum snorted. “That’s the law, and it applies to you too.”
“We have to hand him over to the magistrate for attempting to break into a property that isn’t his,” Oliver informed them all.
Frederick jerked. “I have done no such thing,” he protested.
“Yes, you have,” Aaron argued.
“Prove it. Prove I was trying to break in here.” Frederick’s tone became belligerent.
“Well, Elspeth here has no good reason to try to break into her own home. You were not legitimately owner of thi
s property at the time that you were caught, by five of us here, trying to force your way through the conservatory door, the proof of which lies in the fresh scratch marks you gouged into the wood beside the lock. You were therefore trespassing onto the property and attempting to break in to a house you do not presently own.” Aaron turned to look at Elspeth. “Did you give him permission to be here?”
“No,” Elspeth protested. “He has been a few times to inform me that he is rightful owner now that Thomas has gone, and that I am to leave, but I have been waiting to hear from the solicitor that I am to move out. Until then, I don’t see why I should not stay.”
“Me neither,” Oliver added.
“Any good, respectable, family member would do the dutiful thing and allow a young woman such as yourself to reside in a property until such a time they can make alternative arrangements,” Niall offered. “I take it he isn’t a dutiful kind of person then?”
Elspeth didn’t even try to hide her dislike of her cousin, who sat glaring malevolently at her. “He is selfish, greedy and has always been a bully. Since Thomas has gone, he has made it clear that I can stay but only if I marry him.”
Aaron lifted his brows at her in astonishment. “Would you?”
Elspeth snorted. “I would rather die,” she retorted flatly.
Frederick muttered something like ‘that can be arranged’ but masked it with a cough.
“I had no idea you were already entertaining a lover, but I shouldn’t be surprised really,” Frederick sniffed disparagingly.
“Well, you should know that if Elspeth marries anybody it will be me,” Aaron informed Frederick flatly. “Now that you know she is not facing this world alone, and has me to protect her, you will have to make sure that everything you do is done legally from now on. If you have anything you wish to say to her do it through your solicitor but stay away, do you understand? Meantime, if I hear of you making any further threats toward her, or you try to force access to this house again, I shall hand you over to the magistrate and ensure you are put behind bars for a very long time.”
Frederick raked him with a scornful look. “How dare you barge your way in here and start to threaten me? Just who in the Hell do you think you are?” He turned evil eyes on Elspeth. “I suggest you call your thug off because I shall not tolerate this, Elspeth. Given Thomas is no longer here to see to your guardianship, I will dutifully take over the mantle as it were. I therefore do not give you permission to be in any kind of contact with this – fiend, who seems to enjoy tying people up!”
Elspeth’s cousin was positively trembling with rage by the time he had finished yelling.
“I, sir, am from the War Office,” Aaron smirked. “I can assure you that I have some very good connections in very high places. I intend to use every one of them to ensure you face justice for the crimes you have committed tonight should I ever see you at this door again until you rightfully own it. Until I have spoken with the solicitor, which I shall do first thing in the morning, and I am able to ascertain who owns the house, do not be presumptuous enough to assume you own the property. I know from experience that life can be unpredictable, and nothing can be guaranteed, even in law. It is arrogant, high-handed, and illegal for you to take matters into your own hands without any legal recourse to do so, and I, for one, shall make sure you face the full weight of the law.”
He nodded to Jasper, who made his presence felt by stepping out of the shadows behind Frederick’s shoulder. Frederick, who hadn’t even noticed him there, emitted a small squeak of surprise. Unfortunately, his fear did little to dent his arrogant condemnation of them all.
“Then I shall return with the necessary paperwork,” Frederick snapped. “Meantime, I shall report you to the magistrate for restraining me against my will.”
“Why are you here, by the way?” Elspeth demanded.
“Pardon?” Frederick’s eyes turned shifty.
“Well, there must have been a reason why you were trying to break in here,” Elspeth replied with an air of thoughtful consideration that made Frederick decidedly uncomfortable. “I mean, you can hardly legitimately take ownership of a property at ten o’clock at night.”
“I didn’t hear him knocking,” Aaron added. “And I was in the house.”
“Me neither.”
The men, each in turn, shook their heads.
“Now, why didn’t you knock then, Frederick?” Aaron mused.
“It is Mr Miniver to you,” Frederick replied.
“Well, Frederick, maybe you would like to answer the lady, and current rightful owner, then?” Oliver prompted when Frederick didn’t seem inclined to indulge them by providing an excuse.
“I tried to knock but there was no answer. I tried the doors because I was worried for her safety,” he muttered eventually.
“At ten o’clock at night? It is a little late to be making a social call, isn’t it?” Jasper snorted in disbelief.
“I was passing and thought I would pop in,” Frederick replied blandly.
“You, sir, are a liar,” Elspeth snapped. “You were told the last time you came here to try to bully me into marrying you that I never wanted you to darken my door again unless you had a solicitor to support you. There is no conscionable reason for you to call by, again, unwelcome and uninvited, at such an ungodly and sociably unacceptable hour.”
“Unless he is here to bully you, or is trying to steal something,” Aaron added with a thoughtful nod.
“I, sir, am not a thief,” Frederick declared firmly.
“Why are you breaking into houses then?” Callum demanded.
“Stop lying,” Aaron warned. “What were you after?”
“You were here for a reason, Frederick. Out with it. If it was important enough to make you force your way into Elspeth’s home, it is important enough for you to tell us. We are, after all, working for the War Office. We are trusted with government secrets, man. Your poxy little problems are nothing compared to what we usually deal with.”
“Oh? Such as?” Frederick threw Oliver a dark look.
Aaron bent over and leaned toward Frederick until they were almost nose-to-nose. Frederick swallowed harshly and tried to ease away but was unable to go too far because of the ties that bound him to the chair.
“Death, mostly. Murder. Embezzlement. Serial killers. Fraud. Theft, and abduction,” Aaron bit out. “We deal with cold hearted killers, conmen, fraudsters and people who think they can help themselves to other people’s life and property without a care in the world. It is what we do.”
Frederick looked truly frightened, until he managed to gather his wits about him and turn a glare on Aaron that was full of false bravado.
“Well, you had better get out there and catch them then,” he snapped coldly.
“I think we have already found ourselves a fraudster, a thief, a charlatan, and a conman. We have certainly found ourselves a liar, who tries to bully people out of their homes,” Aaron drawled. “So, while we set to work finding out the facts relating to the ownership of this house, I would ask you to stay away from Elspeth. We will be watching you, Frederick Roderick Miniver, whether you like it or not.”
Aaron stood back and nodded at Callum, who boldly stepped forward and put on a very blatant display of ruthlessness by slowly sliding his flick-knife out of his boot. The wicked looking blade that popped out of the handle appeared so suddenly that Frederick jerked in fear. Callum slowly walked around the bound man, the heels of his boots ringing hollowly on the wooden floor. A deathly silence filled the room.
Elspeth edged closer to Aaron’s reassuring bulk. Aaron slid an arm around her waist to hold her still while Callum took his time cutting the man’s restraints.
Once he was free, Frederick vaulted out of his seat and took several steps to the door.
“In a rush, are we? But you aren’t done yet,” Oliver informed him with a smirk.
Niall placed a hand firmly in the centre of Frederick’s chest and propelled him forcibly across the room until th
e backs of his legs hit the seat of the chair he had just vacated. Frederick had no choice but to slam his bottom onto the hard wood again. Once down, he peered up at the man before him but gulped warily when he realised he was no physical match for the men from the Star Elite.
Elspeth watched them in amazement. It was shocking how swiftly they had turned the atmosphere within the room from amiable to sinister. All the men Aaron called friends seemed to know what the other was doing with only the briefest nod or signal by slight flicks of their fingers. Elspeth watched Aaron flick his fingers at the man before the window, Oliver, who was watching and suddenly stepped forward.
“We are going to escort you home,” Oliver announced smoothly.
“I can make my own way, thank you,” Frederick replied with a glare. He stood up and began to back away with his fists clenched in readiness when Oliver stepped toward him.
Elspeth wondered if Frederick was stupid enough to think himself a match for Aaron and his friends, who were considerably taller and far more sinister than the countrified oaf.
Frederick looked at her suspiciously. “I should hate to think you have called these thugs in to scare me, cousin,” he hissed.
“They are friends of Thomas’s,” Elspeth reported with a nonchalant shrug.
She felt more comfortable now she had so many men in the house to support her, especially now they had all circled around Frederick, who stood helplessly in the middle of them as though about to take each of them on.
“Come on. It’s time for you to leave this lady alone at this time of night,” Oliver told him.
Together with Jasper, he carried Frederick out of the room.
Seconds later, Elspeth watched them march a hapless Frederick down the street and into the darkness.
“Will they really take him home?” she murmured once they had disappeared.
Aaron was already nodding. “They will have a quiet word with him while they are there. We want him to know we are aware of where he lives and will be back to speak to him if he ever tries anything like this again.”
“Thank you for your help,” Elspeth murmured to the men who remained in the room with her.