by Lee, Jade
“What things? What arrangement?”
He smiled at her. “My brother.” And with that, he bowed deeply and left.
She watched him go, her gaze staying on him as he refused the use of her carriage and instead hailed a hackney. And as he stepped inside the vehicle, she wondered if she already saw the end. After the best night of her life, were they already over? She didn’t doubt that he would continue to protect her. Until Geoffrey was handled one way or another, he and his men would remain close. But she didn’t want them. She wanted Lucas with her, and that was another thing entirely.
She just wasn’t sure she wanted to pay his price.
Chapter Thirty-One
Lucas extended his foot, trying to ease the ache out of his leg. He was sitting half crouched in the shadows of one of the filthiest gaming hells in London. Nathan was at a table toward the center of the room. He drank while grumbling to anyone nearby that his brother had done him wrong. He kept grumbling that he intended to win a fortune ten times what Lucas had stolen from him, see if he didn’t.
The good news was that Nathan was a good gambler. He had indeed won in steady increments over three days of determined play. Better yet, his brother was a large man, and though he acted half-drunk, Lucas judged him to be only one-quarter inebriated.
Any minute now, someone would invite Nathan to a high stakes game. Any moment now, Geoffrey would make his move to trap Nathan.
It had to be soon because Lucas was going crazy waiting.
Nothing had changed since the disastrous day with his mother. He had not spoken more to Diana, though he knew through her guards what she did every minute of the day. And he certainly hadn’t visited her at night. If he did, he wouldn’t be able to keep from touching her. Besides, nighttime was when he watched over his brother, who sat as bait. And of all the people he most wanted to protect, his brother ranked second, right behind Diana. Nathan knew the truth of his illegitimate heritage and still toiled night and day for his family’s fortunes and now risked his life for Lucas and Diana.
The truth humbled Lucas. And he swore—as he had every hour of the last three days—that he would somehow make it up to Nathan.
Lucas moved his leg again, trying to ease off the cramp from sitting in the same place for so long. And just as he was focused on his own aches, something happened at the tables. A rat-faced man sidled up to Nathan, bringing an extra drink as he smiled with good cheer and a willing ear. Predictably, Nathan upped his griping while the weaselly man nodded and concurred. It went on for a good twenty minutes before Nathan pushed up from the table, swaying as he found his feet.
This was it. Finally, someone was taking the bait to fleece Nathan. But was Geoffrey behind the invite or someone else?
Lucas leaned forward in the shadows, trying to see the smaller man more closely. Three days before, he’d bet Ruben it would be James Murray, a low life bastard who perpetually caused trouble at whatever pub or gaming hell he managed to ferret his way into. But when Lucas finally got a look at the smaller man, he cursed under his breath. It was Sid Gardner, a seemingly innocuous man, and Ruben’s pick as the one to lure Nathan away. Damn it. Now he owed Ruben twenty quid. And more relevant, Sid Gardner was rumored to be deadly with a knife. Lucas knew he kept at least one stiletto hidden on his person.
Too late now. Nathan and Sid were heading for the door. Lucas slipped out of his corner, his back screaming as blood rushed into his lower extremities. With a nod to the owner of the hell, he slipped out the back and heard Nathan’s bellowing laugh from the front. His brother was brilliant in the way he kept his voice loud enough for Lucas to follow. Lucas made it to the front just as Nathan stepped into a hackney with Sid. A second after the carriage door closed, a boy leaped upon the back. He flashed Lucas a grin as the hackney moved forward.
The kid was Ruben’s second cousin twice removed and was quick as a wink.
On the opposite side of the street, Ruben’s own carriage waited for Lucas. Forget flashy vehicles. Ruben’s carriage looked like any other hackney except that the horses were fresh and the wheels well oiled. Lucas nodded at the coachman as he jumped up beside the man. It would look unusual for him to be up here, even wrapped in a dark blanket and hunched over, but it was the best way for him to keep an eye on his brother. A moment later, they were moving as they followed the hackney to whatever hole Geoffrey was hiding in. Or so he hoped.
It was a long, anxious ride to their destination. Lucas spent the interminable minutes envisioning his brother getting his throat slit inside the hackney. There was nothing he could do to help if that happened, and he would never forgive himself if it did. He kept his eyes trained on the boy still hanging on the back. He’d react if something was going on inside, but the kid just perched there with admirable balance.
This was madness, he thought. Geoffrey would be ten times an idiot to remain in London. He was probably halfway across the continent by now. Or worse, planning some attack on Diana. Except the blackguard knew that Diana was well protected, and Lucas’s men watched every day for poison. It wasn’t possible to get at her, so the arrogant man would strike at Lucas through Nathan. That had to be the way. It would get Geoffrey enough money to lay low for months and find a way through Lucas’s protection. The problem was that Diana wouldn’t last through months of protection. She was already chaffing at the constant supervision. So Lucas had to get Geoffrey now, and he would.
If he had guessed right. If Geoffrey really was that stupidly arrogant. If…if…if…
Finally, the hackney stopped near the docks in front of several squalid buildings, well away from any type of light. The boy jumped off and scrambled to the side to watch where Sid and Nathan would go. Lucas’s carriage kept going around the corner. As soon as they were out of sight, he grabbed the bottle he’d left beneath the bench, then jumped off without the vehicle stopping. The carriage would continue around until the coachman found a place to stop and wait.
Meanwhile, Lucas made it to the spot where the boy crouched in the shadows.
“Evening, guv,” the boy whispered.
“Evening…Billy?” he whispered back.
“Benny,” he said. Then they both fell silent as another hackney pulled up and out came a young man with a scantily clad woman. The boy was wealthy—probably a merchant’s son—obviously inebriated enough to risk gambling for higher stakes than he could afford. The woman was just to provide extra enticement as she cooed into his ear about how they’d spend all the money he was about to win.
“Here comes another pair,” Benny whispered as he gestured up the street. Two men whistled loudly as they walked, one clearly less drunk than the other. There were other people on the street. Most were working women and their customers, though Lucas had passed several men in a dice game on the way to Benny’s hiding spot. It was a busy enough street to take little notice of anyone’s coming and going, but quiet enough that the Watch didn’t come by too often.
“Have you seen where they’re going?” Lucas asked. He’d figured out the building, but not the specific flat.
Benny pointed to the top floor. “I think it’s the one with the dim light.”
That would be Lucas’s guess, too, but it would take following this pair upstairs to be sure. He hoped his brother knew to keep doing his booming laugh. That was as good as a foghorn in a place like this.
Lucas gave the boy a nod, then stepped out onto the walk. He was going to go up right behind the whistling pair, but before he could leave, the boy touched his arm.
“Want me to get the Watch now? Or wait—”
“Now.”
“And if you’re wrong?”
He shrugged. “Then, I’ll pay them for their troubles, but keep them quiet until my signal.” He was fast running out of coin thanks to the shopping spree with his mother, but if it came to blows, he wanted the Watch on his side. Not for their help, but because they could testify in court that he’d called them if things went bad.
He waited for the whistling pa
ir to pass, then slipped in behind them as if he belonged. When the sober one looked back at him, he held out his bottle of brandy and put on his oiliest smile. “I’m just ’ere to ’elp.”
Thanks to his haircut, cleanly shaven face, and a bit of makeup to cover his scar, Lucas looked better than he had in years. He appeared more like an aristocrat looking for an easy mark rather than the dangerous head of security at the Lyon’s Den. And the clearly re-filled brandy helped seal the deal. That helped him appear as someone in on the con.
“Now that’s a good friend,” the drunk cried as he reached for the bottle.
Lucas held it out of the way. “Have some manners,” he chided. “Inside. With a glass.”
“Quite right, quite right. Must keep to appearances.”
“This is a sophisticated game we’re going to,” he said with a grin. “That’s why we use glasses.”
They came to the door, and he let the other whistler get them in. A quick series of knocks and the door opened. Even before he stepped inside, he heard Nathan’s booming laugh. That was reassuring. The fact that he’d guessed wrong on which flat they were using was not. They were in the back of the building rather than the front. Well, he’d hope the Watch saw his signal anyway.
He stepped inside and greeted everyone. He saw the six he knew about, plus another lady who smiled warmly as he passed her the brandy. His brother appeared in good spirits as he called for the real card game to begin, and everyone began to gather around the table.
Five players, a female dealer, and an empty sixth place. Geoffrey? He could only pray that was true.
He angled for a seat next to his brother and managed it, but then was annoyed to see that Sid took the place on the other side. No way to block a stiletto into Nathan’s ribs, but at least he could protect his brother’s other side. And then they began to play.
Fortunately, Lucas had brought enough coin to cover the buy-in, and so he gathered his cards and played an indifferent game. He listened to the talk, won as much as he lost, and cursed himself for an idiot. Geoffrey wasn’t here.
He was just about to call it quits when the dealer began to struggle. Her words began to slur, and though she had been flirting with everyone at the table, she started to focus on Nathan with singular attention. He returned her teases with a reddening of his ears. Good heavens, his brother was embarrassed as she began to bow deeper toward him, as she showed more and more of her assets. After a few more hands, she waved the hostess over.
“It appears I am tired, gentleman. Do you mind if I allow another dealer to take my place?” She winked at Nathan. “I’ll just sit by you in the meantime.”
Everyone agreed that they didn’t care who dealt and that she should, of course, sit down. And then the trap was sprung. As she sat down between Nathan and Lucas, the door opened, and Geoffrey sauntered in followed by two thick armed brutes who carried their knives openly.
“You’ve brought another player!” the lady exclaimed as one of the brutes took her place as dealer, the other stood by the door, and Geoffrey headed for the last empty seat.
In the normal course of things, Geoffrey would steadily win all of the marks’ money while the others kept anyone from leaving until it was done. Geoffrey would pay his helpers a pre-arranged amount, and everyone would disappear to do it again the next night. In truth, it was all fairly civilized. Or it would have been until Geoffrey recognized Lucas.
“You!” he bellowed, and if a word could carry bitter hatred, that one did.
Lucas smiled, grateful that finally, his plans had come to fruition. At last, he could act.
First, he shoved to his feet while Geoffrey gestured at his brutes. The two menacing men bolted forward, but Lucas was faster. He grabbed his chair and heaved it toward the window. The glass shattered with a loud crack, and someone down in the street cried out in shock as the pieces came tumbling down.
Signal sent. Please, God, let the Watch see it.
The next step was to grab Geoffrey and make sure the man didn’t escape in the chaos. Not a problem because the bastard was heading straight for Lucas. Unfortunately, Nathan was in the way, along with Sid, who abruptly had a knife in each hand, and the dealer woman who was grabbing for Nathan’s purse.
Chaos erupted. Nathan was quick as he blocked a knife and saved his purse in the same motion. The woman went tumbling back with a curse, while the other two marks looked around with confused expressions. Both were too slow to save their purses. Which is when Geoffrey pulled two flintlock dueling pistols from hiding spots beneath the table.
Lucas kicked the table over, hoping to block any gunplay. But he was too slow to stop Geoffrey from raising his pistols.
Bang! Bang!
The sound was deafening, and Lucas dove to the side. Where was his brother? Where was Geoffrey? Everything was screaming and gun smoke.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The sound of the knocker roused Diana from a fitful rest. Ever since her fight with Lucas three days before, she had tortured herself with questions about her future. Until then, all she’d thought about was her freedom. No more caring for a dying husband, no more coaxing him to give up the reins of control, and—since Lucas entered her life—no more endless nights wishing for a man to touch her the way a husband should.
But now she thought about the cost of her freedom and longed for someone with whom to share her burdens. It was a constant back and forth in her mind, day and night, and she quickly came to hate her own thoughts.
So when the door knocker sounded in the middle of the night, she was out of bed to dress within seconds. By the time her guard scratched at her bedroom door, she was already grabbing her shoes.
“Come in,” she called.
He entered, and the look on his face froze her in place. It was dark and hard, but there was a full measure of worry in his eyes.
“Lucas?” she whispered, her heart beating painfully in her throat.
Caleb shook his head. He was newly back from escorting Penelope and Walter out of London, but if the job had given him pleasure, it didn’t show. Right now, he looked ragged. “I don’t know, my lady. I don’t think so, but I cannot tell.” His hands twisted together as he spoke. “A man from the Watch is downstairs. With apologies, he asks you to come…um…” His voice faltered.
“Do not hold back,” she said sharply. “Tell me it all straight away.”
He nodded. “He asks you to come and identify a body.”
Her breath caught, and she began to shake. But that did not stop her from pulling on her shoes, though her trembling fingers made it difficult work.
“If it were Lucas,” Caleb continued, “I don’t think anyone would knock on your door. That would go to his parents.”
She looked up, reason finding its way through her panic. “Yes, of course.” Then she silently repeated his words to herself. Of course, that made sense. She was not Lucas’s wife. “Do you know where Lucas is?”
“No, my lady.”
Of course not. Lucas went his own way, always. “But someone has died, and the Watch has come to me.”
“Yes, my lady.”
She straightened up. “Then, let us not keep them waiting.”
“I have already called for the carriage.”
“Thank you, Caleb.” She looked at the worry on his face. “Would you care to accompany me?”
His expression cleared. “It would be my honor.”
She knew he would have come anyway, whether she asked him to or not, but this made things easier on everyone. She went downstairs and met a very uncomfortable man of the Watch. He was young and clearly feeling awkward at having to wake a noblewoman in the middle of the night.
They shared words but no significant information. It was exactly as Caleb said. He asked her to accompany him to identify a body. As soon as her coach was brought around, the watchman joined her sleepy coachman up top to give directions while she and Caleb climbed inside. A moment later, the carriage was moving through the empty London streets while
Diana spun through possibilities in her head.
She already guessed who was dead. It had to be Geoffrey. There would be no other reason to wake her. And if that were true, then, of course, she was saddened for his wasted life. Which meant there were things she should be planning. She wasn’t exactly sure who inherited the title, what the legal ramifications were. But her mind wouldn’t go down those practical lines.
She wanted Lucas. She wanted to know he was alive and well. She wanted him to hold her hand and lend his strength while she sorted through her emotions. She wanted to talk things out with him. He listened so well that even when he didn’t have an answer, he helped her think her options through. By the time the carriage stopped, she was a knot of anxiety. She was just reaching for the handle when the door was pulled open, and there stood Lucas, like an answer to her prayers.
Her breath caught, and she launched herself into his arms. He was alive! He was whole! He held her there, awkward as it was with him half in and half out of the carriage, and then while she struggled to catch her breath, he whispered into her ears.
“I’m well. It’s over. Everything is fine now.”
“It is,” she managed to babble. “You are safe.” She abruptly pulled back to scan his body. “You are, right? You’re—”
“I’m fine. But you’re going to have to do a hard thing now. Do you think—”
“Just stay with me. I can do anything if you’re with me.”
He smiled at her and—just for a moment—traced his thumb down the side of her face. “I’ve never met a woman more capable than you.”
“Only with you,” she whispered. No, that wasn’t right. Even as she whispered the words, she knew that she was lying. She’d been capable of running a household, managing tenants, and even standing strong against Geoffrey before things became desperate. But she’d done all that inside a hard shell of non-emotion. She hadn’t felt much of anything until Lucas came back into her life. And now that he was here, she felt everything that she had denied before and with so much more intensity. Fear became terror. Worry was now crippling anxiety. And happiness had become giddy joy.