Lords of Honor (45 page)

“
Thank you, Lyon
.
This
information does
help
.”
Harry pulled at his chin
.
We need to send someone who is not an Avalon Society Member to Madame
Rosier’s
establishment
to
watch her and this
Mr.
Crow
.
Also, we need to someone
to go
into the Limehouse District
and watch Crow’s establishment, the Jasmine Star
.”

“I’ve got a few friends I can trust,” Newt offered
.
“I’ll get them on it
.”

“Good
.
Thank you, Newt.”

“Anything else at all you can remember, Lyon?”
Harry asked.

“Newt told you about S
ophia and what she heard
?
T
hey selected her
particularly
for me
.
They hit her
.
She
was bruised
on her chest, arms and legs,
and
on her cheek
.
They were going to kill her when we were
passed out and blame me
.
They planned to
kill me
later after my character was ruined
and make it
appear to be
a suicide.”

“He told us
.
Did Sophia see Mr. Crow?”
Micah queried
.

“I don’t know
.
She was drugged
.
I’ll ask her for you.”

“We would appreciate that
.”
Micah nodded
.
“We
discovered recently
that her father, Nathan Hart,
was
accepted into the Avalon Society
j
ust months before his death
.
Can you question Sophia on his scholarly pursuits and any research he might have been working on at the time
?
Newt said her father spent his time
researching the treasures acquired by William Paulet
during the dissolution
that disappeared from Basing House when Cromwell sacked it in 1645
.
The only item she mentioned to him was the Holy Rood
, or Black Cross,
of Waltham Abbey
.
It would help if we knew exactly what he was looking for
;
why
, and what documentation he had, if any
.
”

Lyon nodded, “Cleve asked her the morning we left
.
He had compiled a great deal of research, but it
was discovered to be missing
after his death
.
Before his drinking and gambling began, he
r father
believed
he was close to finding the
B
lack Cross. Sophia was not aware he joined the Avalon Society
.
I assure you my wife would tell us if she knew anything.
”

“Thank you, Lyon.” Micah said.

“I’m sure you are
weary after your journey
.
Let’s get to bed and meet again tomorrow
.”
Harry
said after
hear
ing
the clock chime the midnight hour.

As Lyon started to leave th
e room, Micah
stopped him
.

“Lyon, I
just wanted to tell you, I’m glad you’ve made it through this and that you are getting better
.
Not only are you our friend and colleague, but you’re like a brother to most of us
, at least that’s how I feel
.
We’ll stand behind you as long as you are trying.”

“Thank you, Micah,” Lyon offered him a half smile
and went upstairs
.
He wanted to put this night behind him and crawl into bed where he could at least hold his sweet Sophia.

He undressed, slid into the bed, and pulled the sleeping Sophia into his arms
.
He kissed her temple and
then the curve of her
neck
.
Only then did he feel stronger
.
That everything would work out fine for them both
.
Maybe in time, they might be truly man and wife.
Either way, Lyon grinned
to himself
at the memory of Sophia kicking at and stabbing their attackers earlier
that evening;
he’d married a feisty little hell-cat
!

Micah stripped and slipped into his bed
.
He smiled happily when he discovered his sleeping Libby was as naked as he
.
He spooned up against her
.
He t
oyed with waking her but decided not to
.
He knew at some point her wiggly little
bottom
would
rouse
him up
.
He buried his face in her hair and fell into blissful slumber.

Libby’s
wiggly
bottom began arousing him
several hours later
.
They still lay spooned together
.
Micah could not help himself
.
He was hard as a rock
.
He rose up on one elbow and began to place soft kisses along Libby’s neck
.
He allowed his hand to cover her breast and tease her nipple
.
She wiggled
a bit and snuggled closer against him
.
Her eyes fluttered open
.
He increased the pressure on her nipple
.
His other hand slid between her legs, which she parted to allow him access
.
He found her wet already
.
He slipped in
side
her, “
M
mm, sweetheart.
”

“Is
it morning, Micah?”

“No
.
It’s only two
.
But your wi
ggly bottom woke me, sweetheart
.
F
orgive me,
I could not stop myself
.”

“Mmm,
you feel good, Micah
.”
Libby moved her bottom back to take him more fully
inside her
.
“
Very good
.
I never dreamed the marriage bed could be so wonderful.
”

“It shall always be so with us, my love
.”
His lips moved down her neck
.
His hand stayed at her breast, caressing, teasing
.

They continued their slow, sweet rhythm for a long time, both content to savor the wonderful sensations of their joining
.
When Libby began her soft little pants, and
her body tightened, Micah thrust deeper within her
.
They shattered
together
,
riding the waves of
their pleasure
.
Micah held her close afterward.

Libby turned to face him when her breathing returned to normal
.
She snuggled against him
.
She l
ifted up to give him a sweet kiss
.

Micah deepened the kiss
.
He b
rought his arms around her, resting his hands on that firm little bottom he so
adored
.
He p
ulled her against him
.
They kissed for long moments
.
After Libby yawned, Micah tucked her head beneath h
is chin
.
“Sleep, sweetheart
.”
He brought the covers over them
.
He savored holding her in his arms long after she fell asleep
.
What he and Libby
shared
w
as love
.
He
could not imagine being any happier
.

Micah sat up quickly at the sound of gunfire
coming from
outside
.
He shook Libby’s shoulder
.
“Wake up, Libby
.
Get dressed!”

He
rose and pulled on the trousers and shirt he
snatched up from
the floor and ran into the hall, clos
ing
the door behind him
.
Most of the guests
were
placed in this wing
;
it being easier
to watch over everyone
.
Harry, Owen, Lyon, Matthias, and Charlie exited in much the same
state
of dress
, s
hirts and trousers
.
“W
hat’s going on down there?” Micah’s voice boomed down the stairs as he
began to
descend
.

“Under attack
!
Sons of bitches are trying to get in!
” N
ewt’s voice
sounded
from below
.

Owen
passed Micah on the stairs
, his pistol in hand
.
He turned
and
stopped Micah.

“Get the ladies together in one room
.
One of you
must
stay wi
th them!” Owen looked to Harry upstairs
then to
Micah on the stairs
.

The gunfire continuing outside, the ladies dress
ed quickly
without benefit of their maids
.
All three sported
t
hick braid
s
, and donned their gowns without benefit of stays when they
worriedly
stepped into the hallway to join their husbands
.

“I can put them in the safe room
.”
Micah
suggested
.

Harry nodded
.
“Good idea
.
Do it now
.
Y
ou sta
nd guard
outside the safe room.”

“Harry
!
This is my home
.
I need to be downstairs,” Micah argued
as he came back up the stairs
.

“
Someone
has to stay with them
.”
Harry looked
meaningfully
at Micah again
.

Micah realized they could not let Lyon know where the scrolls were hidden
.
“All right, Harry
.
You win
.
You and Lyon go downstairs
.
Give me some kind of signal if they get in
to the house
.”
Harry, Lyon and Charlie headed downstairs
.

At least there was a safe hidden inside
the
secret
room, so the scrolls were not visible inside the
old
priest hole
.

It was located in Micah’s bedchamber
.
A bookcase actually swung open to reveal a ten by ten foot room
.
It was n
ot
a
huge
room, b
ut n
ot as small a
s some priest holes
.
Inside there was a small
table
with a candelabra
and two chairs
.
Micah pulled another small chair in for the third lady, his wife
,
to sit
up
on.

“Pay attention, ladies
.
This lever will open the door if
you should need to get out in the event of an emergency
.
You
will
wait for me
or Harry
to
open it
.
If something should happen to me you would hear it
.
If that should happen you do not make a sound
.
You wait, hours if necessary until it is completely quiet in this house
.
Only Harry and I know where to find you
.
You are not to come out until I open the door
, or if something happens to me
,
until
you
are certain it is all clear
.
Understood?
”