Mistaken Identity (Saved By Desire 3) (17 page)

“This room isn’t as bad,” Ben whispered. He waved toward the room he had just closed the door on.

“Yes, but it smells of perfume,” Marcus warned him.

“So?”

Marcus sighed and shook his head at him. “Why would we both smell of the same perfume Mr Brammall wears if we haven’t been in his room?”

When Ben didn’t answer, Marcus leaned toward him and sniffed.

“I can still smell it. Can you?”

Ben shook his head, his eyes full of admiration and respect. “You are good.”

“I know,” Marcus replied modestly. “You need to stand outside for a bit to get rid of the smell.”

Ben sniffed his shirt, and could smell the lingering scent but wasn’t entirely sure whether it was coming from him, or Marcus, or the room.

“Come on. I want to search your sister’s room next.”

“Why Jess’ room?” Ben protested. “She hasn’t done anything wrong. She isn’t involved in any of this.”

“I am not saying she is but, sometimes, the best place to hide something is right under everyone’s nose.”

“But why pick Jess’ room? Why not hide something in the sitting room? There are plenty of places in there that could be used to hide things. It is far easier for them to hide things in the sitting room, or the dining room, than in my sister’s room.”

“Tell me something, Ben,” Marcus began. “Was Jess’ room used before I got here?”

“Well, no,” Ben replied thoughtfully.

Marcus looked at him then motioned down the corridor. “Then we will go and search it.”

Silently, Ben led him to the room.

“I hate the fact she had to sleep in here, even for a short time,” Marcus murmured in disgust as he studied the threadbare room. To think that someone as warm and loving as Jess had been forced to live like this filled him with absolute disgust.

“It is the only spare room in the house,” Ben reasoned quietly. “I know it isn’t great but there isn’t anywhere else for her to sleep unless she takes the scullery, but I am in there.”

Marcus eyed the myriad pots positioned around the room and felt a sinking sensation deep in the pit of his stomach as he turned to look up at the ceiling. Unsurprisingly, he looked straight into the rafters of the roof. Several tiles on the roof had become loose and created a leak that ensured a steady drip, drip, drip, of rainwater fell into the room even when it wasn’t raining. The walls hadn’t been painted for nigh on a century, and the curtains were moth-eaten and threadbare. So much so that Marcus doubted they could even meet in the middle, let alone protect the room from sunlight. The shutters were practically non-existent, and the furniture was so well-used that it was a miracle it was still standing up.

All of that paled into insignificance, though, when his eyes landed on the sagging mattress of the uneven bed. Although Jess had tried her hardest to brighten the room up with a throw and a colourful rug, it was a far cry from the furnishings she provided for the guests’ use.

“Come on, let’s search,” he sighed.

Ben looked at him. “What are we looking for?”

Marcus thought about that. “We are looking for anything that looks out of the ordinary. If you find any jewels don’t touch them, just tell me.”

When Ben continued to stare at him, Marcus told him about how he came to be in Smothey.

Ben’s face grew harder as he listened until he was thoughtfully nodding by the time Marcus lapsed into silence.

“Well, let’s get to it,” Ben suggested, and began to roll his sleeves up.

The silence lengthened between them while they searched every nook and cranny within the room.

“Marcus.”

The change in Ben’s voice warned Marcus that he had found something. This time, when Ben put his findings on the floor for them both to see, it was Marcus who stared in horror.

“What are they?” Ben whispered.

“Some of them are uncut diamonds,” Marcus told him.

He took a few minutes to poke through them and separate them into piles.

“These coloured ones are gems that have been cut and polished. They are incredibly expensive,” he explained.

Ben counted the money. “There is fifty pounds here, Marcus.”

“I think these are mother of pearls, and this-” he shook his head. He didn’t need to explain to Ben what the wicked-looking knife was.

“Protection,” Ben whispered.

“I think it is more of a threat to anyone who finds this package,” Marcus mused.

“Who are you?”

“You know who I am, Ben,” Marcus warned him. “It is who the owner of this lot we need to consider. The man who has collected this little hoard has a network that goes far and wide. He ventures into all sorts of crime; murder, thefts, pick-pocketing, blackmail, burglary, you name it. Sayers has either done it himself, ordered someone to do it, or knows someone who has been arrested and has served a sentence for doing it.”

“This Sayers’ person?” Ben whispered worriedly. “Is he likely to be here?”

“I am not saying he is, you understand? But these are all of his hallmarks. The carefully placed items in the rooms are a trap. What I don’t understand is why the gems in the other room are not with these.”

“Do you think they are going to work on them next or something? What does someone do with these?” Ben asked as he poked around in the pile.

“The porcelains could be forged. I am not altogether sure. The uncut diamonds are a find and are worth a veritable fortune. They can be cut and inserted into any piece of jewellery, and nobody would ever know they had been stolen. These gems are rubies, emeralds, and topaz. These can be resized, ground down, and reshaped to fit new pieces of jewellery. There is no proof they have been stolen once they have been recut,” Marcus explained.

“But what are they put into?” Ben asked. “These are all gems. There are no pieces of jewellery for them to go into.”

Marcus thought about that. “I need to take a look inside Mr Grant’s house. I think that may be the workplace. They need this accommodation to support their pretence that they are ordinary, decent people.”

“But how can they explain the fact that they keep going into Mr Grant’s house, and Mr Grant has vanished?”

Marcus looked at him. “Did you know that Mr Grant had vanished before I told you?”

Ben frowned. “Well, no. Now that I come to think about it, you were the one who prompted me to realise he was gone.”

“Mr Grant didn’t go out much because he was elderly. The neighbours might not suspect anything unusual is going on if they hear noises coming from inside the property.”

“Do you really think he is dead?” Ben asked worriedly.

“If you had a house you had worked all of your life for, would you give it up to strangers without a murmur?”

Ben shook his head.

Marcus couldn’t see any reason to hide the seriousness of the situation Ben was getting himself involved in.

“How do I get them out of this house, Marcus? I can’t have this going on here. What if the villagers ever find out? We would be incriminated even though we haven’t done anything wrong. Not only that, but I cannot have Jess in the middle of such danger. What if they hurt her?”

That thought made Marcus feel a little sick. “They won’t. I will protect her. When she is in my bed, and I am there, nobody will get anywhere near her.”

Marcus’ voice was so cold and ruthless that Ben considered him warily.

“Hopefully, my associates will be here before anything untoward happens. We can take a look inside Mr Grant’s house then,” Marcus continued. “We will corner them at Mr Grant’s house when we are ready to arrest them. They won’t be challenged here because these men will not give up without one heck of a fight.”

“I still want to help you,” Ben assured him.

“I think that your cooperation in this is going to bring you a few surprises,” he said knowingly. “Just keep quiet about everything for now. Watch your back whenever you go out. Don’t go anywhere near Mr Grant’s house without me. My colleague is watching the house and will consider it suspicious if you go there alone.”

“I don’t understand,” Ben murmured. “If they work for them, why are they trying to get in here?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they are trying to get something they could plant on you,” Marcus sighed. 

He carefully repackaged the items and put them back in their hiding place.

“What do we do now?”

“Well, you need to do your chores. Jess will want to see most of them done by the time she gets back. I have to meet with Joe to tell him what we have found. I will meet with you back here later.”

Jess hummed as she walked back from the town.

Predictably, her thoughts were locked on Marcus. It was wonderful to think he was a part of her life now. If only she could find a way of getting rid of the niggling worries that plagued her she knew she would be considerably happier. Given how open Marcus was with her she knew she should just ask him, but there never seemed to be the right time or opportunity.

Still hadn’t expected someone like Marcus to ever appear in her life in the first place. Now that he was there, for however long he was in the village, she would enjoy every single moment of being with him and damn the consequences.

It still amazed her that someone like him was interested in her. Marcus was a debonair, well spoken, well-travelled man about town. He had an air of sophistication about him that set him apart from everybody else. Together with his impeccable manners, and gentlemanly nature, he was the very epitome of everything she had ever wanted in a mate. It was as though every one of her childish fantasies had come to life.

It was wonderful. It was shocking. It was extremely worrying.

“Odd,” she murmured aloud. “It is odd. I live and work in the back of beyond. I have no qualities, and no discernible skills to earn myself a living. He, meantime, was assured, confident, mysterious, handsome, and urbane. His breeches alone must have cost an absolute fortune. It is odd that our lives have come together like this.”

It didn’t happen quickly. It was more of a slow, yet deliberate heightening of her awareness. But, as Jess ambled along the road to Smothey, the small hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end.

The light dimmed at the same time that the countryside fell still and silent. She glanced up at the darkening skies and shuddered. Several minutes passed. She increased her pace as much as she could, but the disturbed, almost restless feeling she had didn’t diminish. In fact, it increased in severity until she was quite unnerved.

The only sound she could hear was her heartbeat thundering in her ears. There was no birdsong. No wind was rustling the leaves in the trees. Not even a rumble of thunder in the sky. Even her footsteps were muted. She could have been the only person in the world. But she knew she wasn’t. There was someone following her.

Warily glancing at the trees on either side of the road, she tried to judge just how far she had to go to get home. It was a good half a mile at least. It was not very far; but a lifetime away if someone jumped out of the bushes at her, or worse, chased her.

“Don’t be absurd,” she murmured only to gasp when a loud rumble of thunder rattled the skies directly overhead. “See? That’s all it is; a thunderstorm.”

She didn’t feel reassured, and let out a squeak of surprise when a jagged streak of lightning preceded another heavy clatter of the clouds.

“Oh, Lord,” she whispered. 

In spite of her best attempts to thwart it, panic began to build. She kept her gaze locked on the road and lengthened her stride as far as she could, but still didn’t seem to be going fast enough.

Rain began to fall around her and swiftly increased to a steady deluge that soaked her from head to foot within minutes. But she didn’t pay it any attention. She was focused firmly on the distant thuds she could practically feel. It was ridiculous. Nobody could feel someone walking behind her, but some inner sense of preservation warned her that she was no longer alone.

Run, run, run,
her mind screamed at her.

She couldn’t, though, because of the basket in her hand. It was full, and she couldn’t afford to drop her things. Still, she increased her pace as fast as she was able until she was half-running, half-trotting along. Her breath came out in harsh pants, but she refused to ease her hurried gait.

She wished Ben was there with her. He would be the voice of reason at a time like this. Heaven only knew where he was now. He probably wouldn’t even be back at the house. Not if he had his colleague to meet again.

“Ben, where are you?” she asked aloud. “Marcus?”

The skies darkened further until visibility became difficult.

Suddenly, the flurry of movement behind Jess captured her attention. Her gasp was loud as she caught sight of a cloaked figure leave the woods, and hurry across the road. The hood tugged up over the person’s head covered the features, and the long, billowing fabric protected their frame from identification. But she had seen enough of the sinister sight to last her a lifetime. She didn’t care who they were, or what they were doing out on an afternoon like this.

Everything was screaming at her to get out of there – and fast.

Horrified at the macabre sight the person crossing the road made, she spun around and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Thoughts about the people Marcus was in the village to capture flickered through her mind, swiftly followed by the sinister threat of Carruthers and Lloyd. The very idea of running into any of them drew her thoughts to Mr Grant’s suspected demise.

Suddenly, her sodden boots and the pelting rain that brought goose bumps to her chilled skin paled into insignificance. Nothing mattered except being able to get inside where it was safe. Tears began to fall, and were swept along by the relentless fury of the rainwater, but she didn’t care. Not even her sobs reached her ears. She was blind to everything but the desperate need to reach home safely.

“What the Hell?” Marcus gasped when he caught sight of her running down the street toward home, her face twisted with fear.

He immediately bolted out of the store at the side of the house and raced toward her.

“What is it? What’s happened?” Marcus demanded. He grabbed her shoulders to steady her when she barrelled into him, and glared over her shoulder at the darkened road, but couldn’t see anything wrong. 

“S-s-someone is f-following me,” she gasped tearfully.

Marcus released her and raced out onto the road just in time to catch sight of a hooded figure disappear back into the woods on the opposite side of the road. He contemplated going after them but suspected they would be long gone by the time he got there, or well hidden.

Cursing his stupidity for allowing her out on her own in the first place, Marcus returned to Jess. He slid a supportive arm around her. His gaze scoured her for visible signs of injury. The fear was evident in the visible shakes that wracked through her, but she was otherwise unharmed.