“Oh? You have a niece?” Godric smiled but the warmth of it did not reach his eyes. “Ashton, did you hear that? Parr has a niece. How lovely.”
“You are a terrible liar, Your Grace. I know that it was you who spirited Emily away.” He stepped to his right, as if he planned to come around the desk, but then thought better of it. “Mr. Blankenship had no luck finding her, I understand, but I am sure you stuffed her in your cellar, or perhaps a cupboard. I imagine you had no reservations about doing so.” Parr’s thin lips stretched into a smile, one as cool as Godric’s.
“Where’s my money?”
“Your money is gone. I spent all of it paying off creditors, which you are well aware. There is nothing left for you to seize and sell in this house or I would give it to you. I also owe Mr. Blankenship a great deal more. Emily was my last bargaining piece. But of course, you already knew that as well, which is why you took her.”
“She’s not a piece to be bargained. She’s a woman!” Godric slammed his hand flat on Parr’s desk. Ashton put a steadying hand on his shoulder.
“If she’s not something to bargain for, then why did you take her? If there has been some guileful behavior in my use of your investment, let us at least be honest and admit this dishonesty now runs both ways.” Parr replied.
He wanted to leap across the desk and strangle the life out of Parr. But the urge had to fight with his own guilt. It was true. He was no better than Parr. He had not cared one wit that his actions would destroy her reputation. He’d counted on it. He’d laughed at the idea, thinking it all a game.
He was as much a villain as her uncle.
Ashton intervened. “Mr. Parr, just how much of a claim does Blankenship have on Em…uh…your niece?”
Parr’s business demeanor returned. “Ironclad. I exchanged her for my debt. He agreed to honor his end of the bargain by marrying her. Unless, of course, she is no longer a maiden.”
“And then she’s free of him?” If so, Godric had victory within his sights again.
“No. Should she come to him devoid of her innocence, he’ll keep her as his mistress.”
“And you agreed to this?” The blood drained from Godric’s face, not with horror, but rage.
Parr looked down, no longer able to mask some sense of guilt. “I did…and it was a devil’s bargain. But what choice do I have? If Blankenship demands payment, I will be destroyed. I am not without sympathy for the girl, but if you knew Blankenship as I do, you would understand.”
“We are not unfamiliar with his influence,” said Ashton.
“Are you? The financial ruin of his enemies is only part of the man’s reputation.”
“And what of Emily? Has she no say in the matter?” Godric interjected.
“She’ll do whatever is necessary. What other use is she?”
Godric planted him a facer and Parr fell back in his chair, clutching his mouth.
“That won’t happen.”
Parr’s tongue probed his teeth, showing blood. “Oh? Why not?”
“Emily is no longer your concern. You won’t have her to settle your debts.”
Albert relished the pain with a small amount of satisfaction. Essex did have Emily, and what’s more, she had caught his fancy. Who knew how long the Duke would enjoy her, but at least for now, she was under his protection. Blankenship would be hard pressed to find a way to get to her. Perhaps it was for the best. Blankenship certainly couldn’t hold him responsible for this. He might be able to work this to his advantage and remind his niece of the kindness he’d shown her by being her guardian. Perhaps Essex would forgive Albert’s debt for his efforts to take care of Emily.
The blow to his jaw proved that Emily was in far better hands than his. A man simply did not hit other men in polite society unless their emotions ran a thousand leagues deep.
Albert smiled, winced, then smiled again. It seemed Emily’s sweet temperament was paying off. But for her sake he hoped Blankenship’s ambitions for her were not as obsessive as they seemed to be.
Jim Tanner scouted the darkened street ahead of him. It was one of many clever routes in St. Giles where he could slip away into the impenetrable darkness, evading any who might pursue him. It was also the perfect place to meet a new client. Evening was drawing closer and shadows stretched over the maze of the rookery, darkening pawnshop windows and hovels. He had received a note through his connections that a man wished to pay him highly to recover a young lady from the clutches of a group of dangerous noblemen. The prospect had intrigued him enough to agree to meet the potential client an hour after sunset.
Scuffling steps in the darkness ahead had him reaching for the blade he kept tucked in his coat.
“I say…are you there?” A low rumbling voice demanded. “I brought the information and a down payment.” The voice softened to a rough whisper as a tall, wide man stepped into a pool of fading light only a short distance away.
Tanner revealed himself, enjoying the gasp and the jump from the potential client. He’d been only four feet away, and the man never noticed.
“So you need me to acquire a lady?” Tanner clarified.
“Yes. She’s currently hidden at the Duke of Essex’s estate. Five men are guarding her at all times.” The man said as he handed over a scrap of parchment with directions to the estate.
Tanner read the paper and then ripped it to pieces, discarding them in a pool of dirty water where the ink would smudge beyond readability.
He’d never crossed paths with the Duke of Essex, but he was sure to be like every other pompous aristocrat. Bored, rich and allowed far too much power.
As a young man, Tanner had felt such loyalty towards these men, especially his master, a middle-aged viscount. As a footman, he’d seen to the man’s every need, expecting no extra kindness or treatment for his hard work. There had been pride, great pride in one’s duty to his master.
At least until his master had discovered Tanner’s sweetheart and violated her. Lacy. Tanner’s blood boiled at the memory of finding her bent over his master’s bed, skirts up around her hips, taking whatever his master wished to give her. She hadn’t protested, no woman in the service ever did. To refuse their master was cause for dismissal.
Rage had destroyed Tanner’s sanity. He’d killed his master, killed the man with his bare hands and then fled. Now, seven years later, he’d established himself as a professional thief for hire, one of the finest. The deft of hand talents, and the ability to go unseen by everyone, a footman’s trade, worked even better for him as a specialist in acquiring items desired by paying clients.
The man, Thomas Blankenship, was certainly able to pay him well. His sources had confirmed it, though they also warned he was dangerous and deceptive.
“I want five hundred pounds upon delivery of the girl. Crossing a duke will require a time away from England.”
His client huffed and tossed a leather bag at him. “Here’s a hundred up front as your note required.”
Tanner caught the bag and tested the weight. “Good. Here is what you must do for me. I need to have someone access the inside of Essex’s estate, a friend, a confidant, a servant, anyone you can buy off to enter the house and give me details of schedules of watches and habits. These are things I cannot learn but need to know in order to acquire your
possession
.”
Blankenship shifted on his feet and then nodded. “I know of someone.”
“Excellent, send it to the address you sent your previous note and it will find its way to me.” He waited, curious to see what the client would do. The man obviously didn’t like to take orders, but for the money he was paying, it was better to leave Tanner to do his job without interference.
“Very well. I will write to you when I have details.”
Neither man shook hands, they simply met gazes, sealing the deal with a nod. With a soft little chuckle, Tanner pocketed his money and slithered into the darkness of the secret alleys of St. Giles.
Emily turned from the window. “When will Ashton and Godric return from London?”
“Sometime late tonight,” Lucien said. “He guessed they would miss dinner.”
Emily’s heart pitched south in disappointment.
She missed Godric, missed the heated glances, the tenderness of his lips, the rough weight of his body, those hands that drove her to madness. But she also missed the rich timbre of his voice, the way he saw to her every need. She even missed his desire to sleep beside her, just to hear her breathe.
“Looking forward to his return?”
Emily nodded. A dark, vast emptiness had rooted itself inside her heart. Despite the pleasant time these men were providing her, the same darkness to her future remained. A tremor shook her body as panic and dread threatened to overtake her.
“Cheer up, my sweet.” Lucien brushed a hand on her waist, tickling her just a little.
Unable to help it, a little laugh escaped her. She glowered. “It is ungentlemanly to use my weaknesses against me like that.”
“Then it is fortunate that I don’t often count myself a gentleman.”
Simkins entered the room and announced dinner.
Emily settled down in the dining room between Lucien and Charles with Cedric across from her. “May I ask a question?”
“That depends.” Lucien’s eyes glinted. “We are not about to regale you with tales of our legendary adventures in the arms of our lovers. We do not kiss and tell.”
Charles shot him a glance. “I thought that’s all we did.”
“Well, not to other women.” Lucien rolled his eyes.
Cedric shrugged. “My mistresses always ask about my past…er…indiscretions with an avid curiosity.”
“I cannot believe I am the voice of reason for once,” said Lucien. “Emily is a proper lady. Neither of you will share one word or I’ll box your ears.”
Emily’s giggled. “I only meant to ask, how is it that you all came to be friends? Surely that does not include tales of your lovers?”
Cedric and Charles exchanged an amused glance.
“No, no, our meeting is more adventure than romance,” Lucien said.
“Will you tell it to me?”
Charles answered. “The tale is best told when all of us are here, but perhaps we can tell you how we each first met Godric. Those are stories in themselves.”
“That would be wonderful!” There was nothing she loved better than a good story, and these five men had been at the center of many.
“Then I ought to go first.” Cedric finished his plate and looked about the table for approval to proceed. “I was the first one to meet Godric, in 1807, when he and I were seventeen. I convinced him to sneak out of the dormitories of Magdalene College. We had dinner at a local pub and got into a brawl with an upper year named Hugo Waverly over a woman. I beat Waverly to a bloody pulp and took his cane as a matter of honor.” Cedric’s fingers gently twined about the stem of his wineglass.
Emily’s gaze fell onto the silver lion’s head of the cane that was propped up against the table. “Is that his cane you carry now?”
He held it out to Emily, who took it as though she held a precious artifact from ages gone. “Yes,” he said.
She sensed by the strained look on Charles’s face that there was something more they were not sharing with her. “Did Hugo Waverly ever exact his revenge?”
Charles dropped the bottle of wine he’d been examining. It hit the floor with a sickening crash and a spray of crimson ruined his clothes. He dove to pick up the pieces.
“Charles, are you all right?”
Lucien knelt to assist him.
“So what did happen to Hugo Waverly?” There was something about his name, or perhaps his memory, that had caused Charles to react. It was clear there was far more to this story than just a brawl and the acquisition of a cane. There had been reasons, and there had been consequences.
“It is as you said. He vowed revenge.” Cedric’s answer evaded her inquiry but she knew she would hear no more about the mysterious villain.
She gave the cane back, a shy wistful sigh escaping her lips. “I should have loved to have had adventures like that.”
Every mouth was agape, as though her announcement had been a shock.
“What on earth do you call this, Emily? Abducted, fending off the advances of shameless rakehells… Nothing about that is for the faint of heart,” Cedric said with mild amusement.
“I know…but it isn’t really dangerous, though, is it?” She ran a fingertip over the surface of the white tablecloth then stifled a shudder. “Aside from Blankenship’s visit here.”
“Between riding like an Amazon and jumping walls you’ve put our lives in danger, and that should count for something,” Lucien said.
Emily’s lips changed to a disappointed frown. It was no use to explain to these men that she hungered for travel to foreign lands, for sights unseen, and art not yet made by painter’s hands. There was so much she was missing.
If her uncle married her to Blankenship, her life would be over.
Stifling a yawn, Emily wondered when Godric would return. The conversation at dinner had distracted her for a short while.
“It is late. Perhaps you ought to retire for the night, Emily,” Cedric said.
“I suppose you are right. I am fatigued.” She bent down to retrieve Penelope, who rustled against her skirts. The little dog licked her chin and wriggled in excitement, and Emily couldn’t help but take comfort from such innocent affection. Cedric escorted her upstairs, a shadowy reminder her of status as prisoner.