An Unexpected Gift (27 page)

“Go get Bridget and lock yourselves in one of your rooms.” At Jennings’ sound of protest, “I don’t know what’s happening, but I won’t have you or Bridget hurt because of something I may have brought to our home because of my association with Mr. Finch…or Lazarus.”

Olivia ripped Mr. Finch’s shirt open and ceased breathing for a moment. Multiple stab wounds marred his chest and shoulders. “Go,” she ordered when she realized Jennings still stood in the room.

“I may be old, Miss Olivia, but I am not a coward. I will not hide in my room to leave you to face whatever may happen.” He gestured to the man before her. “And it looks as though you’ll need help caring for your friend. I’ll fetch Bridget, but I
will
be back to assist you.”

Olivia glanced up for a quick second, watching Jennings leave the room. While he was right, she did need help, she wished he would have done as she bid.

The two servants hurried into the room and quickly set to work. Bridget handed Olivia the implements she needed while Jennings set about cutting away Mr. Finch’s clothes so Olivia could better examine him for other injuries.

Olivia tied the last stitch in the laceration nearest his heart. She had probed the opening and saw no blood welling up from the region of his heart, but it caused her to worry he could bleed internally. Thankfully, most of the wounds didn’t seem very deep, though the gash across his palm did cause her concern.

She began wiping the blood from his nose when she heard the main door to the house close. She handed the cloth to Bridget and put a finger to her lips signaling them to remain silent. Slipping from the room, she closed the door behind her with a quiet click.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, and she moved forward, trying to see who was in the house without being seen. She edged closer to the stairs. Her shoulders slumped with relief as she spied the man coming toward her.

“Phillip.” She crossed the open space to meet him. Everything would be all right now. Her brother was home and would protect them until Lazarus arrived and learned why Mr. Finch was attacked.

Phillip looked her up and down. “Still pretending to be me, I see,” he mocked.

Not sure what he meant, she hesitated then realized her clothes were bloodstained from attending to Mr. Finch. “A friend was hurt. I was trying to help.”

Grabbing her arm, Phillip nearly pulled her off her feet. “You’re helping him? Did you give him laudanum?” He shook her hard. “My laudanum. Did you give him my laudanum?”

“What are you talking about? We haven’t had any laudanum in weeks.” Olivia wrenched her arm free and moved away from him.

She looked at her brother, really looked at him. His hair flopped over his forehead and hung in greasy hanks to his shoulders. While naturally thin, he’d lost more weight, leaving his skin tightly stretched over his cheekbones. There was a gray pallor to his skin. His clothes looked as though he’d slept in them for weeks, and he reeked of body odor and something she didn’t recognize. “What happened to you? Where have you been?”

“Who are you to question me?” he roared. “I let you live in my house, eat my food, and you dare to question what I do?”

“I’m just concerned.” Something was wrong. Phillip had always been meticulous about his appearance even on the battlefield.

“I suggest you concern yourself with finding some laudanum.” He advanced on her.

“I told you, there isn’t any.”

“Don’t lie to me.” He struck her across the face.

Olivia fell to her knees from the force of the blow, her hand clutching her cheek. She stared up at him in bewilderment. He had never raised a hand to her. He wasn’t himself. Had Lazarus been telling the truth? Had Phillip been addicted to laudanum all this time, and she never knew it?

She struggled to her feet.

“Get the laudanum.”

“Please listen to me.” Olivia held out a hand to him.

He slapped it away and grabbed her by the neck, slamming her into the wall. “You.” He slammed her against the wall again. “Will.” And again. “Get.” And again. “Me.” And again. “Laudanum.”

He released her, and Olivia slid down the wooden paneling to land in a heap on the floor. She fought to stay conscious. She had to protect Jennings and Bridget.

She looked up at her brother. He gazed down at her, hatred twisting his features.

“Get up,” he ordered.

She put her hands on the floor and pulled her knees under her, willing her legs to hold her once she gained her feet. A vicious blow struck her in the ribs. Olivia cried out as pain exploded along her side.

“I said get up.” Phillip grabbed her by the back of her gown. The sound of material tearing filled the air as he tried to lift her to her feet.

Gathering whatever strength she had, she kicked out at him, catching him along the side of the knee. His leg folded beneath him, and he fell to the floor.

“You’ll pay for that, you little bitch,” he snarled.

Olivia scooted away from him and pushed to her feet. She ran to the door.

His hand closed around her ankle, and she crashed to the floor, leaving her stunned. It took everything she had to roll onto her back. She had to move, tried to move, but she couldn’t make her limbs cooperate.

Phillip put his hands around her neck and squeezed. Olivia tried bucking him off, her legs kicking the floor in an attempt to gain leverage.

He kept squeezing.

Unable to breathe, she clawed at his hands. She could feel her strength draining away. Her hands fluttered against his grasp before falling uselessly to her sides.

The sound of a gunshot filled the air. Phillip’s body jerked, and he fell on top of her. Olivia pushed at him and rolled a few inches away, gasping for breath. She turned her head and looked at him. His eyes stared at her, but there was no life left in them. Blood streamed from his open mouth to pool on the floor.

She scrambled to her feet and halted in mid-movement, her hand clutched against her throat.

Patrick stood in front of her, a pistol in his hand.

“Are you all right?” He moved toward her but kept a measure of distance between.

Looking from the gun to Phillip to Patrick, she made the connection and nodded.

Will raced into the room and with a howl of rage, launched himself at Patrick. The two men fell to the floor with a crash. Will landed blow after blow while the younger man tried to ward them off.

Olivia rushed across the room. “Will, stop.” She wrapped her hands in the collar of his coat and tried to pull him off Patrick. “Stop. He saved me. Will, please.”

Her words finally penetrating, he pushed himself off the youth and rose. “He saved you?”

She nodded. “Phillip, he was…” She touched her neck. “You were right. He was addicted to laudanum.”

“Opium,” Patrick corrected. “Finch paid the men who run the opium dens to deny St. Germaine access. When he couldn’t get any more opium, he became desperate. It was why he came here looking for laudanum.”

“How do you know this?” Olivia asked.

“I overheard Finch telling Lazarus what he planned ta flush St. Germaine out. I thought it best to keep an eye on the dens and see what happened.”

“I see you are learning what I’ve been trying to tell you all along. Knowledge is the true power.” Will offered Patrick his hand. “Thank you for being there when Olivia needed help.”

The young man blushed and looked at her, sorrow in his gaze. “I’m sorry for what I done to you before. And I’m sorry for killing yer brother.”

“You didn’t truly kill him,” Olivia said in a soft voice. “I think the brother I knew died a very long time ago.”

Patrick gave her a sad smile of thanks and left the room.

Will touched her swollen cheek with a gentle fingertip. “Are you certain you are unhurt?”

“I will be fine. The blood is from Mr. Finch. I think Phillip may have been the one who attacked him.”

“How is he?”

“He’s lost a great deal of blood, but I think he will recover.”

“Good.” Will drew her into his arms, needing to feel her heartbeat against his.

“Will,” she sighed his name against his chest.

“Lazarus.”

Will looked over Olivia’s head to the man in the doorway, two constables standing behind him. “Durant.”

“Mr. Durant? How?” Olivia turned.

“I sent Harry to fetch him when Daniel found me. I wasn’t certain what was happening. I wasn’t sure if you would need the Watch.”

The Runner came into the room. “Who would have believed that—Lazarus sending for the law.” His gaze shifted from Phillip’s body to Will. “I see I wasn’t mistaken in my thinkin’ the constables would be necessary.”

“My…my brother, he attacked Mr. Finch. I was caring for him when Phillip arrived. He demanded laudanum, but there is none. He became enraged. He…” Olivia faltered, her hand touching her cheek then her throat.

“He attacked her.” Will stepped into the breach. “He was strangling her. I—”

“I shot him. Lazarus left a pistol with me in case any of his associates tried to hurt Miss Olivia.”

Will stared at Jennings in shock. The butler was lying through his teeth. Why was he covering for Patrick, for him?

Durant looked like he wasn’t quite convinced Jennings told the truth. He glanced between the two men. Will couldn’t let Olivia’s servant be taken into custody for killing her brother. He took a step forward, determined to tell the Runner the truth, whatever the outcome.

The butler caught his eye and gave a slight shake of his head. “I’m speaking the truth. Do you think I would confess to killing a man when I didn’t? Especially if that man was Miss Olivia’s brother?”

“I suppose not,” Durant said grudgingly. He waved the two constables forward. “Remove the body.” He turned to Olivia. “You’ll have to make the necessary arrangements for burial.”

“Yes. I will as soon as possible.” She averted her gaze as the two law officers carried her brother from the room.

“Lazarus.” Durant gave him a nod of farewell and left the room.

Will breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been certain the Bow Street Runner would have used St. Germaine’s death as a means to have him taken to Newgate.

Olivia stood in the doorway, watching the men leave.

He came up behind her and led her down the hall to the library, giving the servants the chance to clean up the blood without her being present. Unable to help himself, he wrapped his arms around her, reassuring himself that she truly was all right.

He couldn’t believe he almost lost her. He’d nearly thrown away any chance he had at happiness in order to keep her safe from Hammond, and she almost died at the hands of her brother.

He tipped her mouth to his and gave her a soft gentle kiss that grew in intensity. She met him eagerly, her arms twining around his neck. He gave her one last kiss.

Lifting his head, he held her close. “I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “I thought I knew everything I needed to and then I met you. Since then I’ve learned it’s not what you have in life, but who you have in it. I’ve learned you can do something in an instant that will give you a lifetime of heartache. I’ve learned these things because of you. But most importantly, I’ve learned the circumstances of my upbringing may have influenced who I am, but I am responsible for the man I’ve become. And I want to be a better man. You make me want to be a better man. I know I have no right but…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small gift box. He took her hand and placed it in the center of her palm.

Olivia hesitated then lifted the lid. Nestled in a bed of white satin, sat two geese fashioned out of gold, their wings spread as though they were in mid-flight. She lifted the brooch out of the box and gave him a quizzical look.

Will took the pin from her. “Did you know geese mate for life?” He fastened it to her dress. “Will you be mine for the rest of our lives?”

“I don’t understand.” Olivia backed away from him. “You said you didn’t care about me. You said I was convenient.”

“I didn’t want Hammond to know how much you mean to me. I was afraid he’d hurt you to get to me. I had to say those things, pretend to come to Belle’s for one of her girls, to make him believe you weren’t important. I swear I did not touch one of her girls.” The look of uncertainty in her eyes pushed him forward. “I’m so sorry. Sorry for the things I did that hurt you. I’m sorry for the things I said, and I’m sorry for the things I haven’t said.”

“What haven’t you said?” Skepticism colored her voice.

“I should have told you long ago, but I was…afraid.”

“The great Lazarus?” she scoffed. “What could you possibly be frightened of?”

“I’m afraid of a great deal—Losing you. Not having you in my life. Loving you.

“You love me?” she asked, shock and awe filling her gaze.

He took her hands in his. “I have loved you from the moment you didn’t turn away from me once you knew who and what I was. You came into my life like an unexpected gift. One I didn’t even know I needed until it was given to me.”

She smiled, happiness lighting her face. “I believe those are the best kinds of gifts.” She sobered. “What about Hammond? What’s to keep him from striking out at you through me?”

“He and I have come to a mutually beneficial agreement. He will take control of the docks, the smuggling operations, and the rest on the condition he doesn’t strike out at anyone associated with me. I will still keep the warehouse and continue to use the docks to offload the ships I have contracts with to sell their cargo. I was just leaving a meeting with him when Daniel found me and told me you needed me.”

“How can you be certain he will keep his word?”

“I’ve given Hammond what he’s wanted for years. The docks. He knows I can take them back in an instant. And with him taking over the smuggling operations and such, I now have the power to send him to gaol. One word about what truly goes on there in Durant’s ear, and Hammond will be lucky if he ever takes a breath outside of Newgate again. He knows not to cross me.”

Will clasped his hands around her waist and leaned back to look down at her. “So you will marry me? Despite my past?”