Daring the Duke (26 page)

My guess is you'll much more tart. I always liked a good bite."

Stephen quickly reappeared, his eyes wide as worked his way toward her.

"Audrey?" he said urgently. "Don’t listen to him, he’s trying to force a reaction to get you out in the open."

Stephen tried to reach for her across the distance.

"Sweet little Faye. Don’t you worry though, Audrey, she was only an appetizer, I consider you the main course."

Stephen guessed her intent and dove toward he but she was already running around the boulder and firing. The first man ducked and she threw gun to the side, sparing no thought to him as she whipped a knife at the man on the right and launched into a dive. A gunshot sounded, and the man taking aim at her collapsed. Her dive brought her face to barrel with Leonard's gun. He smirked as he cocked it against her forehead.

His eyes lifted from her for a moment, and Audrey heard footsteps behind. Stephen. But he had already used his last bullet to save her.

Leonard lifted the gun to take aim. She stabbed him in the leg and knocked the gun from his hand. He fell to the ground. She hit him. Then she hit him again. And again. From a distance she heard someone screaming in rage and pain, unaware that the sounds came from her own throat.

Strong arms pulled her upright. Darkness was all around her. Warm arms pulled her close and she stepped away from Leonard's prone body and buried her face against Stephen’s chest, hysterical sobs escaping.

Stephen made soothing noises and stroked her hair. The three unconscious men on the ground were lucky to be alive. Their wounds, although not fatal, were bad enough to put them out of commission.

Leonard was unconscious, the other two men were scooting away from him, one holding his side and the other holding his leg.

Stephen repositioned Audrey in his arms and slid back against a boulder.

Voices from the woods were audible. Townsfolk and servants were quickly approaching. The gunfire must have surely alerted everyone in the London outskirts. Stephen looked at the faces of Leonard’s companions. They were the two men from the previous night.

Audrey knew they were working for Travers. He had seen it in her eyes.

It was the only way she could have possibly known that Leonard wasn’t bluffing. Now was not the time to press for details.

He picked her up and headed to one of the horses left by Leonard’s men.

He set Audrey on top of one horse and took the reins of another. His coach driver was nursing a shoulder wound and what appeared to be a broken leg. Stephen rummaged through the carriage and gave him a pistol and a bottle of spirits. He would send his men back for him.

The villains would have to be left behind. Stephen tightened his lips. He would find them. He knew their faces.

He mounted the horse and took Audrey’s reins. She showed no movement to ride herself, simply staring straight ahead.

He rubbed a hand over his forehead. Could he overcome the darkness in Audrey? Should he even try? He looked over at her, and a fierce protectiveness overtook him. The answer was yes.

He rode toward the city pulling her horse behind. He took out-of-the-way paths to Mayfair and used a back path to his town house. Two servant boys were sitting on the rear wall. They jumped to attention when they saw him and grabbed the reins as he dismounted.

Stephen touched Audrey’s hand. "You know he was lying. He wanted you to come out, and you did."

Her eyes focused on him for a minute before she gave him her hand.

Stephen’s eyes were calming, but Audrey’s pain was evident. She needed her sister. Needed to see that she was safe. Stephen lifted her from her horse. He was giving orders to the boys.

"Unsaddle and stable the horses. Tell the grooms that Murphy is injured on the London Road. Do so quietly and quickly, then find yourselves an extra dessert."

The boys scrambled off, eager to please their master. Audrey leaned back resting her head against his shoulder and allowed him to carry her to the door. The shrubbery lining the house bounced in her view as he continued to carry her.

Stephen rounded the corner and as quick as lightning stepped back and deposited her in the bushes. An outraged cry lodged in her throat as she saw him make a silencing motion with his hand and then stride forward.

"Good evening, Your Grace. I am Barney Tyler, Bow Street runner."

Audrey recoiled into the prickly bush and barely noticed the pain.

"Good evening, Mr. Tyler. Please forgive my sad state of dress, it’s been quite a trying evening."

"Indeed. We received word that a murderess was apprehended and in your custody."

Audrey’s breath lodged in her chest.

"Yes, Mr. Tyler, that was the case."

"Was?"

"The hellion escaped. I’ve been chasing her the past few hours. Damn woman almost shot me."

The runner’s voice was grim. "As soon as we find her, we will make sure she pays for that."

"That is an encouraging thought, Mr. Tyler. She had several men helping her."

"Gary, go have a look ‘round back. We’ll search the property, Your Grace."

A darted glance around the area showed nowhere for her to run except the way they had come.

"Excellent. I chased her just outside of the northern outskirts of London, and disabled a few of the men. They may still be nursing their wounds there. l was unable to linger."

He wasn’t going to turn her in. Footsteps rounded the corner, and Audrey pulled her hair around her face, blessing her dark locks. The faint outline of a man passed her hiding place and continued into the darkness toward the stables.

"Quite understandable. Sounds like you did a fine job, Your Grace. Shall we talk inside?"

"Yes, the night is getting chilly. l feel sorry for anyone having to stay outside, but we do as we must."

Damn him for telling her to stay outside. She started to feel the branches poking into her ribs, back and bottom, but she dared not move. Two more men walked past, speaking in hushed tones.

She was stuck here, probably for a long duration. She scooted against the house, wincing as the thorns tore through her garments and into her skin.

She pulled her knees up close, crossed her arms on top, and laid her head down. She would be able to hear anyone approaching. She palmed a knife just in case.

Leonard. Just one more name to add to her list for when this was over.

She shuddered. What he had said about Faye.. .wasn’t it what she had been dreading? One of the many things that had kept her up at night, unable to sleep? Leonard had put voice to the fear, making it more urgent than ever to finish this quickly and free Faye.

She remembered the looks of the prison guards. The guards had been receptive to taking in two pretty female prisoners, especially after they had a look at Faye, with her wild red hair and sherry-colored eyes. They had been most receptive. No court, no jury just straight to that dark little cell in that horrible-smelling prison.

All because of Travers. Leonard was working for Travers.

I know you will taste as sweet
. Audrey flinched. Dear Lord, she hoped they were only trying to rile her. But she couldn’t risk it. She had to get her sister now. And there was only one option left. Stephen might continue to help her, but he would want to do it in his fashion, and right now everything seemed to be moving too slowly. She could no longer afford the time.

Her last task was waiting inside. Within the house was her final bargaining chip with Travers, the one that would bring her one step closer to Faye. By the end of this, Faye would be safe. And what about Audrey?

.

Audrey peeked up from her crossed arms and watched the men scout the area. Somewhere out there Stephen was running interference for her, helping her. But tomorrow might be a different story As for Audrey? Well, Audrey would survive.

"Audrey?"

Stephen looked into the murky shadows along the stone wall. She had been left alone in the dark for over an hour. No alarm had been sounded, so either she had run or she was still ensconced in the thorny bushes.

Hopefully her fear of dark, close places did not extend to foliage.

"They are gone, Audrey. Let me help you inside now."

Fear that she had truly left trickled through him. She wanted to hurt Leonard for what he had said. She could have gone back to try. One girl alone with three large men.

Even knowing she could take care of herself did not stop the fear. Things had a nasty way of changing on you if you locked into the emotion.

A slight movement caught his eye, and he saw a faint gleam of skin.

Walking closer, he could see her leaning up against the house, watching him.

"I’m truly sorry about tossing you in there."

"No problem, Chalmers. Rather here than being tossed into prison."

He extended a hand, and she grasped it. The chill of her hands seeped into his.

"There's a fire blazing in the study."

She nodded but said nothing. She walked stiffly into the house, and he could see the pale gleam to her skin and the weary look in her eyes. Still thinking about her sister. Stephen gritted his teeth. Hopefully Roth would find Faye soon.

He nodded at Grimmond as they entered the study. Cook had heated tea and warmed some biscuits, and they were arranged on a tray in front of the fireplace. Audrey collapsed onto the settee. Stephen poured the tea and handed her a cup. She took it and absently blew on the top.

"Audrey?"

She continued to blow on her tea and stare into the grate. "Why didn’t you turn me over to the runner?"

"Should I have?"

She gave him an enigmatic look. "No. What did you tell him?"

"I only repeated what I said outside, expounding on how wily and clever you were."

She briefly smiled and sipped the tea. "Thank you for not turning me in."

"You’re welcome."

She peered at him over the rim of her cup. "l don't really understand why though. I know you view me as something of an oddity to examine, but I nearly killed Beef—, Leonard, tonight."

"I know."

"Your parents were murdered."

"Yes."

"Everyone else thinks I killed your solicitor. Why didn’t you turn me in?"

The stirring of something akin to panic reared itself. He didn’t want to answer that yet. "I haven't finished examining you yet?"

"I need to speak with Maddox to see if he knows anything."

Stephen switched paths readily "What are you going to do?"

"Just talk. The man has a tendency to reveal more than he should.

Sometimes he is not very bright."

"That showed when he sold you to Flanagan."

She shook her head. "It could have been worse. I saw Maddox speaking to Madame Devieve, not knowing at the time what business the woman conducted. Better Flanagan with his skewed morality than working for a woman like that."

Stephen went cold. Madame Devieve’s establishment was well-known for the young faces employed there. They had been unsuccessful in closing the house down. Too many government insiders with a stake in the business had always foiled the attempts.

Stephen tabled the dark thought. "Why did he have to sell you at all?"

She shrugged. "Gaming debts. The man has worse luck than I do when it comes to the roll of the dice or the turn of a card." The corners of her lips lifted slightly.

"What about your mother? Did he have gaming debts while he was married to her?"

Audrey looked into her cup. "She passed away before she found out what kind of a man she had married. Both of my parents were soft-spoken and scholarly." She gulped the hot tea. "They’d be ashamed if they could see me now."

He rubbed the back of her neck, and even more surprisingly, she let him.

"What was life like after you joined Flanagan?"

"Hard, but Flanagan’s not that bad." Her mouth tightened as she followed his train of thought. "No, Flanagan is not part of this. He’s tough, yes.

Demanding, definitely. But he has rules. His struggle is external, not from a decaying soul. He isn’t rotten like Maddox, not evil like Travers."

"Ah, so what should we do about the illustrious Mr. Travers?"

Her neck muscles tightened beneath his hand. "I will deal with him."

She put the cup down and stood.

He put a hand on her wrist. "If you trusted me enough to help you find your sister, why won’t you trust me with the other burden you have been carrying around for the past few hours?"

She looked into his eyes. "But I don’t trust you, Chalmers. Our deal was Newgate and finding my sister. I offered you information and money and in your reduced circumstances you accepted the offer."

"l don’t want your money and never did."

"But you would then have to marry a useless young lady of quality. "

There was something in her eyes that made his heart beat more quickly.

"But I'd eventually have to marry a young lady of quality, useless or not, wouldn’t I?"

She tensed, and he felt the reaction to his toes. She cared.

"I don’t care whom you marry Chalmers. Better a useless lady who will ignore your plants and other strange hobbies."`

He gripped her shoulders. "What if l don’t want to marry a useless lady?"

She took a deep breath and stared at him. "Would you sail across the ocean to be free?"

He rubbed a section of her hair between two fingers. "That sounds divine, but alas, no. The title is a burden, but it is my burden, and bear it I will."

She leaned into him. "Why?"

"Because others count on me now."