Libertine's Wife (48 page)

Eustace nodded nervously. Garret
retreated to his coach across the street. At the appointed time,
Eustace was led from the tavern by a rough-looking man to an
obscure conveyance parked at the curb.

They followed discreetly, keeping sight
of the vehicle as it moved down each narrow, winding street. They
saw the coach pull up to the curb at a nondescript building that
looked to be a rooming house.

Garret’s men looked to him. He
dispersed them to every possible entrance or exit. He followed
Eustace and his companion. They were on the second floor. Garret
heard them walking up the stairs above. He crept up quietly and
peered around the corner as both men went into a room at the end of
the hall.

Garret’s eyes narrowed as he approached
the door, listening. He frowned to know he couldn’t hear much
through the wood panel. He listened at the keyhole, straining to
hear what was being said within.

“
We wondered what became of
you, Dunne,” a low raspy voice said. “What news do you
bring?”

“
I managed to get to my
sister at last,” Eustace began, sounding like he was babbling. “I
had the devil’s own time getting past all the guards he hired. I
finally got in to see her.”

“
What did she say?” the
voice said, sounding muffled and disguised. He couldn’t decipher
the man’s identity from his voice.

“
Well, you can imagine she
is not at all happy with me. She had much to say about all I’ve put
her through. For instance, she was not the least—”

“
Enough! What did Lady
Ravensford tell you?”

“
He means to send her and
the boys away,” Eustace reported glumly. “The man grows bored in
the marriage. He means to spirit them away so he isn’t threatened
with kidnappers again.”

“
Did you hear that, Spencer?
Your cousin doesn’t trust us. Can you believe that?”

Garret tensed as he listened outside
the door, anger filling his eyes.

“
Nothing my cousin does
would surprise me. Did Lady Ravensford tell you which one of his
estates he would send her to? We need to know that. He has many
holdings. It would take time to find her when he’s
dead.”

Eustace hedged like a fool inside,
making Garret smile without humor. “Oh, I do recall her telling me,
but the name of it escapes me. Do wait, oh, it will take just a
moment. I fear in my excitement, I forgot. Let me see…um…I seemed
to have forgotten. Just give me a minute. It will come to
me.”

“
Think Dunne! Good God! You
bloody forgot?” the man known as Dench hissed.

“
Give me a moment and it
will come to me,” Eustace fumed within. “It’s right on the tip of
my tongue.”

“
While you’re finding your
wits, tell me why you suddenly decided to help us once more,” Will
was heard to say. “You ran away, last I heard.”

“
I had no choice but to run,
as we all did when the inn was raided. I waited to seek you out as
soon as it appeared safe. I saw my sister only yesterday. She says
this move will happen quickly. There is no time.”

“
We must move on Ravensford
now, Dench,” William was saying, fuming in obvious dismay. “If she
learns of his death before we find her; she could stay in hiding.
Then all of this was for nothing! I’ll not lose Ravensford to one
of her damned brats!”

“
Relax Spencer. Ravensford
disclosed where he means to send his wife. When Sir Dunne recovers
his memory, we’ll know where that is.” A scraping within was heard,
sounding like a chair grating against the floor.

“
For pity’s sake, I cannot
think what the name of it was!” Eustace said in annoyance.
“Spencer, help me out, if you would? You must know the names of
your cousin’s estates? Perhaps that would jog my memory of where
she is to be sent?”

William began listing his estates
within. Garret heard enough. He looked at the end of the hall where
two dangerous men lurked, pistols held in case any tried to flee
after he disrupted their meeting. His men covered every avenue of
escape. He had them. It was then he realized they had
Eustace.

As soon as he opened the door, they
would know he’d played them all. Recalling his promise to Arianne
this night, he vowed to save the miserable man if it was the last
thing he did. He gestured to the two men. They crept
forward.

Garret winced as he heard their heavy
footfalls make loud creaking noises on the stairs. The silence
within the room assured him those in the room heard as
well.

“
It appears you’ve been
followed, Sir Dunne,” Dench said coolly. “Spencer, unless you wish
to languish in Newgate do stop naming your cousin’s
estates.”

Garret counted to three and applied his
foot to the door. It splintered and the door collapsed. His two men
flew into the dimly-lit room behind him. One took Grimes down in a
powerful lunge while the other trained his weapon on William. He
gave his cousin a scowl before he approached the shadowy figure of
Dench, standing next to Eustace at the open window, a pistol at his
head.

“
I’d stop if I were you,”
the low, cultured voice said, face obscured by a scarf and a low
brim hat. “One more step and he’s dead.”

Garret stopped and stared at the man,
trying to pick out his features obscured by the scarf wrapped
around his face. “It’s all over, Dench. I have men surrounding the
building. Your trapped,” he informed the notorious
criminal.

Dench chuckled, the sound muffled
behind the scarf. “Very good, Ravensford, but I must disappoint
you. I have no intention of being caught.”

“
The man dragged me here and
threatened me, Garret!” William whined from where he was held. His
eyes bulged regarding the ruffian who trained the pistol on him in
fear. “Thank God you arrived when you did!”

“
I heard enough, William,
say no more,” Garret replied, never taking his eyes off Dench,
holding his pistol on him. “Drop your weapon, Dench. You can’t get
away. I have the building surrounded.”

Dench glanced back at the window and
moved closer to it. Eustace had no choice but to follow, looking
pale and fearful with the muzzle of the pistol shoved into the side
of his head.

When Dench was standing in front of the
window, he spoke again. “You might wish to rethink your choice of
friends, Ravensford. Dunne knew everything from the
beginning.”

“
That’s a lie! He lies to
you, my lord!” Eustace twisted to be free of his hold. “I knew
nothing of what they planned!”

“
Think nothing of it,
Eustace,” Garret said, never taking his sight from Dench. “I know
who is to blame for all of this.”

“
We appear to have a
dilemma, Lord Ravensford. I can’t allow myself to be caught. I
can’t allow this man to live either,” Dench said softly in his
muffled voice, making Garret frown to think he’d heard that voice
somewhere before. Suddenly he noticed other things, like Dench’s
hands as they held the gun to his brother-in-law’s head, the other
wrapped about his neck. They were the hands of a gentleman, soft
and manicured, not dirty and coarse. His dress was elegant,
tailored impeccably. The ruby signet ring drew and held his eye. He
thought it very familiar, his eyes narrowing.

Dench was a gentleman; one of the
peerage, he was sure of it. Before he could spy other distinctive
characteristics about the man, Dench pulled the trigger. He watched
Eustace crumple before his eyes in slow motion, blood spurting from
the wound at his temple.

Garret watched in dread as the light
went out of his brother-in-law’s eyes in those few seconds. Dench
shoved the body of Eustace at him. The man fell into his arms and
then slid to the floor. Before he could react, Dench jumped out the
window.

Garret cursed and ran to the window,
unable to get a clear shot. Dench fell into an open hay wagon below
that passed under at just the right moment. Before he could warn
his men, Dench was rolling to his feet and jumping down from the
moving wagon. Garret cursed as he saw the dark figure run down an
alleyway.

Garret turned and saw his
brother-in-law lying dead, a forming pool of blood around his head.
He was grim to see the blue lifeless eyes staring heavenward, the
gaping hole in his temple pronounced. He ran into the hall to shout
orders to his men. Several of his guards ran in pursuit while he
returned to the room.

He leaned down and closed Eustace’s
eyes, cursing the fact he’d put the man in harm’s way by allowing
him to lead them to Dench. It was obvious the man was never going
to leave the room alive. Thinking of Arianne’s grief to know her
brother was dead made him stiffen, recalling his promise to look
out for the man.

He straightened and eyed his cousin
with a menacing look. He stared at William with little compassion
in his cold green eyes. “It appears we have differences that need
to be discussed, Cousin.”

“
Whatever you are thinking,
Garret, you are wrong!”

“
Spare me your lies,
William!” Garret let loose a growl and sprang forward and sent a
punch to the younger man’s stomach, sending him sprawling, doubled
over on the floor. He leaned down and jerked his walking stick from
him. He ripped off the silver ornate eagle at the tip. It revealed
a thin blade within. He stared down at William menacingly while the
man blubbered and pleaded with him.

“
Please, don’t kill me! I
swear to you, I never intended to go through with it,” William
gasped, looking at the raging man in terror. “I know how this
looks. You must believe me!”

“
You mean, you never
intended to get caught, isn’t that more like it?” Garret shoved the
thin blade back into the sheath. “I’ll not wait to find your knife
in my back again, William. I see Helms on the morrow to discuss how
I might terminate your claim to my title. If you have nothing to
gain, you are no threat to me and mine.”

“
You
aren’t….going…to…to…kill me?” the man stammered, practically
weeping now in relief.

Garret looked at his hired man. “Tie
the man up and gag him. All this whining is giving me a headache.
In fact, keep him gagged until you reach the prison. Inform the
guards you have captured and delivered them the fugitive, Sir
Eustace Dunne, when you arrive there. Tell him the man’s quite
insane and raves. Tell him to keep the man gagged until he’s on a
ship for the penal colony.”

William stuttered and fumed, drawing
himself up and backing away from Garret, frowning at the guard.
“You cannot do this to me! My mother will question my
disappearance! ”

“
Aunt Cecily will think
whatever I tell her to of your whereabouts. Perhaps when you serve
out Eustace’s sentence, you will become a better man, William,”
Garret told him without mercy, his green eyes filled with disgust.
“If I ever learn you have returned here; I won’t be this
lenient.”

The burly guard then bound and gagged a
cursing William Spencer. Grimes was tied up and dragged away with
him. He left the room with a feeling of moroseness to know Eustace
was dead. Dench also got away.

The guards doubled back, their grim
expressions telling him their quarry escaped. He watched the body
of his brother-in-law being loaded onto the coach with a detached
expression. He struggled to find the words to tell his wife. He’d
underestimated Dench. Fury filled his eyes to know the only one who
knew what the man looked like was now dead.

Arianne handled the news better than he
thought. Her tears were for how senseless her brother’s final days
were; mourning the man he once was. He held her as she cried,
vowing to find Dench one way or another. Dench thought he was safe
now that Eustace was dead. Somehow he’d draw the man out again. It
was far from over.

~ ~ ~

“
It’s Tuesday,
Garret.”

“
So it is again, dear wife.
I can see you won’t let me off the hook this time.” Garret looked
up from his letter and smiled at her expectant look. “Are you
really sure you wish to meet them all?”

“
You promised I could meet
them a long time ago,” Arianne said and frowned. “What could it
hurt now? My scandalous reputation will survive meeting your
children, I assure you.”

“
Arianne, you will recover
from this eventually,” Garret assured her with a gentle smile. “You
won’t be ruined forever, my dear, just until you’re sixty and a
grandmother.”

Arianne giggled and nodded. “Yes, I
can’t quite see myself as a threat then.”

“
Time, my lady, we have that
on our side,” Garret whispered and met her lips in a kiss meant to
sidetrack her. She struggled and pulled away.

“
I have to get ready! I have
only one hour!” she exclaimed and hopped off his lap, avoiding his
attempts to seduce her.

Garret watched as she nearly ran from
his study to prepare to meet his children. He knew she would overdo
the matter. He thought he might warn her—no— she would find out on
her own. Next time she wouldn’t run to make ready, but hide from
the hoydens that were his children.

Eustace was laid to rest weeks ago,
buried on a hillside overlooking the destroyed Dunne Manor. Vale
respected their privacy. He and his wife didn’t attend the funeral.
He sent her a letter instead, one she read in privacy. Arianne was
quiet those first few weeks after he died. She grieved him deeply,
but determined her brother would have met that end eventually with
the unscrupulous money lender.