The Price of Pleasure (43 page)

“Do you have a plan?”

“I’m still thinking.”

“I don’t understand why they didn’t kill us instead of bringing us here. Not that I’m complaining,” she added.

“It wasn’t convenient for them. They want to make sure they are seen in public so no one will connect them with our deaths. I believe they’ve hired thugs to do their dirty work. It was probably hired thugs who made those attempts on my life. Fortunately the killers weren’t skilled. The stews are full of men eager to do anything for enough blunt. My guess is that Dempsey and Duvall made sure they were seen elsewhere when their men were trying to kill me.”

“How long do you think we have?”

“They won’t risk killing us in daylight, so I expect something to happen before dawn. We have a few hours yet. Can you stretch out on the bench and sleep?”

At the moment, sleep was the last thing on Fleur’s mind. “I don’t think so.”

“Lean against me and relax. I need time to think. I have my blade; that will be of some help.”

“Your blade will be of little use against more than one man.”

“We’ll face that hurdle when we come to it.” His arm came around her shoulders and hugged her close. “Rest while I consider our options.”

Reed sounded so confident, Fleur allowed herself to relax against him. As she leaned toward him, she felt something poke into her side. Excitement raced through her when she realized what it was. “Reed, I have a pistol in my pocket. It’s loaded and primed. Thank God Duvall didn’t think to search me.”

“That’s my girl,” Reed murmured. “I should have known the Black Widow wouldn’t leave home unarmed. The pistol and knife give us much better odds. They won’t expect us to be armed.”

Feeling more confident than he had since their imprisonment, Reed said, “Perhaps we should both get some sleep. We need to be alert when our captors arrive.”

Though Fleur was certain she couldn’t sleep, she leaned into the comfort of Reed’s body, closed her eyes and knew no more.

Lisette was beside herself with worry when Updike informed her that Hunthurst had already left for his meeting. She knew deep in her heart that something terrible had happened to her beloved Fleur.

“You must go to his lordship’s rendezvous site, Mor-timer,” Lisette urged.

Updike shrugged helplessly. “The countess failed to give me the direction. She wanted to make sure I didn’t go without her as I threatened.”

Lisette wrung her hands. “You must find
ma petite
.”

Updike headed for the front door. “Stay here with Madame Lisette,” he ordered Gordon. “I’m going for help.”

Updike ran to the carriage. Before he could climb onto the driver’s bench, Reed’s carriage came careening around the corner. Updike waited impatiently for it to roll to a stop.

“Is his lordship with you?” Updike called up to John Coachman.

John leapt down from the carriage. Bates joined him. “They got him!” John exclaimed. “Those bastards got his lordship.”

“Was the countess with him?”

“Aye,” John replied. “I saw her face in the window before the bastards took them away. His lordship handed his weapons over without a peep of protest and got into the carriage.”

“I recognized one of the men but not the other.”

“Tell me what happened. Don’t leave anything out.”

John launched into an explanation. “The man in the carriage with the countess was that Duvall bloke. When I saw his lordship give up his weapons, I pulled out my pistol and edged from the shadows where his lordship told me to wait. When he shook his head, I knew he wanted me to remain where I was. I think he was protecting the countess.”

“Did you follow the carriage?”

John looked properly affronted. “Of course I did. Do you take me for a fool?”

Updike grew excited. “Good man! Can you direct me to him?”

John nodded eagerly. “Aye, I can take you there. We had to hang back a ways to keep from being noticed, but we were able to get close enough to see them disappear down an alley.”

“Then what did you do?”

John and Bates looked at one another. “We waited until Duvall and the other bloke left in the carriage without his lordship and the countess. Then we came straightaway here to ask you what to do. Since his lordship didn’t confide the particulars to us, we didn’t know what else to do.”

“There’s no time to waste. Stay here, I’ll take care of this. I know his lordship better than either of you.”

Updike climbed into the carriage, took up the reins and sped off down the street. He knew where Lord Porter lived. He had heard the name brought up in conversation with Hunthurst often enough. Lord Porter was the only person capable of helping Hunthurst and his fiancée.

Fifteen minutes later, Updike stood before Lord Porter’s townhouse, pounding on the door. It took considerable effort to rouse someone, but eventually an irate butler opened the door.

“What do you want at this ungodly time of night? Come back at a decent hour.”

“Tell your master I need to see him on urgent business. It’s a matter of life and death,” Updike said before the door closed in his face. Updike wasn’t to be deterred. Lives were at stake. He jammed his foot in the door.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Porter shouted from the top of the stairs. “Can’t a man get a decent night’s sleep?”

Updike pushed past the startled butler. “Lord Porter, I’m Updike, Lord Hunthurst’s man. His lordship is in serious trouble. I’ve come to beg your help.”

Porter descended the stairs, his nightshirt flapping about his ankles. “Hunthurst, you say? What has he gotten himself into now?”

Updike told Porter everything he knew, which wasn’t all that much. “So you see, my lord,” Updike finished, “the pair of them are in grave danger.”

Porter cursed fluently. “I cautioned Hunthurst about getting in over his head. He wasn’t supposed to move against the traitor without my knowledge. Did the men who accompanied Hunthurst to his rendezvous recognize anyone?”

“They recognized Mr. Duvall, his lordship’s cousin, but didn’t know the second man. That’s all I can tell you, my lord, except that Lord Hunthurst and Lady Fontaine desperately need your assistance.”

Porter nodded curtly. “They shall have it. I’ll need time to summon help. Return in an hour with the men who can lead us to Hunthurst and we’ll take it from there.”

Reed held Fleur close as she dozed against his shoulder. He had no idea how long they had been in this dark hole, but each minute seemed like an eternity. Fleur had no idea how difficult it was for him to control the panic racing through him. When he heard a scraping noise outside the door, his panic was replaced by cold reality.

Their captors had returned.

“Wake up, sweetheart,” Reed whispered against Fleur’s ear. “We’re about to have company.”

Fleur awakened instantly. It took a moment for her to remember where she was, but when she did she clutched Reed’s sleeve and hissed, “What are we going to do?”

“Listen carefully,” Reed instructed. “I don’t know how many men Duvall and Dempsey have brought to do their dirty work, but they’ll need light to see us. They’ll probably bring a lantern or torch. That means we’ll be able to see them too.”

The bar scraped across the door.

“Remove your gun from your pocket and hide it in the folds of your gown. I’ve hidden my knife in my sleeve; a flick of my wrist will place it in my hand. If more than one man enters the room, I’ll need a moment to assess the situation. Wait for my signal before you shoot.”

The door burst open. All Reed could see was a nimbus of light spreading out from a lantern.

“There’s a hook on the left beside the door,” someone ordered in heavily accented English. “Hang the lantern there so you can see what you’re doing. Hurry, it will soon be light.”

Duvall
.

Reed blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light. Immediately he saw two thugs standing in the doorway, brandishing wicked-looking knives. Duvall stood behind them.

“Steady, love,” Reed whispered.

“There they are,” Duvall rasped, pointing at them. “Kill them.”

“Where is your partner, Duvall?” Reed taunted. “Is he too cowardly to show his face while your hired killers make short work of us?”

“Dempsey is keeping watch on the street.”

“You’re both cowards,” Reed ridiculed.

Duvall nudged the thugs. “You have your orders. They may fight; especially Hunthurst, but you are more than his match. I’ll wait outside the door. Come out as soon as you finish them off.”

The men, both lumbering brutes, stalked menacingly toward their prey. Reed waited until the last possible moment before hissing, “Now, Fleur! Aim for the man on the left.”

From that moment on, everything seemed to happen at once. Both men went down. Fleur’s bullet found its mark in one man’s chest while Reed’s blade protruded from the second man’s throat. Duvall appeared in the doorway, a stunned expression on his face. Reed started toward him, then stopped abruptly when Duvall produced a pistol and pointed it at Fleur.

Reed shoved Fleur behind him. “You only have one bullet, Duvall. You’d better aim for my heart because if you don’t kill me, I’m going to kill you.”

“At this distance, I can’t miss.”

Reed shoved Fleur to the ground and crouched low, preparing to launch himself at Duvall. Then all hell broke loose. Two men jumped Duvall from behind. His pistol exploded. The bullet whizzed past Reed’s ear and thudded into the wall behind him. Reed flung himself on top of Fleur to protect her.

Duvall went down. Reed glanced up and saw Lord Porter standing in the doorway. “Take Duvall and the traitor Dempsey away,” Porter bit out. The disgust in his voice was palpable.

“Are you and your lady all right, Hunthurst? We got here as fast as we could.”

Reed climbed to his feet and helped Fleur to hers. “Are you hurt, love?”

“I’m fine,” Fleur said weakly. “Just a little out of breath.”

Reed didn’t care who was looking as he brought Fleur into his arms and kissed her soundly. “You’re also a great shot and more courageous than most men.” He kissed her again before answering Porter’s question. “We’re both well,Porter. But if you had arrived a few moments later, it would have been too late.”

Reed stepped over the two thugs sprawled on the floor. “These two are dead. They’re hired killers. What about Dempsey?”

“We got him. He’ll pay with his life for betraying the Crown.”

Reed ushered Fleur out the door and into the dim light of a misty dawn.

“You can explain how you managed to keep your weapons later. I assume you’re anxious to take your lady home. Your man Updike and the two servants who followed you here are waiting with your carriage at the end of the alley. Without them, we wouldn’t have known where to find you.”

They exited the alley in time to see Porter’s men shove Dempsey and Duvall into a waiting wagon.

“Thank God you’re safe,” Updike said with a shaky sigh. “Where shall we take you, my lord?”

“To the townhouse, Updike,” Reed replied as they piled into the carriage. “You’re all going to get a fat bonus for tonight’s work.”

Updike closed the door and climbed onto the driver’s bench beside John Coachman. Bates jumped onto the tiger’s perch and hung on as the carriage rattled off down the street.

Everything had happened so fast that Fleur’s world was still spinning. It seemed incredible that she and Reed were alive and Duvall and Dempsey had been taken into custody.

Suddenly the murky confines of the carriage started to fade as dizziness and nausea struck at the same time. Fleur’s stomach lurched up into her throat. “Stop the carriage!”

Reed must have noticed Fleur’s paleness for he rapped on the roof, and the carriage rolled to a stop.

“I need to get out!”

Reed flung open the door and stepped out. He held his arms up and Fleur jumped into them.

“I’m going to be sick,” Fleur gasped. Leaning over, she emptied the meager contents of her stomach into the gutter. She heaved until she had no more left. Then she collapsed into Reed’s arms.

Reed handed her his handkerchief and supported her while she wiped her mouth. “Don’t faint on me now, sweetheart. This nightmare is over. The traitor is as good as dead, and my cousin will hang for his crimes. He deserves death for what he did to my brother.”

Fleur leaned against him while Updike stood nearby, wringing his hands.

“Do you feel better, love? Shall we go home?” Reed asked.

Fleur nodded weakly. Reed scooped her into his arms, placed her inside the carriage and climbed in beside her. “We’re ready, Updike.” Updike closed the door and returned to the driver’s bench.

“I’m sorry you had to go through this ordeal,” Reed said, smoothing her hair away from her damp forehead. “Do you still feel ill?”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve been sick,” Fleur admitted. “My stomach has been upset a lot lately, usually in the morning. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel fine most of the time.”

A worried look creased Reed’s brow. “I’ll send Updike for a physician as soon as we arrive home.”