Chapter 38
Bright colors competed with vendors, all clamoring for their attention. Nick lingered behind with Richard while the ladies flitted from one stall to the next. He wondered if Richard had seen Connell yet. The thief-taker stood, partially hidden, behind a length of cashmere.
Richard jabbed Nick with his elbow. “He is not subtle, is he?” he observed, nodding at the cashmere.
Nick twisted his lips. He ought to have known that a trained soldier would be as alert to danger as he was. “He’s been following us since we left the house. I thought for certain he’d arrest me when Elizabeth tossed that ne’er-do-well over her shoulder.”
“Had you been the one to put Wickham in his place, I have no doubt Connell would have found his excuse to take you back to Newgate.” Worry etched Richard’s brow.
Nick was worried, too. Any little mistake, and Connell would close in on him.
Had he overheard Alex’s foolish blunder?
If he knew he could bag not only one, but two, renowned pirates, Connell would jump at the opportunity.
Nick was grateful for Lord Matlock’s protection, but he could not presume that his relatives would extend their protection to Alex, too. They’d already done so much.
And what could he do for them in return? How could he possibly repay them?
Concern weighed heavily on Nick. He’d do what he could to lighten the load on his family, but it’d never be enough. Turning so his back was to Connell, Nick grinned. “We’ll give Connell a mad tour of England before we’re done with him.”
Richard seemed to understand his need for levity. With a nod, he smiled, and they continued walking until they joined the ladies.
Alex held up a gold earring, and Nick provoked her agitation when he paid for the earrings without any attempt to barter.
He’d pay twice the sum just to see her happy …
once he unburied one of his caches. What was money to him when his ill-got gains could be used to help the family selling their wares?
At least they earned an honest living. Everything Nick possessed had been taken at some point.
Leaning into him, the smell of jasmine in her hair swirling Nick’s senses, Alex asked, “Has Connell given up yet? Or is he still followin’ us like a gull eyein’ a picnic?”
Nick scowled at her. He’d almost forgotten about Connell. Now he had to start all over again. “Ye saw him, eh?”
“Since we left Darcy’s house.”
“If ye knew he was watching us, then why on earth did ye say yer name where he could hear it?” Nick snapped. “Fool woman, yer infamy’ll be the death of me.”
She faced him square, fists on hips. “If ye’d let Boone marry us, I’d’ve had a different name to give.”
Nick leaned down, looking her in the eyes. “Would that really have stopped ye from using yer surname against him? Yer only thought was in terrifying that scoundrel.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “If Lizzy felt threatened by him, then he’s an enemy to me.”
“Ah, it’s Lizzy now, is it?”
“That’s what Mr. Bennet calls her. It suits her.”
Nick gritted his teeth. Alex was loyal to a fault. He couldn’t stay agitated at her for that. He didn’t realize Richard and Miss Rothschild stood nearby until Alex addressed the colonel. “What’d that awful knave do, anyway?”
Richard took a deep breath. “Wickham grew up with Darcy at Pemberley, the son of the land steward and godson to Darcy’s father.
He was given a gentleman’s education, and all the advantages that came with an attachment to an established, respected family.
He became accustomed to living beyond his means and of always being provided for. ”
Nick had no respect for men of that sort. Always with their hand out, and ungrateful, besides.
“Mr. Darcy provided a living for him in his will,” Richard continued, “but Wickham was not interested in the church or the stability the living represented. He sold it for a healthy sum, which Darcy generously paid.”
Alex made a noise. “He spent it all, didn’t he?”
“He appealed to Darcy for more money and, when Darcy refused, he disappeared for a while. Long enough for us to believe ourselves rid of him.” Richard took another deep breath, seeming to weigh his words.
“The easiest way for a man such as him to gain a fortune is to marry into one, and he set his sights on Georgiana.”
Nick’s body tensed; fire burned through his veins.
“Darcy’s little sister?” Alex gasped.
Nick ground his teeth. Georgiana was barely out of the schoolroom. The idea of that rakehell trying to taint her innocence made his rage boil over. “Had I known, I’d have run him through.”
“And have you hang over it?” Richard, too, spoke through his clenched jaw. “Wickham is not worth ruining your life. It is a fact I have had to repeat to myself many times.”
“I could make it look like an accident,” Alex offered. She glanced up at Nick. “We could make him disappear easy. Tie a rock to his middle and dump him in shark-infested waters. Nobody’d ever find him.”
Nick kissed her forehead. It was a lovely thought and he was sorely tempted, but it’d mean returning to the life he had worked so hard and suffered so much to leave.
Richard was right. Wickham wasn’t worth ruining his reputation with his family—almost, but not quite.
“Tempting, but me days of revenge are through.”
Miss Rothschild asked, “Is not your ship called The Revenge?”
Nick, Alex, and Richard turned to her, mouths agape.
“What?” she shrugged. “Is a lady not allowed to read anything entertaining?”
Richard tried to hide his smile, but Nick knew he was pleased with Miss Rothschild’s spiritedness.
In his mind’s eye, Nick saw his beautiful ship, his glory, his haven. “Aye, she was.” He looked at Alex. “I hope yer brothers have her. Maybe they’ll forgive ye for blasting the side out of their fastest ship if they gained The Revenge.”
Alex wiggled her fingers between his and squeezed his hand. “We’ll get her back, Nick. I promise.”
He shook his head. It was dangerous to entertain such thoughts. “I’m done plundering and pillaging.”
“Ye’d only be reclaimin’ what’s rightfully yers. Surely, there’s nothin’ wrong with that.”
He pressed her hand against his chest. “So long as ye’re with me, I’m happy. I was never more miserable than when I thought ye were lost to me forever.”
She grinned. “Is that why ye threatened to kill me?”
He returned her grin. “Ye get under me skin like nobody else.”
Behind her, he saw Connell move to another stall.
Like a wet blanket over a fire, Nick’s contentment dampened, yielding once again to anxiety.
If anything happened to him, he could bear it.
But if Connell realized what other prize dangled in front of him, Nick’d never forgive himself for endangering Alex.
“Let’s get back. Mr. Bennet and Lord Matlock’ll worry if we don’t return before dark. ”
“You can call him Uncle,” Richard said.
Nick could not presume that intimacy yet. He couldn’t explain why, so he just nodded and walked out to the river.
Darcy was where he said he would be with Elizabeth. The two held each other, and Nick praised the Heavens that his brother had found happiness. Elizabeth was a capable lady with a witty tongue and a kind heart. She’d always be a comfort to Darcy.
Nick walked up to them, teasing, “Ye’ll have to marry her now, Darcy.”
His brother had a wider smile than Nick had seen him show before this. “I intend to. Perhaps we ought to apply for licenses and make it a double wedding.”
Alex clapped her hands, but Nick was too stunned to react. Darcy had not known Nick for a fortnight, and he would share his wedding day with him?
Darcy dropped his voice, and Nick understood his words were meant only for him. “I would like my brother to be a part of the most important day of my life.”
Nick shook his head, speechless. He didn’t deserve Darcy’s unrestrained acceptance.
Alex jerked on his arm. “All this plannin’ makes me hungry.”
“Have you ever enjoyed a Bath bun?” Miss Rothschild asked.
“I’ll warn ye, Emily—Can I call ye that? Miss Rothschild’s such a mouthful.”
Miss Rothschild graciously smiled. “Of course, you may. If Miss Elizabeth agrees to address me the same.”
“I am Elizabeth, or Lizzy, to you.” Elizabeth arched an eyebrow, her gaze flickering to Richard ever so briefly. So, Nick wasn’t the only one who thought they’d make a winning match. Nick’s admiration grew. It was easy to like people who agreed with you.
“What did you wish to warn me about, Alex?” Miss Rothschild asked.
“I’ve been spoiled most of me life with a French chef. I’m not easy to satisfy at the table.”
Miss Rothschild was not discouraged. “Then you must have a Sally Lunn bun. They are teacakes. I have only ever managed to eat half—they are massive—but I think you shall like them.”
They squeezed into a carriage and returned to the Royal Crescent before nightfall with a basket of buns too light to have much substance.
Nick devoured the top half. It was smothered with butter and cinnamon.
To the bottom portion, he added the cheeses and cold cuts Darcy’s housekeeper provided on a large tray.
Had the bun not been so delicious, he might’ve been tempted to save a portion for Jean-Christophe.
Maybe he could secure a few more for their trip.
Mr. Bennet was delighted with the idea. And Lord Matlock declared the recipe unchanged since the last time he’d eaten a Bath bun in his youth.
Lord Matlock dabbed his mouth and spread his hands over his middle. “We must rest for the morrow. It promises to be a busy day.”
“Do we have no other name or residence? No clue besides the cemetery?” Darcy asked.
Miss Rothschild sipped her tea. She’d only eaten through half of the top of her bun.
“My detectives have found no living relatives. Mrs. Brown was raised in an orphan asylum until she ran away. All of the institution’s records were destroyed in a flood.
As far as they learned, she did not maintain any friendships after she left. ”
“We ought to make inquiries anyway,” Mr. Bennet suggested.
Darcy frowned. “Mrs. Currey had no family either.”
Elizabeth had nearly managed to clear half of her bun. “Do you think Mrs. Finchley selected nurses without family or close friends on purpose?”
“We cannot discount any possibility,” Darcy answered, “but we must not hasten to believe the worst of her before we have all the facts.”
Elizabeth blushed. “You will never forget how I misjudged your character, will you?”
Mr. Bennet raised the last of his bun in the air. “Not if he is as intelligent as we know him to be. We gentlemen must use every advantage to maintain a level field, my dear.”
“Papa! You would compare our relationship to a battlefield?”
“Love is a battlefield,” he declared, popping the last bite into his mouth and closing his eyes as he chewed. There was a man who enjoyed a teacake.
What Darcy said stuck with Nick, who tried not to eye the ladies’ as-yet unfinished buns. “It’s true, though. Closed minds’re blind. The truth could be right in front of our noses, and we wouldn’t see it.”
Alex, who had started out eating as slowly as the other ladies at the table but had given up all pretension of delicacy after three bites, pushed her empty plate away.
“Remember how ye told us about the rector’s wife, how she takes care of all of them graves?
I wonder if Mrs. Brown has someone like that. ”
Lord Matlock shrugged. “It would take no time at all to have a look.”
“The cemetery might tell us something,” Miss Rothschild said.
“My detectives learned nothing at the asylum, though I should like to make inquiries myself.” If she did not attend to her bun soon, Nick was tempted to offer to help her with it.
Would that be considered rude in his present company? Probably.
“It is as good a place as any to start,” Lord Matlock agreed.
Nick thought they had too little to go on. Then again, this mystery—if, indeed, there had been a crime committed—had been kept silent for nearly thirty years. They couldn’t expect the clues to be loud.