Chapter Ten
Wayne yawned but then shook the sleep out of his head as he focused on today’s task.
He tightened his fingers around the reins and continued to the abandoned warehouse where Harold had been last night.
Knowing the lord’s habits, Wayne suspected the man was probably still in bed, since it was early morning.
After leaving Regina’s place last night and returning to his room at the boardinghouse, he hadn’t been able to sleep.
His mind tried many different ways to make things right with Regina without causing Jane to dislike her childhood friend.
But ultimately, he couldn’t think of anything.
Jane acted as if she was very much in love with him, and it was bad enough that she would despise him when he finally ended things between them.
He didn’t need to tear the two friends apart as well.
For now, he had to put those women behind him and focus on finding proof.
This was another thing that had kept him awake last night.
His gut told him that Harold had planned all along to take Wayne to the tavern to put the poison in his drink.
Why else would a wealthy lord take his soon-to-be son-in-law to a run-down tavern?
Harold must not have approved of his daughter marrying an untitled man, but he didn’t know how to tell his daughter no. The earl wanted Wayne to look like the uncaring person in this scenario so that Jane didn’t blame her father.
It didn’t matter who won or who lost. The end result would be Harold arrested and sent to the gaol. Jane would be crushed, and rightly so, but it was Wayne’s duty as a Bow Street Runner to bring justice to England any way he could.
As he neared the warehouse, he searched for the horses he’d seen yesterday.
Thankfully, none were anywhere around the building.
He sighed with relief and dismounted. He tied his horse to a post before going inside.
Keeping his pistol where it would be accessible, he crept toward the spot where he had noticed the light coming from the floor.
There was no light now, but the spot was easy enough to find.
The warehouse floor was filthy, yet the location of the trapdoor had been wiped clean, and there was a rope attached to the floorboard with which to lift the door.
The hinges on the door creaked, but he continued to pull it open.
Because the room was underneath, the area was dark.
Wayne glanced around to find a lantern, expecting one to be close by. How else would Harold and his men work in the dark?
Thankfully, a lantern stood on a crate nearby. It didn’t take him long to get it lit, and then he carried it down the steps leading underground. There was a rope on the underside of the trapdoor, but he wasn’t going to close it. Seeing the proof was all he needed to make arrests.
The moment he was in the cellar-type room, he noticed other lanterns.
He lit two more, giving him more light with which to see.
The room was larger than his bedchamber at the boardinghouse.
Then again, this place would have to be large to hold the many crates and barrels scattered around.
There were two long tables in the middle of the room and one small desk against the far wall in the corner.
Several canisters sat on the tables. Curiosity drew him closer, and he lifted the lid to the first canister and sniffed.
Immediately, the overwhelming, bitter scent of almonds filled the air.
He jerked his head away and quickly placed the lid back on the canister.
There was only one poison that he knew about that smelled so strongly.
Laurel water. He knew this was used as a sedative, but if used in large doses, it would surely cause death.
He moved to the next canister that was shaped differently. He lifted the lid but was cautious not to smell too deeply. He didn’t need to smell this one, only because he recognized the plant. Opium.
Slowly, he moved around the table, looking into each canister.
He found camphor, hemlock, prussic acid, and tobacco.
Although tobacco didn’t cause death, the others did if used in large doses.
Yet Harold was a clever man. His purpose was to make a concoction that gave one the symptoms of each plant—excitement of the brain, dizziness, fainting, difficulty breathing, stupor, and delirium.
Wayne moved to the desk and lifted the lantern to look at the open journal with writing inside.
From what he could assume, these were specific measurements of each poison that formulated one calculation.
Apparently, Harold was making his formula to sell.
Since opium was on the rise, Wayne was certain this concoction would fetch a handsome price, not only in Britain but also in other countries.
On the small table next to the desk sat bottles filled with dark liquid. Excitement shot through Wayne—he knew he had found everything needed to have Harold and his men thrown in the gaol for a very long time.
He rushed to the lanterns and turned off their glow. Keeping hold of the smallest one, he weaved around the tables toward the steps leading up to the warehouse. Footsteps echoed inside as voices ricocheted off the walls.
His heart sank. Who could be here this early in the morning?
Without another thought, he lowered the light in the lantern and crept behind one of the large crates in the room. Soon, the voices grew louder as they came closer. He clenched his teeth, wishing these people wouldn’t have come. He was too close to his achievement to have everything ruined.
A woman’s giggle and a man’s deep chuckle made Wayne aware of what the couple was probably doing in the warehouse.
Out of all the places to find privacy, why did it have to be here?
But when the stairs groaned from their footsteps, a different confusion filled him.
Apparently, this couple knew where they were headed.
For a moment, Wayne heard whispers. Seconds later, a lantern flared to life. He scooted down, not wanting to be seen.
“And this,” the woman said proudly, “is what makes my father a rich man.”
The familiar voice rang through Wayne’s ears, stunning him completely. Not trusting his own hearing, he peeked around the crate. Jane stood next to a man, holding on to his arm as they stared at the large table in front of them.
Jane? Wayne shook his head. This couldn’t be right. How would a sweet woman like her be involved with her father’s illegal dealings? There must be some kind of mistake. Or…maybe sniffing those canisters had messed up his head again.
“Lord Penrose makes good money selling these?” the man asked.
“Indeed, he does.” She stared up at the tall man, batting her eyelashes in a flirtatious manner. “And since my father is hiring more men to help him, I would love to give him your name.”
The man’s expression softened as he cupped the side of Jane’s face. “I would be very appreciative if you would, Lady Jane.”
“Indeed?” She tilted her head. “Just how appreciative, may I ask?”
He grinned. “I could show you right now, but I heard a rumor that you are engaged.”
Jane snorted a laugh and flipped her hand through the air. “I’m only pretending to be engaged. My father wants to keep a close eye on Mr. Worthington because Father suspects him of working for the Bow Street Runners.”
Wayne groaned silently and closed his eyes. Why had the earl suspected that? Wayne was rather skilled at working undercover. Unless… Had he said something to the earl while in his delirium state?
He frowned and shook his head. From what Jane hinted at, the earl had suspected Wayne before the engagement.
He peeked back at the cozy couple, feeling angered and betrayed.
Yet he had been pretending with her as well, and it wasn’t as if he would go through with the wedding anyway.
Besides, with this enlightening bit of information, perhaps Regina would consider allowing him to court her.
“Tell me, Lady Jane,” the man said in a sultry voice, “has this drink been used on anyone?”
She laughed and leaned over to take a bottle of the concoction from off the table.
“My father tried it on Mr. Worthington, and I gave a little to my friend, Miss Taylor. Although I had wanted to watch her to see how she was affected, Miss Taylor disappeared on me that night. The next day, she acted as though she was back to her normal, irritable self. As for Mr. Worthington, Father said the man had just returned home and slept it off.” She paused for a moment before her eyes widened.
“Oh, and I gave Miss Taylor’s parents some in their drinks, too.
I couldn’t have them searching for their daughter until all hours of the night. ”
“But why would you want to give this to your friend?” the man asked.
“Reggie has acted like a controlling older sister for years, and I’m exhausted trying to argue with her.
I wanted to enjoy myself at the ball, so I gave her the tainted wine.
It didn’t take long before my dear friend claimed an illness and left the party.
Besides that, I know she is only friends with me because I’m the daughter of an earl, and she is the vagabond daughter of a poor baron. ”
The man’s grin widened. “Lady Jane, you are brilliant.”
Wayne had had enough of this nonsense. It was time he stepped into his Bow Street Runner boots and started making some arrests.
He jumped to his feet and withdrew his pistol. Neither Jane nor the man had seen him yet.
“Actually, Lady Jane is brilliantly foolish,” Wayne said, finally getting their attention as their heads swung toward him. Both sets of eyes widened, and their mouths gaped. The face of Jane’s beau grew white, and Wayne wondered if the man would faint any moment now.
Slowly he walked around the crate, keeping his pistol aimed at the man. Jane was no threat, but the tall man could jump on Wayne—unless he fainted, of course. That being said, it was difficult not to look away from Jane for very long. His hatred for her grew in leaps.
“What are you doing here?” she asked in a high-pitched voice.
“I’m here to make some arrests.”
She sucked in a quick breath. “So, you are indeed a Bow Street Runner?”
“In the flesh.” Wayne smiled wide and proud.
A scowl appeared on Jane’s face. “How dare you lie to my father and me?”
Her statement took him unaware, and he couldn’t stop the laugh from springing up in his throat.
“Is that not like the pot calling the kettle black?” Wayne shook his head.
“Because from what I have overheard, you were doing some lying of your own.” He cocked his head.
“Tell me, Lady Jane, what is Regina going to do when she hears you have betrayed her in the worst way?”
Jane rolled her eyes. “Reggie was never really a good friend. After all, what kind of friend won’t allow one to make their own decisions and choose their own beaus?”
“Probably the type of friend who cares.” Indeed, Regina would be heartbroken. He only prayed she would let him comfort her as her heart healed. “However, I’m sure she will recover quickly. Regina is a strong woman, and you might learn from her example.”
Jane arched an eyebrow. “When did you start using her given name, and pray, why are you acting as if you know her better than me?”
“Perhaps I do know her better.”
Jane snorted another laugh. “Mr. Worthington, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you were sweet on her. Could the outing to the boxing match have been beneficial after all?”
There was no way he would give Jane any more information about his feelings for Regina. The time for talking was over. He stepped closer, pointing the pistol at the tall man. “You are both under arrest. Sir, please turn around with your arms behind you so that I can place these wrist cuffs on you.”
The man’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he sank to the ground just as Wayne had predicted. He wanted to laugh but refrained. However, it was still imperative to place the cuffs on the man, at least until he was judged and sentenced.
As Wayne leaned over to slap the cuffs on the man, something hard and strong hit the back of his head. The sound of glass breaking ripped through the air. Immediately, he smelled the vile liquid that Harold had poured in his drink at the tavern.
Dizziness assailed him, and he sank to his knees, trying to fight unconsciousness. Why had he forgotten that Jane held a bottle of her father’s poison? Of course she was going to try to gain control. The woman didn’t want to be arrested.
Yet, as he fought to stay alert, pain filled his head, sinking him in an endless sea of despair.