Chapter 21
21
Penny came back to consciousness in degrees. Her head pounded like a spike was being driven through her temple every time her heart beat. Her mouth felt full of cotton and her tongue was too large. Her shoulders screamed in protest, but when she tried to move her arms, ties cut into her wrists, holding her in place. She was lying on a cold, wet surface. Flagstones, maybe. It was freezing. Violent shivers wracked her body. When she tried to open her eyes, she was certain sand had been ground beneath her lashes.
‘I think she’s waking up. Perfect timing. He should be here soon.’ The whispered voice came from her left. She couldn’t place it, but she knew it wasn’t Constable Sweet.
Constable Sweet!
An aching sense of loss was quickly drowned out by the rage of betrayal. He drugged her. Kidnapped her. Hauled her here tied up like so much baggage. One of the few men she ever trusted.
‘Can we at least get her a blanket?’ The gruff rasp of Constable Sweet’s voice was unmistakable.
Penny opened her eyes and slowly, the room came into focus. It was a massive space hidden in murky shadows. A lone candle sputtered on a wooden table to her right, creating a wavering circle of light. She struggled to sit up with her hands bound behind her back. Strong fingers gripped her arm and helped to pull her into a sitting position, but the world around her spun, turning black at the edges.
Peppermint and tobacco. Her stomach pitched and she gagged.
‘There now, dove. Here. Drink this.’
The metal rim of a flask pressed against her lips and cold, clear water dribbled into her mouth. Realising it wasn’t more poison, Penny gulped greedily as her eyes became accustomed to the flickering light. Constable Sweet’s familiar face came into focus.
‘Why?’ she croaked the question, not able to elaborate further.
‘It weren’t my fault, dove. I owe so much money. Trying to keep my lady-wife happy with her fripperies and fancy holidays.’
‘Constable Sweet!’ Penny wanted to cry. She was also desperately tempted to slap the man silly.
‘You know how much I love her, Penny.’
Penny shook her head. ‘You did this for money? Because you’re too weak willed to tell her no? Or too scared she’ll leave if you can’t offer more than yourself? That isn’t love. It’s stupid, and selfish, and you’re a coward for not being honest with her.’
Constable Sweet shook his head like a stubborn boy. ‘No. She gave up everything to be with me. I couldn’t disappoint her. And the Devil’s Sons promised to help me. If I helped them. No one was supposed to get hurt. They just wanted information. I got connections, you see. In the Metropolitan Police. I hear things.’ He tapped his large earlobe. ‘I know things that are valuable to men like him.’ He threw his thumb behind him. Penny squinted in the dim half-light of the candle. A figure lurked behind Constable Sweet, but he kept his face in the shadows. He wore the clothes of a lord, and his shoes were new. No doubt, this was the Snake. The man Liam made a deal with at the masque. One of the three leaders of the Devil’s Sons.
‘Fine. Sell him your secrets. But what does this have to do with me?’ Penny struggled to keep her voice calm.
The man stepped from the shadows into the island of candlelight. His features were unremarkable. Thinning brown hair combed in a perfect part. A patrician nose lending his face some modicum of dignity. A weak chin, and jowls that shook when he spoke. ‘Ah, my dear. Don’t you understand? You were one of the informants reporting back to Constable Sweet.’
Realisation broke over Penny like a cracked yoke spilling over toast.
How could I have been such an idiot!
She narrowed her eyes at Constable Sweet. ‘You were using me. This whole time. You wanted me to spy on Lord Renquist. Not to find him guilty, but to ensure he was earnest in his pursuit of brotherhood into the Devil’s Sons. There was never a reward from the Metropolitan Police. That was just another lie, wasn’t it?’
Constable Sweet shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. He shoved the flask of water into his pocket. ‘They promised me good blunt for my information. I was going to share what was left over with you. I swear it.’
‘I don’t believe you. You had no intentions of helping me save my mother. You did none of this for us.’ Penny felt ill. She let the anger and hurt amalgamate into a focused rage.
Constable Sweet’s face hardened into a mask of ugly spite. ‘Your mother was never going to get clear of the prison. She was given a thousand chances. But she never took the help I offered. She wouldn’t know how to live if it weren’t behind bars.’ He spit on the ground, wiping his moustache clean. ‘Best I could do was find a way out for you, Penny. And I did that, didn’t I?’
Penny scooted sideways to show him her back, lifting her bound hands as best she could. ‘Is this your way out of imprisonment?’
The Snake snickered, a chilling sound in the echoing room. ‘She has a point, Constable.’
Constable Sweet ran a shaky hand through his hair. His lips pulled down in a frown. ‘If you want to blame anyone, blame him.’ He pointed a thick finger at the Snake. ‘I told him your lord was playing him double. But he wouldn’t believe me. Said he needed proof.’
‘Yes. And you, my dear, are the proof.’ The Snake stepped closer, shifting to her right while Constable Sweet stayed close to her left, splitting her focus between them. ‘I know William. I was friends with his father. I’ve watched the boy since he was a little brat running around his father’s country estate. And while Constable Sweet here believes your seductive skills have swayed Renquist’s heart, I know better. The boy has too much of his father in him. He might be fucking you, but he’d never lower himself to love a maid. The very idea is ludicrous.’
‘My thoughts exactly.’ A low voice echoed over the flagstone floor.
Liam .
Penny wanted to scream his name. To rip free of her bonds and run to him. To fall into his arms and let him protect her. Instead, she blinked hard and willed her silly heart to cease beating so loudly.
They were playing a dangerous game. The plans they’d made to enter the battlefield armed and prepared were smouldering somewhere in the fiery pits of hell. But Liam must have a new plan. She needed to watch him. Predict his moves. Discern his needs. Skills she’d honed over ten years of service. If anyone could determine a secret plan from nothing more than facial expressions and errant gestures, it was Penny.
‘Ah. Renquist. You’ve finally arrived.’ The Snake pulled a pistol from his pocket and levelled it at Liam’s chest. ‘Check him for weapons, Sweet.’
‘Lord Gartling. I should have guessed.’ Gartling was from an ancient line and close to some of the most powerful men in the beau monde. Even a lowly maid recognised a name as powerful as Gartling. Rumours abounded that despite his pedigree, he was one of the beau monde’s bankrupt. An impoverished lord whose blood was far richer than his bank account. But the cut of his jacket fit the latest style. His shoes shone even in the dim lighting, and Penny could smell the spice of his French cologne. It seemed his fortunes had changed.
‘You always were one of father’s more clever friends. I’m glad to see age hasn’t dimmed your wits.’ Liam kept his eyes on the Snake as Constable Sweet shuffled over to Liam.
‘Nor has it sharpened yours. I’d watch what you say to me, boy. I’m the one holding the pistol.’
Constable Sweet did a thorough search, making Liam take off his coat, even going so far as to make him take off his boots. Sniffing loudly, he turned back to the Snake.
‘He’s got nothing on him.’
‘Can I re-dress? It’s bloody freezing in here.’ In a display of obvious power, Liam didn’t wait for an answer. He bent down and pulled his boots on, then took his jacket from where Constable Sweet threw it on the ground and shook it out. Slipping one arm in, then the other, he buttoned it with jerky movements. He might be playing a part, but his anger was real. Penny didn’t need years of service to determine that fact.
Liam glared at Lord Gartling’s gun. ‘I think you can put that away. Unless you’re scared the maid will overcome you with her superior fighting skills.’
Lord Gartling smirked. He lowered the weapon but kept his finger on the trigger. ‘So, we have a puzzle that needs solving. But never fear. Clever man that I am, I have a solution.’
Liam crossed his arms in front of him, refusing to even glance at Penny. But she watched his face like a hawk. He marked where Lord Gartling’s gun tapped against his trousers. Every time the Snake looked away, Liam inched closer. He was going to try to get Gartling’s weapon. And Liam might very well get shot in the attempt.
Unless Penny could come up with a better plan.
She wiggled her feet, willing the blood back to her toes. Shifting herself, she got her legs beneath her. When an opportunity presented itself, she needed to be ready.
‘I remember, you always had a flair for the dramatic. Where are the other leaders? The Wolf? The Crow? More cronies of my father?’
The Snake tskd and shook his head. ‘Have patience, dear boy. You don’t think we’d all risk being in the same place at the same time, do you? We’re far too careful for that. Before you meet the others, you must prove yourself to me.’
‘How?’ Liam’s deep voice calmed the sparking nerves crackling through Penny like electricity.
The Snake pulled a bottle from his pocket with his free hand. It was about the size of an ale bottle. ‘To prove your loyalty to the Devil’s Sons, you will kill your maid. There’s enough laudanum in here to take down a horse.’
Liam’s face paled slightly. Penny didn’t miss his throat contracting in a hard swallow. But his voice stayed steady as he took another step closer to the Snake. ‘I thought you wanted product. I doubt you’ll make much money on a dead maid.’
The Snake’s smile sent a thrill of pure fear through Penny. ‘You’d be surprised what some men would pay, Renquist. For the use of a newly dead woman.’
Constable Sweet gagged. ‘You never said anything about killing her.’
The Snake swung his pistol toward Constable Sweet. ‘I never said anything about killing you either, but if you don’t shut up, your wife will have to determine how a widow affords fripperies all on her own.’
Sweet dipped his hand into his pocket and fumbled for his pipe. He turned to Penny, his eyes swimming with useless tears. ‘I’m so sorry, dove. I never thought it would come to this.’
No, but you won’t do anything to stop him.
‘I’m not your dove. I’m nothing to you.’ As verbal spars went, her comments were rather dull, but Penny couldn’t waste her focus on Constable Sweet. She returned her attention to Liam.
He took another shuffle-step closer to the Snake. ‘That is why there is such a high demand for girls?’
Lord Gartling shrugged. ‘Very few of our clients have such morbid tastes. But they all want something beyond the pale. Don’t you see? There are prostitutes on every street corner of France. But even those women have their limits. We cater to clientele whose demands are darker than you can even imagine, Renquist. The women we procure have no choice, and that is the point. If you are going to be a member of our brotherhood, we need to know you are willing to cross any boundary for the cause. And once you’ve sampled the kind of pleasure we provide, you’ll find it difficult to return to more pedestrian pursuits.’ The sick bastard winked at Liam.
Penny’s body shook with undiluted hatred. How could such evil live in the hearts of men? She kept her eyes on Liam as he forced his mouth into a brittle smile. ‘Sampling the product? Isn’t that the first step into madness?’
‘Sometimes, madness is the only escape.’ Lord Gartling tapped his pistol against the bottle with a sharp clink. ‘Come on, Liam. Make your father proud. Show us you can make the hard choices.’
Liam choked out a laugh. ‘If you want me to kill her, fine. But why poison? Isn’t that a woman’s weapon? Give me your gun and let me end her life with the tools of my trade. I am a soldier, after all.’
The Snake laughed, a low rumble echoing in the cavernous room. ‘I don’t trust you yet, Liam. And a gun would cause too much damage.’ He tossed the bottle across the space between them and re-aimed his gun at Liam.
Liam caught it easily, pulling the cork and sniffing. He sucked in a breath and shook his head. ‘Bathwater gin and opium?’
Lord Gartling shrugged. ‘Not worth wasting good spirits on guttersnipes too poor to know the difference. Besides, she won’t be alive long enough to taste it. Kill the girl, Liam. Prove to me you are your father’s son. Then we’ll talk about where you might fit in our brotherhood.’
Liam clenched his jaw.
The Snake pulled a cigar from his breast pocket with his free hand. He took his time smelling the thing before walking over to the candle guttering on a wooden table and bending forward to light the end with a series of puffs. Waving his gun in the direction of Penny, he tipped his chin in an impatient gesture. ‘Hurry up, boy. I’ll share one of these with you when you’re done. It’s still early. We can go to White’s and enjoy some of their brandy.’
Penny held her breath as Liam slowly turned toward her. Finally, his gaze met hers. For a moment, time froze.
His eyes communicated everything. Fear, love, grim determination.
He took steady steps closer until she had to tip her head back to keep eye contact as he loomed over her.
In a movement too fast to track, he gripped her arm, hauling her to her feet. His fingers dug into her flesh and Penny cried out. He leaned closer.
‘Fight me,’ he whispered.
She followed his lead, lurching back as his hands reached around her, slipping down her arm to her wrists where ropes bound her captive. She thrashed with her shoulders, blocking his hand from view as he tugged hard on the rope. In their struggle, he dropped the bottle. Constable Sweet chased it across the floor.
‘Leave me alone, you bastard!’ she cried out, letting the pain in her wrists infuse her voice as he pulled harder, loosening the bonds.
‘As soon as I let you go, run. Don’t wait for me. Just go!’ Liam’s lips brushed her ear. He ripped hard against the rope, tearing skin from her wrists as the bonds broke free. ‘Now.’
He turned and rushed Lord Gartling, but the Snake was too fast. He lifted his gun and fired. Liam fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
Penny screamed and lunged forward, but Constable Sweet’s thick arms wrapped around her, keeping her away from Liam.