Chapter 17
Leaveit to Thorne to drop an unexploded cannonball like that, then rock back on his heels with a smug grin.
Kit should have been irritated, but she herself was fighting a smug grin at the reveal, so she could hardly fault the man.
It had positively been worth it, to see the look of shock flicker across the Duke of Lickwick’s scarred face.
Demon. Thorne calls him Demon, and told you all about how he got that scar. If he’s Thorne’s friend, then you can damn well claim him as your friend too.
The man stood there, lower jaw slack, staring at her while his daughter tried her damnedest to yank his hair from his head. Across the room, Fawkes and Griffin both looked equally shocked, while Bull looked as smug as Thorne did.
Then again, the lad had been there not only for Kit’s confession of her sire’s identity, but their successful foray into Father’s home.
It was Georgia who reacted first, standing from the settee with ladylike grace and crossing the room. She stopped in front of Kit, studying her.
For a panicked moment, Kit wondered if the lady was expecting her to curtsey. Georgia was a duchess, after all, and Kit was a valet. Wearing trousers, for fook’s sake. The silence elongated, painful, crushing—
But before she could decide how she was expected to react, Georgia smiled. It was a bit reserved, a bit hesitant, but it was definitely a smile. “Then allow me to welcome you to London, cousin.”
It was Kit’s turn to gape, especially when Georgia opened her arms for what turned out to be a hug. Kit leaned into the embrace, and even returned it, although it was stilted and awkward at best.
Then Georgia’s sister was there. Lady Danielle was far more exuberant than her sister, throwing her arms around Kit with a breathless little laugh of excitement, making it easier to hug her. She grabbed Kit’s hands and beamed up at her.
“You must call me Ellie, please? And I will call you Kit and we can be friends. Georgia thinks the same, of course, it is just that she has been stuck in remote Endymion for so long she has forgotten what it is to miss family and friends.”
“I have not,” snorted Georgia.
Ellie was still beaming. “A cousin. We have two cousins on Mother’s side, but they are ever so much older than us, and Father rarely allowed us to see them. I am delighted to meet you, dear Kit!” Another hug—one which left Kit breathless from emotion rather than sensation—and Ellie continued to beam. “You do not look much like Uncle William.”
As Kit nodded, a bit dazed, Georgia shook her head. “His hair was redder when he was younger, I remember Father saying that once.”
Unconsciously, Kit’s fingers rose to touch her curls. “My—My mother has lighter hair. She always said I look enough like her that my father would recognize me.”
Behind Georgia, her husband snorted with a scowl. “I doubt he’d recognize ye in trousers.”
“Yes.” Kit smiled crookedly at her newfound cousins. “That was the idea.”
The noise Ellie made was like a squeal as she slipped her arm through Kit’s. “I cannot wait to hear all about this. How did you come to Thorne’s house?”
“She’s his valet,” Bull offered smugly, flipping a gold coin across his knuckles.
His father smacked his shoulder. “Dinnae tell falsehoods.”
The coin had wobbled, but Bull snatched it from the air with a defiant Hah! “I’m no’ lying, Thorne hired Kit as his valet. She’s also a brilliant violinist—ye get that talent from yer mother, I assume?”
Since the lad was addressing her, Kit shrugged. “I assume so. Mother encouraged my musical practice, and sometimes I accompany her. It was a way for the two of us to spend time together when I was younger, when Mother was not quite so famous.”
“Oooh, I cannot wait to hear this whole story!” Ellie announced. “Fawkes says we are staying here, so I absolutely will be stealing you away for tea and gossip, cousin dear.”
Kit felt herself flushing and looked to Thorne to gauge his reaction. He was grinning happily, and she realized he was happy. Happy for her. Happy she’d found family?
No, happy she’d found a pair of cousins who were open and accepting. How could Kit be anything but happy? She took a deep breath, then squeezed Ellie’s arm. “I look forward to it, cousin.”
Georgia, albeit more reserved, was still smiling happily. “I do hope I may join. I’ll send Demon and Rosie ahead—”
“Of course!” Ellie grabbed her sister’s hand and pulled her closer, until it felt as if it was only the three of them in the room. “Please say you are not cross, Kit, for me attacking you like this?” Her smile had turned hopeful. “I know your stories are your own, but Georgia and I are just so utterly delighted to meet you.”
Her offered friendship was precious. So unexpected.
Kit’s smile was genuine as she reached for Georgia’s other hand. “I didn’t expect to meet more family in London, but your welcome means more to me than you’ll know. Thank you.”
“Cousins,” whispered Georgia, almost reverently.
“Cousins,” repeated Kit, more firmly.
There was the sound of a throat clearing across the room, and Kit looked over to see Griffin staring at the ceiling, hands clasped behind his back. “Och, well, now that the emotional shite is out of the way, can we get on with business before we all go all blubbery?”
Bull, who had thrown himself into one of the large chairs, one leg hooked over the arm, smiled charmingly as he flicked the coin nonchalantly. “Dinnae mind Gruff. He’s actually trying no’ to cry.”
Since his stepfather scowled darkly at him, Kit wasn’t certain the truth of the matter. But Thorne stepped up to her side and placed a hand at the small of her back. When she glanced at him, he nodded toward one of the clusters of chairs set around the room.
“Now that we’ve established ye no’ only have the right, but the duty to be in on this conversation, let’s tell them the plan, eh?”It took little time for them to settle in. Griffin stood behind his stepson’s chair, and Demon remained standing so he could bounce wee Rosie, but Fawkes and Ellie settled beside one another, hands clasped tightly in the folds of her dress.
Swallowing, suddenly uncertain, Kit sank gingerly to the settee, beside Georgia. Her cousin. It was impossible to know how to act, suddenly. She was wearing trousers and a waistcoat, yes, but that wasn’t who she was.
Not really.
Suddenly quite desperate to prove to these people—and to herself—that she could fit in among their company, Kit straightened her back, tucked her ankles together, and folded her hands in her lap. As if she were wearing a day gown, taking tea in a friend’s home.
It didn’t feel…wrong. Not exactly.
Maybe she could belong here.
With Thorne?
These people have accepted you as who you are. Perhaps, even if the story got around about how you met Thorne, it wouldn’t really matter?
There was still the fact she was a bastard.
Society wouldn’t overlook all of that.
Thorne remained standing as well, and he paced as he spoke, talking with his hands in a way which made Kit smile. He summarized the investigation thus far, starting with Sophia stealing the documents and ending with Ellie’s translation of the code.
As Titsworth creaked in with the tea cart, Thorne told the others about their plan to gain information only Blackrose and his brother would know, and Bull’s scheme to sneak into Father’s home.
Everyone was enthralled by the story—Kit suspected mainly at the thought of Bull in a ball gown—and she doubted they noticed when Titsworth stopped in front of Kit. The older man tilted his chin toward the tea service…and winked.
He was inviting her to pour and serve the tea.
As if she were the lady of the house.
A duchess.
In fooking trousers!
Kit suddenly wished she’d paid more attention to her clothing choices today.
Taking a deep breath, she reached for the teapot and began the ceremony her governesses had drilled into her from a young age.
“So ye got information we can use to bait him?” Griffin leaned forward eagerly. “In his safe?”
Thorne was nodding. “Remember the Greede-Ahl Silver Mine?”
“Blackrose gave his poisoner a stock certificate as part of his retirement.” Judging from the scowl Demon sent Fawkes, the scarred man hadn’t forgiven Fawkes for his part in her father’s schemes.
And judging from Fawkes nonchalant nod and the way he crossed one leg over the other knee, he wasn’t bothered by his brother-in-law’s vitriol. “Aye, I’ve held onto it, but didnae cash it.”
“Good.” Thorne pointed at his cousin. “If ye had, authorities would’ve likely investigated the mine and discovered it was merely a front for laundering money.”
Ellie gasped, clutching her husband’s hand tighter. “You would have been blamed, as a shareholder!”
Griffin nodded. “Aye, likely another layer to the bastard’s plan, to layer blame on those around him.” He caught a glimpse of Kit and flushed darkly. “Nae offense, Miss Pastorino.”
“None taken,” she said mildly, passing the man a cup of tea. “And call me Kit. I have no love for my father, and plan to be there at the end to ensure his downfall. You know the plan is to set a trap for him?”
“I want to ken more about the Crown’s involvement,” growled Demon, turning down the offered tea.
Thorne winced slightly. “The person who contacted me on behalf of Her Majesty is…a friend. Whose name I cannae reveal, no’ until I’m given permission.”
“Och, aye, ye always had friends in strange places,” Demon acknowledged. “And I understand that the Crown doesnae want to act against an earl without due cause. But the evidence isnae enough?”
Thorne was shaking his head. “We’ve been asked to set a trap for Blackrose, to push him into action in a public place. There needs to be nae doubt about his guilt for that particular crime—whatever it may be—before the Crown believes we can present the evidence against his earlier crimes.”
Georgia placed her tea cup delicately into the saucer. “It makes sense, does it not? The man is not only an earl now, but highly connected. He has likely been making connections for years—favors owed and whatnot. His impending marriage only improves that. He can weather a mere scandal, I hate to say.”
“Yes, if legal action is announced against him out of the blue,” Kit pointed out. “But not if he’s the one to start the scandal. We need him in a place where we can control his actions.”
Thorne was smiling at her. “Which is why ye’re all here.”
“So what’s the plan, oh great and glorious leader?” Bull asked, then hissed, “Ow!” when his father poked his shoulder.
“Ye’re no’ supposed to be involved at all, laddie. Keep yer mouth shut so I can pretend ye’re no’ here, especially if yer mother asks.”
“Good point.” Bull turned hopeful eyes toward Kit. “Ye ken, it strikes me I wouldnae be able to talk with my mouth full of cakes.”
Taking the hint, Kit loaded up a plate and passed it to him as Ellie spoke.
“Well, it is obvious what we need to do, yes? We use the code to entice him into a meeting. An encoded message in The Daily Movement, giving him the information Thorne found about the Greede-Ahl Mine, telling him we want to meet him.”
Griffin was already shaking his head. “No’ enough. He’s a dangerous man, milady, he’ll no’ show up at a meeting just because we ask him to and hint we ken things about him. More likely he’ll send ruffians to the meeting in his place.”
“Not if it’s in a public space.” Kit took a deep breath and lowered her tea cup. “And he doesn’t know who he’s meeting.”
Demon nodded. “We use the code, and the knowledge of the mine, to hint we ken more.” His voice was little more than a whisper. “Then one of us, acting as the agent we’ve hinted in the encoded message, meets with him to entice him into the trap we’ll set.”
“What kind of trap?” Fawkes asked.
Demon started to shrug, then froze, one big hand against the baby’s back. “I dinnae ken,” he hissed. “Something in a place we control. Here?”
“Uncle William will not willingly enter Thorne’s home,” his wife pointed out. “Not knowing Thorne is one of his few surviving agents, even if he does not realize Thorne is working against him. And why are you whispering, dear?”
“Because yer daughter has fallen asleep,” he hissed back. “And is drooling down my back.”
“Excellent.” Georgia grinned and relaxed against the settee. “Now you will have to keep your temper in check.”
“I know how to get him here,” Kit confessed. When all eyes turned her way, she straightened her shoulders. “I’m going to act as my uncle’s agent. The message in the paper will be from me.”
“Nay,” Fawkes immediately blurted. “Lass, ye cannae ken what kind of evil yer father is capable of.”
Kit held Thorne’s tortured gaze. “I think I can.” She waited for him to object, and it was clear from the pain in his eyes that Thorne wanted to.
But he didn’t.
He believed she could do this, even if he hated it.
That realization, more than anything, made her bolder.
“My father doesn’t realize I’m in London. But once he does, he’ll believe I’d been in contact with my uncle, Georgia and Ellie’s father.” She nodded to both the women. “Because I’ll make him believe that. I’ll know everything you tell me about his actions in the past, and because I have no obvious connection to you, he’ll believe me. He’ll have no choice.”
“Fook,” muttered Thorne.
When Fawkes raised a brow in his direction, Thorne repeated the hopeless curse. “Fook, she’s right. It would work. I hate it, but it would work. Blackrose is a wily bastard, with layers to his schemes. He’d believe his brother capable of the same, and would see this as a betrayal from his late brother, no’ us.”
Griffin was slowly nodding. “And he’s egotistical enough that he’d believe his offspring the only one capable of double-crossing him this way.”
“Ye’ll have to convince him ye’re on his side, lass,” Demon whispered. “Or he’ll no’ accept the trap.”
Ellie had produced a small pad of paper and a pencil and began to dictate as she wrote. “Father, I have information you need. To prove my sincerity, allow me to assure you I have not alerted the authorities as to the nonexistence of the Greede-Ahl Silver Mine in Colorado.” She looked up from her scribbling. “We need to entice him further.”
Her husband shook his head. “Nay, lass, that’s enticing enough, trust me. Just that first word alone will make him spit out his tea, I’ll wager.”
Kit’s hold on her teacup was so strong she worried she would break the delicate porcelain. Forcing herself to sit forward and place the saucer carefully on the table, she bought herself a few moments to control her emotions. “Tell him I’ll meet with him. I’ll find him. That way he’ll be off-center, not certain how to control the situation.”
“Brilliant,” Griffin muttered, glancing at Thorne. “Terrifying, but brilliant. She’s right.”
“I ken,” Thorne announced, smiling at Kit. “She’s her father’s daughter, and he’s terrifyingly brilliant as well.”
“But she’s on our side, aye?” Demon pressed.
Kit still held Thorne’s gaze. At the question, he raised a brow in challenge, and she grinned softly, feeling herself relax. Trying to pour her feelings into her words, Kit nodded and said, “Yes, I’m all yours.”
It was the truth.
No matterwhat the future brought, no matter how long or short their time together, Kit was and always would be, Thorne’s.
“So where does she meet him?” Griffin asked.
“The Stallings assembly,” Bull muttered around a mouthful of cakes. When everyone turned to him, he shot his father a wary glance and swallowed, lowering his plate. “Look, the cakes dinnae stop my brain, just my mouth! The Earl is throwing a party of his own—or rather, I assume his wife is—to celebrate Lady Emma’s betrothal. Apparently Blackrose didnae invite enough of their friends. They’ve already had one ball this season—to try to get Emma matched, remember? So this one is just an assembly.”
“Uncle William will have to attend,” Georgia murmured, nodding.
Her sister bent back over her notebook, narrating as she wrote. “I am prepared to discuss the information I have which you need next week at the Stallings assembly. I will be wearing…” She trailed off, then glanced up. “We will have to claim something unique, to throw Blackrose off.”
“Orange!” Bull declared, sitting straighter. When his father scowled at him, he shrugged. “Nae debutante would wear that color, and we want Kit to stand out.”
Demon snorted softly. “Orange, with that hair color?”
His wife groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Oh, gooey shitenuggets, Demon, try to be on better behavior!”
Bull merely grinned. “I can make her shine.”
Thorne was nodding as he stepped up behind Kit. “I believe ye can, laddie.” He placed his hand on Kit’s shoulder. “Add it, Danielle.”
Kit reached up to brush her fingers against his, and he caught them and held, as Ellie finished her scribbling.
“I will be wearing orange. Signed, Katherine.” Ellie glanced up to catch Kit’s eyes. “Is that acceptable?”
Kit’s smile felt a little wobbly. Not from fear, just… What was coming would change everything, she knew it. And there would be no turning back. Still, she’d come to London to find out what kind of man her father was, and now she had, she had to bring him to justice.
So she nodded. “That’s perfect.”
And it was. It would work. She just needed to be strong enough to control the situation.
“What are ye going to tell him to convince him to show up at Thorne’s home?” Fawkes asked her, his dislike of the plan evident from the way his brows were drawn in.
Kit glanced up at Thorne. “I have some ideas about that.” She hadn’t shared them yet, but she knew it would work. “Can we use the name of the Crown representative you know?”
Wincing, Thorne shook his head. “Nay, no’ until I’m given permission. We cannae afford to run afoul of the Crown, lass.”
She nodded, turning back to the room. “Just the knowledge Her Majesty is interested should be enough to scare him into showing up.”
Georgia hummed. “You need it to be a public setting, but one which you control. An event, hosted here.”
Her husband snorted, and when the bairn in his arms began to stir, muttered a curse under his breath and began to rock back and forth. “Blackrose is a bastard,” he sang in a surprisingly light tone, “so he’ll suspect a traaaaap.” When everyone looked at him in surprise, he continued to sing with a scowl, “Rosie doesnae caaaaaare what I say, as long as I siiiiiing it.”
Kit pressed her lips together to hide a smirk, but the others weren’t as polite.
Ellie, however, ignored her singing brother-in-law and tapped her pencil against her lower lip. “He will suspect a trap, so we make the invitation one he cannot refuse, not without being judged by Society.”
“His daughter,” breathed Fawkes, his gaze finding Kit.
Bull sat up straight, eyes bright. “A musicale! A musicale with Kit as the star. We announce it, introduce her as Blackrose’s daughter, sponsored by Thorne—everyone will expect him to be there, and he willnae be able to turn down the invitation without judgement.”
Griffin’s hand landed on his son’s shoulder. “If yer mother asks, that was my idea.”
“Because it was brilliant, but I’m no’ supposed to be here?”
Griffin nodded to the lad. “Aye, exactly.”
Beaming, Bull sat back.
Thorne’s fingers squeezed hers, and she felt him take a deep breath. “Well, friends, it seems the time has come to ask for yer help in planning our most important mission of all.” He glanced around the room, meeting everyone’s eyes. The men stood straighter, the women lifted their chins, ready to fight.
“I need yer help,” Thorne began, “and I ask ye to give it freely, for it’s nae for the faint-heartened. We must come together, leveraging all our skills to plan our most difficult and potentially dangerous campaign of our careers: a musicale.”