Chapter Eight
“There you are. How did it go with the lioness?” Basil asked, his eyes riveted to the vingt-et-un dealer’s hands as the mysterious, masked Oberon dealt the cards to the four men sitting at the table.
“As well as can be expected.” Lex eyed the piles neatly stacked in front of Basil. Fortune was obviously smiling on his friend today, as his supply of chips had grown since Lex left to speak with Mrs. Dove-Lyon.
Basil shot a glance at him. “I must say, you don’t look particularly pleased.”
“My mind is elsewhere.”
“Ah, are you again ruminating over that wench, the so-called Lace Bandit? Because I have news for you.”
“And what news do you have?”
Basil directed his attention to one of the other men playing at the table. “May I introduce my companion in the devil’s sport, Sir Axel Hammond. He, too, recently encountered the Lace Bandit, and she robbed him of far more than she took from us. A month’s revenues from his tenants in St. Giles.”
Axel Hammond held out his hand, and Lex reluctantly shook it.
Lex was well apprised of the deplorable St. Giles rookery.
It was the worst of the dilapidated areas where the unfortunate lower class lived in subhuman conditions.
In Lex’s estimation, if this man was a landlord of St. Giles, he was a monster with no regard for human life.
His tenants most likely lived in abject misery.
The man prospered from the misfortune of others.
“Lord Capel, the pleasure is mine. I will have you know that I am determined to see this plague on Civil Society dangling from a rope. Even though women are the fairer sex, her blatant preying on unsuspecting victims is beyond the pale. I have considered laying a trap for her that she will not be able to escape. I daresay we may never recover our losses. However, we will be satisfied to see her meet a justified end, dangling from the hangman’s noose. A fin de l’affaire, if you will.”
Lex’s dislike increased ten-fold as he listened to the slumlord gloat with glee over his plot to kill a young woman.
Maybe it was the sharp, vulpine features or the greedy way he caressed his stack of coins.
He wasn’t entirely without charm, though, handsome enough, with broad shoulders and chest well displayed in perfectly tailored cloth—but the malicious way he verbally attacked the woman who’d robbed him and the gleeful smile as he plotted her demise made bile rise in Lex’s throat.
Whatever her offense, the thought of her pretty neck twisted in a noose was a tragedy beyond reason, and an image that made Lex sick to his stomach.
“Perhaps upon capture, you might, instead of ending her life, warn her off perpetrating future crimes and spare her life, affording her a second chance. A chance to right her path.”
“Never! She is irredeemable. She will swing from a rope, and the crows will pluck her eyes from their sockets and dine on her remains. Her death will serve as a warning to other thieves who dare to steal from their betters.”
“Betters” like you should take heed of the warnings they deliver to others. Your crimes are far greater than those of a highway thief who relieves you of a bag of coin. “And how do you intend to capture the lady?”
Hammond’s beady eyes darkened in delight.
“I’ve enlisted the services of an elite group of Scots Greys, a renowned regiment of cavalry horsemen now retired from His Majesty’s service, to secretly patrol the area where she has most recently struck.
They are hidden within Epping Forest, which I understand from the marquess is near your earldom and where you were robbed by the Lace Bandit. ”
Lex kept a calm countenance, but inside, he was seething. How dare this lowlife landlord trespass into Essex with a hired mercenary presence? “You should understand that I am not comfortable with a bunch of soldiers upsetting the peaceful atmosphere of my earldom.” He glared at the man.
Basil seemed to catch his tone and exchanged a quick look with Lex, who did his best to relax the cords in his neck and the clenching of his jaw, which he knew his friend would read immediately.
“I beg your pardon,” Hammond snapped back. “I am paying out of my own pocket for what you should be doing, and that is protecting the earldom you hold so dearly.”
“Sir Hammond.” Basil cut into the ugly tension building between Lex and Hammond. “It was good to meet you. If you will excuse us, we have a pressing engagement to attend to.”
He gathered his winnings and stood. Taking Lex’s elbow, he led him away. “What is going on with you?”
“That man is not to be trusted. He is a bloodsucker. And he has no right to hire mercenaries to patrol Epping! This is exactly why I am constantly raising my voice in the House of Lords. We must rid our kingdom of these disease-infested tenements, where crime and prostitution are a way of life and bettering oneself is an impossibility. He is a slumlord and preys on the misfortunes of others. And he has the gall to try to lay a trap for a girl who is trying to get by. We have no idea what that thief’s situation is. ”
“That may be, but you don’t want to cause a scene at the Lyon’s Den. It will not further your cause with Mrs. Dove-Lyon. We don’t want one of her burly enforcers to throw us out by our collars. You came here to find a wife. Now, tell me about your arrangement with the Black Widow of Whitehall.”
“She’s arranging a dinner party.”
“A dinner party? Ah, that sounds promising.”
“I must tell you the truth, Basil.”
“The truth? What truth?”
“I met her and can’t get her out of my mind.”
“Have you been drinking? Dear Lord, I hope you’re not talking about the Lace Bandit.”
“No, of course not.” Although Lex now felt a protective instinct toward the gorgeous thief.
If only to warn her to stay away from his neck of the woods.
“Nor are my faculties impaired. I quite literally bumped into the most beautiful and captivating young woman, completely by chance, in the corridor on my way to meet with Mrs. Dove-Lyon. It’s odd, but I felt an overwhelming attraction to her, and what’s more, she is here to find a husband. ”
“This is wonderful news. Who is she? Will she be at the dinner party?”
“I do not know if she will attend, and I know little about her, but what is most discouraging is that Mrs. Dove-Lyon does not believe we are suited.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Apparently due to my financial circumstances that is propelling my need for a bride. The young lady in question is opposed to an arranged marriage, which I can understand. And she is here at her grandmother’s insistence.
I tell you, Basil, with only a few words exchanged, she has bewitched me, but I fear there may not be a way forward. ”
“You must find a way. The first thing we should do is find out who the lady is. I pray she has a large dowry to see your earldom out of financial straits. But the fact that she has so intrigued you leads me to hope that perhaps you could have both a love match as well as financial support. Let me have a word with Mrs. Dove-Lyon. I think I should attend this dinner party with you.”
“And why, pray tell, is that?”
“Hammond will be there.”
“How do you know this?”
“He told me he is in the market for a wealthy wife. He is a man whose first concern is money, and we can assume he is never satisfied—always wanting more. You two obviously interact like oil and water, and you will need me there to calm the waves, so to speak. Heaven forbid you lose control of your temper at Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s table. ”
“God help him if I find he is after m’lady. I will kill him as surely as we stand here together.”
“That is precisely what I fear. No, you will not be attending this soiree without a second.”
“As you wish, Basil. But I warn you, I will not stand for this monster sniffing around her skirts.”
Basil contemplatively rubbed his chin. “We must find out who this young lady is.”
“I am determined to begin my own quest to find her. I believe she was just as taken by me, but I sense she opposes any matchmaking arrangement because she seeks love and respect. Of this, I have an abundance.”
Basil’s face lit up. “There is Mrs. Dove-Lyon now. Do not get yourself into trouble while I speak with her.”
“Have you no faith in me?” Lex chuckled.
“What I know is your propensity to find trouble. Remember the mission, my friend. We must save your earldom.”
Lex watched Basil, exuding the magnetism of a snake charmer, corral the unsuspecting Mrs. Dove-Lyon.
Basil’s success was assured. By the time he was done charming the Black Widow of Whitehall, he would most certainly be attending the dinner party, most likely as an honored guest, and would find himself seated next to the lady herself.
Basil had a penchant for older women and was aware of Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s undeniable charms.
In the meantime, Lex would comb the city for the enigmatic maiden who’d completely captivated him.
Bess Dove-Lyon watched as the earl and marquess left the Lyon’s Den.
She absent-mindedly twisted the gold cuff on her wrist as she thought about her two new clients.
Finding a suitable husband for Felicia’s lovely granddaughter presented a challenge.
The girl reminded Bess of her younger self, believing herself to be in charge of her fate.
Life had taught Bess that it was rarely the case.
Edwina was untamed and independent and had no interest in marrying, but she’d supplied a few keys to the treasure trove of her affections.
The earl was another conundrum. He was a dashing man without means.
Although he had expressed his readiness to marry for the benefit of his earldom, it was a duty he expected to perform without affection.
It was unlikely the two would find a deep connection, but she’d seen love blossom in the most unexpected places before, and perhaps it could happen again.
Titan joined Bess and whispered in her ear. “Well done, madam.”
She smiled coyly at him. “Whatever do you mean, Titan?”
“Why, instructing me to escort the earl to your quarters early so the two might accidentally meet.”
“Yes, about that. Titan, you naughty man. You must never do that again. You know that I pride myself on my clients having complete anonymity.”
“Yes, m’lady,” he said with a grin.
She greatly admired Titan for his unwavering loyalty and devotion, and that was without factoring in his commanding presence or gorgeous countenance.
If she ever considered taking a lover, it would be him, but mixing business with pleasure was wrong and would lead to complications.
However, there were times when his lingering gaze unsettled her, but that was not something to be addressed today.
Perhaps tonight, when she was alone in her bedroom suite, she’d sink into a bath and indulge in naughty thoughts.
“Titan, see that Sir Hammond’s wine glass is refreshed. I believe his luck is about to run out.”
Titan nodded and walked away to fulfill her request. For a moment, Bess’s gaze remained on him as he walked away. The man is an Adonis, she thought, sighing.