Chapter 14 #3
“When undercover, one must always be undercover. Otherwise, a slip can cost ye yer life.”
Payne nodded with an amused look on his face. “The lady is correct.”
“The lad,” Robbi corrected.
“The lad’s hair is falling out of his cap,” Simon informed her.
Robbi scowled as she began shoving her hair back under her cap. “I should cut it off once and for all,” she grumbled.
“Don’t you dare,” Caillen warned.
“If you will have a seat, Mr. Payne,” Simon said and gestured to a nearby chair.
“Beggin’ your pardon, my lord. I’m not sure that’s proper considering my position.”
“For a man who helped save my sister’s life, and Astley’s, it is entirely appropriate,” Caillen added.
Mr. Payne took the seat across from Robbi who was once again oblivious to everything but the food on her plate.
“You are just in time, Mr. Payne. I need to go out and I would like for you to watch over Lady Bredlebane and the rest of my household. I will also be escorting Miss Blair home and then going to look for a man named Crookes in the East End.”
“No.” Caillen slowly shook her head. “That’s not the way we are going to do this.”
“I agree with Caillen. You can’t even identify Crookes, but I can.”
He scoffed. “You said the drawing looked like a pig.”
Caillen’s hand began talking before she did, waving in the air to silence them both. “That wasn’t what I meant at all. Simon needs to rest. It’s been a long day. All of this can be done tomorrow and Simon can take Mr. Payne with him.”
“Payne needs to stay here and protect you and the children.”
“I’m not a child,” Robbi interjected.
Simon’s droll look issued the appropriate set down. “Nor are you a member of this household. You are going home, young lady.”
“I’ve seen a man’s arse, that’s hardly something a child would see.” The wicked gleam in her eyes was full of defiance and issued a challenge of blackmail he didn’t like. The threat of Robbi telling Ross everything she witnessed hung in the air.
He ignored it. “Observing a poor-quality drawing hardly qualifies as giving you a better chance of identifying and locating Crookes than I.”
“I can identify the man who gave me a black eye.”
The room grew inordinately quiet. The fire in the hearth popped and sizzled as if it didn’t care for the implication of her words. He certainly didn’t. Caillen recovered first.
“Crookes is the man who set the house on fire?”
Robbi nodded. “Williamson seems to think so, and I owe Crookes for the black eye.”
“You’re not going,” Caillen, Payne, and he said at the same time.
He understood Caillen’s response, but Payne’s seemed a bit high in the instep for a man in his employ.
He turned to stare down the rookie spy, who ran a finger in his collar as if the more formal attire was something he was not accustomed to wearing.
“Begging your pardon, my lord. Mr. Williamson advised me to tell you I did not work for you, but rather the War Office, and if I became aware of a threat to your safety, I was to assert my authority into the situation. That being the case, I must inform you that the matter will be handled by Mr. Williamson, and not you.”
“I think you better find him a place to sleep for the night, because I just might accidentally shoot him,” Caillen ground out between clenched teeth.
“You’ll have to beat my knife,” Robbi said as she brandished a knife from under her jacket and began stalking the man.
Payne stood but didn’t brandish the pistol he was obviously wearing under his jacket. Simon stepped in front of Robbi before she attempted to gut the man. “We are on the same side. We may all have different areas of focus, but we are better off working as a team.”
Caillen looked as if she didn’t truly believe he’d just suggested that, but it calmed the little termagant in front of him down. He breathed a sigh of relief as Robbi tucked her blade back in a sheath under her jacket.
“Where did you acquire that blade?” He asked.
“A friend.”
“What sort of friend?”
“One who didn’t want to see me get another black eye from a bloke like Crookes.”
“Did he teach you how to use it?”
“I didn’t say my friend was a man.”
Simon closed his eyes, suddenly tired of this line of questioning. “I’m afraid to ask more questions.”
“Why?”
“Because it will only end up in more questions.”
She grinned that gamine smile that only made her look more delicate than what she was, more vulnerable, too. Bloody hell…He was definitely going to have to have a discussion with Ross.
“I have more information in regard to Crookes, but I’m not going to spill my guts in front of him.” Robbi pointed to the former Bow Street Runner who remained stoic as he took his seat ever-so gently.
“We need his help. My household is too large with too few servants on staff to keep everyone safe.” He hoped his plea for her to view the situation logistically worked.
“Foine.” She said in the best Cockney accent he’d heard her use. “I believe Crookes may have a warehouse in the East End. But before you ask for the direction of the warehouse, know that I’m not going to give it to you. I will give it to the driver who takes us there.”
Caillen raised both of her hands to her face as if she could hide from the trouble her sisters had found.
Just when he thought he might have to comfort her, she rose to her feet, clenched her fists, and let out a low sound of frustration.
“It’s as if every one of my sisters has lost her bloody mind since I’ve been gone.
” She turned on Robbi. “Do any of you have an ounce of common sense or self-preservation in your entire bodies?”
“You were the voice of common sense, and then you eloped,” Robbi fired back.
He would have thought Robbi would have learned when to keep quiet, since she lived in a house full of women. More the pity for all of them.
“And look how that turned out! I married a ‘whoreson, dim-witted cur’ who only wanted my dowry and was attempting to murder me when Astley killed him and his accomplice!”
Robbi’s head whipped around so quickly to look at him, he was surprised she didn’t hurt her neck in the process.
Caillen then turned on Payne. “Not one word of that is to get back to Sir Williamson or you will rue my wrath, is that understood?”
Payne nodded as if he didn’t have a problem with that particular instruction. “As you wish, my lady.”
She eyed him a moment longer then said, “You will take Robbi home and stand guard at my sister’s home until tomorrow morning, when you will escort Robbi and Edeen back here.
You are to say nothing to the Duke and Duchess of Ross.
The duchess is due to have a baby any day, and I will not have them upset by this matter.
Is that understood?” She looked around the room to obtain everyone’s agreement.
Ailsa stepped into the doorway, capturing everyone’s attention. “I’m afraid your plan has been thwarted by the impending birth of Iseabail’s child, and the fact that she has sent notice for Edeen to return home as quickly as possible to assist her.”
Robbi hopped to her feet. “The baby is coming?”
“Edeen is here?” Caillen asked.
“Yes, the baby is coming, and no, Edeen is not here. It seems she and her friend, Violet, are both missing since Lady Violet told her brother she would be home late from shopping.”
A little blonde head peeked in the door long enough to say, “She lied.”
“Millie Griffith, you are to march upstairs to your bed,” Caillen ordered.
“That was Lillie,” another blonde curly mop added.
“So it was,” Caillen added as she walked over to the door and sternly turned them around with a hand on top of each of their heads. “But the fact remains, it is past both your bedtimes and you are to be in bed. Now.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the girls replied.
“Wait,” Caillen added before she bent down to give them each a kiss and a hug and the girls ran to the steps giggling.
Caillen turned and asked Ailsa. “Who is Violet’s brother and where is he now?”
“Viscount Pembrock is waiting outside in his carriage. Charlie says he is rather mean-spirited.”
“I’m sure that has nothing to do with the fact that he is searching the city for his wayward sister,” Astley said with mock sincerity.
Three Blair sisters turned and glared at him.
He cleared his throat. “I will speak to Lord Pembrock and advise him that we will bring Lady Violet home when we locate her.”
“No,” Robbi interrupted. “He can’t know that Violet isn’t here, or he will skin Edeen alive. He doesn’t care for her influence on Violet.”
“Exactly what do you propose I tell him?”
“I’ll go.” Volunteered Ailsa. “I need to be there for Iseabail if Edeen can’t. If that’s alright? I know having four children is new for you—”
“I have five sisters. Four children in the house doesn’t compare. Besides, I’m not giving birth. Go assist Iseabail. She needs you.”
Simon approached the women. “I will escort Ailsa out and advise Pembrock to take her back to Harding House. All he need know is that Edeen and Lady Violet have called it an early night. I will offer my assurance to escort Lady Violet home in the morning.”
His eyes met Caillen’s and the moment was like the universe aligning for the first time in his life.
The trouble her sisters were digging up, was multiplying exponentially.
A sane man would walk away before entangling himself with the gale force of the Blair sisters, but he wanted to do the opposite.
He belonged with this woman and her family, and he would be damned if he would allow anyone to cause them harm.