Chapter 38
Thirty-Eight
Three nights later, Finn took Tansy aside.
They were in the drawing room of the Pearce manor.
Like the rest of the house, the room showed the prior occupants’ fascination with ancient Greece.
There were marble statues of gods and goddesses, urns of all sizes, and even a lyre or two.
One of the side tables resembled a temple altar, and Finn cringed.
At the moment, the last thing she wanted to think about was bloody sacrifices.
“Are you certain Carver will show?” Tansy asked.
“He’ll show,” Finn said. “When he does, remember to play your part.”
“I am just a sweet, helpless girl.” Tansy twirled like a ballerina, then dropped into a crouch, eyes narrowed, daggers gripped in each small hand. “Until I’m not.”
“No. You must stay away from Carver and his brutes.” Finn wagged her finger. “The weapons are for self-protection only. If there is a fight, what are you supposed to do?”
“Run and hide.” Pouting, Tansy rose, the blades disappearing in a blink. “I’m a Hawk, too. I can handle myself.”
“You can—in most situations. But Carver is devious. He’s holding most of our gang hostage, and I will not let him take you too. Understand?”
Tansy nodded. “Yes, Finn.”
“Good.” She hesitated, then placed a gentle hand on the girl’s head. “If anything happens to me, you’ll be taken care of. Owen will see to it. You have friends here in Chuddums, and you will never be alone again.”
“But nothing is going to happen to you, right?” Tansy insisted. “You have a plan, and you make the best plans.”
“I do,” Finn said.
With the help of Owen and his family, she’d laid the trap with meticulous care.
She’d sent a note to Carver explaining that she and Tansy had found the treasure and enclosed one of the earbobs as proof.
She’d proposed trading the jewels for the Hawks; as predicted, Carver had replied immediately and agreed to using Pearce manor as the meeting place.
He would be arriving in a few hours, and she was ready for him.
She returned with Tansy to the entrance hall, where Owen was making last-minute arrangements with the gathered group. Xenia, Gigi, and Evie had stayed at home; despite their desire to be present, the ladies could not risk the safety of their babes.
“We’ll be with you in spirit,” Xenia had said.
“And other spirits will be with you as well.” Gigi had given Finn’s hand a squeeze. “I know Rose and Thomas will be watching over you.”
Evie had kissed her cheek. “Come back to us safely, my dear.”
The ladies’ husbands were in the hall, along with the Blackwoods.
To Finn’s surprise, Lady Blackwood had insisted on being present tonight.
And Lord Blackwood, who struck Finn as a protective fellow, hadn’t argued.
Instead, he’d chucked his wife under the chin and muttered something about how she could never resist an adventure.
There were additional reinforcements too.
Owen had convinced her that it would be wise to inform the local authorities.
Manderly had connections with the magistrates, and Lord Ethan was on friendly terms with a constable named Rawlins, who’d helped him in the past. Rawlins was here now, along with several of his men, and for the first time in her life, Finn found herself cooperating with officers of the law.
“Is everything ready?” she asked. “Does everyone know the plan?”
“We have reviewed it thoroughly, Miss Kidd,” Constable Rawlins said.
He was a sleepy-eyed, rumpled man who did not inspire confidence at first glance. Yet seeing the keenness of his gaze, Finn suspected his appearance was by design. Being underestimated helped him do his job—just like it was going to help her tonight.
“I must say you’ve chosen an ideal place to set a trap,” he said.
Finn agreed. The entrance hall had only one clear entryway through the double doors, making the area easy to block off.
At the back of the hall, a sweeping staircase led to the second floor, where an open gallery provided a bird’s-eye view of the proceedings below.
In addition, there were multiple rooms off the hall, providing places for concealment.
“My men are in place.” Rawlins waved at the closed doors. “Half of my team has concealed themselves in the rooms, and the other half is hiding outside. When you give the signal, they will surround the villains.”
“Thank you, sir,” Finn said.
“The family will keep watch from the upper gallery,” Lady Blackwood said.
Finn bit her lip as she regarded the chic matron, who made a plain dark dress look like the height of fashion. “This will be a dangerous situation, my lady. Are you certain—”
“Must I remind you to call me Mama, dear? You needn’t worry about me. Like any good hostess, I am prepared—for all eventualities.”
The marchioness withdrew an elegant pearl-handled pistol. She cocked it in a smooth, clearly practiced movement.
Finn aimed a wide-eyed glance at Owen, who shrugged as if to say, Mama knows what she is doing.
“I don’t know how to thank you.” Finn’s throat swelled as she looked at Owen’s kin, who were beginning to feel like her own. “I shall never be able to repay you—”
“In this family, there is no talk of debts,” the marquess said. “As the Hawks are your family, we consider them ours as well. We will do everything in our power to bring them home safely.”
She nodded, misty-eyed.
“Now for the jewels,” Owen said. “I have separated them into two cases like you asked.”
She examined the pair of leather cases and the jewelry arranged inside.
“I will give Carver the first as a show of good faith,” she said. “After he releases the Hawks, I’ll give him the other.”
“He will be armed, Finn, and accompanied by brutes,” Owen said grimly. “Do you think he’ll respect your conditions for the trade?”
“No. This is just for show—to convince him that Tansy and I are alone and desperate,” she replied. “Once he lets his guard down, you will surround him.”
“A sound plan,” Rawlins said. “I shall make final preparations with my men.”
The family left as well, giving Finn a few private moments with Owen.
“I’ll be right over there.” He tilted his head toward the drawing room, which put him closest to the action and her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I know you won’t,” she said tremulously. “Please be careful. I couldn’t bear if—”
“We are going to stop Carver,” he said firmly, “and end the curse of violence and pain. Then we will be free to start our own happily ever after.”
His fierce yet tender kiss bolstered her resolve.
I am no longer alone—and I will bring my family home.
Carver arrived early, but Finn had planned for it.
She’d have done the same to throw the opponent off step.
His men pushed open the double doors, and Carver entered like a conqueror.
His ice-blue gaze locked first on her, then Tansy, before sweeping over the entrance hall.
Finn prayed that her team remained concealed.
She’d deliberately kept the lighting dim, the flickering candles of the chandelier distracting from other movements.
“Seraphina, my dear, we meet again,” he said.
He smiled, showing his even, white teeth.
Through his cultivated facade, his cutthroat nature bled through.
He moved with the swagger of the streets.
His blond hair gleamed beneath a silk top hat worn at a rakish angle.
His Bond Street garments had too much flash.
But it was his veneer of charm she found most chilling.
“Good evening, Mr. Carver,” she said with a nod. “Thank you for meeting me. However, I was expecting more in your party?”
“Ah, yes. I have brought your little gang. But I believe you have something for me first.”
“Not until I see them,” she said.
“You are hardly in a position to bargain. You have caused me a great deal of trouble.” His light tone heightened his menace. “My patience wears thin.”
“I would not presume to bargain with you, sir.” She added a tremor to her voice, knowing how much he enjoyed fear. “I am proposing an act of good faith on both our parts. I have what you want. I only wish to know that my friends are safe. Please.”
He narrowed his eyes. Raising his hand, he snapped his fingers.
Finn’s heart soared when Iris was dragged in by one of the brutes.
The Hawks’ leader looked starved, her face hollowed by exhaustion.
The pretty red-gold hair that had been her pride had been shorn as short as a lad’s.
Her gaze was flat and lifeless. She had her hands bound behind her back and stumbled like a drunk.
But Iris was here and alive.
“Where are the others?” Finn asked.
“Show me the jewels,” Carver said.
It was not a request.
Finn went to the console behind her, fetching the first case from the drawer. Keeping her distance, she opened it and saw greed blaze across his features.
“Where is the rest?” he demanded.
“In a safe place. I will bring it to you when I have my friends.” She made her lip quiver like a woman who was pretending to be braver than she was.
She saw Carver was making calculations. He believed he had the upper hand and could take what he wanted by force. But why waste the effort it would take to find the second case? He could pretend to play along. Once he had his prize, he could rid himself of the Hawks once and for all.
He snapped his fingers again, and Finn released her held breath when the others were brought in.
They, too, had their hands bound and looked as if they’d been manhandled.
Caleb bore the worst of it, with his battered face and shiner, and he didn’t meet her gaze.
However, Nell and Simon stared at her with obvious hope and relief.
Finn stayed focused, tallying Carver’s forces. As predicted, he’d underestimated her, bringing only eight men. Between Rawlins’s constables and the Harringtons, her side had Carver outnumbered.
“There now, your motley crew is present and accounted for.” Carver’s smile sent a chill up her spine. “The jewels, if you please.”