Cassius didn’t look at her.
“I did leave your employment,” Raven said. “And I am now in Lady Mildred’s employment. She is the one who asked me to oversee the prison and gave me permission to reside here. However, if you wish me to leave, I’ll go.” Raven was dangerous, but in the face of twenty-five other dangerous men, he would die in a fight.
Cass gripped his staff with both hands on the crown. “Well, now that I am aware of this project, it is mine.” He spoke so firmly that Belle had no doubt he was not only speaking to Raven but the women as well. “Therefore, I would like to know what qualifies you to oversee this prison?”
Raven didn’t waver in the face of the duke and so many others. “I doubt any of my secrets have gotten past you, Your Grace. I spent some time in London’s finest prison and was also a prisoner of war in France. I escaped both.”
“With the help of Husher,” Remy added.
Raven nodded.
Belle hadn’t known that, but when she glanced at Milly, she saw that the duchess was not surprised. Clearly, she’d done her research before she’d gone ahead with her plan.
“Why didn’t you inform me of my wife’s actions when she asked you to come here?” Cass asked. “I discovered the truth about the prison months ago but could never discover who was running it for her. You did very well hiding yourself.”
Milly shot her husband daggers but said nothing.
“When I decided to join your company, it was always with the greater good in mind. Her Grace found a way to make us even better. I decided to see if it were possible. Is the greater good still what you wish to achieve, Your Grace?” Raven lifted a challenging brow.
Belle felt the soldiers behind her shift as if readying themselves.
Shepard whispered in her ear, “You should step back, my lady.”
She ignored him. She believed in Cassius. He would not allow a battle to break out over his pride.
“You shall show me and my officers this facility,” Cassius said. “I’ll decide after that if I wish to keep you in my employment.”
The air settled, and Belle released the tension in her shoulders.
Raven bowed. “When would you like me to go?”
“Immediately.”
“I want to go as well,” Milly said.
“You’ll stay here,” her husband said.
Milly’s eyes widened. “But it’s my…” Her voice trailed off. It was no longer hers at all. “I worked very hard on it.”
“And I commend you, wife,” Cassius said. “But I shall take my officers and no one else. You may come later this week.”
Milly’s eyes burned with rage, but she nodded.
Cassius and his officers Remy, Sirius, Oliver, and his brothers Nick and Leo left with a few of the soldiers, but most of the armed guards remained to oversee the women.
Belle hadn’t thought she’d have to speak to Oliver again, but she caught him in the hall.
He turned around at the sound of his name.
Her heart tripped at meeting his blue eyes. “You promised I could go.” She needed to see Dunst behind bars.
“Later.” He started away.
She grabbed his arm. “Oliver—”
“I swear, I will take you later.”
She tightened her hold on him. “Just so we’re clear, this is not a new favor. This is simply the old one being fulfilled. You are to do me no new favors.”
She was serious and yet his lips twitched.
“Very well.” His voice was sickeningly condescending.
“I meant what I said,” she said.
He smiled. “I know. May I go now?”
She let his bicep go. Slowly. “Don’t forget.”
“I’m sure you won’t let me.” He was gone a second later.
∫ ∫ ∫
1 5
* * *
“You seem to be in a better mood,” Remy said as they rode behind the carriage. Oliver always felt caged in the carriage. He preferred to be on horseback. Remy was much the same and since they worked with the same man, they were often together.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Remy chuckled. “You’ve been glaring at everyone for days and taking your meals outside.”
“Perhaps I simply wanted the quiet.”
“Or perhaps… Belle has ignored you for days. Now, she says two words and you’re grinning.”
“I’m not grinning because Belle spoke to me.” Then, realizing his lie would never get past the general, he said, “It’s more so what she said.” And that she’d touched him.
In the last two days, she’d seemed to touch everyone but him. And he’d noticed from a distance that Belle’s affection wasn’t only sexual, but sometimes it was just friendly. She cared for people, and he’d watched the men and women transform under the touch of her hand.
It irritated him to realize there was a small chance he’d misjudged her. And while she still flirted far too much for his liking, she had a good heart.
And in the last few days, he’d found himself shut out of it in a way that left him cold.
But she’d touched him today and given him one of her looks that said, “Don’t test me or you’ll regret it later.” He liked that there could be a later for them at all. He preferred her temper to her ignoring him.
“What did she say to you?” Remy asked.
“She insists that she will no longer need my aid, but she’s wrong.”
Remy sighed. “Yes, Belle is quite the independent woman, but we all need help once and awhile. I thank you for your help with Noel. My nephew admires you.”
“He admires everyone,” Oliver said, thinking about the boy. “But he wants to be like his uncle. He’s even spoken about the military.”
Remy’s eyes widened. “Has he?”
“You’re doing well,” Oliver said. “I don’t know what I’d have done with such responsibility.” Noel’s father had died. His mother resided at Remy’s estate and had trouble raising the young man on her own. So Noel was spending some time with his uncle.
“I think you’d be a good father,” Remy said. “That, I wouldn’t worry about.”
But Oliver did. His father had been a madman who lived his life in fear and tortured his sons under the guise of readying them for attacks from his enemies.
Those attacks never came. There had never been a villain out to get them. Only the former Lord Venmont had been their adversary.
He thought of Belle’s words to him days ago, about boys needing gentleness. He didn’t know if he had any gentleness to offer. His mother had been weak and rarely spoke against anything her husband had done to his three sons.
The year she’d died, life had gone on as though she’d never existed.
“What do you think of Raven so far?” Remy said.
Oliver frowned. “I don’t know. Milly seems to trust him, but when I think of the man she married and who he’d been before recently, I can’t say I depend on your judgment.”
Remy laughed. “Yes, Cassius was shaping out to be a tyrant, but he’s not that anymore.”
No, he was far from that.
“And a prison would be good,” Remy said. “Too many deaths make people ask questions. Hull and Landcastle have come to me on more than one occasion.”
Hull was the captain of police. The Earl of Landcastle was the Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard. Landcastle was not one to mess with.
“Keeping them alive with the ability to write letters when necessary will keep people calm.”
Oliver agreed. “Do you think the women are safe back there?”
“There are twenty guards with them,” Remy said. “My men will keep them safe.”
Oliver nodded.
“Do you think Belle safer with you?” Remy asked.
He shook his head. “Often, but there are times I remember the danger I placed Vita in.” He’d been entrusted with Vita’s life and twice, Husher had managed to get on his property and take her.
/> “Husher worked for Cassius. He knew your land. He knew your dog and that dog led him around your traps. You can’t control everything.”
But Belle’s body was his to protect. She’d been given to him. “Belle’s reckless. She doesn’t know how much danger she’s in.” It was one of the main reasons he grew tired of the way she teased the gentlemen around her. She was small. Pretty. Helpless. Didn’t she see that?
“Belle is well protected and well-loved. Though she is prey, not every man is a monster. Many will love her for the kind words she offers them.”
Oliver hadn’t thought of that but could see reason in the words.
Remy changed the subject. “I’m surprised Cassius didn’t bend when Milly started to press to come, but I understand why we left them. We need to make sure the prison is safe, the men there are secure, and that Raven and Husher aren’t working together.”
“I doubt one makes a move that the other is unaware of.” That was the reason the women had stayed behind. No one wished to have them in the company of the assassin until they were certain he could be trusted. “But I doubt Husher would have hurt Belle. He had a chance. He said the only reason he was following Belle was to find out why the individual who hired him wanted her dead.”
“Are you sure Dunst doesn’t know?” Remy asked.
Oliver had questioned the earl. “He doesn’t. Besides, he had his own plans for her. He didn’t want her dead.” He just wanted to torture her until she wished she were dead.
He couldn’t wait until they got to the prison.
The farther they rode from the house, the more cloudy the weather. The smoke from the mines covered the skies closer to town.
“I’m sure she was glad you were there to save her,” Remy said.
“I’m sure she’d have preferred someone else come to her rescue.” Like Shepard. If the guard stood any closer, he’d be on top of Belle. Oliver should be glad the man was taking his job so seriously, but he couldn’t stop imagining wrapping his hand around the man’s throat.
“Why do you two fight so much?” Remy asked. “What happened?”
Oliver glanced at him before turning back to the road. Remy had asked the question before, but Oliver had never told him the truth. But things had changed. Remy was a married man and he and Vita had not had the best start.
Remy had lied to Vita when they’d met. He’d been hired by Cass to scare her, but instead, they’d fallen in love. Yet she’d never known his real name.
This had created a terrible situation where Vita went off to look for him, but instead, found Dunst. Then Dunst had tried to convince Vita to marry him in order to save lives, and Belle had stepped in as a sacrificial lamb.
It had been a great big mess, but it had all worked itself out in the end.
Oliver wasn’t looking to marry Belle or any other woman. His younger brother Nick was married, and Oliver would be glad to allow a nephew to take his seat one day. But he liked the idea of finding harmony with Belle.
But first, he had to get over the past.
“Why did Vita forgive you for lying to her?” Oliver asked.
“Because she loved me.”
Oliver shook his head. “There has to be more.”
Remy frowned. “No. There doesn’t.”
That was it? Love?
“I’ll ask Vita,” he decided.
“Vita will tell you the same. That’s how love works. You forgive. You move on.”
“Did you do something grand to demonstrate how very sorry you were?”
“No.”
“Make any great promises?”
“I promised not to lie about my name again.” Remy grinned.
Oliver chuckled. “Yes, well. I’m sure she’ll not forget it with her having your title and all.”
“So, I guess that Belle lied to you about something?” Remy asked. “I wasn’t around the first few weeks after Cassius gained his title, but I remember that you and Belle were already with him.”
“I came because Belle told me to.”
“Is it a decision you regret?”
Oliver shook his head. “No. Coming on board with Cassius was likely the one place Belle has led me that I don’t regret.”
“Hm.” Remy likely wanted to ask more questions, but they arrived at the prison before much else could be said.
Two men stood by iron gates. They opened at Raven’s command. Towers were posted on either side and two more men stood within. They had rifles.
In the distance, on the mountain, Oliver saw other structures similar to the towers in front and imagined more men with weapons were there, waiting for a man who dared to try and escape this place.
Past the gate, men worked. Their clothes and faces were covered in dirt, but they waved in a friendly manner when they saw Raven. He waved back and even smiled.
The carriage stopped in the middle of the field and the men who’d come with Cassius gathered.
Raven pointed out the various structures around them. Since Milly had taken over the mines, wages had gone up. A kitchen served a meal at every shift, and two doctors were on staff at all times for work-related incidents.
“The work is hard, but the men are thankful for it,” Raven said. “I get very few complaints.”
“Are there any children here?” Cassius did not like children working in mines. They were usually given the worst jobs, forced to crawl into tight dark places where they could easily get stuck or placed in the dark all day.
“Yes,” Raven said. “But they are not abused. No one goes where they do not wish to, and I set a limit to the number of hours they are allowed to work. Many are in other parts of the facility like the kitchens.”
Cassius did not seem pleased.
Raven shrugged. “Many families have no choice. If there are five or more children, someone has to work. We can’t operate on charity.”
“How are you affording the doctors?” Leo asked.
Raven turned to him. “The income from the prisoners.”
“Where are the prisoners?” Cass asked.
“Come and bring our newest guest.”
∫ ∫ ∫
1 6
* * *
They walked to another structure on the grounds. This one was tall and made of a dark brick that matched the mountain. In order to get to it, they had to go through another gate. “We not only keep the prisoners here but handle court as well. Disciplinary issues are taken here,” Raven said.
“Discipline?” Cass asked.
Raven’s gold eyes turned cold. “Give a happy man a pickaxe, and he’ll see a tool to build. Give an angry man a pickaxe, and he sees a weapon. The only violence I tolerate in these mines is my own.” He grinned.
Oliver was certain Raven was quite creative with ways to make his displeasure known. While Raven had always been an immaculate dresser with classic looks, the only people he fooled with the gentlemanly act were those who’d never met his darker side.
“Are there many fights in the mines?” Remy asked.
“A few.” They walked through the front door and then to the back.
Raven had two sets of keys to open an iron door.
The smell greeted Oliver first.
Then in the shadows, the cells came into view.
The two lords Cassius had been looking for were there. By their disheveled appearances and the fear they bore at the sight of Raven, it was clear the men had been brought low. Their mouths had some sort of contraption over them so all they could do was moan.
“Makes it harder for them to identify themselves to the general public,” Raven said. “However, they can earn things, like good meals and baths if they cooperate. They send letters to their bank to have their funds released to charities Milly has set in place and make a story of their whereabouts, which is always crafted by me. No one knows where they actually are but us.”
It was all very clever.
“Who collected these men?” Cassius asked.
Raven bowed. “Husher and I.�
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Oliver had been waiting for that answer. “Do you know what Husher has been up to?”
Raven looked at Oliver. “We shall speak of that at the house. I want Belle to be present for the discussion.”
A door to the outside opened behind them and the jail cart was pushed up against it.
When Raven’s guards moved forward, Oliver stepped in their way. “I’ve got the prisoner.”
Dunst rolled out, and Oliver picked him up.
Raven opened one of the cells, and Oliver walked the man inside.
Oliver lowered his gaze until he met Dunst’s eyes. “Welcome to your new home. I wanted to put you somewhere else. A coffin, but this better.” He smiled. “Enjoy your life, my lord, for those who do not have to bear the sight of you ever again will be doing so.” He left the cell and the doors closed behind him.
A wall between each cell prevented the current prisoners from seeing one another, but eventually, when Cass rounded up the enemies of the public, it would be unavoidable.
“We’re going to need more security,” Cassius said. “And perhaps a fortress.”
“Milly thought the same, though she didn’t have the funds to begin such a great project.”
“Remy, who understands the French prison England kept here, and Sirius, who is over my finances, will help.”
Back outside, Cass looked around and said, “This was Milly’s design?”
“Yes,” Raven answered.
“Then she shall continue to oversee the project. Anything else she needs, she may have.” Then Cass looked at Raven and said, “Thank you for helping her.”
Raven bowed and smiled. “It was a pleasure.”
Oliver was surprised by Cassius. His relationship with Milly was one he watched closely. Their give and take was very interesting. He was not like other dukes, who’d have kept their wives far from such things. Instead, he valued her and made it known without effort.
Cassius turned to the other men. “This changes everything.”
Oliver could see that.
A prison would change many things. Of course, there would always still be blood in war, but more lives would be spared.
The Marquess Who Kissed Me: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 8
