by Laura Landon
“You said you weren’t sure you could return to Mayfair. Why is that?”
“Because of who is still there, and the reason I left.”
“Why did you leave, Murk?”
Murk smiled, but his smile wasn’t one of happiness. Instead, it was one of regret, of a longing for what might have been but never could be. He lifted his gaze and looked her in the eyes.
“Because of you, Lily.”
“Me? You left Mayfair because of me?”
Lily’s breath caught and she wondered if she’d heard him correctly. Surely, he hadn’t meant he’d left Mayfair because of her. He couldn’t have. Murk wasn’t old by any means. Two score perhaps. But not much more. Old enough to be her father—
Lily struggled to find her voice. “Are you my father?” she asked in a weak, strangled voice.
Murk looked at her and smiled. “If only I was. If only. I’d be the happiest man alive to have a daughter like you. But, no. Gunner sired you, for as much as I wished it had been me.”
“I don’t understand, Murk. You’re not at all who I thought you were, are you?”
“No, Lily. I’m not.”
“Is Murk even your real name?”
He shook his head. “No. My name is Matthew.”
“Matthew,” Lily said, trying the name on and realizing it fit him much better than Murk did. “Matthew who?”
“Matthew Cleary, younger son of the Earl of Mentlock.”
Lily rose from the stool. At first, she wasn’t sure her legs would hold her. Murk… No, Matthew, had given her too great a shock. She paced the cramped area between his four sagging walls and tried to calm her nerves and put order to her chaotic thoughts.
“It wasn’t a game. I can’t believe it.” She whirled on him. “Wait! Did you know my mother?”
He paused for a painful moment. Finally, he nodded. “I knew her. I loved her. I was engaged to marry her, although I knew she wasn’t ready to settle down yet. Do you want to know her name?”
“No! Don’t say it!” The speed with which Lily answered Matthew’s question surprised even her. “No, Mur… Matthew. I don’t want to know her name. I always believed my father when he said that she died when I was born and that was the reason Gunner raised me. But that wasn’t it, was it?”
Matthew shook his head.
“She didn’t want me, did she?”
“I think when she grew up enough to realize what she’d done, she probably regretted giving you up every day of her life.”
“Why did she, then? Give me up, I mean?”
“Oh, Lily. Your mother loved life. She was the life of every party, and was sought after and admired by every bachelor, and even some who were married. She was strong and brave and the belle of every ball.”
“Did you love her, Matthew?”
His smile lit his face. “Yes. I loved her. With all my heart. And I thought we would marry one day.”
“You were betrothed.”
Matthew nodded. “Yes, I’d signed the marriage contract her father had drawn up. I’d agreed to wait until the end of the Season before we had the ceremony. Unfortunately, when she met Gunner, everything changed.”
“How did she meet Gunner? Did he live in Mayfair?”
Matthew shook his head. She saw in his eyes the pain it brought to relate this history to her. But Lily couldn’t stop him. Not until she heard it all.
“They met one summer evening in Vauxhall Gardens. Your mother had gone with me and a group of our friends for an evening of fun. After we’d eaten, the ladies challenged the men to a game of Seek and Slay. We were supposed to hide only within the boundaries of the maze. But fairly soon we knew we’d been tricked. The women had left the maze.”
He ran a hand through his hair, remembering.
“They were gone far too long and several of us fellows were getting worried. When they returned, your mother wasn’t with them.”
Matthew rested his forearms on his thighs and stared at the ground. “I searched for her, but didn’t find her for what seemed like hours, and when I did, it was obvious what your mother had done. She wouldn’t admit anything, of course, but I knew. And then, several weeks later, your mother realized she was carrying a babe. When I found out, I offered to marry her immediately.”
“Even though you knew the babe she was carrying was not yours?”
“That didn’t matter to me. I loved your mother. I would have done anything for her.”
“Then, why didn’t you marry?”
Matthew breathed a heavy sigh. “Your mother refused my offer. She said she wasn’t ready to marry and settle down.” He released a bitter laugh. “And she didn’t want to marry me. She told me I was too boring. She wanted someone who would show her how to enjoy life.”
“And she thought that someone was Gunner?”
“Yes. She thought that someone was Gunner.”
“Did they marry?”
“No, Gunner and your mother never married, although Gunner was madly in love with your mother. Everyone was madly in love with your mother.”
“But especially you.”
Matthew smiled another bitter smile. “Yes, especially, me,” he said.
“When your mother could no longer hide her condition, Gunner took her to a place he knew. I never knew where. And then you were born.”
“How did you come to live in Whitechapel?”
Matthew took a deep breath. “After you were born, your mother returned to London. She took off right where she’d left off, being the belle of every ball.”
Lily’s breath stopped. “You mean she lived?”
Matthew nodded.
“And me?” Lily asked. “What about me?”
“She left you with Gunner. You were his, a part of the woman he loved and he refused to give you up. But…he had no idea how to take care of a babe. Especially a little girl. And by the time you were four years old he realized what a beauty you were going to be. That’s when he came to the realization that he couldn’t let you run loose in Whitechapel, or you’d end up living in one of the brothels, or being used by every male on the streets.
“One day he came to see me. He offered me enough money to make me rich if I’d come back with him and guard you so that nothing bad happened to you.”
“And you did,” Lily said, stating a fact. “You gave up having a wife and a family, to help Mona Ravishham take care of me. Or wait. Were you and Mona—?”
“No.” Matthew gave a small sad laugh as he shook his head. “I know you won’t understand this, but I loved your mother. She was the only person I wanted to spend my life with. Unfortunately, she didn’t return my feelings. It was torture watching her being escorted by a new man every night.”
“So, if you couldn’t have my mother, you’d have me,” Lily said.
“Yes. If I couldn’t have your mother, I would help take care of the child that might have been mine.”
“Oh, Murk,” Lily sighed.
“Matthew. It’s Matthew now.”
Lily smiled. “Of course. So, will you come home with me, Matthew? I really need your help.”
Matthew hesitated a few moments. “It would give me a chance to see my mother and brother and sisters and their families more often than I have in the past.”
“You can see them any time you like. In your own home,” Lily added as an encouragement.
“And it would give me a chance to get to know this man you’ve fallen in love with.”
Lily drew a startled breath.
“How do you know I’ve fallen in love?”
“It’s as plain as the nose on your face. Every time you mention this Jack fellow you light up like fireworks on Bonfire Night.”
Lily tried, but she couldn’t stop the smile from lifting the corners of her mouth. “I know you’ll like him, Matthew. He’s the most remarkable man I’ve ever met. But…”
“But, what, Lily? Are you afraid he doesn’t love you?”
Lily shook her head. “No, he loves me. And I l
ove him. But nothing can ever come of it.”
“I’m listening,” Matthew said.
“His parents don’t approve of me. It would destroy them if their son married someone from Whitechapel.”
“You’re not just someone from Whitechapel, Lily. Your grandfather was the—”
“Don’t! I don’t want to know who my grandfather was. Just as I never want to know who my mother was. Promise me you’ll never mention who she is. She gave me up because she didn’t want me. And I don’t want her.”
Lily pinned Matthew with a glare she hoped indicated how determined she was. “Promise me you’ll never tell her about me, Matthew. And that you’ll never mention her name. Ever.”
“Of course, Lily. I should have known you’d feel this way.”
Lily took several slow, calming breaths. “Will you come with me? Will you help me now as you’ve always helped me?”
Matthew smiled. “Of course, Lily. I never could refuse you anything.”
A burst of happiness traveled through Lily’s chest as she rushed toward Matthew and threw her arms around him. She knew her forwardness caught him by surprise, but after a moment he seemed to come to terms with her show of affection. Matthew wrapped his arms around her and hugged her in return.
“I would have been proud to have you as a father, Matthew. And, whoever my mother is, she made a terrible mistake by not loving you enough to spend her life with you.”
“Thank you, Lily. I couldn’t love you more if you were my own child.”
“I’ll wait outside while you—”
Matthew Cleary looked down at his disheveled clothing and huffed. “What? You think this isn’t good enough for Mayfair?”
Lily just grinned and stepped out into the dark to let Plunkett know they’d be leaving shortly.
By the time she made her explanations and settled herself on the seat of the costermonger’s cart, the door to the shack opened and Matthew Cleary stepped out. He turned to lock up, and Lily took in his transformation. His town clothes fit perfectly, knocking years off his bearing.
Her mother had been a ruddy fool to turn her back on this man.
BEHOLD THE THIEF by Laura Landon
Chapter Seventeen
Jack stood at the window watching for any sign of Lily’s return. She’d been gone a long time. Even Liam thought the time had been long for he’d stepped to a second window on the ground floor and watched.
“She should have been back by now, don’t you think, Liam?” Jack asked.
“It won’t be much longer. She’ll want to make sure she’s out of Whitechapel before the sun comes up.”
“Why is that?”
“The fewer people who see her the safer she’ll be. And, evidently the concoction she smears on her face to make her look older wears off after five or six hours.”
Jack looked out the window again then back at Liam. “How did she learn that trick?”
A broad grin lit up Liam’s face. “Gunner thought she needed someone to teach her how to talk and act like a lady so he hired a woman named Desdemona Ravishham to teach her how to be the perfect lady.”
“With a name like that, my guess is that she could teach her several things other than how to be a lady.”
Liam laughed a hearty laugh. “I’m sure she did. Not only was she a well-known actress, but she was a highly paid courtesan. She was courted and kept by some of Society’s most influential men.”
Jack felt the pinch of this new bit of knowledge.
“Our Lily has had quite the background, hasn’t she,” Jack said, more as a statement than a question.
“Yes, she has. Which leads me to a question I’ve wanted to ask you for some time now.”
Jack looked at Liam and saw the serious expression on his face.
“Lily doesn’t have a father, so I guess I’m the closest person there is to filling that roll.”
“And you want to know what my intentions are.”
“Oh, I think I know your intentions. You’re in love with Lily and I think you’re even thinking of marrying her.”
“But—?” Jack asked.
“That might not be the wisest choice.”
“Because?”
“Lily’s a beautiful woman. She knows how to act like she’s the daughter of the highest ranking member of Society. She knows how to dress and how to talk. She can even hold her own when she’s among the nobility. But acting is what she’s doing. No matter how fine her performance, she’s still acting. She was born in Whitechapel and she was raised in Whitechapel. She came from the slums of London, which means that when the nobility discovers her origins, she’ll be a pariah. And so will you.” He stopped and brushed a hand through his hair. “And she’s too damn honest for her own good, so they will find out, Jack.”
“And the fact that we love each other? Doesn’t that mean anything? Don’t you think we can overcome what Society dishes out?”
“No. I don’t.”
“What about you? You were born in Whitechapel, just like Lily. And you married the daughter of a nobleman.”
“Do you think it’s been easy for Millie and me? It hasn’t. We seldom receive invitations to the finer functions. Millie receives a few invitations to afternoon teas some of her childhood friends host. But we seldom receive invitations to balls, or formal affairs.”
“Which doesn’t matter one jot to me,” Millie said, entering the room and wrapping her arm around Liam’s waist when she reached him.
Liam lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead.
“But you have to realize that my mother and sisters and brothers open the door for me enough that I am not a pariah. I doubt the same can be said of the way society accepts Lily. Or you.”
Jack smiled. “I’ll be a happy man if I never have to attend another social function again in my life.”
“And Broadmoore’s Treasures?” Liam asked. “Will you be as happy if your customers stop patronizing your business because your wife comes from Whitechapel?”
A rock fell to the pit of Jack’s stomach. His future depended on the success of Broadmoore’s Treasures. His independence. Yet, how much would the success of his shop mean if Lily wasn’t there to enjoy it with him? How complete would his life be if he had to give up Lily?
Jack turned his attention to the window to check if Lily had returned. A heavy pressure weighed against his chest when he saw an empty street with no sign of a carriage. The fear he experienced at the thought that something might have happened to her created a void he knew he couldn’t live with.
Jack turned back to Liam. “I can’t live without her. I can give up everything…even Broadmoore’s as long as I have Lily. I don’t want a life without her.”
A smile broadened across Liam’s face. “Let’s hope you never have to face that possibility, then.”
Jack gave a sharp nod, then turned toward the window when he heard the clatter of hooves turning into the mews behind Lily’s home. She had returned safe and sound. The heavy weight lifted from his chest.
Yes, he could survive anything as long as Lily was with him.
Lily walked through the rear entrance to her town house and reached for a wet cloth when she walked past a basin in the kitchen. She scrubbed her face to remove as much of the dried face jelly as possible. She’d removed her wig and let her hair down on the way here and now couldn’t wait to get out of her filthy clothes. But first she needed to introduce Matthew to Liam and Jack.
“I saw a light in the blue drawing room when we turned the corner. I want to introduce you to Liam and Jack before I go up to change.”
Lily led Matthew through the kitchen. Cook had already lit the fires in the grate and the stove, and was preparing food for the morning breakfast.
“Would you fix a tea tray and have it delivered to the blue drawing room, please, Mrs. O’Doole?”
“Right away, Miss,” her cook said with a smile.
Lily took Matthew from the kitchen down a back hallway, then into the blue dra
wing room. “Good morning,” she greeted when they entered the room. “Matthew, this is my brother, Liam McGregor, and his wife, Lady Millicent, and Mr. Jack Broadmoore. Liam, Millie, Jack, allow me to introduce Mr. Matthew Cleary.”
Liam and Jack returned the greeting, then Millie spoke.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cleary. Of the Mentlock Clearys, by chance?”
“Yes, Lady Millicent,” Matthew answered with a serious expression on his face.
Matthew looked at Lily as if asking her to take over the explanation of how they knew each other. Thankfully though, Lily was spared having to say anything more when there was a knock on the drawing room door and her maid Chelsea entered with the tea tray. She placed it on the table in front of the sofa and left the room.
“Would you pour, Millie? I don’t think anyone would appreciate drinking out of anything I touched.” Lily drew off her mitts, exposing her lily-white hands and grimy fingers.
“Truer words were never spoken,” Liam said on a laugh.
“And, if you don’t mind, I’m going to change into something more presentable, and… clean.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” Millie said. “And, while you’re upstairs, would you look in on our guest? I was up there until a few minutes ago. She was sleeping when I left. One of the upstairs maids is sitting with her in case she wakes.”
“Yes, I’ll check on her,” Lily said, then turned to leave.
“Are you all right?” Jack asked, catching up with her before she left the room. He walked with her down the hall and across the foyer to the stairs.
Lily smiled. “I’m fine.”
He put a nervous hand on the newel post. “I mustn’t keep you from washing your face.”
“Am I that repulsive?”
“Let’s just say I’m dying to kiss you but—”
Lily laughed. “I’ll hurry then,” she said softly, then raced up the stairs to wash away the ginger honey jelly. Hopefully for the last time.
Jack focused on Matthew Cleary when he returned to the blue drawing room. There was something intriguing and confusing about Matthew Cleary’s connection with Lily. Something that Jack didn’t yet understand. Whitechapel was a hideout for thieves. Why had this man chosen to be there when he had every right to be consorting with the ton?
