The Iron Heart

by Leslie Dicken

  He found a cloth and dabbed at his forehead. “If you believe that so much, Ella, then go forth and create your own. I have shown you my version and I will make more of those if you wish.”

  Her eyes narrowed, but just as she opened her mouth to reply, Lady Westerling was at his side.

  “This is amazing work.” She pointed to the fallen mechanical arm. “I hope it wasn’t harmed.”

  Bennett pulled his attention from the obstinate Miss Wilder and focused on his work for the last several months.

  He carefully lifted the arm and turned it over to check for damage. Unfortunately, the pinkie finger now bent at an odd angle. He may need to peel back the layer of “skin” to fix the joint.

  The scent of lavender washed over him as Ella came to his other side. “So is that what you do with your time then?”

  He didn’t glance at her. “I am an inventor. I create things in case you haven’t noticed all of those items out in the previous room.”

  “Oh I noticed. But other than the bird Gertrude, I didn’t see any other clockwork automatons.”

  Sighing, he finally turned to her. Her luminous green eyes focused on the arm. Lips pursed in a look of disgust.

  “I am assuming you do not care for them.”

  “They’ll steal work from those who need it. Obviously, you have not taken the time to read my paper. I brought several of them to the last Syndicate meeting.”

  Lady Westerling reached out with her fingerless leather gloves. “May I touch it?”

  He nodded absently. “Did it ever occur to you, Miss Wilder, that perhaps those people in those positions might now have other opportunities?”

  She crossed her arms under those soft mounds. “How? They will no longer have an income because some piece of human-like machinery will do it for them.”

  “There will always be a need for a human with a brain. No inventor can recreate that perfectly.” Even a human brain could malfunction. He’d learned that lesson well enough.

  “Humph!” She reached out to touch it but then pulled her hand back. “What are your thoughts, Lady Westerling?”

  The old woman did not shy away. “I think these automatons can be an enormous help to those who employ others. Yes, there may be some employment loss to the current hard workers, but I’m sure it will all work out for the best eventually.”

  Ella’s eyes widened. She pressed her lips so tightly they began to turn white.

  “However,” the old woman continued, “I do agree with you that more work needs to be done to save our young women from this killer.”

  Now Ella nodded vigorously. “Oh yes!”

  Bennett sighed. These two had no idea what they were dealing with. They had no concept of the viciousness of the attacks, of the seething hatred at the moment of kill. He knew. He had to bear it.

  He must make them see reason. “Have the constable help you.”

  “That man is an idiot.” Ella’s gaze rolled skyward. “He claims the woman or girl is to blame for any harm done to her.”

  “You can’t go after this killer on your own.” She would fail. Struggle valiantly then go limp in the killer’s grasp. His knees buckled and he sank onto a stool. “Tell me you aren’t that foolish.”

  “I won’t let her do that,” Lady Westerling assured him, patting his shoulder.

  “Oh no. I won’t hunt down this monster.” Ella blinked at him, eye lashes fluttering. “You will.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Bennett knew about hunting.

  He’d hunted with his father and his brother since he was big enough to hold a gun. They’d hunt the hills behind Barrington Manor and off deeper into the Greenlands.

  Hugh would always rush off ahead of the rest of them, determined to find the kill first. He’d call off the hounds and raise the bloody fox for them all to see.

  Their father laughed this impulsivity off. It never mattered that others had to follow the rules.

  And so it was always up to Bennett to make sure Hugh didn’t get himself into trouble, or injured. Or worse. For years, Bennett dragged his brother back from far Greenland hills or deep Lundun alleys. He’d taken him from the bed of a noble’s daughter and the arms of a streetwalker.

  Hugh lived by his own rules. He’d claimed that being the younger son gave him this right. And their father did nothing to put an end to it.

  Bennett swallowed, adjusted knobs on his gadget board. But no amount of distraction would ever make him forget the demon Hugh had become.

  Ellie woke from the nightmare screaming.

  She gulped for air, but her pulse blast in her ears, sweat drenched the back of her neck. She snatched her robe and hurried down the steps to the shop. But it was still too dark, too enclosing.

  She must be outside, feel the air on her face. With a twist of the lock, Ellie ran out into the early dawn.

  The chill slipped down her nightgown and pressed against her skin. But it was many long moments before she felt comfort.

  The streets of Lundun were silent, other than soft songs of frogs and insects. No bicycles clanked down the walk, no gusts of steam, no ricketing of gears.

  Ellie hadn’t had that nightmare in years. And yet it was as real as the day it actually happened.

  In their ninth year, she and Jenny were exploring the countryside while pretending to be dirigible captains. They’d run up the top of several hills, spread their arms and rushed down as fast as they could. If they were lucky, a stiff breeze would blast under them and make it feel as if they were flying.

  At the third hill, they came across an abandoned croft.

  Jenny approached cautiously, peering inside the tiny structure. “We shouldn’t go in,” she’d said and backed away.

  That day, nothing could deter Ellie. Here was her opportunity to fly! Ellie scrambled up the hill next to it and then leaped to the roof. She was soaring!

  She landed on the roof with a thud, arms thrust high. But within moments there was a creaking sound, then more noises. The ancient peat and mud at her feet shifted.

  Jenny’s voice carried shrill on the wind. “Get down from there!”

  It was too late. The roof gave way. Ellie crashed through the rubble. Worse, the whole structure crumbled around her. She was buried beneath the stones, with a few slivers of daylight piercing the dark like daggers.

  Even now, tears stung her eyes at the frightening memory.

  At the time, Ellie hadn’t felt the pain from her broken ankle when Jenny ran off to get help. No, she saw nothing but the closing in of night. Minute by minute the sun dropped and the twilight gave way to dark.

  When she was finally found and rescued, Ellie had been trapped in the total blackness for over an hour. She’d been terrified of the dark ever since.

  But now light was creeping over Lundun’s stark and pointed roofs and Ellie was able at long last to catch her breath. She leaned against the iron post at the base of the shop steps.

  Down the street, she heard a door open and close. Nearby, a cat hissed and then scurried away.

  The sky above lightened with small tendrils of grey seeping in between the clouds. She watched as the clouds shifted, slowing turning a faint shade of pink.

  But what was that? It appeared to be a large bird, a bird of prey. No, it was something manmade as wisps of steam followed behind.

  It was a flyer, heading from Lundun back to the Greenlands.

  She craned her neck, struggled to get more detail. It was impossible to tell the pilot, but the vehicle was a two-seater single row with double engine.

  Soon it was nothing more than a dot in the far-reaching sky.

  The shop door opened behind her. “Ellie?”

  She turned and headed up the steps. “Good morning, Uncle.”

  He patted her arm. “You are up early today.”

  “Bad dreams. But I’m fine now. Let’s go inside.”

  She took his wrinkled and calloused hand and went inside the shop. He’d lit a few candles and oil lamps so the room glowe
d with warmth.

  “There is something I forgot to tell you.” Her uncle’s eyebrows knitted. “There was another note. It came yesterday or maybe the day before.”

  “Where is it?”

  “I don’t know. But it was from your mother.”

  At once, a brick weighed in Ellie’s stomach. There was never any good news from her mother.

  “A party.” Uncle Joseph started rummaging through bins and shelves. “Someone’s birthday.”

  Her own wasn’t for several more weeks. Her parents both had birthdays later in the year. Uncle Joseph’s wasn’t until the summer.

  “Whose birthday is it?”

  He stopped, closed his eyes. “Jenny's.”

  Her throat thickened. Yes, of course. Jenny would be twenty.

  He patted her shoulder. “This time, I’m coming with you.”

  Once at Hilltop Hall, Ellie bathed, then dressed in an emerald, dinner-party gown, had her hair twisted, but declined her mother’s jewels.

  Her uncle had brought his best clothes and looked clean and bright when she saw him before dinner. He blushed when Lady Westerling arrived, although she was there per his request.

  The three of them sat in the front parlor, awaiting a few other guests and the grand arrival of Lady Halswitch. Ellie’s father was off on one of his hunting trips, or seeing his mistress, or whatever other excuse he could find.

  Finally, they heard commotion at the door and then the high pitch squeal of Ellie’s mother. A moment later, she entered the parlor with the tall, commanding form of Bennett Pierce beside her.

  Her blood pulsed. Delicious shivers danced between her legs. She wasn’t expecting him to be here tonight.

  “Thank you for waiting, my guests.” Lady Halswitch announced. “We have several special treats tonight.”

  She smiled at Uncle Joseph. “First, we celebrate the birthday of my niece. Our hearts hurt that she isn’t here with us but we will remember the joy of her life tonight instead.”

  He sniffled, then nodded.

  “Then,” her mother continued, “we enjoy dinner while bearing witness to the creative genius of Lord Barrington.”

  Ellie tensed. Creative genius. Yes, he was that indeed. Yet her mother had never been to Barrington Hall and seen his creations. A wily plan was underfoot and it made her wary.

  Bennett glanced around the room, nodded at Lady Westerling, gave a polite smile to Uncle Joseph and then settled his charming gaze upon her.

  Shocking heat stilled her heart. Lips parted in a breathy gasp. His dark stare seized her soul and stripped her bare. She tried to look away, to resist the allure, to show indifference to him.

  It didn’t work. It couldn’t work. Her body wanted Bennett. Her mouth wanted his kisses, her breasts yearned for his powerful hands. The deep ache between her legs craved something only he could satisfy.

  He intended to unsettle her. She could see a smirk lurking somewhere in that desire-filled gaze. She wasn’t so easily knocked off-guard. Despite the undoing of her bodily impulses, his sense of superiority would not rule her.

  A few distracting words of conversation and he would be nothing more than another guest in the room.

  A servant appeared. “Dinner is served.”

  The five of them entered the dining room. The large table had the leaves removed so that it was a more intimate setting. Lady Halswitch sat at the head of the table. Lady Westerling was placed next to Ellie and across from Uncle Joseph. Bennett was seated directly opposing Ellie.

  Blazes, now she would have to face him all night. It was much harder to be preoccupied when those kissable lips were only a reach across the table.

  Once they were settled, Lady Westerling cleared her throat. “So when do we get to see this genius creation of yours, Lord Barrington?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “All in due time. After all, this is Lady Halswitch’s party.”

  Dinner progressed with delicious soup and a fine meal. Instead of Ellie being on the defensive most of the night, the chatter was light and easy, especially when Bennett mentioned his dirigible. Already there were plans for a ride in it tomorrow.

  Ellie sipped the sweet wine and watched the man across from her with a new interest. Much less stoic and tense than usual, Bennett exuded actual warmth and pleasantness. He smiled readily and charmed Lady Halswitch with quick retorts to her silly questions.

  He was a mystery, this man. One who could delve into her deepest fears with his well-kept secrets and yet bring her to the steps of heaven with his soft touch. Trusting him was another matter entirely. With her body or her heart.

  “There will be cake for dessert,” Ellie’s mother was saying, “to celebrate Jenny’s twentieth birthday. That is when we will see Lord Barrington’s great invention.”

  Uncle Joseph sniffled.

  A shadow passed across Bennett’s face. “I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Cooper. I lost my father not too long ago. He was beaten by a battle with pneumonia.”

  “Jenny was too young to die.”

  “Yes, that is young for an illness to take a life. My heart is heavy for you.”

  Uncle Joseph blew his nose in a napkin.

  Illness! No, Jenny didn’t die from some ravage to her system. It was a savage attempt at her body that killed her. Bennett should learn the truth. Now.

  Ellie swallowed the wine in her glass. She took a deep breath and then, “Jenny didn’t die of an illness.”

  “Ella, no!”

  She ignored her mother, who always wanted to hide anything which could bring shame or scandal. “She was killed, Lord Barrington. Not in an accident.”

  Bennett’s dark eyes immediately darted to hers.

  “In an alleyway, late one night while on a delivery for my uncle’s shop, Jenny was murdered.”

  She stared back at him and watched the realization dawn in his eyes. She heard her uncle sob, her mother and Lady Westerling get up to comfort him, but she didn’t move. Ellie held her stare on Bennett, forced him to see the pain she endured each day. He must understand, finally, the reason this bastard must be caught, the agony she experienced knowing he was still out there.

  Within moments, his cheeks turned ruddy, lips pursed in a tight frown.

  He knew.

  Bennett pushed himself up from the table. “Pardon me.”

  It all made sense now.

  Bennett yanked open the front door and jogged down the steps to the stone path. The cool air raked over his skin and sent a chill down his spine. Already the sun was low on the horizon.

  At the Syndicate of Provinces meeting Ella had mentioned another killing. At the time he thought she was being dramatic, just wanting to get more attention for her cause.

  But there had been a first.

  Her cousin, who had been more like a sister to her since they were children.

  He kicked a rock. Why the hell didn’t she ever tell him?

  I have seen a dead body.

  The statement haunted him at the time but he didn’t press for an explanation. She wouldn’t have shared if he’d asked.

  Bennett heard crunching behind him. It wouldn’t be long before…

  “Why did you leave?”

  He wasn’t ready to face her. Not yet.

  “Are you going to look at me?”

  Bennett didn’t turn at her demand. “I left because I needed a clear head and now that you’re here I won’t have one.”

  “Something scared you. What was it?”

  Scared him? He wasn’t frightened. He just needed to think, to understand how and when this killing happened. Rosemary was the first. He would have known of Jenny’s murder.

  “Go away, Ella. Give me peace.”

  Instead she stalked around to stand before him. “So now you know why I’m so persistent, why I won’t leave this alone.” Her green eyes blinked up at him, flooded with the passion she never feared expressing. “My cousin, my very soul, the girl who was like a sister to me, was killed by this monster. The constable will do nothi
ng. He still lives, he still hunts, he still kills. I can’t stop until he does.”

  Bennett’s shoulders dropped. Gut burned like a thousand suns. Lord, he wanted it all stopped. More than she would ever know. He sacrificed every night of his existence in an effort to end this nightmare.

  Yet nothing but failure haunted him now. He lived in a constant state of sleep-deprivation, an ongoing siege of near-misses and harrowing visions. He could not unsee what he’d seen. Yet, he could not remember the death before Rosemary.

  “Why—” He cleared away the tightness in his throat, “—why did you not tell me of this before?”

  The sharp edges of her gaze fell away and she sighed. “I…I’m not sure. I didn’t think I could trust you. I was afraid you would tell me it was some drunk lecher like the constable did. You were so certain the girls killed were prostitutes and Jenny wasn’t.”

  Ellie looked off toward the setting sun. Her eyes shimmered. “Jenny meant so much to me. I…I didn’t feel I knew you well enough to share her. You weren’t worthy.”

  Bennett winced. A blade struck his heart, deep and unexpected. He wasn’t worthy. And, yet, he couldn’t blame her.

  He was responsible for this madness. In more ways than one.

  “I’m sorry, Ella.” More than she would ever know.

  She rubbed her hands over her arms. She was cold. He felt the urge to warm her, to envelop her in his protection. He didn’t move.

  “We should go back.” Her voice was as far away as the green hills. She wanted something from him. Perhaps a reassurance that he was worthy, but he couldn’t give it. It was one lie he could not speak.

  And so he followed Ella back to Hilltop Hall. Her shining dress caught the last slivers of sunlight, like the brilliant sparkles in her eyes.

  They entered the house to find Lady Halswitch, Lady Westerling, and Mr. Cooper milling around in the parlor. Their gazes questioned, but he said nothing. Neither did Ella.

  Finally Ella’s mother gave up on expecting an explanation and smiled. “And now we will have a cake for dear Jenny’s birthday. Please follow me back to the dining room.”