Saving Grace (Victorian Vigilantes Book 1)

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘Good morning, Lady Eva,’ she said. ‘This is my son, Tom. Like you, we are prevailing upon Jake’s hospitality.’

  ‘Did something happen?’ Eva asked.

  She crouched down to join in the child’s game, listening intently as Lord Torbay explained the events of the night before. She was aware of her mouth gaping open and anger coursing through her blood stream.

  ‘You could have been seriously hurt, Mrs Grantley. Tom could have been…this is all my fault.’

  ‘Nonsense.’ Mrs Grantley stood up and shook out her skirts, handing Tom over to the nursemaid who had just entered the room. ‘You are not culpable.’

  Eva chanced a glance at Lord Torbay, who didn’t look happy. The muscle in his jaw flexed and hardened and his eyes burned with anger.

  ‘We wondered if Mrs Grantley’s attackers are known to you,’ he said. ‘Please describe the main character to Lady Eva, Olivia.’

  ‘Certainly. He was a large, uncouth brute, with straggly brown hair that fell to his shoulders and he had a horseshoe-shaped scar beneath his left eye.’

  ‘Stoneleigh!’

  ‘Who is Stoneleigh?’ Isaac asked.

  ‘My husband’s chief henchman.’ Eva pursed her lips. ‘He would think nothing of torturing a woman to obtain information.’

  ‘Ah, of course.’ Isaac looked grim. ‘Franklin talks of him in his reports. That’s where I had heard the name before.’

  ‘I thought it must have been him,’ Lord Torbay said. ‘I haven’t had the pleasure myself…yet, but Olivia’s description corresponds with Franklin’s.’

  ‘What do you intend to do about it?’ Eva asked.

  ‘Much as I would like to tear the rogue’s head from his body,’ Lord Torbay replied, ‘this situation calls for patience. I am hoping to hear from Franklin this morning with news of Rose’s whereabouts. Finding written evidence of your husband’s activities and the name of the person who put him up to them is becoming pressing.’

  ‘I wish I could help.’ Eva spread her hands and sighed. ‘I feel so useless sitting about, allowing the rest of you to take all the risks.’

  Isaac sat beside her and sent her a vibrant smile. ‘We would never permit you to put yourself in danger’s path,’ he said softly. ‘Leave it to those of us who have experience of these matters.’

  ‘Experience? Huh, I have lived with danger these past five years. It’s time I stood up to my husband and fought my own battles.’

  ‘Pick your battles wisely, Eva. If courage or brute force solved these issues then we would have acted long before now. Sometimes patience, waiting for events to evolve is harder than taking action, but it is the wisest course.’

  ‘Yes.’ Eva expelled a frustrated breath. ‘I am sure you are right, but even so I—’

  ‘I would imagine your husband has seen this by now.’

  Lord Torbay handed her a copy of the Morning Chronicle opened at the society page, his snippet about William placed in a prominent position. The piece included a picture of William at some function or other, scowling and looking ill at ease. Eva clapped a hand over her mouth but laughter still escaped.

  ‘For the first time since leaving, I wish I was in Sloane Street for another reason other than to see my daughter. I would give much to witness William’s reaction. He will feel totally mortified.’

  Lord Torbay shrugged. ‘Hopefully it will also anger him, and angry men make mistakes.’

  ‘You see, you are helping, Eva,’ Isaac said, ‘just by continuing to defy him.’

  ‘He will increase his efforts to find me after this.’

  ‘Which will divert him from his plans to steal the diamond,’ Lord Torbay pointed out. ‘You will be perfectly safe here, Lady Eva. Provided you remain behind these walls, he won’t be able to get anywhere near you.’

  ‘And I shall bear you company,’ Mrs Grantley said. ‘Jake is being positively beastly and has forbidden me to take so much as one step beyond the gardens as well. But at least we shall be at leisure to get to know one another better.’

  ‘I look forward to that, at least,’ Eva replied, meaning it.

  Parker entered the room and cleared his throat. ‘Message from Franklin, sir,’ he said.

  ‘Good.’ Lord Torbay took the folded paper from Parker’s salver and read it quickly. ‘It seems Stoneleigh has set Rose up in rooms close to where you were recently living, Lady Eva. Somewhere in the vicinity of Poor Jewry Lane, but he doesn’t know the precise address. Hmm, I was hoping she would be living alone somewhere.’

  He handed the note to Isaac and Eva read it over his shoulder, committing the particulars to memory.

  ‘That is just typical of Stoneleigh,’ she said, pulling a disgusted face. ‘He fancies himself as quite the ladies’ man and probably expects poor Rose to be grateful.’

  ‘Franklin says Woodstock and Stoneleigh are meeting with the Sikhs tonight.’ Lord Torbay’s tone was pensive. ‘What say you, Isaac? Are you in the mood for an excursion to the East End?’

  ‘Most certainly.’

  ‘I should like to come too,’ Mrs Grantley said. ‘I have unfinished business with that person.’

  ‘Out of the question,’ Lord Torbay replied. ‘Besides, he won’t be there, which is the whole point.’

  ***

  This wasn’t happening. William forced himself to read the article for a third time in the vain hope that it would prove to be about someone else, even though the unflattering picture of him displayed prominently alongside it meant there could be no doubt. He felt his face heat at the indolent tone of its author, and his dismissive attitude towards William’s ambitions. The whole country would be laughing at him now and everything he had worked to achieve would count for nothing.

  William thumped his clenched fist against the surface of his desk, for once not caring about the welfare of the leather. A man who couldn’t control his own wife would never be accepted by the gentry, even supposing the promised introduction still came about. This would give his sponsor the perfect excuse to renege. He thought about contacting the paper’s editor, demanding a retraction, but knew that would only make a bad situation ten times worse.

  ‘Who did this?’ he asked of Stoneleigh, not expecting an answer. ‘Eva would not dare.’

  ‘The Grantley woman? Wouldn’t put anything past her.’

  ‘No, this isn’t a woman’s work but I’ll wager my wife knows who is behind it. A member of the gentry trying to get on her good side by denigrating me, I shouldn’t wonder.’ Thoughts of her nameless champion daring to lay so much as one inappropriate finger on his wife’s person briefly diverted William’s anger. Very briefly. Eva disliked intimacy and wouldn’t resort to flirting, not even to redress perceived grievances against him. ‘Well, I won’t put up with these insults. We have to find her, Stoneleigh, and then make sure the world understands her absence was agreed between us beforehand. Put more men on it. She has to be somewhere and someone has to have seen her.’

  ‘I’ve already asked all the servants I could think of, but nothing.’ He shrugged. ‘If you want me to use more people, I shall have to take them away from the warehouse, which means leaving the Sikhs to their own devices.’

  ‘Then do it. It’s a risk we will have to take.’

  ‘Our master won’t like it.’

  ‘I am the master.’ He glowered at Stoneleigh, still not having forgiven him for his headstrong actions of the day before. ‘What I say goes.’

  ‘Why not bring her brother up to town?’ Stoneleigh suggested. ‘He don’t like being in your company, but we both know if you send for him, he has no choice but to come running like the obedient little lap dog that he is.’

  ‘Ah, you might actually have had a good idea for a change.’ William leaned back in his chair, resting his chin in his cupped hand as he thought it through. ‘I have already been in touch with him. He tells me he doesn’t know where she is, but I’m sure he has ideas he hasn’t seen fit to share with me yet.’

  ‘If he’s seen her
e amongst his own class, word will get back to Lady Eva and she will probably try to contact him, if only to keep him away from the tables. He has been avoiding London so as not to be tempted by the gaming clubs, but if he’s here he will play, and she knows it. He can’t help himself.’ Stoneleigh shrugged. ‘He will lose, just like always, because he’s reckless. Then he’ll be keen enough to help you.’

  William reached for pen and paper and scrawled a request that the letter’s recipient would know was actually an order.

  ‘Have this sent by express,’ he said, blotting his missive. ‘It’s about time Eva’s worthless brother earned his keep.’

  ***

  The gentlemen left Eva and Mrs Grantley to their own devices shortly after Franklin’s report arrived. They had appointments to keep but didn’t tell the ladies where they planned to go.

  ‘That is typical,’ Mrs Grantley complained. ‘They do so like to think of themselves as protectors, trying to shield us from unpleasantness. It’s ridiculous because Jake knows very well I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.’

  ‘He’s concerned about you and blames himself because you were hurt.’

  ‘Bah, that was no one’s fault but my own.’ Mrs Grantley jutted her chin. ‘Now, if I hadn’t been wearing heavy skirts—’

  ‘Mrs Grantley, there were three of them.’ Eva widened her eyes. ‘Three men.’

  ‘Precisely my point. I ought to have dealt with them far more competently that I actually did.’

  Eva shook her head. ‘You are amazing.’

  ‘Either I work for Jake and he trusts me, or I might as well remain at home and concentrate on my embroidery.’

  Eva laughed. ‘That I can scare imagine.’

  ‘Exactly.’ She stood up and paced the room. ‘I am not cut out for feminine pursuits and Jake knows it. But sometimes he won’t listen to a word I say. Really, he is impossible!’

  And you are desperately in love with him. How can he not realise it?

  Eva was inspired by Mrs Grantley’s reckless character and enjoyed her irreverent attitude. She could see her new friend enjoyed her notoriety and the excuse it provided her with to break all the rules. Eva, on the other hand, had never been reckless in her life…well, not until she met Isaac. Mrs Grantley’s free spirit must be having an effect on her because Eva was suddenly impatient with herself for being so dutiful. And dull. And unspontaneous. She was tired of sitting back while everyone else took the risks. She might not be able to fight three grown men but that didn’t mean she was incapable of using her wits to help Lord Torbay’s efforts.

  After luncheon Mrs Grantley excused herself to spend some time with her son up on the nursery floor. Alone again, Eva’s mind focused on poor Rose. It was bad enough for her to have had to put up with William’s advances. For his part William made no effort to hide his association with Rose from Eva, presumably expecting her to be jealous. Instead, Eva had been grateful to Rose since it meant she had to endure being pawed by her husband a little less frequently.

  Rose had come into William’s employ straight from the workhouse. A good few years older than their new maid, Eva could see just by looking at the child that she had seen far more of the realities of the world than Eva, cossetted and protected, ever had or would. Eva couldn’t blame her for allowing William to abuse her, or for putting on airs in front of the other staff, even though she could see it made her unpopular.

  She and Rose had enjoyed a perfectly amicable relationship. Eva wouldn’t go so far as to say they were friends, but they did understand one another, and Eva knew Rose harboured ambitions to become a lady’s maid. She had attended Eva on one or two occasions when Eva’s own maid was indisposed. She loved beautiful things, was handy with a needle and possessed a natural flair for dressing Eva’s hair.

  If Rose had been so summarily evicted from Sloane Street, she would probably be keen to revenge herself on William, especially if the only alternative was to live beneath Stoneleigh’s unpredictable protection. Rose would most likely talk to Eva, but she would never open up to strangers—especially strangers of Lord Torbay’s ilk who most certainly wouldn’t be tempted by Rose’s charms and couldn’t be exploited to her advantage.

  Eva had been on the point of telling him so, but resisted. Lord Torbay wouldn’t believe her if she explained Rose would view his approach as an opportunity for personal gain. She was perfectly capable of playing one side against the other, forming an allegiance with whoever promised to reward her the most handsomely. To do that she would need to tell William of Lord Torbay’s approach, which could result in his assignment being compromised, to say nothing of placing his lordship in danger. No, she couldn’t allow that to happen—not after all Lord Torbay had done for her.

  Especially not after what Isaac had done for her.

  It was time to take matters into her own hands. And to do that she must return to the district of her nightmares. To Whitechapel. She happened to overhear Stoneleigh once, talking about an arrangement he had with a woman who owned a boarding house there and the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that Rose would be in that house.

  The house was quiet in the period immediately after luncheon. Eva knew the servants would have completed their duties in the main rooms during the early hours of the morning. Back in her chamber there was no sign of Betsy, but she might appear at any moment so there was no time to lose. Already wearing the gown she had arrived in, Eva found her cape in the wardrobe and pulled it around her. She then squashed her bonnet on top of her curls, secured it in place with a pin, grabbed her stocking purse and was ready to leave.

  She took a peep around her door and found the corridor deserted, but the same might not be the case downstairs. If she descended the main staircase, Parker would probably appear from nowhere and demand to know where she was going. The only alternative was to take the back stairs. She found the doorway leading to them, pushed it open and placed her foot on the top step. They were uncarpeted and creaked beneath her weight. She heard voices coming from a part of the house she had never set foot in and expected a servant to appear at any moment.

  By some miracle that didn’t happen and she reached the boot room without being detected. Eva took a moment to gather her courage. Going from dull and dutiful to reckless and daring required inner fortitude. She thought of Mrs Grantley who, in similar circumstances, would not hesitate. That thought strengthened Eva’s determination. She took a deep, steadying breath, opened the door to the garden and slipped through it. Now all she had to do was keep behind the shrubbery and follow it around to the front of the house. Walking down the gravel drive was out of the question since she would be seen from the house before she got halfway down it.

  Eva continued to dart from tree to shrub until she reached the main gates. Which were closed. Damnation, of course they were! All was not lost since there was a small gate for the use of pedestrians set in the brick wall. It was locked but the key hung on a hook on her side. She fitted it in the lock, turned it and slipped through the gate. She then locked it again from the outside, pocketing the key.

  Eva had given no thought about how to get to Whitechapel, other than holding onto the vague hope a vacant Hansom would bowl past when she needed one. Miraculously that was precisely what happened, which she took to be a good omen. She hailed the conveyance, gave the jarvey her destination and sank into the worn seat, a feeling of mild euphoria sweeping through her at having made a clean escape.

  The Hansom dropped her two streets away from what Eva hoped would prove to be Rose’s new lodgings. She paid the jarvey with almost her last coins and endeavoured to melt into the crowd. She was a little better at doing so on this occasion, relying on previous experience and keeping her head lowered. She wasn’t concerned about being seen by her husband’s men. Lord Torbay said they had ceased to watch her old lodgings. However, Stoneleigh could well be in the area, visiting Rose. The prospect of literally running into the loathsome man made her shudder, but if she was to aband
on her shrinking violet persona and be of service to Lord Torbay and Isaac it was a chance she would just have to take.

  Eva couldn’t afford the luxury of lingering. She was drawing too much attention to herself, just by being where she obviously didn’t belong, alone and on foot. She found the building where Rose was most likely lodged and shuddered. It was even more dilapidated than the one she had inhabited just a few short days ago. She slipped up the stairs while the coast was clear and found room number six on the second floor. Eva pressed her ear to the flimsy door and listened, praying she wouldn’t hear Stoneleigh’s voice.

  She heard nothing at all. God forbid that Rose wasn’t at home after all the trouble Eva had taken to get here. Refusing to entertain that possibility, Eva remained where she was for as long as she dared but still heard nothing. The sound of footsteps on the stairs sent her scurrying to conceal herself in an alcove. It wasn’t Stoneleigh, thank goodness, but an equally unsavoury-looking male who paused to spit on the landing boards and then carried on up to the next floor. It was a reminder that Eva was as exposed here as she was in the street. More so, since there was nowhere for her to escape to. Stoneleigh might not catch her but she didn’t wish to dwell upon the likely reaction of any man—such as the one she had just narrowly avoided—if he found her in this place.

  It was enough to decide Eva. She lifted her gloved hand and rapped at the door. No answer. Damn it, she had to be there! Eva rapped again, a little harder this time, and was rewarded by the faint sounds from within.

  ‘Go away.’

  It was Rose’s voice and it sounded as though Eva had woken her up. She turned the knob and opened the door.

  ‘My goodness!’

  ‘Lady Eva, what the devil…’

  Rose, wiping sleep from her eyes, looked as dishevelled as the bed she sat up in. Her face was in an even worse condition than Mrs Grantley’s. She had a black eye, scrapes all down one cheek and what looked like finger mark indentations around her throat.