Worlds Apart

by Stein Willard

The man’s voice was conspiratorially. “The nuns knew him. It seems that it wasn’t the first time that they had treated him here. They had a special prayer session for him early this morning and they want no one to handle the body, but them.”

  “And you? How do you know it’s him?”

  “I was here the night they brought him in and I was the one who wheeled him to the operating table. He had lost a lot of blood. Apparently, a piece of his liver had to be removed to save him, but the loss of blood and infection did him in at the end.”

  “That’s a really sad, sad day for the people.” Oasis almost snorted at the fake concern in the woman’s voice. “I’ll remember to say a prayer for him and my dear brother here. Thank you so much for your kindness, sir.”

  “You’re most welcome, Miss Smith. I hope you’ll keep this conversation between the two of us.”

  “No need to worry about that. I wouldn’t dream of betraying your confidence, dear sir.”

  Oasis waited until the door closed behind the two and let out a sigh. There was a flurry of movement then the sheet was pulled from her face. Caleb smiled down into her eyes.

  “We got her!”

  Oasis smiled, too. “Now make sure we end this, Caleb.”

  Caleb’s smile waned a little. “You know that she won’t like it.”

  “Well, it’s not her decision to make, now is it,” Oasis snapped and she saw the surprise in Caleb’s eyes. “Don’t mind me, my friend. The fact that you’re having all the fun while I’m being spoon-fed by the nuns, is not helping my mood.”

  Caleb grinned. “At least they are beautiful, my friend. Enjoy it while you can. I need to go. Our friend from Park Lane mentioned that she would be by for a visit.” Caleb’s eyes twinkled. “She’s truly something, I tell you.”

  With a pat on the shoulder, Caleb was gone, leaving the orderly to take Oasis to her room. Caleb’s words rang through her head as she was wheeled down the long, deserted hallway.

  She’s truly something, I tell you.

  Well, you don’t have to tell me, my friend, I knew the first moment I saw her at the punch table at Lord and Lady Standish’s Summer Ball six years ago. It had been one of those rare occasions she had decided to attend soon after she had returned from the colonies. It had taken all her willpower not to walk up to the beauty and introduce herself. She had stood out from all the women there. Tall, beautiful and coolly confident, Tia had calmly sipped her punch and as soon as she was done, had found their hosts and bid them goodnight. Knowing when a woman was out of her league, Oasis had shunned the social scene for as long as she could in the hope of not making a fool of herself over the gorgeous duchess. But admiring her from afar had quickly lost its appeal. With some spy work, she had begun to attend the events where she was sure the duchess would make an appearance. She never stayed long, but just a glimpse of her was enough to last her to the next event. Thus, when Tia reached out to The Maverick, Oasis had thrown caution to the wind. Anything to spend more time around the intoxicating woman.

  “Here we are.” The room smelled wonderful after the day spent in a cloud of formaldehyde. The burley orderly helped her onto the bed. “You seem to have a guest waiting, milord. If you don’t need anything now, I’ll be back in an hour to see if you have need of anything else.”

  “Thank you, Charles.”

  “I’ll show the lady in, milord.”

  With her earlier memories of Tia still fresh in her mind, Oasis felt a little frayed at the edges at the prospect of seeing the other woman.

  ***

  Tia thanked the orderly and entered the room. The large bouquet immediately caught her eye and she wondered again who the sender might be. She felt Pope’s eyes on her and she turned to him. An odd look flashed over his face, but it was gone just as quickly.

  “You look better, milord. I must say that I’m impressed by your extraordinary healing ability.” She walked over to the table and poured a glass of water. “Water?” At his nod, she leaned over and gently lifted his head. His curls fell over her hand and Tia had to concentrate hard not to drench the poor man in water, as she was overcome by ‘the now familiar’ urge to stroke the soft sable curls. She revelled at the dark colour. It went so well with his swarthy skin tone. When he closed his mouth to indicate that he had enough, she helped him to lie down and took a seat on the nearby chair.

  “Thank you.” He studied her closely for a moment and Tia couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some kind of a non-verbal question hanging in the air. What had happened to have made him so guarded?

  “Are you well, milord? You’re acting a little strange.” He had promised once, that he would try to always be honest with her. Actually, The Maverick had made that promise, but she didn’t bother much with semantics.

  The dark eyes stared at her, unblinking. “Spending a whole day in the morgue has been a somewhat trying experience. Other than that, I’m well.”

  How could she forget about that, Tia chastised herself. It must’ve been terrible down there in morgue, surrounded by dead bodies and that awful chemical smell. She gave Pope a sombre smile.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so unfeeling. I can’t imagine how it must’ve been for you down there.”

  Pope smiled. “At least I wasn’t alone. Caleb was there.” Tia was again subjected to an intense look from those fathomless eyes. And again, she felt there was a silent question hanging in the air between them. What was it that Pope wanted from her? Just when she thought she was really getting to know him now that the mask was off, she couldn’t help but feel as if she had been dealing with another masked figure. This time his name was Benedict Pope. He was so much more complicated than The Maverick. For a moment she wished the mask was back on, so she could deal with the rogue, who stole into her room in the dead of night and made indecent proposals. But then, The Maverick and Benedict Pope were the same person. The Maverick was blunt, where Pope was the consummate gentleman. Would the same tactic work on both personas? She wouldn’t know if she didn’t try.

  “Is there something you want you ask me, Lord Pope?”

  A cool smile pulled at his full lips. “Is there something you want to tell me, Your Grace?”

  Touché. Tia shrugged and rose to her feet. “You’ve had a difficult day with everything that has happened. Thus, I’ll leave you so you can rest. I bid you a good evening.” She moved to the door. She had hoped to clear the air between them after her visit ended on a very strange note yesterday. He appeared to be in an even stranger mood today. She was disappointed that she won’t be spending more time with him, but it would seem as if she had overstayed her welcome. Maybe if she refrained from visiting for a few days, he might call for her. She was almost out the door when she heard it. She turned around, to look at him.

  “Did you say something, milord?”

  His eyes were fixed on the sheet. “I said I’m sorry.”

  Tia frowned. He was sorry? “For what? I mean, you have all the reason in the world to feel a bit off considering you have survived an assassination, lost some of your men and had to spend a whole day in the morgue.”

  Pope slowly looked up and she saw the relief in his eyes. “I don’t want to be like this with you. I beg your forgiveness, milady.”

  Tia smiled at him. She brought the chair closer to the bed and took a seat. “I thought you were tired of seeing me every day.”

  He shook his head, his eyes warm as he studied her. “I’m not sure if you had noticed, but you and Sylvie are the only guests allowed – Sister Madeline’s orders. I would be stupid to alienate either of you two.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that happening. We are partners and partner’s stick together.” She blushed. “Well, that’s what Caleb says.”

  The light in the dark eyes wavered a little. “How do you find working with him?”

  Tia chuckled. “Different. He tricked me into drinking the vilest of concoctions the other day. Called it the best American whiskey money could buy.” She felt he
r stomach turn at the memory. She looked at Pope and found him looking back at her with such longing in his eyes. She frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re pining for that revolting drink.”

  He laughed, but it quickly turned into a moan as he cradled his chest. Tia surged to her feet and laid her hands over his. “Careful now. Sister Madeline has worked very hard to keep you from bleeding to death.” Pope’s eyes were closed, his lips pale and pursed tightly. Tia could tell that the pain must’ve been awful. She gently cupped his cheeks. “Just breathe through it, Ben. Gently now.” After a minute or two had passed, Pope opened his eyes and Tia smiled tenderly. “I’m sorry I made you laugh.”

  “You’re forgiven, milady,” he teased back weakly. “No more talking about Caleb and his cheap whiskey.”

  “I concur.” She realised she was still cupping his face. She blushed as she quickly removed her hands. “In that case, let me tell you instead, about Sir Robert Luton.”

  Forty minutes later when Tia left a dozing Pope’s room, she couldn’t help but feel that they had crossed some invisible barrier. For the first time they had talked like contemporaries, who were a little more than acquaintances. She had truly enjoyed herself and had found Pope to be a great conversationalist.

  She wondered if they will be able to continue this open exchange when they discharged Pope from the hospice.

  ***

  Oasis clenched her jaw so she would not moan at the pain that lanced through her body with every step she took. Her situation was made worse by the crushing crowd around her. Every now and then someone would bump into her and leave her breathless and faint from the pain. A carriage would’ve been a more expedient way of getting her to her Bancroft House, but Caleb had reported that every carriage leaving the hospice was being followed. Whoever had seized control, was not taking any chances. Or maybe he wanted to display the lifeless body of his predecessor to demonstrate his supremacy. There was an alley coming up and with some relief Oasis shuffled inside. With great effort, she slid down the wall and sat flat on the ground to rest. She had never felt this weak before. Sister Madeline had not been happy with the plan to smuggle Oasis out of the hospice. She had been livid when she found out that the plan entailed Oasis walking out of the hospice under the guise of a homeless beggar. Lady Tia had shared the same reservations, but unlike Sister Madeline, she knew the danger that Oasis was facing.

  The woman, Miss Smith, had been instrumental in uncovering the identity of the new underworld boss. She had gone straight home and had remained there, until an unmarked carriage had picked her up in the dead of the night and took her to the docks. The woman had disappeared amongst the taverns and cookhouses lining the docks, but Caleb managed to trail her until he caught her entering one of the taverns though a backdoor. A peek through a grimy window unravelled the whole mystery.

  Jack Durham, the man who had ordered her assassination, was someone Oasis had bumped into a few times over the years. The man she had met back then, she would have described as mellow and acquiescent. But she knew better now. Jack was a cold, calculating man, who had patiently bided his time.

  “Need more time or shall we move on?”

  Oasis looked up into the youthful face of a tall teenage boy. She was about to shoo him away when something made her take a closer look. She knew of only one person with that particular shade of blue eyes. The concern in said eyes was also a dead giveaway.

  “Your disguise got better.” As she said it, her eyes roamed over the tall body. Dressed in tight knee-high pants and a slightly stained dark shirt, the ensemble was rounded off by a jaunty hat and scuffed shoes. Tia truly favoured the gangly youths loitering in the streets for jobs, girls or easy money.

  “I’m glad you think so. There is a carriage waiting at the end of the alley. If you…”

  “Let’s go. I need to keep moving while I still can.” She swallowed hard and pushed against the wall for support, but no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn’t get her shaky legs to support her. To make matters worse, the sky opened and a cold torrent poured over them. Tired, hurt and beyond humiliated, Oasis slapped Tia’s hand away when the other woman reached out to help her. They were both momentarily shocked by the act and it took a moment before Tia stepped back, but not before Oasis saw the hurt flash in her eyes.

  “You need to get out of the rain, before you contract pneumonia.” She looked around her. The streets were emptying fast with people running for cover. At least this would help them shake off their followers, if there were any. “It will only worsen your …” Tia’s voice trailed off and Oasis followed her gaze. A man had just entered the alleyway and stood there looking at them. “I think we really need to go.”

  Oasis didn’t know where she got the strength from, but she slowly came to her feet, breathless from the pain, and placed herself between the man and Tia. No one was going to hurt Tia, not for as long as she drew breath. The man turned away, fumbled with his drenched breeches and urinated against the wall. Once relieved, he left the alley without a backward glance. Behind her, Oasis could hear Tia exhale shakily. The longer they were here, the more danger there was to Tia. Swaying heavily, Oasis felt surprisingly strong arms circle her middle and Tia slipped under her arm to steady her. The journey down the alley was slow, but they finally made it. The carriage was still waiting. Oasis noted that Tia carefully scanned the area before she led them to the carriage. The door swung open and strong hands helped her inside. By this time, Oasis was shaking from the cold and pain. Tia got in and Oasis witnessed the near-frantic reunion between Tia and Burton. Burton basically had Tia on his lap as he embraced her.

  “I’m fine, Burton,” she whispered against the broad chest. “We need to get him out of the wet clothes before he falls ill.”

  “Yes, milady,” Burton responded quickly and stepped out into the pouring rain to drive the carriage.

  The exertions of the past two hours finally caught up with Oasis, and as the carriage drove down the rain-soaked streets towards her home, she felt herself sliding sideways as she began to doze. Just when she was sure her head would encounter the hard surface of the rented carriage, a soft lap broke the impact. With a tiny smile, she allowed herself to slip into oblivion.

  ***

  Tia looked down at the dozing man and shook her head at the fierce tenderness that she felt at that moment. For as long as she could remember the only man to ever bring that kind of emotion to the surface had been Burton. She knew now, by experience, that no matter how many times she tried to determine why this man, this stranger, could invoke such feelings, she always came up frustrated. He simply seemed to have slipped through her defences, and no matter how unwelcome, had decided to stay around. The carriage made a sharp turn and Tia gently threw her body over the sleeping man to keep him from spilling onto the floor of the carriage. She watched the strong face, slightly worried by how pale it was. Maybe she should ask Sister Madeline to take a look at him as soon as they got him into bed.

  The carriage came to a stop and she noted that they were parked inside Pope’s carriage house. The door opened to reveal Caleb. His grey eyes were sombre as he looked from the sleeping Pope to her.

  “The pain got the better of him. You need to bathe him and get him into bed quickly.” The men sprang into action and Pope was quickly taken from her hands and carried into the house. As she waited for Burton downstairs, there was a flurry of activity amongst the women. Tia found that most of them were dark and exotic-looking. Not your average servant girl type. She watched as three of the women disappeared up the stairs and soon after, both Caleb and Burton joined her. Caleb kicked out his shoes and fell into a nearby chair.

  “The women will take it from here. I, in the meantime, will sit down here and wait for news.” He looked at Tia. “I’ll make sure to send you an update as soon as I know something.”

  Tia nodded and allowed Burton to lead her back to the carriage. She sat stiff and silent as she watched the rain outside the carriage window. She sighed. It had bee
n a while since she had seen the sun. And even longer since she had experienced anything remotely good.

  What had she been thinking when she asked Pope — aka The Maverick — to allow her to get more involved in their cases? He knows this dark world, felt comfortable in it. Was that what he had been trying to tell her that night at the soup kitchen? That the longer you are exposed to the dark side of life, it stole a part of you? She had seen so much of it these past three weeks that it was almost impossible to think that people could live through some of those things and still function afterwards.

  As ashamed as she was to admit it, she needed some space. She needed to smell some flowers and walk in a sun-drenched garden, chatting about cucumber sandwiches and the latest fashion trends in Paris.

  And she knew just where to find all these things.

  XII

  ‘The Narco Queen’

  The din, a mixture of male and female voices blended together by the musical tones of a harp, was so familiar and very soothing. Tia took a sip from her champagne and revelled at the play of the fruity flavoured bubbles on her tongue. Over the last two weeks, she had made it a point to attend as many soirees as she could. She knew that sooner, rather than later, all this would start to grate on her nerves again, but for now, it was what she needed. She caught the eye of a lanky gentleman across the room and quickly looked away. Well, that was one of the parts that she had not missed at all. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him coming in her direction. She looked around, praying that someone would either intercept him or would come over to claim her attention. She almost swooned with relief, when she saw two women making straight for her. Lady Millicent and Lady Penelope curtsied and Tia grimaced to their delight. They had all attended school together and had their coming out balls around the same time.

  “We haven’t seen you around lately, Your Grace.”