*
“The smoke bomb was a clever trick,” Lord Lodge acknowledged to his loyal assistant, clearly impressed as he sat down in the farmhouse’s small drawing room.
“Thank you my Lord. It seemed like the safest way to get all of the targets out in the open,” Tiberius allowed with humility. After dispatching all of the thugs, he and his men had entered the farmhouse and checked it for any possible stragglers. Satisfied, they had opened all the windows to allow the smoke to escape.
Everyone had then followed them into the farmhouse to get out of a storm that would soon be upon them. They were all exhausted from the ordeal and fell into separate groups to recover. Preston and his wife retired to their children’s room and were sleeping in the single beds, too haunted to return to their own room. Dufresne had returned outside to stand guard, while Morgan had retreated to the kitchen table to clean his imposing sniper rifle. Meanwhile the rest had moved to the drawing room due to the frightful condition the thugs had left the kitchen. The sisters sat on a small sofa by the hearth, their heads together in contented reunion. This left Jane, Tiberius, and Lord Lodge to discuss matters.
“You seemed shocked to see me here; I suppose you thought I’d be at the Crow’s Nest?”
“Yes sir. My men and I were on our way there to rescue you when I was summoned by Drummond to look into a missing shipment from Rivermead.”
“How very convenient,” ruminated Lodge over peaked hands. “I wonder if it was deliberate? Probably, but I doubt this is how Cleaver thought it would end. So with the missing shipment gone and an abducted girl with it, the rescue was put on hold and you followed them across the valley.”
“We finally caught up with them here at dusk,” nodded Tiberius. “We watched them drink themselves stupid and formed our plan. You witnessed it executed.”
“Well put.”
Tiberius strangled a chuckle, not prepared for Lodge’s attempt at humour. He quickly caught himself and then stared suspiciously over to Jane who was leaning against the wall near Lodge.
“Despite what you have possibly heard from our new friend, she can be trusted,” pronounced Lodge, clearly seeing the thoughts on Tiberius’ mind. “She was an integral part of my escape. Our escape to be more precise.”
“As you say,” accepted Tiberius without another word. He trusted Lord Lodge’s judgement as much as his own, possibly more.
“What has transpired since my abduction?”
“Pierce has been searching for you and the woman,” began Tiberius slowly, noticing Jane’s attempt to look unconcerned. “He has gained the confidence of his pack, quicker than I expected. He’s easy to underestimate.”
“Did he discover our location?”
“With you missing we pooled our resources and I informed him of the Crow’s Nest after I found out.”
“So the grocery list worked. I thought it had the right amount of cleverness and simplicity,” Lodge congratulated himself. The feeling passed quickly as he bolted upright in the chair. “My God, he hasn’t gone there in your place has he?! They’ll be running into a trap and he’s just desperate enough for answers he might try something foolish.”
“Don’t worry they’re nowhere near the Crow’s Nest,” Tiberius responded calmly, slightly shocked to see Lodge so agitated. “They’re on a hunt in Spain.”
“A hunt in Spain hmm…” muttered Lodge, slowly removing his pipe and methodically completed all the required actions to light it. He sat quietly puffing away for a few minutes.
“I told him about Bufford…”
“What did you tell him?” he replied instantly but with more curiosity than intensity. He seemed to barely pay attention as Tiberius explained the search for Bufford’s file and its presentation to the Brown Pack.
In all of the excitement of the past two days, the newest member of the hunt had almost vanished from Jane’s thoughts. But hearing about him now, she suddenly felt guilty for what she’d done and what she’d been prepared to do on Cleaver’s orders. This feeling quickly transitioned to one of tugging apprehension. She knew Colonel Bufford and the thought of Patrick fighting him filled her with dread.
“At least they know who they’re dealing with,” concluded Tiberius, hoping his actions had been correct in the absence of his master.
“You’ve done well Tiberius,” Lodge nodded thoughtfully. “But it’s now up to Patrick Pierce to take care of Bufford, we have more pressing matters.”
“Cleaver?”
“Yes. The good doctor has been as busy as I’ve been neglectful. The crazed Colonel and the bodies outside are simply a symptom of his growing cancer.”
“What do you intend to do?” Jane inquired, finally feeling ready to join the conversation despite her inner turmoil.
“Have some rest,” he replied simply, rising from his chair and exiting the room without another word or glance.
“Don’t worry about Pierce,” Tiberius advised Jane as he rose himself. “He’s clever and MacDuff will watch out for him.”
“I wasn’t worried,” she shot back defensively, unwilling to admit her true feelings aloud. She hoped she wasn’t losing her ability to project false sentiments.
“Sure you are,” he replied confident in his appraisal of her feelings towards the new member of the Hunt. “But I’d be prepared for a cool welcome. He still thinks you’re working for Cleaver.”
“But I wasn’t really. I’m not anymore. How did he know?” She blurted out, slightly flustered.
“He heard your conversation through the door of the pub. That’s what happens when you try and play both sides.”
“I wasn’t trying to play both sides,” Jane replied just as coldly. “I was trying to survive. Some of us don’t have friends with guns following them around for protection.” She then turned to storm out of the room.
“Well you do now,” Tiberius called after her in a warm tone, smiling as he saw Jane hesitate slightly as she left. However the smile quickly vanished as he moved to a large window that looked out onto the farmyard. The impending storm was nearly upon them; the wind kicking up dust, the tall elm trees swaying, and the rumble of distant thunder booming.
But it wasn’t the weather that concerned Tiberius. In fact he barely noticed it as he stood in solitary contemplation. He was concerned with his apparent dwindling ability to judge and recognize the strength, or weakness, in others. He had underestimated Pierce during their first few meetings and did the same again with Jane. Like some of the Manor staff, he had kept an eye on Jane. In fact he had sometimes used her for delicate assignments within the Manor, including the recent delivery of Pierce’s recruitment letter. But he had failed to see her true potential beyond completing simple tasks. She had almost been able to manipulate and thrive in a subtle confrontation between Lodge and Cleaver. An impressive undertaking to say the least.
He had to admit that another reason he had underestimated her was that she was a woman. By no means a misogynist, Tiberius believed woman could accomplish most things and had recruited many of the female Hunt Members and staff. However like many men, he had a hard time understanding the opposite sex. This included his being oblivious to the fact that most women found him very appealing. His rugged good looks, intense gray eyes, and large muscular frame had grabbed the admiration of many female residents of the Manor. However his appeal went beyond mere physical attraction; he had an effortless aura of power, wisdom, and kindness.
These were the characteristics that lured Kat over to him after she watched her sister fall asleep on the couch. She approached silently and sidled up beside him, gently linking arms. For a moment they both stood looking out the window as the rain began falling.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, pulling him away from ruminations of his failing skills of perception.
“Sorry?” Tiberius blinked, surprised to find her beside him.
“Thank you,” she repeated. “You saved my sister and killed those bastards, just like you said you would.”
“I didn’t kill them for you,” he replied staring straight ahead.
“What?!” she exclaimed, ripping her arm from his and slapping him on the shoulder.
“I didn’t save your sister and kill those men for fun, vengeance, or because you told me to,” he lectured while taking control of her arms in both his hands.
“I know that!” she replied excitedly, their faces drawing within a foot of each other.
“I saved her because it was the right thing to do. I killed them because I had to. I would have done these things without ever having met you.”
“I know!” She repeated in the same tone. “You’re a good man!”
Still in his strong clutches, she leaned forward and placed a powerful kiss on his mouth. It only lasted a moment before she moved her head back, slightly embarrassed. But before she could explain her actions, she felt Tiberius’ hands move up from her shoulders to her neck. This time he initiated, with more power, and lasting much longer.
They finally took a breathless step back from each other, both equally shocked by their actions. The intensity of the moment, and the past hour, had forced them to succumb to desires both had felt, but would have normally suppressed. The sound of the storm outside filled the silence that fell between them.
A quiet moan from across the room finally made them break their gaze on each other. Kat’s sister Maddie shifted on the couch, sleeping fitfully due to the noise outside. Kat went over and knelt by the couch, placing her hand on her sister’s head and softly stroking her hair. The familiar touch from her sister calmed Maddie, allowing her to fall back into the deep sleep reserved for the innocent.
“I was afraid if we were too late in saving her you’d never forgive me,” Tiberius whispered as he approached the couch and stood over Kat. But before she could look up and respond he headed to the kitchen, unsure why he’d revealed that.
The lights of the kitchen were still bright as Jane and Morgan did their best to clean the room and replace things to the their correct spots. Dufresne had returned from his post outside, confident no one would brave the storm outside. He had taken Morgan’s spot at the kitchen table and was cleaning his own weapons.
“Enjoying the spoils of victory?” Dufresne asked innocently while raising the barrel of his rifle, inspecting it closely.
“Shut up,” Tiberius responded in mock annoyance. He walked over to Jane and waited for her to replace a few glasses in the cupboard.
“What?” she asked, responding to his inquisitive gaze.
“Are you still working with Dr. Cleaver?” he demanded without preamble. He was still slightly flustered from his brief encounter with Kat and unused to the feeling. So he decided to move onto an area he felt more at home with. Intrigue.
“No!”
“There’s a war coming, between Lord Lodge and Cleaver. You’re far too involved to avoid it.”
“I told you no,” she replied more evenly this time, but with no less force. “Lord Lodge is the first person to think of me as more than just a servant or barmaid. He has opened my mind and my eyes. We’ve had our lives in each others hands. I trust him with my life and I hope he feels the same way.” Tiberius remained staring at her for a moment before nodding.
“Accepted. I’m not sorry if I offended you, but I needed to look you in the eye and ask the question.”
“So what now?”
“Morgan?” Tiberius raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the man beside Jane. “Did the drunkards leave anything?”
Morgan merely smiled slyly and pulled a black bottle with a Raven emblazoned on it from his bag in the corner.
“What happens now? We all have a well earned drink while you tell us of your escape from the Crows Nest,” Tiberius ordered as he led Jane to the now clean kitchen table. Morgan found four glasses and poured equally large amounts in each of them, passing them around as he sat.
“The water of life!” they toasted in unison, clinking their glasses together and then draining them in one shot.
All three men looked over at Jane as she dropped her glass down the same time as they did. Her glass was just as empty as theirs and she showed no signs of its effects.
“What?” she asked smiling at their surprise. “I work in a pub.”
Chapter 21
A Malevolent Manner (Patrick Pierce #1) Page 71
