by Joanna Shupe
Yet another reason to be grateful for the annulment. The two of them had married too quickly, in a haze of foolishness brought on by lust. A situation she would need to explain to everyone in her life once the story ran in the Mercury. Montgomery would be hurt and probably angry, but she could handle him. Cora, on the other hand, would be devastated by the news. Tom would likely try to strangle Calvin, a circumstance she hoped to prevent here in Newport.
She prayed Tom was at the cottage. All the reasons he would hide in Barrineau were perfectly logical, but it felt too easy to find her brother there. If she had kidnapped Lee’s daughter, Lily would disappear to a remote location not found on a map. Would Tom be so foolish as to keep her in such an obvious place?
Familiar white chimneys atop a gray roof came into view, and Lily’s chest pulled tight. A grand structure off Bellevue Avenue, Barrineau sat high on a rise, overlooking the water. Her father had purchased the land twenty years ago and had the house built to his specifications. It contained fifteen bedrooms, a library, a ballroom, a billiards room, and a sweeping veranda where Lily had held tea parties every summer as a girl. She had such fond memories of this house.
When the carriage finally stopped, Calvin stirred. “Are we here?” he asked through a yawn.
“Yes.” Lily didn’t wait for him, instead throwing open the carriage door and stepping to the ground. “If you can rouse yourself, perhaps you’d care to join me inside?”
He muttered under his breath, something that sounded like, I’ll show you how I rouse myself, but she wasn’t certain.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Nothing,” he snapped and waved her toward the house. “Get on with it, then.”
Lily marched to the front door, which swung open to reveal the butler, Langley. “Good day, Miss Davies. We hadn’t been informed of your arrival today.”
Lily purposely hadn’t sent word of her impending visit. If Tom were here, hiding with Lee’s daughter, then news of her approach might scare him off. She couldn’t risk the advance warning, even if it caused the staff a bit of scrambling. “I apologize, Langley. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.”
She felt rather than heard Calvin behind her. Her body had an extra sense regarding him—a sense she desperately wished would dull or disappear. She began unbuttoning her coat. “Langley, Mr. Cabot will be our guest as well. Please see him placed in the red bedroom.”
“Very good, miss. Welcome to Barrineau, Mr. Cabot.”
“Thank you.” Calvin removed his derby and gloves. “Can you tell us, is Mr. Davies here?”
Lily gritted her teeth, ready to strangle him. Not a subtle bone in Calvin’s body, apparently. “Langley, what Mr. Cabot means is that we’re hoping you’ve seen my brother recently. Perhaps he’s visited in the last few weeks?”
Langley’s normally stoic face transformed into a deep frown. “Your brother? No, miss. I’m afraid he hasn’t been here.”
“Has the boat been docked?”
“No, miss. Not that I’ve noted.”
Disappointment weighted her down, but she soldiered on. “That’s all right. Mr. Cabot and I will get settled.”
“I’ll have your bags sent up directly,” Langley promised and then took Lily’s coat to the small closet in the corner.
“The red bedroom?” Calvin asked her quietly. “Like a bordello?”
“More like the room that keeps its occupant awake. I hope you enjoy it.” Sweeping her skirts aside, she moved around him and began up the long staircase. Her shoes whispered over the fine carpet, hardly making a sound, yet she had no problem hearing Calvin hurrying after her.
Once on the landing she turned toward her rooms in the family wing. Calvin would be in the guest wing, on the opposite end of the house. Perhaps she should’ve put him in the carriage house.
“Just so we’re clear, it won’t be the wall color keeping me awake,” he said, now at her side.
“Your rooms are the other way, Calvin. Please have a footman direct you there.”
He grasped her elbow, stopping her. His eyes were sleepy and dark, causing a tingle low in her belly, a thrilling rush of excitement. “Wouldn’t you care to know what will be keeping me awake tonight?”
“Not particularly.”
He braced a hand on the wall, his broad shoulders blocking the rest of the corridor from view, and moved closer. She tried to put space between them, but her back hit the plaster. Time dragged to a halt as they faced each other. Had her heart ever beat this fast before?
His lips curved into a dangerous smile that caused her knees to wobble. “I’ll be awake, thinking about last night’s kiss and all the other places I’d like to taste just one . . . more . . . time.”
Her skin went up in flames, insides liquefying, and she sagged against the wall. She wished for a witty, disparaging remark, but nothing came to mind except the memory of his dark head between her legs. How vividly she recalled his skill in certain areas.
“See you at dinner, lovely Lily.” Without waiting for a reply, he straightened and adjusted his vest. Then he thrust his hands in his pockets and walked away, whistling the whole damn while.
* * *
“He’s in the boathouse.”
Calvin had been resting in the red room, prone on the bed with his eyes closed, when Hugo entered. The words snapped his lids open. They hadn’t been at Barrineau for thirty minutes and Hugo had already solved their problem. Even for Hugo, that was remarkable.
Despite his throbbing head, Calvin sat up and swung his legs over the mattress. Damn, he shouldn’t have consumed so much liquor on the train. “Well done. How’d you find him?”
“He paid off a maid to sneak out food and clean up a bit each day.”
“Of course he did.” Tom Davies would no doubt starve if he didn’t have servants. “Let’s take the backstairs and go pay him a visit.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.” Calvin rose and reached for the frock coat he’d taken off earlier.
Instead, Hugo took the coat and held it up, allowing Calvin to slip his arms into the sleeves. “Sure you don’t want to rest some more? Wouldn’t do to have another flare-up of the fever.”
The physician had advised Calvin to avoid overtaxing himself or risk a resurgence of the disease. The only way to keep healthy was to slow down and rest. Not push himself too hard. A difficult task when you ran three newspapers. “I’m fine. I won’t have another bout this soon. Besides, the less time I spend here, the better.”
“She’s got you so worried you can’t even sleep under the same roof?”
“I’m not worried,” Calvin scoffed as he strode to the door and opened it.
“’Course not. Lack of worry was clearly why you drank a bottle of whiskey on the train.”
“Which you encouraged, I might add.” Calvin pulled the door shut. “Where are the backstairs?”
Hugo pointed to the right and Calvin set off in that direction. The house was intimidating, Calvin thought, with its expensive furnishings and fixtures, everything untouched and shiny. Hardly looked lived-in. The carpets were brushed and clean, the walls bright and smooth. No dust, no dirt. A quiet opulence that reminded a visitor of the owner’s wealth in the loudest way possible.
Her upbringing could not be more different from his. He hadn’t realized exactly how different until this moment. Calvin had grown up with nothing, not even a consistent roof over his head. Lily, on the other hand, had been raised a silver miner’s princess. How had he ever convinced her to marry him?
“The door’s a bit tricky to locate.” Hugo stopped and ran his fingers over the surface of the wall, near a sconce. He pushed in and they heard a click. The plaster parted to reveal a hidden door.
“Show-off,” Calvin muttered.
Hugo grinned and swept his hand dramatically. “After you.”
It took ten minutes to navigate the stairs and the maze of corridors to reach the outside door. From there, the two of them hurried through the gardens toward the w
ater. Barrineau had been built on a rise, a bit of a distance from the ocean, so the boathouse was not visible from the main building. That certainly suited Tom’s purposes nicely, as did the fact that anyone wishing to reach the boathouse by foot would need to get past a hundred different staff members without being seen.
Still, the location was not nearly as secure as Calvin would like, not if he planned to use Lee’s daughter as leverage. Calvin would need to move her. Quickly.
Wind whipped off the ocean, the waves providing a constant whoosh in the background. The two-story boathouse suddenly came into view, a sturdy white clapboard structure with small, cloth-covered windows. From the outside all looked deserted. As he and Hugo approached, their shoes made hardly any sound on the wooden dock, hopefully concealing their arrival from Tom. Calvin had no desire to be shot at this afternoon.
At the door Hugo unzipped a thin leather case, withdrew two long metal pieces, and bent down near the lock. A distinct click sounded from inside: the hammer being cocked on a gun. Calvin surged forward, raising his foot and kicking at the wood with all his might. The lock gave as the wooden jamb split and the door swung open. Calvin and Hugo both dropped to the ground—just as a shot exploded above their heads.
Calvin jumped to his feet and rushed into the dark space before the shooter could fire again. His eyes barely had time to adjust before he saw a young blond man with features closely resembling Lily’s waving a pistol in his hand, the gun aimed directly at Calvin’s chest. Calvin raised his hands to show he wasn’t holding anything. “Tom, put the pistol down. You don’t want to shoot me.”
“Calvin Cabot?” Tom peered at Calvin’s face, slowly lowering the barrel of the gun. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m here to help you.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Calvin saw Hugo come in and close the broken door as best he could, considering.
“Help me? How did you know I was here?” Davies asked, his expression wary.
“It’s a long story, one we don’t have time for, I’m afraid. There’s a good chance that shot alerted everyone to your presence. But you’re going to want to hear what I have to say. Let’s sit down.”
Davies threw a glance toward a small staircase, then nodded at Calvin. “All right, let’s sit.” He motioned to a chair.
“My friend sits, too, or I walk,” Calvin said, tipping his chin toward Hugo.
“Of course,” Davies said as he reached to turn up the lamp. “Please, both of you, sit.”
The room brightened, and Calvin could see the simplicity of the hiding place. One side of the space contained oars and a cloth-covered dingy. Planks of wood stacked up. The other side had been cleared to hold a small table and a few chairs, which they all made use of now.
When they were seated, Calvin said, “I know you are hiding Wah Lee’s daughter.”
Davies’s eyes bulged, but his lips compressed, as if he didn’t want to admit it. “Why do you think so?”
“Because Lee has dragged your sister into this mess and she has come to me for help.”
Davies shot to his feet, so quickly his chair tipped, and he pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes. “I never wanted Lily involved. Dear God,” he whispered.
“What did you think would happen?” Calvin snapped. “You must know the type of man Lee is, how ruthless he can be when he wants something. What were you thinking, putting your sister in harm’s way?”
Something in Calvin’s voice must have caught Davies’s attention, because he dropped his hands and narrowed his eyes on Calvin. “Wait, why would Lily come to you for help?”
“We’ll get to that. First, I want to hear about you and Ming Zhu.”
Davies’s expression softened, the anger replaced with something tender. “I . . . couldn’t leave her there. Lee keeps her locked up, under guard, except for one hour a week when she’s allowed to visit the market. She’s a prisoner in her own home.”
Calvin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “She is the daughter of a wealthy and powerful man. In her culture women are raised to observe the three obediences, which are to obey her father, then her husband, and then, as a widow, her son. By interfering, you have given her father cause to punish her. Severely.”
“Lee won’t get his hands on her. Ever.” Davies began pacing, his jaw set stubbornly. “I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep her safe.”
“Even get your sister killed?” Calvin shouted, rising. “Do you have any idea of the events you’ve set in motion? She went to Chinatown and confronted Lee, for God’s sake.”
That seemed to deflate Davies, whose shoulders sank. He turned to face Calvin, palms out. “I never wanted Lily involved. Even so, she’s a strong woman who can take care of herself.”
Calvin’s body jolted, as if he’d been shocked with an electric current, fury lighting him up. The selfish bastard. Fists curled, he growled and started toward Davies, intending to rip the young, spoiled man’s head right from his shoulders.
Hugo suddenly stepped in front of Calvin, hands up. “Calm down. Remember our purpose. Hitting him won’t solve anything.”
Calvin cursed and spun in the other direction, stomping away and trying to clear his head. Blood rushed in his ears, his heart pounding behind his ribs. Hugo was right. This was not the time for emotion. Even if it would please Calvin to no end, strangling Tom Davies would not help anyone.
“I love her,” Davies announced. “I want to marry her.”
Calvin figured as much. Davies would not be doing something so insane otherwise. He faced Lily’s brother. “And how does she feel about you?”
“The same. I won’t give her up.”
“Ask her to come down here. I want to hear it from her own lips.”
Chapter Ten
Calvin could not sit still as they waited for Davies and Lee’s daughter to appear. He traveled the length of the floor, wearing out the soles of his boots, while Hugo remained calm at the table. Damn Davies and his selfishness. If Lily had been harmed . . .
He checked his pocket watch. Davies had gone up eight minutes ago. What was taking so long? Ming Zhu needed to be involved in the process to ensure she hadn’t been coerced. To understand she was provoking the wrath of her father by leaving for good.
If Ming Zhu agreed, Calvin could put his plan into motion and get her safely hidden. Then he’d return to Barrineau and act as if nothing ever happened. He had no intention of telling Lily he’d found Lee’s daughter. If Lily ever found out, she’d be furious, but Calvin couldn’t worry about that now. If all went well, she would remain unharmed, Hugo’s wife would finally arrive in New York, and Davies would get his paramour back.
Finally, footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs. Davies proceeded first, his hand clasped around a smaller, delicate hand. Then Lee’s daughter appeared, a tiny, black-haired girl who could not be more than seventeen or eighteen. She kept her eyes lowered, though Calvin suspected she had fire inside her. Any daughter who would run away from a man like Lee must be incredibly strong.
At the landing Davies drew her forward. “Ming Zhu, meet Mr. Calvin Cabot and his friend.”
“Hugo,” Hugo said as he rose.
Ming Zhu nodded to both men. “Pleased to meet you,” she said in a heavily accented voice. Dressed in a western shirtwaist and skirt, she had a pretty face, with big dark eyes and a stunning smile. It was easy to see how she had caught Davies’s notice.
“Let’s sit, shall we?” Calvin motioned to the chairs. When everyone was seated at the table, Calvin addressed Ming Zhu in Cantonese. “How did you meet Tom Davies?”
Her eyes widened at his use of her native tongue, but she answered in kind. “I met him in the market. The guards don’t follow me closely there because they get bored. Tom asked me a question about the herbs and we began a conversation. He . . . told me I was pretty. Soon I saw him each week there. We became friends.”
“And now more than friends?”
“Cabot, speak English,” Davies
demanded. “I want to know what you are both saying.”
“No. She should feel comfortable to tell me if she’s here under duress, Davies.”
“I am here of my own free will,” Ming Zhu answered slowly in English. “Tom did not force me.”
Calvin drummed his fingers on the wooden table. He purposely switched back to Cantonese. “Do you hope to escape your father’s wrath?”
She swallowed but took a deep breath. “Girls in America, they are allowed to decide for themselves. They have greater freedoms than Chinese girls. I live in America. I want to choose. And I choose Tom.”
“The foolishness of young love,” Calvin muttered in English. He continued in the same language for Davies’s sake. “Here is what we’re going to do. Tom, you will return to New York with Lily. I will go to see Lee and explain. Once Lee sees that you don’t have his daughter, he’ll back off and focus his energies elsewhere. In the meantime, Hugo will take Ming Zhu to a hiding place Lee will never find.”
“Now, see here—” Davies started, his chest puffing up in outrage.
“Stop right there. You need my help. It’s only a matter of time before Lee finds you here. He knows you’re in Newport and is no doubt plotting to get here by boat as we speak. You’re well protected by land, but any ship could get close enough to ambush you.”
“How did he find out we were in Newport? Did you tell him?” Davies accused.
“Hell no. He was having the yacht watched down at the docks.”
Davies took that news as well as could be expected, grimacing. “Where will you take her? How long will she need to hide?”
“Not long,” Calvin answered.
“How do you know he will back off?” Davies asked.
Because I plan to blackmail him. “I have a good understanding of the way he thinks. Trust me.”
Davies pushed away from the table and strode to the other side of the room. Ming Zhu went to stand next to him, close. They whispered quietly, Davies growing animated while Ming Zhu remained calm. If she knew her father at all, Calvin suspected she was lobbying for Davies to listen. Despite his money and position, Davies did not stand a chance against Lee.
