Xavier groaned. “Sadly—temporarily— that would be me.”
“Bloody Hell!” Vic yelled. Then tilted her head, giving the matter more thought. “Actually, if we train the next minister, this could be good news.”
Xavier chuckled. “Ministers are rarely trainable, but none before have been as stupid as Barringbarn.” His brow furrowed. “Which reminds me. Back at the house, you said you had to modify my plan?”
“Yes, the sea was too far away. So we shortened the distance by half, and ran the ship into the marsh. Those marshlands are mostly barren, impenetrable quagmires. Trust me, walking has never been so difficult as my journey in and out of the swampy mess. If not for those fishermen, I would have never made it.”
He pulled her to him. She thought he planned to kiss her, only when she looked up, his eyes flared with fury.
“You promised me you would not get on the boat.”
“I didn’t. But Tubs, Jacko, and two of Captain Meyer’s men had collapsed and could not row the dingy away from the poisonous boat. They would have died had we not rowed out and connected their rowboat to ours. Going out to get them wasn’t bad because we had a strong wind at our backs, but returning was pure hell.”
Finally, he leaned down and captured her lips, giving her the knee buckling kiss she had wanted.
When he released her, she was a bit wobbly on her feet. “Perhaps we should go to bed. Only let me put these love notes back, so if Ben returns tomorrow, he won’t know we are onto him.”
She placed the love letters back in the desk. Then they gathered up all the files, returning them to the cabinets. With the help of Tubs, Casey, and Fagan, they carried the file cabinets over to their library in short order.
“Now if Ben returns tomorrow and wonders where the files went, I’ll tell him we moved the cabinets to our house where the staff can watch over them day and night.”
This would give them time to doctor the files before returning them. But not tonight. Tonight, she wanted to have a bit of fun. When she entered their bedroom, instead of finding Xavier naked in their bed, he was dressing in one of his best suits.
He looked at her through the mirror as he fixed his tie. “I’ve been recalled to parliament. Evidently, there are some ministers upset with how we have handled matters.”
“Now? It’s got to be midnight.”
“Feels like it, but it’s only eight o’clock. Barns and Connors are being called in as well.”
“If Barns is going, I should go, too.”
“Fortunately for you, they only demanded my presence.”
“But I should be there as well, neither you nor the parliament were there as we moved the boat down the Thames.”
“Trust me, you are better off staying here.” He kissed her forehead.
Vic huffed. “I guess I’ll go to the library and sort files then.”
“Then you’ll definitely have more fun than me,” Xavier countered.
She walked him down the stairs and stood at the door until Davy and Xavier’s carriage passed by. Then she closed the door. “Casey, get my carriage ready.”
She hurried to the library and grabbed a file, then tried to run to the carriage house; only Gregory gripped her arm.
“Hold on. Where are you off to?”
“Xavier got called in by the Parliament, but he forgot a file he needs.”
“Why cannot Casey deliver it?” Gregory asked.
Vic was ready for his question. “Because the guards won’t let him enter the Parliament. They are allergic to common people. The only reason they’ll let me in is because I’ve been knighted.”
“Go on,” Gregory ordered and seconds later, Vic was in the carriage rushing to the Parliament.
When she arrived, guards stopped her at the entrance. “I’m Sir Victor Hamilton and I bear important information for the Parliament.”
One of the guards snared her folder and flipped through the pages. Then he handed it back and ordered another guard to take Sir Hamilton to the House of Lords meeting room.
When she arrived and the guard opened the door, she slipped in and moved to a dark corner where hopefully no one would notice her. An angry orange haired man kept yelling at someone about utter incompetence at every turn. But honestly, he kept walking back and forth, throwing his hands around, so she wasn’t sure who he was scolding. Finally, the man turned to a rather tall fellow. “You put this mission in the hands of a boy barely out of britches and every step of the way was a complete disaster.”
“I disagree, sir,” Xavier calmly stated. “Victor Hamilton performed exceptionally well today, as did the rest of the crew. I find no fault in anything Victor or the crew did. Nor do I believe matters would have been handled better had you not kept me in meetings all day, rather than joining my crew.”
“We kept you because you did not answer any of our questions to our satisfaction. Instead, I had to learn from others that sending the boat down the Thames could have killed hundreds of people! Evidently, this gas is lethal.”
“I clearly told you the hydrogen sulfide bullet dissolved two men. How could you not construe such a gas to be anything but lethal?”
Another member wearing a long white wig slammed a gavel. “Silence, you will answer the questions we ask and nothing more.” After waiting to see if Xavier would object to his warning, ‘Wig Man’ took over the questioning. “Let us get to the core of this disaster. Why did you send the ship down the Thames without retrieving the diamonds?”
“I did not ‘send’ the ship anywhere. The owner of the ship, a crime lord called Big Mason had the ship unmoored in the middle of the river.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, if it was unmoored, it would float down the river,” ‘Wild Hands’ bellowed.
Vic marveled at how calm Xavier remained. “His crew were evidently top notch sailors. They lifted the sails and caught sufficient wind to counteract the pull of the current.”
“Did you have your men arrest them so they can be questioned?” ‘Wig Man’ asked with a sneer, evidently knowing they had not.
“Again, I remind you I was answering your questions in the pub, so I was not at the dock assisting my crew.”
“Just answer the question!” ‘Wig Man’ warned.
“No, I did not ask my men to row themselves out to a well-guarded ship and attempt to take control of it.”
“Why not?” ‘Wig Man’ asked.
“Because that was not my mission. We were trying to save Director Stone, held in a different boat.”
‘Wig Man’ huffed. “Which you failed to do in a timely manner. To my understanding, Director Stone has been so severely injured, he may no longer be able to perform his duties.”
“Two of my men had to remove twenty-four sailors before they could rescue Director Stone.”
“Were the soldiers asleep?”
“No. Mason had given them permission to kill Stone, once the three buyers had safely been brought upon the boat. Fortunately, the sailors were drinking heavily, which made them easier to kill. Otherwise, we would have probably lost my men and Stone.”
“Why did you not call on more men?” ‘Wild Hands’ yelled.
“For one, you had not yet placed me in charge of Internal Affairs. And secondly, had a large group of men charged the boat, it would have resulted in two disasters.”
“How so?” ‘Wig Man’ demanded.
“First, someone on the unmoored boat possessed a gun that shot hydrogen sulfide bullets. Secondly, it would have alerted the men holding Stone and they would have killed him at once. Instead, I had two adept and reliable men take on this task.”
“Which they botched entirely!” ‘Wild Hands’ exclaimed.
“I believed they succeeded magnificently. They snuck onto the boat without being discovered, and killed twenty-four drunken sailors who were throwing knives at Stone. Fortunately, their inebriated state worsened their aim and made it easier for my men to garrote and knife them. That these two men were able to do this without allowi
ng a single one of the crew to cry out an alarm, is a testament to their abilities.”
“No sir, it is a testament to a wild fabrication. I have been assured by men in Internal Affairs that what you say happened is not remotely possible.”
Xavier met the man’s glare. “That’s because your government men cannot do it. My men are far superior.”
“If they are so superior, then why didn’t they save the Minister of Internal Affairs?”
“Because that was not their assignment,” Xavier replied. “I have no idea why Barringbarn came to the dock. I do have evidence he kidnapped Stone, and paid Mason with three large diamonds to take him from Barringbarn’s estate, where he was being held as a prisoner, and have him killed.”
“How dare you slander the good name of Barringbarn!” ‘Wild Arms’ objected.
“We are in a private room. I have no wish to slander anyone. I only stated the facts.” Xavier replied. “For some reason—I doubt we’ll ever know why—Barringbarn kidnapped Stone and hired Mason for the princely sum of three large diamonds to kill the director. Those are the irrefutable facts. Why he did it, I doubt we’ll ever find out.”
Vic noticed how Xavier’s admission calmed ‘Wig Man’ and ‘Wild Arms’ at once. Without question, they didn’t want anyone investigating the matter. Which, of course, made her want to investigate it.
“Let’s return to the diamonds,” ‘Wig Man’ demanded. “Why did you send the ship down the Thames, and sink it. My God, man, didn’t you realize how valuable the diamonds were?”
Xavier sighed heavily. “I never saw the gems, so I could not possibly know their value, but I do understand from Barringbarn’s son that an expert jeweler thought them very fine.”
The ministers focused on Barns. “Mr. Barringbarn, I thank you for coming. This must be very hard for you. Your father was a good man.”
Barns gave a short nod, but said nothing.
‘Wig Man’ refocused on Xavier. “Those diamonds were priceless. But you probably knew that and ordered your men to steal the diamonds and sink the ship!”
While Xavier refused to respond to ‘Wig Man’s outrageous accusation, Barns spoke up at once. “I fear you have your facts wrong. I have it on good authority neither of those events occurred. We do not know why, but the gas was released into the main cabin of the ship where the diamonds were located, thus killing all persons in the cabin within seconds. By the time Xavier and his men, along with Captain Meyers, returned from taking Stone to Dr. Connors, the unmoored ship was gone.”
“Gone where?” ‘Wig Man’ asked.
“Down the river,” Barns explained, amazingly without a bit of sarcasm.
“Only it was listing to one side, the mast was still up, and they feared it would ram into the Westminster Abbey’s sea wall or the bridge. The gas had evidently begun dissolving the ship’s bottom. It looked like a hopeless situation. The ship would either sink beside the Abbey or tangle in the bridge arch and sink there. Either situation would have been a disaster, because when hydrogen sulfide meets water, it turns into hydrosulfuric acid, and it would eat through the sea wall or the bridge in no time at all.”
This had all the ministers upset.
“Fortunately, two of Xavier’s men risked their lives to get it past the Parliament. While one of the men wore a diver’s suit and helmet to prevent from dying the moment he breathed, the other man held his breath while the two lowered the mast. Then the man with no protection from the gas returned to the shore.
“The other man, a superb sailor, remained on the boat desperately trying to get it further downstream. Captain Meyers, Victor Hamilton, and a selected group of my men stayed just in front of the boat, to assist when needed. The rest of the men were place at each bridge along the Thames and communicated directly to Captain Meyers.”
Vic couldn’t believe this was Barns. And the obnoxious members never questioned anything when he spoke.
“When a boat lists due to water seeping in its belly, it is almost impossible to steer. Yet these two men risked their lives over and over to get the ship beyond the populated masses so no one else would be killed by this gas.
“When one of these heroes appeared to have died, he was taken to Dr. Connors, who rode in Victor Hamilton’s carriage for just such an emergency and fortunately he was able to resuscitate the fellow while the other man handled the boat.
“The heroic acts went on and on, until finally, they could go no more, so two of my men who had experience sailing slid down on ropes from the Tower Bridge and landed on the sinking ship. Again, I remind you of the near impossibility of steering a water filled ship, but together they managed to move it further down. When it became obvious the ship would never make it to the sea, Victor came up with the perfect solution. Just run it into the marshland where no one lives and cannot be harmed by the gas or the hydrosulfuric acid.
“Xavier’s men took charge around the last curve and with some astounding steering and sailing, they lodged the ship safely on the mud. They even managed to climb into the rowboat, but they were too close to the deadly air. All four men fell unconscious and would have died had not Victor and Captain Meyers rowed out and saved them.”
“That is all beside the point!” ‘Wild Hands’ yelled. “Where are the diamonds? Why didn’t those men get the diamonds?”
Barns stood. “They were dying from the gas leaking from the ship. Had they or anyone opened the door to the cabin, death would have been immediate.”
Vic had been holding her tongue until ‘Wild Hands’ yelled, “So we lose a few men. We must retrieve those diamonds. They are most valuable.”
That was the last straw. Vic stormed down the main aisle, “Those men are far more valuable than your bloody diamonds. If you think a life doesn’t matter, then retrieve the diamonds yourself. My men risked their lives in order to save you and everyone who lives near the Thames. They were willing to die for that. But I will never throw their lives away for trinkets of the rich.”
The ministers were now in an uproar, demanding to know who this fellow was and how long had he been there. Someone called for a guard to arrest the scamp.
Xavier stood. “Enough! I invited him. This is Victor Hamilton, my partner.” He then focused on Barns and smiled. “You, sir, have the makings of a great man!” Without further ado, he led Vic out of the room just as the guards arrived. “The situation is resolved. Go back to your post,” Xavier ordered.
To Vic’s surprise, the guards obeyed him.
“Any chance they take orders from the Minister of Internal Affairs?” she teased.
“Indeed, they do,” he replied.
Having two carriages outside, they took Xavier’s so Davy wouldn’t have his feelings hurt.
Chapter 13
As they drove home in the carriage, Vic snuggled to his side. “I think I should avoid all ministers. They seem to be the worst of men. However, Barns amazed me. He had most of his facts right and they were actually willing to listen to him.”
Xavier kissed her temple. “Barns was most impressive. Losing his father has evidently forced him to grow up.”
Vic sighed. “Xavier, I think the ‘Wig Man’ and ‘Wild Hands’ were also involved in whatever Stone caught Barringbarn doing. Did you notice how they finally calmed when you said you thought the reasons would never be discovered?”
“I did,” he sighed.
“I’ll stop by Connors tomorrow and ask Stone…”
Xavier shook his head. “Stone will tell you nothing. The fact that he went to Barringbarn privately to discuss the matter indicates Stone knew the situation could never be shared with the public.”
“Yet even though Stone did everything according to the unwritten rules of politics, he still nearly lost his life.” A worrisome thought crossed Vic’s mind. “We need to stop by Connors and retrieve Stone. He’s not safe there. Since these men don’t follow their own secret rules, what would prevent them from killing him now?”
“My exact concern. So, I had h
im moved while we were at the Parliament being scolded. Stone will recuperate in a place no one would ever think of looking for him.”
“I was hoping to bring him to our house.”
“I considered putting him there, but with me tethered to the Parliament, you tethered to the office, and Jacko possibly wishing to go home—”
“You sent him to Jacko’s estate?” Vic asked.
“No, but if this situation doesn’t work, I’ll do that.”
Now she was more baffled than ever. “Then where did you send him?”
“A place where you and Tubs spend a great deal of time.”
Her eyes rounded in horror. “You put him upstairs in the kitchen? I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“This proves I sent him to the correct place. Not even you can figure it out.”
Vic gripped his lapels. “Where did you put him?”
“I sent him to one of his rescuers.”
She grimaced. “Samson?”
Xavier replied with a nod.
“Stone cannot be seen around a crime lord. He’ll escape the moment he can!”
“First of all, Stone thinks very well of Samson. Then there’s the point that Samson possesses a highly lethal staff that prevents anyone from entering the house unless he has invited them.”
“Yes, but Stone will require care. Those men aren’t the caring kind. They’re more the type to chop off an arm because a finger hurt.”
Xavier rolled his eyes. “Which is one of the reasons I retrieved his family and installed them as well. The other reason being I feared they might become victims themselves.”
Vic remained silent for a moment, then leapt into his lap and kissed him. “You chose the perfect place. I will visit him tomorrow. You won’t mind, will you?”
“I am beyond petty jealousies now. You could have chosen Samson, when to all appearances, I ran off with another woman, but you didn’t.”
Toxic Diamonds (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 8) Page 10
