by Wendy Vella
He saw two figures walking quickly down the road, and suddenly the hair at his nape rose. Getting to his feet, he leaned out and looked to where they now were. They were women, both about the same height. Why the hell did that bother him? Women should not be walking at such an hour, but there was no law against it.
“Stop the coach, Jonah!”
Leaping from the vehicle, he told his driver to wait as he ran back down the street. James wasn't sure why he was approaching them, but he knew he must. They turned, hearing his footsteps, then picking up their skirts, both women started to flee. James didn't know what alerted him, but in seconds he knew he was closing in on the Sinclair sisters.
“Eden, stop!”
She looked over her shoulder as he shouted and stopped running when she realized who was pursuing her. James was upon them seconds later. He watched her step in front of Essie as if to protect her from him, which annoyed him as he'd never hurt either of these women—or any woman, for that matter.
“What the bloody hell are you doing out here alone at this time of night!”
“How dare you speak in such a manner to us!”
She would never back down from him, James knew, and the irrational part of his nature relished her spirit.
“I will not let you take another step, Eden, therefore it is in your best interests to tell me why you are standing alone and unprotected on a London street at such an hour.”
“What we do is n-none of your concern, Duke.” She was terrified, he realized. Her eyes were wide, face pale and when Essie stepped to her side James noted her expression was the same.
“We are not moving until you tell me what I want to know.” To show his intent he widened his stance and folded his arms, looking deliberately intimidating.
“We are taking in some air,” she said quickly. “Our room is stuffy and Essie has a headache, therefore we thought a stroll would clear it.”
“At midnight?”
“As you see.”
“With no escort?”
“We have each other.”
James let an uncomfortable silence settle between them before he said, “You are lying to me, Eden, and I will stand here as long as it takes for you to tell me the truth.”
“Tell him, Eden, perhaps he can help us. We have nothing to lose.”
“No. Dev said no one but family must know.”
James did not speak, just waited and watched. Eden looked at him then looked away. He could tell she was shaking; her hands were trembling as she pulled her cloak tighter around her body. What the hell was going on and where were their bloody brothers?
“I know what he said, but in all honesty, Eden, James looks about as moveable as the house we just left, and I for one have no wish to stand here all evening.”
Good girl, James thought. At least one of the sisters was still thinking clearly.
Eden stayed silent as she looked at her sister, and then let out a loud, weighty sigh before once again facing James. “My uncle gave us some news, and it has upset my brother Cambridge. He has not been himself.”
She shivered after delivering these words, so he said, “Come, we will finish the conversation in my carriage.” James took her arm and that of her sister. They put up little resistance as he bundled them inside his carriage. Once seated, he turned up the small lamp and removed two blankets from beneath the seats. The air had a chill, and he did not know how long they had been out in it, or if their shivers were driven by fear, but he handed one to Essex and the other to Eden.
“Now continue.”
“Before I say anything, you must promise not to tell my aunt and uncle that you saw us out here tonight, and you must also promise not to tell them what we discuss.”
James held Eden's gaze and then gave a curt nod.
“Dev told us yesterday that Cam has been out every night, drinking, gambling, and—”
“I understand,” James said, waving her on.
“Dev has spent his nights trying to find him. One night he was forced to knock Cam senseless and bring him home unconscious. Unfortunately, it did not scramble what little intelligence he has into rational thought, and Cam proceeded to leave the house again the following evening.”
“Eden,” Essie said softly, “he is our brother.”
“He is a fool, Essie, and you know it. Irresponsible and childish and now he has put Dev in danger. I shall never forgive him for that if Dev is hurt in any way.”
“Why is he behaving this way?”
It was Essie who answered him.
“We were given some distressing news upon our arrival in London, James. It concerned our father, and I fear Cam took it harder than Dev, Eden, and me.”
“I could kill him,” Eden growled.
James wanted to reach across the carriage and grab her. He wanted her seated on his lap, his arms around her. She was frightened yet still fighting it. This woman would never show weakness, he realized, at least not to him.
“That still does not explain why you two are walking the streets at midnight.”
“I overheard two footmen discussing my brothers,” Eden said reluctantly. “They said they feared Cam was playing a smoky game and that soon he would be in too deep and Dev would not be able to help him out.”
“Do you know where they have gone?” James said, wondering where she had been to overhear the footmen.
He watched her hands twist in the blanket she had laid over her knees; it was the only outward sign of her agitation.
“Easy, Eden.” He grabbed her hands to hold them still. “Tell me what you know.”
“Bastil's.”
James knew the place by reputation; he had never been there personally. Bastil's had taken many a young man's fortunes, and some had gone on to take their lives. It was a place frequented by those who were desperate, and those who preyed on the weak.
“I will take you home and then go and find your brothers.”
“No! We will come with you,” Eden said, pulling her hands free.
“Be reasonable, Eden, Bastil's is not a place for either you or your sister.”
“We will wait in the carriage, then, but I will not return home without my brothers.”
She raised that bloody determined chin of hers and James knew if he did return her to the Wynburg home she would only slip out again.
“All right, but you will stay in the carriage, do you understand?”
Both ladies nodded. He held Eden's eyes the longest, knowing that if anyone was to defy him it would be her.
After giving his driver the change of direction, James turned down the lamp once more and sat back in his seat. If Cam had got in deep at Bastil's then he could possibly buy him out, yet he knew the eldest Sinclair would not handle his interference easily. The man would just have to swallow his pride, however, if that was the course that needed to be taken. James wondered if before the night was out he would actually have found a way to repay some of the debt he owed the Sinclairs.
Eden sat silently clasping her sister's hand across from him. Her eyes flitted from him to outside the carriage window then back to him again. Now that she was safe, the tension in his body was beginning to ease. Infernal woman, he wasn't meant to feel like this, and especially not for her. Between Eden and Samantha, they had exposed things inside him he'd just as soon remained locked away.
When the carriage began to slow, Eden appeared to pull something out of her ear, and she rushed to open the door and stick her head outside.
“Close that door!” James roared, reaching for her.
“Please, James, let her do this, she has—um—she will know if either of our brothers are inside.” Essie stumbled to a halt after these strange words.
What the hell was that supposed to mean? Before he could grab Eden, she was back in her seat with the door closed once more.
“They are inside, James.”
“And how do you know that?”
“I just do,” she said, looking nervous.
James wasn'
t sure what the hell was going on, and now was not the time to delve deeper, so he put that question aside for another day.
“Under no circumstance are you to leave this carriage, ladies. If you do you risk not only your own life but the lives of myself and your brothers, do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, James,” Essie whispered. Eden nodded but said nothing.
“I'll have your word, Eden,” James said.
“I will stay in the carriage.” She didn't look happy about the promise, but he believed she would not break her word.
Stepping from the carriage, he told his driver to make sure neither of the women inside left, and that if they did he was to pull the gun from beneath his seat and point it at them.
“I heard that!”
“As you were meant to,” James said, loud enough for Eden to hear. This was not a time for levity, but he found himself smiling just the same. The woman made him feel alive, and he would not examine that thought at this moment either.
Schooling his features into those of a bored nobleman seeking entertainment after a long night of drinking and revelry, he wandered into Bastil’s, then through the rooms. Filled with the scent of spirits, tobacco, and whores wearing cheap perfume, they made him feel ill. A man could get anything for his baser needs here.
“Would you like a tumble, my lovely?”
Waving his hand vaguely, James did not stop as the woman leaned into his body, thrusting her breasts into his chest. He merely pushed her aside and kept walking. He noted several faces he knew; some surprised him, others did not, and then he heard Cam's voice.
“I don’t need you to look after me!”
Moving into the next room, James saw Devon Sinclair holding his brother by the arm. Before him stood a table at which Cam had obviously been playing, and losing, by the look of the few chips left in front of him. Four men had moved to face Devon, all angry that their play had been interrupted. Three he knew vaguely. One he was unfortunate enough to call cousin.
“Gentlemen, it seems you will have to excuse us, as my friend wishes to retire from the game,” James said, moving to stand in front of the Sinclair brothers.
“He owes me money, lots of it, and I want an assurance that I'll get it!”
James bared his lips briefly in a semblance of a smile, as he impaled the man before him with a steely glare.
“Lord Baraclough, how surprised I am to see you here. Surely not your usual haunt, but yes—of course I remember now,” James said, with a small forced cough.
“What! I-I, h-how dare you!” Baraclough spluttered as he turned red. The man had been found cheating at one of the more respectable clubs and barred from it and several others. Word had spread quickly, until he was not welcomed anywhere in polite society.
“Cousin, I had not expected to ever see you play the role of cavalry.”
“Shut up, Nicholas,” James said in a hard tone as he looked at the man who could be his brother. Not as tall, but their coloring was identical. They were kin, but as close as strangers.
“You have no right to tell me anything, Raven. Sinclair owes us money—”
“God's blood, Nicholas, if you don't shut up I will make you!”
It seemed his cousin was not as stupid as he had originally thought because he sat back in his seat and closed his mouth.
“Now, how much does Sinclair owe you, all of you,” James added, looking at each of the men before him. He heard Devon groan as the men told James what was owed. The amount was substantial.
“Go, Sinclair, take your brother and leave here now,” James said, turning briefly to face Devon. He saw the lines of exhaustion and despair on his face. This was a man who had been pushed too hard and was ready to break.
“It would be wrong of our family to let you handle this matter, Raven.”
James pulled out his trump card. “Probably, but as your sisters await you in my carriage, I think it best you go to them before they come and find you.”
“Good God, you brought them with you?”
“They came looking for you and Cam and I intercepted them,” James said, watching Sinclair pick up his brother and throw him over his shoulder.
“This family will be the death of me,” Devonshire Sinclair growled as he stalked from the room.
James pulled cards from his inside pocket and handed one to each of the men, excluding his cousin, who knew exactly where to find him. “My man will deal with you all. Present yourselves at his address tomorrow and this matter will be settled. It will then not be discussed again,” he said, meeting each of the men's eyes. When he was sure they took his meaning, he turned on his heel and followed the Sinclair brothers from the room.
Cam was putting up a fight as his brother and sisters attempted to get him into the carriage. They were creating a stir, and very soon all would realize that Eden and Essie were here, outside Bastil’s at such an hour.
“Get in the carriage, Eden,” James said as he wrenched Cam from his brother and then planted his fist into his jaw. He then gathered him up and threw him onto the carriage floor.
“After you,” he said to Devon, and then climbed in behind him.
“He will wake soon, Miss Sinclair,” James said as Essie ran her hands over her unconscious brother, who lay sprawled at their feet. “It was a light tap, nothing lasting, I promise you.”
She looked uncertain but nodded.
“Thank you,” Devon said, and James knew how much the words cost the eldest Sinclair. Like him, pride was something both men had in abundance.
“I believe the ledger is nearly clean,” James said.
“I am unsure what transpired in Bastil’s, but we will repay you if money was exchanged.”
“Of course.” James nodded. Sinclair's pride would allow nothing less. “You should tell your aunt and uncle, they are stronger than you believe,” he said, looking across the carriage at Eden. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she looked at her big brother. The love she felt for him was written on every beautiful inch of her face, and James wondered what it would feel like to have that kind of devotion from such a woman.
“We have relied on ourselves for so long that I am unsure how to do as you say,” Dev said, his words gruff as emotion and fatigue threatened to overwhelm him.
“I understand what you say, Devon, as it is the same for me, but lately I have realized that being an island is extremely taxing upon a person.”
Devon managed a grunt of acknowledgment. James then watched Eden hold out a hand to her eldest brother and him grip it tight. She kicked Cam in the leg hard. He heard her mutter, “fool” and he wanted to smile, but swallowed it. The gesture was so very much her; if she was angry then everyone knew about it. James wondered when he had begun to understand her so well.
The hour was late as the carriage stopped outside the second Wynburg residence. James stepped down and then turned to pick up Cam.
“I will carry him.” Devon moved to take his brother.
“Sinclair, you are swaying on your feet from exhaustion and while it would not hurt this young whelp to be dropped on his head, it would not do for anyone to see us at this hour.”
Devon gave one short nod followed by a huge yawn, then helped his sisters from the carriage. They made it undetected into the house where the butler waited.
“Essie, you lead your brother to his bed and Eden and I will put Cam into his.”
It was a testament to Devon's exhaustion that he allowed his sister to take him to the stairs and slowly followed her up.
“What is your name?” James questioned the butler.
“Randal, Your Grace.”
“Please furnish us with directions to this Mr. Sinclair's rooms, Randal, and then have one of your largest footmen follow.”
“At once, your Grace,” Randal said. After giving directions, he then bowed and retreated into the bowels of the house to follow James's orders.
“Lead the way,” James said, nodding to Eden.
The journey was not long, one fli
ght and one hallway and they had arrived. Eden swung the door open and walked inside. The room was immaculate, which forced a small laugh from her lips.
“What?” James said, throwing Cam onto the bed. Eden did not appear unhappy when her brother's head connected with the headboard.
“Cam's room at Oak's Knoll never looked this tidy.”
“Come, we will remove his boots and coat, the rest can wait until tomorrow.”
“Will he be all right?” Eden whispered as she began to pull her brother's arm from the sleeve.
“Yes, I promise you he will.”
“H-he is not a bad man. He just makes mistakes.”
James dropped the last boot onto the floor as she spoke. “I know that, Eden.”
“I am scared for him,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears as she looked down at the face of her brother.
In two strides James had her in his arms. Wrapping them tightly around her he tucked her head under his chin and held her while she cried. Hot tears seeped through his shirt as the events of the night caught up with her.
“It will work out, Eden, your aunt and uncle are good people and whatever demons are driving your brother, with the love of your family he will get through this. And if not, then I'll beat it out of him.”
Lifting her head from his chest she smiled up at him through her tears. Such beguiling eyes, they made him want to promise her anything she desired.
“No more tears, Eden,” he whispered.
“How can we ever thank you?” Their faces were so close her soft breath brushed his lips.
“I think you have that wrong, madam. It is I who owe you. Twice your family has saved my life. It will take me a lifetime to repay such a debt.”
“History would suggest there will be more to come.” She attempted to smile but failed.
“It is my fondest wish that you are wrong.” James knew he should walk away but he was powerless to do so. Her brother lay snoring beside them and any second her siblings could appear, but he could do nothing to stop lowering his head.
