by Wendy Vella
He then heard the sound of footsteps, and hurried back down, managing to hide beneath the stairs as two men reached the bottom. Hoping they were the only two in the house, he waited until they had moved to another room, and once again started back up. Light was coming from only one room. Turning the key, he unlocked the door and slipped inside.
Grace was seated at a table under a lamp with some papers and a pen before her. Her eyes went wide as she realized who had entered, but thankfully she remained silent. Placing a finger to his lips Nick walked softly to where she sat and cupped her face, before lowering his head and kissing her softly.
“Nick,” she whispered against his lips, and he heard the desperation in that one word.
“Shh, sweetheart.” He lifted her from the chair and into his arms, holding her close for precious seconds before placing her on her feet. He then went to the window. It was nailed shut. Smashing the glass would be too loud, so they would need to leave the room and find another, which hopefully had a window they could climb out of.
Taking her hand he then led her to the door, opening it he looked out, and saw the hall was empty, so he motioned for her to follow. He then locked the door behind them.
Taking Grace’s hand, he led her toward the only other room on that floor. He entered and headed for the windows. They were not nailed shut, and opened with a bit of force. Looking out, he gauged the drop to the ground, which was not great, but still enough to hurt Grace if she fell.
“I’m going first,” he whispered in her ear, “then you follow, and I will catch you from below.”
She nodded, but said nothing further, and he brushed another kiss over her hair before helping her out onto the roof. Nick then lowered himself over the edge and dropped to the ground. Once there, he motioned for Grace to follow. She didn’t hesitate, doing exactly as he had and then letting herself fall into his arms.
He heard a shout then, and realized that someone had entered the room and found Grace missing.
“Run!” he called, lowering her to the ground. She did, heading for the front of the house with Nick on her heels. The carriage had been moved and he knew they would have no time to find it, so he took her hand and headed down the driveway. There were ruts, and they both stumbled, but soon reached the bottom. Turning right, Nick then started running once more, leading them back into the little village.
Stopping at the first house he saw, he slipped around the back and found a good-sized stable. Opening the door, he pulled Grace in behind him.
“We need a horse,” he said, releasing her. She followed as he made his way along the stalls until he found a large bay that would be strong enough to carry them both back to London.
Finding a bridle and saddle, he quickly slipped them on, and led the horse outside toward the street.
“Hurry, Nick, they will be following,” Grace whispered.
Picking her up once they were on the street, he threw her up into the saddle, then climbed up behind, settling her into his lap.
“Dear lord, they’re coming.”
Nick didn’t look behind him as she said the words. Digging his heels into the horse’s sides, it sprang forward and he let it have its head as he heard the wheels of the carriage grow closer.
Grace dug her fingers into Nick’s forearms and held on. Her body was pressed to his, and his thighs held her secure. Dear lord, she could not believe he had come for her so soon. When she’d seen him walk in the door, her heart had nearly stopped. Her large handsome husband had found her and she had never been so terrified to see anyone in her life. She feared they would find him and in some way hurt him, and it was then Grace realized just how much this man had come to mean to her.
“Hold on!” He was crouched over her as the wind rushed at them, catching Grace’s hair and whipping at her clothes. He then turned the horse and headed for some trees. She could hear the carriage, the rattle of the harness, and thunder of hooves behind them, as they reached what appeared to be a forest. Nick didn’t slow the horse, just galloped between the trees, and as the first branches tore at them she heard the sound of a gunshot.
“Nick!” Grace cried as his body bent over hers.
“I’m all right, turn and press your face into my body!” he roared. “Hold on to me.”
She did as he asked, wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his chest. She could feel the thud of his heart against hers as he continued to race them through the trees. Minutes later they burst out once more onto a road. Looking around him, she saw the carriage, now some distance behind them, but still following.
“It’s farther back now!”
Nick grunted something but she had no idea what and then he was once again heading for the forest.
“The horse is not fit, and slowing,” he said into her ear. “We will need to find somewhere to hide until they find us or it can run again.”
They being the Lords of Night Street, Grace guessed. Once again she felt trees tearing at her hair and clothes and then Nick was pulling the horse to a walk. Grace kept her face pressed to his chest, her arms around his body, as they moved deeper into the forest. She was safe here in his arms, and so was he in hers… for now.
They walked for a while and listened for sounds of those who followed them, but heard nothing. Still, neither she nor Nick spoke as the horse walked softly through the trees, regaining its breath for when they needed it to run once more.
She felt his lips in her hair, and his large warm hand on her back as he stroked her slowly, and she did the same to him, slipping her fingers under his jacket to touch the tense muscles.
“We will make our way out now,” he said after a while. “Be alert.”
The moon was still high, and Grace looked down the road as they slipped out of the trees and saw no sign of a carriage, but she kept silent. Nick pressed his heels to the horse’s sides and it once again sprang forward, and soon they were galloping down the road. It was as they approached London that she heard the thunder of hooves and rattle of harness once more.
“They’ve found us, Nick!”
“So have the others!”
She looked forward, through the horse’s ears, and saw three horses coming toward them. The Lords of Night Street, Grace thought. They were galloping, guns raised as they flew past Nick and Grace. Nick stopped when he came to a small fence.
“Get behind it!” he said, lowering her to the ground before he turned and headed back to meet the carriage with his friends.
Grace gripped the wood as she watched him ride, ignoring the pain as it bit into her already sensitive palms. He stopped beside his friends, who had spread across the road, before the now stationary carriage.
“No!” She pressed a hand to her heart as she watched Nick jump from his horse, pistol raised as he ran toward the carriage. Leo joined him, while Marcus and Jacob stayed on their horses, guns pointed at the driver. Nick reached for the door handle and wrenched it open, anger evident in his every move. Grace crept forward slowly so she could see and hear what was happening.
“Out, before I have my friends open fire on the carriage,” Nick roared. “Now!” he added.
Grace held her breath as Mr. Boleslav stepped out.
“I should shoot you now for what you’ve put my wife and Lord Harrington through,” Nick growled.
“But you will not,” Mr. Boleslav said slowly. “Because unlike me, you are a good man, and murder is not something that would sit easily with you, Lord Attwood.”
“Yes, but I can still make you hurt,” Nick snarled. Grace watched her husband walk forward and smash his fist in the man’s face, who then fell to the ground heavily.
“We will finish this, Nick. Take your wife home now,” Lord Vereton said, gripping his shoulder, in case he was tempted to punch Boleslav again.
He turned and started back toward her, scowling when he noticed she had left the safety of the fence.
“I told you to stay there.”
She didn’t stop to think when his frown d
arkened, just ran at him. His arms opened as she drew near and she leapt at him.
“Grace,” he whispered into her neck. “Let’s go home.”
They did, taking the brave horse that had run hard and fast for them. He held her close as they walked through the streets and the gray light of dawn began to wake the city of London.
Vidal answered the door. “Lord and Lady Attwood!”
“It is a long and tiring story to accompany a long and tiring night, Vidal, therefore I shall reserve the telling of it until we have had some sleep, if you don’t mind. Please have this horse cared for, as he has ridden hard this night, and inform Lord Harrington when he wakes that we will now not be leaving for the country.”
“Of course.”
“And now my wife and I need to sleep.”
They walked through the quiet house together, and up the stairs. Nick led them to his rooms and pulled back the covers.
“In you get, sweetheart.”
“I need to change my nightdress,” she said, turning toward her rooms, but he stopped her by lifting her off her feet and lowering her onto the bed.
“You don’t need a nightdress.” He pulled it over her head then motioned her under the covers.
Grace helped him remove his clothes first, then climbed into the bed, sighing as her tired body settled against the sheet, seconds later he joined her. Turning her in his arms, he pulled her back to his front, pillowing her head on his shoulder.
“You, wife, have caused me nothing but trouble since our wedding.”
“It is hardly my fault,” she said, her voice slurring as sleep began to pull her under.
“From now on I shall have to keep a closer eye on you.”
“Yes,” Grace sighed as one of his hands stroked the outside of her breast. “You will.”
“Grace,” he said, kissing her cheek.
“I love you,” they both said together. No other words were spoken then, as they both drifted to sleep.
Lord Valiant
Lords Of Night Street
Chapter One
Marcus, Viscount Needly, looked at his three friends, sitting in various states of inebriation around his study. They were known as the Lords of Night Street, simply because that was where they had chosen to base their investigative services. They took the cases no one else touched and reveled in each challenge.
Tonight they were celebrating returning the Duke of Sithe’s son back into the bosom of his family. They had removed him from the clutches of several ruthless men intent on extorting a large ransom for the boy’s return.
“Leo, were you actually to bed Lady Braithwaite, I'm sure your infatuation with her would wane.”
Nicholas, the fifth Earl of Attwood, who was lying on the floor, lifted his head and opened one eye to glare at him. “Ssshis not as beautiful as my wife,” he managed, before closing it again. Nick had not overindulged for many months and his wife, who was three months away from the birth of their first child, had insisted he join tonight’s celebrations. However, his tolerance for spirits was not what it once had been.
“Lady Tattler hasssh larger breasts.” This was said by Jacob, Viscount Hatherton. Slumped in a chair, he wore only one boot; the other he had flung across the room at some point in the evening to support an argument he was trying to win.
“Lady Braithwaite—” Leo, Marquess Vereton, sighed. Like Marcus, he sat with his feet on the desk. “—has the most superb breasts currently on display this season, and much as I would love to tumble with her, I have heard she is not one to let go easily after the deed is done.”
“Deed?” Nick raised his head again, blurry eyes focusing on Leo. “It is not a deed but an exquisite pleasure when you make love to the right woman.”
“May the Lord save us from happily married men,” Leo muttered.
A knock on the door drew the eyes of the two men still in control of their wits and was followed by the gray-haired head of his butler.
“If I may have a word, my lord.” The head was soon followed by a tall thin body, immaculately tailored as always, even at—Marcus squinted at the clock on the wall opposite.
“Good God, Chadley, it's gone three in the morning. What are you still doing above stairs?” Leo said.
“Chadley!” bellowed Nick, raising his head briefly before subsiding once again and succumbing to slumber.
“I was about to retire, Lord Needly—” Chadley stepped over Nick, managing to look as if stepping over an inebriated Lord was an everyday occurrence. “—when there was a knock on the door.”
“Which I gather you opened?” Leo prompted.
“Yes, and a person was upon the doorstep requesting to speak to you, one of the Lords of Night Street. I told her there was no such person of that name here, but she refused to leave without speaking to the owner of this house. I, of course, attempted to dissuade her, as no woman of worth would be out, alone, at such an hour, but she informed me that she w-would…”
“Would?” Marcus questioned his servant when he stuttered to a halt.
“Make me very sorry if I did not tell you she was here.”
“In what capacity did she say she would make you sorry, Chadley?” Leo said, looking intrigued.
“By screaming very loudly that I was taking advantage of her person, Lord Vereton.”
“Did she, by God.” Leo whistled softly. “Good ploy one has to say, even considering the hour.”
“I then informed her that I would rouse the footmen and have her thrown from the doorstep,” Chadley added.
“To which she replied?”
“That I would have to leave her alone on said doorstep to do that, Lord Needly, as she didn't believe I had the strength to remove her bodily so I could close the door on her.”
“Another excellent reply, wouldn't you say, Chadley?”
“Be quiet, Leo,” Marcus said calmly, before addressing his butler. “Does this person have a name, Chadley?”
“Yes, my lord, her name is Miss Radley.”
“Do we know a Miss Radley?” He looked at Leo, then back to Chadley. Both looked blank.
“And where have you put her?” Marcus rose to his feet.
“In the small parlor beside the entranceway.”
“Lead on then,” Marcus said, waving Leo back into his chair when he indicated he would come too. “There is no need for whoever is there to see both of us. That someone knows my identity is bad enough, but there is no need to expose yours also.”
Marcus followed Chadley down the halls of his home to the staircase, where he descended.
“Thank you, Chadley, please retire now, and I shall see to Miss Radley.”
“Are you sure, Lord Needly? She seems a managing sort of woman.”
“Have no fear, Chadley, as I am both managing and menacing, I shall be fine alone with Miss Radley.”
Marcus walked into the room after his butler had left, stopping just inside the doorway. The woman was looking out the window at the night sky.
“Miss Radley.”
She turned at his words, and Marcus got his first glimpse of her. Her face was tilted, showing him only the right side, and it had a slight flush, no doubt from the night air she had just left. Her features were put together well, delicate nose, full lips, and the lower had a delicate curve that had no doubt tempted many a man. Beneath the arch of her dark brows Marcus thought she had pale blue eyes, but couldn't be sure. Her hair was tucked into a black bonnet so he could not see the color.
“Lord Needly.” Her words were rushed, telling him of her nerves.
“You're either incredibly brave or stupid, Miss Radley, to have come alone to a gentleman’s house at this hour. What made you believe I would be still awake?”
“Noblemen do not often find their beds early during the season, my lord, and I was desperate enough to take the chance. That alone is what drove me to seek out the one they call Lord Valiant.”
“There is no one here by that name,” Marcus said calmly.
“I
know you are one of the Lords of Night Street, Lord Needly.”
She didn't retreat as he moved closer, instead following him with her eyes.
“I have been drinking steadily for many hours, Miss Radley, my head is not clear, and I am not fit company for a woman, no matter what her standing is in life. Therefore, I suggest you leave my house at once.”
“I know you are he, Valiant,” she said in a soft, cultured voice.
“And how do you know that?”
“The boy who delivers my messages said he passed a note into your hands, and it was addressed to L. Valiant.”
Marcus and his friends had been investigating since their return from the duties they performed for their country. When a friend had fallen into trouble they had stepped in to help, and since then he, Leo, Jacob, and Nick had closed many cases, but they did do so under the guise of the names they had used as boys. He was Valiant, Leo, Noble, Jacob, Valorous, and Nick was Gallant. Until now their identities had been protected, as all communications came through a man they had employed to front their organization.
“I would not have come here at such at such an hour were I not desperate, Lord Needly.”
Marcus now stood close enough to reach out and touch her. Lamplight showed him the fear in her eyes and the rapid beat of a pulse in her neck.
“No one knows the identity of the Lords of Night Street, Miss Radley, and the word Valiant on a letter means very little by way of evidence to support your claim. After all, it could simply be a letter from a lover of mine, or a woman endeavoring to claim my attention.”
“But you addressed the return letter to LONS,” she said, watching him intently. “The Lords of Night Street, Lord Needly.”
Marcus didn't move, instead deliberately intimidating her with his size, but she didn't back away, instead lifting the chin that reached the middle of his chest.
