by Jess Schira
Saika laid her fingertips against his throat. His pulse pounded against her fingertips. Good, she hadn’t killed him.
She slipped off the bed and refastened her bodice. She reached into her pocket and removed her kaiken and she crouched and sliced several long strips from her petticoats. She used the strips to bind Sebastian’s wrists to the corner posts of the bed.
She stepped back and studied her handiwork.
There was no way he could set himself free. Until someone found him and cut the bindings, she didn’t have to worry about him following her, and she imagined explaining just how he managed to get bound to the king’s bed would provide a further delay.
Unable to resist, she braced her palms on the mattress beside Sebastian’s torso and brushed a light kiss across his lips.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, though she knew he couldn’t hear her, “but I have no other choice. Someday, I hope you will forgive me.”
Without another word, she straightened and disappeared into the shadows.
From Moonlight to Mayhem
Chapter Three
London was beginning to wake.
In her second story bedroom, Saika finished pinning her long, dark hair up and sat on the edge of her bed to listen to the sounds of city.
Outside the house, Saika heard neighbors shout cheerful morning salutations to one another. Wagon wheels creaked and hooves clattered against the street, the sound mixed with the joyous sound of laughing and singing children. The sounds were as familiar to Saika as the sound of her own breathing. Once in a while, she heard recognized the distinct sound of a specific child or the yell of a hassled shop keep. She didn’t need to look out the window to know that beneath it wives were starting their daily household chores while their children scattered in various directions and their husbands opened shops. Every single day started the same way.
And yet, something sounded different, more cheerful and carefree.
Boxing Day!
The realization jolted through Saika. Now she understood the reason everyone sounded so happy.
This wasn’t an average day. Her neighbors were preparing for a long day of outdoor activities, fun, and friendship. They’d be gone for most of the day, happy to participate in a wide assortment of events until dusk settled over the city.
The sounds drifting through the window amplified the silence inside Saika’s house. Until today, she hadn’t realized how much she enjoyed the traditional folk songs her stepmother sang while she swept the floor and baked bread. Or the boom of her father’s voice while he beckoned customers into his shop or yelled for his children to come and help with some task or another. And she hadn’t known it was possible for the day to start without her oldest brother, Nobu, complaining about having to wake up.
Shame pricked her. She used to resent mornings and found the sounds irritating and disruptive, now there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t give to hear them again.
A small gray and white kitten peeked around the half-opened door and looked at her. It hesitated and appeared to weigh its options before it padded into the room and leapt onto Saika’s lap where it curled into a ball and started to purr.
She stroked its soft fur and fought tears.
Just a few weeks ago her baby sister, Amelia, had found the animal laying half dead in a pile of refuse. She gathered up the kitten and brought it home where she spent countless hours nursing it back to health. Amelia might have saved the kitten’s life, but something about the tiny animal had seemed to touch something deep inside the girl and helped Saika’s youngest sister, who had always been shy and rarely spoke, out of her shell and instilled her with a sense of confidence that startled and pleased everyone. Whenever anyone needed Amelia, they could find her sitting in the kitchen dangling a piece of string while the kitten batted it back and forth with tiny paws.
Now, if Saika refused to participate in the wicked game created by the brown eyed man, her sister would never cuddle the little animal again.
She didn’t understand how things had gone so wrong.
She’d always lived an ordinary life. Each day followed the same routine, helping her stepmother with chores while taking advantage of every spare moment to train.
Sometimes the pattern drove her mad.
There were times when she thought of the stories her grandfather told about his adventures, both in his native Japan and when he left his homeland to explore the world, and she found herself wishing there was a way to experience those things for herself. Compared to her grandfather, her own existence seemed dull and without purpose.
Now she would give anything to go back to the boring existence she’d resented.
Three days ago, everything changed and her ordinary existence morphed into something horrible and unrecognizable.
Nothing about the day foreshadowed how it would end. It seemed like any other December day in London. Cold and gray. Saika’s stepmother gave her a list of errands she wished Saika to run. After completing the chores, Saika spent the remainder of the afternoon chaperoning her dear friend, Helen and Helen’s latest beau on a shopping excursion.
It wasn’t until she returned from the excursion that things fell apart.
********
Instead of encountering her cheerful family when she entered her house, Saika found a well-dressed man with cold brown eyes in their place. He introduced himself as Mister Lovelace. He explained how if she ever wanted to be reunited with her family she needed to complete a task for him.
Nothing about that day, or the days since, seemed real. Saika felt trapped in someone else’s life.
Shouts from the street dragged her from her thoughts. It didn’t sound too serious: a child who had wandered too far from its mother or perhaps a fractious horse causing the disturbance. Nothing she needed to concern herself about.
No sooner did the thought drift through her mind when the sound of wood shattering caused the kitten to jump to its feet. It arched its back in an inverted U and stared at the bedroom door with wide yellow eyes and hissed. Its hair stood on end.
A second crash shook the house and the kitten’s claws dug into Saika’s lap, the nails catching on the fabric of her skirt before it jumped off her lap and bolted from the room.
Heavy boots thundered across the floor of her father’s bottom floor jewelry shop and up the short flight of stairs leading to the living quarters.
Saika sprang to her feet and shifted into a battle stance, ready for whatever threat was heading in her direction.
She didn’t have to wait long.
The bedroom door swung open the rest of the way and several members of the Bow Street Runners poured into the room and aimed large pistols at Saika.
Her self-control overrode her instinct to defend herself and she relaxed her posture. These were good, honorable men, not part of whatever conspiracy Mister Lovelace had set in motion. These men weren’t connected to the ones who’d stolen her family, and even if they were, her training didn’t extend to defending herself against so many pistols.
Still, just because they were good men and on the proper side of the law, it didn’t mean she had to let them take advantage of her or that she should relax her guard. If they made a move to attack her, they would learn she wasn’t afraid of a fight. Saika’s gaze shifted from one Bow Street Runner to the next, making note of the little things that told of each man’s weakness. When it came to battle training, they were lacking, and had put too much faith in the weapons they held. Once she parted them from the pistols they carried, they wouldn’t prove much of a challenge.
Sebastian Harper pushed his way through the knot of Runners until he stood before her. Their gazes clashed and a humorless smile twisted his mouth. “We meet again.”
He was the last person Saika expected, or wanted, to see. “How did you find me?”
“You provided me with your name, a foolish mistake if you wished to stay hidden. While the name Donovan might be common in Ireland, it’s less so here in London. Combined with
your first name, Saika, it didn’t take much time before I was directed to this house where I was told a small family of mixed heritage dwells. It appears your family is well liked. I have spoken to a few people who have had nothing but kind things to say. They have told me how your father makes elegant jewelry, particularly watches, and always mention your mother’s skills as a seamstress. I assume she’s the one who created the dress you wore last night.”
“My stepmother has always enjoyed sewing and often designs gowns. The ones we cannot wear, she sells. The money from the sales make it possible for her to create another gown.”
“Her talents are wasted here in Cheapside. With her skill as a seamstress, she would have no trouble securing a position at the finest dress shops in the city.”
Sebastian stood so close, the heat of their bodies mingled. Memories of the kiss they’d shared assaulted Saika. He leaned closer and his breath washed over her cheek. “I was ill prepared for what happened between us last night.”
You’re not the only one, Saika thought. She imagined His taste lingered on her lips, and the memory of the way his hands on her body felt brought a fresh blush to her cheeks.
“The experience did provide me with an excellent opportunity to learn two very interesting things.”
“Is that so?” Saika’s low tone matched his and revealed none of the thoughts and questions that swirled through her mind.
“The first thing I learned is that while I suspect you’re many things, a courtesan isn’t one of them. You’re technique, while interesting enough, needs a great deal of polishing.”
“And the second thing?”
“You’re an accomplished liar.”
Stung, Saika stepped back. Her integrity was a point of pride. Without honor, the body was nothing but an empty husk. It was honor that gave the soul the spark it needed to shine.
Now it had been stolen from her, the same way her family had been taken.
Sebastian’s hand snaked out, and his fingers tangled in her dark hair. The action shook several pins free and they fell to the wooden floor with a faint clatter. He used his hold to tip her head back until her eyes met his.
“I suppose it’s not fair to lay the blame for last night’s fiasco entirely at your pretty feet, though I wish I could. I’m as much to blame for what took place as you.” Fury sparked in his eyes and a muscle jumped in the side of jaw. “I underestimated you, which was dangerous and foolhardy. And I paid the price, but you can rest assured, it won’t happen a second time.”
Saika’s head throbbed from his tight grip but she refused to lower her gaze and concede defeat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the assembled guards exchange curious looks in a silent attempt to ascertain the subject of the conversation. Later, when they were well away from Sebastian, they would spend a considerable amount time discussing Saika and Sebastian and what had taken place in this room.
Sebastian untangled his fingers from her hair and took a step back. He signaled to the Runners. “Men! Prepare Miss Donavon for the journey.”
Sebastian placed his hands behind his back watched while one of the Runners, the group’s commander, a man Sebastian had dealt with in the past though he couldn’t now think of his name but who he considered to be a good and honorable man, approached Saika.
The man didn’t look like he should be a member of the Bow Street Runners. He looked and behaved more like a genteel gentleman than an officer of the law. His ginger hair was fading to gray and his dark eyes twinkled as he approached Saika Donovan.
Sebastian heard the man beg her forgiveness before looping a thick metal belt around her waist and locking it in place. A moment later, her wrists were locked into heavy manacles with short dangling lengths of chain that were attached to the belt.
Sebastian tried not to think about the cold metal chaffing her skin or how the weight bore down on her slender bones. He reminded himself that her delicacy was nothing more than a clever illusion.
The ginger haired Runner rejoined the group he commanded, but not before shooting Sebastian a dark look.
Sebastian didn’t need clairvoyant skills to know the direction of the Runner’s thoughts. Between her slight build and wide eyes, Saika looked as far from a dangerous criminal as a person could get. Sebastian imagined the guard felt sorry for the young woman. He shouldn’t.
Sebastian squared his shoulders and narrowed his eyes at the Runner, silently daring him to protest. “Leg irons as well. She may appear harmless to you, but in the case of Miss Saika Donovan appearances I have learned exactly how deceptive appearances really can be. We won’t be taking any unnecessary chances.”
Thick iron loops with a connecting chain were wrapped around Saika’s ankles.
Sebastian waited while the shackles were tested and the locks were secure and finally stood and returned to the rest of his group. Sebastian caught the eye of the man who was in charge of this particular group. “You may return to your duties. From this point on, I will assume responsibility for Miss Donavon.”
“Sir.” The commander’s grey eyes widened in surprise and he moved away from the younger men and approached Sebastian. Questions swirled in his eyes, but he refrained from voicing them. He’d been acquainted with Sebastian for a good long time and had never known him to make bad choices. Still, but this entire situation was odd.
“Do you have something to say,” Sebastian asked.
“Well yes, sir, I do.” The commander’s eyes moved from Sebastian to Saika and back again. A red flush darkened his complexion. “It’s just, well …”
Sebastian floated a brow and waited for him to continue.
The Runner’s eyes flicked to Saika and he visibly braced himself. “Are you certain you have no more need for us?”
Realization hit Sebastian like a stone thrown by a misbehaving school boy. The commander, his group of Runners, and quite possibly most of London had heard about what had happened to Sebastian last night after he disappeared from the ball, and the commander must have realized that in some way, shape, or form, Saika Donavon was involved.
Sebastian rocked back on his heels and eyed Saika. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other but held his gaze.
For the first time in his life, Sebastian found himself unable to guess a woman’s thoughts. All of the women he knew were animated, their every emotion and thought, good and bad, drifted across their face, and a good many of them were also quick to give voice to the same thoughts. But not Saika, her expression was serene and emotionless, yet despite her tranquil expression Sebastian sensed her mind racing.
“You can take your leave. I’m capable of transporting Miss Donavon without your assistance.”
“But sir, I heard …” the watchman’s words trailed off under the force of Sebastian’s pointed stare.
“What is it you think you have heard?” Sebastian his cold words held just the slightest hint of a challenge. He felt it best to pretend he didn’t know what troubled the commander’s mind. Maybe that would be enough convince the man the rumors were more smoke than fire.
The commander’s flush darkened, and he backed away from Sebastian. “Nothing of importance, sir. I’m sure it was just a bit of silly, unsubstantiated gossip. You know how the servants can be, especially after a big gala like the one that took place last night at the Queen’s Lodge. I suspect they’re still excited. It’s likely there are a few who feel left out so they made up stories about some of the guests just to they’ll have something interesting to gossip about.”
Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “I expect you are correct.”
“We’ll be off than. If you’re confident you can handle things from here?”
“I am.”
The commander didn’t look convinced but after a moment of hesitation he shrugged, turned, and gestured for his men to vacate the room.
Sebastian watched the group file out the door, and pretended not to notice the amused look one young Runner shot him or how they used their elbows to
nudge one another in the ribs.
It had been too much to hope the story of his discovery last night in King George’s bedchamber hadn’t made the rounds. There’d been nothing he could do to prevent people from talking. Now the best he could do was wait and hope something more titillating rocked the court. The sooner it did, the sooner everyone would forget about his loss of dignity. Until then, his best course of action was to hold his silence and act as if didn’t notice or care how people whispered whenever he passed by. If he protested, the story would become a legend and be passed from one generation to another.
He prayed the gossip quieted before Sarah returned from her stay in the country. If she learned about what had happened … the thought of how much teasing she’d make him endure made him shudder.
Sebastian turned to Saika and studied her. She stood near the foot of a narrow bed, her eyes downcast and her body language docile.
She surprised him. Not just last night, but with her actions today as well.
When he and the Bow Street Runner’s stormed the house, he’d expected her to fight. If he’d thought for even a second he would have left them, rather than fanning the flames of the rumor mill.
Why hadn’t she?
“Come,” he ordered.
She lifted her chin. Defiance flashed through her eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. “Are we going somewhere?”
“Yes.”
Saika’s chains rattled and clanged as followed him out of the bedchamber, down the stairs and into the shop.
Sebastian paused and studied the broken front door. The battering ram the Runner’s used had broken the latch and damaged the hinges, rendering it impossible to close.
He shouldn’t care, but several fine watches were on display and he suspected that if he looked, he’d find an assortment of expensive tools and materials. If they were stolen, he suspected Saika’s family would never recover from the loss.
He didn’t know where the Donavon’s were or when they intended to return, but considering it was Boxing Day, it was likely they would be out the entire day. Furious though he was with Saika, as suspicious as he was about her motives, her family didn’t deserve to be punished as well.
