City of Schemes

by Victoria Thompson

  Percy reached down and lifted the small valise he had brought with him. “Will this do? I’m afraid I don’t know exactly how large a bundle it will be.”

  “I’m sure that will be adequate,” Gilbert said a little stiffly. He took the bag with him.

  “If you need a good jeweler, I can recommend some,” Westerly said when they were alone.

  “Thank you, Mr. Westerly. I would appreciate it,” Percy said and listened with rapt attention as Westerly gave him the names of several jewelers Percy had no intention of visiting. When Westerly was finished with that, he proceeded to instruct Percy in the best method of shipping the horses, a subject he obviously knew nothing about, but Percy continued to listen in respectful silence.

  After what seemed an eternity, Gilbert returned with the satchel. Westerly insisted on counting the money while Percy looked on, appalled. A British gentleman would never insult anyone by insisting on a count. Fortunately, it was a matter of only a few moments, since the bills were banded and labeled and there were only five bundles, each with a hundred one-hundred-dollar bills and five thousand in smaller bills. Percy would have fanned the strapped bundles to make sure all the bills were hundreds, but he could do that later.

  When Westerly was satisfied, the men shook hands all around, and Percy excused himself. He had errands to run, he told them, although none of them included the shipping of horses or the purchase of an engagement ring.

  * * *

  —

  The girl had finally arrived home. Thornton had been waiting for hours in the cold, walking up and down the block and disappearing around the corner whenever a passing resident gave him a suspicious look or the beat cop made his rounds.

  He had known exactly where she lived because he’d been a guest in this house. An honored guest. David Vanderslice’s valued client. He also knew the girl, not only from his previous visit here but because he’d seen her murder Elizabeth Miles. He would take great delight in terrifying her into giving him the information he needed.

  She was, he noticed, carrying books as she made her way along the street to the house he remembered so well. She was a bit long in the tooth to be going to school, but maybe she’d had to get a job to support her family when her brother died. Maybe she was a teacher now. These old New York families had never been especially good at holding on to money, and Thornton knew a moment of satisfaction at the thought of this old Knickerbocker family having to earn their daily bread.

  He picked up his pace, timing his arrival at her stoop just as she was unlocking the front door. Then he bounded up the steps, arriving as the door swung open. He pushed her inside and stepped in behind her, closing the door securely.

  “What on earth?” she cried, catching her balance and turning to see who had pushed her. “Thornton,” she said without as much surprise as he had expected.

  “Yes, Thornton,” he confirmed. “A pleasure to see you, Miss Vanderslice.”

  “Miss?” a voice said, startling them both. The maid had appeared, obviously drawn by the sound of the front door opening. She eyed them both with a worried frown. “Is everything all right?”

  “Perfectly all right,” Thornton assured her. “I told you I’d be back.” But she looked to the Vanderslice girl for confirmation.

  “I was here earlier,” he hastened to explain before the maid could speak, keeping his voice friendly. “Your maid told me you’d be back this afternoon, so I returned just in time, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, you did,” the Vanderslice girl said. “It’s all right, Mary. I’ll deal with Mr. Thornton.”

  The maid glanced at him, then said, “He asked for your mother when I told him you weren’t here, but I didn’t tell her.”

  “That’s good. Thank you, Mary.”

  They waited in silence while the maid retreated back to the kitchen.

  “Is something wrong with your mother?” he asked. He didn’t care, but he needed to know if she was going to be a problem.

  “She doesn’t go out much since . . .”

  “Since your brother died?” She flinched but said nothing. “I was sorry to hear that,” he added quite honestly. Vanderslice’s death was a great inconvenience.

  She didn’t look like she appreciated his sympathy though. “What do you want?”

  “I want Elizabeth Miles.”

  That surprised her, but she said, “Then go find her.”

  “I don’t know where she lives.”

  She smiled. “Then ask Gideon Bates.”

  “I’m asking you.”

  His fury must have finally registered with her because she frowned again. “What do you want with her?”

  “I’m surprised you don’t know. She owes me some money. A lot of money, and I need to collect it.”

  “I thought you were going to collect it on Thursday.”

  So she did know. How very interesting. “I need it now.”

  “And what if she doesn’t have it now?”

  “She’d better have it.”

  Miss Vanderslice seemed unmoved, which he found exceedingly annoying. “But if she doesn’t, what will you do?” She held up her hand to stop him when he would have told her in no uncertain terms. “Yes, I know, men like you always threaten violence when they don’t get their way, but in this case, violence won’t get you anything at all. If you hurt Elizabeth, you might get some satisfaction, but you won’t get your money, and isn’t that what you really want?”

  His anger was nearly choking him, but she was right, the money was the important thing. “How do you know she doesn’t have it?”

  “Because she’s working a con on . . . on someone, and it isn’t finished yet.”

  “How do you know that?” he scoffed.

  “Because I’m helping her.”

  Now he was really surprised. The Vanderslices had really fallen on hard times if the daughter was reduced to being a con artist. “Who is she running the con on?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Yes, it does, if you expect me to believe you.”

  She gave a long-suffering sigh. “On some British fellow. He’s a duke, I think.”

  “A duke?” That sounded promising. “Where did she find him?”

  “He’s . . .” She hesitated, biting her lip. Plainly, she didn’t want to say.

  “Tell me,” he demanded.

  “He’s going to marry one of her friends,” she said reluctantly.

  “One of her society friends, you mean?”

  “Of course one of her society friends. He’s a duke.”

  “And how much money is she going to take him for?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “I thought you were helping her.”

  “I just help. I’m not . . . I don’t do the actual con part of it.”

  Thornton somehow resisted the urge to shake her. “Take me to her.”

  “What?”

  “Take me to Elizabeth Miles. I want her to explain what she’s going to do, and then I want to be there when she does it.”

  “Are you out of your mind? You’ll ruin everything.”

  He grabbed her wrist, still encased in the gloves she’d been wearing outside, and squeezed until she cried out with pain. “Take me to her, or I’ll get your mother to do it, and I won’t be nearly as nice to her as I was planning to be to you.”

  He released her and she staggered back, holding her wrist. Now she looked appropriately frightened. They could hear the maid’s footsteps as she came running to see what was happening. “Tell her nothing is wrong,” Thornton whispered.

  “Miss Vanderslice, do you need me?” the girl asked anxiously. She could plainly see Miss Vanderslice was still holding her wrist, and her expression clearly said she was in trouble, but she said with amazing serenity, “No, I don’t need you, Mary. Will you tell my mother I’ve gone out wi
th a friend and I probably won’t be home for dinner?”

  “Are you sure, miss?” the girl asked, still eyeing Thornton warily.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Come along, Mr. Thornton. Let’s get this over with.”

  “You can just give me her address,” he said, not relishing trying to control her as they moved through the city.

  “I don’t know the address. I’ll have to show you.”

  * * *

  —

  Elizabeth had truly enjoyed her first day in a week without Oriel and a squalling baby in the house. She had gone for a fitting on her wedding gown earlier, which was a delightful creation she was truly going to love wearing, and now she could enjoy some peace and quiet. She couldn’t help thinking about all the various schemes going on around her, but she wasn’t involved in any of them at this point, so she could finally relax. That was why she groaned when someone rang the doorbell.

  It was too early for Cybil and Zelda to be home from Hunter College, and besides, they would have used their keys. That meant the person at the door was a visitor. But perhaps Gideon had decided to stop by. That made her step light as she hurried to see who was there. The sight of two silhouettes on the glass slowed her a bit, but curiosity won the day and she opened the door to find her best friend and her worst nightmare.

  Thornton gave Anna a shove, propelling her through the door, before Elizabeth could even speak.

  “I’m sorry,” Anna said as Elizabeth caught her arm to keep her from falling.

  “What’s going on?” Elizabeth demanded. “What do you want, and why is Anna with you?”

  “She had to show me where you live,” Thornton said.

  “I couldn’t remember your address,” Anna said a little plaintively.

  Elizabeth knew that was a lie. Anna had probably heard Gideon give it to the cabdriver dozens of times when he escorted her here for salons. For some reason, her friend had deliberately chosen to accompany Thornton here, probably out of an unsubstantiated belief that she could be of some help. Elizabeth loved her for that.

  “Then won’t you come in?” Elizabeth said with false cheer. “Can I get you some refreshment?”

  “Just go in and sit down and tell me all about this duke,” Thornton said.

  “Duke?” Elizabeth echoed with a frown.

  “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. Miss Vanderslice told me you’re conning some duke to get my money.”

  “I had to tell him about the duke,” Anna said with apparent dismay. “He was going to hurt my mother if I didn’t.”

  “I see.” And she did. He would probably have hurt Anna, too. Anna was such a clever girl, though. Elizabeth would have to see that she got a cut of the score. She and her mother could certainly use the money.

  Elizabeth gently took Anna’s arm and led her into the parlor, leaving Thornton to follow. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “I think so,” Anna said with a rueful smile.

  The two women sat down on the sofa, and Thornton paced around the room for a few minutes before finally settling in a chair across from them.

  “So, Thornton, tell me why you had to terrify my friend in order to find me,” Elizabeth said. “Our deal was that I don’t have to pay you until Thursday.”

  She watched the emotions play across his face and realized he was under some sort of pressure that he didn’t want to admit, something that had nothing to do with her, or at least that’s what he thought. “I decided to leave town early, and I figured you’d have the money by now anyway.”

  “But I don’t have the money yet, as Anna probably would have told you if you’d given her a chance.”

  “I did tell him,” Anna reported. “But he said he wanted to meet the duke and see him give you the money.”

  Now Elizabeth was sure she was even angrier than Thornton was. How dare he try to spoil everything? “Honestly, Thornton, I thought you were smarter than that.”

  Which was obviously the wrong thing to say. His face, already ruddy from the cold, turned almost purple. “You little bi—”

  “I mean, you can’t be there when he gives me the money,” she quickly explained, “because he isn’t giving the money to me. He’s giving it to someone else entirely.”

  “Who?” he demanded.

  “Does it really matter? Besides, why should I tell you and risk that you’ll barge in and ruin everything?”

  “And how do I know there really is a duke at all? The only thing I’m sure of is that you’re a liar and a good one, too.”

  “Because I’m not the one who told you about the duke in the first place,” she reminded him. What on earth was she going to do with him now? She couldn’t possibly introduce him to Percy. “Anna is the one who told you, and she is just a respectable young woman who usually tells the truth.”

  “She also pretends to murder people, so you’ll forgive me if I don’t trust either one of you,” he said quite bitterly.

  He was right, of course, and Elizabeth could almost feel sorry for him. “And you’ll forgive me if I don’t understand why you have suddenly decided that you can’t wait two more days—until the deadline you yourself set, I might add—for the rather large sum of money I am taking great pains to raise for you.”

  “I . . . I have a business deal that needs my attention, and I have to leave town,” he said uneasily.

  “A business deal that will earn you more than the money you’re blackmailing me for?”

  “How much is it?” Anna asked with great interest. “He wouldn’t tell me.”

  “A lot,” was all Elizabeth felt comfortable saying.

  “And is he really blackmailing you?” Anna asked.

  “Yes,” Elizabeth said at the same time Thornton said, “No.”

  “I see,” Anna said.

  “And you can’t think I would fail to pay you,” Elizabeth continued as if Anna hadn’t interrupted.

  “I certainly can,” Thornton insisted. “You’ve cheated me before.”

  “And now you’re blackmailing me for it,” she reminded him. “I would be a fool to give you good reason to spread your gossip.”

  “Yes, you would. Now tell me where I can find this duke, so I can be sure he really exists.”

  Elizabeth felt an uncharacteristic surge of panic at the very thought. She glanced at Anna, who was obviously trying to figure out a solution to this situation as well. Unfortunately, she didn’t know all the information. How foolish Elizabeth had been to not tell Anna all her secrets.

  “Could we visit Rosemary and take him along?” Anna asked.

  “Who’s Rosemary?” Thornton asked eagerly.

  “She’s engaged to the duke,” Anna said. “Or at least she intends to be.”

  “And why is this duke giving you money?” he asked Elizabeth.

  “I told you, he’s not giving it to me. Besides, he’s an earl.”

  “A what?” Thornton asked, bewildered.

  “He’s an earl, not a duke.”

  “What’s the difference?” Thornton asked.

  “Who knows? But he’s particular about it.”

  “And why can’t you introduce me to him?”

  “I don’t . . . Because I can’t think of a single reason why I would bring a total stranger to Rosemary’s house to meet him, that’s why.”

  “Maybe we could meet them someplace else,” Anna said.

  They couldn’t meet Percy anywhere, but Elizabeth said, “Where?”

  “I don’t know. Delmonico’s maybe,” Anna said. “We could encounter him by accident like we did the first time.”

  “But the earl would have to be there in the first place, so we could encounter him,” Elizabeth said. “How could we arrange that?”

  “We could ask him,” Anna said quite reasonably. “Or more logically, we could ask Rosemary.�
�� She turned to Thornton. “We could meet for lunch tomorrow.”

  “I need to see him tonight,” Thornton insisted. “I’m not letting the two of you out of my sight until I do.”

  Elizabeth eyed his rather rumpled appearance. “Will they let you into Delmonico’s dressed like that?”

  The answer, of course, was no. Gentlemen dressed for dinner.

  “And,” Elizabeth continued, “we have no guarantee that Rosemary and the duke will be interested in meeting us at Delmonico’s at all.”

  “I thought he was an earl,” Thornton said sourly.

  “I was just confused when I called him a duke,” Anna said by way of explanation, although it explained nothing.

  Elizabeth’s mind had been racing throughout this entire inane conversation, and she thought she might have a solution. “I know, the earl has an appointment with Gideon tomorrow.”

  Thornton immediately perked up. “Is he giving the money to Bates then?”

  “Don’t be silly, of course not. Gideon would never participate in something illegal.”

  “He participated when you swindled me over the rifles.”

  “I had nothing to do with that, as you well know, and neither did Gideon.”

  “I know you were behind it somehow.”

  “No, you don’t, which makes this whole blackmail scheme ridiculous, but here we are. I’m sorry, but I don’t know any other way for you to meet the earl. You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.”

  “I told you, I have to leave town, and I’m not leaving you alone until I meet him.”

  Elizabeth gave him a pitying look. “Are you planning to stay here with me all night? And what about Miss Vanderslice? Is she free to go or are you going to keep her a prisoner as well? If you let her go, she will most likely contact Gideon or the police, perhaps both, and if you keep her here, I’m sure her mother will be concerned when she doesn’t return home. Mrs. Vanderslice will probably telephone me to ask if I’ve seen her, and what shall I say? That we’re being held hostage by Oscar Thornton?”

  “You’ll just tell her Miss Vanderslice is spending the night with you,” he snarled.