Mark of Caine Trilogy: Book One: Hidden in the Shadows (Victorian Villains)

by Catherine Lloyd

  What she felt in his arms was as she feared. Mr. Caine’s manner had become cold and impersonal—the soul of an assassin. Strangely, this was the crack in his armour she had been seeking. If she could fight down her panic and go quiet within, she could read his thoughts.

  Laura closed her eyes.

  A conflict was raging within him. Tanner Caine was a man divided, torn between a powerful desire for something that Laura could not make out and his duty.

  And then she saw a message ... a string of words ... seen as clearly as jewels in a crown.

  Startled, Laura stared into her assassin’s troubled eyes.

  “There is something wrong. You do not want kill me.”

  The look on his face was one of horror. He dropped her wrist as though burned and flung her away from him. Laura stumbled back.

  “I don’t know what you talking about,” he snarled. “I am here to bring you home to your father.” Tanner crossed his arms over his chest. “Have you told anyone else what you suspect about me—Dr. Rutledge for example or Mrs. Sutherland?”

  “No. I was curious to see what you would do first. My father did not send you and when Dr. Rutledge receives confirmation that the letter is forged, he will have you shown off the property. You did not plan on my refusing to go with you.”

  “If I were an assassin, I would not wait for your permission. I would strangle you here out of sight from everyone. Your body would not be discovered for days behind this hedge.”

  Laura swallowed. For all her bravado, Tanner Caine had the upper hand and she did not want to die in the hedge maze. “It was risk drawing you here, I know. I remind you that you are not immune from prosecution. You will face the hangman—assuming you care about your neck; I doubt you do—but I daresay your employer would not appreciate the scandal. I am gambling on the attempt on my life being made on the journey to Dorset.”

  “You seem to have it all worked out. But you are mistaken. I am here to help you.”

  This second denial took Laura by surprise. Coupled with the precognition that Tanner Caine did not want to kill her, Laura was beginning to doubt her judgement.

  “Regardless of whether your offer to help is genuine,” she said impatiently, “you are not who you say you are! That much is a fact. Mr. Caine, you did not come from my father. I haven’t had any visitors in over a year. They are preventing people from coming to see me; they are afraid of what I might tell them. Who sent you?” she demanded.

  “As I have said, I am acquainted with your friend Clara Hamilton. Her new husband, Branson, is my stepbrother.”

  Laura pressed her fingers to her lips and frowned. “But he is a Hamilton is he not?”

  “He was adopted by Hamilton as a boy. We were separated for many years. Mrs. Hamilton has put her faith in me; I would advise you to do the same if you wish to leave this place.”

  She hung back. “How do I know you are telling the truth? I have no way to confirm your story. Clara never mentioned that Branson had a brother.”

  “Ah, let’s see ... I attended Clara and Branson’s wedding. She wore a gown of yellow and white silk, the main object of which was to hide her seven month pregnancy. ”

  Laura clapped her hands over her mouth to smother her laughter. “I suspected as much, but then Clara was never discreet about her feelings for Mr. Hamilton.”

  “Having met the lady, I am not at all surprised.” He forced a smile. “Mrs. Hamilton is aware of my purpose in visiting you. She asked me to mention our connection in order to reassure you.”

  “How did Branson and Clara meet?”

  A flicker crossed his face, the slightest hint of a slip up. Laura seized upon it. “You don’t know, do you? If you are who you say you are, you would know the answer.”

  “My God, we don’t have time for this,” he ground out. “Clara is concerned about you. She said if you were not mad before, you surely would be if you stayed much longer at Gateshead. I offered my help to get you out.”

  “I am sorry, Mr. Caine, but it will not do. Too much time has been lost to mince words. We only have a few minutes before I am called back. I will not deceive you and you must not deceive me. Come, let us shake on it and be completely frank with one another. The brother you claim to have recently recovered is Clara’s cousin, Branson Hamilton. Theirs was an arranged marriage. They are not related by blood. Branson’s stepfather was Clara’s uncle.

  “If you were indeed her friend as you claim, you would have known about the relationship, but you did not. I believe you were present at her wedding; that has the ring of truth to it.” She narrowed her eyes, thinking his story through. “But you were an unexpected guest. You were not sent for by Clara or her cousin, Branson.”

  “Was I not?”

  They stood facing each other.

  Caine’s eyes were black and unreadable but he was angry—Laura could almost taste his fury. It was in the air between them, like the acrid smell of hair on fire. Tanner Caine wore his anger like a suit. His rage was a storm boiling beneath his olive skin and black flashing eyes.

  He did not frighten her but then Laura did not frighten easily. She was not proud of this quality. She considered it a weakness and the source of her downfall. Arrogant independence, recklessness, and a determination to have her own way had landed her in trouble on more than one occasion, until at last her fearlessness had landed her in Gateshead.

  “Shall we do this all afternoon?” Laura asked. “Shall we fence with the truth, pretending we don’t know why you are here? I will not say the words for you, Mr. Caine. You must have the courage of your convictions to look me in the eye and tell me who sent you and why.”

  His expression changed again in really the most baffling way. Laura could not keep up. She went quiet within, trying very hard to penetrate his shell without success. Finally, she decided to ask him out right.

  “Have you been sent from Queen Victoria to kill me?”

  He met her eyes. “I have not. But you are right—your father did not send me and Clara Hamilton knows very little about my mission. I could not tell you the truth before this. My orders are confidential. I have been sent by Princess Louise to get you out. No one can know about this. There must be no connection between what happens here today and the Crown.”

  “Louise...? It was Louise...!” Laura buried her hands over her face, overcome by emotion. Her friend had not forgotten her. It all made sense now—Tanner’s strange behaviour, his secrecy and brash falsehood—he had been sent by a Royal, but not the Royal she had anticipated.

  “I swear I will not breathe a word of this to anyone. This is a miracle! Then you believe me—how did you hear the story? Did Louise tell you herself? I knew she would do something to help me if she could. You don’t look like one of Queen Victoria’s men—”

  “I was hired through a private firm in Baker Street. All of our dealings with the Princess were handled through correspondence that was burned as soon as it was read. I believe your story, though I’ve only been given a rough sketch of it. I am here to help you and Her Royal Highness where I can. The letter was not as effective as I’d hoped, but it bought us some time.”

  Tanner Caine pulled a bundle of clothing from the leather satchel that was slung across his shoulder. “I have brought a nurse’s uniform—a disguise to get you out of here. You’ll act as my escort and show me off the grounds.”

  “I shall be recognized.”

  “The wimple will conceal your hair. Keep your face down. We’ll take the side path around the building and avoid the front entrance. My horse is tethered at the edge of Bracknell Forest. It can be managed without raising the alarm. I know what I’m doing, Miss Mayhew. I’ve done this before. Have no fear.”

  A shout was heard coming over the high hedge border. Mr. Caine’s coal black eyes widened. “Shit!”

  “What is it?”

  There arose another shout. “Miss Laura, where are you?”

  “We’ve been found out. Rutledge must have discovered Sir Mayhew was not
in Dorset. This changes everything. We shall have to move fast. Quickly! Remove your dress.”

  Tanner watched as Laura’s fingers fumbled with the buttons of her bodice. She opened the plain gown and removed it without a blush of shame. She was not wearing a corset. Quite possibly the hospital could not run to the expense. Or perhaps it was for the protection of the patients who would try to strangle themselves on the laces.

  He distracted himself with this speculation, even as his eyes moved over her shapely form. She was not tall, her legs were not long, but she had a sprightly sexuality, innocent and yet there was something about Laura Mayhew that beckoned. There was a duality in her nature and Tanner could not pinpoint its source. She was not what she appeared to be. Her beauty made it hard to think clearly in her presence and his lack of focus disturbed him.

  The strap of her undergarment was loose and slipped from her shoulder as she bent to step out of her skirt. Tanner caught sight of a pert, round breast. His cock stiffened. Heat flooded his face. Good God, he exercised better self-control with Prince Edward’s randy whores.

  “Would you like some privacy,” he asked, unconsciously lifting his hand to hide the left side of his face.

  “Inmates are accustomed to undressing in front of strangers. There is no place for feminine modesty at Gatehead Asylum. In any case, there isn’t time.”

  When she looked in his direction, it was he who felt uncomfortably exposed. She seemed to see all the way inside him. His entire life was reflected in Laura Mayhew’s ocean green eyes.

  Her arms were slim and pale, almost translucent; her skin put him in mind of the inside of an oyster’s shell. He’d never seen anyone so beautiful and her perfection made him self-conscious of his imperfection for the first time in many years.

  She was unnaturally thin; the bones of her shoulders were sharp under the thin cotton slip.

  “Did they not feed you in there?” he blurted out with annoyance.

  She shrugged. “They fed us enough. The trick is keeping the others from stealing one’s portion. I was not always successful.”

  Her hair was the colour of sunshine through an autumn leaf. Tanner could not give a name to the glinting, glowing shower of red sparks and yellow gold.

  Laura peered at him, her head tilted to one side, examining him as though he was a curiosity.

  “Do you find me grotesque?” he asked gruffly, and then privately cursed himself for caring what she thought. “My deformity has been a stumbling block for other young ladies I have tried to help. You are not the first to be repelled.”

  “I am not repelled. On the contrary....” Laura’s gaze drifted over the planes and lines of his face. Tanner blinked, momentarily blinded by a flash of sunlight. “The curls in your hair are so dark they absorb light like indigo ink. You are far too handsome to be real.”

  Tanner scowled. “Do not mock me.”

  “Then do not ask me if I find you grotesque! You know you are not.”

  He turned slightly so that the deformed side of his face was presented to her. Let her stare if she liked and think on. “Hurry and dress. They are almost here.”

  “They don’t know the way. No one does except me. I have spent many hours decoding this maze. I know exactly how to get out. Hand me the uniform.”

  He listened, lifting his ear to the wind, reminding her of an animal alert to danger. “It’s too late for that—they’ve found us. Shit.”

  “I’ve got them cornered, Doctor! At the very end—I can hear their voices! Turn left and then right at the statue. I knew we would find them here!”

  Tanner shot Laura a look of grim resolution as Rutledge and Sutherland rushed around the hedge, followed by two orderlies. In a flash, he caught her in his arms and crushed his mouth against hers in a show of passionate lovemaking.

  His performance had the desired effect. Mrs. Sutherland screamed as Dr. Rutledge bellowed at the orderlies to get him off the girl. As he was wrenched back, Tanner glanced at Laura in glazed surprise.

  “What the devil is going on here?” bellowed Rutledge. “Mr. Caine! You are a fraudster, sir—what do you mean by interfering with my patient?”

  Tanner shook free of the orderly who restrained him. “I have a claim to Miss Mayhew that her father has cruelly ignored! We were engaged to be married when Laura was seventeen-years-old, over Sir Mayhew’s objections. We kept the engagement secret until I could make my fortune. When I returned last week, I was informed her father had committed her to Gateshead. I had to see her for myself, to know that she was all right. I swear that’s all I intended when I came here.” Tanner’s eyes found Laura’s. “But something came over me—Miss Mayhew is not to blame. She is as beautiful as I remember. I’ve fallen in love with her.”

  He turned to the doctor, decisively. “We want to be married. Now. Today.”

  “And not a moment too soon, I should think,” huffed Matron, wringing her hands. “I never thought I would see such a thing from a lady of your class, Miss Laura. With or without her father’s consent, we cannot allow the girl to be ruined, Doctor.”

  Rutledge was not so easily persuaded. “Laura, you have never spoken to me about a secret engagement. Is what Mr. Caine saying true? You must not be afraid to tell me.”

  Tanner resisted the urge to look at her. The moment hung between them.

  “Laura, are you or are you not secretly engaged to this man?”

  She blushed crimson and would not meet Tanner’s eyes. “I thought he had forgotten me. I did not like to think of him or—or to talk about him. I’m sorry, I did not tell you, Dr. Rutledge. It is true, we are engaged.”

  Chapter Five

  DOCTOR RUTLEDGE glared at Mrs. Sutherland as though it was her fault. Mrs. Sutherland began to cry.

  “This will be a black mark on this institution—a black mark,” he said severely. “One of our female inmates caught in a sexual embrace with a male visitor! All right then, put your clothes on. Do not stand there risking further damage to your reputation. A daughter of a peer of the realm. A cousin to Queen Victoria—oh God, it doesn’t bear thinking about.” He rubbed his face. “We are already under scrutiny by those fools who don’t understand what we are trying to accomplish here.”

  “Her father is the real culprit if you ask me,” sniffed Matron. “He ought to have informed us his daughter had a fiancé. Even if he objected to the match, her doctor should have been informed. Patient history is vital to treatment.”

  “Yes, all right, but it appears we must get these young people married straightaway.”

  Tanner stepped forward. “Sir, with your permission, I’ll take Miss Mayhew to Dorset and we will be married in her family’s parish.”

  “No sir, no you will not. I’m afraid that will never do. Miss Mayhew leaves Gateshead your wife or she does not leave Gateshead at all. Mrs. Sutherland, notify the curate his services are required.”

  Tanner felt Laura grip his arm. He quietly took her hand and crushed it in his to stifle her protest. “I am trying to think of something,” he muttered under his breath. “Do not panic. Now, Miss Mayhew, if you don’t mind, put these clothes on and quickly.”

  He helped her into the grey bodice of the nursing uniform and while she fastened the hooks, he reached for the skirt. Laura stepped into it and Tanner hooked it at the back.

  Laura restored the ribbon to her beautiful hair. “Why am I wearing this?”

  “Because we’re caught now and there’s no way to put it back without arousing suspicion. Besides it is new and in better condition than the dress you were wearing. It looks well with your hair.”

  “My appearance on my wedding day would only be a matter of concern,” she whispered nervously, “if I intended to marry at all.”

  “Come. If you are ready, we must go.”

  He disposed of her institutional dress in a gap in the hedge. Hand-in-hand, they followed the others out of the maze.

  When they reached the entrance, Tanner turned on his heel and marched toward the gate. Laura hu
rried after him. “Where are you going?” she hissed.

  “Slowly, Slowly,” he ordered in a low voice. “Take your time. They are still watching us. Nod your head in my direction as though I’ve said something. Good. That’s good. Wait until they go inside and then we’ll make a run for it. We are almost there. There is my horse.”

  “Mr. Caine, this way if you please! Dr. Rutledge is waiting for you and the young lady in the chapel. Come now, children. I know you are frightened but you must be strong. You are making the right decision, I promise you. Now, do come along and do not keep the vicar waiting!”

  Laura had been walking beside Tanner with her head down and her hands folded in front of her. At the sound of Matron’s voice, she stopped and turned, realizing the impossibility of getting away.

  “This is madness. I cannot marry you, Mr. Caine,” she whispered fiercely.

  He nodded and waved to Mrs. Sutherland, then took Laura’s arm and guided her up the steps to the front door of the asylum. His face was tense but his eye was fixed as they walked down the hall to the chapel.

  “We are not being given a choice, madam. This is the only method to get you out. As my wife, I can have you released today without repercussion.” He glanced down at her and forced a smile to his lips. He looked like a wolf baring his teeth. “Do you want to help Princess Louise? Do you regard this sacrifice too great compared to hers in sending me to you?”

  One of the nurses rushed forward and kindly pressed a small bouquet of flowers into Laura’s hands. “You look lovely, Miss Laura. Best wishes for your happiness.”

  Stunned, Laura held the flowers and allowed Tanner to walk her down the aisle toward the altar. Her mind circled over the consequences of calling a halt to the ceremony. She could not marry a man she didn’t know, but she could not endure the dreams of Louise’s baby without doing something and soon.