The Lady Is Innocent (The Star Elite Series)

by Rebecca King

  Pie stared deeply into her eyes but could see nothing but honesty and confusion staring back at him. He had a vague feeling that he knew what Tabatha had done, but then discounted the notion. Surely her aunt wouldn’t be that duplicitous, could she? Pie puffed out his cheeks and studied the note carefully.

  He dropped the missive on the blanket box beside them and turned to stand directly in front of Florrie. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him, waiting patiently until she tipped her head back to stare up at him.

  “Tell me the absolute truth, Florrie,” Pie demanded in a voice that was nothing short of a husky growl.

  Florrie stared up at his green eyes and shivered. There was a hard determination there that left her under no misapprehension that he would get to the truth, even if she wasn’t the one tell him.

  “Are these your gambling debts? If they are, Jamie may be able to help you but, if they are Tabatha’s, he won’t do anything except keep you safe.”

  “They aren’t my debts, Pie,” Florrie whispered, fighting bitter frustration that he wasn’t prepared to believe her. “I don’t gamble and never have. Tabatha has, of late, become like a voracious monster with a thirst for gambling that is never appeased. Nothing stops her. I have begged and pleaded, threatened and cajoled, yet she persists in selling everything out from under us to feed her need to gamble. She is gone for hours and, more often than not, comes back empty handed, Pie. How have these people gotten hold of my name?”

  “I think that if things have become desperate for her and she ran out of credit in her own name, she could very well have given your name to get her hands on funds.”

  Florrie gasped and stared up at him in horror. Her immediate denial was snatched by the relentless grasp of betrayal and she knew that Pie was right. She stared down at the note in horror. She felt sick. Surely Tabatha wouldn’t sink this low, would she? But a small part of her warned her that her aunt would indeed stoop so low as to give a false name in order to continue gambling.

  “Oh God, Pie, what am I going to do?” She whispered, staring down at the note as though it were going to pop up and bite her. Her immediate wild surge of panic was replaced by determination to uncover the truth and prove her innocence. “Surely, when they see me, they will realise that the debt isn’t mine. That it is Tabatha’s and they need to chase her.”

  Pie sighed and wished he could reassure her. “I suppose they could,” he didn’t try to hide the doubt from his voice.

  Florrie glanced at him. Her stomach sank to her toes at his steady gaze and she knew that he didn’t believe it possible. “They won’t care, will they?” She whispered, blinking away the salty tang of tears.

  Pie slowly shook his head. “People like this don’t care who they get the money they are owed from, as long as they get paid.”

  “But I haven’t taken any money from them,” she wailed, holding her arms out wildly. “Why should I be the one who has to pay them?”

  “Does your aunt have the money on her?”

  Florrie paused and looked at him blankly. “I am not sure. She seems determined to speak to me but, frankly, I don’t care what she has got to say. She has tried to get me to speak to Dexter for her but I have refused to get involved. This isn’t my problem, or hasn’t been, until now.”

  “You both recognised the man in the churchyard yesterday. Do you think that she was trying to get you to make the payment there?”

  “I wouldn’t put it past her but she looked scared rather than expectant. I don’t want to get involved, but it doesn’t look as though I have much choice now, does it?”

  Pie wished he could drag Tabatha out of her room and force the truth out of her, but he knew the woman was better off staying out of sight. He was so angry with her that he was struggling to keep control of the urge to stomp down the corridor, kick the door down and demand answers from the wretched woman before frog-marching her to the village green tomorrow to make the payment herself and set her creditor right as to her true identity.

  “Does Tabatha have access to your personal papers and finances?”

  Florrie shook her head. “The papers are held by my uncle, Silas. He dealt with the sale of my parent’s house when they passed away and has been supervising my trust fund. My uncle Archibald was the one who provided me with a house to live in. Between them, I was adequately cared for, I suppose.” She was very grateful that Silas had been the one to take over responsibility for Florrie’s financial welfare. He had also been the person who had overseen the purchase of Florrie’s new home, and had shown her the financial statements confirming that Florrie had enough to live off without needing to struggle or watch the pennies too much.

  “So, Tabatha doesn’t have access to any funds of yours?”

  Florrie shook her head. “I think she has tried to get more money out of Silas. He has been paying Tabatha a regular amount of money to provide for my upkeep but Tabatha has complained of late that it isn’t enough. Silas has refused to give her any more funds though.” She didn’t add that Silas knew that Florrie’s presence in her aunt’s house was coming to an end because of the increasing gambling addiction, and had refused to accommodate the older woman’s greed at Florrie’s expense.

  “Good,” Pie sighed, picking up the note again. “I am going to find out if Tabatha has the funds to pay the first instalment on her. If she does, then she is going to have to hand it over. If not, then we will have to come up with something.”

  “But I am not going to be the one who takes it,” Florrie protested. She could see no reason why she had to get involved.

  “I think you are going to have to be,” Pie argued with a sigh.

  He hated the thought of Florrie going anywhere near Dexter, but if Tabatha had secured debts in Florrie’s name, the man needed to see that Florrie wasn’t the person he thought she was. To do that though, she had to get close to him to confirm her identity and explain Tabatha’s deception.

  Pie wondered where his colleagues were and what they were planning on doing tomorrow. There were enough of them in attendance at Crompton to ensure that Florrie was well protected while she made the payment at the specified point and time. They could find out who the creditor was, and catch up with him to reveal a few home truths. They would also take the opportunity to find out if he had any connection to the body that was found in the churchyard. Pie relished the prospect of getting to the truth.

  “Get some rest for today,” Pie murmured, trailing a gentle finger down her pale cheek. There were dark smudges beneath her eyes that hadn’t been there before; a testament to how hard the day had been on her. He frowned a little and wondered where the tenderness had come from. He was about the least tender person he had ever come across. Giving himself a mental shake, he threw her a brief smile and quietly left.

  Florrie was dreading the next day. She glanced around and realised that Pie had taken the note with him. She was glad that it was gone from her room. Having the wretched thing near her made her feel a bit sordid and she was glad to be rid of it. She didn’t need to read it again; the words were indelibly printed on her brain. It was still early yet and her stomach rumbled hungrily. She contemplated the bell pull for a moment but didn’t really have any appetite for anything.

  Instead she quietly made her way to the door and turned the key in the lock. After closing the shutters and curtains, she clambered into bed with a sigh. As she settled down under the blankets she heard the rattle of the knob and knew that Tabatha was trying to get in again. She briefly contemplated getting out of bed and giving the wretched woman a piece of her mind, but Pie’s words floated back to her. She had to stay away from her poisonous aunt now, especially if she was trying to implicate Florrie in her sordid schemes.

  One thing was certain, Florrie wasn’t going to be able to return to Tabatha’s house for any length of time. She would have to go back, but only long enough to collect her belongings before she left for good. Then, as far as Florrie was concerned, Tabatha could gamble
her heart away.

  A small voice asked her how she hoped to stop Tabatha from using Florrie’s name to amass debts once she had left. A tendril of fear snaked up her spine at the thought of losing her beloved cottage in Norfolk through no fault of her own. She wondered if Pie, or Jamie, would be prepared to have a word with Tabatha and try to prevent her aunt from fraudulently running up debts and putting Florrie in danger. If not, then Florrie needed to make enquiries about the legalities of ensuring her aunt met with justice.

  Whatever happened tomorrow, she could only hope that more of the truth will be revealed and Tabatha would be shown in her true colours to everyone. If not, then Florrie’s future had suddenly become very dire indeed.

  Pie left the study later that night with a yawn and a sigh of relief. He said goodnight to the others and nodded to the night watchman as he ambled past.

  He was grateful for the willingness of his friends to become involved in Florrie’s meeting with the creditor tomorrow. They had all been eager to discuss the finer details more minutely, and had gone over the possibilities again and again until they had covered all eventualities.

  The men who would be keeping watch would leave before dawn and take up their positions around the village green. Rupert and Hugo would remain on horseback and go after the man who collected the funds. They had no doubt that the creditor himself wouldn’t turn up, instead some lackey would appear and act as a courier. Still, he would have to deliver the money somewhere and Rupert and Hugo would find out where and when.

  Pie was satisfied that tomorrow would bring about some answers. This was something the Star Elite excelled at, and he knew that they had left no stone unturned in their planning. The creditor would be confronted, the true identity of the gambler identified and the debt dealt with, either by Hugo, or by Tabatha. Either way, Pie had made it clear to Hugo that Florrie wasn’t able to pay and, as such, had to be protected. For some strange reason Pie chose not to look into, Hugo had agreed to ensure that Florrie wouldn’t be pursued for the debt when she left Melvedere.

  It was agreed by everyone that they should take the opportunity of questioning the creditor as to his potential involvement with the body in the churchyard. They would also try to uncover the identity of the corpse still lying in the church crypt.

  None of them were ignorant of the fact that they still had no idea who the man was. Luckily, the church was on the Melvedere estate and they could restrict access to locals and ensure that nobody accidentally stumbled upon the bloodied corpse. The staff who had cleaned the church directly after the wedding had been told to stay away from the area until they were given permission to open the church back up for Portia and Archie’s wedding in ten days’ time. The body was secure for now, but they had to dispose of it somehow, and they were reluctant to just send it to a pauper’s grave if there was a relative sitting somewhere who was anxiously waiting for news of someone who had been the victim of a random act of murder.

  It wasn’t lost on any of them that the clock was now ticking. They had to uncover the identity of the body so they knew how best to move it on. To do that they had to find out what significance the man had had, if any, on their spy smugglers’ operation. They also need to uncover the truth about Florrie’s involvement in his death while gathering as much information as they could on the depth and scale of the gambling debts, along with the true identity of the debtor.

  Shaking his head in disgust at the growing list of tasks they had to undertake, Pie ruefully made his way into his room and closed the door with a sigh of relief. He almost envied Jamie, safely ensconced up at Melvedere, oblivious to the latest investigation the Star Elite had been dragged into.

  Although they had agreed that Jamie needed to know what was happening at some point in the next few days. However, for now he needed to spend some time with his new wife and, until they had a few more details to convey to him, there was really no point in disturbing his honeymoon.

  With the prospect of an early start looming, Pie yawned widely and climbed into bed. Whatever surprises tomorrow had in store, he would get to the truth if he had to dig it out with his bare hands, and woe betide Florrie if she had told him a pack of lies.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Everyone was in position. Pie stood in the shadows of an alleyway between two houses in Melvedere village, with the village green in sight. He knew that Hugo and Rupert were waiting on horseback at either end of the village. None of them had any idea if the courier was collecting the money on horseback or on foot, but they were prepared for either eventuality.

  Stephen was hiding just across the green, while Simon was keeping guard back at Crompton, just in case this was a ruse and the real intent of the creditor was to get the men out of the house.

  Florrie was standing trembling beside him. Although she was wrapped in a long cloak, she was pale and visibly shaking.

  “Do you have the pouch of coins?”

  She nodded jerkily. Her fingers tightened on the heavy weight in her cloak pocket. She felt sick, and turned frantic eyes on Pie. “I can’t do it,” she whispered. “What do I do if he talks to me?”

  “Just tell him that you are Florrie but you haven’t run the debts up, Tabatha has. Give him her direction and her full name and leave. Don’t converse with him any more than that. Don’t answer any questions, don’t give him any other information, and don’t go near him or allow him to approach you.”

  Pie studied her blank face and wondered if she was taking any of his instructions in; he doubted it. She looked absolutely petrified. He wondered if she would have the strength to go through with the meeting. He had intended to give her his gun but given her current state, knew that she would either forget to use it, or shoot her own foot. He couldn’t take the risk that she would do something stupid with it. Shaking his head, he mentally cursed and wondered if they had made the right decision in allowing Florrie to do this. Tabatha should be the one going through this debacle instead of Florrie. Pie stared down at Florrie’s dark eyes and wondered what was going through her mind. She looked almost ready to run, and that was something that he couldn’t allow to happen. If she went to meet the man full of blind panic, she could do something or say something that would reveal the presence of the Star Elite, and that would ruin all of their careful planning, as well as put all of their lives at risk.

  “Florrie? Listen to me,” Pie murmured, tipping his head down until she met steady gaze. “Remain calm, there is nothing to fear. You are giving him money, nothing else.” His voice dipped to a whisper. He bit back the curse of frustration at the panic that lingered in her depths of her dark eyes. He glanced down and sighed at the sight of her small hands clutching the folds of his shirt.

  “I am being silly, aren’t I?”

  “You aren’t. Your nerves are perfectly understandable, but this man isn’t going to hurt you. As far as he is concerned, you owe him money. It will go against his own purposes if he hurts you because then you won’t be able to pay him back what he is owed.”

  The logic was there in Pie’s voice, but it still didn’t quell the nerves in Florrie’s stomach. She wondered for a moment if the light breakfast she had choked down was going to come back up again.

  “God, I hate Tabatha for doing this to me,” she whispered, her voice quivering with nerves and anger.

  “Then use that to straighten your shoulders, my lady. You have done nothing wrong. Drop the money off and move away.”

  “Do I wait?”

  “No, turn around and walk away if nobody turns up. We are nearly at noon now.”

  Melvedere wasn’t very big. It was a relief to see that the small village was almost deserted: it would make keeping an eye on Florrie considerably easier if they weren’t interrupted by passing villagers.

  “Relax, everything will be alright.” Pie wished he could go in her place.

  She turned to look at him. He was tall and solid, but the gentle reassurance in his eyes began to calm her scattered nerves.

  “How much lo
nger?” she whispered when silence settled between them and an unknown tension began to rise.

  “A few minutes,” Pie replied gently. He lifted a finger and trailed it down her cheek. Thanks to the winds, she had more colour in them today, in spite of her nerves. She really was beautiful.

  Florrie knew that she should back away. Pie had already told her that the men from the Star Elite would be on watch, and ready to follow the creditor. Hugo was prepared to have a word with the man and set the record straight as to who owed the money and they had all given her reassurances that nothing would go wrong if she did as they told her to. She glanced down at her fingers clutching his shirt, but couldn’t bring herself to let go. Luckily, Pie made no attempt to move away.

  Instead he edged ever closer.

  She watched his head lower to hers until their noses were only inches apart. He stopped and looked at her. His gaze studied and assessed her before he finally made a decision about something. She sighed as his head dipped.

  Her eyes closed at the first brush of his lips against hers. Her fingers tightened on the fine wool of his cloak and she drew herself up onto her tiptoes to meet his kiss. She felt strangely wanton in accepting his kisses as readily as she did, but she couldn’t stop him. She had no idea what she was doing but made no protest as he angled his head slightly and pressed his lips more firmly against hers.

  She gasped as the hot sweep of his tongue touched her bottom lip. The slight opening of her mouth was all Pie needed to deepen the kiss. He placed one hand on the back of her head. He struggled with the urge to slide his fingers into her hair and scatter pins everywhere. They didn’t have the time. He felt rather than heard her soft sigh of supplication, and was somewhat triumphant when she melted against him. Sweeping her into his arms, he pulled her flush against his hardness and took a moment to wrap her in his arms while his lips captured and commanded hers.

  Florrie had no idea how long they stood locked in the intimate embrace but, all too soon, Pie eased slowly backward. Her cheeks flushed at her wanton behaviour but she couldn’t regret a single moment of what had just happened. She felt slightly dazed and stared up at him blankly for a moment. She watched a slow smile of satisfaction soften his face and knew then that he had intended for it to calm her nerves. He had wanted to distract her and had succeeded admirably. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and wasn’t sure whether to be alarmed, relieved or frustrated.