The Faerie Ring

by Kiki Hamilton

  “You didn’t get it, did you,” Rieker said in a low voice.

  “No,” Tiki replied. Her worried eyes flicked to his. “Leo surprised me in the hallway before I could get to the spot where I’d hidden it,” she said. “He practically dragged me into that alcove to admire the painting.” She didn’t want to give Rieker too many clues to where the ring might be hidden. “He suspects us, could you tell?”

  Rieker released a long sigh. “He did seem a bit out of sorts.”

  Tiki glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. There were so many things she wanted to ask him, but it was like sitting next to a stranger. He was so handsome, so self-assured. Damn Rieker anyway. He pretended to be her friend, but in the end he was nothing more than a thief in search of the biggest treasure either of them had ever seen.

  Rieker leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling of the coach. “Now we have a problem. I don’t know how we’re going to get back in there.” He drummed his fingers on the arm of the seat as he thought. “I was afraid something was off. He left so abruptly after you went down the hall that I was sure he intended to intercept you.” He gave Tiki a half-smile. “Luckily the prince is besotted with your beauty and charm. He didn’t outright accuse you of anything.”

  “Beauty and charm.” Tiki gave a half-laugh, remembering her distorted image in the mirror at Buckingham. “You don’t make a good liar, Rieker.”

  “Actually, I’m quite accomplished in that area,” Rieker replied lightly. “But I’m not lying. You’re like a different person when you’re dressed in decent clothes and actually clean.” He raised an eyebrow as he smiled, somehow looking charming and rakish at the same time. “There were moments when I stood there today and wondered who the beautiful creature was flirting with Prince Leopold.”

  “Flirting!” Tiki exclaimed. “I did not flirt with him.”

  Rieker threw his head back and laughed. “‘I would be honored to ride with you, Leo,’” he mimicked in a falsetto.

  Tiki blushed. “Pardon my lack of proper etiquette. I’m not used to socializing with royalty like some people.” Her temper flared as she thought of Rieker’s deception. “Exactly how rich are you, Wills? Why do you hide among orphans and steal from rich people? Why do you need the ring if you’re rich?” Her emotions confused her and sharpened her tongue. “If you’ve overspent your allowance, I’m sure your dear father will just give you more.”

  “I don’t have an allowance.” Rieker’s voice was low, but his tone held a warning.

  “Well, maybe you should ask for one. Don’t all young men of your position have stacks of money available for their every whim?” Tiki sneered at him. “No doubt you’ve got lands of your own, too. Maybe you should sell some so you don’t have to steal.” Tiki didn’t even know why she was so angry. One comment had led to another, and now she was saying things she didn’t even mean. “Or maybe your mum has some jewelry you can pawn so you can keep up with the royals.”

  A multitude of emotions flashed across Rieker’s face before a darkness settled in his eyes and his mouth thinned to an angry line. “I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone. What I choose to do with my life is my business.” His words came out in a growl. He leaned forward and slid open a small window to the driver with a bang.

  “Geoffrey, stop. I’m going to walk. Please deliver Miss Dunbar to Charing Cross.” Without another word, he yanked the door open.

  “Rieker, wait.” Tiki reached for his arm. Regret filled her. She had gone too far. “I didn’t mean it like it sounded, it’s just—” But Rieker yanked his arm free, slid out the door, and slammed it closed. Tiki felt the carriage jerk as the horses started moving forward again, the jingle of their reins mingling with the staccato rhythm of their hooves on the cobblestones. She pressed her face to the small rear window and could see his dark head above the others in the street. But he never glanced back toward the carriage before he disappeared into the crowd. She slumped back into her seat. Now what was she going to do?

  * * *

  “HOW did it go?” Toots asked as soon as Tiki came through the back door. Shamus was whittling a swan from a piece of wood where he sat close to the stove, and Fiona sat nearby, stitching the sleeve of Rieker’s jacket. They both watched her in anticipation.

  Tiki shrugged, still angry and upset at her fight with Rieker. She was bothered not only by what she had said, but also by the fact that his actions mattered to her.

  “Didn’t work. I think Prince Leo suspects I’m connected with the disappearance of the ring. He seems especially curious about my mark.”

  “Connected?” Fiona said. “He can’t arrest you, can he?”

  “Where’s Rieker?” Shamus asked.

  Tiki tried not to snap her answer. “I don’t know. He got out of the hansom cab and walked.” She turned her back to Fiona. “Fi, can you unhook some of these buttons?”

  “Walked?” Shamus repeated. He carved off several strips of wood. “Walked where? It was his carriage, wasn’t it?”

  “We had a fight,” Tiki admitted.

  Fiona’s fingers froze against her back. Shamus paused in his whittling and waited.

  “Well, Leo obviously suspected us,” Tiki said defensively, “and I couldn’t get the ring, and then Rieker was all chummy with both princes because he grew up with them and I didn’t really belong there at all.” She took a breath. “And then, on the way home, he was insulting me about—”

  “He insulted you?” Toots interrupted.

  “Yes. Well…” Tiki cleared her throat. “Sort of. He was teasing me in an insulting way and then I said something and he said something”—she waved her hands—“and then it was just a big fight and he got out and walked.” Tiki ducked her head. “It just goes to show you that we can’t rely on Rieker anyway. We’ve got to depend on each other, like we always do, to figure out a way to save Clara. It’s the only way.” Tiki held her dress in place as she jerked around to face Shamus. “We don’t need Rieker. I’m going to go on my own and find Larkin.”

  “Slow down, Tiki,” Shamus said. He spoke with his usual measured pace, but his face was creased with concern. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Rieker seems to understand these things better than we do.”

  “He understands how to get what he wants. I’m going to do what’s best for us.” Tiki stomped behind the privacy blanket and yanked the dress down over her hips. She hadn’t needed Rieker’s help to survive this long. She didn’t need his help to save Clara, either.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  LEO tightened the cinch on Diablo, ignoring the snort of protest from the big horse. “You’re not the only one who doesn’t want to go riding at this hour,” he muttered. He patted his coat pocket again, reassuring himself that the bag containing fifty £10 notes was safely stored.

  “I’ve just asked a few men to hide around the tree in St. James’ Park.” Arthur’s face was drawn in a worried frown. “Are you sure I shouldn’t come along?” he asked again.

  “No, Arthur,” Leo responded with a sigh. “And I asked you not to have any men out there. The note said ‘alone.’ If they had wanted to do us harm, they would have gone about it in a different way, not by stealing a ring. All they want is the money.” He grabbed Diablo’s reins and led him from the stable. “I say let’s give them what they want and be done with this mess.”

  “Well, I don’t have anyone following you. They’re just positioned to keep an eye and to see if they can catch sight of the thieves.”

  Leo gave him a sharp glance. “Make sure they don’t follow me. There is no way they could remain unseen at midnight. There’s bloody few people out at this hour to hide behind.”

  Arthur didn’t reply as he walked along beside his brother.

  Leo pulled Diablo to a stop and stepped into the stirrup, pulling himself effortlessly into the saddle, the leather creaking with his added weight. He looked down at Arthur. “Go have a drink, Arthur. I’ll be home before you can figure out your next move on the
chessboard.” He threaded the leather reins through his fingers. “With the ring.”

  “Be careful.”

  The prince squeezed Diablo’s sides and headed into the dark night, the horse’s hoofbeats echoing across the quiet grounds. He hoped that what he’d said to Arthur was true. He wasn’t at all sure what sort of wild chase he was headed for tonight. If there was any way he thought the guards could follow him without being seen, he would have been all for it. But it wasn’t possible. There was, however, another way they might catch the thief.

  After reading the ransom note, Arthur had predicted that the message had already been planted in the tree. A guard had checked during the dead of night and sure enough—there had been a note tucked into a rotted-out hole where a branch had once been. The instructions had said to go to the obelisk in St. George’s Circus.

  Now Arthur had guards at the obelisk as well as hidden around the perimeter of the elm, though they had been unable to locate a second note at the obelisk. Perhaps the thief planned to meet him there and would ultimately be caught. Leo allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. That would teach people not to try to steal from the monarchy.

  He was just leaving the palace grounds when he was intercepted by a guard.

  “Sorry, sir. This was just delivered.”

  Leo’s heart sank. “Thank you,” he replied, reaching for the note. He stopped under one of the gas-lit lamps that lined the road. He unfolded the page and read the shaky writing scrawled there.

  Change of plans. Look in the mouth of the lion in Trafalgar Square. Come alone.

  He crumpled the note in his hand and gazed out into the quiet night around him. A grudging smile curved his lips. Perhaps he had underestimated the thief after all.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  IT was just past midnight when Tiki hurried through St. James’s Park. She’d slipped out of Charing Cross without telling Shamus and the others what she was planning. The instructions to deliver the reward money had been sent to the royals. What if they were willing to pay? She couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try and collect the reward just because Rieker didn’t think it was a good idea—could she? They needed that money.

  She slipped on through the milky light of the half-moon. If there was someone following Leo, her timing was critical. She needed to get back down to the boats tied along the edge of the Serpentine and hidden before Leo followed the notes and arrived there himself. She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer that her plan worked.

  * * *

  TIKI lay perfectly still in the bottom of the second boat in a group of skiffs tied along the shore of the Serpentine. Her dark clothes blended with the shadows in which she hid, making her invisible.

  The night was oddly still at this hour, the myriad birds that frequented the lake noticeably absent, leaving only the movement of the river as it slipped silently past. Tiki shivered in her hiding spot. Was she truly alone in the darkness? Or were unseen eyes watching her?

  The far-off sound of galloping hooves caught her attention. Her heart rumbled in her chest, keeping time with the echoing hoofbeats. The horse slowed as it approached the bridge. From her vantage point, Tiki could see Leo’s silhouette cross the overpass. He was the only rider out at this hour.

  A guilty twinge coursed through her at the sight of him. Now that she’d met the prince—danced with him, even—could she steal from him? It was different when it was a few shillings from some bloke’s pocket she didn’t know. But five hundred pounds from a man with whom she’d shared tea? Her stomach twisted in a knot, making her feel sick. They needed the money so desperately and the prince wouldn’t miss a single pound. But did that make it right? She shook her head, trying to shake away her confused thoughts.

  Leo had made good time tonight—going from Buckingham to Trafalgar Square to Covent Garden back to Hyde Park. The best part was that she hadn’t heard the beat of any other hooves that would suggest a guard was following him.

  She watched as he retrieved the last note from the stone pillar at the end of the bridge where she had hidden it. From her hiding spot Tiki could see him standing under the gas lamp holding the paper out to the light to read the words. Tiki closed her eyes and envisioned what she had scrawled earlier.

  Leave the bag with the reward at the base of the weeping willow tree. The ring is in Buckingham. When it is safe we will let you know where it is hidden.

  “Please, just do it,” she whispered under her breath. His head jerked back in surprise as he read the words. Tiki pressed her lips together. What must he think to find that the ring was at Buckingham all this time?

  Tiki shivered as she remembered how close Leo had come to catching her as she’d tried to remove the ring from behind the picture. Had it only been this afternoon? It felt like ages ago. What would he have done if he’d caught her with the ring in her possession? Probably would have thrown her into prison, straightaway.

  As she watched, the prince’s head swiveled as though trying to locate anyone who might be watching, but his eyes never landed on where she lay hidden among the shadows of the boat. Instead, he climbed back on Diablo and turned the horse in the direction from which he had just come. Halfway across the bridge he kicked Diablo into a canter and disappeared into the night.

  Tiki sat up. Her earlier concerns of stealing the money were forgotten. An eerie sensation of falling made her clutch the sides of the small boat. He hadn’t left the money. Leo had ridden off without leaving the money. The royals weren’t going to pay for the return of the ring.

  A shudder shook her shoulders as she gasped for breath. The reward money was their ticket out of Charing Cross. They needed the money to start a new life in a home where Clara could remain healthy. Now what would they do?

  It was all Tiki could do to crawl out of the boat. There was no money, the ring was back in Buckingham, and Clara was missing. She had failed.

  * * *

  THE fog had crept in and wrapped the City in its arms by the time Tiki arrived back at Charing Cross. Each step had been an effort. She slipped down the alleyway, wanting to avoid the night bobbies patrolling the railway station. The shadows were thick and her breath came in short, nervous gasps as she navigated the alleyway to the door to the maintenance tunnels.

  A shadow rose out of a doorway and she darted away, fearful that it was Marcus or Larkin, but it was just a drunk, mumbling to himself. In the distance Big Ben chimed the three o’clock hour as she slid the panel aside and stepped into their home.

  “Where have you been?” Rieker’s low voice cut through the darkness like a knife, causing Tiki to jump in surprise.

  “And look who’s asking,” she shot back in a harsh whisper. “I think you owe the first explanation.” She was too tired and upset at the loss of the reward to hide her anger. Rieker would probably only remind her that he had warned her not to pursue the reward anyway.

  Rieker didn’t reply as he pushed back in the wooden chair, tipping the front legs off the ground, the wood creaking in protest. Tiki could feel his eyes on her as she moved across the room and sank into her pile of blankets, but she ignored him. He could stare all he wanted but she was not going to fight with him again tonight.

  She counted heads, as she did every night before she went to sleep, to make sure everyone was home safe. Fiona was a huddled lump over by the stove. Toots snored softly from the corner next to Clara’s empty spot. Tiki glanced toward Shamus and wasn’t surprised to see his thin silhouette propped up looking at her.

  “Glad to see you home safe, Teek,” he said.

  Would Shamus be glad if he knew what she’d done? He hadn’t thought they needed the reward money in the first place. Now, not only did they not have the reward money but they didn’t have the ring, either. With a sigh, Tiki bunched several of her blankets to form a pillow and laid her head down. Where was Clara?

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  THE next afternoon, Tiki slipped out of their room and hurried through the alley away from Charing Cross. Th
e others were gone, working the streets. She had pretended to be asleep hoping they would leave her alone. She wondered where Rieker was. He’d been gone when she finally got up. From the corners of her eyes, she could see what looked like strange shapes and faces watching from the darkness that surrounded the buildings. She was afraid to look directly at them for fear they would become more than just eerie shadows. Tiki raced through the wide-open plaza of Trafalgar Square, where no one paid any attention to her. She tried to convince herself she was imagining it all, but there was one moment, when she cut through Green Park, that she could’ve sworn she saw Marcus leaning against a tree, his black eyes following her.

  Her sides ached from running. The trip back to Hyde Park seemed to take longer today. She cut over the arched bridge that stretched across the Serpentine, glancing down at the brown water flowing lazily below. Today, the air was filled with the sounds and flight of a wide variety of birds. A pair of black swans rode the current, their regal necks stretched in a graceful arch as if they owned the place. She headed for the area known as the Ring, where Rieker had told her she could find Larkin.

  Surrounded by trees, the Ring was a huge oval expanse with a wide gravel trail that wound around the perimeter. Tiki cautiously entered the area. Given how cold the air was and how unpredictable the weather had been lately, she was surprised by the number of people strolling around the path. Several couples were near her, following the lane under the canopy of trees. One woman recoiled when she turned to find a young boy in dirty clothes standing so close to her.

  A surge of irritation shot through Tiki. What would this woman think if she knew this same dirty orphan had shared tea with a prince of England just yesterday?

  The woman’s eyes narrowed and she swept Tiki from head to toe with a cold gaze.