by Joyce Alec
Stephen shrugged. “That is your choice,” he told him, hiding his own uncertainty and fear. “The gallows it will be for you, then.” Turning around, he made his way back to the door. “But Forrester, of course, being a titled gentleman, will not receive the same punishment.”
A footstep behind him told Stephen that he had made an impact upon the man.
“But I did not stab him!”
Glancing behind him, Stephen lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Lord Forrester states that you did,” he told him, lying unequivocally. “He might have paid you to do it but the responsibility for the attack is at your feet.”
“I did nothing of the sort.” Thompson had taken another step closer now, a small fear flickering in his eyes as though he had realized that the gallows were, in fact, what might be facing him should he remain silent. “Lord Forrester paid me a good sum in order to report to him Lord Atherton’s plans, that is all.”
A little more interested now, Stephen turned to face the man directly. “His plans?”
“For the ball,” Thompson said, waving a hand. “Lord Forrester knew of the rumor, knew of the curse, and at first, I thought it was to try and make sure that Lord Atherton did not throw the ball in the first place.”
“But it was not.”
Thompson looked back at him steadily, his lips pulled taut for a long moment. “No,” he said eventually. “It was to ensure that I remained close to Lord Atherton on the night of the ball and, when the incident occurred, inform Lord Forrester as to whether or not he had been successful.”
“And he was not successful,” Stephen replied, feeling a ball of anger settle in his stomach. “And so he rushed back inside and said he would find a suitable doctor, but chose one who, like you, would do his bidding.” Closing his eyes for a moment, Stephen steadied himself inwardly. “And the attack on Miss Hawkins?”
“She recognized me,” Thompson answered angrily. “It was to warn her off, that was all.”
“And then the attempt to smother my brother,” Stephen continued quickly, not wanting to labor each and every point given just how willing Thompson appeared to be in telling him everything. “You were instructed to do so?”
Thompson’s eyes narrowed. “I was told to find an opportunity. A note came suggesting that he might die in his sleep.” One shoulder lifted. “I knew what was expected.”
Stephen took a breath and let it out slowly, forcing himself to keep a hold on his temper. “And just how much money did it take for you to agree?” He watched as Thompson looked away, seeing the growing fear in the man’s expression as shame covered him.
“I did not want to agree,” Thompson muttered darkly, “but do you have any idea how difficult it has been for someone in my position to find new employment?” He threw up his hands, turning around and spitting out his words in anger. “This foolish rumor, this ridiculous talk of a curse means that I am stuck in this house, in this city, without any chance of finding a better position.”
Stephen did not feel even a single ounce of sympathy. “So you decided to find another way to get what you want from this life?”
Thompson looked back at him with a dark expression. “I found a way to make more money that I ever would have done working for Lord Atherton,” he said with a sneer. “And I don’t regret it.”
Stephen shook his head, looking away from the fellow. His heart was angry, his whole being desperate to physically hurt this arrogant man who stood in front of him, telling him outright that he had been involved in his brother’s attack. But he could not lose his composure now, not when there was a little more to discover.
“We found the notes,” he said, wandering slowly back toward the door, his hands curled into fists, his fingernails digging into the soft skin of his palms as he fought to keep his voice steady. “That is how Lord Forrester confirmed things with you?”
Thompson did not answer but when Stephen swung back around, he saw the footman nod.
“And did you write to him?” he asked, as nonchalantly as he could. “We cannot yet search Lord Forrester’s home and whilst I am sure he has burned all the evidence of your correspondence, he—”
“I never wrote to him,” Thompson interrupted, his voice clear but a look of anger on his face. “I was simply to obey.”
“Then how would you be given the money you were promised?” Stephen asked, narrowing his eyes just a little as the footman looked away. “How would he send that to you?”
For a few minutes, the room remained in complete silence. Stephen felt his heart beating furiously, beginning to worry that he had asked Thompson too much, that the man would not say any more. He feared that their entire conversation would now come to a swift end, leaving him without the most vital piece of information. He needed to know how Lord Forrester gave Thompson the money, so that they could set up the situation and thereafter, catch Forrester in the act. It was the only way to prove that Lord Forrester had been the one behind the attacks.
“I will tell you, but for a price.”
The footman’s voice had become taunting, a look in his eyes that told Stephen he knew he had the upper hand.
“I want my freedom,” Thompson continued with a wave of his hand. “Once I am out of this house, standing on the steps outside and with no one about to restrain me, then I will tell you how Lord Forrester gave me the money.”
“You are being quite ridiculous,” Stephen retorted with a roll of his eyes. “You cannot possibly expect—”
“I know that you need this from me if you are to prove Lord Forrester’s guilt,” Thompson continued as Stephen gritted his teeth in frustration. “Finding those notes means nothing if you cannot prove they are by his hand.”
Stephen rounded on the fellow, only just managing to restrain himself. “You ask too much, Thompson.”
“Then you will never know,” Thompson replied with a shrug. “And Lord Forrester will continue to claim his innocence.”
“Whilst you will face the gallows,” Stephen reminded him, seeing how the man’s eyes darted away, swallowing hard as he did so. “There will be no more aid coming for you now.”
For a moment, he thought the footman might give in and tell him what he needed to know, but with an effort, Thompson let out his breath slowly, lifted his chin, and fixed his gaze upon Stephen. There was a cold determination there that Stephen knew spelled defeat.
“Until I am standing on the steps of the house,” Thompson said softly, “then I will tell you nothing more.”
“What did he tell you?”
Stephen’s shoulders slumped as he walked into the drawing room to see every eye on him. “I have discovered that you were right in your belief that Lord Forrester was the one to attack my brother, Miss Hawkins,” he said, seeing how her eyes flared wide for a moment. “Thompson has admitted as much.”
A small silence filled the room before Lady Catherine spoke up.
“There is no understanding as to the reasons behind Lord Forrester’s attack?”
Stephen shook his head. “Not as yet, no,” he answered honestly. “The only way I could get Thompson to tell me the truth was to tell him that we knew already it was Forrester, knew about the notes, and to make him afraid that only he himself would bear the punishment for what has occurred.” He looked at Miss Hawkins, remembering what the footman had told him about her. “I am sorry to say, Miss Hawkins, that Thompson struck out at you as a warning, fearing you had recognized him. It was meant to be a warning, to send you away from this entire situation.”
Miss Hawkins gave him a small smile. “Then he misjudged me,” she answered as Lady Haddington nodded her agreement. “I am not as weak as he believes me to be.”
Hating that he had failed, Stephen tried to explain what had happened next, his eyes drifting to the floor. “He will not tell me how Lord Forrester gave him the money,” he said, each word crisp and clear, “until he is standing outside of this house, free to go.”
A sharp intake of breath told him that someone, at le
ast, was shocked at such a demand.
“I have not agreed, of course.”
“But you must.”
Lady Ann spoke up, tilting her head just a little as she looked at him.
“I beg your pardon?” he asked, not understanding what she meant. “If I agree, then—”
“Then one of us will easily be able to take him back to you again within a few minutes,” Lady Ann interrupted, as though he had not spoken. “He may believe he has his freedom, but he will soon be forcibly escorted back to your townhouse whilst you continue on with the information he has given you.” She smiled at his wide eyes. “After all, that is what we—we, as a group, I suppose—are more than able to do.”
Stephen blinked rapidly, a little annoyed with himself that he had not thought of such an idea of his own accord. He looked around the room, seeing everyone nodding in agreement, and felt his heart lift free of the despair and darkness that had held it for the last few minutes.
“If you would, Lord Haddington,” he asked, suddenly feeling a trifle more hopeful. “Then I could tell Thompson at this very moment that he is to gain what he wishes.”
Lord Haddington nodded. “But of course.”
“Lady Catherine, Lord Haddington, and I shall all go out together,” Lady Ann said cheerfully, clearly quite contented with this arrangement. “We will have him returned to you within a few minutes.”
Stephen saw the smile that quirked the corner of Miss Hawkins’ mouth and felt his own lips pull upwards. “You must come up with a name for yourselves,” he told the group as a whole. “Truly, you are all quite extraordinary in the way you all come together and work to pull the truth out from the shadows.”
Miss Hawkins smiled at him, a faint spark in her eyes. “Then mayhap that is what we should call ourselves,” she told him, a trifle teasingly. “‘The Shadows’.”
He expected there to be a laugh ringing around the room but instead there was nothing but silence as the other ladies began to consider this, looking at each other and nodding their heads slowly.
“It does make you sound rather foreboding,” he said as Lord Haddington grinned at him. “But in another way, mayhap it would suit you very well.”
“It certainly might make others more willing to come to us, with an incongruous name such as that,” Lady Catherine murmured as Miss Hawkins nodded in agreement. “Lord Haddington, what do you say?”
The grin fell from Lord Haddington’s face almost at once and he cleared his throat, looking around the room. “Well,” he began, a little awkwardly, “you know that most of those who come in search of aid already know of you, but if I were to use that name with the gentlemen who might be in some sort of difficulty, then they could very well be inclined toward seeking out your assistance, as they would not immediately guess that it was a group of young ladies from the ton.” He held up his hands, as if afraid they might rail at him. “Not that I believe there should be any sort of judgment on you all simply because of your gender, but society being what it is…”
No one appeared to take any sort of offence. Instead, they simply nodded and smiled at each other, telling Stephen silently that the throwaway suggestion he had made was now being taken on by them all.
“The Shadows it is,” Lady Haddington murmured with a twinkle in her eye. “Then shall we set to our business? We have a truth to uncover.”
Stephen let out a long breath, his shoulders lifting as his spirits revived. “We shall indeed,” he answered, seeing how Miss Hawkins continued to smile at him, her eyes filled with hope, trusting that he would be able to do what was required. “I will go to Thompson this very moment.”
“And within the hour, we shall be able to make a plan that will capture Lord Forrester,” Miss Hawkins added as a sense of satisfaction filled the room. “And you need never more fear for your brother’s safety, Lord Stephen.” A touch of color brushed against her cheeks, making him wonder if she, too, was thinking of what they had shared earlier that afternoon. Returning her smile, he forced himself to turn on his heel and make his way back toward the door.
“Thompson will be at the front of the house within a few minutes,” he threw back over his shoulder. “Will you be ready?”
“More than ready,” Lord Haddington answered with a grimace. “Thompson will not taste freedom for long, I can assure you of that, Lord Stephen.”
“I thank you,” Stephen answered, feeling a great swell of gratitude for The Shadows, who had come to his aid in what had been a very difficult time. Stepping out into the hallway, he took a breath and then turned back toward the staircase, taking them two at a time as he returned to the room which held Mr. Thompson. He would have to play a part again, would have to pretend that he had given up and would now give Thompson precisely what he wanted. He could only pray that the man would give him what he had promised in return, so that Lord Forrester’s guilt could be proven and his brother could finally be free from danger.
12
Julia drew in a long breath, set her shoulders, and walked into Lord Enfield’s magnificent drawing room, with Mrs. Law just behind her. The evening’s soiree had been planned many weeks before, but now that it had come about, it was the perfect setting for her to speak to Lord Forrester.
Lady Catherine and Lady Ann, daughters to the Earl of Enfield, had made a hasty invitation to Lord Forrester, relieved that their father knew of the gentleman and had no great concern as to whether or not they invited him to the evening’s event. The gentleman had accepted with pleasure and now all that was left was for Julia to play her part and convince Lord Forrester that all was not well.
“You look quite lovely this evening,” came a voice from her left. Turning just a little, she saw Lord Stephen step out from the shadows and come closer to her, his eyes drifting over her features and making her blush. “You take my breath from me, simply by being present, Miss Hawkins.”
“You are much too kind,” she told him, her cheeks coloring a little more as he took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “I am very glad to see you this evening.” She meant every word that she said, seeing how he looked back at her with a warm smile, noting the heat in his eyes, and feeling her heart pound furiously within her chest. There was no shame in how she felt, however, no fear that he would discover the depths of her affection nor worry that he might think ill of her. Instead, there was a contentment there, a happiness that he knew precisely how she felt and returned her affections as well.
She could hardly wait for the moment to arrive when Lord Stephen knew he was free of Lord Forrester’s evil intentions toward his brother, when he knew that there was nothing more to hold him back from making his intentions toward her clear. Her brother had already surmised that it might very well be the case that his sister would find a suitable match in Lord Stephen, and even though she had not wanted to believe it for some time, she now felt her hopes building with every moment that passed.
“You will catch the attention of every gentleman here this evening,” he told her, taking her hand and settling it on his arm. “And yet I shall be the only one lucky enough to have you by my side.”
“That is where I want to be,” she answered, keeping her hand where he had placed it and walking a little further into the drawing room. Her companion remained behind, trying to make herself as invisible as she could whilst ensuring that she took whatever glasses of ratafia or champagne were offered to her.
“You must tell me when you spy Lord Forrester.” Lord Stephen’s voice was low, although he kept a genial expression on his face. “I have my footman ready to do as instructed.”
Julia nodded, seeing how Lady Catherine and Lady Ann shot them both a quick glance, before returning to their own private conversation. She did not look around the room too avidly, not wanting anyone to think her odd or peculiar in her actions, particularly not Lord Forrester. Her palms grew damp she battled a flurry of nerves, knowing that a great deal depended on how well she did this evening.
“There!”
She h
issed the word, turning her head to the right so that Lord Forrester would not see her animated expression.
“I have seen him,” she confirmed, looking up into Lord Stephen’s face. “He is to my left and a little behind you.”
Lord Stephen nodded slowly, then tried to smile down at her. “Do you think you will be all right?” he asked, a note of trepidation in his voice. “Now that I know what he has done, I am reluctant to leave you here.”
She settled her hand over his, not caring if anyone saw them. “But you must go,” she told him practically, ignoring the great swell of love that rushed over her at his words. “You know you must. And I shall be perfectly all right. Lady Catherine and Lady Ann are both present and they will ensure that I am taken home safely.”
“And then tomorrow, we must pray that all goes as we have planned,” Lord Stephen murmured. “I will find it a trial not to see you until then.”
She wanted to reach up on her toes and press her mouth to his, to taste the sweetness of his words and to respond in her own way, but knew very well she could not do so. Instead, she simply squeezed his hand, not trusting her voice for fear it would explode with the joy of what she felt.
“He is watching you.”
Lady Ann had come to join them, and Lord Stephen gave a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. “Has Lady Catherine gone to speak to my footman?”
“She has,” Lady Ann murmured, coming to stand beside Julia so that their view of Lord Forrester would not be disturbed. “Ah, she has returned. It will not be long now, Lord Stephen.”
A flurry of fear settled in Julia’s stomach, but she pushed it away with an effort. Lady Ann drifted away toward her sister, leaving Julia and Lord Stephen alone again.
“I must hope that—”
“My lord!”
A footman came rushing toward Lord Stephen, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Even Julia, who had been expecting him to step into the room with such force, was taken aback, looking at the footman in astonishment as he hurried toward Lord Stephen.
