Rogue for Hire

by Sasha Cottman

  Harry wasn’t a man with a penchant for violence, so having Cuthbert roughed up and left for dead would never be his first choice. Nor would any attempt to have him arrested be likely to succeed. Without the victim of the theft being able to bring charges, the authorities would have nothing to go on, and Harry was not going to risk Cuthbert facing the hangman over a few pieces of jewelry.

  He slipped a coin into the stable boy’s hand and took the reins of his horse. Apart from trying to talk Patience out of continuing to see Cuthbert Saint, there was really only one other sensible option left.

  “If it has to be, it has to be,” he muttered.

  All he had to do was to get Alice to appreciate the value of a firmly worded threat delivered at gunpoint.

  CHAPTER 14

  “ISN’T IT DIVINE? He is so thoughtful.”

  Alice swallowed the last of her breakfast and followed it with a gulp of tea. Listening to Patience carrying on over the bracelet that Cuthbert had sent as an apology would make anyone struggle to eat their food.

  Her sister waved the trinket in Alice’s face and she was forced to paint a smile on her lips in response. “Yes, it is pretty.”

  It was also cheaply made and would probably turn Patience’s wrist green before the day was out. Not that she would either notice or care. What likely mattered more to Patience was that Cuthbert had thoughtfully chosen a bracelet the same color as the new gown over which he and she had fought.

  After the less-than-satisfactory end to the evening with Harry last night, Alice didn’t feel up to playing the role of happy big sister this morning. Her heart ached too much.

  Seeing Patience gush over a man who could only bring her misery compounded her own sense of sadness.

  “I wonder if Cuthbert is going to be at any social gatherings this evening. I really should seek him out and give him my thanks. Mama always says you should do everything to help smooth over tiffs with your spouse,” said Patience.

  The mere mention of Cuthbert and spouse in the same breath had Alice wishing she hadn’t bothered with that second piece of pork pie. A knock at the door of the breakfast room stopped Alice from saying what she really thought of the idea of being related to Cuthbert Saint.

  Knowing her stubborn sister, if Alice said anything against him, Patience would start making plans to have the banns read.

  The North family butler entered carrying a silver tray, upon which sat a note. Alice silently prayed.

  Please. Please. Please, let it be a letter from Mama and Papa saying they are on their way home to England.

  If it were, she might still have a chance to convince her sister that any possible talk of marriage could wait until Cuthbert was able to speak with their father.

  She took the note and quickly read it.

  Developments on CS. Come to Grosvenor Street this morning. H.

  The man was nothing if not succinct with his words.

  If the note had not made mention of Cuthbert, she would have been tempted to ignore Harry’s request. Instead she folded the paper and put it in her pocket.

  After downing the last of her tea, Alice rose from the table. “I have to go out this morning. Let’s discuss our evening plans when I return.”

  If Harry was looking to make a move on Cuthbert, she didn’t want to be caught wrong-footed at any social event. Keeping her sister away from being connected with a scandal was crucial.

  Half an hour later, Alice knocked on the front door of number 16 Grosvenor Street. Harry’s dark-clothed hulk of a butler answered the door, but this time she pushed past him and made for the stairs, leaving him to follow in her wake.

  She found Harry standing by the window in the drawing room; the piglet was nowhere to be seen.

  “Miss Alice North,” announced the butler.

  Harry nodded at him. “Alice, this is Sir Stephen Moore. He has been working with me on the case. Stephen is involved in the coaching company which I partly own.”

  Stephen bowed low. “At your service, Miss North.”

  “Service? Is that what you call answering the door rudely, not showing a lady to a chair, and generally doing a terrible job of being a butler?” she replied.

  He chuckled. “Yes, sorry about that. The first morning you came here, I wasn’t in the best of moods. You are not the only one with family problems.”

  She took the seat he offered, privately relieved when Stephen came and sat next to her. The last thing Alice wanted this morning was to be alone with Harry. The man himself strolled over to the center of the room and stood in front of a low coffee table, facing her.

  “You sent word that you had new information about Cuthbert.” Keeping her gaze firmly fixed on Harry, she pretended not to notice the look which passed between him and Stephen. She wasn’t here for niceties; she was here for answers.

  Harry cleared his throat. “Yes, we can confirm that Cuthbert did not attend Eton. We also have solid evidence that his name is in fact Cuthbert Leigh, and that until a matter of months ago, he was employed as a valet for a wealthy Scottish family. He has been funding his stay in London with the proceeds from the sale of items he stole from them.”

  Alice clapped her hands together. This was the news she had been waiting to hear. Confirmation that Cuthbert was a fortune-hunting blackguard who only wanted to win the love of her sister in order to get his hands on her dowry.

  “So, what now?” she replied.

  “Eager little thing,” murmured Stephen.

  She shot him a disdainful look. “It’s not your sister who is in grave danger of being married to a rogue, so perhaps you might want to shut your mouth.”

  “Steady on!” replied Stephen.

  Alice reached into her reticule and pulled out the coin purse. She stood and tossed it onto the table in front of Harry. “According to the contract, that is the penultimate payment. I am paying for your services, Lord Steele. It is high time you delivered.”

  Harry glanced at the purse but left it where it had landed. He and Alice locked gazes; she flinched when she caught sight of the expression on his face. She had fully expected to see open defiance and was surprised that instead it was a mixture of hurt and confusion.

  You cannot be that clueless about how I would take your words last night. You expect me to come out of my cage while you lurk behind the door of your stone castle.

  She dropped her gaze to the Persian rug on the floor as anger and disappointment battled.

  “Alice, could we please fill you in on the plan and get your approval?” said Harry.

  She nodded, grateful that he was making some effort toward showing her at least a modicum of respect.

  “A ticket will be sent to Cuthbert Saint at the Grand Hotel today inviting him to join you and Patience at the theatre this evening. This, of course, is merely a ruse to make sure that we know where he will be at that time,” said Harry.

  “Not long after he leaves the hotel, he will find himself having a little chat with a gentleman dressed all in black. The pistol in his face should help convince him that he needs to quit his accommodations and depart London forthwith,” added Stephen.

  “And you will send word once the message has been delivered?” she asked.

  “Of course,” replied Harry.

  Alice nodded at the purse. “Once you provide me with confirmation that Cuthbert Saint has indeed left town, I shall pay the remainder of your fee. Good day to you, gentlemen.”

  Without a second glance, she headed for the door. Alice was downstairs and out into the street before the tears finally got the better of her. After all that she thought she had felt for Harry Steele, the only emotion left this morning was humiliation.

  In a matter of hours, she would hopefully be rid of Cuthbert Saint. And with the end of their contract, Harry would also be gone. Only then could she start to find a way to get him out of her heart.

  “WHAT HAPPENED to the sweet romance that was bubbling between the two of you?” asked Stephen.

  Harry picked up the co
in purse and tucked it into his jacket pocket. All night, he had lain awake and worried as to whether he had made a grave mistake in taking Alice to the Temple of Diana. Wondering if perhaps she had simply got caught up in the moment, and then once the haze of lust had cleared her mind, regret had swooped in.

  “I have a horrible feeling that I may have pushed Alice North too far out of her area of comfort, and she is now in retreat. All I can focus on right this minute is Cuthbert Saint. If we succeed in frightening him off tonight, then maybe I will be able to address the matter of the two of us and whether we could have a future,” he replied.

  Stephen got to his feet and came to Harry’s side, placing a brotherly pat on his shoulder. “This was always going to be a problem for us rogues when it came to be taking on wives. Harry, you have to succeed with Alice, because if you don’t then what hope do the rest of us have? Not that I plan to ever enter into the unholy mess of matrimony.”

  Harry nodded. Apart from Stephen’s foolish aversion to marriage, he was right. Of all the members of the RR Coaching Company, Harry was the one with the most legitimate career. Angus and George were respectively, smugglers and thieves. Stephen specialized in acts of revenge. And Monsale was up to his elbows in every money-making scheme in the country, with a penchant for the illegal ones.

  It was going to take a great deal of love and understanding on the part of any woman to sign up to a life with a husband who lived a secret life outside of the law.

  The cold and distant way Alice had been with him this morning didn’t fill Harry with any sense of hope.

  Damn.

  He pushed the worry of Alice to the back of his mind as best he could. He and Stephen had a job to do. “Go and get your pistol. I will organize the theatre ticket. Let’s handle what we can tonight, and I will deal with the rest later.”

  For a long while after Stephen had left the room, he pondered his predicament. Tell Alice everything and hope that she might feel enough affection for him to consider becoming his wife. That would mean her having to accept some hard truths about him and his friends.

  The other option was for him to permanently step away from the illegal operations of the RR Coaching Company and try to eke out an honest living. To give up on his friends.

  Bloody hell, what am I going to do?

  There was one thing he was sure of right at this moment; he couldn’t build a future with Alice based on a lie.

  She is an heiress; her dowry must be substantial. You could live off her father’s money.

  “No. That would make me no better than Cuthbert Saint. And she would hate me.”

  CHAPTER 15

  A LITTLE BEFORE seven o’clock that evening, Cuthbert Saint left the Grand Hotel and started on the short walk to Drury Lane Theatre. He made it as far as Broad Court.

  Passing number 15 Broad Court, he was suddenly grabbed from behind and dragged off the street and through a doorway. The door was firmly closed, and he was left standing in a foyer lit only by a small chandelier.

  “You’ve picked the wrong gentleman to rob. I have no money,” he pleaded.

  From out of the dark, a large figure, clad all in black appeared. He walked with measured steps, oozing menace. Harry, who was standing well out of sight in a corner, slowly shook his head. Stephen had a thing for dramatic effect.

  “I know exactly who you are, Cuthbert Leigh. And what you are up to,” said Stephen.

  A satisfying gasp came from their prisoner. Harry much preferred that to the haughty scoff which professional villains deemed as the hallmark of their trade.

  “What do you want?” replied Cuthbert.

  Stephen cocked his pistol and raised it, aiming straight for Cuthbert’s face. If he fired now, the shot would be at near point-blank range and most certainly fatal.

  “You give up on trying to win Patience North’s hand and you leave London. Tonight. If you don’t then my friends and I will make sure you are the victim of a terrible accident.”

  If it didn’t put his whole career in jeopardy, Harry would be the one holding the pistol. But a mask and a black suit couldn’t hide a man’s voice. He dared not risk Cuthbert recognizing him.

  “But I love Patience. I wish to marry her,” replied Cuthbert.

  The man had balls; he wasn’t going to take the threat at face value. He had more spine that Harry had expected him to possess.

  “Have you asked yourself whether she cares for you? Who else do you think sent me?” snorted Stephen.

  He retrieved a coin purse from his coat pocket and threw it to Cuthbert, who quickly caught it.

  “There is enough money in that purse to get you a start anywhere else in the country. Though I would suggest you might want to forget about the north. There is a Scottish lord who might be very interested in your whereabouts and also that of some of his trinkets,” said Stephen.

  Even in the poor light, Harry caught a glimpse of the shock on Cuthbert’s face. He clearly hadn’t been expecting anyone to know about his past life.

  His head and shoulders dropped, and for the briefest of moments, Harry felt a twinge of pity. That could very well be him standing there while a stranger threatened to unveil his secret life.

  Remember what you said to Alice. Steady your nerves.

  “Alright, I will leave London. If Patience does not want me, then I will go,” said Cuthbert.

  “Good man. In time, you will see that you have made the right decision. Now, you and I are going to leave by the rear entrance where a carriage is waiting. The late mail coach to Harwich leaves from the Spread Eagle Coaching Company in Gracechurch Street in an hour. I intend that you will be on board. My loaded pistol will make certain of it.”

  Cuthbert closed his eyes and sighed. “I did love her. Could you please at least let Patience know that she held my heart?”

  Bloody hell. Just go! Leave the poor girl in peace.

  Harry moved farther into the shadows as Stephen guided Cuthbert out the door, only slightly relaxing as the sound of the lock clicking reverberated in the silence.

  As soon as he had heard from Stephen that Cuthbert Saint had indeed boarded the coach to the English coast, he would send word to Alice. The job was done.

  As he made his way back out into Broad Court, Harry had a sinking feeling that the easy part was now over, but what lay ahead may well be out of his control.

  CHAPTER 16

  ALICE REPLIED by letter early the next morning thanking Harry for his efforts but left it at that. A second note had reached the house late last night. He may well have quit London, but Cuthbert Saint had not gone quietly.

  “He says he has to leave for a time but begged me not to forget about him. Oh, Alice, what could possibly have happened?” said Patience.

  They were in the drawing room of their home in Mortimer Street, midmorning, neither having got much sleep. Patience had stayed up until the early hours crying, and Alice had sat beside her on the sofa, silently holding her hand.

  In the hour after dawn, Patience had gone for a walk around the block to get some fresh air. When she returned, Alice was relieved to see that her sister had dried her tears and seemed a little more at peace.

  You knew this moment was always coming; you just have to get through today. Give it time. She will forget Cuthbert Saint and find someone else suitable.

  Alice schooled her features into the best placid expression she could muster. Her sister wasn’t a fool, and if she gave the merest hint of having been involved in the sudden departure of Cuthbert, Patience would surely know.

  “Perhaps he has family obligations. Or even a new position to take up. Who knows? Men can be such fickle creatures,” she replied.

  “It was all so sudden. One moment we were talking about visiting the theatre, the next he was gone,” said Patience.

  “Well perhaps the best thing you can do right now is to get on with your life and await his next letter. If Mister Saint is true, then he will write.”

  Shut up, Alice. What are you saying? Don’
t encourage her to carry a torch. Oh, I wish Harry were here. He is so much better at this lying lark than I am.

  She hadn’t seen him since the previous day at Grosvenor Street with Sir Stephen Moore, and her mind kept returning to the night prior at the Temple of Diana. To what Harry and she had shared.

  Patience wasn’t the only North sister wondering where a man was, and whether he wanted a future with her. Harry Steele was constantly in her thoughts.

  The prospect of spending the next few days at home while they both stewed over men didn’t fill her with any sense of joy. A fun diversion was what was needed. “How about we get our things and head out to Oxford Street this morning? I have some Christmas shopping to do, and I’m sure you could do with a spot of fresh air. Then, tonight, we should find ourselves a nice party to attend and try to catch up with friends.”

  She was tired, and a small headache sat behind her right eye, but Alice was determined not to succumb to the situation. Anything was preferable to sitting at home and wondering.

  “I suppose you are right,” replied Patience with a resigned sigh.

  Alice rose from her place on the sofa, eager to seize the moment. If they both kept busy, the day would seem less long.

  “If you can be ready to leave in the next half hour, I shall treat you at Gunter’s Tea Shop. How does that sound?” she said.

  The tentative smile which appeared on Patience’s face was a great relief. She came to Alice’s side and slipped a hand about her waist, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you, sister dearest. I can always count on you to help me out of an unhappy mood. Yes, we will go and spend the morning in town, and a flavored ice from Gunter’s sounds perfect.”

  Small steps forward.

  An hour later, Alice was standing at the counter of a small button seller in the Pantheon Bazaar on Oxford Street, silently congratulating herself on having eschewed the crush of Harding and Howell’s for her and Patience’s shopping trip. The bazaar was an interesting mix of shops and zoological gardens. One could buy all manner of items at the various stores, then go and see a real live monkey.