Merrick responded, “I specifically told her not to pursue this, but as she is your cousin, I’m sure you are also aware how well that instruction would be followed. This is what she was trying to decipher.” Merrick handed him the paper and the pamphlet. Travis had just unfolded the paper when a groan came from the unconscious man.
“James!” Travis knelt down and started to help him to a sitting position. Merrick opened his mouth to start questioning the fallen man when they saw the blood. James had been knifed; but James was Irish, had seen his share of bar fights and it was a sure thing that he hadn’t gone down easily. He turned to Travis, “I didn’t get a good look at him. The bastard snuck up on me like and tried to cosh me from behind. I gave him a fight, but he stuck me. Lady Catherine?”
Travis squeezed the old man’s arm, “We’ll find her James. Is there anything at all you can tell us about the man that attacked you?”
Merrick was surveying the area while James was questioned, hoping for some type of clue. A glint from something at the corner of a crate caught his eye. Kneeling down, Merrick picked up the object and turned it in his palm. It appeared to be a cufflink. It was obviously custom-made, and the design was curious. Suddenly, pieces fell together that provided Merrick with an answer, one that had him going pale as he realized the full portent of the situation.
Grey. Lord Thaddeus Grey. He was a middle son of a well-known family who had been disgraced, and nearly run his family into ruin with his gambling. Gambling was common amongst the peerage, and many were not strangers to debt. But cheating was another matter. He had been caught and thrown out of his club. Rumor had it that his father was no longer going to bail him out, and it was only a matter of time before he was thrown in jail or forced to leave the country. Merrick also recalled that Grey had asked to participate in a shipping venture that Jack, Merrick, and Devon developed. They denied him, as he wanted in on credit, and he had not taken their refusal kindly. But it was the symbol that had the pit of Merrick’s stomach twisting, a large “V” with what seemed to be an inverted “S” attached to the top right. He had no idea what it meant, but he recognized it as the tattoo on the shoulder of the stranger from the Cabot’s party. Merrick knew Grey was not part of the larger group; he must have been earning money. The thought of him having Catherine almost made him ill, and he knew there was little time.
Clenching the cufflink in his hand he turned to Travis, “take this to Devon. Tell him Thaddeus Grey is somehow involved in this and has Catherine. I’m leaving for Grey’s house now, you can all meet me there.” Without waiting for a response, Merrick turned and ran to save her, hoping he wasn’t too late.
Sixteen
Catherine opened hers eyes and immediately wished she hadn’t. She was in a man’s bedchamber, one that had certainly seen better days. It was growing late, and it took a few moments for her eyes to become accustomed to the semi-darkness. The lantern by the bed was burning low, but there was still enough light for Catherine to make out some of the scenes on the wall and see there were several object’s de art around the room. The scenes seemed crudely drawn, consisting of several people, but they were too far away to make out any detail. Catherine squinted and frowned. Some of the objects were closer, and they all seemed similar. She focused once more, and her eyes widened in shock as she realized what they were. Phalluses! She was surrounded by representations of the male organ in an aroused state in various shapes, sizes, colors, and materials. Some had rings, some were curved, and some were too enormous to be believed; although, since her experience with Merrick, she was willing to consider it possible. At the thought of Merrick, tears threatened. Why did she have to be so stubborn? She cared for him. That was why his seemingly careless, automatic proposal had hurt her. Well, that and his high handed manner and assumption that she would do whatever he wanted. Catherine was still groggy, her mouth was dry and her head hurt. She closed her eyes again and lay quietly to try and orient herself. She did not sense anyone else near. Focusing on her breathing, she tried to quell the rising panic as she realized her hands were bound, and recalled what had happened. Yes, Merrick had been right about the danger, but danger from whom? There had been no clue on the paper, and she did not see her attacker. Nobody really knew where she was. They would assume she was resting before the ball this evening. Her cousin, even if he found out she had been at the museum, would assume she had gone home. Catherine fought to rein in her panic. Lying here with my eyes squeezed shut certainly isn’t helping, she thought. Catherine tested the ropes binding her wrists, but she wasn’t getting loose without help. But she had little time to consider her options as in walked Lord Grey.
“Well my dear, I’m glad to see you are awake. I apologize for the abrupt change to your afternoon plans. Who knew you were such a little bluestocking?” Grey tsk-tsked and then laughed. His eyes were glassy and he seemed a little unsteady. There was a fresh scratch on his face, and Catherine hoped she had put it there. She remained quiet; mostly because she was still trying to recover from seeing one of her suitors walk through the door. If it weren’t for her knowledge of the Priapus society and the phalluses around the room, she would think her next stop would be Gretna Green., or Bedlam. She almost wished that were the case. Almost. She tried to appear calm; somehow sensing panic would only excite him.
Grey felt he’d deserved the opium. It was only a little, and it helped him focus. He really was a genius. It was his idea to use the Priapus meetings as a cover for the exchanges. There was nothing wrong with mixing business and pleasure. At the time, who knew so many prestigious members of the government would be participating. He enjoyed the irony of plotting England’s destruction right underneath their noses.
Catherine struggled against her bindings. She was scared. Grey had been staring off into space for several minutes with an odd, twisted smile on his face. She couldn’t contain the rising panic, and a sob escaped her throat. Unfortunately, that also snapped Grey out of his contemplation and he turned to focus on her. Her skin crawled as he looked over her body.
He spoke as he began to disrobe. “I couldn’t believe my good fortune when you mentioned the burned paper my dear, I knew it had to be mine. I followed you to the museum, and planned to just take the paper and pamphlet. But, decided it was convenient to take you too, for very different reasons. Having Merrick Sinclair’s slut could be helpful; I’m certain it will be entertaining. He might not be so interested when I am through with you.” She thought of the two missing girls, and despite her inexperience, Catherine knew she should be very afraid.
Lord Grey continued, “I admit I am curious as to how Sinclair became involved. That might be helpful information. You see, the manual was passed to me for assistance with the formulas. The formulas were divided up randomly, as was the rest of the information in the scrolls. No one person was to have complete access, the division thereby ensuring security. The group was still trying to decipher them, and chemistry was something in which I excelled at University. Not that my father would ever let me do anything useful with it.” He walked around the room, picking up and examining various objects. His tone remained conversational, as if he were talking to her at an afternoon picnic.
“It was rather careless of me to drop the pamphlet. I assumed it burned in the fire, but I’d already made my own copy. Unfortunately, I did not mean to leave the paper with the symbols in that his pamphlet.”
Catherine had no idea what he was rambling about, but as long as he was talking, the focus was not on her.
“I already deciphered the formula for Greek Fire; and the fools didn’t realize they actually gave me two formulas. They didn’t know I also had the possible formula for making gold. I was almost finished transcribing the symbols for both formulas, but they wanted me to transfer the manual to another member that night. The raid was a surprise. Fortunately for the group, I had prepared a demonstration of my genius for that evening. I thought everything was lost. The destruction of the pamphlet put my life in jeopardy, but my salvation
was being the only one who had the knowledge to recreate that formula.” Talking about the events seemed to anger him. “You almost ruined everything!” He roared.
He advanced towards her. She took in his matted hair, unwashed body, and wild look. Catherine couldn’t help it; she flinched.
“Don’t touch me!” she cried, but her voice sounded weak and ineffectual, even to Catherine’s ears.
Grey smiled cruelly and began slowly pulling up the hem of her skirt, humming to himself. After removing his clothing he donned an open flowing robe of red velvet. Catherine could see an amulet around his neck.
“What I want to know, is how did Merrick Sinclair come to possess that sheet, and what do you mean to him?”
Her feet weren’t tied, and Catherine kicked him on the jaw. He fell back, catching the bedpost to keep from falling on the floor. Rubbing his jaw with the other hand, he considered her. It seemed like he was seeing her for the first time. Too late she realized that her fighting actually enticed him further. She tried not to cringe as he moved forward, grasped the neckline of her dress and ripped. The muslin fabric tore easily to her waist, exposing her breasts to his greedy gaze.
Grey grabbed a large, ivory phallus next to the bed and loomed over her. “You have angered Priapus. He demands you be punished. For your refusal, you will know pain.” Catherine was terrified. Is he completely insane? He had been muttering and humming, but now he seemed to be talking about himself in the third person.
Suddenly, the door crashed open and Merrick stood in the entrance.
Seventeen
Merrick’s mind struggled to make sense of the scene before him. Grey was half naked and stood next to the bed brandishing a fertility artifact. From the look of the room, Merrick found where the museum’s missing treasures had been going. Catherine was on the bed, her hands tied above her. Seeing her tearstained face registering both shock and relief, his heart surged and he moved toward the bed. But Grey was closer. Before Merrick could stop him, he grabbed the lantern and smashed it into the bedpost, spraying what little oil was left and immediately catching the bed curtain on fire.
Catherine screamed; the bedclothes were dry and dusty; she’d be consumed by flames. But Merrick was already there. He swept her body toward him and off the bed with one hand as he used a knife to sever the rope binding her hands to the headboard as the fire swept up the bed. Everything happened quickly. The flames illuminated the room and the tattered state of everything. It was sure to become an inferno. Grey had been trapped on the other side of the burning bed away from the door. Merrick couldn’t see where Grey went, and didn’t care, as long as he wasn’t in the way of getting Catherine to safety. The smoke was thick, the fire spreading to the walls and ceiling. He stumbled down the stairs, Catherine limp in his arms. As he burst through the door and into the fresh night air, the floor above him collapsed, the force sending them into the grass with a shower of burning ash and sparks. A carriage rolled up, with Devon and Travis jumping out before it even came to a full stop. Jack was right behind on a horse.
“Grey was still in the house!” Merrick coughed as he directed the others and turned back to Catherine. He didn’t care about Grey; he just wanted her to open her eyes. Why hadn’t he confessed his love for her? He was not sure when it happened, perhaps that first moment they touched. His body had recognized its mate, but his brain had been slow to follow. He couldn’t lose her now.
Devon came back from around the house. “He’s gone. We found an opening in the back. There must have been an escape route from that room.”
Catherine’s eyes fluttered open to see Merrick’s soot covered face.
Time stopped as they stared into each other’s eyes. Catherine felt the breath catch in her throat that had nothing to do with all of the smoke she inhaled, but still caused her to cough. Then the moment was gone; Merrick became all business. He helped Catherine sit up as he spoke to the others. “I’m sure this isn’t over. I don’t know if he had the partial formula, but we still have both. We’ve not seen the last of him.” He continued to issue orders as others arrived on the scene to put out the fire and control the gathering crowd.
Had she imagined it? For a moment, Catherine thought she saw something as they looked into each other’s eyes, but there was no evidence of that in the hard set of his jaw or in the efficient way he was taking care of things. He was holding her, but seemed to have forgotten she was there. This is what marriage would be like with him. He would be present, but not with her. Catherine felt her heart constrict in her chest and tears began to well. She moved to get out of his arms.
Merrick felt his heart rate slow to something approximating a gallop as he held Catherine safely in his arms. Taking charge and making logical decisions helped calm him and give his emotions time to settle. He’d almost lost her.
Travis stood on the outside, unsure what was going on, but knowing he did not like what he saw between Merrick and Catherine. He was fiercely protective of her. His cousin was like the little sister he never had.
Merrick glanced up and saw the concerned set of Travis’s face as he stared at the couple.
“Don’t worry, we are to be married soon.” Merrick felt Catherine stiffen in response to that statement, and he felt the fear and desperation return of not having her with him to keep her safe. His ability to communicate that, unfortunately, had not improved.
“What the devil did you think you were doing?”
Catherine opened her mouth to retort, but started coughing again.
Merrick barely resisted the urge to shake her. “Do you realize you could have been killed? This isn’t one of your penny novels, others’ lives are at risk.”
Catherine recoiled at the remark and his condescending tone. Obviously, he saw her as nothing but a nuisance. She needed to leave.
She pushed against his chest, wanting to disengage from his arms, but he continued to hold her. She couldn’t take much more of this, and began to cry softly.
Merrick knew he hurt her, but wanted her to understand how important she was to him. The crowd was peering curiously at the scene and craned their necks to identify the half-naked, disheveled girl in his arms. Merrick realized he’d waited too long to get her away from the scene. He started to stand.
“I’ll take her home.”
Travis stopped him with a hard hand on his shoulder. Although his voice was not raised there was no mistaking the anger, or the wealth of meaning, when he spoke.
“You’ve done enough.” Merrick didn’t argue as Travis bundled his cousin into the carriage. No one else spoke, although the friends exchanged glances.
Eighteen
Merrick sat, staring into the snifter of brandy as the sounds of other club members surrounded him. No one bothered to approach him, and he did not invite anyone to join. He knew his enforced solitude of misery wouldn’t last, however, as a pair of black Hessians, caked with mud, came into his peripheral vision.
“It’s become quite a habit, this. Me finding you in less than desirable, presentable shape.”
Merrick let his head fall back to rest on the chair, and with a sigh of resignation he opened one eye to glare at Devon who continued in an annoyingly, purposefully, chipper voice.
“I know, I’m sure I look as bad as you feel, although the reasons are probably different. Do you want the latest information or should I wait until you are completely in your cups?”
Merrick ignored the bait and sat up in the chair, downing the rest of the brandy.
“What did you discover?”
Devon proceeded to give him an update about what the agency had uncovered so far.
“We know the cult of Priapus formed in the late 1700’s. Grey’s father and grandfather had been members. The meetings were simply a cover for Thaddeus Grey and the others to use. It was a great idea, as most members did not want attention drawn to them, and therefore did not pay a lot of attention to others. Unfortunately, part of the ritual was anonymity, so they were unable to identify most of th
e players.”
Devon paused and considered his friend.
“Why don’t you go after her?’
“I did. I was turned away.”
“Well, at least you tried.” Merrick ignored the dry tone of his voice. Devon continued, “I was wondering if you would be so kind as to take this back to Lord Tennet. The agency appreciates his generosity with his work.” Devon produced Travis’s book of alchemic formulas and held it out to Merrick, prompting him to growl, “I don’t need you to play matchmaker.”
“Fine then, I’ll take it.”
Devon rose to leave and Merrick glared at him as he snatched the book from his hands. There were not many who would have found humor in his countenance, much less be willing to chuckle as he departed.
Nineteen
Catherine knew she was recovered physically, but didn’t think emotionally she would ever be the same. She couldn’t seem to shake the melancholy feelings, even when she was certain she made the right decision. Her mother had been surprisingly supportive and sympathetic, even taking on her father, who continued to stomp and mutter about the house when he found out she turned down an Earl’s marriage proposal, until her mother sent him back to their country estate.
It also didn’t help that she continued to replay the moment when she first opened her eyes after the rescue. His gaze seemed so tender, but as time passed, it was becoming easier to dismiss. At least that’s what she told herself.
Travis also supported her, but questioned her more about whether or not she wanted to marry. After several encounters Catherine snapped at him.
“I don’t want to marry under duress.” He dropped it.
Simply Suitable Page 7
