He pushed himself to his feet with a roar of pain, a snarl adorning his disfigured face. It clearly took an effort of will.
‘Now you’ve made me angry,’ he said, his expression hard, flat and without mercy, ‘and are about to discover the error of your ways.’
Sophia looked up at him from her position on the floor and shuddered at the murderous rage she could see in his expression. She swallowed and accepted with a sinking heart that she had run out of options.
Chapter Eighteen
‘Why the devil are you glowering at me?’ Ewan asked. ‘What am I supposed to have done?’
‘That is what I would very much like to know,’ Ross replied, levelling a hard, flat stare at the man he had thought was his friend.
‘Sorry, but I have absolutely no idea what’s going on.’ He spread his hands, his expression open and bewildered. ‘I heard Miss Kennard’s name mentioned. Sorry, couldn’t help overhearing, but what is she to me? I have never spoken to the lady. Why are you looking at me as though you’re ready to commit murder, Ross? What is it that you think I have done? Please have the goodness to explain.’
His reaction wasn’t contrived and Ross wondered if he had jumped to conclusions and got it wrong. ‘You haven’t been in Hampshire these past weeks, arranging illegal fights?’
‘The devil take it, Ross, I already told you that I was in Scotland until last week.’ His expression darkened. ‘You doubt my word?’
Did he? His mind whirled with unpalatable possibilities. Then he recalled how close their friendship had once been and couldn’t imagine the man he had known well falling so low. He met Ewan’s gaze and offered him the benefit of the doubt.
‘I apologise unreservedly,’ he said, meaning it, his relief palpable.
‘Apology accepted, although I’m still not sure what you are actually apologising for.’ Ross followed Ewan back into the sitting room, Tanner at their heels. ‘Perhaps you’d like to tell me what this is all about. I assume it has to do with Andrew’s death and that the ravishing Miss Kennard is somehow involved.’
Ross succinctly explained what he and Sophia had been attempting to achieve.
‘I shall try not to take offence that you thought I might be involved with anything as unpalatable as the fights you’ve described,’ Ewan said. ‘Given my family’s dire financial straits and the description of the man seen in the shadows, I suppose I can understand why the possibility crossed your mind. Even so, there are other tall men in the world, you know. Besides, if I was involved and knew you were chasing shadows, would I have risked showing my face in society?’
‘Chasing shadows perhaps, but my enquiries have made someone nervous.’ He paused, grinding his jaw as rage threatened to overwhelm him. Rage and guilt. This was all his fault. He had involved Sophia and now her life was in peril. ‘Someone has abducted Sophia,’ he explained in response to Ewan’s quizzical look.
‘Miss Kennard?’ Ewan scratched his whiskered chin. ‘What the devil…’
Ross thumped his fist against the mantle, thoughts of Sophia’s ordeal at the hands of some madman making it hard for him to assess the situation with detached rationality. She would be terrified—alone and vulnerable, unable to fight back. He hadn’t realised until that moment just how comprehensively she had wormed her way into his affections, and he had never liked himself less for endangering her.
‘Whoever has taken her is Andrew’s killer, and he intends for her and me to go the same way as Andrew to prevent us from delving deeper.’ Ross glanced up at the other two men in the room. ‘We are dealing with a ruthless adversary, gentlemen, and I have absolutely no idea of his identity.’
‘You must have, guv’nor,’ Tanner said. ‘You’ve spooked him into his first rash act.’
‘If I have then he clearly thinks I know more than I actually do.’
Tanner explained their suspicions regarding Greenacre.
‘Greenacre doesn’t know where Maria resides, so it can’t be him,’ Ross added. ‘Emily couldn’t have told him because she doesn’t know either. Only Purvis…’ Ross stared at the two men. ‘But he doesn’t have the wits.’
‘Well, my friend,’ Ewan said, ‘there’s only one way to find out. Whoever did the abducting, it couldn’t have been planned, otherwise how could he have known that your Sophia would visit her sister unaccompanied? She wouldn’t ordinarily do so, would she?’
Ross shook his head. ‘She’s a strong-willed chit, given to acts of impulsiveness, but even so…’
‘Phyllis said she wanted to go alone because she thought Maria was more likely to talk frankly if there was no one else there,’ Tanner said. ‘Maria, it seems, isn’t one to admit to her own shortcomings readily, not even in front of servants.’
‘This address is in the East End,’ Ewan said, reading the note that Ross handed to him. ‘I happen to know the area. I have business interests close by. A warehouse on the docks at Wapping. The houses there are in long terraces with passageways behind.’ He glanced at Tanner. ‘Our hero here can go charging in the front door to rescue the damsel,’ he said, grinning at Ross, ‘and you and I will act as the rear-guard action.’
‘Don’t you take anything seriously?’ Ross asked, smiling in spite of the fraught situation.
‘I try not to. Saves a great deal of needless worry. Besides, with an irresponsible family like mine, taking life seriously would give one ulcers.’
‘This could be dangerous,’ Ross warned, his smile fading. ‘It will be, and isn’t your fight, Ewan. Are you sure you want to…?’
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world.’ Ewan slapped Ross’s shoulder with a meaty hand. ‘It will be like old times, when we used to get one another out of scrapes during our Oxford days.’
‘Don’t underestimate Purvis,’ Ross said, as he and Ewan waited for Tanner to bring the carriage round. ‘If he has kidnapped Sophia then he must be our killer. I’ll confess that I never seriously thought him capable, which just goes to show.’
‘And he will be desperate.’ Ewan nodded. ‘I quite understand. Right, here’s Tanner,’ he added when the carriage pulled up at the front door. ‘Let’s go and save the lady.’
‘Shouldn’t you inform the magistrate?’ Tanner asked, addressing the comment to Ross in a low voice when Ewan was still shrugging into his coat. ‘If it isn’t Purvis, or if he has reinforcements waiting, we could all be in peril.’
‘No time. We’ll just have to take our chances. There are three of us. I’m depending upon the killer being cautious and not wanting any others around. Killing a lady and a duke…well, it’s a serious business.’
‘Are you absolutely sure…?’ Tanner nodded towards Ewan, now approaching them.
‘I’m sure.’ Ross climbed into the carriage in Ewan’s wake. ‘If we delay, then Sophia’s captor might get testy and I’m not prepared to take that risk. Whip the team up, Tanner, there’s no time to spare.’
Despite Tanner’s best efforts the journey was frustratingly slow, their progress hampered by the snow that still fell heavily and the assortment of accidents and altercations that they encountered on their way. Ross grew increasingly impatient but tried to remain calm and rational. If Purvis was the brains behind the fights—and more to the point if he had arranged for Andrew to be set upon and killed, at least that exonerated Emily and Maria. Although not entirely. There was every possibility that either one of them could have encouraged Purvis to act; Maria because she had been rejected by Ross’s brother or Emily because she couldn’t bear the disgrace of divorce.
Ross disliked the idea of being hoodwinked by Purvis’s dim-witted persona, but at the same time he also admired his conniving nature. No one, certainly not Ross, had considered him to be anything other than an amiable, inoffensive clunch. What better way to hide his true nature? No one took him seriously or thought there was any harm in him, and probably spoke injudiciously in front of him as a consequence.
Clever, Ross thought rubbing his chin between his thumb and forefinger in a ges
ture of reluctant admiration. Very clever.
‘We should leave the carriage here. This is the closest tavern.’ Ewan’s voice recalled Ross’s straying attention. ‘We can walk the rest of the way.’
Ross nodded and leaned out the window to give Tanner the necessary instruction. A short time later the three men set out on foot through the snowy streets. There were plenty of people going miserably about their daily business, but none of them tarried or gave much attention to Ross’s party.
‘This is the road,’ Ewan said, halting at its junction with a busier thoroughfare. Ross didn’t ask him how he could be sure. There were no signs visible, but if Ross accepted that Ewan wasn’t in any way involved in Sophia’s abduction then he must also accept that he knew the lie of the land where he had business interests.
They walked swiftly past a house in the middle of a tumbledown terrace. Smoke belched from the chimney but there was no other sign of life. The houses on either side of it appeared to be derelict, but Ross knew there was every possibility that they were occupied by those who had no other form of shelter.
‘Is this it?’ Ross asked, peering through the grimy window, unable to make out anything other than the glow of a fire.
‘It must be,’ Ewan said, an edge to his voice. ‘Tanner, you and I will take the back entrance. Ross, are you sure you want to do this alone?’
Ross firmed his jaw. ‘I must,’ he replied without hesitation. ‘This is personal.’
‘Well then, good luck my friend. Go and rescue the lady.’
Ewan led Tanner to the side of the terrace and they disappeared along an alleyway that Ross hadn’t noticed. Could it be as simple as knocking on the door, he wondered, or would he be struck down the moment he did so. Ross hesitated, his senses on high alert. It seemed too simple. He’d missed something vital.
The sound of a loud female scream emanating from the house made his mind up for him. If he was to die, it might as well be in an attempt to rescue the woman who had come to mean so much to him. It took a threat to her life, and to his, to make him realise that he was in love with her.
Without bothering to knock at the door, Ross pushed it open with his shoulder. The flimsy wood gave way and he found himself in a cold, flagstoned passageway devoid of human presence.
Sophia’s attempt to scramble away from Purvis resulted in another sharp blow to the side of her face that made her cry out and caused her vision to blur. Before she could collect herself and look for a means of defence since she was damned if she would be a passive victim, the sound of the front door crashing open and slamming against the wall caused Purvis to smile in a manner that chilled Sophia’s blood. The injury to his face made that smile appear grisly, misshapen—a timely reminder that they were up against a vindictive opponent who had exploited the fact that he’d been grossly underestimated for all of his adult life.
Sophia felt a moment’s sympathy for her vain sister, who would be obliged to look at that disfigured face for the rest of her days, unless she and Ross could somehow overcome him. Which of course they would. Ross wouldn’t have been foolish enough to come here alone and unarmed, would he? Sophia had no way of knowing, she was simply relieved that he had come at all. Then she berated herself for her selfishness. He had risked his life for her sake, and there was every possibility that they would both be killed. Purvis’s coachman would return soon. He was a burly individual and loyal to his master. Ross had probably brought Tanner with him but Purvis had Sophia at his mercy, which gave him the upper hand.
‘Well, well, the conquering hero rides to the rescue,’ Purvis said in a scathing tone, his lips moving awkwardly due to the fact that the poker had singed one side of his mouth. Sophia hoped that the pain was not of a trivial nature. ‘How tiresomely predictable.’
Purvis struggled to his feet and swayed slightly. Sophia wondered how he supposed he would ever be a match for Ross, who was more muscular, uninjured and probably fighting mad. She discovered her answer when Purvis pulled her to her feet and thrust her body in front of his, the dagger that he held in one hand piercing her neck. She could smell his sour breath peppering her face and turned her face away from the repulsive, red raw burns on his cheek.
‘Had an accident?’ Ross asked, stepping into the room and taking in Purvis’s grotesque face.
‘Quite the little hell-cat you’ve got yourself here,’ Purvis replied. ‘Not so very different to her sister in many respects. Hope you enjoyed her while you had the chance. She’s probably as free with her favours as Maria was when it comes to impressing a duke.’
‘I shouldn’t be surprised at your willingness to hide behind a woman’s skirts,’ Ross replied, sending Sophia an enquiring glance. She nodded to indicate that she was relatively unharmed. She saw the relief in his expression as he returned his attention to Purvis, his features now set in stone.
‘Women have their uses, not all of which are confined to the bedroom.’
‘I always knew you for a coward.’
‘You always knew me for a simpleton, but you got that wrong as well.’
Ross tilted his head, conceding the point. ‘What happens now?’ he asked casually. ‘You realise that I didn’t come without leaving word of my whereabouts? The magistrate is close on my heels. If you intend to kill us then you’ll never get away with it.’
A loud noise and heavy cursing that Ross recognised as Tanner’s coming from the scullery area set Ross’s nerves jangling.
Purvis flashed another of his evil smiles. ‘Are you sure about that?’
Before Ross could respond, Ewan pushed his way into the room.
‘He…he’s the man Maria saw at the fights!’ Sophia pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. ‘She drew his likeness.’
‘Very clever of her.’
Ross’s mouth fell open and he gaped at Ewan with a combination of outrage and disappointment, berating himself for having been taken in because he’d wanted to trust his old friend, and because the man had been so convincing. Ross had been so desperate to rescue Sophia that he hadn’t thought the situation through with his customary clarity. Had he done so, he would have seen the flaws in his blind acceptance of Ewan’s assurances.
How could the kidnapper have trusted Ross to come alone, or at all for that matter, when he must have known it would be obvious to him that he’d be walking into a trap? Silently, he cursed. Why hadn’t he questioned the fact that Ewan just happened to be familiar with this district, this street, this actual house? He would have been dead within his first week of reaching American soil if he’d taken anyone at face value so trustingly. It was obvious that his feelings for Sophia had affected his judgement. Cautious by nature, he had walked into a trap because he wanted to believe that Ewan was trustworthy, their friendship forged through shared adolescent experiences.
‘Sorry, Ross,’ Ewan said, watching him with genuine-seeming regret. But this time Ross wasn’t fooled by his performance. ‘I really didn’t want it to come to this. If only you’d stopped asking questions about Andrew, but you would keep on digging to the point that half the ton began to think there was more to his death than his being set upon by briggands. We couldn’t risk anyone exploring his affairs too deeply. Of course, that wouldn’t have happened if a certain person hadn’t felt the need to bump him off.’
‘He became an inconvenience to your lucrative fights when he grew a conscience,’ Ross said, ‘so had to be done away with.’
Ewan glowered at Purvis, which is when Ross realised that he’d got it wrong. ‘You wanted revenge because he bedded Maria,’ he said, shaking his head.
‘No one takes what’s mine,’ Purvis growled.
‘Damned fool brought all this trouble to our door,’ Ewan growled, throwing Purvis a look of condemnation. ‘And as usual, it’s down to me to clear up the mess he left behind.’ He sighed. ‘Can’t depend upon anyone these days.’ He glanced at Purvis again and appeared only just to notice the damage to his face. ‘What happened to you?’
Purvis
fixed Sophia with a murderous glare, causing Ewan to roar with laughter. ‘A mere chit of a girl got the better of you, did she? I have to say that I like her style. Shame we have to…Anyway, time’s a-wasting.’
Ross shared a glance with Sophia, feeling oddly calm in spite of his palpitating heart. Purvis still held her firmly in front of him. Ross would never get to her before Ewan struck him down, but what other choice did he have other than to try? He slipped a hand into his pocket to grasp his dagger.
It wasn’t there.
‘Lost something?’ Ewan asked in a teasing tone.
Damn it, Ewan must have picked his pocket in the carriage when it hit one of the many ruts they’d encountered. Ross hadn’t felt a thing. He sent Sophia a tender look of regret. She responded with a soft smile and recklessly blew him a kiss. Dear God, this was torture and it was all his fault! He should have let sleeping dogs lie. It wasn’t as if he and Andrew had been close. Besides, nothing he discovered about his murder would bring him back. The investigation had brought him into contact with Sophia, which was one aspect of the entire sorry business that he would never regret, but their brief dalliance appeared destined to end in death.
His only hope now was that Tanner would come to the rescue, but the noise he had heard coming from the scullery implied that he had at best been incapacitated. Ross didn’t want to think about the worst.
In the stillness of the moment he sensed Sophia attempting to communicate with him. What message was she trying to get across? With no way of knowing, all he could do was to remain alert. He gave a small inclination of his head, ready and desperate enough to follow her lead. She suddenly wilted in Purvis’s arms, a dead weight that he was obliged to lower to the floor; an indication that he’d been weakened by his earlier struggle with Sophia.
A Duke in Turmoil: Dangerous Dukes Vol 9 Page 23
