by Katie Roman
“I’ll wait here. Either I walk Jim back to the Angel or I’ll wait for you.”
“Alright.” Ridley hugged Grace and continued the walk alone.
It felt awkward to be standing alone in the street but there wasn’t much of a choice. She stepped aside so people could pass by her and kept looking around, waiting for an ambush to rush in after Ridley. All the guards except the two who were set to watch the door followed Ridley inside, and it was a long while before anyone came out.
She frowned to see Nathaniel was the guard leading Jim. They made for her at a slow, steady pace that was like a thousand years to Grace as she waited. The innkeeper was overjoyed to see her. He looked healthy and fit, but the way he hugged and clung to Grace, she’d have thought he was in the lockup for years.
“I’m going to help you take him back to the Angel,” Nathaniel said after Jim was handed over.
“I don’t want any of your kind within spitting distance of my tavern!” Jim hooked an arm with Grace. “I’ve got me a lovely escort and I’m a good deal safer with her than with you.”
Nathaniel wasn’t pleased with the innkeeper’s objections. His dark eyes narrowed and his lip curled, but he didn't rise to the innkeeper's challenge. His face creased with frown lines when he retorted, “I didn’t ask for your opinion, and I’m following behind whether you want me around or not. I have my orders, Master Little. Miss Hilren, lead the way please.”
Grace searched for signs of his earlier anger at her but found none, only annoyance with Jim. He was calm and pleasant. Just trying to do his job.
“Come on, Jim. The sooner we walk, the sooner it’s over.” She took the lead with Jim hooked to her and Nathaniel walking a few paces behind.
“What’s happened to your arm?” Jim asked as he adjusted his hold on her and she flinched.
“I burned myself with some candle oil,” she lied. Behind her, Nathaniel drew in a sharp breath. “It is no matter, I’m fine. How are you?”
“Exhausted. I didn’t sleep at all in that horrible little room.” Jim went on and on about what it had been like. At one point, Grace stole a glimpse behind her and saw that Nathaniel was rolling his eyes as far back into his head as they would go.
Once they reached the Angel, Jim finally stopped his rant about the lockup. “Marcus and his ilk aren’t allowed in here anymore. Not after what they let happen to me. I’m going to need your help in clearing them out, Grace. Marcus and Thom have always had an ear for what you have to say.”
It was the wrong time to mention what had happened between her and Marcus, so instead she said, “I’ll join you in a moment, Jim.”
Jim looked at Nathaniel, glared and went into the Angel. Grace could hear the cheers at his return. When the door was closed, she put her back up against the wall of the building. She slouched down, suddenly very tired. The shade was a welcome relief and she wiped at her forehead with the sleeve of her dress.
“How was he treated?” She looked up, shielding her eyes.
“Like a nobleman. He slept like a babe in a crib. He also ate more than his fair share and was none too pleasant to the men who were set to watch him.”
“You know how people on the Lane are.”
“Aye. And that’s why Ridley taking his place worries me. I’m afraid those inside have something special worked out for her.” Nathaniel watched the door for a Guild member to emerge. None did. He looked back to Grace with a sad smile on his face. “I know you count them among your friends, but I can’t let what happened go unpunished.”
“They don’t want Harris tortured. You said yourself you wanted Harris to stand and receive true King’s justice, so why are you letting this happen?”
“I can’t find Harris by myself. I barely convinced the men who patrol Rogue’s Lane that this needed to be done! I only received backing from men outside my house. The merchants want the Guild laid low. Ericson wants them laid low. When the guards on Merchant’s Way backed my cause, the house in Serenity Place did so as well, and it’s not hard to convince Golden Road to step up. I only wanted Harris, without a fuss. I wanted to make sure Taylor’s murderer was brought to justice and not the street justice we’re so used to.” He waved a hand at the door of the Angel. “Jim was never supposed to be punished for the folly of others, but I’m not a captain of the guard. I must do as I am instructed.”
Grace recognized the desperation of a person whose good intentions have gone horribly awry. She saw herself in Nathaniel's slumped shoulders, his downcast eyes, his low tone. Her own good intentions often managed to get away from her, and it was a pity to see Nathaniel's doing the same.
“I was wrong to get mad at you. Those men in there,” he motioned at the door again, “are as important to you as my fellows are to me. I like you, and yet how did I show you? I insulted you. I don’t suppose you can forgive my foolishness?” he said, practically reading her thoughts.
There had been plenty of times when Grace said and did things she regretted because her mind was addled with stress. She could forgive a man who asked for it and meant it. She smiled to herself, surprised to hear him ask for an apology.
“I can and I will.” She liked Nathaniel, too. They might even have been allies had she not met Marcus first.
The sergeant’s face brightened considerably when she granted her forgiveness. Any lingering stress was gone for the moment. He held out his arms and Grace did what felt natural. Pressed against him, she tilted her head upwards and let him kiss her. It was warm and comforting, but the moment couldn’t last. Jim wanted her help and she wanted to go home and sleep. Plans still needed to be made, but for now it was a nice escape. She searched her memory for the last time she felt this good.
She pushed away from Nathaniel when the answer came. She realized it was when she had first taken up with Jack.
“What is it?”
“I cannot linger anymore. I need to help Jim.” She stood up on her toes and pecked his cheek. She didn’t bother asking when they’d meet up again. She knew it would be sooner rather than later.
He said good-bye and returned to his own duties. Once he was out of sight, Grace allowed herself a moment to collect herself. The kiss had been soothing, safe. Then she remembered. Jack. She hadn’t felt like that since Jack and her mind whirled with the thought.
Her stolen moment was up. Collected or not, Grace had to go inside. Although once she did, she wished she had just turned around and gone on home.
Marcus and Jim were nowhere to be seen, but they were easily heard. Their shouting match was reaching its climax. All around the common room were Guild members. Jack was seated in the corner and Kay and two of her crew were also there. Grace frowned. The captain was supposed to already be gone. If Marcus was paying Kay to help his cause, things were bad indeed.
Grace didn’t say anything to anyone. She moved through the room and made directly for the stables, which were deserted except for the milk cow. Mayhew must have been in the kitchen. It’s where Jeremiah and Rosemary were probably hiding. It wasn’t a long wait before Jack came in.
He’d cleaned himself up. His beard was trimmed and his hair was cropped short. The scruffy look of a man at sea vanished, replaced with the vision of a groomed knight. The trimming and haircut made him look younger. Grace decided she liked him better this way.
When he saw the bandage, his face clouded over. Without waiting for permission, he pulled Grace to him in an embrace she could never hope to break free of, not that she wanted to. He kissed her hair and cradled her head to his shoulder, and the weariness of the last few days finally seeped into Grace’s bones. Here was someone who would actually understand. Her knees buckled with exhaustion and Jack eased her to the floor, helping to prop her against a stall door. Grace’s fingers tightened around some stray pieces of hay that littered the floor around them.
“I want to go home.”
“We’ll go right now. Let Jim and Marcus kill each other. It’s not your problem.” Jack rubbed her shoulders.
“That’s not what I meant.” She fought the tears that welled up behind her eyes. “I want to see my mother! My cousin! My uncles! Everyone I left behind! I hate it here!” She heard the tones of a petulant child creeping into her voice but she couldn't stop.
“Oh, my sweet little chick.” His voice was softer than Grace had ever heard it. She wiped her eyes and nose with her sleeve, forgetting about the bandage on her arm; reminded only when it began to sting in protest at being used as a handkerchief.
Jack watched her with all the anxiety of a mother hen. “I’m sorry I left you to this mess.” Grace blinked. She couldn’t recall him apologizing to her before. “I should have taken you with me. I’m trying to set things right, Grace. Will you please forgive me?”
The “yes” was on the tip of her tongue, but “no” came out instead. “Not yet.” The wounds of his silent departure were still too near. “How can I trust you?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know what to do to prove I can be trusted. I made a mistake. I knew it was one even as I left, but I did it anyway.”
Since his return Jack had been a great help, even if she had ruined things. He found Harris, he paid off Kay, and he was the same rock he’d always been. But that rock had already grown legs and walked away once before.
“I’m so tired, Jack.”
“No one is using the room here.” Since Grace moved out, the room above the stables had gone unused. “You can sleep there.” He pulled her to her feet.
Every step she took felt weighted down. She was steadied by the arm that Jack slung around her waist, helping her up and into the room. She sat on the bed and removed her boots and stockings. Jack tucked the stockings into the boots and placed them by the door for her, and then took the pouch of linen and the ointment from the healer and set it next to the boots.
“When should I wake you?” Jack asked as he knelt by the bed.
“I suppose in an hour or two. Thank you for being here.”
Jack cupped her face in his hands and moved in to kiss her. She thought to stop it, but the beating of her heart spoke otherwise. The heat of Jack’s lips erased any trace of the warmth left by Nathaniel. This was something entirely new, and something Grace didn’t realize she missed or needed. Her fingers curled into his shirt and she pulled him onto the bed with her.
Fourteen
There was a foggy haze over the room where a great black wolf with silver eyes stared out. Sounds of gulls. This way, a voice said. The room moved in the rhythm of the waves, but the tide was coming in too early. A man cowered next to the wolf.
Grace woke from her dream with a start when someone shook her. At first nothing registered except danger, but coming out of her dream state Grace remembered where she was. Jack hovered over her. How long had she been in the room? Her time with Jack seemed to last an eternity, yet still managed to end all too quickly.
“You wanted me to wake you, and now it’s time to get up. You’ve an hour before sunset. You can’t sleep the day away. I left you for a bit to get news from the Angel.” He let Grace adjust herself into a sitting position before sitting on the bed. She took one of his hands into both of hers, which brought a sad smile to his face. “I’ve bad news. Ridley taking Jim’s spot was no selfless act.”
“I figured she had some sort of scheme worked out.”
“Her and Marcus. He’s outraged about Jim’s arrest. Ridley’s going to signal from the lockup when the guard changes and there’s going to be a brawl. The entirety of the Guild and then some are going to rush Serenity Place around dawn.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I poured wine into Kay until her tongue loosened, although she was already plenty loose when I got to her. She’s going to bring Ridley on board the Dawn.”
“That explains why she hasn’t left. This is bad.”
“Very. I’d ask you to do nothing and wait this storm out, but I know better.”
Grace squeezed Jack’s hand. She couldn’t sit idly by and let the city descend into a riot.
“If you get yourself hurt tonight, I won’t be as kind as I was to the man who did that.” His eyes moved to the linen around her arm. Left to his own devices, Jack probably would have killed the man, though Grace was concerned as to what he did that he considered “kind”.
“Don’t look so worried. I only emptied a chamber pot onto him. I could have done worse, and tonight—”
“I’ll be careful.”
“The tavern is crawling with guards. Jim kicked Marcus out, but that hasn’t stopped them from sniffing around. Your man, Sergeant Moore, is leader of the pack.” Jack turned himself so he could face Grace better, and using his free hand he moved hair out of her face. Business came first, but he wanted to know where he stood in her affections.
From the moment Jack kissed her to now, she had not given Nathaniel a second thought. He was a surreal dream while Jack was the reality. She liked the sergeant. He wasn’t gruff or overprotective. He was polite and a bit like her at times. Still, his belief in the morality of the Guard would always come first. She could never co-exist with Ridley or Thom or even Jim, with Nathaniel in her life. She didn’t know if he’d outright forbid those friendships – he didn’t really seem the type – but he would always be at odds with her. He was a decent man, though. One who eased her pain by making her laugh.
But Jack. She’d never have to hide the Death Dealer hood and never fear that confiding her secrets would place her on opposite sides of her man. She loved him, yet she wasn’t quite ready to forgive him. Until she was, there was nothing to be done for them.
“He’s very handsome; very proper,” Jack said softly. There was silence while Grace processed Jack’s words. It wasn’t until he smiled a wonderful toothy grin that she realized he was teasing. “He’s also a great believer in the law, which I know you like to uphold. Unfortunately our mutual friend the Death Dealer is frowned on by people like Sergeant Moore.”
“I know. Jack, I...I’ve missed you, and Nathaniel has been...”
“Don’t let me muddle your mind tonight; we’ll have plenty of time for that later. You need to find Harris and make sure the discovery is very public.”
The dream. It rushed back into Grace’s mind. “I know where he is.”
~*~*~
Grace drank cold tea and waited for Jack to come to her lodgings with the things she’d left at his home. The tea was disgusting, but after the amorous events of the afternoon it seemed best to have it. A midwife had sold it to her, made of special herbs for maidens not interested in becoming matrons. It had worked for her before, so Grace crushed the remaining leaves into a cup and drank it cold. It was too hot to brew a proper pot anyway.
It would be dark soon. Already the sun was lowering itself for the night. Harris was near the docks and Grace had an uncanny idea where. The dream of that afternoon was a sign; a gift, almost. She’d had them before. The wolf was her patron goddess and had yet to steer her down the wrong path.
She’d bring knives as a precaution, but she instructed Jack to leave her sword in his rooms. She couldn’t conceal something like that. It was paramount that she approach Harris in peace this time.
There was a knock at her door. Finally, Jack had arrived. It wasn’t Jack, though. Why would it be? she thought wryly. Nathaniel stood in her doorway, already changed out of his uniform and looking ready for an evening at the night market.
“I barely had a chance to say hello at the Angel. You were distracted. I hope Jack Anders wasn’t bothering you.”
After rousing her, Jack went back to the Angel and sat alone. Grace served the guards, but avoided Jack and Nathaniel. Jack was right; her mind needed to be clear, but Nathaniel certainly wasn’t making that easy. “No, no. It’s just that this whole situation is stressful and dangerous for all of us.”
“It’s a good thing I’m here to protect you, then.”
“Grace Hilren hates men who try to protect her.” Jack’s footsteps had been silent. No one moved up the sta
irs of Mistress Fisher’s without making at least one stair creak, but somehow he’d managed to do just that. He had Grace’s bag in his hand. Nathaniel looked him over with disgust. “Grace, Jim asked me to bring you some things. He’s hiding his valuables or some such nonsense.”
Grace took the bag and thanked him. “Jack, I believe you know Sergeant Moore.”
“Sergeant,” he said, and nodded an acknowledgment. “Good night, Grace.” As silently as he arrived, Jack descended the stairs.
“You shouldn’t let him bother you.” The sergeant watched Jack leave with a glaring stare, and then his face contorted into a frown, wrinkling his brow. “That,” he said, and pointed to her arm. “Did he do that?”
“What? No, of course not! I tried to break up a scuffle near the privies last night. Two women were fighting over something. One of them threw a lamp at me and the oil got on my arm.”
“Jack Anders gave me this, you know.” He pointed to his scar. “Or at least I think he did. We were in a scuffle with a group of other men.”
The glare that was leveled at Jack’s retreating figure turned on Grace. She looked at the pink scar, wondering if her arm would look like that. Wondering if she stayed here long enough, would her own face look scarred and beaten.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” she muttered.
His expression softened. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s healed. I survived. But if Jack does bother you, let me know.”
The bag suddenly felt heavy in Grace’s hands. She wished Nathaniel wasn’t there. She suddenly wanted to talk to Jack very badly. He’d probably be lurking around waiting for Sergeant Moore to leave. If Grace could get him to leave.
“He doesn’t bother me.”
“Well if ever he does,” Nathaniel repeated. “So will you accompany me to the market this evening?” He tried for a smile.
