Lady gambit, p.21
Lady Gambit, page 21
They might have kissed again, but Aaron appeared, poking his head around the door jamb. “Delphine! I need you upstairs. You’ll not leave me alone with that mad woman.”
“We don’t know Nora is mad.”
“I’m not talking about Nora. Miss Lovelace hasn’t stopped staring at me since I gave her a piece of string and told her to tie back her hair.”
Though Aaron had thrown on his crumpled shirt, it was open to the navel, revealing the toned physique that had made the lady’s mouth water.
“Miss Lovelace is her own mistress,” she said, moving towards the stairs. “She’s not used to a man telling her what to do. She will be annoyed you gave her no choice.”
Aaron frowned. “And some devil could be parked on the street waiting to pounce. I need to question the loon, not worry about Miss Lovelace.”
He was worried about Miss Lovelace?
What an astonishing revelation.
“As I’m acting on behalf of Bow Street, I’ll question Nora Adkins,” Dorian countered.
Aaron arched a brow and gestured to the hall. “Be my guest. Had you put the case before your amorous liaisons with my sister, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.”
They joined Aaron in his study.
Nora was seated in a wooden chair by the fire, warming her stocking feet and tucking into a selection of cold meats and cheese. Miss Lovelace stood in the corner like a disobedient child, out of Aaron’s line of sight. She’d fastened her hair in a loose braid and held a plaid blanket around her shoulders, though the room was stifling hot.
“Your brother has an issue with my attire.” The lady pulled the blanket firmly across her chest while meeting Delphine’s gaze. “I had the choice of this or Sigmund’s greatcoat.”
Delphine inwardly smiled. Though she felt guilty for involving Miss Lovelace in her personal problems, these unexpected encounters weakened Aaron’s resolve. To make amends, she would become a member of The Burnished Jade.
Dorian approached Nora Adkins, who shoved food into her mouth quicker than she could swallow. “How do you know Caterina?” he said, using the name belonging to the girl who would always be lost in the night.
Nora looked up through wild eyes and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “What’s it to you?”
“Unless you want to sleep in a dank cell for the next sixteen years, I suggest you answer my questions.”
The woman laughed. “He won’t take me back. He needs rid of me before them governors start poking into his affairs.”
“You speak of the Superintendent, Mr Powell?”
“No!” Nora looked at Dorian like he was as mad as a rat in a trap. “The toff with the face of an angel and the heart of a beast. He’s the one who had Powell set me free.”
Delphine stepped forward. “Lord Meldrum freed you? We were told you hit the doctor with a bottle of castor oil and snatched his keys.”
“I did. We had to make it look like a real escape.” She touched her fingers to the cut on her head and blenched. “Though I reckon Powell enjoyed giving me a good old thwack.”
Dorian frowned. “I can think of only one reason Meldrum wants you roaming the streets. You’re a witness to his duplicity. The only hold the blackmailer has over him. Perhaps he believes the contract would become void if you escaped and were found dead in the Thames.”
Clearly, Aaron thought the theory had merit. “Meldrum wouldn’t want her dying in Bethlem. He’d not risk an enquiry.”
Nora stuffed a piece of bread into her mouth. Crumbs fell onto her lap when she spoke. “His men were waiting outside the hospital gates. They’d have done me in good and proper, but I escaped through the garden and over the back wall.”
Delphine wondered if they were the same men who’d tried to abduct her outside Miss Darrow’s shop. It made sense. Lord Meldrum was weak and lacked moral character. If he married her and killed Nora, his life would no longer be a shambles. Except that his man had shot Theo and ruined the plan.
“He knew I’d come looking for you, Caterina,” Nora added. “He has one of his thugs across the road watching this house. I slipped inside when he went to relieve himself in Golden Fleece Alley.” She cackled. “Or should I say, Golden Sprinkle Alley?”
Aaron was at the window in a second. He peered into the darkness before turning to Miss Lovelace. “Now do you see why I suggested you remain here?”
The lady looked angry, not thankful. “I’ll not stay the night.”
“Rest assured. You’ll be gone at the first opportunity. Sigmund will escort you home once I’m certain this thug poses no threat.” He scanned the street again before sending Theo and Sigmund out to hunt for the blackguard. “Bring him here. He’ll tell me who hired him, or I’ll cut out his tongue and feed it to the dogs.”
Dorian had other matters on his mind, namely dragging answers from the irrational Nora Adkins. “What makes you think Miss Chance is Caterina? Why are you looking for her?”
Nora held up her plate. She’d gobbled the food like it was her last supper. “Any more cheese? And I’ll want bread to squirrel away to eat later. When I leave here, I’m heading to the coast. Don’t suppose you can spare a few coins for my purse?”
“Who tied you up and left you for the previous Lord Meldrum to find?” Dorian persisted. His scowl said he was nearing the end of his tether. “You’ll answer all my questions before you get another morsel.”
Nora glowered at him. “I ain’t eaten in days. How can a woman think when her stomach growls like an injured bear?”
“You’ve managed thus far.”
The woman looked at Delphine, though her hard eyes did not soften. “She’s the image of her mother. Now, can I have more cheese? Got any pickled cabbage?”
“You’ll get nothing more until you co-operate.”
Nora huffed and rested her plate on the grate. “I told you when you came to pick my mind before. Big black hat. Big shiny shoes. One ruby eye on a stick. That’s the devil what made me dizzy.”
“Why? What had you done?”
“Done?” Nora’s eyes bulged. “Nothing. Happen I knew too much. Those devils stole Caterina off the street. It took me months to find her. Then I saw the poor lamb picking pockets on West Street.”
Picking pockets!
“You speak of Mrs Haggert?” Delphine said.
“Who else? She stole you right from under your mother’s nose.”
Aaron turned from the window, his temper barely contained. “Did I not say Mrs Haggert is the devil incarnate? I’ll take great pleasure in making her pay for what she’s done to this family.”
A memory slid into Delphine’s mind. That of Mrs Haggert gripping her wrist so tightly it left a bruise, tugging hard and dragging her from the shrubbery.
We need to get her away from here and quickly.
Other memories fought for supremacy.
She was staring into a basket of flower petals, too scared to put her hand inside and scatter them as instructed. A woman beside her was crying, begging the maid for help.
What did it mean?
Perhaps it was time Dorian explained how her parents had died. It might be a valuable piece of the puzzle. It might spark an important memory. But first, she had to learn everything she could from Nora Adkins.
“How did you know my mother?” she said firmly.
“I worked at your house in Bolton Street. I know everything that went on there. I know what they did.” Nora glanced at Dorian and Aaron and snarled. “But I’ll not tell you in front of these blighters. I’ll hang for what I know. Happen you wouldn’t want to tarnish your mother’s memory.”
Beyond desperate for answers, she turned to Aaron. “Leave us for a moment. I want to speak to Nora alone.”
“Like hell,” both men echoed.
Dorian’s hand slid around her arm. “I’ll not leave you with her. We’ll find the answers we need another way.” He met Aaron’s gaze. “Have Sigmund fetch the watchman. I’m sure Nora is missing her cell at Bethlem. And we need Daventry to get a warrant for Powell’s arrest.”
Perhaps Dorian was right to air his concern.
He’d been distrusting of Nora since she arrived.
Indeed, Nora shot to her feet and made a hullabaloo. “I ain’t going back to that hellish place. And I ain’t meeting my maker until I’ve brought death to the devil who put me there.” She grabbed her scuffed boots from the hearth. “I came here of my own free will, and I’ll leave the same way.”
“There’s nowhere to go.” Dorian sounded like a constable from Bow Street. “The man you mean to murder is dead. And you won’t get within a hundred yards of Mrs Haggert.”
If Nora wasn’t mad before, she was now. She stamped the floor and shook her head and swore like a dockside lout. Without warning, she lunged at Dorian, hard and fast, pushing him in the chest with all her might. “Stay back, you wretch!”
He stumbled in shock, giving Nora the valuable seconds needed to thrust her hand into her boot and draw a small pistol.
Everyone gasped.
“No one move,” Nora cried, cocking the hammer and aiming the gun at Delphine. “Don’t test my patience. I’ll shoot her. Make no mistake.”
Nora’s eyes flitted about though her hand remained steady. Every facial muscle conveyed a determination to carry out her threat.
Was the woman unhinged?
Was this merely a last bid for freedom?
“I’m sure you don’t want to hurt me.” Delphine raised her hands in surrender. “I’m sure this is a simple misunderstanding.” How did one reason with a maniac?
“This ain’t no misunderstanding. Say your prayers now.”
Dorian’s face was a white mask of fear.
“Please don’t shoot,” she pleaded, crossing her arms over her body to protect her heart. “We can resolve the problem. You can leave. Don’t you want to find Mrs Haggert and punish her for putting you in Bethlem?”
Nora pressed forward, forcing Delphine to shuffle back towards the open study door. “Have no fear. I’ll find that crone soon enough. I’m here to put a ball in your false heart.”
“Mine?” Good Lord! Why?
“Step back!” Nora yelled to Aaron. “Flinch, and I’ll shoot.”
Both men froze, afraid to make a wrong move.
Attempting to make sense of Nora’s motive for murder, Delphine said, “But I was a child when you knew me. What did I do to you?”
“You’re the one who put me there. If it weren’t for your loose tongue, the deed would be done, and we’d all be happier for it.”
“I don’t remember. You’re not making any sense.”
“Happen you’d remember if you’d spent sixteen years in a cell.”
Confused, Delphine glanced at Aaron, but she’d never seen him look so afraid. As they shuffled slowly past Miss Lovelace, the lady caught Delphine’s eye. She splayed her hand on her chest, three fingers visible. Slowly, three fingers became two, then one, then her gaze dipped to the floor.
“Kill the chick and blame the hen,” Nora sang in a childlike voice, “and the wolf will set me free.”
Delphine ignored the woman’s mad ramblings and studied Miss Lovelace’s fingers, waiting for the signal. She knew instinctively what to do and prayed the plan would work.
Three. Two. One, Miss Lovelace mouthed.
Delphine said a silent prayer and dropped to her knees.
She wasn’t sure what happened next, but Aaron swore and Dorian gasped.
Nora screamed in pain and collapsed to the floor, writhing as she cradled her arm. “Evil wench. You’ve snapped my wrist in two.”
Delphine shot to her feet, as dazed as the day Monsieur Chabert brought her out of a trance. She looked at Miss Lovelace, thankful she’d had the foresight to knock on her door. The lady had one hand clasped to her chest, the other wrapped around the small pistol.
“I’ve only practised the move twice but was assured it works to disarm a villain.” With shaky fingers, she gave Aaron the pistol.
Aaron’s chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath. He gawped at Miss Lovelace. Either he was about to murder the lady for her interference or carry her upstairs and ravage her senseless.
“That was stupid,” he said, “and ingenious.”
“I’m not sure I’d want to do it again.”
“There’s sherry in the drawing room. Pour yourself a glass.”
The lady nodded and left them to deal with Nora.
Despite looking as pale as a ghost, Dorian crossed the room. He stepped over Nora and hauled Delphine into his arms.
He didn’t care that Aaron stood watching them. He kissed her, a long, lingering kiss that spoke of relief.
“I’ll not fail you again.” Dorian brushed her hair from her face, cradled her cheeks and kissed her deeply. “You might have died had it not been for the intrepid owner of The Burnished Jade.”
“It’s not your fault. None of us expected Nora to draw a pistol from her boot.” Though she would suffer Nora’s threats again if it meant Miss Lovelace could prove her worth.
“The hellcat must have hidden it on her person and slipped it into her boot.” Aaron hauled Nora up by her good arm, though the woman wailed like a hungry babe. “You didn’t escape Bethlem with a loaded pistol. Who gave you the gun?”
Nora shook her head, her pain forgotten, and started dancing like a witch at a cauldron. “Diddly de, diddly dum.”
Dorian faced the woman. “Tell me! Was it Powell?”
“It had to be Mr Powell,” Delphine interjected.
“Not necessarily. According to the visitors’ book, Meldrum entered Bethlem a few hours before Nora absconded. He could have easily passed the weapon through the bars.”
“Why would Lord Meldrum want me dead?” It made no sense.
“I don’t know,” Dorian admitted. “But I know someone who might.”
“Mrs Haggert?” she suggested. Who else could it be?
“Indeed. We’ll visit that cunning devil first thing tomorrow.”
Chapter Nineteen
Seven Dials
St Giles
“Mrs Haggert ain’t seeing anyone today.” The boy guarding the alley leading to Mrs Haggert’s premises shoved the calling card back into Dorian’s hand and doffed his cap. “Be on your way, gov’nor.”
The arrogant swine!
“I’m not leaving without seeing Mrs Haggert.” Dorian thrust his calling card back at the boy. “We can do this the polite way, or I can storm the house and arrest everyone inside.”
Dorian raised his trouser leg, showing the hilt of the hunter’s blade peeking from the sheath strapped to his shin. He parted his coat to reveal the pistol in the leather holster fastened across his body.
The boys looked at each other, their arrogant grins fading.
Delphine stepped closer. “We’re all armed and quite prepared to die today.” She gestured to her brother, whose only weapon was his baleful mood. “Mrs Haggert will answer our questions, or she will be arrested.”
One boy scurried away and returned with a burly guard. The hulking fellow looked at Aaron Chance and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
“We’re not leaving,” Aaron said, his tone dangerously unsettling.
After a brief conversation with his mistress, the guard led them into Mrs Haggert’s drawing room and told them to wait.
“We must remain calm,” Dorian said as he sat patiently on the sofa. “Discovering the truth is our primary goal. Too many people know of her involvement. She’ll not lie her way out of trouble this time.”
Delphine turned to Aaron. “We can’t hurl accusations without proof. We can’t rile her before we get the answers we seek.”
Aaron sat forward in the wing chair, one arm resting on his knee. “I have my own gripe with the woman, but we’ll do this Flynn’s way, as we agreed.”
Tempers were frayed.
Emotions ran high.
They had barely slept since Daventry left Fortune’s Den with the magistrate. They’d watched two peelers wrestle Nora Adkins into the prison wagon, the woman scratching their faces and screaming like a banshee. An hour later—while Dorian was away fetching clothes from his room above the Old Swan—they received word that Powell had been arrested. Once they’d dealt with Mrs Haggert, they were heading to Bow Street to interrogate the Superintendent.
Tense minutes passed.
They heard whispers in the hall before Mrs Haggert entered.
She wore a red dress with modish sleeves and a bell-shaped skirt. Her expression was hard to read, but she sounded resigned to her fate when she said, “They say red is the colour of vengeance. The day of retribution has come, though I prayed it never would.”
“Why?” Aaron scoffed, his hatred like a malevolent spirit climbing the walls. “Because you want people to think you’re a woman of your word when we both know you’re a liar.”
Dorian inwardly cursed.
So much for following the plan.
Mrs Haggert’s hooded eyes darkened. “I did what was best, all things considered. Yes, you’ve a right to be angry, but you got the better end of the bargain. You got to keep the jewel in the crown.”
“You wanted me dead.”
“That ain’t true.” Mrs Haggert raised her hands in silent apology. “I needed you alive. I didn’t know the fool would pull a knife. I didn’t know he’d be a sore loser and take his shame out on you. You were too clever for your own good back then. I never expected you to grace my door, wanting to know where she came from.”
“Wait,” Dorian interrupted, before Aaron released a tirade of abuse and had them all thrown out. He shot Aaron an irate glare. “We’re racing ahead of ourselves. We’re here because—”
“Nora Adkins escaped Bethlem and tried to shoot Caterina last night.” Mrs Haggert’s thin lips curled in amusement, though the memory chilled Dorian’s blood. “It pays to have friends at Bow Street, Mr Flynn.”
He was impressed, though not surprised. Only a handful of men were on the take, but greed was an incurable disease and often contagious. “How do you know Nora Adkins?”
“I don’t.” Mrs Haggert lowered herself into the chair. “I’ve never spoken to her myself.”
