Darkest Death, page 11
part #2 of Darkest Series
“As long as her story holds true,” he reiterated. “Because, if so, then she has been used by him as much as anyone at the agency. Lead the way, Andrea,” he said and stood up.
Andrea’s relief was palpable. Her face lit up as she stood up and threw her arms around Sarah. “Thank you! I will help bring him down. I do not like being used. I saw it happen to my parents so many times when they first had money. I swear, I was only following agency orders. No one ever questions Lord Downing, not even the head boss himself.”
“Which makes it easier for him to do as he pleases.”
They paid and left. Lord Archer checked his billfold. He’d have plenty to get them to Edinburgh where he could call on a bank there if needed for train tickets back to London for the three of them. Still, he kept the billfold where his coat hid the bulk of it to not draw undue attention. It would not do to be attacked now.
The ladies waited for him at the door, and he held his arm out to both once outside. “Andrea, which way?”
“This way. It’s not far. How do you know Lord Downing is working against the agency?”
An innocuous question as they’d made her believe it to get her to talk, but he only said, “We have a lot of evidence piling up. I will go over it with the head office upon my return. For now, let us get back to London as quickly as reasonable and see if we can deduce why he might not want me around.”
“Of course. I can appreciate you not wanting to say until you are sure of which parts you’ve heard or seen are accurate. I would probably do the same in your shoes.”
He felt Sarah bristle to the side and caught her eye and winked. “Of course. It would not do if we are wrong about him as well. We need to track down the source of the problem within the agency.”
“And we are grateful for a place to stay the night, of course,” Sarah added.
“I am happy I can make it up to you. You know, the horses will be rested tomorrow. We could take them back to the carriage and hook it up.”
“I may have someone do that for us in the morning. Let me sleep on it,” he said, not ready to commit to the plan, though it had crossed his mind on the walk with Sarah to the pub.
Lord Archer wasn’t sure he was ready to trust her yet. Only time would tell how much of Lord Downing’s plot she was involved with, if her words could be trusted. For, with Lord Downing as her mentor, she could be the best actress in an age. Or she could be as she said, someone who believed Lord Downing because she loved him and he her.
So though Andrea led them to her home, he would not sleep tonight, but stay on guard.
Just in case.
Chapter Twelve
Lady Sarah
Lord Archer had woken her at the crack of dawn. They saw the sunrise as they walked back toward the pub area without Andrea. Her feet hurt, and blisters had formed on both. She tried to hide the limp as they walked. On the way, they came across two rather large and handsome boys in a field, one of them quite a bit heftier than the other and all muscle.
“Oi there,” Lord Archer called before she could say anything.
“What are you doing,” Sarah asked curiously.
“I want to hire my own men to retrieve the carriage. It’ll be here early. Then we will send someone back for her.”
“You still don’t trust her?” she asked mildly. Truthfully, Lady Sarah also agreed that something was off.
“No. Do you?”
The boys approached before she answered. Well, they were young men, by her estimation. And strapping strong, reminding her of the highlanders of legends.
“What do ye be wanting us for?”
“I have a job, if you are interested.”
The other one gave them a good once over. “What’s the job, and no tricks. We do nae much like your kind.”
“My kind?” Sarah asked.
“English snobs.”
“Oh, you are mistaken then. Those are not my kind. I hate English snobs. Never could abide by them.” She winked as she delivered this cheekily.
The two men laughed, and the tension in their shoulders relaxed. “Well now, ye do nae seem as bad as some. What is the job?”
“Someone took off with our horses as a sort of…prank, shall we say, and I want them put back on my carriage and my carriage brought to the pub.”
“And where are these horses?”
“I suspect they are in the barn behind the pub, along with my carriage reins. I will come with you and identify the correct horses. They are a matched pair, and I highly doubt that there are any others like it in the stables.”
Lady Sarah bit back a grin. Lord Archie’s sardonic tones amused her as they weren’t his horses. The other two started to laugh and poke fun as they walked, then asked how he lost his horses.
“Well, there are unsavory people who have endeavored to trick the Duke of Canterbury and his friends in a game of chance with stakes higher than I can explain at the moment.”
“The Duke of Canterbury? You taking the piss? No one around here would choose to get in his sights. We know what The Dark Duke does to those who displeases him. We will get you back the horses no charge. You just tell The Dark Duke how we be helping ya like.”
“What are your names?” Lady Sarah asked, unable to hold back the laughter. Who knew the reputation of The Dark Duke’s sinister twin would reach so far and end up helping them in their time of need?
“Brett MacDonald and my brother, Ian MacDonald.”
“This is the Viscount of Yorkshire. I am the Countess of York, best friend to Duke of Canterbury’s new wife.” Perhaps it was a bit mean of her, but she enjoyed watching them sputter.
“Oh, the poor dear. Her family make her marry him then? One good thing about nae being a rich nutter is no one be telling us who to be shacking up with the rest o’ our lives.” Brett was the more talkative one, and she enjoyed her time walking with them immensely.
She laughed again. “Brett and Ian? I think we will be fast friends. If I promise to tell you a secret about the Duke of Canterbury, promise to help us anyway?”
“Seeing as how ye be the only lady who has deigned to speak to us so grandly, we are at your service, my lady,” Ian spoke up rather shyly.
“The Dark Duke was two people. One pretending to be him to ruin his reputation.” She’d wanted a reaction, and they proved entertaining to say the least.
“Who would be daft enough to try that?” Brett asked incredulously.
“Daft? They should be sectioned immediately,” Ian interjected.
“His cousin, Lady Amber.”
Brett threw his hands up, and Ian shook his head. “Of course. Only she would dare. She always hated him from a young girl,” Ian said.
Lady Sarah raised her brows. “You know a lot about him and his family.”
“Well, the late Duke of Canterbury—may he rest in peace—was a true nobleman. He has set up scholarships for anyone on his estates if they choose, and The Dark Duke has continued the tradition.”
“Ian here is down from Edinburgh for a few days because Ma is sick.” A shadow fell over Brett’s features.
“What kind of sick?” Lady Sarah asked, making a mental note to send a doctor back to them, even if she had to escort him herself.
“We do nae know, your ladyship.”
“Tell us the symptoms,” Lord Archer said, grabbing her hand and lacing his fingers to hers.
“She coughs something fierce, and sometimes, she coughs up brownish green ooze. We ha’ tried all the remedies we could think of. I am studying to be a doctor,” Ian admitted. “But I am still in first year. Winter Fever is my guess, but I cannot be certain. Nothing is working.”
“You two, we will need a new driver. How about the two of you come with us. You can bring a doctor back with you,” Lady Sarah said, unable to bear the sadness in Ian’s voice.
“We do nae ha’ the means to pay,” Brett said, his throat thickening as if he fought to get each word out.
“You are driving us. That will be your payment. Also, you will need to make sure the carriage is returned to his main estates.”
Suddenly, she found herself lifted off her feet. Brett’s beefy arms hugged her tight as he cried into her neck. “We will protect ye with our lives,” he promised. “And ye need us, ye find us. I am nae as smart as Ian here, but I am strong and loyal.”
He stepped back, and before she could completely blink away the tears, she found herself caught up in Ian’s arms in a little more dignified manner. “Thank ye, my lady. As Brett has said, ye have a couple of protectors at any time, should you wish.”
Ian moved off, swiping a wayward tear off his face. Next thing she knew, Lord Archer stood in her space, facing her. His gloved hand wiped her own tears off her cheek. “You are an amazing woman, Sarah, Countess of York. If I hadn’t already asked you to be my wife, I would do so now. He kissed her softly on the lips then put her hand through the crook at his elbow, and turned to the other men.
“We will work hard to make it happen and get you back as soon as possible.”
The barn now lay directly in front of them, so they went in. It didn’t take long to find the pieces necessary for the team. She thought of trying to carry it, but decided it would have to work having it on them while they were lead. No way the four of them could carry them that far. Not in her shoes.
Lord Archie threw a saddle blanket and then a cleaner one up and over the roan and then lifted her up with barely a warning. “I can’t imagine how badly your feet hurt yesterday after wearing those ridiculous shoes for walking as far as we did and in the freezing cold, but I can see the limp and the pain behind your eyes. So shut up,” he continued when she opened her mouth to argue. “Let me pamper you a moment.”
She let out a loud sigh. “I must admit, this feels so much better.” Her blisters throbbed, and it would be a while before she could dance properly. However, they would have been bloody or worse by the time they reached the carriage if she rebelled out of obstinance. “However, I feel as if I am failing you and the—”
“You are not failing anyone. You are listening to your fiancé.”
“Oi there, ye need to listen, pardon me for saying so, my lady. If ye walked at all in those silly boots women of your station always seem to wear, then ye ha’ blisters, and ye cannae tell me different. I noticed ye walking gingerly on the way to the barn, but did nae want to say anything, nae wanting to be rude, my lady.”
“As a doctor in the making, I ha’ to concur with my brother and his lordship. Beggin’ your pardon, my lady.”
Lord Archie’s full bellied laugh earned him a glare. “There you have it, my dear. It is settled. If even the menfolk all noticed the pain you are in as you walk, it is dire indeed.”
She tried hard to keep glaring at him, but couldn’t hold the pose when she saw the concern and merriment in all their eyes. “Fine, if you all insist on treating me like an invalid, then I shall enjoy the rest.”
Her prim and proper delivery earned another peal of laughter from Lord Archie, and the other two joined him this time. She grabbed at the reins and held on. “I am ready when you three can manage to pull yourselves together.”
Brett lifted the reins he held and began walking. The early morning cold did not feel so bad compared to last time. The sun shone down on them, adding to her feeling of warmth. Ian and Lord Archer talked in low tones ahead of her, and it gave her time to think. Last night, she’d fallen asleep almost as soon as she’d laid on the couch, hard back or not. The walk and all the stresses of the last few weeks caught up with her last night.
She went through things step by step as much as she knew them. Lillian’s original meet up with The Dark Duke had to have been exciting and new, and their relationship grew out of it. Hers with Lord Archie felt less exciting, and for a moment, she wondered if that meant she’d done something wrong. Then Lord Archie glanced back at her, and her stomach clenched, feeling as if a hundred butterflies fluttered all at once.
His smile flitted across his face, and he winked before turning back to Ian.
No, she’d not done anything wrong. Their love was just…different. Grown out of time and love and years of friendship. Contentment settled deep within her soul as she contemplated her future with him. The ice blue dress would really work for a wedding dress. It had originally been intended for a masked ball she planned to have, but now, she’d emphasize even more the mediaeval style of it, having embroidery and beading added, particularly on the bosom.
She’d have her two best friends stand with her, regardless of Hermione’s condition. Just the thought had her jutting her chin out. She was the Countess of York, and she’d do what she liked for her own wedding.
They arrived with no trouble, and the men began hooking up the horses. She stood and watched, her cloak wrapped around her. She noted all the parts on the conveyance and how they went into each other. The horses stood good as gold.
The men all joked and teased, sometimes drawing her in, making her smile more. Then, a sense of unease started crawling up her spine. She couldn’t place it at first, so she walked around the carriage, searching for signs of trouble. She trusted her instincts. Something was wrong. As she rounded the carriage again, Andrea stepped out of the woods, holding a gun on them.
“You’re not as easy to kill as I’d first thought. I do so love a challenge,” she said, smirking. “But only Lord Archer. He is in the way of something Lord Downing wants.”
“I thought you loved him?” Lord Archie said, his hands not making any sudden moves. However, Sarah saw him slip his hand into his pockets.
“Naïve man. There is no such thing as love. I have no middle-class parents. My family is blue blood as they come, but I am the younger sister of a younger sister, and I have little to nothing to show for my status.” The raw bitterness showed on her face and in the timbre of her voice.
“I joined the agency because I was tired of wearing gowns to the nowhere soirees and being ignored for the women with larger dowries than my own.”
“I see. And what are your real orders from Lord Downing?” Lord Archie used a tone Lady Sarah was not familiar with, but which gave a sense of danger and warning. She wanted a tone like that.
Andrea laughed. “You really are smart for someone who only got in because of who your parents are. My real orders are to kill you and take Lady Sarah someplace and keep her there until she is married to Lord Downing.”
A chill went up her spine. Andrea sounded way too confident in herself. Brett and Ian held perfectly still, but they were not small men. How would she shoot everyone? Even with the numbers, fear stole through her. Guilt ate at her. She’d wanted to give Andrea the benefit of the doubt because her own friend had been duped by a man, and that had colored her instincts. That had to be put away for later, and her fear kept reined in no matter that her palms were sweating and heart racing. They needed a plan, but what? How could she communicate with the others without Andrea noticing?
Sarah caught some bi-play between to two brothers, and they shifted slightly away from each other, Ian toward Andrea, and Brett toward Lord Archie. Sarah had slowly crept closer, hoping to find a way to distract Andrea.
“I will never agree to marry him!” she said defiantly.
Andrea shrugged her shoulders. “He says he has ways to make you. It’s better than you deserve for hanging out with this traitor. You and your lies for one of the greatest men to ever serve the agency. As if he would turn traitor.”
“I heard him with my own ears.” Her words came out stronger than she felt. She didn’t want to imagine the ways he knew to make her.
“Enough!” Andrea exclaimed without ever taking her attention from Lord Archer.
Then everything seemed to move in slow motion. Ian jumped toward Andrea who pulled the trigger just as Brett stepped in front of her beloved.
“No!” she screamed and headed for Brett. The second rapport of a pistol clashed in her ears, but she paid it no mind until she ascertained that Brett was okay. He’d saved Lord Archie’s life, and she would do anything she could to save him.
“How—” she heard from Andrea.
Ian had been shoved off to the side and slammed into the horses and now had his hands full trying to calm them down. They pawed the ground, and Sarah really hoped he could keep them calm, but she had to watch Andrea, in case she attacked again.
Andrea held her stomach, but even through the heavy coat, blood soaked through already, dripping from her fingers. “You are too kind hearted for a spy. Best get out before it gets you killed.” Then a maniacal laugh left her as she raised her pistol again, but once again, the boom clashed near Sarah’s ears. This time, it was closer, and she couldn’t hear anything afterward.
Andrea clutched at her chest, blood gurgling out of her mouth. The surprise on her face froze as she fell to the ground. Still, Lady Sarah couldn’t hear anything but a heart beat in her ears. She turned to check on Brett. The bullet had went through the fleshy part on the side. Blood showed around the hole of his jacket, but nowhere near the amount which had come from Andrea.
Lord Archer checked on Andrea. “Is she dead?” She could barely hear herself through the ringing in her ears. But at least some sound had started to filter in. A new hardness had started inside her. If not for Brett, it would be her future husband with the bullet hole in him.
“Yes.” The grimness in his tone matched her feelings.
Ian rushed over to her and Brett then. She stood up and ran the short distance to Lord Archer.
With fast, competent hands, Ian pushed open the jacket and then turned Brett on to his good side. “There’s an exit wound. Ye are lucky, dear brother. I won’t ha’ to dig into ye.”
“For which, ye are eternally sad. Ye ha’ wanted to get the upper hand on me all your life, brother.” Brett laughed, though the pain came through clearly. The brotherly relationship had her tearing up again as she stood in her fiancé’s arms.
