Children of the Shadows, page 28
A wave of shock smote her, and for a moment she couldn’t think. It was one thing for the duke to speculate on Daniel’s thoughts on the issue, but another altogether to hear it from his own dear lips. “And I have no say in the matter? What if I wanted to be ‘noble,’ as you call it? Daniel, I have thought of little else in the last few weeks, and I would rather have you and none of this”—she waved to the opulent room around her—“than all of this and not have you.”
“You say that now, and I hold it dear to my heart, but I cannot allow you to take such a step. You deserve much better, and I never want you to have regrets. You’ve been accustomed to nothing but luxury your whole life. You have no idea what it is like to live hand to mouth, hoping the money you earn every day will be enough to feed, house, and clothe you for that day. I’ll admit I have not faced those difficulties in a long time, but they are part of my past. I will no longer be a Bow Street runner no matter the outcome of the petition, and I will be forced to make my way in another vocation. I cannot even guarantee that I can support myself, much less a wife and someday perhaps children.”
Children. Children with his blue eyes and dark curly hair. Her heart ached.
He continued. “There is every chance that your parents will forbid our marriage anyway.”
“I don’t care. I would make them understand how precious you are to me. If I would only marry you if you were an earl, how could you ever trust my love, that I married you for the man you are, not the title you hold? I love you, Daniel Swann, and I do not care about money or titles or even being an agent.”
His shoulders sagged. “I love you too, Juliette. With everything I am. You are so deeply embedded in my heart, it will nearly kill me to lose you, but if I cannot meet you as an equal, I will not press my suit. I love you too much to marry you unless I can give you the life you deserve.” His tone brooked no argument.
“You have all the power to choose, and I have none?” Tears burned her eyes.
He shook his head. “I am powerless when it comes to my love for you. And because I love you, I will make this sacrifice.”
“Why is it you can sacrifice, and I cannot? Though I do not consider it a sacrifice to marry you, regardless of your status in society. Please, Daniel.” She held out her hand, entreating him to see it from her perspective.
“No, my darling. For your sake, I must say no.” He took her hand, opened her palm, and pressed a kiss there. “I am sorry. This is my fault. I should have concealed my feelings for you until everything was settled and I was in a position to offer for you. Unless God does something miraculous and sees fit to make me an earl, I will no longer pursue you. I feel it would be best if we refrained from seeing each other until such time as we are equal in social standing and I can openly court you. If that does not happen, then this is my farewell.” He folded her fingers over, concealing the kiss he’d placed against her skin, then walked out of the library.
Chapter 19
“THE WARRANT WAS FORGED, WHICH, considering our quarry, is not a total surprise. Mrs. Cadogan should never have been arrested. He’s panicking.” Ed held up the copy of the document he’d retrieved from Newgate earlier that day. “How did he manage to remain unknown for so long? I’ve not heard a whisper of Puck or his organization.”
“It’s the dual life he leads. The circles in which he currently moves are hardly likely to overlap with the clientele at The Oarsman. I’m certain he takes care that they don’t, working through others who do his bidding if there is even a chance of his being recognized. It is only coincidence that I am one of the few people in the city to encounter him in both his personas.” Daniel hurried along under the maples that dotted Berkeley Square. His cloak fluttered about him in his haste, but he wished to arrive well before the appointed time at Haverly’s. It was nearly full dark already.
The duke had thought it best to meet in his conference room, well away from any of his family but a location that would not arouse suspicion.
Owen had insisted upon coming along, and he trailed behind Daniel and Ed. “I’m glad to have the duke on our side. I don’t know how he gets so many things accomplished so quickly, but I wish he was our governor instead of Sir Michael. Criminals would be afraid to put a foot wrong in this city if Haverly was in charge.”
If Owen only knew the extent to which Haverly protected the city and the realm.
As they neared Haverly House, Mr. Partridge stepped from the shadows. “Evening, gentlemen.” His bass voice rumbled in his barrel chest. “This way. Something to show you.”
They diverted down an alley that took them to the back of Haverly’s massive residence. Deep shadows surrounded them, and Daniel had to strain his eyes to see Partridge ahead of him. If he didn’t trust the man, he would have drawn his pistol and been ready for an ambush.
They turned once more, went through a gate that opened silently—he expected no less from an agent like Haverly than to have well-oiled gates—and down a flight of steps to the basement.
Their footsteps echoed on the tiles of the narrow hall. Partridge turned into the servants’ dining room, and Daniel stopped in the doorway.
Seven little faces looked up from their plates. Six boys, one girl. Dirty, with unkept hair but bright eyes.
“This is Matthew, Johnny, Davy, Peter, Lloyd, and little Alice. They’ve joined young Caleb here for dinner.” Partridge tousled one of the boys’ heads as he went to the far end of the table.
“You found them.” A knot of worry loosened from Daniel’s muscles. It was the most concerning aspect of the entire case, the safety and whereabouts of these children.
His mother backed through the swinging door, carrying a tray. The aroma of freshly baked fruit pie filled the room. “Here you are—one for each of you.”
“What are you doing here?” Daniel asked.
“Mr. Partridge sent for me, asking me to bring Caleb, and helping to see to the children. The duke’s housekeeper is ailing, and he thought I might be of assistance.” She set slices before the children and passed a small pitcher of cream. Their eyes grew round, and they didn’t wait to be invited to tuck in.
“How did you find them?” Daniel asked.
Partridge motioned for them to step to the side of the room, away from little ears. “Puck didn’t show at The Oarsman, but I noticed the publican putting together a box of food and carrying it out the back. He handed it to a skinny man with gold-rimmed spectacles. I followed him, and he wound up at a house a few blocks away. Went right to the cellar door, which was chained shut. When he’d gone down the stairs, I heard young voices.”
“Do you think Puck will be tipped off? Might he go to ground if he discovers them missing?” Ed asked.
Partridge shook his head, crossing his arms. “Didn’t leave anyone about to tell him, did I?”
A shiver went up Daniel’s spine. “You didn’t …”
The big man shook his head. “Nay, didn’t have to. The skinny man dropped the crate and surrendered without a whimper. I set the kids free, and they helped me march him to another pub, one Hawk has an agent in, and I turned him over. Thought I should bring the little ’uns here where they could be looked after proper.”
“Well done. Has Haverly given you orders for tonight?”
“Aye.” He didn’t divulge what those orders were, and Daniel didn’t pry.
“Daniel,” his mother said, “His Grace is waiting for you upstairs. The meeting will begin soon.”
He reached out and squeezed her hand. “Thank you for taking care of the children. Hopefully, by tomorrow they can return to their homes.”
“Whatever you must do tonight, take care.”
His heart warmed that she was concerned. Her voice sounded so like he remembered it when he was a child, that his eyes prickled.
He drew his mother into the hall for a moment’s privacy.
“I spoke with Juliette. I told her there could be nothing more between us unless I received the title.” It hurt just saying it.
“Oh, Daniel.” She squeezed his arm. “That explains her sadness. She hasn’t eaten all day, and only Sir Bertrand’s insistence got her out of the house this evening. Poor dear. Still, I think you did the right thing. It is for her sake most of all.”
If it was the right thing, why did he feel so terrible about it? It was as if someone had reached into his chest and removed his heart, replacing it with a block of ice. Though, perhaps not a block of ice, for that would feel like nothing. And he felt more than nothing … Was anguish too strong a word?
“Thank you, Mother, for your counsel. I must go, else I will be late.” He bussed her cheek, marveling that they should have mended so many broken bridges in such a short time.
Pray he had the opportunity to do the same with Juliette one day.
He poked his head back into the dining room. “Ed, you and Owen come with me.”
Haverly opened the conference room door at Daniel’s knock. “Come in. I have the warrants.” He produced the folded papers from his coat pocket and laid them on the table. “It took some doing. I had to enlist the aid of Sir William Garrow. He took it to Sir John Silvester, the Recorder of London. Silvester was reluctant until I provided him with the evidence you’ve collected. The city will be a tumult when the news breaks.”
“I am still amazed at Home Office being able to decipher the ledgers, and so quickly.” Daniel had to speak carefully, because Ed and Owen could not know that Marcus was the head of the agency that answered to the Home Office.
“They had some help.” Marcus raised one eyebrow. “I sent a couple of men to the Olympian Club, and they persuaded Mr. Alton to help us.”
“Persuaded?” Daniel asked.
The duke shrugged, and Daniel caught the gleam of his secret identity, Hawk, in his eyes. “They have their ways. Mr. Alton preferred aiding his government to see that law and order prevailed rather than to be arrested as an accomplice, and he has agreed to testify should he be needed.”
“I knew he was holding back information.” Daniel scowled. “But I couldn’t prove it, and I couldn’t get it out of him.”
Ed nodded. “How did Garrow crack him?”
Daniel flexed his fingers behind his back, glad that Ed had veered away from the role Haverly had played, assuming the attorney general was the power behind the moves being made.
“Garrow has his ways. To say he was shocked at the information I brought him would be putting it mildly. He was incensed that such behavior could be going on almost under his nose.”
“Did Alton give any details about the murder of Haskett or the footman Burghley?” Daniel’s heart beat quickly, as it always did at the culmination of an investigation. The pieces were falling into place.
“He did not witness the murder of Haskett, but he has been unwillingly involved in the framing of Mr. Cadogan. We’ll discuss it more later. It is nearly time for our guests to arrive. Daniel, you sit at the table with me. Mr. Beck, Mr. Wilkinson, there is a hidden door behind the bookcase. If you two will wait there out of sight, you can listen and come in when you are needed.” Haverly pointed across the room.
A hidden door. Of course Haverly would have hidden doors in his house. Ed nodded, and Owen looked as if he was having the time of his life. He hurried over and examined the bookshelf for a latch or lever.
“Pull on the Wollstonecraft book from the top. Tip it toward you.”
Owen did so, and the bookcase swung toward him as silently as had the backyard gate. The young man grinned, peering into the space behind.
“Slide the small panel there open an inch or two so you can hear. You will not have a lamp, I’m afraid, as the light may give away your position through the opening.”
“Wollstonecraft again?” Daniel asked when his fellow officers were concealed. A copy of a Wollstonecraft book atop one of the bookcases at Hatchards let agents know when it was safe to use the passage up to Haverly’s cramped, dark office above the bookstore.
The duke shrugged. “Wollstonecraft has a sharp mind and a sharp tongue, and it takes intellect to read her. She is a favorite author of my wife’s.” He lowered his head as he moved past Daniel to the head of the table and whispered, “I should tell you that Lady Juliette is in the house. Charlotte invited her to an informal dinner. No other guests, just Juliette. They’re currently in my wife’s sitting room upstairs.”
Juliette was here? Guilt punched him in the gut. This inheritance dispute hung over his head like the sword of Damocles. He wanted to race upstairs and beg her forgiveness, to capitulate and promise to marry her no matter who objected or how poor he was, because he was that selfish … but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t be that weak. It wouldn’t be fair or right to sentence her to a future of poverty. He had to be strong enough for both of them.
The pain he had caused had shown out of her brown eyes, and the image haunted him.
The duke slid his pocket watch into his palm. “Nearly time. I trust you are armed?”
“Yes, Your Grace.” Daniel took the indicated seat at the table, feeling the pressure of the pistol in his waistband against the back of the chair. He had the gun, his truncheon, and a knife in his boot, should he need it. Ed and Owen were similarly armed, and each had a set of darbies.
A discreet tap on the door was the signal that the guests had arrived in the foyer. Daniel tensed. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, trying to calm his nerves. How could the duke appear so unconcerned, so relaxed?
Moments later, footsteps in the hall. Which one would arrive first?
Sir James Durridge entered, followed by Mr. Childers, who carried his portable writing desk and the familiar leather portfolio. “Your Grace, Mr. Swann.” Sir James greeted them. “All is in order with the petition, and I have my audience with Sir William tomorrow. I am not certain what we can accomplish by meeting yet again. Your request that I come at once was most inconvenient for both of us.” He pulled out his chair rather sharply. “I had a difficult time locating my clerk on such short notice. We do lead other lives, you understand. I was forced to forgo an excellent concert with friends to be here.”
Mr. Childers took his seat down the table. He busied himself organizing his equipment, his expression bland, as if he’d heard his employer’s protests at length on the carriage ride over.
“What is it you wish to discuss, Your Grace?” Sir James’s tone indicated his barely concealed frustration.
“What time is the meeting tomorrow?” Haverly asked.
“Nine. At Westminster. There is no need for either of you to attend. Childers and I will appear on Swann’s behalf.”
The small tap at the door sounded again. Their other guest had arrived in the foyer. It was time.
Daniel stood, moving away from the table. “Sir James, you will have to attend the meeting with the attorney general alone. I am arresting your clerk, Mr. Childers, for murder, blackmail, and kidnapping.” He drew his gun from his waistband and pointed it at the clerk. “Or rather than Mr. Childers, should I say Bobby Puck? On your feet, Puck.”
The clerk sprang to his feet, dragging a pistol from the writing desk, his face a rictus of fury.
Daniel’s finger tightened on the trigger, but he didn’t wish to kill the man unless he had to.
Puck moved the barrel of his gun from one man to the next, edging toward the door. “You’ll never arrest me. How do you know? Doesn’t matter. You make one move, and I’ll shoot.” He appeared to judge the distance between himself and the door and motioned Daniel to move farther toward the opposite side of the room.
The bookcase behind him opened on silent hinges, and before Puck could take another step, Ed pressed his own pistol against his neck. “Drop it, Puck.”
Puck froze, eyes widening. He kept the pistol trained on Daniel.
“What is the meaning of this?” Sir James blustered and made as if to rise. “Who are these people, and who is Puck? Childers, put that gun down. What are you even doing with a pistol?”
Puck’s hand wavered, and Owen reached over his shoulder and forced his arm down, removing the pistol from his grip after a brief tussle. Ed produced the darbies, and Owen locked them on Puck’s wrists behind his back. Owen wore a satisfied grin as he yanked on the connecting chain to make certain the shackles were secure.
“Sit.” Ed pushed Puck into his chair while Owen removed the writing desk and the portfolio from the table.
“I demand an explanation.” Sir James smacked the table.
“And you shall have one momentarily,” Haverly said.
Daniel hadn’t seen him move, and yet the duke was on his feet, pistol in hand, cool as a north wind. He looked to the hall door just as it opened, and a footman ushered in the final piece to the puzzle.
Sir Michael Biddle.
Sir Michael took one look at the tableau—Ed, Owen, Daniel, and Puck with shackles on—and turned to flee.
Mr. Partridge effectively blocked his way, turning him around with a meaty hand on his narrow shoulder. “Leaving so soon?” He marched the supervisor of inspectors into the room and closed the door behind him. “I believe these gentlemen would like a word.”
Daniel hid a smile. So that was the assignment Haverly had given his most intimidating enforcer.
Sir Michael appeared to regroup, choosing to try to bluster his way out. “What are you doing here, Swann? Beck? Wilkinson? Why are you bothering these fine people? Your Grace, I apologize. Mr. Swann is continually grasping above his station and seeking to ingratiate himself with his betters.”
“Perhaps you should have a seat, Sir Michael,” the duke said. “Mr. Swann is here in an official capacity.”
“He cannot be. I did not dispatch him on any case that would bring him here.” Sir Michael eyed Puck, guarded closely by Ed and Owen.
