Darkest Death, page 4
part #2 of Darkest Series
He pulled at the cuff of his sleeves, contemplating. No, he would stick to his original plan and watch her while waiting to meet with his second in command. They still had a loose string to tie up in Jarvis, which needed to happen as well. He hated all the recent trouble. He’d gone for years with very little mess-ups from his people, only to have his operation start to crumble like a house of cards when Jarvis and Amber both slipped up. Now he would have to manage to kill more people, while still putting into place his plans for killing Her Majesty.
He grabbed his top hat and cane. An affectation all gentlemen should carry. Quite handy in all manner of situations. The man’s response to the woman’s fan. Plus, his had the added benefit of a few special modifications in the latest mechanical inventions.
He had spent way too long and too much money to lose it all now. Besides, he had a reputation to keep up. With a nod at himself, he left the room. Now, to arrange to bump into the Lady Sarah and Lady Lillian.
He sauntered down the halls, barely glancing at the newer wallpaper of roses. The sudden influx of roses on everything had not escaped his notice, but he personally held no opinion for or against it, just that it was a sign of a well-to-do establishment if they could afford to keep up with the latest trends.
He nodded to the waiter then walked to a table while the man flurried in an attempt to bring him a cup of tea. The man he wanted to meet was late. It infuriated him. Timing was crucial in the matter. After the last botched attempt at Alexandrina’s life—he refused to call her Queen Victoria having known her since a wee child—the increased security had been more vigilante. Now, though, the guards on duty could be distracted easier.
Course, the birth of a child, a female one at that, held promise. He could be assigned regent for the child, take control in her name. He heard ladylike laughter, which caused him to turn his head toward his prey. He leaned forward on the table, steepling his fingers in front of his face and dipping his head slightly to hide his features. Yes, the countess would do nicely until he had to kill her and marry the next in line when she became old enough.
Then someone walked between him and his sidelong view of the admittedly vivacious Countess of York.
“You are late.”
“Forgive me, my lord. The carriage lost its wheel on the way to this fine establishment.”
He eyed the man. Impeccably dressed, though his clothing perhaps fell a bit short of his own standards, his willing partner in returning the crown to the Tudors—namely, him. “You should have planned for every eventuality. Wars are lost upon the tiniest of details.”
“Sorry, my lord.” The other man swallowed convulsively and turned a rather pale shade of his normal countenance.
It gave him pleasure to see that obvious sign of fear. He could not have the underling becoming too confident in his place. “See that it does not happen again. Now, there are a few things, changes really, that you need to know of. Firstly, no one is to harm the Countess of York. She—”
“My lord! The instructions were very clear from the top man himself.”
He barely prevented himself from snapping at the man that he was the top man. He still needed the other man to believe that there was a higher power over him. “He has given me leave to change them in light of the new decision which has come about.”
“What, pray tell, could possibly have happened to convince our mysterious benefactor to give up the chance to kill one in his way?”
“I have decided to marry the chit. She will come in handy in convincing others to accept the regency.”
The other man gasped. “How is it that you are so favored?” The man’s beady eyes filled with belligerence.
“Because, I am the last of the Tudor line of male heirs, which can be proven. A legitimate heir as the documents show the wedding was performed by the Church, as is proper. She just very rightly kept it from the others because they worried about assassinations of both her person and her new husband’s, the King Consort. Otherwise, those in favor of Queen Mary and the Stuart line would likely have killed my ancestor before birthing the line which beget me. They had planned on making it public, but politics and other issues forestalled it. Again, I have proof of these proceedings. Letters from Queen Elizabeth herself which has been documented.” And the man under guard in case. “Now, I allowed that question because it is information you must know as we continue on our path. Do not question me again.”
“No, my lord.”
“Good. Now let us begin with the old business first. How is young Edward? I trust you made him as comfortable as can be.” Though it galled him that they’d paid out to the young man and his family, and Jarvis had not followed through properly.
“Yes. We have also given his mother the promised gifts for her son’s service to the future crown. I knew the moment I met him serving the swill at that tavern when my carriage broke down that he would be the perfect person for us.”
“Hmmm. You sure have a multitude of break downs. I suggest you keep better care of your vehicles, my good sir. It would not do well for you to have need to be somewhere fast and be unable to finish the journey.” Though he spoke softly, his meaning came across quite clearly. “Now, Baron Hastings, I beseech you to do as you are bid before I forget my good humor, and go find me another willing dupe to kill the queen before a male heir is produced. We already failed at it once,” he hissed.
For that, he would never forgive Jarvis. Jarvis was supposed to take out the queen while everyone focused on Edward. He had claimed there was not a chance. But he was of the opinion that Jarvis was a coward. Recent, distasteful events like those of the other evening distressed him. How could he keep the class of his station with such awful mistakes mucking things up?
“That was Jarvis,” Hastings declared. “He did not do as I told him.”
“And see where he is now,” he said silkily. “I would hate for you to join him. Now, it will be harder to convince the parliament to crown me without major bloodshed if a male heir is produced. I have much to attend to today. Lord Archer will be here any minute for us to conduct our business. You must be off. Good day, sir.”
He picked up the newspaper and began to ostensibly read it. He waited until the man had left, flicked the newspaper, and flipped the pages as he risked a glance over to Sarah’s table. Unfortunately, she had already left. He scowled at the missed opportunity to address her directly in public. It had gone over quite well at her parents’ funeral all those years ago, and he’d enjoyed the little spark of fear he saw in her eyes when he mentioned her parents’ accident.
Though he wished to have started on his plans immediately, he would keep himself occupied with his plans to kill the queen and makes Sarah his wife, whether she will do so willingly or not. And if Alexandrian’s daughter made it into adulthood, then he would just have to do away with Lady Sarah and keep her lands for himself. The scowl fled as the plan enraptured his mind and the promise of the future filled him with glee.
His future, his kingdom, his life. No one would stand in his way.
Chapter Four
Lord Archie…
Edinburgh
Lord Archie stumbled as he tried to hurry through the hallway. Awoken late by the valet, his frustration had nowhere to go once he learned that it was Lord Downing himself who had instructed the man to wake him late. If he had known that the Lord Downing wanted the meeting later in the morning, he would’ve used that time to find out which room Lady Sarah stayed in, and perhaps left her a message to meet him for lunch. Even if she was a suspect according to Downing.
His jaw hurt from clenching it, and he tried to loosen it up. That time was lost now, so no point in berating the servants for being upset at the lost chance. Though it still stung that his employer thought to choose his waking hour and change his orders with his own servant. Or was he really pissed because of the debriefing?
He pulled his vest down smartly and took a deep breath. He needed to be calm before facing his boss and mentor. As he checked the cuffs of his coat, someone stumbled into him. Out of reflex, Lord Archer held onto the arms of the person who’d done so and studied them. “Sarah?” he asked.
At first, Lady Sarah’s countenance reflected joy, but then her eyes widened and fear entered in. “Sarah, what is it?” Even as he watched, her face paled to such a lightness, he feared she would faint. “Sarah? Talk to me. We have been friends forever. Are you in danger? Someone trying to hurt you?” He held her close to him and stared down the hallway looking for a would-be attacker, but he saw no one.
However, Lady Sarah stirred in his arms. It took her a minute to answer, which told him how upset she was. Lady Sarah hardly ever went without speech, particularly when something upset her.
Sarah stood back and straightened her shoulders, and said, “Lord Archer. Fancy meeting you here. I thought your schedule precluded you from coming with Hermione.”
Lord Archer tilted his head and gave her a once over. Though her clothing showed her usual brilliance in style and color, she shook from head to toe, and her tone of voice she directed at him caused him pause. He was about to suggest she come with him and meet his boss, when he remembered that she may be part of their operation. He stiffened himself and tried to act normal.
“Yes, I believed my work would lead me to the south of England, but instead, I find myself in Edinburgh, which, at the time, I believed to be a truly a happy happenstance as I am bound to be able to see my sister and our friends.” He emphasized friend to get a rise out of her, as she treated him as if he were the enemy. Was this more evidence that she could be involved as Lord Downing had insinuated on the trip here? He could not believe it even as Lord Downing suggested it. Lady Sarah would not be involved in any shenanigans involving hurting the monarchy or anyone for that matter.
He regretted his words and his tone as soon as he saw the flash of hurt in her eyes. But he could not take them back. What if she was working with the enemy, scheming to hurt the queen of the beloved country that he would give all for? Sadness trickle down through his body as if pouring its own rain. He really wanted Sarah for his helpmeet, his mate, a woman with strength and character to care for his kids and help take care of his estate while he worked.
His father thought him crazy for wanting a woman who understood numbers, who wanted more than to bear his children and wear frivolous frocks. He almost smiled. Well, she did like her frocks. “Lady Sarah,” he said, “I am quite sorry, Countess. I have not had a good morning, and, it would seem, neither have you. I have been and always will be your friend. If you need my help, please ask?”
She gave an almost imperceptible twitch of her eyebrows before saying, “Of course, Lord Archer. I shall call on you if I ever have need of your help.”
Did being a spy make you cynical of everyone? Somehow, he did not think she would be calling on him for help, and, the part which hit him in the gut, he sensed that she did not trust him. When did that happen? She used to call him Lord Archie, had, in fact, called him just that when picking up Hermione for the wedding trip, and now he was relegated back to being Lord Archer? When they had spoken of ways to help Hermione launch safely into society and out from under the cloud of suspicions, there had been a real camaraderie, a sense of something more about to happen. They’d held a common goal.
He had nearly kissed her that day. However, his father had chosen that moment to come see what they were whispering about, and made little remarks about propriety and wives. It had angered him, and it took away his feelings of pressure and the need to ask her immediately.
He wanted to hold her in his arms, even now. Even though he could not be sure she was not part of a plot to kill the queen. He wanted to pull her to him, comfort her, and tell her everything would be all right. Convince her to confide in him. But if she conspired to hurt the queen, that was treason, and nothing he had, nothing he could do, would stop the train of justice from hanging her, even if she was a woman.
Could his heart take it if she were such a treasonous person when his whole life he wanted to do nothing but serve the queen? It had been his biggest wish to serve the monarchy since a young child learning history from his tutor. He’d served first King William for a very short time while still alive, and now, his duty lay with Queen Victoria.
For as long as he could remember, it was his calling first. How could he have fallen in love with someone whose ideals were so far different than his own? Could he really? Or was he living in the past, living in the remembrance of who she was as a child, still seeing her as though through childish eyes?
Even as he watched her walk away, he knew something was wrong. For the first time, he questioned his life choices of being a spy. The hurt and sadness stayed with him the rest of the day. However, he had a job to do, and he would see it through, no matter the consequences to himself. Being in the presence of Lord Downing and learning from him was an opportunity he would take full advantage of while also watching for ways to prove Sarah’s innocence. For Lady Sarah must be innocent. His heart would not accept any other answer.
He finished the route to the dining room and searched for Lord Downing, and he saw him alone at the table near a pillar and strode forward with more confidence than he had left his own room with. He had a purpose and that purpose entailed protecting Lady Sarah while finding the truth. For as he walked, he realized he did know Lady Sarah. He knew her for as long as she had memories of, for their parents had been fast friends. She would never knowingly be a traitor. He absolutely believed that. Which meant someone either set her up to take the fall or were intent upon using her, not caring a whit what harm might befall her person.
A low, seething anger started at the thought that someone would use her that way. Would use any innocent that way. He tamped it down. He had work to do. And as skilled as Lord Downing may be, he was wrong about Sarah. However, Lord Archer would simply have to keep his own counsel.
For the first time in his career, Lord Archer kept a secret from his superior which may pertain to the assignment. But one thing he always did was follow his instincts. And, as he approached Lord Downing at the table, his instincts matched what his heart told him.
Protect Lady Sarah at all costs.
“Lord Downing,” Lord Archer greeted, hat in hand, waiting for an invitation to sit. Lord Downing possessed a title higher than his, and protocol demanded he await his lordship’s permission. However, the newly awakened protector in him had a hard time demurring to anyone.
“Lord Archer.” Lord Downing tilted his head and waved a hand at the chair nearest him. “Have a seat. We have much to discuss.”
Lord Archer sat in the indicated highbacked metal chair. The floral fabric covering the seat matched the décor of the dining area. He noted the yellow and pink trellis roses in the wallpaper of the column near him and smiled. Yellow roses would always bring Lady Sarah to mind.
“I am ready when you are,” Lord Downing said sharply, brows furrowed.
“Sorry, sir. Just admiring the décor of the establishment. I mean to redo my estates soon, and Father has me helping him with his. I am ready now for business.”
Lord Downing’s countenance cleared. “Apology accepted. One’s duty to one’s title is never far from one’s mind, is it? Something the lower and newly made middle classes will never quite appreciate, I’m afraid. How much did our Lord Benson tell you of your mission?”
“Not much, sir. He said you would fill me in.” In his new determination to hide his intentions regarding Lady Sarah’s innocence, he played everything close to the chest, same as when he went on missions. Mayhap over the top caution, but he would apologize later if proven wrong. Until he learned who’d tried to set up his Lady Sarah, he could not afford to let anything show.
For now, he’d take advantage of his youthful looks. His age had often worked for him when spying, especially when it involved the opium trade. He blended right in with the crowd. Now, he would use it against his superior to hide his knowledge and whatever else he needed to do.
“Initially, he seemed quite determined to find something on the Countess of York.”
Lord Archer’s eyebrows went up, and he exaggerated it. “Initially, sir? Something has changed since last night?”
“Yes.” Lord Downing snapped the paper shut and folded it up, laying it on the table in an orderly fashion.
Fastidious, almost to a fault? That was how Lord Archer read his superior. Also, truculent? He bit back a retort while waiting for him to continue. His patience was soon rewarded. Archer counted it as a victory for himself, even if he had nothing to hide from Lord Downing. For some reason, the intense scrutiny Lord Downing laid on his person left him feeling vulnerable and as if his mentor searched for something damning within his countenance or speech.
“However, since our arrival, I have determined that I do not believe she is a part of this after all. Still, we must stay vigilante. I am not too old to be turned by a pretty face. However, I, too, have my duties to my title.”
Lord Archer set his hat on the chair next to him, allowing his gaze to follow to hide the distaste in them. Then he turned back to Lord Downing. “I imagine so, as you are an unmarried duke. Be happy you do not possess overly involved parents harping on the need for heirs. And how do you keep the ladies from hounding you? Or should I say, their mothers!” He made an exaggerated wince.
Lord Downing let out a bellow of a laugh. “Quite right. The mothers are scarier than any scheming minxes. I do not envy you your years until you settle on a proper wife. Other than your time away from the mothers, of course.”
Lord Downing smiled and winked then went back to business. “Now, as I was saying, I have become convinced to make Lady Sarah a secondary person to watch. Our primary person is Lady Lillian, the Earl of Lamberth’s daughter, now the Duchess of Canterbury from what the hotel staff has told me this morning.”
Lord Archer gasped in surprise as he suspected he was meant to, but truly, he was not shocked. Someone seemed intent on discrediting those ladies. Lady Lillian had just suffered a very trying ordeal. Lady Lillian had always been too softhearted, but obviously a tough person to have lived through what she had and still be able to love. After all that, who would want her to suffer more? Perhaps the person responsible for her kidnapping? Didn’t they catch them? Or was someone else involved?
