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table.
Travers moved his pristine sleeve out of the way. To what depths had he
sunk to be conversing with this buffoon? He smoothed his cuff. A foolish
question; he had always done what needed to be done. "I want you to talk
to your stepdaughter."
"She ain t gonna listen. Damn girl has a wicked tongue and a more
wicked reach with those knives. You talk to her--you seem to rein her in
proper." He fingered his arm and took another drink.
"And then what would I need you for?"
Maddox paused and lowered his mug. He finally seemed to understand.
"Fine. I ll get her to see reason." He moved his shoulders as if gearing up
for a fight.
"l don t want you to beat her. Use . . . incentives. You can even use her
sister Faye as an enticement."
"Don t know nothing about Faye."
"She s all tied up. A pig in a poke." Travers smiled at his own joke.
Maddox looked confused, but that was neither unusual nor unexpected.
"What?"
"Nothing. Listen, I want you to--"
"Sir, a message for you."
Travers looked at the boy who had run to their table. He took the note,
and the boy hopped on one foot waiting for a reply
He read the note, gripping it more tightly as he read each line. He didn t
usually shoot the messenger, but by God he was damn tempted. The boy
seemed to sense his irritation and scooted back a few inches.
He turned to the boy. "Get me paper, pen, and wax."
The boy ran to the bar, and Travers traced a furrow in the tabletop with
his finger. He had to stay focused he couldn t lose everything now. His
partner would kill him.
The boy returned, and Travers grabbed the writing implements and
scratched out a few lines. Gather the new recruits and meet me in an
hour. He sealed the wax with his ring and flipped a coin to the boy, who
snatched it and the note and ran off.
Maddox raised his brow inquiringly, but on seeing the wrathful
expression on Travers s face, said nothing. Travers stretched his tight
fingers, then curled them. Stretch, curl, stretch, curl.
When he felt calm enough to speak he said, "What can you tell me about
Audrey s dealings with Chalmers?"
Maddox snorted. "The bloke has been damn near courting her. Came by
the other day to take her to the park, then the theater."
"What?" Travers s rage built. "Why didn t you tell me?"
Maddox shrugged. "You didn t ask, did you? Besides, I ain t your damn
slave."
Travers reached across the table and grabbed Maddox by the lapels lifting
him off his stool. He had to restrain himself from slamming his fist into
the man s nose. Cap the anger for now, he said to himself. Funnel it later.
"Well, you are now my slave. I want accurate nightly reports from you
and those worthless servants I hired."
Maddox avoided his eyes. Ah, so he had thought he would get in trouble
if he told. That explained things better. He could use Maddox s fear to his
advantage.
"Yeah, whatever." Maddox slugged down his drink, but Travers could see
the panic building in the man s body.
Good, he could forget about Maddox for a moment and concentrate on the
more pressing problem. Travers jerked his knee up and down, a bad habit
when he was in a rage. His toes absorbed the shock. A band of fear laced
through his anger. By now Chalmers had to know about his involvement.
He had been surprised to hear that he was packing to go to the country,
but the note made everything clear. And that was dangerous. Audrey was
going to be very, very sorry that she had crossed him. He was done being
patient with her.
"The two of them went to Newgate to free Faye today. And Chalmers is
leaving for a trip to the country in the morning." Travers gripped his
tankard tightly. "She has thrown her lot in with Chalmers, has she? We ll
see what Chalmers has to say when she is arrested for murdering his
solicitor."
He laughed and began to focus his anger and fear. "Yes, poor little
Audrey is about to be thrown into prison for real this time. And she s
going to be begging me to save her. "
Maddox looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "Thought you needed
her to complete your tasks, or plans, or whatever it is you re doing."
"Oh, she will complete the tasks." He would make certain of it. "lf she
doesn t "
Another messenger appeared at their table and handed him a note. The
boy took off without awaiting a reply as Travers opened the note. It was
Audrey s handwriting.
You will have your long-lost item soon.
He laughed, a bit of euphoria lacing through the rage and fear. The power
of it was exhilarating. "She will complete her tasks indeed."
He laughed again, but the pitch was abnormally high. He cleared his
throat. "Clever girl. She will complete them better now than she could
have before. And Chalmers is going to be very sorry he got involved with
her. Very sorry. I could not have asked for more."
But Audrey still needed to be punished for her insubordination at
Newgate. Having her spend a little more time in prison would curb her
independence before he graciously made it up to her afterward.
There was no need to inform his partner about these latest developments.
It was time for him to take charge. The fear left him. Audrey would steal
back what rightfully belonged to him, then he would pin everything on
her if need be.
Oh, how good this plan was starting to feel. Maddox looked at him as if
he had lost his mind. Travers decided against sharing the latest bit of
information. Having Maddox work on Audrey would be an amusing
interlude while he waited for the finale to explode in Chalmers s face.
Chalmers was the interloper who had taken everything of his. Just like his
own brother had, the two of them thick as thieves, always the ones who
had everything and everyone's attention. His mother and father had had
no room left for anyone else. How he despised them all. How he would
show them all.
Chapter 12
It was late when Audrey returned to her town house. She had avoided it
for most of the day. Walking around town, visiting Flanagan, and talking
to some of the street informants had neither settled her nerves nor helped
her solve any of her problems. Flanagan had people searching for Faye,
which made her feel marginally better. lf she couldn t find her, he
probably would.
That Flanagan was assisting her was not as surprising as she would have
found it a week ago. Some crazy happenstance was causing her to have
more faith in people, and she couldn t quell the urge to trust. That in itself
was dangerous.
Ever since she had learned about the relationship between Travers and
Chalmers, something had felt out of place. The piece of information she
had unearthed earlier had been both interesting and daunting. If her
suspicions were confirmed, then life would be getting more complicated
soon.
Meanwhile, Maddox was out for the evening. Was probably gaming again
and getting them in deeper trouble. Audrey was relieved he was gone. She
pulled out a case to pack for the journey. Her riding habit and a few
dresses should be sufficient for a few days. She and Stephen wouldn t be
gone long, and traveling gear was the most important.
Light feet padded down the hall, and her maid opened the door. She took
one look at the case and narrowed her eyes. "Are we going somewhere?"
"No, we're not," she stressed. "But I m leaving for a few days." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]