Armored Hearts (17 page)

Jessamine shook her head and stepped forward to reply. “Oh no, ma’am. The only reason we came to you is because the gift was…” Her eyes darted about as she moved closer to the woman and whispered, “Part of the movement.”

Mrs. Collins’s face tensed as she peered down at Gareth and then back at Jessamine.

“Oh, Gareth knows and is completely supportive of my interests.”

The woman’s expression relaxed. “That is wonderful. Having a supportive and understanding spouse is always a blessed thing. Now, tell me about this gift.”

Gareth rolled his chair forward. “The gift was a steam horse and mechanical doves. I believe it was engineered to kidnap Jessamine with designs to hold her hostage for ransom. Do you know who might be capable of creating such a thing? Someone in the bonnet club, perhaps?”

Mrs. Collins pursed her lips and raised her chin. “No one in the bonnet club would ever… We are all upstanding women with only one purpose in mind when it comes to our automation—to make life better for all society.” Then she paused and looked away and then back at the two of them. “There was a woman who visited a couple of times. She wasn’t from our community, and we actually asked her not to return after only two visits.”

Gareth blinked. “And why was that?”

“Her ideas for automation were aggressive items of war and not a good fit with the purpose of the bonnet club. I asked my husband to find out what he could about her, and it turned out she and her husband were new money. That in itself is no problem with the bonnet club ladies. We seek to cross class lines. But it was how this woman and her husband had made their money that was the problem.”

“And how was that?” Gareth asked.

“In factories that enslave the poor—ones which pay very little and work the people to death. They even employ children, some losing limbs in the production of malicious automations. They will make any product for any reason, no matter the purpose, for the right price.”

Gareth adjusted his chair to a different angle. “Can you tell me her name or know where we could find her and her husband?”

“Her name was Mrs. Steel. Her husband owns factories over in Ardenshire, along the river. Sad and ugly part of town. The streets are full of rubbish and dirty, unfortunate children. My husband told me about a meeting he had over in that area with a man who owns warehouses in the district. A very sad direction in advancement when it’s used to exploit the poor, wouldn’t you agree?”

Jessamine nodded in agreement. “Very sad indeed, ma’am. The whole purpose of industry is to make life better for the masses.”

Gareth took Jessamine’s hand to indicate it was time to leave. “I want to thank you, Mrs. Collins. You’ve been most helpful. I’m sorry if we’ve disturbed you.”

“Thank you both for coming by, Lord Gareth. And take good care in keeping this young lady around. She’s got one of the brightest minds I’ve encountered in the club, next to Tabitha’s. You are one blessed man to be surrounded by such intelligent women.”

Gareth’s heart leapt at the mention of his aunt’s name. He nodded before turning his chair to leave.

As they made their way back to the carriage Jessamine whispered. “You were downright friendly. I’m in shock.”

Gareth responded flatly, “So am I.”

Gareth and Jessamine mounted the carriage while Thompton strapped the chair to the back. A few miles down the road, when they’d reached a clearing with no cover for anyone to hide and attack, the buggy came to a halt. The door opened, and Thompton and Sarah entered.

Sarah was the first to speak, “So what did ye learn?”

Gareth leaned toward her. “There is a Mr. and Mrs. Steel over in Ardenshire, in the business district. They are known to make malevolent automatons. We need to make haste to Ardenshire.”

Sarah nodded in agreement, but Thompton shook his head.

“Sarah, we need to remember what our purpose is.” He motioned to Gareth. “We are here to guard and return King Tristan the second, to the throne of the Court of Ansleigh. I know ye be attached to the human-girl child, too, and so am I, but she isna our responsibility.” He motioned toward Jessamine. “I know ye have championed this match, too, but we also know the court will most likely demand an annulment. The fact Lord Gareth be half human is already an impediment to many. Heirs more human than Fae decrease our chances of placing him on the throne and avoiding all out war. Let’s na forget our true purpose. Perhaps we have entangled ourselves in the problems of humans far more than we should have.”

Sarah turned on her husband, her eyes wide with rage. “Are ye suggesting I abandon Tabitha to whoever has taken her? We know it likely be someone working with the Unseelie, so this be a Fae problem and na just a human one.”

Thompton glanced out the window as he had been, staying ever vigilant before speaking. “We dona know the kidnapping is Fae. This happened with automatons, a human creation. This could be unrelated. We need to get King Tristan back to the Fae wood, now!”

Gareth burst into the conversation. “Grandfather’s body is waiting back at the house, the selfish old…” Gareth bit his tongue before he spoke ill of the dead. “He never once did a selfless thing in his life, until Tabitha needed to be rescued. I’ll not turn my back on her when she’s the only family I have left.” Gareth scooted in his seat, searching the faces surrounding him for answers.

Thompton shook his head. “If it be a human wanting a ransom, there’ll likely be a note at Waverly Park now. We both know the greediness in the hearts of humans. Someone has figured out the wedding be about new money coming into the Smyth’s purse. The girl will probably be let go as soon as some human gets his pockets filled.”

Jessamine leaned forward, pointing her finger at Thompton. “You defended my place as Gareth’s wife to the assassin. Now you want him to abandon me?”

Thompton turned to face her. “I’ve nothing against ye personally. I was taking King Tristan’s side over the enemy’s for the purpose of showing me loyalty. But we know from what the assassin said before he died, this marriage’ll be used as one of the leverages the false king works to overthrow the Court of Ansleigh.”

Jessamine pursed her lips, her face turning red as she spoke. “I’ll not abandon Gareth. I’ve made my vow before God and man on that subject. Does that mean nothing to the Fae? Do you not believe in God?”

Sarah answered, “Aye, we do.” She glanced over to her husband. “She be right; she made a vow before God. We are His creations, too, same as man. I’ll not interfere with a vow to God.”

Jessamine gestured to Gareth. “Nor will he abandon the only family he’s ever known to run off with you to a land and a people he’s never even seen. You two do what you please and run back off to fairy tale land if you like.” She gestured to Gareth, “He and I will go after Tabitha.”

Gareth took in his wife’s ferocity. It was as if she understood his position completely without him saying a word. She was so beautiful when she was angry, but there was more he was seeing, something that drew him to her in a way much stronger than physical attraction. He was so engrossed that he nearly missed the fact Sarah was speaking.

“Thompton, how dare ye suggest I walk out on Tabitha? I’d give me own life before I’d allow harm to come to her. She’s as close to bein’ me own as I’ll ever know. I dona care that she na be Fae. We are loyal to the Court of Ansleigh, aye. But that canna outweigh our loyalties to these who have come to live in me heart.”

Sarah patted Gareth’s knee. “Thompton’ll take word to Tinkton and bring back reinforcements. The three of us will go on to Ardenshire for clues on Tabitha’s whereabouts. Then we’ll meet the reinforcements at Waverly Park before we continue further.”

Thompton glanced around at each face then back to his wife. He reached out to touch her, but she pulled away.

“Do na be touching me right now if ye value that hand. I’m still angry.”

Thompton nodded. He placed his hand under Sarah’s chin and tilted her head up. “I know yer sore at me, but I love ye. Be safe. Tabitha be a sweet girl, and I don’t want any harm to come to her. I was only trying to look at the bigger picture. If our king dies in the rescue, then what becomes of the Court of Ansleigh? Far worse than the loss of an old man and a girl will come if the false king be allowed to reign. That’s all.”

He released her chin and started for the exit of the carriage. When he turned about and met eyes with his wife, she nodded. He winked and then grew serious. “It should take me a four-day journey to the Ansleigh court and back. Dona get yourselves into danger until I get back with more guards.”

After a curt nod, he took flight. Sarah leaned out the door of the carriage and shouted after him, “Be safe and I love ye, too. Still mad, but I love ye all the same.”

Gareth looked to Jessamine and then back at Sarah who shook herself as she stood outside the carriage. In a swirl of light and air, she became Thompton.

She shrugged and winked at them, and then said in her husband’s voice, “Ye don’t see many a carriage bein’ driven by a woman. We’ll be in Ardenshire in about an hour.”

Then she climbed into the driver’s seat of the carriage, and they started off.

The carriage rocked with the motion of the cobblestone road. A cool breeze blew through the open window. Gareth glanced over at Jessamine. She’d pulled one of her throwing knives out and was eyeing the space in front of her, practicing the movement of a throw toward some imaginary target. Her movements were quick and smooth. He watched, imagining he could see the calculations of how fast her movements should be and where to aim to hit her target. A million thoughts going on at once inside her very pretty head.

He wondered how long it would take to know how she thought, the way she seemed to know him. He’d never considered what went on in a woman’s mind before. Not even Tabitha’s. Maybe it was this sort of thinking, women as nothing but pretty packages of emotional nothingness, that had put him off on the idea of marriage.

Jessamine turned for just a second and noticed Gareth watching her. She smiled. “It’s been a while since I’ve thrown one. I’m trying to remember what the Cherokee boys used to say to help me with my aim.”

Gareth swallowed, not knowing what to say. But then he did. “Thank you…for taking my side against Thompton.”

She blinked and drew in a breath as she absorbed what he said. “Of course I took your side. Thompton was in the wrong, and you are my husband. I’m with you in this and all other trials that might come up.”

Gareth said nothing, finding it hard to breathe and think in her presence, as usual, so he turned his attention back to looking out the window. She was taking their pronouncement as husband and wife much further than he’d ever planned. If they were to be husband and wife in truth, what would it all entail? He thought of how Thompton and Sarah argued but remained in love and cared for each other. When Tabitha was found and rescued, he’d have to think more on it all. For now, his young aunt’s safety was what he needed to concentrate on.

They arrived at Ardenshire within the hour. The business district by the river was just as Mrs. Collins had described. Jessamine held her handkerchief over her nose. Gareth peeked outside. Two gaunt boys covered in filth sat in a doorway. Their eyes were as hollow as their stomachs most likely were, judging by their slight, boney frames.

Gareth turned away when he saw a body in the street next to a pile of garbage, flies circling the cadaver, while a man worked to extract the boots from the corpse’s feet.

Jessamine’s cheeks glistened with tears before she raised her gloved hand to wipe them away. “This is horrible. I’ve never seen living conditions of this sort.” She turned to face Gareth. “How do they stand to go on in a place like this?”

Gareth could say nothing. This place was only a few scant miles from his home, and yet he’d been ignorant of it. The look in the eyes of those boys took him back to his own miserable childhood but never once had he been left dirty, hungry, and in need. It put his personal misery into perspective.

The carriage stopped as Sarah called out in Thompton’s voice, “’Allo there. Can ye point me in the direction of Mr. Steel’s factory? Me employer’s lookin’ to talk to ’im ’bout some business.”

A female voice answered back with directions to a gray building by the river. Then she said, “Just follow the fog. Ain’t nothin’ but fog all about the place. Big clouds of it separate off and go driftin,’ like that one.” Gareth and Jessamine both glanced out the window in the direction she pointed. In the sky was a lone, giant cloud hanging low in the sky. “It looks ’bout as creepy as the tales I hear from the folk that work there.”

The carriage moved on. As they drew closer to the factory, fog surrounded the carriage, seeping through the cracks under the door in long, limb-like strands. They seemed to sniff at Gareth and Jessamine before he leaned forward to wave the mist away.

They stopped, and the door flew open. Sarah, as Thompton, stood at the door with the chair. “I think you’ll be safe to get in yerself. No one will see ye in all this fog.”

Gareth got in the chair while Jessamine made her way out of the buggy.

“The two of ye be careful in there. Have ye worked out a plan?”

Gareth glanced up at Jessamine, realizing they’d not really made one.

She smiled and put her hand to her chin. “I was thinking I’d inquire of them on my father’s behalf. We don’t know for certain if they were directly involved in the kidnapping. It could be a device they made and sold to someone else.”

Gareth nodded. “If that’s the case, they’ll probably give the buyer’s information freely for the right price.”

The stench of the river added salt and a fishy odor to the smell of human waste which already filled their nostrils. They started for the entrance to the building. Fog enveloped them and appeared to overflow from the roof of the factory.

Sarah held up a finger. “Hold on.”

She placed her hand on the sword still strapped to Gareth’s side, and it took on the appearance of a wooden cane.

Gareth glanced up at her. “Can I learn to do that?”