Clockwork Blue (19 page)

"
Be sensible, Ramsey. You must go
, or risk deportation. Or worse
... a hanging.
"

"
My death would be for a good cause.
"

A shiver of fear tickled the backs of her arms.
"
Cease this ridiculous talk. I
'
m sending a missive to Mr. Hamilton, so just be patient and do what you
'
re told. I will get you out from Falcon
'
s imprisonment and hide you for a while in London with your former tutor,
and then
we
'
ll decide what to do next.
"

Although, no matter how much she loved him and was willing to sacrifice for his sake, she also realized she wasn
'
t doing him any favors. For him to accept responsibility for his actions would be a good thing—but she couldn
'
t allow the repercussions to be too harsh. Perhaps forcing him to leave England would be punishment enough. But for now she would compromise, then devise a plan to send him to Europe, even if she had to knock him silly to do so.

He switched his satchel to his other hand.
"
All right, London it is. H
urry, then. The Falcon already wants to lengthen my stay.
"

"
Truly? Why?
"

"
I told him what I thought of his reform plan.
"

"
Reform plan?
"

"
He thinks mucking the stables will reform me.
"

"
What exactly did you say?
"

"
He didn
'
t like me calling him a baboon.
"

"
Cogs
.
"
She cringed at Ramsey
'
s reckless words.
"
What did he say in return?
"

Hand on the doorknob leading to the treacherous outdoors that contained Falcon, Ramsey gave a dignified grunt.
"
Can
'
t repeat it in front of a lady.
"

Suddenly, the urge to keep her cousin from danger was
almost overwhelming.
"
This whole nasty business will be over before you realize it, so don
'
t be rash.
"
Then, a bark of laughter over her admonishment almost escaped her. Imploring Ramsey to think before he acted was akin to asking a fish not to swim.

He slipped out the doorway. As he walked the cobbled path,
Nicola
saw a giant with dark skin follow. Gaspar. The man who
'
d captured him the previous night; the Falcon
'
s vulture.

Thinking of the Earl reminded her of their assignation. As she closed the door behind her and followed the path toward the back of the cottage, she remembered that he would want a report on her success with her father. She sensed he was not a patient man. And he would know no boundaries when it came to securing his prey. But she refused to be any man
'
s prey.

She headed for the stables wondering how difficult it would be to train a Falcon to the hand.

Falcon sat on his huge black stallion, appearing as relaxed as if he were lounging in her father
'
s favorite Georgian-
style chair, but his gaze was fixed intently on
Nicola
.
That he could afford a mount like that in addition to a roustabout wasn't lost on her.
Consciousness over the awkward-looking, rusty barrelabout pricked her. Shame over that prick of
embarrassment washed through her. Ramsey was so proud of the invention. That was what was important.

S
cents from the nearby rose bushes washed over her, even as s
he r
esisted the urge to shift her feet while sh
e stood by the barrel
about. She
glanced across a grassy knoll in the park and concentrated on the boys who were playing with a toy-sized replica of the fashionable hot-air bal
loon. Returning her gaze to Fal
con, she discovered his regard still on her.

"
Is your father softening toward me?
"
he asked.

That he held all the cards caused her no small amount of agitation. She gave in
to temptation and fidgeted, then forced herself to lean against the steam-powered vehicle
.
"
I believe he is, my lord.
"

Falcon moved his horse closer
, and she found herself admiring his ease with the large beast, a stallion she sensed was as wild as his owner
.
She reminded herself Falcon
was dangerous, capable of blackmail, extortion, enslaving decent young men to convict hulks, shipping them to desolate lands such as New South Wales and all sorts of other dastardly deeds
.
Yes
, his ruthlessness
might be the reason h
er heart raced, her mouth dried
. His slate-
colored gaze seemed more treacherous among the buttercups and bright sunlight than in a darkened workhouse.

She coughed over
the wad of cotton that seemed to fluff in her mouth.
"
Father
is considering having you over to supper. That is a feat in itself.
"

"
Liar.
"
Allegro's
tiny voice near her ear startled
Nicola
so that she nearly lost her seat.
How dare he upbraid her.
She swatted at him. He dodged, his
rainbow
wings appeari
ng as light as wisps of vapor. T
hen
he
landed on a nearby daffodil, his elfin mouth curving up in a delighted smile.

Falcon watched.
"
What is it? A bee?
"

She studied his intent expression and her heart did a strange backward somersault.
"
Did you see something?
"
Had he seen the pixie? If so,
perhaps she wasn't the only one on this Earth the pixies could go to for help in their ridiculous missions.

"
No
, nothing
. But I would assume this profusion of flowers might attract insects.
"

Disappointment tasted bitter on her tongue. But what had she expected? Nothing had ever come easily to her, and she didn
'
t expect the situation to change now.
For now she was tethered to the pixies—and to Falcon.
"
Or other strange creatures,
"
she responded, giving
Allegro
a meaningful glare.

Allegro's
laugh reminded
Nicola
of a
trilling flute
.

Giving her a sharp look, Falcon next scanned the area in which
Glissando
sprawled on a downy petal.
"
What are you staring at?
"

Again, she couldn
'
t believe she would be so ridiculous as to think that Falcon could see the mythical creatures. A hard, cynical man like the Earl would never believe in anything so whimsical.
"
Nothing. I
'
ve discovered a pesky gnat in the vicinity.
"

Allegro
'
s attention wandered across the knoll and he stiffened.
"
Cogs
!"

She would have smiled at his adaptation to her exclamation if she hadn't been so angry at
him
. It was his and Glissando's fault that she was in this predicament
.

"
What is that silly
Glissando
doing now?
"
To
Nicola
'
s relief, he flew off. She needed all of her energy focused on her clever adversary and didn
'
t need a diversion. Turning,
she discovered the Earl observed her
.

"
Working on your father to invite me to dinner doesn
'
t mean he will do business with me.
"
Falcon
'
s lips twitched in a superior smile. She longed to rub it away like chalk on her school slate.

"
On the contrary, I believe it does,
"
she said.

"
Over dinner?
"

"
Perhaps not at that precise moment, but soon. And you, my lord, are lucky I
'
m here and that I managed to slip away without an escort.
"

"
Yes
, I suppose I am. Although I have the feeling you frequently forgo such proprieties.
"
He studied her for a few heartbeats. Then his gaze changed subtly, became more
… absorbing
. He brushed a wayward curl off her cheek.
"
Let us debate your success with your father in more detail. Come.
"