Scoundrel Ever After (Secrets and Scandals) (39 page)

They carried her through another doorway and then dumped her to the floor near a large table. She blinked as she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

“Miss Cheswick?” Jimmy stood from the table and stared at her. “Didn’t I let ye leave?”

“Yes.” She got to her feet on quaking legs.

“Ye should’ve stayed gone. I won’t be so nice a second time.” He scrutinized her appearance. “Particularly when ye look as if ye belong ’ere. Doesn’t she, lads?” He laughed and the rest joined in. When the laughter died down, he nodded at the two men who’d carried her. Each man grabbed one of her arms and held her still.

Jimmy came around the table, his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped just in front of her. “Now, why did ye come back?”

She smelled the gin on his breath and fought not to recoil. “To see Ethan.”

Jimmy’s hand snapped across her cheek so fast, she didn’t see it coming. But the pain lingered, setting her cheek afire. “Don’t make me hit ye again. I really don’t like hurtin’ women.”

Her eyes watered. She struggled to think of what to say. “I came to see him and you.” She cringed, waiting for his hand to strike again and when it didn’t, she rushed onward. “He was like a son to you. I can’t believe you want to hurt him. He only wants to be happy. With me. Can’t you let him do that?”

He squinted at her a long moment. “’E won’t be happy with ye. I’ve seen ’im with women over the years. ’E’ll tire of ye soon enough. Then ’e’ll move on to his next Society conquest. ’E’s fooled ye like ’e fooled me.”

She didn’t believe that for a moment, but wouldn’t try to convince him otherwise. “Fine, then let him do that. Why does he have to be a criminal? Why won’t you just let him be free?”

Jimmy wrapped his hand around her neck and she worried she’d gone too far. He leaned close. “’E
is
a criminal. ’E’s exactly what I made ’im and that’s all ’e’ll ever be.” Spittle shot from his mouth and landed on her cheek.

He let go of her, shoving her back as he removed his hand. The men tightened their grips on her arms. She swallowed, anxious about what would happen next. She hoped and prayed they still had a chance once they got outside.

Jimmy strolled back to his place at the head of the table and looked down. “I suppose I’m done with my breakfast.” He swept the plate from the table. Because it was metal, it didn’t break, but hit the floor with a loud thud. “Get ’im ready. ’E’s got a trial to attend.”

Several men stood from the table and disappeared through the doorway toward the room where Ethan was being held. Audrey tensed.

“And ye shot one of my best men.” Jimmy shook his head. He came back toward her and didn’t stop until he’d clasped her chin in a firm, painful grip. “Ye’re goin’ to have a front-row seat at Jagger’s trial and hangin’, and then I’m goin’ to work ye upstairs until ye can’t walk. Do ye know how much money I’ll make off Jagger’s lovey?” His gaze dipped to her breasts and he dug his fingers into her flesh. “Let’s hope ye fuck as well as ye look. Eh, it doesn’t matter, does it, lads? They’ll pay for the novelty, not the skill.” He sneered in her face and let her go before turning away from her.

Stark fear like she’d never known turned her limbs to jelly. If not for the men holding her up, she would’ve sagged to the floor.

Long minutes passed during which Jimmy retook his seat. He stared moodily at the table. To Audrey he looked upset, disturbed perhaps. She couldn’t stop herself from trying to persuade him to change his mind.

“Jimmy, it’s not too late to let Ethan go.”

“Shut ’er the fuck up, will you?” He turned to the corner where Marie sat on a small stool. Audrey hadn’t even noticed her. “Find somethin’ to gag ’er.”

Marie pulled a long, white cloth out of her pocket as she came toward Audrey. She didn’t say a word as she put it in Audrey’s mouth and tied it at the back of her head.

Ethan’s scent filled her nostrils and she realized it was his cravat. She heard the sound of boots and turned her head just as Ethan was led into the room. There was a bruise blooming on his cheek and blood trickled from his lip.

“Clean ’im up, Marie, and put ’is boots on.”

Marie went to a washbasin and dampened a cloth, which she used to cleanse Ethan’s lip. He stared stoically at Audrey, his eyes cold and dispassionate. She sensed he was working to mask his emotions and wished she could do the same. But a tear leaked from her eye, and she realized that was hopeless.

Next, Marie fetched his boots from somewhere behind Audrey. She put his feet into them and the act reminded Audrey of when she’d helped him after he’d been wounded.

“Bind ’is hands.”

One of the men came forward with a rope. Ethan stuck his hands out without being asked. The rope was circled around his wrists and bound tightly.

Another tear snaked from Audrey’s eye, and her throat nearly closed with anguish.

Jimmy stood and straightened his coat. “Let’s go. ’Im first.”

The men flanking Ethan grabbed his arms and nudged him forward. He moved toward Audrey. “It’s all right. You’re going to be all right.” He said the last so softly, she had to strain to hear.

Then he turned and walked from the room.

Jimmy jerked his head toward the men holding Audrey and they brought her forward. Jimmy took the place of the man on her right. “I want ye right beside me when we watch ’im swing.”

The doorway wasn’t big enough to allow them all to pass through together, so Jimmy went first and he pulled her over the threshold. They moved through his throne room and into a corridor that emptied into the nearly empty common room. Audrey searched the tables and corners for Scot, but didn’t see anyone save a slattern leaning against one wall and a man passed out across a tabletop. Everyone must have gone outside to watch the hanging.

Emotion gathered in her chest, and she struggled to breathe. Tears came fast now, tracking down her heated cheeks. They moved outside into the late morning. Gray skies and drizzle met them; still, it was much brighter than the interior of the Cup and Burrow, and Audrey had to blink several times.

They moved into the street, which was lined with what looked to be hundreds of people. All of St. Giles’s denizens had turned out. The crowd was thick and raucous, with shouting and singing and the smell of food mingled with decay and impending death.

Audrey looked ahead of her and fixed on Ethan’s back. The dark green and bronze silk of his waistcoat rippled over his back as he walked. Then she caught sight of the scaffold and the rope.

Blackness edged her vision and she fell to the street.

E
THAN HEARD JIMMY
swear and turned his head to see Audrey being dragged to her feet. Her eyes rolled back in her head. Jimmy slapped her hard.

Ethan lunged toward him, aching to inflict pain and damage, but the men holding him kept him from moving. “Don’t touch her, Jimmy!”

Jimmy turned and looked at him, his eyes dark and narrowed. “I’ll do whatever I like to ’er. Especially after ye’re dead.” He grabbed Audrey’s chin and shook her until she blinked. “Keep yer wits about ye, gel. The best part’s comin’ up.”

He waved them all forward and the procession continued.

Because he had no choice, Ethan turned and walked toward the scaffold, but he didn’t look at it. Instead, he scanned the crowd in search of Jason or Carlyle or Sevrin or any of the idiots who’d launched this futile plan.

At last his gaze settled on Scot. He was standing in the front of the crowd. As Ethan drew close enough, he mouthed, “Save her.”

Scot nodded imperceptibly, and Ethan had to trust that he would. Next, he caught sight of Sevrin, then Carlyle. Finally, he saw Jason, who was standing very near the scaffold. His familiar gray eyes were impassive. They briefly met Ethan’s, softened slightly, and then moved on.

Love for his brother swelled in Ethan’s chest. At this perhaps eleventh hour of his life, he finally had the family he’d sought. And he’d put all of them in harm’s way.

The sound of a pistol cocking behind Ethan drew the men holding him to turn. Ethan spun with them and things seemed to happen in slow motion. In his peripheral vision, he saw men moving, but his gaze focused on the man holding the gun.

Teague.

And he was pointing it at Jimmy. Other men around him had also drawn pistols, but no one had fired yet.

“You don’t get to hang him.”

Jimmy smiled malevolently. “That yer job, Runner?”

“Damned right it is. And you sure as hell don’t get to brutalize women.”

Ethan kicked at the men holding him and pulled to get free. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jason move and then he heard the report of a pistol as Teague fired his weapon.

“Audrey!” In the ensuing commotion, Ethan got one of his arms free and punched the man still holding him. It was enough to make him release his grip on Ethan.

Ethan watched Audrey go down, but saw that it was Scot who’d knocked her to the ground, not Teague’s bullet, which had appeared to go wide.

Jimmy lifted his pistol and pointed it at Teague. Ethan didn’t think. He tackled the Runner as the gun fired. They both fell.

Burning pain sliced into Ethan’s shoulder. Audrey’s scream rent the air. His head hit the cobblestones and blackness descended.

Chapter Twenty-three

A
UDREY WATCHED THE
bullet hit Ethan in the shoulder as he tackled Teague to the ground. She pushed at Scot and her hand brushed the hilt of a knife tied to his waist. She unsheathed it, taking it from him as she’d taken the pistol from George back at the Cup and Burrow.

There was fighting all around her, but she looked for the shock of white hair. Rain fell into her eyes and she swiped at her face, pulling the cravat from where it had dislodged from her mouth when she’d fallen. She managed to roll out from under Scot, who was now engaged with one of the men who’d been behind Jimmy.

She struggled to find her feet as she searched for Jimmy. At last, she found him, not far away. He was fighting his way toward where Ethan lay.

She clutched the knife in her hand and wove through the melee. Jimmy spun and saw her, his gaze falling on the blade. His lip curled and he struck fast and sure, knocking the knife from her hand and forcing her backward. He advanced on her, a knife in his own hand.

“Audrey!” Jason called her name from behind Jimmy. He dodged between two men and tossed her a pistol.

She caught it with both hands, cocked the hammer, and fired. At this range, there was no missing and thankfully there was also no misfire. She watched Jimmy’s eyes widen as the bullet slammed into his chest.

He fell back. Jason stood over him and pressed his boot into his neck.

Jimmy sputtered. Blood gurgled from his mouth, came forth in a greater torrent as Jason applied more pressure.

It was more than Audrey needed to see. She dropped the pistol and ran to Ethan.

Teague held him in his lap, his hand pressed to the wound in Ethan’s shoulder. “Help me.”

She squatted down and lifted Ethan by the bicep of his unwounded arm while Teague hefted him. When Teague had gained his footing, he lifted Ethan over his shoulder.

Jason came forward and led them through the throng. Audrey followed Teague, her gaze fixed on Ethan’s ashen face.

Vaguely, she was aware of someone close behind her. A quick look back revealed it was Sevrin.

They wound their way from the crowded street, down a narrow alley to another street. What should have been a difficult passage was surprisingly easy.

“The hack is up there,” Sevrin said close to her ear.

She looked ahead and saw a hackney coach waiting. The Earl of Saxton was standing outside, though he was dressed liked one of St. Giles’ roughest men.

Teague got to the hack and Saxton helped him lay Ethan facedown on one of the seats. However, it wasn’t long enough to hold his entire frame and his legs slumped off the side. Audrey went to climb in after him, but Teague grabbed her arm.

“I’m done. Tell him . . . tell him thank you.”

Audrey nodded and looked at Saxton, who helped her into the hack. She lifted Ethan’s head and shoulders and eased into the corner of the seat, settling his head on her lap. Jason entered behind her. He bent Ethan’s legs so they’d fit onto the seat and then installed himself opposite. He handed Audrey a kerchief, which she pressed to the wound in Ethan’s shoulder.