Surrender (68 page)

 
I have something that I think will

interest you, stone vale. Do step inside

for a moment, won't you?"

Lucas considered the possibilities and

decided the prospect of getting some

answers outweighed the risks. He opened

the door and got into the carriage with

some awkwardness, deliberately favoring

his left leg more than was absolutely

necessary.

He was not particularly surprised to

see Edgeworth pull a pistol out of his

heavy coat.

 
I imagine you recall that day you should

have died every time that leg of yours fails

you, don't you stone vale?"

 
I do hope you will at least do me

the courtesy of explaining what is going

on before you pull the trigger," Lucas

remarked, massaging his thigh as he sat

down across from the other man.

 
You may relax, stone vale. I will not

be pulling the trigger for some time yet.

My associate has a few plans that must

be carried out before I shall have that

pleasure."

 
Would the name of your associate be

Samuel Whitlock, by any chance?"

 
Whitlock? What an amusing notion."

Edgeworth rapped twice on the roof of the

carriage and the vehicle moved off. Then

he looked at Lucas and broke into outright

laughter.
 
Imagine forming a partnership

with the dead. Most amusing."

The message reached Victoria on a silver

salver just as she came off the dance floor

with Lord Potbury.
 
Please excuse me." She

smiled quickly at her escort as she opened

the note.

 
Of course. Nothing serious, I trust?"

Victoria scanned the brief message and

hoped Potbury would not notice that her

fingers were shaking inside her beautiful

gloves.

Come
   
at
   
once
   
if
  
you
  
value
   
your

husband's life and honor.

A carriage waits
 
at the
 
corner with the

garments you will need.
 
The driver will

give you instructions when you arrive.

Time is of the essence.

 
No," Victoria said, smiling very brightly

at Potbury.
 
Nothing is wrong, just a short

note from a friend to tell me she is going

to take some air in the gardens. She invites

me to join her. I suppose she felt it would

be easier for one of the footmen to get

the message to me in this crowd than for

her to get through the crush. Will you

excuse me?"

 
Certainly." Potbury bent gracefully over

her hand.
 
Enjoy yourself. Lady Atherton's

gardens are quite extensive. Once again, my

congratulations on your marriage. Good

man, stone vale."

 
Yes, he is, is he not?"

Victoria unobtrusively collected her cloak

from one of the footmen, explaining that

she was going out into the gardens for a

few minutes and found it cool outdoors.

Then she made her way discreetly toward

one of the windows.

A moment later she was deep in the

unlit portion of Jessica Atherton's precisely

manicured gardens. Several rows of clipped

hedges and elaborately designed topiary

shielded her from the ballroom windows.

Jessica Atherton's gardens were rather

like Jessica herself, Victoria concluded:

beautiful, perfect, untouchable.

Climbing the wall took a bit of doing.

She was obliged to hitch her gown up to

her thighs in order to accomplish the feat

and she thought fleetingly of what Lucas

would have said had he seen her expose

so much leg. The thought brought tears

to her eyes and she dashed them away

immediately. She would do something

violent to Edgeworth as soon as she found

him if Lucas had not already done so.

Victoria wrinkled her nose at the stench

in the
 
alley as she put on the cloak and

pulled the hood up over her head. Then

she walked swiftly to the corner.

A public coach was waiting. An obviously

half-drunk coachman tipped his hat with

mocking respect.
 
Expect you be the lady

I been waitin" for."

Realizing he probably thought he was

taking her to meet a lover at a secret

rendezvous, Victoria said nothing. She

shrank deeper into the cloak and climbed

quickly into the coach. The vehicle jolted

forward before she was properly seated and

she nearly lost her balance.

When she reached out to brace herself,

her hand touched a sack. She knew

immediately it contained the clothes she

had been told to wear.

Even as she pulled the breeches, shirt,

and boots from the bag her stomach turned

over with a sickening realization. This was

no coincidence. Whoever had sent the note

must know that she was in the habit of

wearing men's clothes at night. If that

same person knew that dark secret, he

might know others.

A ghost would know such things, she

reflected, or a man who trailed her like a

ghost the way she had once trailed Samuel

Whitlock through the corridors of his own

home. Victoria shuddered.

But she could not think about that now,

she told herself as she changed quickly into

the male garb. Indeed, she must not think

about it. The only thing that mattered was

rescuing Lucas.

Her stomach felt distinctly queasy again

as the coach pulled up outside the Green

Pig. The choice of destination could not

be a coincidence either. Someone knew

everything.

With shaking hands, she put her cloak

back on over the masculine clothing and

pulled up the hood. Then she quickly

rolled up her gown and the rest of her

discarded clothes and stuffed them into

the sack.

 
Third room at the top o" the stairs,"

the coachman muttered as she stepped

down from the cab.
 
Trust you'll
 
ave

fun. Quality usually does, unlike the rest

o" us that's got to work for a livin"." He

did not even bother to look at her as he

took another sip from his flask, flicked the

reins, and drove off.

Victoria watched the carriage roll out

of sight and then she removed the cloak

and put on the high crowned hat that had

been provided. Taking a deep breath and

squaring her shoulders, she walked boldly

through the front door of the gaming

hell.

Everything was different this time, she

thought nervously, and she knew that was

because
 
she did not have Lucas by her side

to make it all seem a grand adventure.

The red glare from the hearth illuminated

the rough crowd of Green Pig patrons,

making them look like demons from the

underworld. The coarse, drunken laughter

was unnerving. She had the feeling a

violent brawl could break out at any

moment. As she started toward the stairs

one of the barmaids sidled up to her.

 
You don't want to be goin" up there

alone, now do ye, sir? You'll be wantin'

a lady friend and it just so
 
appens I'm

free at the moment."

Victoria thought frantically.
 
Thank you,

but there is someone waiting for me."

 
Ah, so that's the way of it, eh?" The

barmaid winked.
 
I saw your friend go up

earlier and I ain't one to pass judgment

on that sort o" thing. Besides, the bloke

already paid for the room. Good luck to

ye, I say. But if ye decide you'd rather

have a woman, ye just give old Betsy a

shout, hear?"

Victoria stared at her in confusion.
 
Yes,

thank you very much, I'll do that."

Betsy roared with laughter.
 
Ye can

always tell the well-bred coves. They

remember their manners even in a place

like this." She sallied off into the crowd,

still chuckling.

Victoria went grimly up the stairs, the

sack containing her dress still clutched in

one hand, the cloak draped over her arm.

At the top of the stairs she found

herself in a dark hall. She could hear

obscene laughter and groans coming from

the rooms as she passed two doors and

stopped at the third.

She hesitated a moment at her goal and

then tapped cautiously on the third door.

It opened immediately.

Isabel
  
Rycott
   
stood
  
framed
   
in
   
the doorway,

looking even more exotic in

men's clothes than she did in a ball

gown.

 
Lady Rycott. What a surprise." Victoria

struggled to sound calm and cool and

almost detached, the way Lucas always

managed to do when he was facing a

startling situation. At least she was not

dealing with the reanimated corpse of

Samuel Whitlock, Victoria told herself.

 
Where is my husband?"

Isabel Rycott smiled with a terrible

satisfaction and revealed the pistol in her

hand.
 
Won't you come in. Lady stone vale?

I have been waiting for you."

Now that she was over her initial shock,

Victoria told herself she must stay calm.

She would be no help to Lucas if

she had hysterics.
 
Is Edgeworth with

you?" she asked as she stepped into

the room.
 
I cannot imagine you have

managed this entire business by yourself

You are accustomed to using your male

acquaintances, are you not?"

 
How very astute of you." Isabel backed

away from her. Her eyes were feverishly

bright.
 
But, then, you always were a very

clever girl, weren't you? Too clever by half

And now you are going to pay for it."

Still clutching the sack of clothing and

the cloak, Victoria wandered over to the

fireplace to lean negligently against the

mantel. The blaze on the hearth cast a