To Dream Again (51 page)

Mara cast a frantic glance around, but she found nothing to use as a weapon. Leyland's knife was somewhere in the center of the raging fire. There was no way she could get to it. She started toward the two men, but without a weapon, she knew she would only put herself in Nathaniel's way.

Lord Leyland managed to break free of Nathaniel's grasp. He took several steps back, then flung himself at his brother. Mara watched in horror as the impact sent both of them over the rail.

Nathaniel heard Mara scream his name as he felt himself going over the rail of the mezzanine. He grabbed desperately for something to hang on to as he fell and managed to hook one arm around the rail as Adrian hurtled past him into empty space. Gripping the rail with all his strength, he watched his brother plummet toward the ground.

The steam engine directly below broke Adrian's fall, but he sprawled over the machine like a limp rag doll, motionless, his head twisted at an unnatural angle, his neck broken.

Nathaniel grimaced and turned his face away, but he had neither the time nor the inclination to grieve. He swung one leg up, wrapping it around the top of the railing, and hoisted himself up. He rolled over the rail and let go, hitting the floor of the mezzanine with a groan of relief, drinking in great gulps of air, coughing when the smoke filled his lungs.

Mara was kneeling beside him in an instant. "Thank God!"

"Are you all right?" he asked as he sat up. She nodded, and he glanced around. All he could seem to see was fire. "Where's Billy?"

"I sent him down when the fire started. He's outside. He's safe."

Nathaniel rose, grabbed her hand, and turned toward the stairs, only to find their way blocked by a wall of fire. The flames had spread to the stairs, and the enclosed stairwell had acted like a chimney. The wooden staircase was completely ablaze. They could not go up and they could not go down. He pulled her to the opposite side of the mezzanine, but the ladder had been unhooked and now lay on the production floor. "Damn it! He took the ladder down."

"Nathaniel, what shall we do?" Mara shouted over the roar.

"I have no idea," he shouted back, coughing as he inhaled more of the thick smoke. He glanced around, but no brilliant plans came to him.

"Think of something." She looked up at him anxiously, twisting her hands together. "You're the inventor. Can't you think of something?"

He glanced over the railing. The smoke made his eyes water, and he rubbed an impatient hand across them, trying to see. His attention caught on one of the pulley ropes hanging from the ceiling beam. A quick glance down told him one end was attached to a winch. The other end dangled in midair, the hook on its end a perfect stirrup. But the rope was too far out. He couldn't possibly jump for it. He looked up at the ceiling again.

"I have an idea," he said, and pointed to the rope. "We climb down."

"Are you crazy? How can we reach it?"

"We have to crawl to it from the ceiling beam."

He looked at her, and he could see her eyes were glazed with panic. Her whole body was trembling. "No," she choked, glancing down. "I can't!"

"Mara, listen to me." He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a little shake. "It's either that or the fire. There's no other way. Take off your skirt or it'll hamper you."

She hesitated, glancing over the rail, then back at the fire.

"Trust me." He squeezed her shoulders, planted a quick kiss on her lips, and released her. "C'mon. Slip out of that skirt."

She pulled off the garments as he said, "I'll lift you. Grab the beam and pull yourself up until you can get one leg over. Roll up onto the beam so you're lying on your stomach. Understand?"

He could see her trembling. He knew she was terrified, but he couldn't let her fall apart now. "A letter opener, for God's sake!" he shouted as he grabbed her around the waist, lifting her toward the ceiling. "Of all the idiotic things to do. What were you thinking of?"

His ploy succeeded. Instantly, she forgot her panic and became defensive. "Well, it worked, didn't it?" she shot back, reaching up to grab the beam.

"You're damn lucky it did," Nathaniel said, waiting until she was lying along the length of the beam on her stomach. Then he jumped and grabbed the beam himself. He pulled himself up and stretched out, facing her, the pulley rope they needed to reach about two dozen feet behind him. "He could've slit your throat."

"Well, he didn't!"

They faced each other, lying on the beam like a pair of panthers on a tree limb as the mezzanine below them collapsed, shooting sparks in all directions. He began to move backward on the beam, inching toward the pulley, and she followed his lead, scooting forward on her stomach.

She started to look down, but he spoke again to stop her. "Don't look down. Look at me."

"I'm frightened!"

"I know. Imagine we're climbing a tree."

"I've never climbed a tree."

"I can see I'll have to take you tree climbing at the next opportunity." He glanced back to see how far they had to go. At least a dozen feet.

"That punch to his jaw wasn't bad," he said, starting to move backward again. "How did you manage it?"

"You taught Billy how to fight, remember? I paid attention."

"You're a good student." A fit of coughing overtook him, and he paused until it subsided. He could feel the heat of the fire intensifying, and he knew they didn't have much time.

"How much farther is it?"

"Only a bit," he lied. "We're marrying before Christmas."

"You might at least ask me first."

"I'll go down on one knee and propose when we're safely on the ground. Will that suit?"

"Yes."

They were above the pulley. He reached down, fumbling until he could grasp the thick rope. He pulled until the hook at the end hit the wheel.

"What do we do now?" she asked, watching him.

He met her eyes. "I'm climbing down."

"No!" she cried. "Don't leave me!"

"I have to. Listen to me. I can't lower you down from up here. The rope's too thick for me to keep a good grip. I have to climb down. When I’m at the bottom, grab the hook and put your foot through it as if it were a stirrup. In order to do that, you'll have to sit up on the beam. Once your foot's secure, hang on to the rope and swing off, so you're standing with your foot in the hook and the rope in your hands. I'll lower you with the winch."

"Why can't I just slide down?"

"You'll shred your hands, and your gloves won't protect you. We don't have time to argue. For once, just once, do what I tell you. All right?"

She swallowed hard and shook her sweat-damp hair out of her eyes. "All right," she whispered.

He hefted the rope, holding it securely in both hands. Before he could roll off the beam, her voice stopped him.

"Nathaniel?"

"What?"

"I love you, and if you fall and break your neck, I'll kill you."

"I shall keep that in mind." He slid off the beam and wrapped one leg around the rope. Suspended in the air, he paused and looked up at her. "Before Christmas," he said firmly and began to descend along the length of the rope, hand over hand. Mara peered over the edge and watched him through the smoky haze, her heart pounding in her breast, unable to draw breath until she saw him reach the ground.

When he was on the ground, he let go of the rope, and she saw him give her the thumbs-up sign. She reached down and grabbed the hook, doing exactly as Nathaniel had instructed her, giving herself no time to think. Once she was in a sitting position, with her foot in the hook and the rope grasped firmly in her hands, she knew she had to jump off. She gathered her courage, and said a brief prayer, then she closed her eyes and slid off the beam.

She fell several feet, and her heart seemed to leap into

her throat, but the rope went taut and she halted with a jerk, swinging in midair. She clung tightly to the rope and kept her eyes closed, fighting a wave of nausea.

She felt herself moving down, and she knew Nathaniel was lowering her with the winch, but she didn't have the courage to look. It seemed an eternity, but finally she felt her foot hit something solid.

She opened her eyes and found herself on the ground, Nathaniel standing in front of her.

"We did it!" she cried, jerking her foot free of the hook to wrap her arms around his neck with a sob of relief that ended in a choking cough.

"Damned right, we did! And splendidly, too." He pulled back and grabbed her hand. "Let's get out of here."

They raced across the production floor, dodging between tables and equipment, and left the burning building. They stumbled into the street, coughing and gasping for air.

"I think," she choked, "we make a pretty good team."

"I think you're right, partner." He pulled her away from the factory, leading her across the street to where a crowd had gathered. Billy raced forward to meet them, sobbing, Algernon still in his arms.

"I was goin' to go back for you, but they wouldn't let me!"

Mara fell to her knees in the middle of the street and wrapped her arms around him, kitten and all. "Are you all right?"

Billy nodded and looked up at Nathaniel. "I weren't worried," he said suddenly and sniffed, his cheeks wet with tears. "I knew you'd get out."

"Of course you did." Nathaniel reached out and ruffled his hair as Mara wiped the tears from his cheeks and kissed him before rising to her feet.

The crowd began to gather around them. Someone handed Mara a blanket and she took it gratefully, suddenly remembering that she wore only her shirtwaist and drawers.

With the blanket tied around her waist, she leaned back against Nathaniel, and felt his arm slide around her as they stared at the burning factory. Billy stood beside Nathaniel, holding Algernon and clinging tightly to the man's free hand.

Heat had burned away the fog surrounding the building, and the three of them stood at the front of the crowd, watching as the steam-powered fire engines of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade began to pull up in front. Firemen instantly set to work. It was too late to save the factory, so they concentrated on wetting down the surrounding buildings to prevent the fire from spreading.

The roof of the factory fell in, and Nathaniel leaned down to murmur in her ear. "I hope you remembered to pay the insurance premium."

She glanced up at him, looking affronted at the very idea that she would neglect something so important. "Of course I did."

A slow smile curved his mouth as he turned her in his arms. He brushed a patch of soot from her cheek. "My practical Mara. I love you."

"I know," she said and curled her arms around his neck. "But then, I've always suspected you were a crazy, rainbow-chasing dreamer. How shall I keep up with you?"

He lifted her in his arms until she was off the ground. "By holding on to me very tight and never letting go."

Her arms tightened around his neck. "I can do that," she said and kissed him.

"So, when ye be marryin' then?" Mrs. O'Brien's voice demanded as she pushed her way to the front of the crowd and faced them, hands on hips.

"As soon as he asks me," Mara answered.

"Do I really have to go down on one knee?" he asked.

She smiled wickedly. "You promised."

He sighed and set her on her feet. He grasped her hand and bent down until one knee touched the pavement. "Mara Elliot, you asked me once why I love you, and I couldn't find the right words to explain, but I'd like to try again. I love you because you never know when I'm teasing you, and because you try to save gift wrap, and because you take everything so seriously, and because you can't fly a kite worth a damn, and because you have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen, and because of so many other things, it'll take me a lifetime to list them all. So..." He paused and took a deep breath, then added in a rush, "Will you marry me?"

She smiled down at him, loving him with all her heart, her mind, her body, and her soul. "Yes, Nathaniel, I will."

He rose and pulled her back in his arms for another kiss as a cheer went up around them. Just before his lips touched hers, he added in a whisper, "And I love the way you put on your stockings."

He started to kiss her, but he felt Billy tug at one leg of his trousers, demanding attention. He pulled back but did not release Mara as he looked down at the boy. "What is it, Scrapper?"

Billy frowned up at them. "Does all this marryin' and kissin' stuff mean I'm goin' to 'ave a mum and a dad?"

"You bet it does," Nathaniel answered.

Billy grinned, hugging Algernon even tighter. "Bloody smashin'!"

Christmas night was clear and cold. Moonlight streamed across the huge mahogany bed that nearly filled the bedroom of Nathaniel's flat. Mrs. O'Brien's lodging house was finally quiet, after three weeks of hectic activity.

In the wake of Adrian's death, all his business activities had been investigated. With Finch's help, Inspector Carlisle was able to present evidence of Adrian's connection to the vandalism at his brother's factory. In addition, it was discovered that not only had Lord Leyland tried to use extortion and blackmail to ruin his brother, but he had also used those same tactics in the past to force other competitors out of business. The rest of London society was still in shock three weeks after the news made the papers, but Nathaniel and Mara had not been surprised at all.