Nowhere Near Respectable (13 page)
Read Nowhere Near Respectable Online
Authors: Mary Jo Putney
“Bring Baptiste and a couple of other men and a pair of blankets so the bodies can be covered. And send someone for a magistrate.” Knowing Mac would want the ring back and not stolen by a casual thief, Kirkland tugged it off the cold hand. “Lord Masterson will want this.”
Borden went back inside, clearly glad to get away from the death scene. Wearily Kirkland got to his feet. Mac was alive and well for now, and should be able to return to his life soon. But there were others whom Kirkland had sent to their doom, and that knowledge weighed heavily on a night like this.
His friend Wyndham had been one of them.
Within five minutes, Baptiste rushed from the building, accompanied by his friend Lord Fendall and two strong footmen with blankets. “Kirkland! Tell me it is not true!” Baptiste cried frantically.
“I’m afraid it is.” Kirkland opened his hand to show the ring. “Mackenzie was shot in the face and is . . . not easily recognized. But I took this from his finger.”
Baptiste stared at the ring with horror. “No.
No!
Mackenzie can’t be dead!” His gaze strayed to the broad, powerful body as the footmen covered it with a blanket. The club manager made a choking sound and turned away to retch, steadying himself against the wall with a shaking hand.
No!
Mackenzie can’t be dead!” His gaze strayed to the broad, powerful body as the footmen covered it with a blanket. The club manager made a choking sound and turned away to retch, steadying himself against the wall with a shaking hand.
Fendall moved close to Kirkland. “What happened?” he asked in a low voice, as if the dead might be disturbed.
“My guess is that Mackenzie interrupted a thief and was killed trying to stop him.” Kirkland shook his head. “We’ll probably never know for sure.”
“Such a great pity,” Fendall said with regret. He turned away from the bodies. “You are waiting for the magistrates?”
Kirkland nodded. “I thought it was best not to move anything until they arrive.”
Baptiste turned from the wall and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. He was still pale, but he’d managed to collect himself. “It seems impossible that Mackenzie is gone. He seemed—indestructible.”
Kirkland nodded, his own nerves still shaken.
“The club,” Baptiste said hesitantly. “Damian’s. What will become of it? Will Lord Masterson, the army brother, inherit?”
Life goes on. Baptiste might be upset at the loss of his friend and employer, but he was understandably concerned for his job.
“No, Mackenzie and I were partners with right of survivorship. If one of us died, the other inherits.” Kirkland stared at the blanket-covered body, thinking how easily it could have been Mackenzie in truth. “Neither of us expected . . . this.”
Baptiste shook his head sorrowfully. “To think he was killed by a common thief! Better to have let the villain escape than to lose his own life in the pursuit.”
“A damned shame we can’t tell the future,” Kirkland agreed. “For now, nothing changes. Continue to run the club as you always have.” He shook his head. “But Damian’s will not be the same without Mac.”
Baptiste nodded in silent agreement. “Never. But . . . if you decide to sell the business, will you give me a chance to buy?”
Kirkland nodded. “You’ve earned that right. But for now, carry on.”
In the silence that followed, he wondered how long it would be before Mac could return to his proper place.
Chapter 17
Kiri went to bed, but her spinning mind interfered with sleep. She was yawning when she went down to the breakfast room. Adam was there already, browsing a newspaper while he finished his meal.
He rose with a smile when she entered. “Good morning, Kiri. You look like you had a restless night.”
She gave him a quick sisterly kiss. “I did. Is Mariah sleeping late? She’s usually appallingly awake at this hour.”
“She decided to take advantage of her delicate condition to have breakfast in bed. Sarah is joining her.” He grinned. “I heard giggles as I left, so I don’t expect either of them to come down anytime soon.”
As he resumed his seat, Kiri said, “Soon she’ll be brimming with energy. At least, so says Lady Julia. So convenient that Mariah’s best friend is a midwife.” Kiri poured herself a cup of fragrant, hot coffee from one of the silver pots, since she needed something stronger than tea this morning. “I live in fear that you shall tire of my company and toss me into the streets of Mayfair.”
“Never,” he laughed. “I came late to the status of paterfamilias, and I won’t weary of it soon. I’m looking forward to having everyone at Ralston Hall next week.” He poured himself more tea. “General Stillwell sent a note yesterday. He’s discovered that an estate near Ralston will be coming up for sale. As you know, he’s been thinking of buying a place in the country. He’ll look Blythe Manor over on this visit.”
“It’s certainly a cheerful name! The location sounds perfect. We would be close, but not underfoot. We can make up for time lost when we were all on opposite sides of the world.” As she scooped kedgeree and eggs from silver warming pans, she wondered if this was a good time to tell her brother that she wouldn’t be traveling to Ralston with the rest of her family.
Before she could decide, the door to the breakfast parlor opened to admit her parents. Lakshmi was dressed in English style, petite and dark and stunning, while the general looked exactly like what he was: a tall, handsome man with an air of command who was still fit enough to ride all day and half the night if necessary.
Abandoning her plate, Kiri swooped across the room and fell into her mother’s embrace, thinking how much had happened since she’d last seen her. “Oh, Mama, how lovely that you’ve been released from your imprisonment!”
“It has been almost a month since I saw you. Far too long.” Lakshmi Lawford Stillwell, dowager Duchess of Ashton, though she never used the title, had laughing green eyes and seemed far too young to be the mother of grown children. She was also quite possibly the wisest, kindest mother in the world, and hugging her made Kiri feel better.
“My turn,” Adam ordered. “I haven’t seen her for a month, either.”
Kiri turned to the general while her brother embraced Lakshmi. “I’m glad you are finally free from quarantine,” Adam said. “Are Thomas and Lucia with you?”
“They have recovered from the measles, but they tire easily. I thought it best they stay home,” Lakshmi replied in her musical voice. “You may call on them if you like.”
“I shall like.” Adam shook the general’s hand. “Have you come for breakfast?”
“We’ve eaten,” the general said as he hugged Kiri, “but I wouldn’t say no to tea and a couple of those cinnamon buns I see on the sideboard.”
As Adam seated his mother and stepfather, Kiri poured their tea and set the cinnamon buns between them. Ashton House had no shortage of servants, but Kiri liked the hominess of having only family in the breakfast room.
Returning to her own meal, Kiri ate quietly while the others chatted. With brother and parents present, it was a perfect time to talk to them all at once.
But how did one interrupt a conversation to say, “By the way, last night I slipped out to an alarmingly fashionable club and helped foil a royal kidnapping, and I intend to move to a house in a bad neighborhood so I can live with dangerous strangers and dress like a doxy and go to gambling hells and sniff men to see if they’re French conspirators?”
It would not be an easy discussion to initiate.
She was trying to find the right words when the door opened again, this time admitting Lord Kirkland, who looked as contained as always despite his busy night. Adam met his friend with a smile and an outstretched hand. “Has my breakfast room become London’s fashionable gathering spot?”
“So it appears.” Kirkland glanced about the room, his gaze holding Kiri’s briefly. “Lady Kiri, Mrs. Stillwell, General Stillwell.”
Kiri felt cowardly relief that she would have Kirkland’s support for the upcoming discussion. After he poured himself coffee, he sat at the table opposite the general and Lakshmi. “I’m glad you’re all here, since I have something important to discuss concerning Lady Kiri.”
The general looked startled but pleased. “You want to marry my little girl? She’ll be a handful, but you won’t be sorry.”
Lakshmi and Adam also looked startled, but that was nothing compared to the shock on Kirkland’s face. “Good God, no!” he exclaimed.
Realizing too late how insulting that sounded, he said hastily, “Lady Kiri is beautiful, charming, skilled, and resourceful, but I have no romantic intentions toward her. It is because of her skills that Britain needs her.” His gaze flicked to Kiri. “Do you wish to tell them the whole story?”
As all eyes turned to her, Kiri collected herself, glad that she sounded composed. “I’ve had an adventurous week,” she said to her parents. “Rather than try to write about what happened, I preferred to wait until I could tell you in person.”
Of course she’d rather have said nothing about the smugglers, but that was no longer possible since her kidnapping led directly to Damian’s. Briefly she described how she’d left Grimes Hall after overhearing the discussion about her dowry. The bigotry she didn’t mention, though a shadow in her mother’s expression suggested that Lakshmi understood some of what wasn’t said.
As expected, the general exploded when Kiri told of being captured by smugglers, instinctively reaching for weapons he wasn’t carrying. As Lakshmi put a hand on his arm, Kiri said quickly, “As you see, I am here and unharmed. Please let me continue.”
Adam winced. “There’s more?”
“I’m afraid so.” She kept the description of her visit to Damian’s succinct, following Kirkland’s policy of saying no more than necessary. Sarah she didn’t mention at all. Her brother and parents showed varying degrees of surprise and disapproval that turned to shock when she mentioned Princess Charlotte. Kiri finished, “Because I had a chance to scent the kidnappers, Lord Kirkland says my aid will be valuable in finding the conspirators before they can do great damage.”
From Adam’s expression, she guessed that he knew something about his friend’s covert activities. Warily he asked, “What form would this aid take?”
“Instead of going to Ralston Abbey, I will stay in London and visit establishments where the conspirators might be found,” she said, trying to sound as if such activities were perfectly normal. “I will use my ability to recognize scents to attempt to locate the kidnappers. If found, they might lead us to their fellow conspirators.”
Before she could say more, the general leaped to his feet and slammed his hand on the table, rattling the teacups. “Gambling hells and rookeries? I forbid it!”
Clenching her hands, Kiri said, “I am of age, sir. You can’t prevent me.”
“I can damn well tie you up and carry you to Ralston Abbey and lock you in one of the monk’s cells!” Under his outrage, she saw fear.
In a voice that was quieter but edged, Adam said, “Surely you have other means to locate conspirators, Kirkland. My sister should not have to do such dangerous work.”
“Her ability to recognize scents is unique,” Kirkland replied. “I swear that she will be well protected. She would stay in a house of mine that contains several trained agents, and she would not go anywhere hazardous without a bodyguard.”
“No matter how many guards there are, you can’t guarantee her safety!” the general snapped. “Even if she isn’t hurt, what about her reputation?”
For the first time, Lakshmi spoke. “You forget of whom you speak, John. Kiri is no frail hothouse flower. She is a warrior and a descendant of warriors, raised in an army household and taught of duty and honor. If she is needed, how can she refuse?”
The general look shocked. “Won’t you worry about what might happen if she puts herself into danger?”
“Of course I will worry, but life comes with no guarantees,” Lakshmi said quietly. “If the measles had been severe, we might have lost Thomas or Lucia or both. Kiri might go with us to the country and break her neck riding.” She gestured at Kiri. “Look at her. She is eager to do this work no one else can do, both to serve and to test herself in a matter of great significance. Would you deny her that opportunity? You cannot.” She gave a fleeting smile. “Even if you want to.”
The room was utterly silent for the space of a dozen heartbeats. Leave it to Lakshmi to understand her unruly daughter. Kiri broke the silence by saying brightly, “Now that
that’s
settled, would anyone like more tea?”
that’s
settled, would anyone like more tea?”
The others laughed, easing the tension. Except for the general, who watched Kiri with brooding misery.
“Papa,” she said softly, deliberately using her childhood name for him. “I once heard of a young man who came from a family of vicars. He was very clever and his family had great plans for him. Oxford, a good living, perhaps someday he’d even become a bishop.
“But the boy was mad to be a soldier, and he resisted all attempts to guide him for his own good. He organized the neighborhood lads into armies and led them to war. He practiced cavalry maneuvers with his old pony. He mastered Latin only so he could read Caesar’s war commentaries in the original language. To his parents’ regret, he never became a bishop. But he became a very fine and honored general, didn’t he?”
Her stepfather exhaled roughly. “Very well, my dear, I surrender. It’s not right to try to force one’s child against his or her nature. You were not born to spend your days in embroidery and watercolors. But if you must do this, be careful! These are treacherous waters you’re entering.”
She got up and rounded the table to give him a hug. “I’ll be very careful indeed, Papa. And I’m going to be surrounded by people determined to keep me safe.”
“Sir,” Adam said, “I can assure you that Kirkland has a great deal of experience in these matters, and he’s well respected at the highest levels of government. He also has excellent people working with him. I trust him to see that Kiri is as safe as humanly possible.” His cool gaze implied that Kiri would be safe, or
else
.
else
.
The general asked, “How soon must Kiri begin this?”
“As soon as possible,” Kirkland replied. “Today, even.”
Lakshmi sighed. “Will you come home to see your brother and sister before embarking on your mission?”
Today! Kiri’s heart leaped with anticipation. “Of course. I want to see them, and I must do some packing as well.”
Kirkland looked wary. “Not too many clothes. Almost anything you own will stand out where you will be staying.”
“I understand that. But I do want to bring some of my perfume-making materials, since they might be useful.”
Kirkland looked as if he wanted to ask how, but since he’d proclaimed her his expert on scents, he refrained. “Shall I collect you at your parents’ home at four o’clock this afternoon?”
After a swift calculation, Kiri nodded. “I can go home now if you’re ready,” she said to her parents.
They agreed and a maid was dispatched to pack Kiri’s belongings. After Kiri took her leave of Mariah and Sarah, she left Ashton House with her parents.
She had a strange, unsettled feeling that was a mix of alarm and excitement. She was fairly confident that she’d be able to stay alive. But she knew in her bones that this mission marked a turning point in her life.
In the quiet after the Stillwells and Lady Kiri left, Kirkland said to Ashton, “I must be off also. I have much to do.”
“I can imagine.” Ashton was watching with unsettling intensity. “Was recruiting my sister really the only choice?”
“No. But it was the best choice,” Kirkland said honestly. “She’s very capable, and she may make the difference between success and failure in stopping this assassination plot.”
“Are you bringing in Rob Carmichael as part of your team?”
“Of course.”
“That’s comforting. He’s the best.” Ashton looked every inch a powerful duke as he lifted a newspaper he’d glanced at as the others were leaving. A bold headline proclaimed
NOTED CLUB OWNER KILLED IN ROBBERY ATTEMPT
. Other newspapers had similar headlines. The murder of someone so well known in the fashionable world would be a subject of shocked discussion in many houses across the city and the nation.
NOTED CLUB OWNER KILLED IN ROBBERY ATTEMPT
. Other newspapers had similar headlines. The murder of someone so well known in the fashionable world would be a subject of shocked discussion in many houses across the city and the nation.
Ashton continued, “A great pity that Mackenzie was a victim of your conspirators.” There was a question in his voice.
Kirkland hesitated from the habit of secrecy, but devil take it, this was Ashton, one of his oldest and most trusted friends. “You shouldn’t always believe what you read in the newspapers.”
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