The Robber Bride (14 page)

When he reached the edge of the dance floor, he looked about, clearly searching for a dance partner. He was a mere few feet away from Victoria. Suddenly, his hand extended in her direction, though his eyes stayed fixated on a spot in front of him.

Victoria glanced at the hand, then the man, and back to the hand. He made a show of stiffening his hand again, waiting for someone to take hold. That was when someone from behind pushed Victoria closer to him and whispered, “He wants to dance with you.”

Unable to back out now, she put her hand in the prince’s and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor. With an heir of superiority, he swept her around and pulled her tightly against him. Victoria tried to pull back a bit, for propriety’s sake, but he held her firm.

“Forgive me, Your Highness,” she whispered, “but I fear my reputation will be at stake if you hold me too closely.”

“I think you will discover quite the opposite,” he replied in a think accent. “You are dancing with me, after all.”

Victoria’s eyes widened. My, he thought highly of himself, didn’t he? “I don’t even know who you are.” She was being bold, but she didn’t care.

The prince chuckled. He clearly thought she was teasing him. “You dance well,” he said, changing the subject. “But then again, I imagine you’ve had a great deal of practice.”

Victoria bristled, but tried to keep her tone light. “Ah, yes, I am a bit long in the tooth, aren’t I?”

“This is not such a bad thing.” The prince’s eyes narrowed, and he studied her with lusty interest.

Victoria fought the urge to step on his toes and run away. The waltz was almost over and then she could be rid of the man.

“Perhaps you would like to take a walk through the gardens with me later.”

“I don’t think that would be proper, Your Highness, but thank you just the same.”

He laughed again. “It is a masquerade,” he reminded her. “No one will know it is you.”

“Even so…” Blessedly, the song came to an end. Victoria gave a quick curtsey and then fled the
ballroom,
well aware she had never finished her sentence.

Nineteen

Fin drummed his fingers against the felt of the card table in the gaming room. He had already gone out this hand, so he turned his attention back to Victoria while he awaited the next round.

Not that he wanted to focus on Victoria, that little hellcat. Why was she being so obstinate toward him? He knew she felt what he’d felt in that kiss. There was more between them now than friendship, but why was she so reluctant to admit it? No, not just reluctant to admit it. She was quite adamant that she absolutely
did not
care for him in that way. Which was even more incriminating, in Fin’s opinion. She was lying.
But why?
To protect herself?
To protect him?

The dealer dealt another hand. Fin picked up his cards and tried to look at them, but he found he was looking through them, unable to concentrate on the game.

He lost the hand and left the table. He didn’t know where he would go. He couldn’t go home. Like it or not, he still had a responsibility to Victoria. But he didn’t really care to dance
tonight,
so going to the ballroom was out of the question. Perhaps the library would be quiet enough for him to gather his thoughts.

Fin made his way there, his shoes clicking on the marble floor beneath him, but as he neared the door, voices wafted from within. He slowed his footsteps until he stood just outside the library and then peeked through the crack to see what was going on.

The distinguished guest for the evening had his back to the door, but it was obvious, by the thick Russian accent, that it was Prince Vladimir. He was unfamiliar with Russian royalty, but apparently, Prince Vladimir was a highly sought-after catch both in Russia and abroad.

Fin edged the door open a little more and bristled. What the devil was Victoria doing in here alone with the prince?

“I suppose I should have been more clear, Your Highness. When I declined your invitation to walk through the gardens, I was declining a walk alone with you
anywhere.
”
Victoria tried to brush past the man, but he grabbed onto her arm with a little more force than Fin cared to see. It took a great amount of restraint for him to remain hidden.

“Perhaps you do not understand who I am?” the prince said, his arrogance hiding the fact that he was offended.

“Oh, no,” Vickie replied, a false smile coming to her lips. “I know exactly who you are, which is why I have declined your invitations, you see?”

Victoria tried to leave again, only this time, the prince was truly angered. Not only did he grab her arm, he pushed her up against a bookcase on the far wall. For the first time in his life, Fin saw terror in Victoria’s eyes. Despite the front she put on for the world and the dangerous activities she participated in at night, she was afraid of this man.

“Ho, there!” Fin called, coming into the room. “Sorry to interrupt your romantic interlude, but I do believe your presence has been missed in the ballroom, Your Highness.”

“Who are you?” Vladimir said, without preamble.

Fin waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, no one important. Just a wealthy bachelor trying to avoid matrimony like everyone else.” He laughed at his own humor. “Looks to me as if you’re trying to trap yourself into the institution, bringing a lovely debutante in here with no chaperone.
Tsk
,
tsk
,
tsk
.”

The prince finally took a step away from Victoria. He opened his mouth,
then
shut it again. And finally, with a curt nod, he excused himself from the room.

Fin heard the breath escape Victoria as he went to the door and watched the prince stride down the corridor toward the ballroom.

“Are you all right?” he asked, turning to her.

She nodded. “Nothing I haven’t had to contend with before. He just caught me off-guard is all.” There was a pause, and then, “Thank you, though. For…rescuing me.”

She said the word
rescuing
as if it were laced with rat poison. Fin couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips. “You’re welcome. Would you like me to see you home?”

“Home?” Victoria looked at him as though he’d lost his mind. “I have no intention of going home.”

Fin studied her a moment before he realized she was up to something. “Victoria, whatever you have going on in that head of yours needs to stop immediately.” His blood chilled just thinking about what she was probably planning.

She gave him an innocent smile. “I really have no idea what you’re talking about,
Phineas
,” she said. “Why, there’s not a thing going on in this head of mine.”

He might have found her slightly humorous any other day, in any other situation, but not this one. He knew her too well, and what she was planning was absolutely insane. Fin lowered his voice and stepped closer to her. “Victoria, I’m asking you, as my dearest friend…
please
don’t
do this.”

Her breath hitched. Surprise registered on her face. Ha. Did she think him stupid? Of course he knew what she was up to. And of course he was going to beg her not to do it.

She took a moment and then leveled him with a look that might intimidate a weaker man. “Fin,” she said, “I am going to go back to the ball room. I’m going to dance. And then when I’m tired, I will go home. You are welcome to join me, or not.”

Then she brushed past him and left the library.

***

Victoria hated that Fin could rankle her so. That never happened before. But somehow he’d whittled his way beneath her skin, the blackguard. Now she was second guessing herself at every turn, and that wasn’t good. Not when her life depended on her confidence and complete focus on the task. Blast him, why did he have to make her life so difficult?

Never mind. It didn’t matter. She had a plan, and she was sticking to it. Prince or no, His Highness needed to be put in his place. And surely the coin purse of a prince could fund the hospital for months to come. Then Fin would get his wish. Victoria would be able to take a break from her late night profession.

But until that time, she needed to push Fin from her mind.

She made her way back to the ballroom and stood at the edge of the dance floor, watching, waiting. She agreed to a dance or two, but much to the disappointment of her partners she kept mostly silent, making sure to keep her eyes on the whereabouts of the prince. Not that she needed to. Everyone made a big to-do of his departure just after midnight.

Victoria hung back a bit and tried her best to look casual. She didn’t want to draw any attention to herself. Though, with all the masks and mayhem, no one seemed to notice her at all.

She waited until the prince was securely within his carriage before she called for her own. Gil, reliable as ever, pulled up within minutes and did as she directed, while Victoria transformed herself into the highwayman.

Twenty

There were two things in life of which Fin was absolutely certain.

One: He loved Victoria Barclay, no matter how infuriating she was.

Two: Victoria Barclay was going to get herself killed.

Damn it all, what the devil was he going to do with that headstrong woman? She heeded none of his warnings. She showed no regard for her own life. And there was no doubt she was going after that bloody prince tonight. Damned foolish girl!

Well, if he couldn’t control her, and her parents couldn’t control her, perhaps Tom might be able to convince her to let go of this ridiculous scheme. That meant telling Tom everything and betraying Victoria’s confidence, but he’d rather she be alive and angry with him than dead.

Unsurprisingly, he found Tom in an alcove in the garden, his arms wrapped around Lady Beecham in a nauseating embrace. He wasn’t one to interrupt a romantic interlude, but this particular matter could not wait.

He cleared his throat, but no one seemed to notice. He cleared it again.

“Damn it, Tom, would you bloody come up for air?” he finally shouted.

The two of them turned abruptly to look at him. “What the devil is the matter with you,
Leyburn
?” Tom asked.

“We need to talk.”

“The gentleman is otherwise occupied, Lord
Leyburn
,” Lady Beecham cooed seductively as she stroked a finger along Tom’s jaw line.

“Yes, I can see that,” Fin replied acerbically. “And I don’t much care. This is important.”

Affronted, and probably perturbed that he showed no signs of jealousy, Lady Beecham stood with a huff. “Fine. You may come and find me when you’re finished here, Thomas.”

Tom looked as if he was going to tell her not to go, but clearly thought better of it when he caught a glimpse of Fin’s grave expression. “What is it?”

Fin took a deep breath. Where to begin? “It’s your sister. She might be in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

Fin opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t decide what to say. This was going to be harder than he’d originally thought.

“Out with it,
Leyburn
. You didn’t interrupt my evening to hem and haw, I hope.”

“Your sister is a highwayman,” he hissed out all at once.

Tom’s mouth fell open. “I beg your pardon?”

“The highwayman that we’ve been hearing about all over town, the one robbing the wealthiest of the ton, the one that robbed Lady Beecham and me…it’s your sister.”

“Impossible.”

“I assure you, it’s not impossible. I figured her out weeks ago. She’s begged me to leave her alone about it, but I can’t. I won’t. I…love her too much to let it go.”

Tom’s eyes widened a bit at this latest piece of news, but thankfully he stayed on topic. “How the devil did she fall into such a profession?” he asked, his outrage showing in his eyes. “And what the devil does she need money for? Father gives her a healthy allowance. This is ludicrous.”

“Except that she’s not using the money for herself,” Fin said. “She’s funding a bloody hospital in
Southwark
.
And donating to the less fortunate.
How do you think she contracted that fever? She was the one who found Caroline and Sally.”

“Good God.” That seemed to be all Tom could say as he processed the information. “She’s bloody Robin Hood.”

“Yes, well, that’s fine when you’re preying on idiots like Lord Culver. The only place that man might run is to the kitchen. There wasn’t much chance of him catching Victoria. But tonight is different, and it could end very badly, I’m afraid.”

Tom finally stood from the bench he’d been sitting on. “What are you talking about?”

“She’s going after Prince Vladimir. I’m certain of it. She tried to deny that she had any plans regarding the man, but I know her too well now. I know when she’s just trying to shake me and get me to leave her alone. Vladimir is ruthless and proud. He won’t let her get away with robbing him, even at gunpoint.”

“She uses a
gun
?” Clearly, that was more shocking to Tom than the fact that his sister was about to chase down a powerful, Russian prince.

“We have to stop her,” Fin said.

“Lead the way.”

They made their way back up the garden stairs to the ballroom. Fin scanned the room several times, looking for Victoria’s shiny, dark hair and flowing white gown. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

“Do you see her?” he asked Tom.

Tom shook his head.

“If you’re looking for your sister, she already left.” Lady Beecham’s voice came from behind them, the tone even more malicious than usual.

“How do you know?” Fin turned to face her. The smile she wore was positively evil.

“Because the
prince
left already.” Her smile grew wider and she let out a little laugh. “Best of luck, gentlemen.”

Bile rose to Fin’s throat. She knew. The bloody woman knew about Victoria, and by the sound of things, she’d set her up. But if Victoria had already left, it might already be too late.

***

Victoria was surprised that the prince wasn’t nearly as protected as she’d thought he would be. He rode with only one companion inside the carriage, and the driver in the seat. Odd for such a man, but she didn’t question it, but thanked the fates for being so kind to her.

Since it was so late, there were few people out and about, so she and Gil waited until they were in a nearly deserted part of Marylebone to descend upon the carriage. Gil pulled in front as always and announced a broken axel to the other driver. As expected, the driver rushed to help, and Victoria slipped out the door on the other side, ready to attack. And tonight, she had a personal vendetta to see to. The prince had been rude and lascivious, and his biggest mistake had been following her into that library.

On quiet feet, she approached the carriage, flung open the door, and said, “Your money or your life.”

“I don’t think so, madam,” came a voice from behind her, and Victoria’s blood turned to ice.

From inside the carriage, the prince emerged, peeling off a fake moustache as he stepped into the street. “Well, that was much easier than I anticipated.”

Whoever was behind her grabbed her arms and pulled them backwards before binding them at her back. Victoria didn’t put up a fight. She didn’t even utter a single word. There was nothing she could do or say to get her out of this predicament. She’d always known the dangers involved, but her cause was greater and more important than any threat. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to her, she supposed. At least she could hang with pride now, and that was all that mattered.

Except… “Gil! What will you do to my driver?”

“He will hang beside you for being an accomplice to your crimes.”

No. Oh, God. She couldn’t allow that. “Please, he is innocent in all this. He was only doing what I told him to do—”

“You waste your breath, Miss Barclay,” the prince—or whoever he really was—said. The clip-clop of horses interrupted their discourse. “Ah, your chariot awaits, madam.”

Two horses carrying a large wooden box, complete with a lock and key on the door, pulled up before them. Victoria was shoved inside after Gil, and the door slammed hard behind them. As they pulled away, another carriage approached from down the street. She knew exactly who was in that carriage, and it broke her heart into a million pieces. He had known all along what she was up to, and he’d come to rescue her. But it was too late. She couldn’t be rescued. And he would be forced to see her hang.

***

Fin descended on the office of a High Court judge the morning after Victoria’s arrest. He had to do something. He couldn’t simply sit back and watch her be hanged. He would rather die. And he certainly wasn’t going to let them take her to her death without a trial. She had a right to speak. She had a right to a jury. She had every right to live and be free.

The judge looked up from his mahogany desk. “Ah, Lord
Leyburn
, what brings you here today?”

“Justice Powell.” Fin gave a slight bow and then quickly got to the point. “I am here about Miss Victoria Barclay.”

Justice Powell shook his head sadly. “Such a shame. I hate to think of sending her to the gallows. What in the world would have driven her to a life of crime?”

Fin stepped forward, desperate to plead her case to the man. “You see, Your Honor, that is just the reason I am here. Her life was not truly one of crime, but rather of good deeds. She did not steal for her own gain, nor did she do it out of some sick obsession. She did it to help others. And if you’d only hear me out—”

Justice Powell held up a hand. “Lord
Leyburn
, I would love nothing more than to acquit her of her crimes, whether good-hearted or not. It truly pains me to have to sentence such a bright, young woman to death. But my hands are tied. Too many victims have come forward and demanded her punishment. The evidence stands hard against her.”

“At least let her have a trial,” Fin pleaded. “Please, Your Honor.”

The judge sat quietly for a moment, staring out the window before finally turning kind eyes on Fin. “I don’t see what good it will do,
Leyburn
, but I can tell you won’t let anyone rest until she is tried in a court of law.”

Fin nearly cried with gratitude. “Thank you, Your Honor.”

“Gather your witnesses. We will assemble the jury and set the date for late next week.”