.
That had been too close.
Leah struggled to breathe in the confines of the carriage. She hated small places, but there was no leaving it. She was on her way back to London. The plan had been to remain in Oxford for another day at least, but she could not. Seeing William had been a shock to her very nerves, and how she’d managed to slip away from him, she didn’t know.
She’d never managed to slip away from him before.
“Vagabond,” she whispered, recalling the name she’d given him twenty years ago, after hearing her father use the term when he’d spotted one of the gypsy people on their lands. She’d thought the word fit Will well. He’d always been a shade darker than the others. His skin was like sweet honey and his hair so dark that many thought it black.
But Leah knew otherwise. The only part of him that seemed mildly civilized were his eyes. They were such a stunning green that even when he’d been but ten, they’d rendered her young mind speechless a time or two. But those eyes were only civil when Will wished them to be. Otherwise, he could become quite beastly.
All she had to do was remember the way he’d killed Starlight to know what he was capable of.
And then there was the night that the Marchioness of Darvess had died…
She shivered in the darkness as she recalled the intent gaze he’d speared her with in the observatory. She’d seen her death in that gaze. The very thought of his hands upon her made it hard for her to breathe. She had no choice but to leave and return to her post as a teacher in London immediately.
She was thankful that her friend, Mr. Levander Cross, had given her use of his carriage while he was away. The man who supplied most of England’s ice wouldn’t miss it while away in Canada.
Removing her wig, she settled in for the long journey and prayed that if Will saw her again, he’d not recognize her.
She arrived in London two days later and immediately called her brother to her room.
Lorenzo closed the door behind him. “What happened?”
The long journey had allowed her to settle her nerves, and she was once again ready to carry on the charade she’d adopted since returning to England. For the last two years, Natalia Hext has ceased to exist and in her place rose Mrs. Leah Wells, a woman who’d married an English scholar she’d met in France only to discover that her husband was violent and had threatened to kill her more than once. Leah also spoke with a soft French accent every so often, to add depth to the character.
“I know who has been blackmailing Julius.”
He straightened, but his hands remained on her arms. It was clear from the expression in his blue eyes that he’d been worried. They were an ancient royal color that at times could appear more violet. “Who?”
She moved to the mirror to check her wig. In Oxford, she’d been brunette, but here in London, she wore blond. After pinning away the slips of her natural golden-red hair that tried to come out, she turned back to her brother. “It’s Sarah.”
Her brother frowned, and before he spoke further, they switched to Spanish. No one in the Spinster House for Women knew the language well. “Sarah? You mean the maid who lived with us all those years ago?”
Leah nodded. “She doesn’t appear to be a maid anymore. She must have seen what took place all those years ago. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“But the servants were dismissed that night,” Lorenzo reminded her. “It’s impossible—”
She shook her head. “No, Lorenzo—”
“Not Lorenzo,” he reminded her in a low tone. “Not here. I’m Zedock Sudworth here. You have to remember that.”
Leah rolled her eyes. “That’s the most ridiculous name I’ve ever heard. I refuse to call you that. Our mother gave you a beautiful name.” She pushed her fingers through his dark hair and admitted she’d grown used to the color he’d dyed it using the same components in ink. Iron and tannins. When she’d first seen him, she’d been amazed by it. Lorenzo had always been golden, and when he stood by Julius, they’d always been mistaken for brothers, not cousins. The only difference had been the hint of red in Lorenzo’s locks.
That was probably the reason her brother was disguising his true color. No one could know either of them were here. No one could know their connection to Julius or their cousin would likely finish what he’d begun years ago and kill them.
Lorenzo… or rather Zed… gave her a ruthless grin. “Call me Zed.” He used a slight East London accent that made her laugh whenever she heard it.
She touched his cheek and sighed. Had it not been for Zed’s humor through the years, Leah was sure she’d have crumbled under the weight of the blackmail and life’s other challenges.
Zed had come to London over two years ago, simply to see how Julius was faring. Leah had stayed in France and waited for his reply. She’d been surprised by the story her brother had sent back.
Zedock had found employment with Lady Lorena Cullip and had quickly become one of her most trusted servants… and a friend.
Leah had never met Lorena herself, but she’d met her brother Francis, along with the other Men of Nashwood, long before they’d been given that name. During breaks, the men would travel to visit one another’s families. Julius’ estate, which was close to Oxford, was always their first and last stop during their travels.
Leah knew them all. Morris Kidd, the Duke of Cort. Francis Cullip, the Duke of Valdeston. Hugh Vance, the Marquess of Edvoy, Aaron Walsh, the Earl of Jeanshire, Frank and Calvin Lockwood, the sons of wealthy gentry, Rollo Kerry, whose father had been called ‘King Kerry’ for his luck in the market, and little William Tift, whose family had been gentry, but whom Leah had always despised for reasons she didn’t know.
And then he’d killed her cat.
The murderer.
Not that she was in any position to judge. After all, her father had played a role in the night of the marchioness’ death.
The only one of Julius’ friends she’d not known had been Emmett Starr, the Earl of Ashwick, but Leah had heard about him and had known he’d come up from Oxford on the night Julius’ mother died.
Zed had told her of the way the earl had courted the stubborn Lady Lorena but had known that if the earl were anything like the others, he’d win her over. Then Zed had written her the tale of Lorena’s kidnapping… and now the man who’d done it ceased to breathe.
The Brothers had made that so.
She’d feared for her brother’s life then, but Zed had assured her that he was well and that the men did not suspect that he was the same boy they’d played with all those summers from long ago.
He’d not written her often after that. Money had been thin with the blackmailer still over their heads. But now she was here.
“Can you believe that it was Sarah our mother had been paying all those years? Who we’ve been paying?”
Zed shook his head. “She was such a quiet girl.”
“She was most certainly not quiet the other night,” Leah had to fight to control her temper. It wasn’t even the money that bothered her. It was the fact that Sarah was trying to hurt Julius, who’d already suffered enough. “We were not able to speak for long. Frank appeared and I had to flee.”
“Why did you return to London if she is in Oxford?” her brother asked.
“Because she lives here,” Leah crossed her arms. “She hinted at it when we met and that makes sense. If she’s been handing off her own notes to Lord Reinburg— who also lives here— then it stands to reason that she leaves the ones that arrive at Julius’ door.” She and Zed had worked to gather as much of those threatening notes as they could, but they’d not managed to get them all. The Brotherhood was onto her. Leah only hoped she could find Sarah first.
“We should tell the men who she is,” her brother suggested. “They’ll see that the matter is put to rest.”
“No!” Leah grabbed his arms. “We can’t. I’ll not have another stain on their souls. Julius has already been through so much.” Tears burned her eyes as vague memories filled her vision. Julius’ mother had hated him and so had Leah’s father. Leah was glad they were both gone but hated that the evil deed had been done by someone she loved. “Now that we know who she is, we can find a way to make her stop without there being violence.”
Zed’s eyes gentled. “You still see them as the innocent boys they were eighteen years ago, but that is not the case. These men do not fear violence.”
“Zed, promise me,” she whispered. “Don’t tell them. Not yet. I’ll continue to pay her until we can find a secret of hers that will put her in her place.”
Her brother grinned. “So, now you’re willing to stain your soul?”
“If that is what must be done then so be it.” But not death. No more death. Then she changed the subject. “How is he?” They were speaking of Julius.
“He is worried,” Zed confessed. “How would you be with a blackmailer at your door?”
Sarah had begun to taunt the men by sending messages through Lord Reinburg and his heir. She was a fool if she thought they wouldn’t find her and end her in the most vicious of ways. Leah had to find what she needed and soon. There was no other way that didn’t end in the woman’s death.
“Leah, if you told Julius what we’ve been doing all these years, if you told him that you’ve been paying his debt—”
“He wouldn’t care.” She cut him off and moved to the window in her room that overlooked the yard. Just on the other side of the hedge was the beginnings of the Valdeston backyard. Francis and his wife Genie hosted parties and sometimes when the men were outside, she saw him.
Julius.
It saddened her to know how much he hated her now, though she’d never done anything to deserve any other emotion from him. She’d been horrible to him and all his friends, hating them for taking Lorenzo away whenever they were in town… but that didn’t mean she wanted them dead.
“He’s not so blind as you think him to be,” her brother said from behind her. “He’d understand.”
“Then why do we live like this?” she asked. Over the years, the money from their land had grown less and less, and Romina had suspected Julius of taking a portion. Then, three years ago, he had delivered his final blow by crippling the family estate and sending them into complete financial ruin. Julius seized their land and its profits. Now, the only way to set the land to rights would be to come out of hiding, which was something Leah and Zed were unwilling to do if it meant death.
“He’s still angry,” she told him. “Our mother knew of our father and his mother’s plan to kill him and did nothing. He’s right to wish us all gone.” She’d watched her mother cry and pray for her damned soul every night while they’d lived in France. This knowledge came to her from the letters she’d exchanged with Sarah. Leah still wondered why her mother had done it. Had she feared their father?
“When this is over, we will tell him,” Zed declared.
Leah looked over her shoulder and nodded before she walked Zed to the door.
On the other side of it, she was startled to see Maura. She stood in the hall not far from her door with the calmest blue eyes Leah had ever seen. Maura didn’t even bother to pretend that she hadn’t been listening.
Had she been listening?
Surely, Maura didn’t know Spanish… did she?
Maura smiled. “Do you need anything, Mrs. Wells?”
“No, Mr. Sudworth was simply helping me bring in my trunks.”
Maura ran the Spinster House and was very good at seeing to every woman’s needs. The House took in women who were escaping violent husbands. Leah pretended to be one of them while she also taught classes.
The women had gone a week without classes while Leah had been gone.
“And how is your friend?” Maura asked, referring to the person Leah had claimed to be visiting.
“Better,” Leah said, slipping into a Parisian dialect. Then she turned to Zed. “Thank you, Mr. Sudworth, for your assistance.”
Her brother bowed and left.
Leah closed her door behind her and said, “I better start preparations for my class.”
“Of course.” Maura didn’t move, and so Leah went around her and made a note to find a new place to speak to her brother in the future. It would not be good for Maura to suspect anything out of the ordinary with Leah.