Chapter 10

“No. No! Absolutely not!”

“Peggy won’t come to any harm. In fact, she won’t even leave the carriage.”

“I don’t care. Didn’t you see the bruises on her arms and face?”

“If Blackboot isn’t stopped, bruises are the least of what other girls Peggy’s age will suffer.”

Eleanor sucked in a harsh breath. She knew what he meant, and his words didn’t shock her. They couldn’t. She knew only too well what would happen to the girls Blackboot kidnapped.

He watched and knew it was time for his final salvo. “You know what Blackboot’s intentions are. You know if we hadn’t rescued Peggy, he’d have sold her to a bordello.” Caleb stepped in front of Eleanor. “What kind of depraved man would you prefer she service? One who preys on young virgins? One who likes to inflict—”

“Stop!”

“Why? Because you don’t want to believe it happens?”

“I know it happens. And it sickens me.”

“Then help me get Blackboot off the streets.”

“That’s why I hired you! But I never thought you’d resort to using a ten-year-old girl to get the job done!”

Caleb rubbed a hand across his forehead. “That stings, duchess.”

Eleanor paced the width of the study. She walked to the window and looked out on the lawn where the children played. She shouldn’t have said what she had. He knows the way a blackguard like Blackboot thinks and using Peggy might actually be brilliant.

She pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed circles where she obviously hurt. Then, ever so slowly, she turned to face him. “What is your plan?”

“Come,” he said, indicating he wanted her to sit on the sofa. When she did, he sat in a chair opposite her. “I’ve met with the authorities. They’re very interested in finding Blackboot and locking him away. He’s involved in other ventures equally as bad as the selling of children.”

Eleanor lowered her gaze. He’d shocked her again. What could possibly be as bad as that?

“The key to capturing Blackboot involves Peggy’s friend, Sophie. I need to speak with her. She obviously knows as much of what goes on as anyone. If someone can identify Blackboot’s lair, it will be Sophie.”

“What if she won’t talk to you?”

“Well, of course she won’t talk to me. That’s a fact. That’s why we need Peggy. She’ll show Sophie that we’re to be trusted.”

Eleanor worried her bottom lip. “When do you want to go to find her?”

“Tonight.”

Eleanor’s eyes opened wide, and she rose from the sofa. She paced to the window and looked out again. After a long moment she turned. “Very well. We’ll go tonight.”

Caleb stood. “There’s no we, Eleanor. You won’t be going.”

“Then neither will Peggy. I won’t allow her to go without me.”

Caleb swiped his hand down his face. “You can’t go. It’s not—”

“Don’t you dare tell me it’s not safe,” she countered. “If it’s not safe enough for me to go, it’s not safe enough for Peggy, either. So which is it to be?”

Caleb ground his teeth in frustration. He’d known this would be her answer, but that didn’t make it any less exasperating. “Be ready in two hours. You may go, but you’re not to leave the carriage.”

“Of course I won’t. Peggy and I will stay safely inside the carriage.”

She looked at him with an expression that told him she was aware that she’d won an excruciating victory.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll explain it all to Peggy. I don’t want her to be afraid.”

Caleb watched Eleanor leave the room. He knew that what had started out to be a mission with few risks had now turned into a dangerous venture. He didn’t trust Eleanor to stay inside the carriage any more than he could trust a thirsty horse to walk past water. Especially if Eleanor saw a child that needed rescuing.

. . .

Caleb forced himself to wait until the moon was high in the sky. The silence was ominous as they drove to the place where Blackboot’s men had grabbed Peggy, and circled the area enough times that their carriage would draw attention. Peggy kept an impatient watch for Sophie.

Eleanor fidgeted next to Peggy, and Willie rode atop the carriage. Willie not only knew the area better than anyone, but he’d turned into an excellent guard and protector. He let Jamie drive and kept his eyes searching the darkness for signs of trouble. Both were armed.

Caleb kept a hand on the pistol tucked at his waist. It was Blackboot’s practice to send just one or two blackguards to snatch an unsuspecting child. Their three to his two would be adequate. And a half dozen of Caleb’s men were covering every nearby alley to make sure Blackboot wouldn’t have unexpected reinforcements. He’d taken as many precautions as seemed necessary.

They were far into the East End, and the level of squalor and filth was more than depressing. For the first time, Caleb wished he could load up the nobility and give them a tour of the poorer side of London. Not that he thought it would help, but . . .

“There she is! There’s Sophie! Sophie!” Peggy yelled out the window.

The girl for whom they were searching turned away from the sound and started to run.

“Sophie, it’s me! It’s Peggy!”

Sophie stopped running, and Jamie pulled the carriage closer to where Sophie stood.

“Come here,” Peggy said, not as loud as before. “I want you to meet someone.”

Sophie shook her head. She was obviously too wary of such invitations to be lured to the carriage.

“Sophie? Sophie Dunnell? My God, it’s been ten years but I’d know ya in a heartbeat,” Willie said from atop the carriage.

Sophie’s gaze lifted. “Willie? Can’t be! Is it you?”

“Yes, Sophie.”

Willie climbed down and stood near the door. “Come here. It’s safe.”

Sophie came closer. The lamplight shrouded in mist gave her face an ancient look. This young girl had surely seen more of life’s wickedness than any child ought.

She peered at Willie, still hesitant to shake her suspicion. “You’ve grown up, Willie,” she said, her face softening.

“So have you, Sophie. It’s good to see you.”

The two looked at each other for a long moment, then Sophie’s gaze shifted to the window. She smiled when she saw Peggy inside. “Are you all right, Peggers?”

“Yes. They take real good care of me,” Peggy answered. “You should see how much food there is. The other kids tell me they never go hungry. And I have a bed of my own!”

“That’s good,” Sophie said, the prospect of food bringing a crooked smile to her face.

Caleb leaned forward, and Sophie’s gaze shifted. She focused on him, and her eyes opened wide. “My, but you’re a big un,” she said. “And you’re nice to look at.”

Caleb tried not to smile but failed. “Thank you.”

“He’s taken, Sophie,” Willie growled.

The boy’s reaction to Sophie’s flirting struck a nearly humorous note but not enough to dispel the gathering tension they all felt.

“We’ve come for your help, Sophie,” Caleb said.

“Who do you need to find? I know nearly every child around.”

“It’s not a child. It’s Blackboot.”

Sophie took a step back and shook her head. “I ain’t goin’ near Blackboot. And if you’re smart, you won’t, neither.”

“We want to stop him.”

“You in that big a hurry to die?” she asked.

“No, I’m in that big a hurry to rid London of the bloke.”

“Why don’t you get inside,” Willie said. “It’s not safe for you to be seen talking to us.”

“You’re right there.”

Willie opened the door and helped Sophie inside, then he mounted atop the carriage again even as it lurched forward.

“How do you think you’re gonna trap Blackboot? The bobbies been trying forever, poor fools.”

“We don’t have to catch Blackboot. We only have to catch one of his men when they kidnap one of the children. Once the authorities get their hands on them, they’ll tell everything they know to go free.”

“The authorities will let them go free for ratting on Blackboot?”

“Yes. They’ve already assured me they would.”

“So what do you want me to do?” Sophie asked.

“I’d like your help in locating the most likely places Blackboot’s men use lately to kidnap the children they sell.”

“That’s easy enough, but that won’t get you Blackboot. Whoever nabs the children will only say the kid’s his. There are enough homeless kids around that no one will be able to prove any different.”

A lump fell to the pit of Caleb’s stomach. He’d made a fatal mistake. He’d not been thinking like his prey.

Sophie was right.

“There’s only one way to catch him.”

Caleb focused on Sophie. So did Eleanor.

“What’s that?”

“I let ’em catch me.”

“No, Sophie,” Peggy said. There was a frightened tone to her voice. “You can’t. You know Blackboot wants you.”

“Don’t worry, Peggers. He’s not gonna get me.”

“But he almost did when you saved me.”

“But he didn’t”

“Shh,” Eleanor said as she wrapped her arm around Peggy’s shoulders. “The captain won’t let Sophie get hurt.”

Caleb wanted to shift his gaze to Eleanor and assure her she was right, but he couldn’t. He knew what kind of blackguard Blackboot was, as he knew there wasn’t anything Blackboot wouldn’t do to protect his area as well as his source of income. And his income came from selling innocent children into a hellish existence.

“How will you do it?” Caleb asked Sophie.

“Can we talk in private?” Sophie asked.

“Yes.”

Caleb leaned his head out the carriage window. “Willie, take us someplace where we’ll be safe.”

“Right-o, Captain.”

The carriage turned, and about ten minutes later it slowed and turned into a small park.

“You’ll be safe here, Captain.”

Caleb opened the carriage door and dismounted, then helped Sophie to the ground. “Drive around for a while, then come back for us.”

“You sure, Captain?”

“He’s sure, Willie,” Sophie said. “Now go.”

The carriage left them, and Sophie turned to face him. “This is how it’s gonna be, Cap’n Parker . . .”

And she explained her plan.

Caleb wanted to refuse her offer. Yes, it was clever. Yes, it should work. And yes, it put Sophie in more danger than he would have preferred.

“So what’s it to be, Cap’n?”

Caleb considered her offer for several moments, then nodded. “I’ll do my best to keep you safe, Sophie, but—”

“I don’t need you to keep me safe, Cap’n. I can take care of myself. All I need you to do is lock Blackboot up so he can never hurt anyone again.”

“I promise I’ll take care of Blackboot.” Caleb took a deep breath. “When can you have everything set up?”

“Night after tomorrow night. Just afore dusk.”

Caleb nodded.

“One more thing, Cap’n.”

“Yes?”

“You said the authorities would let anyone who helped get Blackboot go free. Does that include me?”

“Are you wanted by the authorities?”

Sophie scuffed her feet in the grass. “I might be.”

“For what?”

Sophie continued to stare at the ground as she scuffed her feet. “Could be maybe I killed someone.”

Caleb swallowed hard. It wasn’t often that the authorities would overlook murder. “Who?”

“Blackboot’s brother. I killed him after he raped me.”

Her words lingered in his head as he watched the woman-child clamber back into the carriage. Lady Eleanor had no idea who she was taking under her wing this time.