One Penny Surprise (Saved By Desire 1) (23 page)

“Shut up,” Clarence snarled.

“She is right though,” Luke snorted. “You seem almost scared of Helena.”

“We both are,” Henry declared with a nod but then looked guilty when Clarence glared at him.

“Shut up,” Clarence snapped more loudly this time.

“You bought her to London where you could dump her body without any form of identification on it and nobody would know who she is, or where she came from. She would have a pauper’s funeral and an unmarked grave. You left Cumbria and told people you had gone to London, England’s largest city. Anyone who tried to find her would be looking for a needle in a haystack if they wanted to try to find either one of you wouldn’t they?”

Luke struggled to contain his fury at the man’s complete disregard for human life. Such selfish acts of callousness were the reason he was in the Star Elite in the first place. To protect the lives of people like Poppy, who were victims through circumstance not because of their poor choices in life.

“So what do you plan to do if you get this money you are demanding? Skip off into the sunset with your accomplice here? Strangely, I don’t think he is the liveliest of travelling companions. He seems a bit dim to me. I hope Helena is worth it, but I doubt it given how scared you are of her. Maybe your mistress is getting greedy?” he taunted

“Where I go and what I do now is nothing to do with you. Give me the cash. Now.”

“No.” She would rather die than give Clarence anything. “When your scheme in the park failed, you suspected I had the money on me but didn’t want to have him come into the house in case I realised how much danger I was in and ran with the money. You needed me there to begin with but then wanted me to leave so I was out on the streets where I was the most vulnerable. Your friend, Henry, here would be able to murder me without anyone any the wiser. God, you sicken me,” she added with a snarl as she realised just how much of her life she had wasted on this odious creature before her. “I should have left you in the bottom of a brandy bottle where you belong,” she added.

“He ain’t’,” Henry suddenly blurted. “Mama wouldn’t allow it.”

“Mama?”

“She is his missus, but she don’t want ‘er comin’ along,” Henry said to Luke, ignoring Clarence’s order to shut up.

“So, assuming you got your hands on this cash, what do you intend to do? I mean, you would have committed murder. It wouldn’t be safe to settle in this country in case anything went wrong and Peter found out. If he found you shacked up with your mistress playing happy families with a load of cash he knew wasn’t yours he would have you behind bars in a thrice.”

“You are leaving the country.” Poppy felt sick. The image of the hatred in the strange woman’s eyes she had bumped into in the coaching yard the other day suddenly burst into life and she stared at Clarence. “She was in the coaching yard the other day, your mama.”

Henry suddenly grinned at her. He reminded Poppy of an eager puppy, happy for any kind of attention, and even more eager to please.

“She wanted the money,” she whispered to Clarence. “I cannot help wondering what you plan to do with him once he has done what you want,” she added quietly. “I mean, if I am a burden, what is he?”

Luke looked at her for a moment and then nodded. “Planning to get rid of him too were you?”

He knew from the cunning look on Clarence’s face that he had stumbled upon the truth and wondered just how bad a situation Clarence was in to be prepared to go to such lengths to secure a fortune.

“So, you planned for Henry to kill Poppy and, while he was still in the area, you were going to do away with him too. You could then live abroad with your stolen money and your mistress without fear of discovery.” Luke’s voice was pure menace as he assessed which one to relieve of their weapons first.

“I am afraid that your scheming has failed, Clarence. You see, I have already paid Peter a visit, and he has signed a document to confirm that he gave Poppy the cash, not you. He also has made it clear that you are not to get your hands on any of it. Therefore, if you leave this house with anything that isn’t yours, I shall arrest you for theft. You are already going to be arrested for breaking and entering anyway, so be very careful because anything else illegal you do will only make your situation worse.”

“I ain’t broken nothing’,” Henry grumbled. He scowled at Clarence as a small child would do and huffed sulkily. “You got me in trouble. Mama is going to be cross with you.”

“Oh, shut up you imbecile,” Clarence snapped.

“Leave him alone,” Poppy ordered.

Sensing an argument was brewing, Luke stepped forward. “Henry, did Clarence tell you to kill Poppy?”

“I-I-I-,” Henry looked from him to Poppy and back again. He stepped backward until his back hit the wall then jumped and threw a worried glance over his shoulder. Like a frightened animal, he suddenly barged past Luke and raced to the back of the house.

Luke turned and watched him go and spied movement just around the corner. Thankfully, help had arrived. Marcus was lying in wait just inside the kitchen. Apart from a slight scuffling noise, nothing betrayed what had really happened to Henry.

“The boy has to go,” Clarence remarked drolly. “Now give me the money and I will get out of your hair.”

Poppy snorted. “Yes, it looks like it. If you just wanted your money, why have you brought a gun with you?” she demanded, but gave Clarence no opportunity to reply. “You have no intention of leaving us alive if you were ever allowed to get your hands on the cash but I don’t have it. It was returned to Peter yesterday. I have no need for it you see.”

“That’s right,” Luke agreed mentally applauding Poppy for her ingenuity. “Poppy doesn’t need money now that she has me in her life. I can provide for her. She is my wife now, and it is my duty to protect her. If you have anything to say to my wife then you say it to me. Unfortunately, as she is my wife, everything that is hers is now rightly mine and I absolutely refuse to give you a single penny of our cash.”

“You are lying,” Clarence snarled.

“No. I have a friend here who can vouch for the fact that Poppy is now my wife.”

Marcus silently appeared in the doorway that led to the kitchen.

Inwardly, it felt wonderfully right to Luke to be able to declare that Poppy was his wife. As far as he was concerned, the sooner he could make that slight fabrication a fact, the better.

“I am her husband now and here to stay.” As he spoke he kept his eyes locked on hers, and put all of his emotions into his words, silently pleading with her to stay with him, remain calm. She understood because she smiled at him and edged a little closer. She was aware that they painted a picture of sublime domesticity that had temporarily flummoxed Clarence and knocked the edge off his arrogance. For now, they had the upper hand.

“Ah, that’s nice,” Clarence snapped sarcastically. “But I know you still have that money. I have been keeping watch on this house since the day you entered it and apart from that kid who keeps coming and going, nobody has left here with that bag. It’s in this house somewhere. I want it.”

“It is irrelevant whether the bag is here or not, it is not your money so you shall not have it, no matter how much you threaten.” Luke shook his head sadly and sighed theatrically. “I am afraid you chose to pick on the wrong person and killed the wrong man.”

“I didn’t kill the man in the park, nor did Henry. We just want the money.”

“But you were prepared to murder your daughter for it,” Luke challenged.

Clarence’s silence was condemning.

“So, to be with the woman in the coaching inn you have to be free of all burdens. You need to get rid of your daughter she doesn’t want around, and she wants to off-load her somewhat awkward son. I wonder why? Why now, Clarence? What’s happened to change the situation so suddenly because I know Helena has been your mistress for a long time now?” Luke felt Poppy stiffen against his side but she remained quiet. Luke allowed silence to settle over them for a moment before he decided to take a random guess that he suspected was right. “I think that you have been living way beyond your means for a long time now. Your mistress has gotten used to a lifestyle she cannot afford herself. You are incapable of working because you have no skills and have never worked a day in your life. Because your options are limited, and the only thing of value was the roof over your head. You had to sell up to be able to keep your mistress happy. Unfortunately, that left you with the problem of the house sale not raising you enough funds for the foreseeable future, and two serious problems in the form of Poppy and Henry.”

“Shut up,” Clarence snapped.

Luke snorted. “I am right, aren’t I, Clarence? What is it; blackmail? The woman in the coaching yard the other day was nasty. I bet she can be vicious when she is angry.”

“I am not staying with Helena,” Clarence suddenly snapped. “She has threatened to ruin me too often. I have had enough of her too. She wants a life I cannot afford. When I tell her to cut back on her spending she threatens to tell everyone I know that I have a bastard son with her who is simple. Well, I am sick of being blackmailed. I am not going to drag all three of them with me for the rest of my life. I am selling up and going my own way, and nobody is going to stop me.”

“You are scared of her,” Poppy whispered. Deep inside she knew she was right.

“The entire family hates you, Clarence. You are one of life’s scroungers and, on this occasion, were prepared to abandon, or kill your own daughter rather than take a proper job, weren’t you? The last thing you would do was face the consequences of your actions, or tell Helena what to do with her threats. You would rather steal, kill, and slither off to a new life with your ill-gotten gains.”

“You don’t know what you are talking about,” Clarence snapped, although with considerably less belligerence than he had previously displayed. “I am getting sick of this. Move and get me that money Poppy, or I will shoot your lover dead.”

Before Poppy to protest, she watched in horror as Clarence lifted his gun and pointed it straight at Luke’s head.

Luke didn’t flinch. He merely stared dispassionately down the wrong end of the gun before lifting a somewhat rueful gaze to the man holding it. He didn’t need to look behind him to know that Marcus had just appeared in the doorway. He slid a comforting arm around Poppy, quietly moving her so she was out of the line of fire, and nodded toward the door behind Clarence.

“You might want to chance a look behind you, Clarence. You need to be aware that these men work for the government. They
are
the authority around here, and will ensure you are put behind bars where you belong if you fire that gun. Breaking and entering is what we will arrest you for.  That, and trespass, attempted theft, and attempted murder.”

“It wasn’t me,” Clarence snorted.

“You were seen,” Luke challenged. “I have a witness who saw you there.” He took a random guess but watched Clarence consider that for a moment, and knew that on the night Poppy had been knifed, Clarence had been there too.

“I am afraid you have made one serious miscalculation, Cleghorne,” Luke drawled. “You see, I work for an investigative branch of the War Office. I am the authority around here and have even more authority than the magistrate about these parts. My colleagues and I were investigating some strange goings on in the park the other morning and stumbled across your daughter here waiting to make payment. Needless to say she has been under our protection while we uncover the truth surrounding the death of the man she found floating in the river.”

“So you aren’t married?” Clarence snorted and threw a disparaging glare at Poppy. Now that the scent of money was back in the air the bravado had returned; bravado that Luke was determined to shoot down in flames.

“Oh, she is my wife, alright. Peter will vouch for the legality of the marriage. There is nothing illegal with what
I
have done. It is a pity you cannot say the same.”

Clarence studied Luke before he turned his attention to Marcus, who was also now armed and had his gun pointed at him. He shuffled around until his back was to the wall on the opposite side of the hallway and he could look at the front door. The glass panels afforded a somewhat hazy view of people on the doorstep. They watched the door swing open silently to reveal Barnaby.

“You have forced your way into a government building with a gun and threatened an innocent person while you attempt to steal money. As far as I can see, you are guilty of attempted robbery and trespass, as well as intent to kill. After all taking a gun on a house call is hardly warm and welcoming now, is it?”

Before Clarence could say anything else, Barnaby suddenly lunged forward and wrenched the gun out of his limp hold.

Clarence was physically trembling with rage as he glared at Luke. “You don’t know what it has been like. I have been dragging around unwanted baggage since the day I met my poor lamented wife. I didn’t want her, or this damned albatross,” he snarled with a nod toward Poppy. “Nor did I want that simple buffoon in the kitchen. Now, to cap it all, I am stuck with a damned mistress I cannot get rid of. Well, it is time I looked after myself.”

“Ha!” Poppy snorted. “That is all you have ever done in life. You are a disgusting specimen of a human being, and I am ashamed to be connected to you. As far as I am concerned, the Star Elite can throw the bloody book at you. I hope you never see daylight.”

Barnaby moved forward. “We work for the War Office. Holding a gun to any of us is enough to put you behind bars for a very long time. Not only that but we are witness to attest that you have attempted to steal money you have admitted wasn’t given to you. Not only that but we
know
you shouldn’t even be in this house so you are trespassing. Seeing as Luke would never allow you inside you can, and will, be arrested for forcible entry. You can also be arrested for plotting not one but two murders.”

“You have no proof,” Clarence retorted. For the first time since his arrival he looked a little panic stricken as though the reality of his situation had only just started to sink in.

“We all heard you,” Poppy all but shouted.

“Time to go,” Marcus said flatly with a nod toward the back of the house where Henry sat on the floor, bound and ready to go to jail.

“Stay here,” Luke whispered into her ear while Barnaby led Clarence toward the back of the house.

Clarence paused and looked back at her.

Poppy waited; wondering if he would at least say sorry. Instead, he merely curled his lip and turned his back without speaking. She was glad to see the back of him.

Once they were alone, he led her into the front room and drew her into his arms.

“That must have been distressing for you. Are you alright?”

Poppy nodded. “He has been like that for a long time,” she admitted. “When someone behaves like he does you don’t realise how bad his attitude is while you are amongst it. It is only when you have been spoken to kindly by others that you realise just how boorish and insulting his attitude is. As far as I am aware I have never done anything to him to deserve his condescension. His poor attitude toward others is his concern.”

“It isn’t you,” Luke hastened to assure her. “I think he is led by his mistress and their greed. From what Peter has told me, Clarence has always tried to live beyond his means, and has clearly decided to take to a life of crime rather than take up an honest job.”

He hugged her close for several long moments while he waited for the worst of her trembling to ease. When she sighed and settled against him he kissed her. “I think you need to go and see Peter sooner rather than later,” he said softly. “Once you have heard what happened between Clarence and the family you will understand a lot more and not feel so bad. Trust me when I tell you that losing Clarence is no great loss in your life.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Now that he has reappeared, I cannot wait to see the back of him again.” She leaned up and, in what was a very daring move for her, planted a kiss on his smiling lips. “Now if I lost you, however, I should be a very distraught person indeed.”

“You would?” he asked, rather pleased about that.

She nodded slowly, her own lips curving into a smile. “I think it threw him when you told him I was your wife.”

“It threw me a little too,” he acknowledged ruefully. “Not least because I realised then just how much I wanted it to become a reality. I quite like calling you my life.” He kissed her again.

“
Quite
liked?” she asked with a grin and peppered several kisses along his jaw.

“I want to do it more,” he replied huskily. “So?” he asked when he finally lifted his head.

“So what?” she asked dreamily.

“Shall we?”

“Shall we what?” she whispered, eyeing the curve of his lips wantonly.

He leaned back and gave her a mock frown. “If you can focus for a moment on something other than kissing, I am asking you to marry me.”

“You are?” she murmured.

“I am,” he declared with a nod. “I love you, Poppy Cleghorne, and want you to be by my side forevermore. Will you be my wife?”

“I would love to,” she whispered.

Luke placed a very loving kiss on her lips. “I know we have only known each other for a matter of a few weeks but this attraction between us is something I have never felt before toward anyone. It is so strong that you are in my every waking thought. You are the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night. It is fair to say that I am not a quiet man; I am not an ordinary calm and gentle man, but I will do my very best to ensure that you are treated with the love and respect you deserve, and given the life and luxuries someone who holds my heart should have. While my work with the Star Elite, taking people like Clarence off the streets, will mean that I am not at home as often as most men, I shall endeavour to return home to you at every available opportunity.”

“I should like that, very much,” she whispered. In spite of her best efforts not to cry, tears began to fall anyway. He captured one with the back of his finger and held it aloft.

“Happy ones I hope?”

She nodded. “There is one thing I should like to make clear right here and now though,” she breathed.

“Oh?” He lifted a brow and waited. He saw the hidden humour in her eyes and loved this new mischievous side to her.

“I am glad I was in the park that day, and you came to my rescue. One thing I shall never be angry at Clarence for is sending me to that meeting. I am sorry that a man had to die, but that day changed my life in a way that I know it can never be changed back from. After today, I am glad of that. I don’t know what the future holds and, if I am honest, the thought of your placing yourself in danger every day fills me with horror but it is only because I love you. If anything happened to you I know that a large part of me would die to.”

In spite of their short acquaintance she knew, deep in her heart, that this was the truth. There were many things she knew she had to learn about him, but the man before her now had proven himself to be honest, caring and lovingly supportive in the most wonderful of ways. She knew that whatever choices she made in life, as long as she had Luke by her side she would be content, happy, and as blessed as anyone could be.

“Together forever?” he whispered, kissing her neck.

“Together forever,” she whispered, and drew him down for a very thorough and extremely daring kiss.

The End.