phantom knights 04 - deceit in delaware (24 page)

She sauntered out and took the seat across from Jericho, smiling her most charming. “My, if I had known you were this handsome, I may have allowed you another kiss.”

I started to rise, not in a mood to listen to one of Hannah’s flirtations, but Jericho tugged me back into my seat with his hand to my arm. The smile he turned upon Hannah was wolfish.

“We could give it another go if you are so inclined.” Jericho rose and moved toward her like a wolf stalking his prey.

Hannah’s eyes grew round for a moment before they narrowed. “Where is your wife?”

“Where is your husband?” Jericho countered.

Jericho and Hannah stared at each other for a long moment before Hannah released a gurgle of laughter.

“A rogue after my own heart.”

Jericho smiled before moving back to his chair.

When Hannah moved away I leaned toward Jericho. “How did you know she would not accept your offer?”

Jericho smiled. “I took her measure in a moment. She’s bluster, but it is a front to hide her fears.”

Jericho and I went in different directions after Hannah had sauntered off. I found Levi in the parlor with Bess.

Wanting to know Levi’s story from him, I asked him to tell us everything.

“It began one night in Philadelphia when I came home after working with Freddy. Mother was there to greet me. I unburdened my troubles to her over things happening. George was not acting as he should, and Freddy had his own plans for the Phantoms.”

Levi walked to the window and leaned his back against it, putting as much distance between us as he could. I knew that movement. What he was about to say was going to upset me.

“Mother told me that she suspected that the Holy Order was going to target Bess, and so she sent me, Gideon, and Jeanne with Bess to Charleston in the hope of protecting her. She also sent me with another objective. To find Harvey and get the truth from him. What truth she meant I did not understand, until I walked into the plantation.”

Levi looked down at his hands, smiling a little. “He did not expect me, and he called me son before he knew what he was about.” Levi looked up. “It was then that I knew.”

“You knew, and didn’t tell me?” Bess’s voice was shrill.

“He explained it all to me, and made me vow not to tell you anything. He said that he was awaiting the opportune moment. And then he sent me to Philadelphia to retrieve Mary Edith. I suspected that he had some plans at play, so I left Silas there to watch over Bess. If I had known…”

He did not need to say more. It was not Levi’s fault that Bess was nearly ravaged. That fault existed only with our father. He should have known that his guard was despicable, untrustworthy, and depraved. How had he not seen the man’s intent? Was he so caught up in his game that he overlooked his own child’s safety? The answer to that was a large, glaring yes.

“So you joined the Holy Order under Mother’s orders?”

“I never joined the Holy Order. I joined Guinevere. The rest of what happened you know,” Levi said.

Levi worked to protect Mary Edith. Even if he was working for Guinevere, he still kept our father’s secret, and he had fought us in Charleston. When I asked him about that, he laughed.

“Those men with me were part of Richard’s Levitas. Father did not want them knowing that I was his son because that would have ruined his disguise, so I had to act as if I worked for the Holy Order.

“All of those weapons in that building were ones that we had taken from both Luther’s guards and from the different branches of Levitas. Richard had an arsenal in his Baltimore warehouse. Mother gave them to Father and he transported them to Charleston.”

There was not much more to say, so we went outside to join the others at the rear of the house. Jericho, Sam, Leo, and Dudley had decided to spar in the yard.

As Dudley and Jericho were sparring, Hannah was leaning forward in her chair with anxious, excited eyes.

Dudley got a few light taps past Jericho’s guard, but nothing like what Jericho was doing. He was so quick on his feet, that he dodged, bobbed, and swayed around Dudley’s guard almost every time. When Jericho’s fist clipped Dudley’s chin, Dudley stepped back, gingerly feeling the spot.

He stepped forward again, his fists up, and blocked several of Jericho’s attempts to strike.

“Go to it, Duddy,” Hannah called out, and Dudley cast a smile her way. Jericho broke through, using Dudley’s distraction to his advantage. Jericho’s fist tapped Dudley’s stomach.

“Oof,” Dudley exclaimed, before he swatted Jericho’s hand away and danced forward with two consecutive jabs, a right hook, and finally an uppercut that touched its mark, which was Jericho’s chin.

Jericho stumbled back, his eyes widening. “I did not know a man of your bulk could move that swift.” Jericho’s remark was accompanied by a smirk.

“Come again and see what a man of bulk can do,” Dudley offered, standing still and ready.

With a knowing smile, Jericho charged Dudley.

Hannah scooted to the edge of her seat, her hands clasped together over her mouth.

At the last moment, Dudley met Jericho’s body low, using his shoulder and arm to send Jericho flipping over his shoulder and onto his back on the ground.

Hannah exclaimed her glee while Betsy and Guinevere clapped rapturously.

Jericho blinked several times and then began to laugh as Dudley helped him to his feet and dusted off his back.

“Good show, Dudley,” Hannah called to him. Hannah looked at us and added, “He has done that almost as well as I could.”

Jericho heard her remark and said, “Why do you not come out here and give example of your skills, Mrs. Stanton, if they are so superb.”

“No,” shouted three male voices in unison. Sam, Leo, and Dudley all looked at each other and then began to laugh.

“As you can see, Jericho, my skill precedes me.” Hannah sat back in her chair with a satisfied look gracing her face.

“What about you ladies, will you give example of your skills? I know you have some,” Jericho said to Betsy and Guinevere.

“Let the ladies alone, Jericho,” I said as I watched Sam sparring with Leo.

“What is this, Jack? No faith?” Guinevere demanded.

“Too much, dearest wife,” I replied as I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I would like to see,” Dudley put in.

Rose was standing in the doorway, and Guinevere caught her eye.

“Not me, but my sister would be only too happy to show her skill,” Guinevere called out to Jericho.

Hannah and Betsy exchanged a look of mischief, and I sat on the arm of my wife’s wicker chair, prepared for a truly enjoyable time.

“Betsy first I think,” Rose said.

As Betsy stepped forward, James Wilson came to stand beside me. I did not know how he was viewing all of us, but he had laughed along at some of the stories during the meal.

“Perhaps we should…” He motioned toward Betsy.

“Do not fear for her,” I whispered to him. “She was taught by one of the best.”

“Use this,” Betsy called out, and then tossed a knife to Dudley.

His eyes grew round, but he caught the knife by the handle. “Really, Miss Coles, throwing knives at the unsuspecting is not done. Bad form. Bad form indeed.”

Betsy moved forward gracefully, with her shawl draped around her arms as a ward against the evening air. “If you would be so kind as to hold that knife like you are trying to kill me, it would be much appreciated, Mr. Stanton,” Betsy said in her sweet voice.

Dudley held the knife out before him, uncertainly but firmly. Betsy walked toward him as if she were walking in a ballroom. When she was a few steps before him, she threw her shawl over his face. Sidestepping his wriggling form that was trying to knock the shawl from over his eyes, Betsy grabbed his arm that was holding the knife with both of her hands. Watching her movements closely, she had one hand around his forearm and the other around his wrist. She grabbed his thumb and pulled it up. With her other hand, she took the top of the knife handle and forced it down. It fell right from Dudley’s hand into Betsy’s, and Dudley looked down at their hands as if he could not discover how she had done it.

“Jolly good show, Miss Coles. Jolly good,” said Dudley as he bowed low before her.

Rose walked toward Jericho with something in her hand, saying, “Would you be so kind as to give me your aid?”

Jericho went to stand before Rose, watching her warily.

“If you would be so kind as to try to touch my arm, I would appreciate it,” Rose advised.

Jericho reached out tentatively and tried to take Rose’s arm in his hand.

Rose caught Jericho’s hand with the underside of her forearm. Using what I finally could see was a fan, she hit with the bottom of the fan against the back of Jericho’s arm. She swooped her hand with the fan beneath his arm and to the other side. Using her arm that he had tried to grasp, she grabbed the top of the fan and used it to lock his arm between hers. She twisted his arm down using the fan as an anchor, and, in so doing, his whole body. She kept twisting the fan and his arm until he was on the ground. Rose released him, snapping open the fan and calmly fanning herself.

“How—how did you do that?” Jericho demanded.

I quickly looked at Leo, who was smiling broadly as he was watching.

Jericho stood, shaking out his arm and then took Rose’s fan to inspect it. “The spokes are made of iron. Leo, did you construct this weapon of destruction?”

“And where can I procure one?” Hannah said at once, going to see it for herself.

“Leo gave it to me,” Rose announced. “Nell found them in one of Richard Hamilton’s warehouses and gave them to Leo. He has a dozen of them.”

Hannah at once turned on Leo, demanding that she be given one. Leo promised to get her one when next he was in Charleston where he left them. When Dudley’s gaze met Leo’s, Dudley shook his head frantically.

Laughing, I moved to the long tables. I was finishing off my wine when we heard a carriage approaching.

My first thought was that it was Arthur and the other guards, for they had met me earlier in a carriage, and they were to arrive to assist us should Luther send his guards to attack.

Glancing around the yard, I noticed that Rose and Leo were absent.

A gun firing at the front of the house shattered every thought but one. Guinevere!

CHAPTER 19

GUINEVERE

H
earing the gun fire caused me to jump.

Without a word, Gideon and James had Betsy and Edith and were ushering them further into the woods behind the cottage.

Everyone moved around the yard in different levels of shock and fear. I saw Jack at once, as he was following Levi and Dudley into the house.

No thoughts for the danger, I lifted my skirt and ran after them.

Levi burst through the front door followed by Dudley as I ran into the house.

A curse exploded from someone before Levi shouted Rose’s name. As I ran into the parlor and stopped before the front window, I searched the yard for Rose, but I could not see her.

A carriage was hurrying down the front drive, away from the house.

Pulling a pistol from his belt, Jack fired at it, but it did not halt. Sam had two pistols in his hands as he charged into view and down the drive after the carriage.

When Jack turned toward the fight, Dudley, Levi, and Jericho were engaged in a wild battle against a slew of men. I could not count how many for they moved too swiftly.

Leo was standing in the doorway fighting against two men. He had a fireplace poker in one hand and a sword in the other. Then my mind moved back to Rose.

I could not see her in the fray.

Dudley grabbed a pair of gardening shears and had a cleaver in his other hand that looked like the one from the dining table. He threw himself into the thick of four men and swung around so quickly that it was a blur of activity.

Jericho was making his way across the yard, shooting two men straight through the shoulders, and then using his empty pistols as clubs. With one in each hand, Jericho swung toward a man who grabbed the tail of his coat. Jericho smashed the man’s head between the butts of his pistols.

Jack knocked out two men before he moved toward Dudley. Dudley’s elegant coat was sliced like ribbons in a few places and there was a gash on his arm, but he flew about with his shears and cleaver swinging. Four men were on the ground with varying wounds.

Four men were surrounding Levi, and that is when I left the window, running toward the open front door. They had Levi on his knees, a knife moving toward his throat, so I did the only thing I could think of. I pulled out my dagger pistol and shouted.

“You there!” I fired at the man with the knife. The ball struck his shoulder, but as he began to drop the knife one of the other men grabbed it and twisted around, throwing it toward my face.

Squeaking, I grabbed the door and pulled it in front of me. The knife lodged into the other side with a
thud
.

Jack shouted my name, but it was from a distance.

Someone pulled the door open and I raised my dagger, the tip pointed directly at his chest.

It was Jack. Lowering the dagger, I met his gaze. “I nearly killed you, Jack.”

“Go out the back door,” Jack instructed. “It is time for a lesson in etiquette.”

I ran down the passage and out the back door as Jack threw open the front door.

Running around the table, I threw chairs down or pulled them out as I went. Hannah and Bess were nowhere in sight.

There were no carving knives left on the table. Gathering a handful of forks and a chafing dish lid from the table, I was prepared. I had won this kind of fight before.

Jack came out into the yard and had about ten seconds to pick his weapons as men charged toward us.

Grabbing butter knives, Jack threw one into the door as the men appeared in the doorway. As they charged outside, Jack threw one after another at them, grabbing them from each place setting.

The men split up, two coming toward me and two toward Jack. Jack grabbed glasses and plates next, throwing them like discs toward the men inching toward him.