The Bride of Devil's Acre (12 page)

Devil went around to his desk. Still muttering, he pulled back the large tapestry hanging directly behind his chair, and revealed a safe. A quick turn of the combination and the door popped open.
 

Inside were stacks of cash, bundles of bills tied with twine, and several journals, each one a ledger of some kind. Her husband didn’t seem the least bit concerned with her witnessing the location of the safe or its contents.

Devil pulled out what he considered enough cash to ensure Jimmy and Tom’s release from the cages and slipped it into his pocket. He wasn’t worried about bail, but the cost of doing business with the cops was always a bit uncertain.

Behind him, the door flew open and Finn strode in, thankfully fully dressed. “All right, we’re here; let’s get this over with so I can go back to—”

Finn saw Lady Edwards and pulled up short. His mouth went slack, and Moose ran into him, knocking him forward several paces.

Moose grabbed Finn, setting the man right on his feet. “Here now, why’d you go and do that for?”

Finn’s head whipped around to his boss. Devil stood behind his desk pulling on his coat.

“Finn O’Sullivan, Moose, I’d like you to meet my wife, Mrs. Jacqueline Radcliffe.”

Finn blinked.

Moose, his view previously blocked by the open door, stepped around the wood panel.

Jacqueline’s eyes went wide as the man that must surely be Moose stepped into her husband’s office. He was a mountain of a man, with wide shoulders and very little neck to speak of. His face was a bit unfortunate, with a crushed nose and big ears. Then again, everything about the man was big.

With surprising grace, Moose stepped forward, tugging a forelock of dark hair and tipping his head. “Ma’am.”

“Well, you are a big one, aren’t you?” Out of habit, Jacqueline offered her hand, surprised when it was encased in Moose’s two larger ones and given a gentle shake. “Forgive me; that was incredibly rude.”

“No need to forgive when you speak the truth.” Moose smiled. He remembered Lady Edwards, though he wasn’t sure how she’d come to be the boss’s wife. Hard to have missed that one, though he wasn’t always around for such things.
 

“Moose will accompany you today.” Devil watched the big man. Moose wasn’t the sharpest nail in the coffin, but he knew better than to talk out of turn. Devil’s wife would be safe with him. Everyone in Devil’s Acre knew Moose, and they knew better than to mess with the man.

“I’m not going with you to get the boys?”

“Boys?” Jacqueline asked, peeking around Moses’ massive shoulders.
 

“A couple of my men were picked up last night,” Devil explained.

Finn cleared his throat. “Aye, that would be while you were off getting married?”

Devil nodded.

Jacqueline frowned. “You didn’t tell them you were getting married?”
 

“Didn’t seem important at the time.”

Jacqueline jerked back. Why hadn’t he told his men he was getting married? It wasn’t like there was anything to be ashamed of, not unless you took into account her shredded reputation.

Finn bit back a retort. One look and it was obvious Lady Edwards-ah, make that Mrs. Radcliffe-had no idea who any of them were.
 

“Congratulations, Mrs. Radcliffe,” Finn said, bowing at the waist.

“Thank you,” Jacqueline said, her eyes darting back and forth between her husband and his man Finn. “You’re Irish?” A shiver of something remembered slithered up her spine. She’d heard that Irish lilt before.

“Aye, there are a lot of us here in Devil’s Acre,” Finn said. Of all of them, he’d spent the most time talking to the girl during her kidnapping. If there was anything she might recognize, it would be his voice.

Of course! Jacqueline breathed a quiet sigh. “I seem to remember mention of your countrymen immigrating to our shores during the famine?”

“Nothing drives an Irishman like food.”

“And whiskey,” Devil added, helpfully.

“Finn has a fancy for the ladies, too,” Moose added, hooking his thumbs in his belt loops and rocking back on his heels. His smile, Jacqueline noted, transformed his face.

Finn took the ribbing in stride, the banter easing some of his tension and drawing Lady Edwards’ attention. “It’s true, ma’am, we Irish are a lusty lot.”

“Please, call me Jacqueline.” Jacqueline smiled. It was obvious the men had been together for some time, their easy way with each other marking them as longtime companions.
 

“Jacqueline,” Finn drawled.

“
Lady
Jacqueline,” Devil warned, catching sight of Finn’s smile. It was the same one he used on the ladies at the Petal & Thorn, and unsuspecting maids.
 

Devil stepped out from behind his desk. Moving past Finn, he reached out and placed a bundle of bills in Jacqueline’s hand, curling her fingers around the money. “There’s more if you need it, or you may set up accounts with whatever merchants you choose.”

Jacqueline nodded, tucking the money into her reticule and watching as her husband handed Moose a smaller bag of coins.
 

“Hire a carriage for the day, not a hack, and use Mulligan’s stables. He’ll give you the best deal and the healthiest horses.”

Devil turned back to Jacqueline, a suddenly strange moment when he realized he was bidding his wife good-bye for the day. “Moose will take good care of you, and I’ll see you for breakfast.”

Jacqueline blinked. “You’re not coming home then?”

Devil shook his head. “I’ve got work to do here.”
 

“Oh, OK.” Jacqueline smiled past her disappointment. “Good luck getting your boys.”
 

Was she was
ever
going to have the chance at getting to know her husband?

“What in the bloody hell are you doing?” Finn asked.

Devil strode down the street, his silver-tipped walking stick matching time with his steps. “Getting Jimmy and Tom.”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about!” Finn hustled to keep up, Devil’s longer legs eating up the distance between Purgatory and the cages. “
Please
tell me you did not marry that girl!”

“You told me to fix it; I fixed it.”
 

“You thought I meant for you to marry her?”

Devil finally turned to Finn, his eyes narrowing. They were a block from the cages, and Devil was in no mood to deal with Finn, or the cops. “It was the only way I could think of to make matters right. If you had a better idea, you should have said so.”

“I had no idea you were going to marry her. If I had known I would have…”

“What? What would you have done?” Devil’s voice was dangerously low, a sure sign he was losing patience.

Finn threw up his hands. “I don’t know, but this was a bad idea. What if she finds out?”

“There is nothing she can do,” Devil said. They’d arrived at the cages, that stinking cesspool where the criminals met the cops, and the criminals were the lesser of the two evils. “First, it’s her word against mine, and second, as my wife she is legally prohibited from laying charges against me.”

Finn blinked. “That’s cold, even for you.”

“It’s not why I married her, if that’s what you’re thinking, but it is an added benefit to the arrangement.”

“So, you plan on telling her then?”

Devil frowned and pulled open the door. “Why would I do that?”

“Well, if you have no fear of the repercussions, why not tell her and be done with it?”

“Have you ever known a marriage to survive on truth?” Devil asked.

“No,” Finn admitted, following Devil inside. “But then I’ve never been married.”

Ten minutes and several pounds later, Devil left the cages. His mood had not improved.

“What do you mean they were waiting for you?” Devil grabbed Jimmy by the upper arm, dragging the lad into a nearby alley. Tom and Finn followed more slowly.

“Just what I said.” Jimmy stared up at his boss, eyes earnest. At fifteen, Jimmy was the youngest of Devil’s inner circle. His mother had sold him to Devil two years ago, taking the coin for gin over the offer of a place to stay and a job. “The coach was right on time, and right where you said it would be. Only, when we popped the door, there were two coppers inside.”

Devil frowned. “They knew you were coming.”

“How the hell could they have known that?” Finn asked, incredulous.

“Someone would have had to have told them.”

“Not me, boss, I swear!” Jimmy looked at Devil, his eyes wide. No way he’d betray the man that way, not after everything Devil had done for him.

“Easy boyo; he knows it wasn’t you.” But Finn did wonder. How many people had known about the plans to hit the coach? Jimmy, Tom, and maybe a handful of others. “Could the coppers gotten lucky?”

Devil shrugged. “It’s possible. It wasn’t exactly a secret.” Devil depended on the self-preservation instincts of his men to keep them from talking, or taking action against him. “But I wouldn’t credit the coppers with much in the way of offensive planning.”

“Huh?” Tom was frowning.

“Those boys are too lazy to come up with a plan like staking out the coaches in hopes of catching one of our highwaymen,” Finn clarified.
 

“The only way they would have been there is if they were guaranteed a payoff.” Most of the cops working out of Devil’s Acre received their pay from Devil, but that didn’t mean they would pass on the opportunity to pick up a few of his crew members with an eye toward a bonus.

“So who told them?” Jimmy asked.

“I don’t know,” Devil said, letting go of the boy’s arm and turning him toward Purgatory. “But I intend to find out.”

CHAPTER NINE

Marcus bound up the steps of Mrs. Wellington’s (of no relation to the duke) boarding house. The “Mrs.” was honorary, as the woman had never married. Mrs. Wellington herself lived in a small cottage behind the boarding house. The house was a favorite of second sons and untitled gentlemen, due in large part to the clean sheets and hearty food.
 

The house employed a butler whose main responsibility was to see that callers came and went within the appropriate hours, and that absolutely no females were admitted onto the premises. The latter suited Marcus just fine; it meant that he could expect a private audience with Philip.

Marcus knocked on Philip’s door and waited. From his place in the hall, he heard a chair sliding back followed by the slow, but steady thump and shuffle of a cane.

Philip opened the door.

“Hello, Philip.” Marcus tried to smile. He wanted to offer his friend the same heartfelt greeting they’d shared as boys. But Philip had changed, even before the war, and Marcus failed.

“Marcus.”

“May I come in?”

Philip hesitated. Turning his head, he glanced back over his shoulder as if checking the state of the room.

“I won’t stay long. I just…” Marcus heaved a sigh. “I’d like a few minutes of your time, that’s all.”

Philip nodded, taking an awkward step back and holding the door.

Marcus slipped inside. Philip had a single room, the bed sharing the space with a small writing desk and a set of leather armchairs. Marcus turned away from the sight of the unmade bed, the pristine sheets rumpled from sleep.
 

“Would you care for a drink?” Philip asked, limping to a small bar.
 

“Will you join me?”
 

Philip nodded, and Marcus watched him pour. It took considerable willpower to remain standing and let Philip bring the drink to him. Each step was obviously painful, but Marcus knew Philip well enough that any allowance would be seen as pity, and not appreciated.
 

“How are you?” Marcus asked, taking a steadying drink. Philip stood enticingly close, the scent of his skin more intoxicating than any liquor.
 

“I’m fine.” Philip took a step toward the chairs on the other side of the room.

Unbidden, Marcus’ hand reached out and snatched Philip’s arm, pulling him to a stop. Marcus met Philip’s surprised look. “No, truly, how are you?”

Philip felt himself pulled into Marcus’ penetrating stare. His blue eyes, twin pools of light that were almost as familiar to Philip as his own green ones, searched his face, seeing more than they should.

“I’m fine,” Philip insisted, but didn’t immediately withdraw his arm. Marcus’ hand was warm, his fingers a band of strength and healing. How long had it been since they’d last seen each other? Two, three years? Longer still since they last shared a quiet evening together, the two of them comfortable in each other’s company.

Marcus released Philips arm, lifting his hand and cupping his cheek. Philip startled but didn’t object.
 

“This is new,” Marcus whispered, brushing his thumb along the neatly trimmed facial hair.
 

“We wore it in the Dragoons.”

“I like it.” Marcus glanced up to find Philip watching him. Eyes locked, he leaned forward, settling his lips against Philip’s mouth.

Philip shuddered, hard. His body exploded to life, soaking up the sensation like rain in a desert.
 

Marcus thrilled as Philip’s lips firmed and the man kissed him back. This was Philip! This was the man he’d come here to see.
 

The kiss went on, the two men locked together in an endless moment of rediscovery. There were soft sighs and gentle touches, the sweep of a hand across a chest that sent muscles quivering and hearts racing.
 

Philip tore his mouth away. “I can’t.”

Philip was gone so fast Marcus nearly stumbled. Chest heaving, he struggled against raging desire. Philip had fled to the other side of the room, leather chairs set firmly between them. “Philip—”
 

“You should go,” Philip said, brushing his mouth with the back of his hand. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I came to see you.” Marcus’ eyes pleaded with Philip. He had felt it, and so had Philip. Whatever was between them was still there!
 

“I can’t do this, Marcus,” Philip said quietly. “Not now, not ever again.”

“Why not? I don’t understand what happened. I thought we were—”