The Runaway McBride (31 page)

He swallowed a sigh. He had no time to waste on debating the rights and wrongs of ancient history. He had an errand to run. It was more than an errand. This was important. Faith and that face-to-face talk would have to wait. Perhaps it was better this way. If she knew what he was up to, she’d want to go with him.

Unseen, he turned on his heel and left them.

 

 

James’s voice. She refused to listen. She didn’t like his tone of voice. Besides, she was upset with him. She much preferred her dream. She was with her mother at the top of the Great Pyramid, and Madeline was pointing out all the places of interest they would visit during their stay in Egypt. Mother and daughter. Faith loved the sound of those words.

Her mother smiled into her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was James’s voice Faith heard.
Open the bloody door, Faith, before someone mistakes me for a housebreaker and sends for the police
.

Her eyes flew open. It was only a dream, wasn’t it? That scoundrel couldn’t invade her mind at will, could he? He was a seer. What in Hades was a seer, anyway?

It wasn’t a dream. He really had invaded her mind. Coldly furious, she pushed back the bedcovers and got up. It took her a moment to light the lamp and another moment to don her robe, then she marched out of her room and down the stairs to the front door.

Even had he not invaded her mind, she would have been furious with him. She had not seen him since they’d arrived home from Robert Danvers’s funeral. There was so much she’d wanted to talk over with him, but he’d left the house without a word of explanation, only a message passed on by the butler that he would not be home for dinner. She didn’t know whether Roderick had returned home, but everyone else had gone to bed, including the servants. What she should do is go back to bed and leave him to his own devices. People should know that there were consequences to their actions.

Lord above! She was beginning to sound like her father.

The first words out of her mouth when she opened the door were, “I suppose you think it’s all right to force your way into a person’s mind just because you’re a seer? ”

“I didn’t know if it would work, and I don’t think it would have if you hadn’t been receptive to me.”

“Receptive to you?” She had to unclench her teeth. “You spoiled a perfectly wonderful dream.” Her next words were equally unsympathetic. “You look like a drowned rat.”

“That’s because I’ve been out in the rain for half the night.”

The lamp in the vestibule was still burning, and she had a clear view of his face when he stepped over the threshold. He looked deathly pale, and water dripped from his hat in a steady stream.

“James,” she gasped. “What happened to you?”

He tossed his hat on a chair. “I was attacked by housebreakers,” he said and grimaced when he tried to take a step. “And no, I didn’t report it to the police, because I didn’t want to answer any awkward questions.”

“Where was this? ” Since he was having difficulty walking, she supported him with an arm around his waist.

“I’ll tell you when I catch my breath. No, don’t hold on to me. You’ll only get your own clothes wet as well.”

“As though I care about that.”

Outwardly, she was composed, but inwardly she was alarmed. Blood smeared his neckcloth, and the flesh around his left eye was swollen.

It was a slow, laborious business, but they finally made it to his bedchamber. She was all for sending for the doctor, but James wouldn’t hear of it. “I’m not seriously hurt, just a few scrapes and bruises.” He frowned. “What dream?”

“What? ”

“You said that I had spoiled a perfectly wonderful dream when I roused you to open the door.”

“Well, I wasn’t dreaming about you, Mr. Vanity, so don’t let it go to your head. If you must know, I was dreaming about Egypt and my mother and her friends.”

“Oh.” His frown slowly melted. “That reminds me. There was something I meant to tell you. I know who took the group photograph. Coltrane told me that it was Basil Hughes. Seems that dear Larry was always on the wrong side of the camera, and he gave in to his sister’s request to have
his
photograph taken for a change.”

“Is it important?”

“Not as far as I can see.”

She lit the lamp and closed the door. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Don’t you want to know what I’ve been up to? ”

His wheedling smile had no effect on her. She was still a little angry with him. “After I’ve taken a look at these scrapes and bruises. Let’s get your coat off.”

He grumbled; he cursed.

“Stop complaining,” she told him. “I thought you’d be glad to have me undress you.”

He peered up at her with his good eye. “You’re saying that because you think you’re safe, but if I thought for one moment that that was a serious offer . . .” He let his words hang.

She decided to change the subject. “Tell me what happened.”

“I thought not. Ah, well.”

As he began to speak, she removed his coat and neckcloth, then opened his shirt. When she spread the edges, her fingers trembled. That’s when he stopped speaking.

Their eyes met. “Think of me as Florence Nightingale,” she said.

“Florence Nightingale! Old Iron Drawers? Now that is beyond me.”

Exasperated, she said, “Enough of this. I want to know where you were and what happened.”

A smile spread across his face. “I went out to St. Winnifred’s to speak to Dora. And Faith, she gave me your mother’s diary.”

Dumbfounded, she sank onto the bed beside him. She spoke slowly and carefully as though she might have mistaken his meaning. “You went out to St. Winnifred’s to see Dora, and she gave you my mother’s diary?”

He nodded. “Roderick has it, but he’ll bring it to you tomorrow as soon as he gets back.”

“Roderick? Dora? ” She shook her head. “Why? How?”

“Think about it, Faith, and I’m sure you’ll figure it out. We have a lot to talk over, but first I want to get out of these wet clothes.”

There was a dressing room just off his bedchamber. He was gone for only a minute or two, and when he returned he was wearing a maroon dressing robe.

“Well,” he said. “Have you figured it out?”

“More or less. Danvers stole the diary, and he gave it to Dora to keep for him because he knew he could trust her. After all, she was head over heels in love with him.” Her tone was as corrosive as acid. “I suppose he didn’t hand it over to his employer, because he hoped to raise the price? ”

“According to Dora, the money from the diary was for their elopement. Unfortunately, Danvers got greedy and paid the price for his greed.”

“He wouldn’t have eloped with her! She’s too young. He was using her!” Now she was sorry that she’d ever felt that she had wronged him.

“I know, but you can’t tell Dora that. She won’t believe you.”

“Poor Dora. Does she know who his partner is?”

“She says not, and I believe her.”

“I suppose you terrified her into telling you all you wanted to know? ”

In contrast to her heated tone, his was mild. “What would you have had me do? Pat her on the head and tell her that she was a good little girl?” His voice changed color, became harsh. “I told her the truth, that whoever had that diary stood in mortal danger of meeting the same fate as Robert Danvers. And how right I was. Look what happened to me tonight.”

He took one of her hands. “Don’t make excuses for her, Faith. She deserved a tongue-lashing and a lot more besides. Yes, Danvers engineered it so that she would fall in love with him, but she chose to help him. I think he tried the same tactic on you but gave you up as a lost cause. Dora was your stalker. She watched you all the time. You wouldn’t have been aware of her because she was, you might say, part of the scenery.”

When she was silent, he went on, “I knew that someone had been through the replies to your advertisement. Who better than Dora to slip into your room and look for them? She admitted that she told Danvers the time and place of your interview with Lady Cowdray. Whether he arranged for the attack on you or whether his employer did hardly matters. They’re all guilty.”

She breathed deeply as her mind grappled with all he had told her. “Tell me what happened tonight,” she said. “Tell me how Roderick comes into it.”

He nodded as though she had conceded a point. “After Dora’s outburst at the funeral, I knew I had to move quickly. Not many people would have known who she was, and I was hoping that would give her some protection until I’d had a chance to speak to her. But every time I thought of her, the fine hairs on my neck began to rise. I knew time was running out. Someone else at the funeral may have heard her outburst and put two and two together.”

Her hand fluttered to her throat. “You mean that Robert would have confided in her, perhaps have told her where the diary was hidden? ”

“That’s exactly what I mean. I had hoped to speak to you before I left, but—well, I was afraid you would persuade me to take you with me—”

“Of course I would have gone with you!” She jerked her hand out of his clasp. “This was my business! I should have been involved!”

“So I asked Roderick to go with me.”

Her brows climbed to her hairline.

He shrugged. “I know we haven’t been the best of friends, but he is my brother. He was there. And I’m glad I had the foresight to take him with me.” He chuckled. “He’s a better fighter than I am. Fearless, too.” His voice warmed as he related the sequence of events. “We got there first, so I had my chance to terrorize your little lamb into submission and get the diary. Now, don’t glower, Faith. It doesn’t suit you. Your friend Lily was there, too, and she was more angry with Dora than I was. I got the diary and gave it to Roderick for safekeeping. Lily and Dora packed a suitcase with a few things, and Roderick spirited them away in a hansom to that new hotel on Regent Street. That was all he was supposed to do, take care of Lily and Dora and the diary, but once they were settled, he came back for me. But I’m getting ahead of myself. With Dora out of the way, I hunkered down in some shrubbery and waited for events to unfold.

“That’s when the rain started. Anyway, with this being the holidays, there were few teachers or girls about, and no one wandering around the grounds. It made it easier to spot an intruder.”

She was aghast, then livid. “Do you mean to tell me that you had a chance to get out of there without a fight, and you stayed anyway?”

He looked toward the door. “Keep your voice down. Yes, I stayed and with good reason. I wanted to find out if anyone would come for Dora. I wanted to beat the truth out of him and discover who he was working for.”

She said tautly, “But that’s not how things worked out, is it? ”

He gave a rueful grin. “Not exactly. I wasn’t expecting two of them.”

She snorted. “Some seer you are! So what happened?”

“To cut a long story short, while I was on top of one, the other came at me from behind and cracked my head with something hard. I was stunned but not out of it. That’s when Roderick came charging in. The thugs took to their heels. Roderick dropped me off here, then went back to the hotel to watch over Lily and Dora. Tomorrow morning, he’s going to escort them by train to Margaret’s cousin in Cambridge. They’ll be safe there.” He allowed her to reflect for a moment then said gently, “Maybe you should think of going with them.”

His suggestion earned him a baleful stare. “Maybe I should go with them? What about my mother? Do you think I can forget about her? I don’t want strangers to act for me. I can’t explain what I feel. All I can tell you is that I’m beginning to think that she didn’t die accidentally. It’s beginning to make sense.” She paused as she tried to recall what Lady Cowdray had told her. “Madeline met someone not long before she died, someone she recognized but who did not recognize her. Shortly after, Madeline died from an overdose of laudanum, and her diary mysteriously wound up in Lady Cowdray’s luggage. What did she know that could get her killed? What did she write in her diary that would make someone go to such lengths to get hold of it? ” She shook her head. “I’m Madeline’s daughter. I won’t let this go till I know what truly happened all those years ago. Of course I want to be part of it.”

When he sighed, she jumped up and stalked to the window. Below her was the deserted square with its patch of gardens and trees. Gaslight glazed the foliage in pale silver. It looked profoundly peaceful and a far cry from the tumult of her own emotions.

She’d been dreaming about her mother when James broke into her mind. Mother and daughter. She’d liked the sound of those words. But Madeline hadn’t been a real mother to her. Her father was the one who had been there for her in sickness and in health, when she was happy and sad. But he had lied to her, and she found that hard to forgive. She could have written to her mother. They could have formed some sort of bond, however tenuous. Her father had taken that away from her.

Maybe it was all wishful thinking on her part. Maybe it was Madeline who hadn’t wanted to know the daughter she had left behind. It didn’t matter. Right or wrong, she had to know who the enemy was and bring him to justice.

That day would come, according to James, when she found herself in a derelict house with a cantilevered staircase.

“I can’t go with Lily and Dora,” she said. “I have an appointment with destiny. We’re supposed to be together at the end, aren’t we? ”

No response.

She turned to look at him. He had stretched out on the bed and appeared to have fallen asleep. “James? ”

He stirred and put out a hand to her, but his eyes remained closed.

She crossed to him, drew the quilt over him, and put her hand in his.