Page 27

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O nce again seated at the table that stood in the rickhouse beneath The Fox’s Burrow Tavern, Adrian glanced at his pocket watch for the hundredth time. It was almost three in the morning. Kendrick should have arrived hours ago.

The reports that had trickled in from Adrian’s associates over the course of the evening had been positive. All had met with success. But what if it didn’t produce the desired result? What if Eldridge failed to convince the Prince Regent to grant the pardon Adrian needed?

Nothing would change. He and Samantha would still be wanted criminals, sentenced to die for their transgressions. And the legal system would continue to fester – a blight upon the country and a threat to the common man.

Yet as the minutes ticked by, he had to accept that this was becoming increasingly likely. He glanced at Ellis. “You’re certain you convinced Eldridge to help?”

“I have no doubt,” Ellis said. Confidence infused every word.

Elbows on the table, both hands clasped together, Adrian pressed his mouth to his thumbs and shifted his gaze to Samantha. He took a breath, considered the hardened, battle-ready look in her eyes, and said, “The issue must be with Prinny. If he is refusing to lend his support then all will be for naught.”

“The plan will fail.” Samantha echoed what he himself knew to be true.

“Which means we must leave.” He hated defeat. More so when he brought it upon other people. But now was the time to be smart, not stubborn. They could not afford to linger. “Thank you. All of you. For trying to help me and my wife. I am indebted to each and every one of you.”

“A debt that will likely be hard for us to collect on,” Fitzherbert muttered, “seeing as you will no doubt be in France.”

Adrian prayed that was where he would soon find himself. If not, he’d probably be back in a cell awaiting another attempt at his execution. He dipped his chin. “My location might complicate matters a little, but that doesn’t mean I’d be without influence. Should you ever need to pressure someone, I can provide the information you need in order to do so.”

“How do we reach you?” Lee inquired.

“I’ll contact Elks, my butler, as soon as I’m settled. He’ll pass the information along.” Adrian swept the length of the table with his gaze, taking care to look each of the men who’d gathered around it straight in the eye. “Thank you for the service you and your forefathers have provided.”

Everyone stood, including Adrian and Samantha. A solemn moment of silence passed, then Adrian stepped away from the table and started collecting his things. They didn’t have time to waste. Hell, they’d already lost three days on the child smugglers and this debacle.

His heart hurt. Having to give up on finding the man responsible for Evie’s death and abandoning the revenge he’d meant to seek against Hillford pained him the most. Both men deserved to pay for what they’d done. Anything less was unconscionable. And Hillford would have been easy to deal with.

Briefly, he considered asking another favor of the men who lingered, only he’d already asked too much. Perhaps later, another way would present itself. Right now, he had to focus on getting Samantha and himself to safety.

She already stood by the door, a saddle-bag slung across each shoulder, ready to leave. He grabbed the remaining bags and strode to where she waited before turning and seeking out Murdoch. “Tell Kendrick I’m grateful for his efforts as well, should your paths happen to cross.”

The former constable had surprised him in the end by proving to be more reasonable than Adrian had believed him capable of last week.

Murdoch nodded and Adrian opened the door for Samantha. She preceded him into the musty hallway beyond, the glow from the torches in holders on the wall lighting the way. Their footfalls were rough against the dirt floor, the moisture clinging to the stone walls permeating the air with dampness.

They continued toward the steps leading up to the hatch. Were almost there when several thuds reached them from overhead. Samantha froze so abruptly Adrian bumped into her, one hand catching her by the arm to keep her from stumbling.

The hatch was thrown back. Adrian drew Samantha against his chest, his hold on her tightening as he prepared to shove her behind him. Staring upward through the poorly lit darkness, he tried to determine whether the new arrival was friend or foe. To be safe, his free hand retrieved the pistol he kept in his pocket.

One foot landed firmly upon the top step. Samantha held herself perfectly still. The only sound of her presence were her low breaths. Torchlight flickered overhead as the man began descending into the stairwell. Adrian held his pistol firmly in his grasp, ready to fire.

A few more steps brought the man’s full body through the hatch and his torch along with him, light blooming in the darkness and casting a glow upon the man’s face. Kendrick.

Adrian released a tight breath and relaxed his stance. “You’re back.”

Kendrick paused, as though surprised to discover he wasn’t alone. He continued his descent at a steady pace, reaching them within the next few seconds. “I apologize for the delay. It could not be helped.”

“We thought you wouldn’t return.” This from Samantha who’d stepped out of Adrian’s grasp. “What happened?”

“The Prince Regent has gone to Bath,” Kendrick informed them.

“Information you must have had several hours ago.” It was as Adrian feared, then. He would have appreciated learning about it sooner.

“Not as recently as you might think. Eldridge and Moorland did not arrive at The Morning Post until after midnight. Turns out, they managed to find a way to make your plan work without Prinny.”

“How?”

“They assembled The Hanging Cabinet.” Kendrick reached inside his jacket pocket and withdrew a folded sheet of paper, which he offered to Adrian. “Felicitation. You have your pardon, Mr. Croft. Your wife is also relieved of all charges against her.”

Samantha sucked in a breath at the same time as Adrian lost his own. It couldn’t be that simple, could it? His fingers trembled as he took the paper from Kendrick, air rushing into his lungs the moment he held it beneath the torchlight and read the words that were written upon it. Incredulity burst through his limbs. He glanced at Samantha, then at Kendrick. “Eldridge sought the prime minister’s help.”

“It was the only way,” Kendrick murmured. “But it came at a cost.”

Adrian stared at him, already dreading the answer to the question he now had to ask. Of course Lord Liverpool would use this to his advantage. It was what Adrian would have done. A price owed in return for a favor. And the favor Liverpool had granted him was no small thing.

“What does he want?” The words were forced from a dry throat and pushed across his tongue with no small amount of determination.

Kendrick didn’t so much as blink. “The rest of your files. And the assurance that you will no longer attempt to influence anyone.”

A knot formed deep in Adrian’s gut. He should have expected this. Even from the Prince Regent himself, he should have been ready for such a demand. Yet he’d been so caught up in how useful his warning would be and where ignoring it would surely lead, he’d not considered having to offer anything more.

He stared at Kendrick. “In other words, I am to relinquish my power.”

“A suggestion no doubt made by you,” Samantha told Kendrick.

“Don’t be absurd. I didn’t even meet with Liverpool. Eldridge did.” Kendrick looked Adrian squarely in the eye. “He’s the one who struck the bargain on your behalf.”

Samantha scoffed and crossed her arms. “I find it curious that he’s requesting the one thing you have been after all along.”

“So you admit the files you gave me were incomplete?” Kendrick stared at Samantha.

“Only a fool would admit anything to the likes of you,” she said.

“She does have a point,” Adrian said, though it probably didn’t matter.

“Need I remind you that I no longer work for Bow Street?” An added edge to Kendrick’s voice, underscoring a hint of frustration. “Consequently, I do not follow the chief magistrate’s orders. And even if I did, I was told to abandon my quest for the files.”

“A request we know you chose to ignore,” Samantha snapped as she stepped forward, closer to Kendrick, her body poised as though on the verge of attack.

Adrian placed a hand on her shoulder and pressed down firmly until she retreated. He served Kendrick a sharp look.

The man raised his chin, the torchlight casting the left side of his face in shadow. “Until it became clear to me that I was being used, much as you were by Harlowe, Mrs. Croft.”

“Our situations are entirely different,” Samantha seethed.

“Are they?”

Not a subject Adrian wanted to linger upon when all it did was remind him that his wife had pursued him with every intention of being his downfall. Even though circumstances had changed, the reminder both pained and angered him.

“You ensured his arrest,” Samantha said. “An act that led to that mockery of a trial and the sentencing that followed.”

“Yes, but—”

“Enough,” Adrian snapped. “It does not matter why Liverpool wants the files. Only that he does.”

“You cannot hand them over,” Samantha told him. “Not after all you have done to protect them.”

“The pardon will be revoked,” Kendrick said, “should you refuse to meet this request. You will be imprisoned again and forced to face a new trial. Meanwhile, your wife will be tried as a traitor to the Crown for her change in allegiance.”

In other words, his back was to the wall. The choice he faced wasn’t really a choice at all. Not when his wife’s life hung in the balance, when he had yet to fulfil his promise to Evie, or when there were men like Hillford who had to be dealt with.

Samantha deserved stability and the comfort of a home. It was what he wanted for her and for himself. Domesticity. Besides which the other goals would be impossible to achieve if he fled. Especially the one that was closest to his heart since the man responsible for Evie’s death would surely be found in Society. To uncover his identity, he’d have to return there, regardless of the cost.

“I appreciate your help in this matter, Kendrick.” Adrian straightened his spine, feet planted in a solid stance. “Please inform Lord Liverpool that the files will be delivered to him by tomorrow evening at the latest.”

“Adrian,” Samantha implored.

“I give my word,” he added. For although the files contained information gathered through generations, they would not stand between himself and the life he desired, nor the vengeance he sought.