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Twenty-Eight

The look on Simon’s face confirmed what Dunn had said in her ear.

Simon was meant to lose .

She didn’t know why or how, but she knew that Brody had arranged for Simon to lose.

That night when he had cornered them in Whitechapel and taken Simon aside.

He must have told him then. Simon would lose and that’s why Brody would win so much.

The odds were on Simon winning. His loss would be a much bigger payout. It would likely be a fortune. But now…

“What happens now?” She couldn’t look away from Simon.

She couldn’t get over the feeling that this might very well be the last time she saw him.

That Brody would want him dead and he had the power to make such a terrible thing come to pass.

Everything in her revolted at that. She had not come this far to lose him now.

“Brody kills him.” Mr. Dunn spoke so matter-of-factly that she recoiled at the sound. Each word was a rock whipped right into the center of her heart.

“No.” There was so much she wanted to tell him, but they had run out of time. Stubbornly and stupidly.

The official got to his feet. This was it. He would call the fight now. He looked to Brody and his words were lost to the chaos of the night. No one around them needed to hear the words, not when Rouse’s crumbled form stayed on the ground and Simon stood there, hale and whole.

“We have to go to him.” She didn’t know if Mr. Dunn could hear her and she didn’t care. She darted through the men in front of her before Mr. Dunn could stop her. If Brody meant to harm the man she loved, he’d damned well have to go through her to get to him.

Simon saw her and he sprang into action, vaulting over the ropes to meet her.

Dimly, she was aware of the men on the risers on the opposite side jumping to the ground, but Simon had taken her arm and he was ushering her down the corridor with Mr. Dunn right behind them.

They ran outside and slammed the door behind them.

It was old and wooden and probably wouldn’t hold for long.

Mr. Dunn wrestled with a full barrel of something that sloshed as he moved it, the veins of his neck straining with the effort, and set it before the door, a temporary blockade.

Whoever followed them would have to take the time to either break down the door or wade through the mass of humanity that obstructed the front entrance.

It would buy them a little time; she hoped it was enough.

“You have to run away, Simon,” she said as they headed hand in hand down an alley.

Footsteps pounded on the cobblestones behind them. She didn’t know if it was ten or a hundred, friend or foe. It was like the warehouse had exploded and all the rats were escaping.

“No, I have to go to Daisy,” he said, not even looking at her. His head was on a swivel, looking for Brody’s men to hop out of the darkness.

“I’ll go to Daisy,” she said.

He kept running, not even running, really; he was measuring his steps to hers and she was slowing him down.

They turned down another alley. The whole place was a maze of them.

Grabbing his arm, she forced him to stop.

When he finally met her gaze, she said, “Listen to me. I’m slowing you down.

You have to get far away from Whitechapel.

I’ll get Daisy and take her home with me.

You go hide. Go to Leigh or Rothschild, but not back to Montague Club.

” Brody might be desperate enough to attack there, but he’d never be bold enough or foolish enough to infiltrate the residence of a duke or earl.

“It’ll be better if you and Daisy are not together.” This was from Mr. Dunn. He looked around as he spoke, scanning the shadows for threats. “Brody will want both of ye. Daisy can go there. You have to leave.”

Simon nodded. “If we separate, he’ll be forced to halve his men.”

“Yes, precisely,” she said with enthusiasm. “I swear to you that I’ll see to Daisy. I’ll keep her safe for you.”

A shadow came over Simon’s face. He caressed her cheek. “I can’t let you put yourself in danger, Angel.”

“For Chrissake, she already has, ye arse,” Mr. Dunn pointed out, and Eliza wanted to kiss him for being on her side, but she couldn’t look away from Simon.

Without another word, Simon leaned down and kissed her full on the mouth with the desperation they both felt. It was tender and rough and over far too soon.

“I love you,” she said, and something wonderful happened to his face. Even though they were on the run with certain death in their future if they were caught, a relief that was full of peace and deep affection came over him.

“Ye have to go. Now!” Mr. Dunn urged, breaking the spell.

“Here.” Eliza dug into her bodice and ripped out the coin purse she had pinned there. It might be all the money he would have. She pressed it into his palm, and he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

“Now go,” she said, fighting back the tears that burned her eyes.

He took a couple of backward steps, reluctant to leave her, but there was no other choice and they both knew it.

They couldn’t delay any longer. She hiked up her skirts and turned north to go to Daisy.

Mr. Dunn fell into step beside her as she had known he would.

Simon would want him to make certain his niece was safe.

A quick glance over her shoulder assured her that Simon had disappeared into the night. It was only then that she realized she had no idea where he might go. She sent up a silent prayer for his safety. In her heart she felt that they would be together again. She prayed that it would be true.

She sprinted as fast as she could, but it still seemed like it took hours to make the nearly two-mile trek.

She was gasping for air when they approached the brothel’s narrow street.

Remembering what Simon had said about a watchman, she searched the sidewalk and the rooftops as they approached.

It didn’t appear that anyone had spotted them.

There was no one running to approach them or running for help.

Hopefully, Brody had called all of his men to the warehouse for the brawl.

Several men loitered at the front door, but they seemed to be entertained by the two women flirting with them.

Mr. Dunn led her around the back. She thought they might knock, but he indicated she should stand back and he kicked the door open.

She flinched at the crack of splintering wood, but recovered quickly.

Mr. Dunn stepped inside to confront the irate cook, and Eliza understood why he’d kicked down the door.

The woman would never have let them in. No doubt the gray-haired woman Eliza had met would come to see what all the bother was about.

Eliza didn’t wait around to find out. She ran up the stairs and all the way to the attic.

The door was locked from the inside, so she was forced to knock. A sleepy Henrietta met her after the third time.

“I’m so very sorry for barging in like this.

” Eliza pushed her way inside and tried to keep her voice low.

“Mr. Cavell is in a bit of trouble and he asked me to come take Daisy home with me. You, too, if you’d like to come.

” Eliza found Daisy’s slight form on the small bed, still sleeping where Henrietta had left her when she awoke to open the door.

“But we aren’t allowed to leave. Mr. Brody—”

“I know. Mr. Cavell told me everything. I’m sorry, I don’t have time to explain it all properly, but Brody is angry and believes that Mr. Cavell betrayed him.

He’s had to run for his life and I have to take Daisy home to keep her safe from Brody.

Please come, too.” She shuddered to think what would happen to the girl when Brody found out that she’d let Eliza take Daisy, because Eliza wasn’t leaving here without the child.

Daisy woke up as the girl debated her options, roused by their voices. “Auntie Liza?” she asked, her voice soft and warm with sleep.

Eliza’s heart clenched. Simon must have been talking about her with Daisy.

“Daisy, I apologize for waking you, but I have good news. We are going on a very short trip to visit a lord and lady.” She decided in that split second that it would be best to take the girls to Lord Leigh’s residence.

Violet was close to Simon, and Lord Leigh was privy to some of Simon’s history; it would be easier to explain things.

She didn’t know if Brody had managed to figure out her real identity.

If he had, he very well might attempt to get Daisy back since Devonworth was out of the country and not there to stop him.

It wasn’t a chance Eliza was willing to take.

Daisy’s brow furrowed in uncertainty. “Will Papa be there?”

Eliza swallowed. “He’s not there yet, but I think he will be soon.” Please, God, don’t make that a lie .

Daisy smiled, but looked to Henrietta for confirmation.

“Please come,” Eliza said to her. “It will make things easier for Daisy and I promise that you will be well taken care of.”

Henrietta nodded, and the next several moments were a flurry of activity.

They had one small cloth bag and they filled it with all the things they wanted that they might never see again.

When they were packed, after Eliza had assured them both that there were clothes and books and food where they were going so they needn’t take it all, Eliza picked Daisy up and covered her with the small blanket that Henrietta said she didn’t like to be without.

Daisy put her head on her shoulder, her tiny hand patting Eliza’s back as if to assure her that everything would be fine.

Eliza tightened her hold on the small body in her arms, overcome with the same love she felt for Simon because this was his child.

They made their way down the steps to the back door.

Mr. Dunn had finished his argument with the cook, but had taken up arguing with the gray-haired lady.

They both fell quiet when the three of them appeared on the stairs.

“Get on with the lot of ye, then,” the lady spat out and stomped back to the front of the house.

The whole thing had taken probably five minutes, but Eliza kept expecting Brody to appear.

The alley was empty when they emerged. Mr. Dunn led them deftly through the twists and turns to the street where she and Simon had boarded the carriage from Montague Club.

They found a hansom, and somehow the four of them managed to squeeze inside.

They would be safe now. She only hoped that Simon was safe and had outrun Brody’s men.