Page 2 of Miss Thornfield’s Daring Bargain (The Troublemakers Trilogy #1)

Thornfield House

London, May 1851

B righton. Ada stared at the letter in her hands from Regina inviting her to accompany her, her parents—the Captain and Mrs. Mason—and Elodia to the seaside for a mini break and sea bathing. According to Regina, her parents had offered the invitation as a way to make up for the fact that she wouldn’t be able to fully partake in the season.

Ada had never been to Brighton, and the idea of sea bathing sounded wonderful. She knew better than to ask her brother to take her. She didn’t know if it was due to their parents dying in a shipwreck or too many storms at sea when he went to China with their father, but Zhenyi hated the ocean and staying by the seaside. If she was lucky and he was feeling generous, however, she could get his permission to go without him. After all it wasn’t as if she would be unchaperoned. She looked down at the letter again and reread it. It said they were leaving the day after tomorrow. It had arrived yesterday…

Damn, they were leaving tomorrow. Regina had her own strategy for her parents and it tended towards ambush. Ada rolled her eyes and headed from the family sitting room to her brother’s study. He’d need to be distracted or in a good mood for him to give his permission on such short notice.

She peeked around the open door and saw him perched on the large oak desk, reading a letter. He was a handsome man, from his high cheekbones and wide heavily lashed eyes to his olive toned skin and the wealth of dark hair he always wore a touch too long. His slim, elegant frame was clothed in a dark green brocade waistcoat and a snow-white shirt with a copper paisley cravat and fitted brown trousers. As usual his jacket was missing.

He wasn’t frowning, which was usually a good sign. The sweet faced sister approach would likely be effective. She clasped her hands behind her back and walked towards him.

“Brother,” she asked in their mother’s language, Mandarin. They always spoke it whenever they were alone together. He hummed in acknowledgement, but his eyes didn’t move from the paper. “Do you have a moment?”

“Exactly a moment, I’m meeting Basil for lunch.”

His friend from school? She remembered a skinny boy with kind blue eyes. “Oh, that’s nice.”

“What is it A’Wei?” he asked. She was always A’Wei to him. His mèimei. Never Adelaide or Ada.

“May I go with Ellie and Gigi to Brighton?”

That earned his attention for a moment as he glanced up at her. “Brighton?”

“Yes, Gigi’s parents are taking her, and they’ve extended an invitation to Ellie and me.”

“Captain Mason certainly has a strong constitution if he is able to cope with all of you,” Zhenyi commented, moving around to sit behind his desk.

Ada flopped heavily into a chair fighting back waves of irritation. No one was more infuriating than her brother when he was in the mood to tease.

“It is certainly true what the poets say, sister,” he continued as he opened the tome of a ledger and flipped to the marked page. “Nothing is lighter than a woman.”

She pulled an unladylike face at him, and he smiled knowingly although his eyes stayed on his book. He always knew too much as if he could see everything. “You have no reason to say ‘no’, Gigi’s parents will be there.”

“Silly girl, I don’t need a reason,” he replied giving her a pitying look.

“You said that you were going on a trip in a few days. I’m twenty years old after all, there is no reason for me to stay here by myself.”

“It’s unseemly for a young girl to be so out and about. Aren’t you all meant to be quiet and unseen?” he asked, opening a second letter.

She rolled her eyes, “Not in the middle of the season, brother.”

“If you are in your season, then why are you running away to Brighton?”

“Well Gigi already has a fiancé, and we want to keep her company because she is in low spirits.” He didn’t comment on that. “You’re meant to be escorting me around. Why are you leaving me behind?”

“Because with a personality such as yours, getting you married will be expensive,” he replied glibly, and her mouth dropped open in outrage. Just as she was about to retort, he frowned and rose to his feet slowly, eyes fixed on the paper in front of him. “I have to go.”

“But what about Brighton?” she asked as he grabbed his dark brown jacket from the back of his chair and started for the door. “Zhenyi!” she cried, stomping her foot in exasperation. He paused in the doorway and turned slowly, a disconcertingly stern look on his face.

“Come here to me,” he said evenly. Ada watched him for a moment, wondering if he was playing a trick on her. She’d lost count of the times he’d made her believe he was angry just to get her to concede quickly. He tilted his head expectantly and lifted one eyebrow. There was no humor in those dark eyes, or the sharp angles of his face. No, he wasn’t joking this time. Other than being her elder, Zhenyi was her guardian. Their mother would never have countenanced her disrespecting him by calling him by his name, especially their family name, but he was goading her on purpose.

Perhaps she had gone too far. It was never easy to tell with him.

Ada clasped her hands behind her back and walked over to stand before him, her eyes fixed on the floor. His hands came up and a moment too late she realized his intent. He cupped her face in both his palms and pressed her cheeks firmly between them. She cried out, her hands grabbing on his wrists futilely as his frown deepened comically. Damn.

“What did you call me?” he asked.

“Let go!” she cried out, her speech garbled. She had always hated when he did this even as a child. He’d grab hold of her face and squeeze it or pinch her cheeks until she conceded.

“Answer me first, think it over well.” He exerted a touch more effort.

“Zhenyi, I called you Zhenyi,” she muttered.

“And what am I to you?” he raised one imperious eyebrow.

“My brother, you’re my elder brother!” she cried.

He released her face and gave her a smug nod. “That’s correct.”

She frowned at him and cupped her tender cheeks in her palms while she pouted. “I hate when you do that.”

“And you never see it coming,” he replied with a wistful sigh. “Can Miss Mason take you to the concert tonight?”

“Are you not coming?” she asked, still holding her face.

“I’ll have to meet you there, sister, there is something I need to see to first.”

“Is something wrong?” she glanced at the letter in his hand.

“Nothing to worry you. I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding; I’ll have it cleared up in no time.” He kissed her forehead and patted her hair in a gentle loving gesture.

“Alright.”

“And you may let Miss Mason know that you will be joining her at Brighton,” he added with a wink.

She smiled and nodded, finally dropping her hands. He was a pest and a brat but he was still the best brother in the world.

She followed him to the door and watched as he jogged down the front steps. He gave her a small wave and a smile once he reached the street, a tradition of theirs, before setting off at a brisk pace.

When he never joined her at the concert hall that night, she imagined his work had kept him away. Normally he sent notes when he would be late or absent, but she decided that it wasn’t a true cause for alarm.

When Ada woke up the next morning, she began packing for Brighton. She hadn’t been sea bathing in years, not since before her parents passed away. She missed the crisp, salty sea air and the immensity of the cool water. Mostly she was excited about the uninterrupted time with her two school friends Elodia and Regina. Ever since that first meeting at school they had indeed stuck together as Headmistress Pollitt had suggested. The result had been a true friendship that continued to be a source of comfort and joy even now, years later. If they tended to get into trouble upon occasion due to a shared determination to reject the unavoidable judgments of society, well, then… that was fate.

After picking out the clothing she planned to wear, she went downstairs to breakfast. Her brother never made an appearance, but that in and of itself was nothing to be alarmed about either. She didn’t know when he’d arrived the night before. He was a grown man of thirty-two, and a bachelor despite his care with her.

It wasn’t until she was dressed in her Prussian blue travel costume and waiting next to her trunks that news came in the form of the mill’s foreman, Mr. Trent. He had been the foreman at the main branch of Durant Mills since before Ada was born.

He was introduced by the footman as she waited in the front receiving room, named the ‘Plum Room’ for the hand-painted plum blossoms on the wallpaper.

From his average height, pale grey eyes, and brown hair to the brown suit he wore, Mr. Trent was a familiar sight for Ada. As a little girl, whenever her father would bring her to visit the mill, Mr. Trent would always give her candies, or carry her whenever she grew too tired to keep up with their long legs. He’d been more of an uncle to her then her father’s younger brother, Uncle Simon, who had never made a secret of his dislike and resentment of Ada, Zhenyi and their mother.

“Good afternoon to you, Miss Thornfield,” he said as he entered, and she rose to greet him.

“And to you, Mr. Trent. I thought you were overlooking things in Cheshire. To what do I owe this surprise?”

“Begging your pardon, Miss, but I’m looking for the master.”

“Richard?” Outside of their home and family he was always Richard, the name their father had given him. Only she and their mother called him Zhenyi, just as only he and their mother had called her A’Wei or Xiuwei.

“Aye, I was wondering if you’d seen him since yesterday.”

“I haven’t,” she replied before meeting the eyes of the footman. “Thomas, did Mr. Thornfield return as yet?”

“Not since yesterday, Miss,” he replied gravely.

At those words, a knot formed in Ada’s stomach. Missing an engagement was one thing, but not returning home was another. Their parents had died at sea on a journey they’d taken several times. Since then, Zhenyi always made a point of making his location known. “Thank you, Thomas,” she said before turning back to Mr. Trent. “What do you know?”

“I was supposed to meet him, Miss, but I saw him get snatched up and thrown into a carriage.”

“That is not possible.” Ada fought back a bubble of incredulous laughter.

“I’m telling you, Miss. He came out of a tea shop, and I saw them take him.”

With every word the knot tightened further. Snatched and taken away with no one to help him. How had her brother fallen into such a situation? “People don’t simply get snatched off the street. Why didn’t you go to the police with this, Mr. Trent?”

“I thought someone could be having a laugh, so I wanted to check if he’d made it home.”

She couldn’t process that chain of logic. Richard didn’t have many friends and none of them were the type to do such a thing as a joke. “Are you telling me that my brother was kidnapped at midday in the middle of London and the first person to bring me word of it was you?”

“I can only tell you what I saw, Miss.”

Ada collapsed onto the chair as her entire body went numb. “I cannot…” she kept shaking her head. “This cannot be real. It cannot be. Grown men do not simply get snatched up like a parcel.”

“London is a dangerous place, Miss. It happens more often than you’d think.”

“I have to go to the constabulary.”

“No, Miss. What you want is a runner. I’ll look into it on your behalf, Miss. It’s not good for the likes of you to be over there.”

“But the constable—”

“People like this always get spooked by a copper; it could make ’em desperate and master will pay the price.”

Pay the price? Ada could feel the blood drain from her face. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Best to play it safe, Miss. I’ll take care of this, and I’ll let you know what happens.”

“Miss Hawthorne is here to see you, Miss,” the footman announced before Elodia strode in, resplendent in a cobalt blue and cream traveling costume, her thick, dark curls twisted into a low chignon under her hat.

She took one look at Ada and the smile on her face melted away. “Ada, what on earth is the matter?” she walked past Mr. Trent and sat beside her on the settee, taking her hands in her own. “Your hands are like ice.”

Ada pressed her forehead to Elodia’s shoulder hoping her brain would stop spinning. It was like a nightmare. How had she ended up all alone? “Ellie, it’s unimaginable. Richard has been taken.”

“Taken?” The word was like the crack of a whip. Ada lifted her head and saw the alarm settling over Elodia’s face.

“Aye, Miss, he was taken only yesterday,” Mr. Trent chimed in.

Elodia stared at her in stunned silence, her mouth opening and closing against words that wouldn’t come. “Taken by whom? The Faeries?” she finally asked incredulously.

“Some thugs in a carriage. They threw him in and drove off.” Taking him to God only knew where with no doubt the worst of intentions. Zhenyi wasn’t a helpless man, but he was still only one person against who knew how many.

Elodia blinked in disbelief and looked over at Trent. “I can’t believe this. Random kidnappings in the middle of the street? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“He’s a wealthy man, Miss. There’s a lot of people who’d take advantage if they saw a good opportunity.”

“And you are?” Elodia asked, watching him carefully.

“Trent, Miss. Mr. Donald Trent.”

“He’s the foreman at our main silk mill, Ellie,” Ada said.

“I see.” She turned to Ada again. “What is being done to recover Richard?”

“Mr. Trent is going to engage a runner to track him down,” Ada said.

“Not Scotland Yard? Why are they there in heaven’s name?”

“Safer with a runner, Miss. Can’t have them getting spooked,” Trent said.

Elodia watched him for a long moment, an inscrutable expression on her face before turning to Ada, “I think you should come home with me, Ada.”

“I can’t leave now! What if Richard comes back? What if—”

“Consider this: the men who took your brother must have known that he was worth a good deal of money. If they know that, then they could know about you. You should be with friends. Your bags are already packed, just come home with me and stay until we know more.”

“Do you think your father would mind?”

“Not if he knew the truth.”

The truth. With her protector gone the viscount wouldn’t waste any time contacting her Uncle Simon. The one person whose clutches she dreaded the most. They’d avoided him for most of Ada’s childhood and had never given them a reason to change that habit. “I wouldn’t want him to know the truth, Ellie. Mr. Trent doesn’t think we should do anything to tip-off anyone, and your father might raise an alarm. I can’t risk my brother.”

“What do you think then?” Elodia took Ada’s hand, silently urging her to keep calm.

“Where were you off to, Miss?” Trent asked.

“Brighton,” Elodia replied.

“I’d go if I was you.”

“I can’t go to Brighton with my brother missing!” Ada replied, her eyes burning with tears. The helplessness and fear were building into a wave that threatened to overwhelm her at any moment. Everything inside her was screaming to go to the police, but what if Trent was correct? What if Trent was wrong and she wasted precious time? As an unmarried young woman of twenty, what could she even do in the end?

“Business as usual is best. By the time you come back, I’ll have more for ya.”

“You can’t stay here alone, Ada. Come with us. It won’t be for long.” Elodia squeezed her hand gently. “There’s nothing to be done until we know more.”

“Perhaps you could stay with your uncle, Miss. Until we know more. He’s in town for the season and I’d be happy to escort you there. It’s good to be with family at a time like this.”

The idea of Brighton was no longer as scintillating as it had been even an hour ago, but the thought of being with Uncle Simon and her insufferable cousins was unbearable. She needed Elodia and Regina’s warmth and good humor, not Uncle Simon’s thinly veiled distaste, or heaven forbid, excitement over his possible good fortune. He’d want nothing else than to gain control over their family assets and remove Ada at a moment’s notice. And he certainly wouldn’t give a damn about finding Zhenyi. “Alright Ellie, I’ll go with you.”

“Excellent, I’ll have the footman put your things in the Tilbury,” Elodia replied before rising to her feet, “Good afternoon, Mr. Trent. I hope you are successful in your search.”

“I hope so too, Miss,” he replied giving her a small bow. He turned to Ada, “I’ll take my leave, Miss Ada.”

“Yes, of course, Mr. Trent,” she replied, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts at once. “Thank you for letting me know. And let’s keep this quiet for now. No need to alert my uncle to this situation for the moment.”

He smiled slowly. “No problem, Miss. You and master are like family to me.” He gave her a nod and left.

*

Giltspur Street Compter, Debtor’s Prison

London, May 1851

When Basil Thompson had started his week, he’d expected to catch up with his old friend, Richard Thornfield, for a light lunch and good conversation. Probably acquire some advice about his upcoming nuptials. He was a reasonable man. By all accounts he was considered even-tempered and rational in his approach to most things.

In this instant, however, he was ready to ram his fist through the smug guard’s face and see if he would smirk so much with half his teeth missing. Seeing Richard snatched up and carted off to Giltspur Street Compter debtors’ prison was one thing, but the utter lack of due process was another. He’d followed closely behind, hoping to get a chance to speak to Richard and get an idea of what was happening, but his entry had been barred by this smug fucking jackass for the last three days.

“Let me in,” he repeated, keeping his voice as level as possible. Richard always teased him about his tendency towards condescension whenever he was annoyed. If the man was going to help, the last thing Basil needed to do was talk down to him.

“Piss off, guv,” the man sneered back.

Breathe Basil. Breathe. “He has a right to visitors.”

“Not today he don’t.”

Maybe if he tried a different approach. “How much does he owe?”

“None of your business.”

“I’m making it my business, you arrogant little shit.”

“He stays ’ere until I hear otherwise, and he gets guests when I say he do, and today he don’t. Got it?”

Basil stared at him for an enraged moment. What kind of debtor’s prison took new inmates without a court order or even a basic attempt at recovering funds for the injured parties? It didn’t make any sense. But he wasn’t going to get anywhere with this ingrate. His only chance was to wait until someone else was on shift. Someone less enraging. If that didn’t work he was prepared to take it to a magistrate himself. “I’ll be back.”

“And I’ll be here.”

Basil rolled his eyes and walked away a few steps, his mind racing over what to do. The idea of Richard being in debt was ridiculous, but he was a proud man. Was it possible he had kept it to himself? It wasn’t as if Basil was better off than he was. If Richard couldn’t pay the debt, Basil sure as hell couldn’t make a dent in it himself, but if it had come this far there would have been no way to keep it a secret. Magistrates would have been involved, to say nothing of the newspapers and scandal sheets. Richard was many things, but careless wasn’t one of them. Durant Mills had existed in one way or another for centuries from the arrival of the first Huguenot refugees in England. The Thornfield name in the textile manufacturing business had been around for well over a century. Richard’s pride alone would ensure his scrupulousness with his family legacy.

“Mr. Thompson?” he heard a voice call him.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw the foreman of Durant Mills, Mr. Trent. “Mr. Trent, are you here for Richard?”

“For master?” He tilted his head in confusion.

“Yes.” Had he not noticed that Richard had been missing the last few days? Richard had been bouncing between Durant and Thornfield House for weeks with the new changes he’d been pushing with housing for the workers. He’d been due for a visit within the last few days.

“The master ain’t here, Lad.” The older man shook his head with a small smile.

Basil blinked for a moment in confusion. “I saw them bring him through those doors.”

“You’re mistaken.”

Basil turned and pointed to the guard who was watching them with interest. “Go and ask that smirking little shit over there, ask him if he’s holding Richard Thornfield.”

“All right, Lad, settle down.” Trent patted Basil on the shoulder and ambled over to the guard. They exchanged a few words before Trent heaved a deep sigh and walked back over to Basil. “He said he ain’t ever heard of him.”

Basil saw red. “You little fucker!” he cried charging forward. Trent grabbed hold of him, yanking him back from the gate as the city guards patrolling the street took an interest. Never heard of him? What the fuck was he playing at?

“Let it go, Lad. Let it go.”

He felt like he was losing his mind. Did he have the wrong prison? Had he been mistaken this whole time? No, that was impossible. The guard knew who Basil was talking about, but now he was claiming ignorance of his existence. What was happening here? “Richard is in there.”

“I believe ya, but we won’t get in like this. Let me handle it.”

The red haze cleared for a moment as Basil turned his attention back to Trent. At the end of the day, no matter how close Trent had been to the late Mr. Thornfield, Richard was only Trent’s employer, not his brother or friend. Basil wasn’t so na?ve as to imagine that professional loyalty translated into personal investment. The man was too calm by half. As if the news didn’t strike him as odd or even surprising. Basil’s suspicious nature was beginning to take hold. “You’ll get him out?”

“I have some connections here; I’ll work them and get more information on it. Then I’ll meet up with you and we’ll put our heads together.”

Far, far too calm . He hadn’t even blinked when he heard the news, as if it wasn’t a surprise to him at all. There was no sense of urgency in him to match his words. If he was trying to placate Basil and appear reassuring, he was failing spectacularly. “Why are you here then, Mr. Trent?”

“What?” The man blinked as if the question was confusing.

“If you aren’t here for Richard, who were you coming to visit?”

“No one, I was just passing by.”

It took every ounce of self-control Basil had to keep his growing suspicion from his face. Just passing by a debtor’s prison clear across town and far from where he lived or worked. Nothing suspicious there. “Ah, understood. A walk is good exercise I’m told.”

“Right you are, sir. It is must be providence that I found you here.”

Basil took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. Whatever had befallen Richard, Trent was almost certainly at the center of it. Who knew how long it would have taken for him to piece this together if he hadn’t seen him here? Basil wasn’t in a hurry to let him out of his sight, but he was very keen to keep every point of recourse squarely in his hands. Trent had made the first move, but Basil now had the element of surprise. Providence indeed. “You are right, I suppose. You’ll probably have more luck than I at this point.”

“Just leave it to me, sir.”

“Very good, Trent.” Basil tipped his hat and walked away, feeling the beady eyes of Trent burning into his back until he turned the corner. Then he stopped and backtracked until the gate to the prison was in view. He needed a visual confirmation of what he suspected. Trent was indeed speaking to the guard again, but this time they were far more friendly with each other. Then he patted the man on the back and walked through the gate.

Right… Basil turned and walked away. He needed reinforcements.