Page 9 of Miss Thornfield’s Daring Bargain (The Troublemakers Trilogy #1)

A da would never admit to anyone that after Basil left, she’d stayed by the window with her nose pressed to the glass, watching him stride across the street. To say she was uneasy about staying with his parents under the circumstances would be a hideous understatement.

“Well then, Mrs. Thompson. I think it is high time we had a talk.”

Ada spun around to see Basil’s mother standing near the chair.

“You do take tea, I imagine?”

Ada stared at her for a moment, considering the absurdity of the question. Why wouldn’t she take tea? “I do. Thank you, my lady.”

“Have a seat, please.”

Ada walked back over to the sofa which now seemed too large without Basil. This entire house seemed to be too large without him taking up space beside her. A maid wheeled in a tea service and Ada braced herself for the inquest that was coming.

“When did you become acquainted with my son, Mrs. Thompson?”

“You may call me Ada, my lady.”

“Is that short for something?”

“Adelaide.”

“Then I shall call you that. I dislike nicknames. I find them too common.”

“I’ve known Basil since childhood, but it was always through my brother, Richard.”

“I remember your brother. I only met him a few times, but I suppose the unique is intrinsically memorable.”

Unique. It was a kinder way to refer to her than ‘alien’ or ‘strange’ but there was an unmistakable meaning there and it wasn’t altogether positive. “Yes.”

“If your brother attended Cambridge, then I take it you are accomplished yourself. Do you draw?”

“I do.”

“Watercolors?”

“Yes. And embroidery.”

“What about music? Which instruments do you play?”

“Piano and the guqin.”

“The what?”

Ada paused. Perhaps that was better left unsaid. “It’s a stringed instrument. It used to belong to my mother.”

“Ah. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it played before,” she paused. “Have you ever been to China, Ada? Your mother hailed from there, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve been there.”

“No, I’ve never been. My brother has a few times.”

“Goodness, that must be an arduous journey.”

“It is, from what he’s told me.”

“Have you ever wanted to go?”

“Yes. I’d want to meet my grandparents, my cousins.”

The viscountess paused and took a deep breath before she spoke again. “Family is important.”

“Yes.” Finally , Ada thought, some common ground .

“I imagine your brother is as dear to you as my child is to me.”

“He is.” More so.

“So, I will not begrudge the cost of this… escapade to my son or my family.”

How very kind of you. Ada didn’t speak, but her grip on her fingers tightened.

“Basil’s father will be less understanding. For your own sake, I suggest you take dinner in your room, I will speak to him tonight. He should be back around eight tonight for supper.”

“Agreed.”

*

Thames holding yards

London

Basil had never had great affection for London, but the smell of the Thames, especially at the Blackwell shipyard holding yards, was enough to make him want to set the whole city on fire. It was acrid and pungent all at once from the waste matter of a thousand-year-old city. He already knew that every stitch of clothing on his body would need to be burned. His stomach was roiling, and his body had long broken out into a queasy sweat, but he wasn’t about to leave before he had Richard. Ada’s eyes were constantly on his mind since he’d left her with his mother. The idea of going back to her empty-handed and seeing the worry and disappointment in her eyes was even more sickening.

Basil forced himself to breathe out of his mouth and stayed low as he moved across the muddy ground. Night had fallen hard in the time it took him to get from Ada to the rendezvous point with Leo. He wasn’t a sleuth by nature, but he’d hidden to avoid enough fights when he was a small, skinny child to know the basic rules: stay low, quiet, and as small as possible. Most of all, stay alert. It had also taught him patience. The moonlight and torch lamps cast shadows everywhere, and his dark clothing made it easier for him to stay hidden from any unfriendly watchful eyes.

He crouched by a fence and scanned the area. There were workers further down unloading barges but only a few on his side. This had to be where they were keeping Richard, but just because Basil couldn’t see the men didn’t mean they weren’t there. He needed to wait for Leo. His eyes strained in the dim lighting for a glimpse of the mark to indicate where they would meet. He had said it would be small and red. In retrospect, perhaps Basil should have sought more information. Red like a mark? Or a red ribbon? He could barely see anything as it was. A breeze floated by and something flickered up ahead near a wooden wall. Was that? Basil squinted, yes . Not flickering but fluttering. A red strip of cloth, barely visible near the dim light of a lamp. That was the mark. Only a few hundred yards away.

With a sigh of relief, he checked once more for people, then moved quickly and as quietly as he could manage. Once he reached the structure, he pressed his back against the side of the wooden building, keeping in the shadow it cast and making his way around to the tie. Now all he needed to do was wait for Leo. He didn’t know how long he stood there, it could have been minutes or hours, but every tick of his pocket watch seemed to set his nerves on edge.

Was he early? Was there a different mark he should have seen? What if Leo needed to hold off on the rescue and he’d missed the message? What if he was too late because his mother had forced him to stay back that extra fifteen minutes? He wasn’t sure what would happen if they ended up in a real altercation with a large group of kidnapping thugs. Their window for grabbing Richard was slim. While Basil could handle himself well enough in a fight provided it was quick and he threw the first punch, he wasn’t the largest of men, not to mention a notoriously poor shot. He did know how to take a hit and land a punch well enough provided it was one-on-one. What time was it? He pulled out his pocket watch and angled it towards the light, but before he could read the time, he saw the glint it set off. Fuck.

“Oy!”

He shoved the offending accessory into his pocket and backed away, crouching down in an attempt to remain hidden. A dark figure emerged from the shadows and came towards him.

Fuck. Fuck.

“You don’t work ’ere, what are you up to?” the gruff voice came.

Basil clenched his hand into a fist and straightened his legs, moving his feet shoulder width apart. One solid punch was all he needed to get away. He just needed to keep his head and pay attention to his opponent. Just as he was about to lunge at him, the man let out a grunt and hit the ground. Someone was behind the would-be assailant. Someone who had taken him out in one blow. Basil planted his feet and waited for what was likely to be the fight of his mostly sheltered life. The light shifted and he caught sight of hazel-brown eyes. The relief he felt was visceral.

“Kingston,” he murmured, fighting to stay standing on now gelatinous legs.

“All right, Bas?”

He heard the humor in his voice before he saw the corner of his mouth twitching. He’d be annoyed with that later, when his heart wasn’t trying to climb out of his chest. “Were you late or am I early?”

“Neither. I came ahead to get the lay of things. He’s in the third hall down; they left a few minutes ago.”

“Was Trent with them?”

“No, but they are coming back within the hour. We need to move.” Leo started to walk away but Basil grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“How is he?” He wasn’t sure why it mattered right now. They needed to move but he couldn’t get his legs to work.

“You know Richard,” Leo said rolling his eyes.

Basil smiled, relief flooding his chest. “Indeed.” No doubt their friend was giving those bastards an earful and a fistful at every opportunity. He wasn’t a man to surrender his dignity at any price, regardless of the circumstances. “Lead the way then.”

He followed Leo down to the hall in question, staying low and close by. Leo paused at the third door and shot the lock off before pushing the door open. A man lunged at them almost immediately. Or at least that’s how it seemed to Basil, who was on edge ready to strike out at the first person he couldn’t recognize. In truth, the unfortunate gentleman had simply fallen onto the ground. A quick peek revealed Richard standing in the middle of the room, impatiently removing a set of iron manacles from his wrists.

There were no fewer than three men strewn about the room on the earthen floor in varying states of injury. One was bleeding from the head, another from the nose, but both were unconscious. The third was groaning and trying to push himself to his feet until Richard walked over and swung the restraints down onto his head with ferocious accuracy. The sound of iron cracking against bone echoed throughout the room and the man went limp.

Richard straightened to his full height, his face set in a granite mask. The quiet fire in his brown eyes when he glanced at the door was enough to assure Basil that his friend wasn’t the worse for wear, despite the blood and bruises around his eyes.

“Good afternoon, Basil, Leo,” he said, his voice low and deceptively calm.

Leo chuckled and shook his head while Basil let out a sigh of relief. Ada would be overjoyed.

“Did you know we were coming?” Basil asked.

“No, but this idiot with the keys likes to drink.” Richard nodded at the head bleeder against a crate. “It was a matter of time really.”

“What was your plan for getting past the men outside?” Leo asked.

“I hadn’t gotten that far yet,” Richard replied evenly, “but it was probably going to be messy.”

“That’s one word for it,” Leo replied.

“Are you quite finished here?” Basil asked. Richard walked towards them, filthy, certainly fragrant, but full of vim and vigor. And stone-cold rage.

He aimed one vicious kick at the ribs of the man on the ground in the doorway, his face a mask of fierce satisfaction.

“Quite.”

Richard didn’t speak again until they were in a hired carriage on the way back to his home. Richard’s anger was a palpable thing filling the enclosure, despite the open windows. Basil and Leo watched him carefully from their seats, unwilling to move, waiting for the explosion. Basil had shared a room with him, but he’d never seen him in such a state. His dark hair was greasy and untidy, his sharp jaw was covered in a beard. It hadn’t taken long for Basil to understand that Richard wasn’t someone to trifle with, even when he was fifteen, but the man sitting across from him was almost terrifying. His stillness as he stared out the carriage window made it even more ominous.

“Where is Ada?” he finally asked. Basil saw Leo looking over at him with interest, but he refused to even glance his way. This conversation was bound to be awkward enough.

“She is safe.”

“I asked where,” Richard repeated, a tense edge to his voice.

“She is with my mother,” Basil replied, hoping he wouldn’t ask anything further.

Richard closed his eyes and let out a long breath, his hand clenching into a tight fist on his thigh before releasing it. “Why with your mother?”

“Because it was the last place anyone would look for her.” And because she’s my wife. Basil saw Leo raise his eyebrows and bit back a curse. Ada’s face floated into his mind, heart-achingly sweet and sad, desperate for hope, and terrified of being left alone.

When he glanced at Richard, his dark eyes were fixed on him expectantly, as if he was awaiting the full explanation. The heaviness of that stare had Basil’s palms sweating. In Richard’s current mood, there was no certainty he wouldn’t throw him out of the carriage once he knew. But there was still a slight chance he was either too distracted or too relieved to do it. In the end, he wouldn’t appreciate Basil playing games.

“There’s another reason. Ada and I… I married Ada a few days ago.”

“You what?”

“I haven’t done anything untoward.”

The stillness of Richard’s face was alarming. “You marry my sister without my permission and say you haven’t done anything untoward?”

“She didn’t really give him a choice,” Leo murmured.

“Shut up,” Basil hissed, and Leo covered the smile spreading across his face and looked away.

Richard frowned, “What?”

“Nothing. It is a marriage in name only. It was for her safety. She was concerned about your uncle being her guardian if we couldn’t find you. She seemed to think he would have less than honorable intentions towards both of you. It would be easier for her as a married woman to take control of things and ensure your safe return.”

Richard nodded again and turned away to look out the window, his gaze fixed intently on the passing streets and people. The silence stretched out for a few humming minutes before he took a deep breath. “Good. That’s good. Thank you, Basil.”

“You had to know I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.” At least he wasn’t in trouble for now.

“And you, Leo, thank you both for looking for me.”

“Don’t annoy me. It’s no more than you would do for either of us,” Leo replied easily, turning to face his window.

The answering smile from Richard was small but heartfelt. “True enough.”

“I’ve reported Trent to Scotland Yard. I have former colleagues on standby to take him in. What do you want to do, Richard?” Leo asked.

His answer would determine how soon the night would end. If Richard was content to see justice done, then Leo would see to it on his own. But judging by Richard’s mood, he would want to get a few kicks in first before allowing the law to do its work. Richard didn’t respond visibly at first. For a moment Basil wondered if Richard had heard Leo’s question, but then he saw one grimy finger with a ragged fingernail tapping a slow methodical cadence on his knee. The wheels in his head were churning away.

“I want a bath and a meal. In that order,” he said finally.

“And then?” Basil asked.

“I’m going to take that slimy little fucker apart.”