Page 21 of The Devil Himself (The Devil You Know #1)

Twenty

A fter they retired from the Beechwood ball, where Rys, Luc, and Julian had stirred up as much gossip as they possibly could, they made their way to the Devil’s Playground.

There they would be able to have better brandy than Beechwood had been willing to share.

They needed to wait for Arthur’s next move.

“I imagine that is where Daffyd will come to find us,” Rys told them.

Luc snorted. “Seems like a reasonable assumption, considering that you would never go to White’s or Boodle’s or one of the copper hells like they would. Why should you when you have your own club to retreat to?”

“Precisely.” Julian beamed at them. “I think this was a good night’s work, gents.”

“It certainly was entertaining.” Luc peered at them in turn. “I’m not sure I understand the logic of it still.”

Rys’s booted foot touched his where it rested on the floor of the carriage.

“While I might have chosen a less fantastical way about it, I think I understand the method to Julian’s madness.

If Arthur and Daffyd are preoccupied with this duel business, they’re not going to be chasing Hannah, or carting her off to Gretna Green, or running off after Gareth.

And if they decide that they’re going to make a desperation play rather than engaging in the duel, then our men will tell us, and we’ll be able to catch them in the act of trying to do something utterly nefarious, which we’ve been waiting for. ”

“Good point.” Although something about this made him wickedly uncomfortable.

Not that he thought that Arthur could kill Julian in a duel.

Rys’s brother had terrible reflexes from years of drinking.

His hands shook. The fellow might be good at long distance while hiding on top of a balcony or another carriage or some such, but he was not going to be a solid candidate to win a duel standing only thirty paces away from his opponent and looking in their eyes. He was a coward.

The problem was that Luc did think that Daffyd and Arthur were now desperate men, and desperate men did reckless and stupid things.

They had already shot him and stabbed Rys, but those had been the actions of men who simply wanted to get any impediment out of the way of enacting their plan to marry Hannah off to Daffyd and possibly kill Gareth later on.

This now threatened to escalate into them just killing everyone immediately and trying to brazen out the consequences.

But perhaps he was attributing far too much bravery to them.

Mayhap they would just slink off to the continent and try to take as much money with them as possible when they left.

“You don’t like it,” Jules stated, tapping his fingers on the seat next to him. “I can tell by the look in your eyes. I know you too well, Luc.”

Rys studied him. “Are you worried about Julian getting hurt? I will not actually allow it.”

Julian spread a hand on his chest just over his heart. “My hero.”

Luc rolled his eyes at their antics. “No, I’m far more worried that now they’re going to try to take Hannah and just kill her, or that they will set fire to your club or something incredibly idiotic. They’re not exactly organized criminals, are they?”

Rys spread his hands, shoulders rising and falling.

“Not terribly, but I think that we have to force them to do something. To make a move that we can catch them at, and therefore either send them off to gaol or transport them to Australia. Anything to be rid of them for good.” The flat hardness of Rys’s voice came as no surprise.

There was no love lost between him and his brothers with good reason.

Julian inclined his head. “That’s what we discussed, and this was the best idea I could come up with.” Then Julian gave him an impish smile. “Well, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t come up with it. Not entirely.”

Luc raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t like the idea of someone else being brought in on their scheme. “Who did you talk to?”

“Never fear, my friend. I spoke to Deacon Collingsworth since he had already been brought in on this, and he had people out there watching for us, as well. The ladybird at his club who often sees your brother, Rys, told Deacon that one of the best ways to deal with Daffyd and Arthur was to call their bluff. She noticed such when they gambled on the many occasions when she saw them together.”

“That fits with how they were as children. If they could bluff and bully, fine, but if one confronted them, they folded.” Rys tapped his fingers on his leg, his tension so much more obvious than he normally allowed.

“So now we wait. First, see if Daffyd comes to the club to confront us over acting as your seconds, Julian. I’ll also put a few more men out there on the streets to see what Arthur and Daffyd are up to if they fail to come see me.

I feel like we’re not getting enough updates on their movements. ”

“Collingsworth already sent out another cadre of his best men. I think he likes the idea of you owing him a favor, Rys. Either that or he actually counts you a friend. And I like to wheedle things out of him.” Julian chuckled lightly, peering out the window of the carriage.

“Almost there. I intend to find myself a comfortable couch at the club and have a nap. It’s been a very industrious day for me. ”

Luc smacked Julian’s arm. “You are the laziest bastard I know.”

“Indubitably.” Julian took the words as if they were praise. “I pride myself on being completely useless.”

They all laughed at that, but Jules did separate from them immediately when they arrived at the Devil’s Playground, hieing off to find Harris and ask for a private room where he could have a brandy and take his boots off. His job was done until the dawn meeting in a full day from this moment.

Luc and Rys, on the other hand, stayed on the gambling floor, waiting to see what would happen, whether or not Daffyd would arrive to make the arrangements for the duel.

They waited several hours, playing whist with a couple of acquaintances of Luc’s and watching the floor. Just when he thought nothing was going to come of their business for the evening, Rys’s brother Daffyd arrived rather more quietly than Luc expected.

There was no striding in and blustering, chest out, face red because he’d been drinking liquid courage. Daffyd slunk into the club, shoulders rounded, his face down, his eyes peering out from under his eyebrows as if he couldn’t quite lift his head.

“That is not the look of a man who is full of bravado, is it?” Rys murmured. Their companions glanced up, taking Daffyd in. All of them had heard about what had happened at Beechwood’s ball. “Shall we leave you the table, gentlemen?” one fellow asked.

“Please. We appreciate it.” Rys passed each one of the men a small packet of pound notes for their trouble, and they gathered their things and left Luc and Rys sitting, waiting for Daffyd.

Daffyd sidled over to the table and fell into a chair with none of his usual dramatic flair. In fact, he appeared exhausted.

“He’s not going to meet Warrington, you know,” he said by way of hello.

“Is he not?” Rys raised an eyebrow, seemingly cool and utterly emotionless, his gray eyes gleaming with calculation.

Luc had to admire him for it because he knew that inside, Rys had to be seething.

This whole situation was excruciating, even though Rys never let on.

It had to be to see one’s family tearing themselves apart like a pack of wolves. Again.

“No. He’s going to kill Gareth.”

Luc started to pop up out of his seat, but Rys grabbed him and pulled him back down. “Explain to me exactly what you mean. No prevarication.” It was a clear demand. “We have men watching him, and they’ve sent no word.”

“I would imagine that’s because Arthur’s putting about the rumor that he’s leaving for the continent in order to avoid the duel.

Then he plans to try to shake your men so he may go down to school and kill Gareth outright.

I tried to convince him—” Daffyd cut off, shrinking into himself.

“I would never hurt Gareth. I swear. I just wanted to marry Hannah to control the money.”

Now Rys did stand. “When did he leave?” His tone was deadly quiet.

“He has a two-hour head start on you, and he’s on horseback. He did have to pretend to head for the coast, so that will slow him down.”

Rys slammed his hand down on the table, the sound cracking like a shot, cards and coins jumping. He leaned forward to put his face near Daffyd’s. “Damnation. Why didn’t you come and tell us about this before now?”

“Because I didn’t have the courage.” Daffyd spread his hands.

“I may have conspired with him to marry Hannah and take over the boy’s fortune, but I swear to you, Rys, I had nothing to do with Angelsey getting shot or you getting stabbed.

I didn’t know that he had arranged that.

I suspected, and I should have said something to you, but it suited my purposes.

I thought it would make you stop digging into this whole affair.

After all, why would you? You didn’t care for Owen any further than I did. ”

“No. You have that backward. Owen didn’t care for me any more than you did.

But he was my brother, and his son has no choice in all of this.

You have until the time I get back to Town to be gone for good, whether to the continent or one of the colonies.

I don’t care, but if I know that you’re still in England, I will track you down, and I will kill you. ”

Luc felt a chill run up his spine, because this was the Devil Himself speaking. Rys meant every word.

Daffyd didn’t even question that. He simply nodded, his gray gaze so like Rys’s, haunted. He stood, giving them a half bow. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry.”

“Get out of my sight,” Rys told him.

Daffyd turned on his heel and strode away.

“Harris!” Rys’s voice cut through the din of the gaming floor.

Rys’s second-in-command appeared like smoke. “What is it? I saw your brother.”

“Arthur is on the road. He intends to kill my nephew.”

Harris frowned. “The men report he’s on his way to the coast.”

“It’s a decoy. I need fast horses so we can get on the High Road and get to Gareth. I promised I would keep him safe.”

Harris nodded sharply. “I’ll have them brought from the mews.” He was gone in a heartbeat.

Rys turned to him. “I’ll pack us a bag. Are you ready to ride?”

His evening finery be damned. Luc was indeed set on getting to Gareth before Arthur did. “I’m ready.”

It looked as though Julian had been right. This little scheme of theirs had forced Arthur’s hand, and now they were the only things standing between Arthur and what he wanted. They would make damned sure he didn’t get it.