Page 22 of The Devil Himself (The Devil You Know #1)

Twenty-One

P ushing horses as hard as they were this late at night and on a road that was wet with rain and pocked with the tracks of thousands of carriages and wagons was dangerous at best, madness at worst. It didn’t matter. Rys had to make sure they caught up to Arthur.

On the good side, while Arthur had once been a good horseman, he was no longer in the condition to keep riding at a hard pace all night long.

Rys also felt certain that Arthur was under the impression Daffyd would never betray him and tell them where he was actually headed.

Arthur no doubt assumed Daffyd would make arrangements for the duel a full day hence, thus giving him all the time in the world to pluck Gareth off at Eton after turning away from the coast and losing Rys’s men.

He glanced at Luc, who rode beside him, greatcoat collar pulled up to shield him from the drizzle, hat tugged low. Steadfast, he never once complained about the miserable conditions, pushing just as hard as Rys to get them to Gareth fast.

Julian was dealing with everything in Town, heading to his aunt’s to keep watch over Hannah, just in case.

Harris had also sent a message to Deacon Collingswood, asking him to make sure that Daffyd got on a damn boat to somewhere from whence he would find it difficult to return.

Rys didn’t really want to have the responsibility of killing Daffyd.

If indeed Daffyd was telling the truth that he had not participated in the worst of Arthur’s crimes, he was well enough off leaving the country as long as he never returned. Then all bets were off.

On horseback, assuming it only took the normal four or five hours to reach Eton, they would arrive around dawn, and he would be able to contact Sauce Box Joe in order to help them deal with Arthur.

If they were lucky, Arthur would stop to rest at one of the coaching inns along the way, perhaps to trade horses.

Arthur would be riding one of his pricey thoroughbreds rather than a road horse who was more suited to carrying such weight and traveling at a steady pace.

Either way the urgency of the situation pulled at him.

Gareth was well protected; Rys knew he was, and yet he never would have thought that Arthur would have been able to shoot Luc right in front of his club or hire someone to stab him as he walked out his front door.

So Arthur was truly capable of murdering the boy in cold blood.

It had been a very long time since Rys had felt the need to protect anyone other than himself, and he was certain he didn’t care for the intensity of the feeling. But that did not matter right now.

What mattered was getting to Eton.

The rain picked up, beating down on them, forcing Rys to pull up on the reins. They had to slow in order to keep the horses from slipping. Even the tiny delay chafed at him, making his hands tighten on the reins and his horse dance beneath him.

As if reading his mind, Luc glanced over at him, his blue eyes looking silver in the night. “You know he will stop somewhere in this mess. He thinks he has until dawn tomorrow, and he’s too damn lazy and fond of his creature comforts.”

“Is he? Indeed, he always has been, but it doesn’t make it any easier. Everything in me is screaming to keep moving. I feel as though we’re missing something.”

Luc’s rich chuckle made him grin in return. The man made him happy, damn it all. “Luckily for you, I may be a fragile flower when it comes to getting shot, but I’m not when it comes to being out on the road in the rain.”

He snorted. “Have I ever said you were a fragile flower?”

“Oh, no, but Jules was happy to point out that you were stabbed, and you barely even noticed it, whereas I was grazed with a ball and I was under the weather for several days.”

“Now, love, I’ve been on the street since I was eighteen. This is not my first stabbing.”

Luc’s laughter stopped as if it had been cut off by a sword. “Yes, I’ve seen your scars, and I’m sorry for it. I hate that these things happened to you.”

“Why? You did not disown me.”

“I did nothing for you, either, and I knew you then. I could have helped.”

Rys scoffed at the very idea. “We were young. You weren’t that much older than me.

Not as old as Owen, even, but somewhere in between.

You were very busy being married and having a baby, and I wasn’t one to ask for help.

” He waved the hand not holding the reins in the air. “That’s water under the bridge, Luc.”

“I know. I do. Sometimes, I just think about it and wonder if I would have been able to do anything.”

“No. Had you helped me back then, we wouldn’t be equals now.” Being Luc’s equal was important to Rys. Neither of them was above the other when it came to their role in life. “I would be beholden to you, and we would never have found what we have together.”

Luc tilted his head, water sloshing off the brim of his hat. “I suppose that’s true.” His teeth flashed in a bright grin that was far more pleasant than the dreary night around them. “And I like what we found together.”

“Good. So do I.” They turned off on another road, and it seemed to be in better condition despite the rain, so Rys nodded to Luc. “Shall we pick up the pace?”

Luc just touched his heels to his horse’s side and broke into a canter once more.

Rys followed, and while he was still feeling the urgency riding him, knowing that they needed to get to Gareth, there was something about Luc’s admission that made him incredibly pleased. Warming him despite the cold rain.

He was sure the feeling was ridiculous, but that didn’t matter at all. What did matter was that Luc seemed to feel the same way.

By the time they reached Eton, Luc was sore, utterly bedraggled, and so wet that he thought perhaps his skin would never straighten out from all the wrinkles it bore.

However, they had made exceptional time for such terrible road conditions, arriving in Eton a mere six hours after they left London proper, and he had a feeling there was no way Arthur could have made it there before them, even with his head start.

In fact, he would imagine that Arthur was still sleeping off his drunkenness at a coaching inn somewhere along the way, but it would not do to be too complacent. They still needed to be on their guard.

“What do we do first?” he asked Rys quietly as they walked their horses into the village, which in itself was small and was mainly there to support the college.

It was primarily homes, so they made their way along the tiny High Street, trying not to wake anyone who might still be abed.

They drew no notice from the locals; they were used to seeing people come and go to the school all the time.

That worked in their favor when they stopped at a small cottage. Rys vaulted out of the saddle and moved to knock on the door. When it opened, Sauce Box Joe stood there, blinking sleep out of his eyes and then staring at them with surprise.

“Mr. Grey. What’s amiss?” Alert suddenly, Joe tensed, his stance, looking as if he were ready to start a boxing match.

“Who is watching Gareth?” Rys snapped, pushing his way into the cottage so they were not discussing this on the street.

Luc tied off the horses swiftly, following. Joe shut the door behind them.

“The two extra men you sent are taking shifts with me, and Mr. Collingsworth sent even more men. I know them both, and I trust them, so they’re watching from more of a distance.” Joe’s brow furrowed. “Mr. Collingsworth doesn’t often do favors, suchlike.”

Rys scoffed. “He does for me because he needs one in return from time to time.

My brother Arthur is on his way here. I believe he has lost the plot entirely.

Suffice to say that circumstances have hastened his plans to injure Gareth and take his money.

I sent you a message, but I imagine we have beaten it here.

Joe’s eyebrows rose almost to his hairline. “Arthur. Not the older one.”

“I know. It’s a hard thing to believe, isn’t it? We need to get to Gareth. I’m going to take him out of school and remove him to my brother’s country estate in Kent. It’s far more defensible. We’ll need to get your men together and get a carriage outfitted as soon as possible. Spare no expense.”

“Of course. When do we leave?” Joe asked, moving to pull on breeches under his nightshirt, then stripping off his nightshirt to don a rough woolen shirt. His skin bore some fascinating scars, evidence of his rough life. Still, his body was truly impressive.

“As soon as we can. We’re assuming that Arthur stopped for the rest of the night at a coaching inn somewhere along the road.

The weather has been foul, but we can’t be certain he slept.

One way or the other, he would have been stopping to change horses, where we’ve had good road horses who could make the trip in one go.

That should give us at least an hour or two of lead time. ”

Joe splashed water on his face from a basin, then slicked his hair back. “Right-e-o, sir. I’ll get to it right quick. The stable owner here is accommodating for the right price.”

Rys pulled out a wallet to hand Joe some bank-notes. “We’ll be going to the college to collect Gareth. Meet us there as quickly as you can.”

Joe bobbed a bow before stomping into his boots. “I’ll just nip over to get the carriage and me boyos, and we’ll be on our way then.” Joe did make Luc smile with his practical ways and dry humor.

Luc went to untie the horses, and then Rys joined him again moments later.

“School next. I can only hope Gareth is willing to trust you enough to go with us.”

“You’re his uncle,” Luc pointed out.

“Who he has never met.”

“Well, then, I shall be convincing.” He had met Gareth on many occasions, and he thought he had a good rapport with the lad.