Page 119 of Affair

Baxter made it to the top of the steps. The vapor was not so strong as it had been a few minutes earlier. The men had opened the iron gate and allowed fresh air into the chamber. Nevertheless, there was enough of the incense left to unsettle his concentration. He had to work very hard to make his way quietly into the wardrobe.

“There ain’t anyone under the bed. This is bloody strange, if you ask me. Maybe we’re dealing with another magician.”

“Don’t be a fool. Look inside the wardrobe.”

Baxter got the secret panel at the back of the wardrobe closed. He collapsed on the bottom of the heavy wooden closet in what he hoped was a realistic faint.

The wardrobe doors slammed open.

“One of ’em’s in here.” The voice was thick with relief. “He’s wearing spectacles. Must be St. Ives. No sign of the other one, though.”

“Then we bloody well don’t tell the magician that there was a second cove with him,” the other man said decisively. “It’ll be our necks, if he finds out one got away.”

“Agreed. But where did the other one go?”

“Must have got out before the trap closed. Don’t matter none. St. Ives is the important one. And from the looks of things he’ll be sound asleep for a good long while.”

Rough hands reached for Baxter. He forced himself to remain limp and unresponsive as he was dragged from the wardrobe.

His eyes were already closed in order to add credence to his role, so he decided that he might as well say a prayer.Let Hamilton get to Charlotte before the magician’s men do.

Nineteen

An hour later Baxter lay on a cold stone floor and listened to the voices of the two guards.

“St. Ives don’t look so bloody dangerous. Waste of time foolin’ about with that damned incense, if ye ask me. Would have been a lot simpler to just use a pistol.”

“You heard what the magician said.” There was a defensive note in the second voice. “St. Ives is trickier than he appears.”

“Far as I’m concerned, you and Virgil got the easy one. The Arkendale female nearly scratched me eyes out, she did. Brained poor Long Hank with that reticule of hers. He’s still got a headache. Got a tongue like a fishwife on her, too.”

So much for his faint hope that Hamilton would get to Charlotte before Morgan Judd’s men did, Baxter thought.

“We must have used a mite too much of the incense on St. Ives,” the second man said uneasily. “Still sound asleep.”

“Good thing you didn’t accidentally kill him with that damned vapor. The magician wouldn’t have been pleased. He wants to handle that part of the business himself.”

There was a short silence. The second man lowered his voice. “Does it strike ye that the man’s becoming bloody odd?”

“Who? St. Ives? From what I’ve heard, he’s always been a bit odd.”

“Not St. Ives, ye fool, the magician.”

The first man cackled softly. “I’ll wager that he’s always been odd, too. But he pays well.” Boots sounded on the stone as he made for the door. “I’m going down to the kitchens to get something to eat. Give that damned bell pull a yank when St. Ives opens his eyes.”

“The magician said I was to signal him first. Ye know what he’s like if we don’t do exactly what he tells us.”

“Bloody magician and his bloody signal device.”

“Bring back a slice of that ham pie for me.” The man who had been left to guard Baxter raised his voice. “And some ale. From the looks of this cove, I’m going to be here awhile.”

There was a muffled response, footsteps receded down a stone hall, and then silence fell.

Baxter considered the situation. It was not unlike a laboratory experiment. A mix of volatile substances had been brought together in a crucible and set over a fire. But in this case he was not the detached observer who stood back and made notes. He was one of the chemicals in the mixture.

They had searched his clothing before bundling him into the carriage. One of the men had taken his knife. He was relieved to discover that he still had his eyeglasses. He could feel the wire frames curved around his ears. He had feared losing them once or twice during the hectic hourlong carriage ride.

Fortunately he’d had the cab of the darkened vehicle to himself during the journey. His captors, apparently certain that their bound and drugged victim would not cause any problems, had elected to share the driver’s box and a pint of gin.

---