Page 54 of Eliza and the Duke
Without another word, Simon leaned down and kissed her full on the mouth with the desperation they both felt. It was tender and rough and over far too soon.
“I love you,” she said, and something wonderful happened to his face. Even though they were on the run with certain death in their future if they were caught, a relief that was full of peace and deep affection came over him.
“Ye have to go. Now!” Mr. Dunn urged, breaking the spell.
“Here.” Eliza dug into her bodice and ripped out the coin purse she had pinned there. It might be all the money he would have. She pressed it into his palm, and he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.
“Now go,” she said, fighting back the tears that burned her eyes.
He took a couple of backward steps, reluctant to leave her, but there was no other choice and they both knew it. They couldn’t delay any longer. She hiked up her skirts and turned north to go to Daisy. Mr. Dunn fell into step beside her as she had known he would. Simon would want him to make certain his niece was safe.
A quick glance over her shoulder assured her that Simon had disappeared into the night. It was only then that she realized she had no idea where he might go. She sent up a silent prayer for his safety. In her heart she felt that they would be together again. She prayed that it would be true.
She sprinted as fast as she could, but it still seemed like it took hours to make the nearly two-mile trek. She was gasping for air when they approached the brothel’s narrow street. Remembering what Simon had said about a watchman, she searched the sidewalk and the rooftops as they approached. It didn’t appear that anyone had spotted them. There was no one running to approach them or running for help. Hopefully, Brody had called all of his men to the warehouse for the brawl.
Several men loitered at the front door, but they seemed to be entertained by the two women flirting with them. Mr.Dunn led her around the back. She thought they might knock, but he indicated she should stand back and he kicked the door open. She flinched at the crack of splintering wood, but recovered quickly. Mr. Dunn stepped inside to confront the irate cook, and Eliza understood why he’d kicked down the door. The woman would never have let them in. No doubt the gray-haired woman Eliza had met would come to see what all the bother was about. Eliza didn’t wait around to find out. She ran up the stairs and all the way to the attic.
The door was locked from the inside, so she was forced to knock. A sleepy Henrietta met her after the third time.
“I’m so very sorry for barging in like this.” Eliza pushed her way inside and tried to keep her voice low. “Mr. Cavell is in a bit of trouble and he asked me to come take Daisy home with me. You, too, if you’d like to come.” Eliza found Daisy’s slight form on the small bed, still sleeping where Henrietta had left her when she awoke to open the door.
“But we aren’t allowed to leave. Mr. Brody—”
“I know. Mr. Cavell told me everything. I’m sorry, I don’t have time to explain it all properly, but Brody is angry and believes that Mr. Cavell betrayed him. He’s had to run for his life and I have to take Daisy home to keep her safe from Brody. Please come, too.” She shuddered to think what would happen to the girl when Brody found out that she’d let Eliza take Daisy, because Eliza wasn’t leaving here without the child.
Daisy woke up as the girl debated her options, roused by their voices. “Auntie Liza?” she asked, her voice soft and warm with sleep.
Eliza’s heart clenched. Simon must have been talking about her with Daisy. “Daisy, I apologize for waking you, but I have good news. We are going on a very short trip to visit a lord and lady.” She decided in that split second that it would be best totake the girls to Lord Leigh’s residence. Violet was close to Simon, and Lord Leigh was privy to some of Simon’s history; it would be easier to explain things. She didn’t know if Brody had managed to figure out her real identity. If he had, he very well might attempt to get Daisy back since Devonworth was out of the country and not there to stop him. It wasn’t a chance Eliza was willing to take.
Daisy’s brow furrowed in uncertainty. “Will Papa be there?”
Eliza swallowed. “He’s not there yet, but I think he will be soon.”Please, God, don’t make that a lie.
Daisy smiled, but looked to Henrietta for confirmation.
“Please come,” Eliza said to her. “It will make things easier for Daisy and I promise that you will be well taken care of.”
Henrietta nodded, and the next several moments were a flurry of activity. They had one small cloth bag and they filled it with all the things they wanted that they might never see again. When they were packed, after Eliza had assured them both that there were clothes and books and food where they were going so they needn’t take it all, Eliza picked Daisy up and covered her with the small blanket that Henrietta said she didn’t like to be without. Daisy put her head on her shoulder, her tiny hand patting Eliza’s back as if to assure her that everything would be fine.
Eliza tightened her hold on the small body in her arms, overcome with the same love she felt for Simon because this was his child. They made their way down the steps to the back door. Mr. Dunn had finished his argument with the cook, but had taken up arguing with the gray-haired lady. They both fell quiet when the three of them appeared on the stairs.
“Get on with the lot of ye, then,” the lady spat out and stomped back to the front of the house.
The whole thing had taken probably five minutes, but Eliza kept expecting Brody to appear. The alley was empty when they emerged. Mr. Dunn led them deftly through the twists and turns to the street where she and Simon had boarded the carriage from Montague Club. They found a hansom, and somehow the four of them managed to squeeze inside.
They would be safe now. She only hoped that Simon was safe and had outrun Brody’s men.
Twenty-Nine
The following days were interminable.No one had heard from Simon at all. Mr. Dunn had dropped them off at the Leigh town house and gone back to Whitechapel to investigate what had happened. He’d returned with very little information except that no one had found Simon, including Brody. Then he’d refused to stay and had gone back to Montague Club to work and wait for Simon to send word.
Eliza had been forced to explain Simon’s duplicity to Lord Leigh when she showed up on his doorstep with a child and a nursemaid. There had been no getting around it, not when she needed his help to keep Daisy safe. He hadn’t been angry, not that she could tell. He’d appeared more thoughtful and considering. He’d then sprung into action and ordered up extra protection for the house and the club. August and her husband the duke came over the morning after their arrival, and they all did everything they could to help with Daisy and Henrietta and finding Simon.
Violet had accepted the disruption in stride. She hadimmediately made room for them by giving each of them a bedchamber. Daisy had made it very clear that she wasn’t quite willing to give up sleeping next to Heni, but she delighted in the adjoining room she had been given, even if she did slip into Heni’s room at night to sleep. The lace curtains and canopy over the bed thrilled her. Even more, Daisy had a new playmate that she enjoyed immensely. Violet and Lord Leigh had a daughter, Rosie, who was about a year younger. Rosie was equally enamored of Daisy. They played together despite the age difference and were nearly inseparable except to sleep.
Eliza’s hours were well filled. Henrietta needed a new wardrobe, as did Daisy, so they had seamstresses in and out of the house. There was no talk about the future, because so much was uncertain, but she had talked to Violet privately about helping the girl attend school when she was able. Then there was the matter of finding toys for Daisy and figuring out both of their favorite foods—Henrietta enjoyed scones with strawberry jam while Daisy preferred nothing at all as an accompaniment to her jam.
It would have been a peaceful time, but a pall hung over them. Simon wasn’t there and she didn’t know if he was safe. She had taken to tucking Daisy in every night so that Henrietta could stay downstairs and play cards with Violet, Jenny, and Fanny. Her mother and sister came over every day to visit and had brushed off any concerns for their safety. They didn’t believe that anyone would be foolish enough to invade a Mayfair home, and they were probably right. She hadn’t seen the need to worry Devonworth and Cora while they were on their trip, so no one had sent word to them. There wasn’t anything they could do from afar, and news of trouble would send them running home.
