Page 14 of Lady Gambit
“I’m such a fool,” she said, tears of despair choking her now. Why had she believed she could trust this man? “I thought you understood my dilemma. I thought you knew what I’ve risked to learn the truth.” Water filled her eyes, blurring her field of vision. “Thank you for your time, Mr Flynn. But I wish to proceed no further. Good day to you.”
She moved to leave, but the gentleman captured her wrist.
“Wait! In visiting Nora Adkins, I fear I have opened Pandora’s box. A man asked for me at the Old Swan last night. He’d sat in the tavern all day, awaiting my arrival. The landlord heard him harassing the punters, asking if anyone knew my direction.”
She blinked away her tears. “Perhaps he means to hire you.”
Mr Flynn pulled her closer and firmed his jaw. “You’re in grave danger, Miss Chance. I have a sixth sense about these things. I urge you to speak to your brothers and have them visit me at Daventry’s office.”
She suspected Mr Flynn was not easily spooked and was exaggerating the threat. “When you visited Bethlem Hospital, did you mention my name?”
“Of course not.”
“Has this mystery man visited you at home?”
“No, but?—”
“Then what is there to fear?”
His mocking snort said she was being naive. “You visited Bethlem with your brother and his wife two weeks ago. Daventry said you were moving a patient to a private institution.”
“Yes.” Naomi’s sister had relocated to Merryville, an asylum with an excellent reputation. “That’s when Nora Adkins saw me and called me Sofia.”
“You were all required to sign the register. The Superintendent and his staff have access to that information. Your brother gave his address when signing the release papers.”
Her heart skipped a beat.
Should she take his warning seriously?
“Someone is paying to keep Nora Adkins at Bethlem Hospital,” he continued, his grave tone sending an icy shiver down her spine. “That someone may know you. Now they have your name and your direction.”
She remained silent. Mr Flynn was right. The devil could be sitting at the card table at Fortune’s Den. He could be planning to sneak upstairs and lie in wait in her room. Worse still, he could force his way into Aramis’ house and hurt Naomi.
What had she done?
Had she placed her family in danger?
“I should never have hired you.” She should have listened to Aaron, not Mr Daventry. She looked back at the shop door. Doubtless Theo was teasing Miss Darrow, unaware of the impending threat. “I’ve ruined everything. It’s all my fault.”
Mr Flynn captured her elbow and forced her to face him. “It’s not wrong to want answers. But your problems have nothing to do with hiring me. The instant Nora called you Sofia, the die was cast. Whoever is paying to keep her in Bethlem will have bribed the staff for information.”
She didn’t shirk out of his grasp but drew comfort from his touch. “What can I do to make this problem go away? Please tell me, Mr Flynn. I’ll do anything to keep my brothers safe.”
Before he could utter a word, the back door flew open with such force it almost came off its hinges.
Theo appeared, his charming smile giving way to a menacing snarl. “Get your damned hands off my sister before I break your bloody neck.” He covered the distance in a second, shoving Mr Flynn hard in the chest. “You devious bastard. I should have known something was amiss.”
Mr Flynn stood firm. “This isn’t what you think.”
“I’m not blind. I saw you mauling her.”
Theo threw a powerful punch that whipped the air.
Mr Flynn proved agile enough to deflect the blow.
Theo stripped off his coat and tossed it to a terrified Miss Darrow. “Hold this. It’s the last thing you’ll ever do for me, madam.” He faced Mr Flynn and bared his teeth. “You’ll fight me now or in Green Park at dawn.”
She tried to step between them. “Theo! No! This isn’t Mr Flynn’s fault.” He did not deserve Theo’s disdain. He did not deserve to make an enemy of her brother. “He’s not to blame. I arranged the meeting. I called him here.”
