Page 68 of The Confessions of a Lady
Penny saw the distinctive seal before Liam covered it with his palm.
Head of a crow. Body of a wolf. Tail of a snake.
The Devil’s Sons were reaching out to one of their brethren. He flicked open the note and his amber gaze quickly scanned the contents. What she wouldn’t give to know how to read.
He glanced at Penny, need warring with duty before he shuttered his gaze. ‘I must go. But not for long. I will return. Canwe talk? Take a stroll in the garden? There is much I would say to you.’
‘There is much I wish to know,’ Penny replied, though she knew he would never dare speak of the things she wanted to hear about. His dealings with the Devil’s Sons. His guilt or innocence. Those were questions she needed to answer herself.
Liam nodded, as though her response pleased him. His lips quirked in a small smile. ‘Until then, my lady.’
It was the second time he called her that. And she wanted to correct him, but he turned and strode away.
‘I’m not a lady,’ she whispered to no one in particular. ‘And I’m not yours,’ she reminded herself.
She was not for him.
Butshewas going to follow him.
17
Liam walked into his study, lit a taper on the fire and held it to the wick of the lamp on his table. Turning the light up, he pulled the brass key out of his pocket, sat in his chair, and unlocked the bottom drawer on his left. It took moments to move the papers aside, pop out the false bottom and retrieve the letters his brother received. He didn’t need his brother’s letters, but something about having them near felt right. It felt lucky. And Liam could use a little luck tonight.
He thought about pouring himself a brandy, but before he could stand to do so, the door opened and a man walked into the room. He wore a full mask; not even his mouth was displayed. His suit was of high quality, but the cut was loose, making it impossible to discern his build beyond that of an average man.
‘Lord Renquist.’ He spoke in a whispery rasp. A ploy to hide the true quality of his voice.
‘And you are?’ Liam knew he wouldn’t answer, but it seemed the obvious thing to ask.
‘The Snake. That’s all you need know for now.’ The man kept to the shadows. ‘Master Barrington informed me of your wish for a meeting.’
Liam needed to stay calm when every particle of his being wanted to leap from the desk, tackle the man, rip off his mask, identify him, and demand to know the other two leaders of the Devil’s Sons before beating him bloody with his bare fists. Instead, he inclined his head.
I am not ruled by my anger.
Willing his voice to remain calm, Liam leaned back in his chair. ‘Did he also tell you of my demands? I wish to be a member of the Devil’s Sons. And I’m willing to pay for my membership by granting your brotherhood access to my ships.’
The man stood silently.
‘If that isn’t enough, I have more incentive. My brother had quite a knack for correspondence.’ Liam picked up the stack of papers and tapped them on the desk. ‘He wasn’t one to throw anything away. There are things in these letters you wouldn’t want revealed to the commissioner, I assure you.’ Liam was lying. Nothing in the letters identified any members of the Devil’s Sons, nor their deeds, but the Snake didn’t know it.
Again, the man stayed infuriatingly silent. Liam’s anger rose. He ground his teeth, waiting him out.
I know this game. I can play it longer and better than you.
The Snake exhaled in a hiss of breath reminding Liam of his sobriquet. ‘I knew your father. Capital man. Always was disappointed in his sons. Said you didn’t have what was necessary to be a truly commanding marquess. Didn’t have the killer instinct, were the exact words I recall him saying.’
Fuck.
He had heard the same words come out of his father’s mouth more than once. If this man knew his father, then he must be in the higher levels of the House of Lords. His father didn’t socialise with lesser blue bloods.
The man’s eyes narrowed behind his mask, though it was too dark for Liam to discern their colour. Instead, he listenedfor inflection, odd pronunciation. Anything that might help him identify the Snake.
‘He hoped the war would carve out a stronger man, but then he died before you came home. Is this your chance to prove yourself to your father? See if you are worthy to join a club he would have been so eager to take part in himself?’
The very idea of emulating his father made Liam violently ill, but he schooled his features.
‘I have always done my best to make him proud.’Lies. Liam leaned into them. ‘This is one more step in accomplishing my goal. Do we have an accord? My ships for membership to the Devil’s Son and a share of the profits?’ He picked up a freshly written contract. ‘I have a contract here that, if signed, will keep us both invested in secrecy. If either one of us is discovered, we are both implicated. Rather helpful at establishing trust, don’t you think?’
