Page 68 of The Scoundrel of Drury Lane
“We’ve always stayed by you, Kit,” Felix said. “That’s never changed.”
Kit wished none of what was to come had to happen. Lives, even bad ones, were not easy to take, but Walsh and Balfour had left him no choice.
“Where do you think they would take her?” Lionel asked.
“I...” Kit realized he had no idea.
“My lord, if I may interject...” Palmer came toward him, holding a letter. “This was just delivered by messenger.” Palmer passed the letter over to Kit, and Kit read its contents aloud.
“By now you know we have your prized possession. If you want her back, be on the deck of theWind Sprite, you know where, in one hour.”
It wasn’t signed, but Kit recognized Balfour’s handwriting.
“Where does theWind Spritedock?” Warren asked.
“Where it always has, at one of the wharves at the Thames, I presume. I didn’t even know Walsh still had that ship after all these years.”
“You know this is a trap,” Felix warned.
Kit crumpled the letter in his hand. “Does it matter? I have to go. God knows what they’re doing to my wife. She could be hurt or—”
“All I’m suggesting is that we come up with a plan of our own, rather than a headlong charge,” Felix said. “And I may have an idea we can use.”
“I’m listening,” Kit said, and they all leaned in to hear Felix’s plan.
* * *
Suzannah wokeup on the floor of a cell, the world rocking gently beneath her. The sound of waves lapping against wood told her she was on a ship. Her body ached everywhere. She squinted around her in the darkness.
“This is a terrible idea!” someone hissed in the shadows.
“Shut up, you fool. You and I are committed to this now. You cannot back out,” another voice growled. The two voices came closer, and a golden light illuminated the room as Maynard Walsh and Thomas Balfour stepped inside. Balfour clutched a lantern in one hand and raised it to shine on Suzannah.
“Good, she’s awake,” he said.
Suzannah scrambled to stand up and tried immediately to retreat from the male voices. Her legs collided with several large crates behind her, which forced her to stop. She was in some sort of storeroom rather than a cell. She knew little of ships, even though her father had worked more than twelve years as a shipping clerk.
“I can’t believe you kidnapped her,” Walsh muttered. “If he didn’t want to kill us before, he certainly will now.”
“All we need is for him to come for her.” Balfour looked to Suzannah. “And he will, won’t he?”
A chill slithered down her spine as she stared at the men who had ruined Kit’s life, and hers.
“Why are you doing this? Why can’t you leave Kit alone?” she demanded.
“Why?” Balfour stared at her as if she’d gone mad. “My dear, you simply cannot understand what he’s done. The man’s a criminal of the worst sort.”
“He’s no criminal. You used him, arranged for him to take the blame for your own crimes. And now he has proof. That’s it, isn’t it? He plans to send you both to Newgate.”
Walsh’s face paled. “You see—he told her.”
“I never imagined he would tell a woman anything.”
Suzannah stared at Balfour. This man had no understanding of love or why a man would trust a woman, or vice versa. Balfour was a coward and a bully.
“If you think I matter so little, then you can’t think Kit would come for me,” Suzannah said brazenly.
Balfour’s lips curled up in a snarl. “Oh, he’ll come for you. A man will do a lot for a pretty chit.” His gaze raked down her body, coldly assessing her. She wanted to cover herself even though she was still fully clothed, but she didn’t dare move an inch lest she betray any sign of weakness.
