Page 101 of My Gentleman Spy
Chapter Forty
“The Belton Streetgang have taken Hattie, they are going to kill her!” criedJoshua.
Will saw the look on Edgar’s face. A look which Will had prayed he would never have to see again after the war with France. A look of unrestrainedterror.
“I was at your house looking for Hattie, when this lad arrived. Your butler told me you were headed this way tonight. Thank god we’ve found you,” explainedEdgar.
Will turned and to his relief saw that the Saunders’ family coachman was already in the process of unhooking one of the horses from thecarriage.
“Where have they takenher?”
“Down to the river, near the new Waterloo Bridge. The gang have a hideout there for shipping stolen goods up river. They also do a trade in dead bodies,” repliedJoshua.
Will felt a deadly chill run down his spine. These were not a simple gang of pick pockets he was dealing with tonight. The Belton Street gang were known even in polite society as viciousthugs.
Edgar leaped down from his horse and handed Will thereins.
“We were on our way there when we saw your carriage. If you are the man rumors at White’s say you are, you should take Joshua and my horse,” addedEdgar.
To Will’s surprise and bone deep relief, Edgar produced a pistol and a knife from out of his coat. Will quickly took them. He leapt up on the horse, pulling Joshua close in behind him. Edgar meanwhile headed over to where the other horse was being separated from thecarriage.
“Go! I will be but a minute behind you,” hesaid.
Will dug his heels into his mount and it leapt away. Joshua gripped on tight to Will’s eveningcoat.
Hunched low over the reins, Will urged his horse on. The streets were filled with carriages heading both ways. Several times they came to a halt as pedestrians stepped out in front ofthem.
“Get out of the way!” Willscreamed.
The startled Londoners jumped back onto the pavement, waving their fists angrily at Will and Joshua as they sped away. Down Drury Lane, Will managed to make up precioustime.
He looked over his shoulder as he turned left into the Strand. Edgar Wright was right on histail.
“Surry Street,” criedJoshua.
As he turned the horse’s head into Surry Street, Will caught sight of Waterloo Bridge. He was grateful to have Joshua on board. The bridge was recently built and Will would never have found it on hisown.
At the end of the street, he reined his horse in and jumpeddown.
“Where?” heasked.
Joshua pointed toward the river, where Will saw a small fire had been lit on thebeach.
“They come down here all the time to look for bodies. They search them for anything they can sell and then offload the body to the body snatchers,” saidJoshua.
Will turned as his ears picked up a familiar sound. Edgar had had the good sense to bring along a second pistol. He had it loaded and cocked. Will pulled his own pistol out of his coat and did the same. Joshua produced a badly battered pistol from out of his pocket. Will feared it wouldn’t fire straight but saidnothing.
Bile rose up in his throat. He had not had the need to kill a man in some time, but the memory of the stench of death came close behind, whenever he saw a loaded and readied weapon. He had seen hundreds of bloodied and dead men on the battlefield at Waterloo. No one ever became immune to the agonizing cries of a dyingman.
He turned to Edgar. If he was about to walk into a fight to the death to save Hattie, he needed to know the caliber of the man besideme.
“How useful are you with a pistol Edgar? And don’t be vain about it. Your sister’s life could very well depend uponit.”
He did not need to mention that all of them were currently in great danger. For himself, he would be relying on years of experience and musclememory.
“I train regularly at Manton’s shooting gallery in Davis Street. The pistols are well maintained. Other than that, you are going to have to trust that I am prepared to do everything within my power to save my sister. That includes shooting any blighter who gets in myway.”
Edgar’s words were exactly what Will needed to hear. They moved down the street, closer to the water’s edge, keeping to the shadows to avoid being seen. As they crept closer Will was able to make out the shape of a half-dozen figures standing around the fire. To one side was a small handcart.
