Scandalously Yours (Hellions of High Street 1)

“Click these levers and rotate the bezel to lock the arms in place,” he explained. “As you see, the cord is fastened securely to the arms, and then can be stretched, like so.” He grasped the small leather square centered on its length and pulled it back. “There’s a sack of steel balls inside the felt bag. You place one of them on the leather patch, then take aim and release.” A sharp, snapping thwang rent the air. “It’s nearly as effective as a bullet, but far more silent.”

“Good Lord. It’s a sling of sorts, but what is the cord made of? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“It made from the sap of the Hevea brasiliensis tree, which grows in Brazil.”

“And how—” began Anna.

“I don’t have time to explain.” Quickly rebagging the two items, he pressed them and the map into Olivia’s hands. “Tell Wrexham that the instruments are borrowed, so he must return them when he is done, or else pay me the full value—which is bloody expensive.” A jaunty salute. “And now, I really must be off.”

“Wait, one last question—” she began.

But Davenport was already gone, his lanky, black-clad form moving like an Underworld wraith through the lengthening shadows of the bushes.

Chapter Nineteen

Lord Wrexham is not at home,” intoned the butler, cracking open the townhouse door barely wide enough to be civil.

Damnation. Biting back an audible oath, Olivia forced a smile. “Then would you be so kind as to inform Lady Silliman that Miss Sloane and her sister wish to have a word with her.”

“I am afraid that Lady Silliman is not at home, either.”

“It is a most urgent matter,” she insisted, refusing to be brushed off. “Not at home” was the standard excuse when a member of the beau monde was not in the mood for visitors. Dropping her voice a notch, she added, “Concerning a private family trouble. I assure you, she will wish to hear what I have to say.”

The butler hesitated, and then opened the door a bit wider. “Please come in. I shall see if she is available.”

Olivia and Anna did not have to wait long. Cecilia appeared in the drawing room within minutes, her face looking pale and drawn. “Hawkins says you wish to speak to me,” she said softly. “About a private matter?”

“Your nephew,” said Olivia quickly. “And the fact that he’s been snatched by the earl’s political enemies.”

“H-how did you—”

“The Devil Davenport witnessed it, and asked us to deliver some information that may help Lord Wrexham recover his son.”

Cecilia sat down rather abruptly on the sofa.

Olivia gave a terse summary of the marquess’s account. “I think he’s right to suspect that Prescott is been taken to Dartmoor. And he has a very good idea of where.” Paper crackled as she took the map from her pocket. “It’s here, in the moors near Tavistock. However, there’s a good chance that the earl can catch up with the coach before it arrives at its destination. But he will have to act quickly.

“Oh, Lud, John must have this information. The trouble is, he’s left for Shropshire.” Cecilia explained that a ransom note had arrived, and the earl had decided to return to his country estate in order to fetch his former batman and drill sergeant to help with the fight to regain his son.

“By the time he returns to London, it will be too late. Once the villains have Prescott locked away in the lodge, it will be far more difficult—and dangerous—to free him,” exclaimed Olivia. “It’s absolutely imperative that I find a way to alert Wrexham now.”

“Oh, but John and I cannot expect you to involve yourself in such a risk,” protested Cecilia.

“But I must! For Prescott’s sake,” answered Olivia. Not to speak of my own sense of honor, she added to herself. “You see, Davenport gave me a special telescope that may useful for the earl, and he showed me how to work it. It’s rather complicated—”

“Oh, dear,” interrupted Cecilia. “I am all thumbs when it come to anything like that, so I’d be useless in trying to help.”

“I’m quite skilled with maps as well,” said Olivia. “So I may be able to serve as a surrogate for his batman.”

“I admire your courage and your resourcefulness, Miss Sloane. But the ransom note warned of dire consequences should John tell anyone about Prescott’s abduction. And even assuming the logistics could be worked out, such an arrangement would stir a storm of scandal if it became known—both for you and my brother.” Cecilia expelling a ragged sigh. “I—I simply don’t see how it is possible.”

“Actually, I do,” piped up Anna.

Olivia looked at her sister.

“You have a traveling coach, do you not, Lady Silliman?” said Anna.

Cecilia nodded.