A Simple Case of Seduction

Lily jumped to her feet. “Do you think I wanted to see Thomas dead? I added a tincture to his ale, something said to loosen the tongue and banish inhibitions.” She waved her pistol about mindlessly as she told her tale. “We walked along the wharf while he attempted to reason with me. Traitors hang, I told him, while I waited for his mood to mellow.”

To hear of Thomas’ final moments caused a host of horrifying images to flood Daphne’s mind.

“And then you killed him because, in spite of your efforts to corrupt him, Thomas remained true to his cause.”

Lily shrugged. “We argued. I pushed him, tried to grab his waistcoat when he tumbled back into the river but caught hold of his watch instead. The effects of the tincture took hold, and the cold water froze his muscles. I was forced to stand there and watch him drown.”

Daphne’s throat grew so tight she could barely breathe. Tears welled in her eyes. “You could have called for help. You could have saved him if you’d wanted to.”

“Perhaps. Had my crimes carried the penalty of transportation it might have been a possibility. But we both know I’d have swung by the neck until dead.” Lily gave an impatient huff, waved the pistol to gesture for Daphne to stand. “Now, get up. We’re to meet your colleague, and we can’t be late.”

“You’ve tied the rope around my legs so tight it’s impossible to stand.” Daphne had tried numerous times but to no avail.

Lily reached into her satchel, removed a knife in a leather sheath and slid it across the floor. “Cut the ropes.” She aimed her pistol at Daphne’s head. “One wrong move and I will pull the trigger.”

For a spy, the woman lacked logic.

Daphne raised her shackled hands. “And how am I supposed to do that?”

Lily scowled. “Hold the knife between your palms.”

“It’s in a sheath.”

With another huff of impatience, Lily placed the pistol carefully on the floor, picked up the knife and pulled the blade free. Daphne watched Lily intently as she cut the fibres with a sawing motion. In a moment of fancy, Daphne imagined kicking the traitor to the floor once her legs were free. Imagined punching her hard with her clasped hands.

But Lily had nothing to lose. And Daphne knew the odds of escaping were slim. She stood a much better chance once they were outside.

Lily cut the bindings, recovered her pistol and dragged Daphne to her feet. The hours spent lying on the floor, and with the circulation to her toes restricted by the tight rope, it took a moment to keep her balance.

“You’re to walk by my side,” Lily said, threading her arm through Daphne’s. “One word from you, or one move in the wrong direction and I’ll shoot.” Hiding the pistol beneath her cloak, Lily pressed the end of the barrel into Daphne’s side. “This will blow a hole so big your innards will spill out onto the wharf.”

Keep calm. Keep calm.

There would be ample opportunity to escape, Daphne told herself. For now, she would follow Lily’s plan.

After blowing out the candle burning in the lantern on the floor, Lily escorted Daphne out of the shed and along the narrow wharf. The night was clear, the wind barely a whisper. The waning moon cast a modicum of light. There were other ramshackle buildings to the right — none of them occupied. To their left, the river looked like an inky black sheet of glass.

They’d walked for no more than a minute when a dark shadow appeared to block their path. From the shape of his shoulders and breadth of his chest, Daphne knew it was Daniel. He wore his over-sized greatcoat, the collar raised to his chin.

Lily hesitated, scanned the area and muttered a warning before stepping closer.

“Mr Thorpe, you will show me your hands, sir.” Lily waved the pistol in Daniel’s direction.

Daniel raised his hands slowly. “Allow Mrs Chambers to leave, and we’ll talk.”

“You know that is not possible,” Lily sneered. “Now stop playing games. I trust you’ve used your time wisely and have managed to locate the proof of my duplicity.”

“I have. I also spent my time interrogating Mr Brown, the pawnbroker. It seems you have an interesting relationship with the gentleman. How else would you have known of my involvement? How else would you have known our every move?”

Lily gave a hapless shrug. “Mr Brown will do anything to earn a shilling. He’s been spying on Mrs Chambers for months.”

Daphne swallowed down her surprise. No wonder the man had been so helpful. “And so that’s how you knew when it was safe to enter my private rooms.”

“That’s not how she knew,” Daniel replied. “She played the role of seamstress to gain Betsy’s trust.”

“I hoped to find the evidence Thomas spoke of,” Lily replied. She focused her attention on Daniel. “Indeed, I hope you’ve had more success, Mr Thorpe.”

“Let us just say I stumbled upon interesting information,” Daniel said though Daphne suspected he was lying. Despite numerous conversations they’d shared on the topic, they’d found nothing to implicate Lily. “But if I give you the only evidence linking you to the crime, what then?” Daniel added.