“I have the keys to the back door and back gate.”
All three men looked at her, then exchanged a silent glance, then Devil was helping her from the carriage.
“Stay with Jeffers,” he told Sligo. Pulling out his watch, he glanced at it. “Drive up to the house exactly fifteen minutes from now.”
Sligo looked at his own watch and nodded.
Devil shut the carriage door, took her arm; with Gabriel and Lucifer following, they walked quickly down the narrow mews that lay behind the houses on Half Moon Street.
“This is it.” She stopped before the garden gate and opened her reticule to get her keys.
Lucifer reached forward and lifted the latch—the gate opened.
They all looked at her; she stared at the gate. “The housekeeper might have left it unlocked.” That was possible, but was it likely?
Gabriel and Lucifer led the way up the garden path; despite their size, all three Cynsters moved with silent grace. The garden was over-grown—Caro caught herself making a mental note to have a gardener in, to make the place habitable now that—
She broke off the thought, looked ahead. Gabriel ducked out of sight. Lucifer crouched, then looked back and signaled. Devil drew her off the path into the shadows of a large rhododendron.
“What?” she whispered.
“There’s someone there,” Devil murmured back. “The others will take care of it.”
On the words, she heard a faint thump, a muted scuffle, then the others returned propelling a man almost as tall as they were, a hand clamped over his mouth, his arms twisted behind him.
The man’s eyes met hers—and flared.
Stepping out from the bush, she glared. “Ferdinand! What the devil are you doing here?”
He looked mulish; removing his hand, Gabriel checked Ferdinand’s face, then did something that made him gasp.
Caro suppressed a wince, but this—Ferdinand surrounded by three murderous Cynsters—was the perfect opportunity to get a straight answer. “We don’t have time to waste, Ferdinand. Tell me what you’re after—now!”
He glanced at Lucifer, then through the dimness met Devil’s gaze. Paled and looked down at her. “Letters—an exchange of letters between the duke and Sutcliffe from many years ago. The duke has been pardoned and wants to return home, but if those letters ever surface…he would be exiled again.” He paused, then went on more fervently, “You know what it’s like, Caro, at court. You know—”
She held up a hand. “Yes, I know. And yes, you can have the letters. We’ll have to find them, if they exist….” Her gaze had gone to the house, her mind to Michael and Timothy. “Call on me tomorrow and we’ll sort it out. We don’t have time for this now—something’s happening in the house we must stop. Go now—I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Ferdinand would have clutched her hand and poured out his heartfelt thanks, but Lucifer gave him a not-too-gentle shove toward the gate.
They turned their attention to the house. The lock on the back door was well oiled; it turned without a sound. The door opened easily; Caro led them through the kitchen, up the stairs, and into the narrow corridor. Stopping before the door into the hall, she looked back and noticed that Ferdinand had followed, but was hanging back and, most important, keeping quiet.
“The drawing room is three rooms forward on the right—closest to the front door,” she whispered.
They all nodded. Silently, she pushed open the door. Devil held it for her as she crept forward. He went with her; the others hung back. No sound reached them from the drawing room.
Just before the double doors, Devil closed his hands about her shoulders and halted her; he stepped silently past her, briefly looked, then rejoined her and motioned them all back beyond the service door. Once there, he softly said, “She’s sitting in a chair facing the hearth. She has a pistol in her hand—there’s another on the floor beside the chair. Michael still appears to be unconscious.” He glanced at Caro. “Breckenridge has lost a lot of blood.”
She nodded. Only distantly heard the three Cynsters conferring; dragging in a breath,
she forced her ears to function—fought to ignore the hollowness in her stomach, the chill flowing through her veins.
“You’re right,” Gabriel grudgingly conceded. “If we barge in, she’s too likely to fire and we can’t guess what she’ll aim for.”
“We need a diversion,” Devil murmured back.
They looked at each other; nothing sprang to mind. Any minute the carriage would roll up outside and Muriel would expect her to enter.
Ferdinand reached forward and tapped Gabriel on the shoulder. Gabriel glanced back, stepped back as Ferdinand joined them and whispered, “I have a suggestion. The lady with the pistol—it is Muriel Hedderwick, yes?” Caro nodded; Ferdinand went on, “Does she know these three?” Caro shook her head. Ferdinand grinned. “She knows me—she’ll recognize me. I can walk in and play the ‘crazy Portuguese,’ yes? She will let me get close—she won’t see me as a danger. I could take the pistol from her.”