Of one thing Lisette was certain; the man walking across the bridge towards them was not Christian. This man was not tall or broad enough in the shoulders to be him.
And yet he seemed to be walking purposefully towards them. Just as Lisette could also sense the increased tension in the man beside her, the one whose face was covered by the kerchief. As if he knew and recognised the man, if Lisette did not.
Except she did, of course; once the man passed beneath one of the flickering lamps, she was able to make out that he was none other than Lord Aubrey Maystone.
A man who had no reason to trust her, and surely had absolutely no interest in saving her.
‘Is that really necessary?’ He stopped just feet away to indicate the gag about Lisette’s mouth and the rope about her wrists.
‘She’s a screamer,’ Davy muttered.
Lord Maystone pinned him with his steely blue gaze. ‘You would no doubt scream too, young man, if you had been abducted and held a prisoner these past six hours or more! Remove the gag and ropes immediately,’ he instructed authoritatively.
Davy turned to look at his accomplice, as if for direction. A direction he received as the other man gave a dismissive wave of his gloved hand without once looking away from Lord Maystone.
Lisette drew in a grateful breath the moment the gag was removed from her mouth; even the pungent odour of the river was more pleasant than the smelly rag.
She was even more relieved when the cord had been removed from about her wrists. Allowing her to rub the numbed flesh and let the blood flow freely to her fingers as she stepped tentatively away from her abductors, moving more quickly as they made no attempt to stop her.
‘You are unharmed, my dear?’ Lord Maystone prompted gruffly as she reached his side.
‘No thanks to these two men,’ she confirmed with a narrow-eyed and accusing glare at Davy, who at least had the grace to shift uncomfortably.
The elderly man nodded. ‘In that case, you may return to Christian while I— You will let her go to him, Helene,’ he rasped harshly as the man with the kerchief stepped forward as if to prevent Lisette from leaving.
Helene...?
Lisette turned to look wonderingly at the man—woman?—wearing the kerchief, just in time to see that kerchief pulled down and to find herself looking into the hard uncompromising face of the woman who claimed to be her mother.
She felt the blood leach from her cheeks at the realisation that her own mother had been one of her abductors. ‘I do not understand...’
Lord Maystone gave a regretful smile. ‘I have only just begun to do so—’ He broke off as he quickly reached forward to drag Lisette behind him as Helene Rousseau drew a pistol from the waistband of the rough trousers she was wearing.
‘I said you were to come alone,’ Helene rasped in accented English, her pistol pointed not at Maystone or Lisette but
at someone behind them.
Lisette turned to see that Christian now stood just a few feet away, his own pistol aimed at Helene’s heart; his approach had been made so stealthily that none on the bridge, least of all Lisette, seemed to have been aware of him standing there until Helene was finally alerted to his presence.
Lisette gave a wince as she saw the dangerous coldness of Christian’s expression as he continued to aim his pistol at Helene. A cold intensity of purpose that prevented Lisette from gauging his mood towards her.
Although she knew that it could not be in the least favourable, when she had put not only herself in danger with her impetuousness, but now also Lord Maystone and Christian himself.
She had every intention of apologising to him for her reckless stupidity if—when they had all escaped from this situation unharmed.
In the meantime, she was still finding it difficult to believe that Helene was in London at all, let alone that she had been instrumental in her abduction. The other woman must have followed on another ship almost immediately after their own sloop had left France.
‘Put the pistol down, Helene,’ Lord Maystone was the one to instruct firmly. ‘Before someone gets hurt. Undoubtedly yourself, considering that Christian is an expert shot and unlikely to miss from such close proximity.’
Helene’s nostrils flared. ‘It is a pity my men did not succeed in disposing of him five days ago.’
Maystone chuckled ruefully as Lisette gave an indignant gasp. ‘It is as well for you that they did not, otherwise I fear we would not be having this conversation at all.’
Helene’s eyes glittered malevolently as she now turned her pistol onto him. ‘I did not come here to talk.’
‘I am well aware of it, my dear,’ Lord Maystone accepted wearily. ‘And I am completely at your service, if you could first allow Lisette and Christian to depart, and perhaps this young man?’ He indicated Davy, now standing back in the shadows.
‘I have no intention of going anywhere,’ Christian stated firmly, completely baffled as to Helene Rousseau’s presence in London, but totally aware that it boded ill for any who were acquainted with her cold ruthlessness.