Trusting Lady Hemmingway (The King's League)

Something like relief attempted to wrap itself around Carolyn’s heart but she did not allow it to distract her. What the man meant by it, she did not know, but surely there was a small hope that her brother was not entirely responsible.

“Foolish man,” the brute continued, his dark eyes glinting at her all the more ominously as she looked back at him steadily, unable to see the whole of his face as he stood facing her. “And it seems he has a foolish sister also.”

Knowing full well that he wanted her to react to that, wanted her to retort that she was not at all foolish and certainly nothing like her brother, Carolyn chose to remain silent, and, as she watched, she saw the smile begin to slip from the man’s face.

“And you think now I’m going to just come out here because you demand it?” he spat, his smile gone and his brows knotting together, his face cast in shadow and giving him a dark ethereal appearance that had her breathing all the more ragged. “I shall not.”

“You will,” she stated, firmly. “Else I shall ring the bell—” she glanced at it, so that he could see it was only a foot away from her, “and the household staff will enter her within a few moments.” She saw him frown and knew she had chosen the right sort of threat. “The choice is yours.”

The man laughed cruelly, throwing his head back and, in the darkness, making himself appear almost entirely disembodied. Carolyn took the opportunity to glance at Lord Franks who, in watching her, gave her a tiny smile of encouragement. Letting out her breath slowly, she returned her gaze to the man in the wall, who was still laughing.

“And what shall you do when I remove myself from here?” he asked, turning his body and taking a small step out of the room, his face still turn

ed towards her. “What do you have that might protect you from me?” He chuckled again, turning his head away for just a moment so that he might pass through the door. “Do you know what sort of man I am, Miss Hemmingway?” He stopped, standing in front of the gap now, as though he wanted her to take him in completely. “I am a man willing to do almost anything….so long as they pay me well.”

He did not move and Carolyn did not dare glance towards Lord Franks for fear that the man would see her eyes move away from him and would know that there was another in the room.

“And what is it that you have done that requires you to hide?” she asked, aware that this might be her one opportunity to find out more about him and his connection to her brother. “Are you the one telling Lord Hamilton what to do, threatening him so that he does it without question, whilst you hide away in his house, for fear of being discovered?” She let her tone become a little scornful, seeing the anger flicker across the man’s face and feeling her stomach tighten with fear. She was taking something of a risk in speaking to him so, but she knew she had to find the courage to find out all she could.

“You have got a sharp tongue on you,” the man sneered, leaning a little closer to her. “And I do what I am told just like your brother does, only I get paid to do it. He does it because he has no courage.” The man shook his head, holding out one finger towards her. “If I get told to stay in here, to wait for his instructions, and I get coin for doing so, then that is precisely what I am going to do. Although,” he continued beginning to step closer to her, “he never said what I was to do if Lord Hamilton’s prying sister came and found me.”

“Most likely, this person you speak of did not expect a lady to be able to show enough gumption or intelligence to be able to do so,” she answered, aware that her voice was shaking but refusing to back down from her challenging words. “He clearly thinks just as little of me as you do—something that I fear you will find only adds to your shame when you are caught and punished for what it is you have done.”

“I was only following my orders!” the man shouted, taking another step and then another, now only a few feet away from her and a few inches out of Lord Franks’ reach. “They told me to shoot that gun into that house, told me to let someone grab the cloak from my shoulder. I did what I was told. That’s all.”

Carolyn tried not to shriek as the man reached for her, seeing Lord Franks move at once in a swirl of light and color and sound. He shouted aloud as he reached out for the man, startling the fellow, who fell back against the bookshelves as Lord Franks’ fist caught him hard in the stomach.

Her breathing was ragged as she saw Lord Franks standing over the man, who lay groaning on the floor, his hands clutching his stomach.

“Might I suggest that you remain where you are,” Lord Franks said loudly, the paper knife held tightly in one hand, pointing down directly at the man on the floor. “Whatever it is you have done, whoever it is you are loyal to, that is now all at an end.”

The man continued to groan and Lord Franks narrowed his eyes, still tense and ready to move at any given moment. Carolyn did not know what Lord Franks intended to do next but found herself slowly moving towards the door on instinct. She had no weapon but realized she would not know what to do with it even if she did have. Her heart in her throat, she moved around the desk, no sound coming from Lord Franks and the man’s groans slowly beginning to subside.

Then, everything happened at once. The man on the floor suddenly straightened and threw out his legs, his feet hitting Lord Franks and throwing him backwards in surprise. Lord Franks did not stumble back as much as perhaps the man had expected, but it was enough time for him to get to his feet. Lord Franks roared in either pain or frustration, pushing himself forward just as the door opened to admit not only Lady Callander, but also Lord Millerton who came in immediately behind her, a thin, black cane in his hand.

“Millerton!” Lord Franks shouted, as the man spun around, his eyes wide and flared with evident fear that he was not about to be able to escape. Lord Millerton pushed Lady Callander aside, stepping forward and spreading his arms wide, the cane dangling from one hand.

“You cannot escape,” Lord Millerton said, clearly aware that this man, whoever he was, needed to be contained. “There is nowhere to go.”

Carolyn moved quickly towards the door, just as Lady Callander came to shut it. She herself turned the key and then turned to press her back against it, as Lady Callander did the very same.

Lord Franks began to move forward, the paper knife still held tightly in his hand. Lord Millerton moved towards the other side, cutting off the man from the front and the back. Carolyn could barely breathe, fearing that something horrific might happen, that the man might attempt to attack both Lord Franks and Lord Millerton and that, somewhere within his clothing, he had a pistol or a knife of his own.

The door handle rattled, making a small exclamation escape from Carolyn’s mouth. A quiet muttering came through the door, only for the handle to rattle again. Carolyn said nothing and nor did she move, keeping her gaze fixed on the man in front of her and seeing how, just for a moment, his attention was diverted.

Lord Franks moved immediately. One fist connected with the man’s face, just as Lord Millerton moved to thrust the tip of his cane into the man’s stomach.

“Carolyn?”

The voice of her brother came through the door, just as the man fell to the floor, soon grabbed and held tightly by both Lord Franks and Lord Millerton. She could barely breathe, sagging back against the door as Lady Callander grasped her limp hand, her chest heaving with evident relief.

“Carolyn, is that you?” came Lord Hamilton’s voice, now sounding a little annoyed. “The butler said you were within but the door…..” The handle rattled again and Carolyn forced herself to move away from the door, with Lady Callander making to turn the key.

“Lady Callander, Miss Hemmingway,” Lord Franks said.

Carolyn turned her head, with Lady Callander’s hand frozen on the key. Lord Franks and Lord Millerton had already pushed the man into the chair where, surprisingly, he now sat without struggle. Carolyn narrowed her eyes, seeing that Lord Millerton now had the paper knife pressed near to the man’s neck—which was clearly the only thing that was keeping him there.

She shuddered.