Ghost of Christmas Past (22 page)

At least
if she could hail a carriage on the main road she could find her
way home. If there were no carriages available, at least someone
would be able to tell her how far away from Mayfair she was. In
that moment she was aware of the rumbling of carriage wheels
approaching at speed. She tried to lengthen her stride but her legs
simply wouldn’t co-operate. Keeping her eyes firmly locked on the
safety of the main street up ahead she gritted her teeth and
quickened the pace anyway.

Out of
the corner of her eye she spied the dark shape of the horse draw
alongside her at the same time that someone jumped down from the
carriage. Before they could reach her she broke into a run. Pain
lanced down her legs with such ferocity that there was little she
could do except cry out and stop while she battled the wave of
sickness that threatened to overwhelm her.

Long
arms immediately swept around her waist and lifted her bodily off
her feet. There was little she could do except squirm against the
tight hold that dragged her back toward the carriage. Panic swept
over her and she opened her mouth and let out an ear piercing
scream as she kicked out with her legs. She continued to scream,
aware of the curses and grunts from the man holding her as he tried
to drag her back toward the conveyance. At some point the coachman
appeared beside her to lend a hand only for both men to suddenly
stop and stare up the street.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

At
first, the sight of several men running down the street toward them
didn’t filter through Thea’s fear and she continued to half-scream,
half-cry as she wriggled and squirmed and desperately fought for
her life.

“
Oi! What you doing? Let go of her!” One man shouted as he
lumbered toward them.

The man
behind her cursed fluidly in a language that turned Thea’s blood
cold. She knew in that second that this was the man that Rupert was
after, but was it Fornier? What had he done with Rupert? For one
moment her assailants didn’t move and she wondered if they were
going to let her go, only for her hopes to be cruelly dashed when
the redoubled their efforts to get her into the murky depths beside
her.

With her
thoughts firmly locked on the suspicion that these men had harmed
Rupert, Thea allowed her anger to take hold of her. She daren’t
think about what was likely to happen if they succeeded in dragging
her off the street and focused on her fear for the man she loved.
Her thoughts locked firmly Rupert, whom she would leave behind if
she died, and it gave her the strength and determination she needed
to fight. She had never told him how she felt, not before their
wedding day four years ago, or at any point since he had reappeared
in her life. Now, she bitterly regretted the missed
opportunity.

With her
eyes locked firmly on the approaching rescuers, she screamed again
and dug her fingernails painfully into the arm that was around her
waist at the same time that she lifted her foot and kicked the
horse firmly on its leg. It was enough to make the horse jerk and
sidle to one side and, in doing so, the carriage wheel closest to
them moved. Her would-be captor was nudged off balance as he backed
into the wheel and his hold loosened enough for her to wrench
herself free.

She
threw herself onto the cobbles to get out of the way, and lay
gasping for air as she battled the stars behind her eyes. A loud
volley of curses behind her warned her that the attackers weren’t
prepared to give up just yet. If she remained where she was they
would almost certainly try again. She judged the distance between
herself and the small crowd of people running to her assistance,
and knew that she had to do something to get herself out of danger.
Gritting her teeth and scrambling to her feet was painful, but she
focused on the wonderful sight of rescue to gather the strength she
needed to head toward them.

Amid the
loud grumbles and threats the crowd issued her assailants as they
fled, Thea captured the attention of one man and clutched his arm
with desperate fingers.

“
Please, can you tell me where to find Mayfair?”

“
Mayfair, missus?” The market trader piped up. “It is only a
couple of miles away back that way.”

Thea
almost groaned as the man pointed to the long row of houses behind
her and she mentally cursed her own stupidity of not making sure
where she was and how to get home before Rupert had left her.
Although he had meant well, Rupert had left her in considerable
danger by simply abandoning her in the dressmakers shop because she
had no idea where she Madame Coulieu’s shop was located and she
hadn’t given any thought to securing a carriage to collect her
before he left.

Amid
several assurances that she really was shaken but unharmed, she
found herself escorted to a carriage that waited at the end of the
street, with a beefy coachman atop who assured her that he would
get her home safely. If it hadn’t been for the ready assistance of
some earnest locals, she dreaded to think what would have happened
to her and she took a moment to thank them all before accepting the
gracious hands that helped her to safety.

She had
scratches on her arms, and her legs ached fiercely with the
exertion they had endured, but at least she was alive. She wasn’t
sure that she would be able to get down without making a fool of
herself when she got to Ridings, but at least she could get home
now. If it hadn’t been for the locals, heaven only knew what would
have happened to her. She sat back against the squabs and watched
the assorted houses roll past, all the while searching for that
macabre carriage driver who wasn’t so motionless after
all.

Rupert
stood in the corner of the empty warehouse and studied the long row
of houses several hundred yards away. Their ramshackle state
bespoke of extreme poverty that was rife in what was undoubtedly
one of London’s poorest areas.

“
Which one is it?”

“
Third one on the left,” Marcus whispered. They had already
scoured the warehouse they stood in and were tucked away out of
sight in a place that gave them a perfect view over the busy
docks.

“
When was our target last seen there?” Rupert studied the
house that Fornier had been seen entering a couple of hours ago. He
knew that Lucas, Jacob and Harry were in the area somewhere. He
could only hope that one, if not more of them had been able to
follow the carriage, and Fornier, when he had left the area. Rupert
cursed his luck. If he had only been a few minutes earlier he could
have stopped the carriage from leaving and brought an end to the
investigation sooner rather than later.

Although
their boss, Sir Hugo, had ordered Fornier to be taken alive so they
could question him, Rupert had no preference whether the man was
still breathing when his crimes and misdemeanours were brought to
an end. His priorities had changed, especially after what he and
Thea had shared last night.

If he
had to push matters along a bit to bring a swift resolution to the
case, then that is what he would do. Anything but sit back and
allow Fornier to leave the country. Now that the Frenchman had
returned to London and taken up residence so close to the docks, it
was evident that he was planning to flee the country and head back
to France. Time was of the essence and, given that the man had
already escaped capture once before, it was imperative that they
get him behind bars soon.

As
Rupert studied the buildings surrounding them, his thoughts turned
to Thea and he wondered if she had chosen her outfits yet. He
mentally calculated the time and winced when he realised that his
two hours were nearly over. If he was lucky, and could bring his
part in the investigation to an end within the next two minutes, he
would have approximately twenty minutes to get across London. It
was going to be close, but he had told her to stay where she was
until he came for her. Thea was sensible, and the injuries to her
legs meant that she would not be apt to wander off on her own
accord. He was confident that she would do as he had told her and
remain at the dressmakers until he arrived to take her
home.

“
Come on, let’s go and take a look at the house,” Harry
whispered, and edged toward the far end of the warehouse. The Star
Elite had had cause to work around the docks on several previous
investigations and that resulted in all of them being familiar with
the buildings in the area. They knew which houses had back alleys,
and where the danger points were. Together, he and Marcus made
their way to the back of the third house in the long row of
sailors’ cottages and stood hidden in shrubbery while they studied
the rear of the building.

“
Please tell me that someone followed the carriage,” Rupert
breathed.

“
Luke and Jacob.”

“
Excellent. Let’s go.”

With
practised precision the men worked their way toward the back door
of the house Fornier had used as a base. The stench that hit them
when the door swung inward assaulted their nostrils with a ruthless
determination that warned them both that they wouldn’t like what
they were going to find inside.

A search
of the house revealed that the source of the smell came from the
previous occupant, who had clearly met with a swift and brutal end
in order to make way for Fornier’s men who, from the look of it,
had made full use of the property. Litter and debris of all kinds
was strewn over every available surface. The array of empty
wallets, bags and purses were a testament to just how severe the
Frenchman’s plight had become. Clearly, the days of benefitting
from the support of several wealthy financial backers were long
gone and had been replaced with a lifestyle that befitted a vagrant
living on the fringes of society. From the looks of the house,
Fornier had chosen to link up with thieves and purse snatchers, and
had most probably taken to thieving himself in order to gather
enough funds to purchase the food he needed.

“
I don’t know what to think,” Marcus sighed and kicked a
lavishly beaded purse out of the way.

“
About what?”

“
If Fornier is as desperate as this suggests, how can he
afford the upkeep of a horse let alone pay a carriage, or a
coachman to drive the bloody thing.”

“
Fornier could be the coachman. It would explain how he
managed to get a clear shot of the front door of Ridings,” Rupert
sighed.

“
Fine, I accept that, but how did he afford to buy the horse
and carriage in the first place? I mean this is London. It is
expensive to keep a horse here. If Fornier is so short of funds
that he has to resort to pick-pocketing, how is he affording a
horse and carriage and their storage?”

“
Fornier still has help.” Rupert cursed when he stepped on a
stray purse and heard a crunching noise as the contents were
crushed beneath his boots.

“
It can’t be one of his French associates. They are either
dead or in prison.”

“
He has one financier left, you know that,” Rupert studied the
dark scowl on Marcus’ face and knew that something else was
bothering his friend and colleague.

“
I know, but that doesn’t explain why he is resorting to
pick-pocketing. If he has a financier, why is he bothering with bag
snatchers?” Marcus grumbled and randomly began to search through
the pile of bags and purses. All had been cleared of coins and
notes but the rest of the contents which could have been traded,
remained untouched. They completed a thorough search of the rest of
the house but found nothing of any use.

“
Are you sure it was Fornier who has been coming and going
from here?” Rupert asked with a snort. He threw the bags he held
back onto the pile and moved to look out of the window.

“
Definitely. He wore that stupid top hat when he left the
house. He was definitely driving the coach as he left because he
passed right by me.”

“
Where was the carriage kept? I mean, where did it come
from?”

Marcus
glanced at him and made his way to the back of the house. “It came
from the coal merchants down the road. He paid the coal merchant a
large amount of cash for long-term storage and upkeep of the horse.
The carriage comes and goes at all hours but the bloke doesn’t
bother to keep track of it, and has seen the kind of men Fornier
has around him to know not to ask questions.”

“
The thieves and pick-pockets are working the area to keep an
eye out for us. In exchange Fornier has given them a house they can
use to sort out their goods.”

“
I don’t understand,” Marcus sighed. “It just doesn’t make
sense. Fornier must have a financier who provided him with the
coach and horse to move around London undetected. The man passed
right under our very noses at least three times and none of us were
any the wiser. If he hadn’t shot John, and you caught sight of the
coach in the area at the same time, he could have slipped out of
the country without being found.”

Rupert
scowled and put his hands on his hips as he stared at the putrid
mess surrounding them. “So why is he still in England? What is he
waiting for?”

“
The next ship heading past France?” Marcus was only
half-joking. If he didn’t get away from this stench soon he was
going to be sick. He motioned to Rupert, who followed him out into
the dark evening air with a sigh of relief.