Chapter 33

The first sign something was wrong was that the cabaret's music, which could be heard over the chatter of the gamblers, stopped abruptly. The aftermath of the supposed cheater's loud expulsion from the room had taken a good deal of time to settle, so few patrons noticed the sudden lack of music. Elizabeth watched as they shrugged it off and went back to their gaming.

Lee noticed, and sent her a questioning look across the poker table over which they both stood. He'd sidled over to her during the hubbub and they'd exchanged a few terse whispers before moving apart again, the better to keep an eye on the room and the hidden door. The moment either of them saw any indication that Saffron was ready to emerge, or that one of the guards planned to enter the room, they'd create another distraction.

The music falling silent was not a cause for alarm—that is, until a subtle rattle began to make ripples in the drinks on the poker table.

The other patrons noticed that. The room slowly quieted.

Then one of the tuxedoed waiters from the cabaret burst through the casino's entrance. Face glistening with sweat, he spoke only one word, and it was sufficient to throw the room into chaos. "Raid!"

Noise and movement surrounded Elizabeth, buffeting her before she'd fully processed the waiter's announcement. Then her hand was in Lee's and he was dragging her in the opposite direction of the crowd. The frantic patrons were making for the doors—doors that had not been there moments before, the half-sized ones the bruisers had opened by tearing the paneling from the walls.

Once she realized Lee was pushing in the direction of the secret office's door, she did her best to shove her way forward. They were there in moments, only to be thwarted by the door being locked.

Elizabeth yanked on the embedded handle, then stared blankly at this unexpected obstacle. Who'd locked the bloody thing, and how were they meant to get Saffron out without drawing the attention of the guards who hadn't yet escaped? The room was already draining of patrons scrambling for their chance to flee through the tiny doors. They'd miss their own chance to get out before the police busted in if they didn't get cracking.

"Break it down," Elizabeth ordered.

Lee looked agog at her. "Break down the door? Are you mad? Those thugs will break me in half!"

"How else are we meant to get her out?" hissed Elizabeth.

Harassed as he was, Lee managed to give her a disparaging look. "You could try knocking."

He did so, pitching his voice low to call, "Everleigh, open up. We've got to breeze."

To Elizabeth's immense relief, the door opened. Saffron took in the scene behind them with parted lips. "What on earth—"

"Oi!"

Their heads whipped around to see a guard a dozen feet away with beady eyes locked on them.

That was the last thing they needed now! Elizabeth grabbed Saffron's arm and hauled her toward the nearest exit, eyeing the guard attempting to muscle his way toward them past the tide of patrons.

But it was then that the first bobby materialized and the shrill of his whistle threw the room into greater chaos. Cursing and pushing became shouting and shoving as black-clad bobbies flooded the room like so many ants pouring from their hill.

Fear blazed like a hot anvil in the center of Elizabeth's chest, but it soon transformed into angry determination. Damn it all, she was not going to be arrested!

Still gripping Saffron's arm, she pushed as forcefully as she dared through the remaining people gathered at the nearest makeshift exit.

A gap opened up as two patrons argued who'd go first, and she dove for it—only to be stopped abruptly by a hard jerk on her arm and the blast of a whistle directly in her ear.

Elizabeth wheeled around, screeching inelegantly at the pain ringing in her ear and fully prepared to sock the fellow touching her right on the nose, even if he was a policeman.

A familiar pair of hazel eyes glared down at her from beneath the custodian's helmet.

Elizabeth gasped in recognition and outrage, only to snap her mouth shut. How the devil was Nick here and in uniform? But she was too aware of the precariousness of their position to argue with a friendly face in the midst of such chaos.

She stopped struggling against Nick's grip on her arm and allowed him to escort her from the gaming room, Saffron in tow.

They were led through the pandemonium filling every corner of the gaming room and the cabaret. Patrons bodily fighting off bobbies, and bobbies raising nightsticks between blasting on their wretched whistles, made Elizabeth feel she'd stepped into a particularly violent film. Her hand nearly slipped from Saffron's a dozen times as Nick threaded them past the worst of it.

Outside, police vehicles were swarmed with bobbies loading disgruntled patrons inside. Nick did not lead them to one of the motorcars, however, but moved confidently to the edge of the action. Elizabeth managed a look behind her and saw with great relief that Saffron and Lee were following.

When at last Nick let go of her arm at the mouth of an alley, leaving it prickling uncomfortably along with the ache of future bruises, he doffed his custodian helmet and slipped from his bobby jacket with two quick movements, shoving them into a rubbish bin. Nick swept his eyes briefly over Elizabeth and the others. "Come on." He struck out with his ground-eating strides into the alley.

The street on the other side was quiet, but the noise from the raid echoed there. Nick made for a nondescript motorcar sitting at the curb.

"Dr. Lee," Nick said curtly, "I trust you'll be able to make your way home from here."

"Will do," Lee said. "Thanks very much for the help."

Now Elizabeth got a look at him, he seemed a tad shaken. No doubt he feared, as he had before, that his reputation as a medical professional had come dangerously close to being demolished tonight. His attempt at a charming smile didn't quite succeed. "Ladies, good night."

He took off down the street, hands in pockets and pace slow enough not to gain attention.

Elizabeth returned her attention to Nick, only to see him glaring at her. She wrinkled her nose. "If you expect me to fall on bended knee in thanks—"

"Get into the car. We'll discuss this back at your flat."

"Oh, goody," she muttered, "a lecture."

The drive back to Chelsea was suffocating.

Elizabeth was fuming, Nick was silent, and Saffron's head was aching from the stress of the evening, coming off a very long day at the lab. How had it only been a few hours since Elizabeth had made her jump out of her skin outside the Harpenden train station?

The silence pressed her all the way until the three of them were safely ensconced in the parlor of their flat. Elizabeth, clearly not in the mood for the lecture brewing, took her time removing her gloves before settling on the couch across from where Saffron stood near the radiator. She felt frozen to the bone and wrung out but was too keyed up to sit.

Nick rounded on them. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I was going to have a night out with my mates," Elizabeth drawled. Her posture was tight, however, as was her expression. "What were you doing there? How did you know we were there, for that matter?"

"Alfie Tennison is dangerous," Nick said.

That gave even Elizabeth pause long enough for Saffron to get in a question. "Do you know that Wells owed Alfie—he owns the gaming room, I'm guessing—a good deal of money?"

Nick's nostrils flared. "Yes. And I do not want to know how you came to know that."

"I want to know why you didn't bother to tell us that Jeffery Wells owed some dangerous bookie!" Elizabeth cried. "Don't you think that's key information in investigating his murder?"

Nick bore down on her, leaning over the couch with arms crossed. "You are not investigating anything. Did it ever occur to you that it would be the work of a few hours, if that, to discover who you are, where you live, and that you are employed by the government? What would Alfie have made of learning you work for a minister and you were poking around in his things? You took information from a dangerous man, one whose allegiances are available for purchase, and the current highest bidder opposes the sitting government."

Surprise rioted through Saffron—what was Nick implying?

Elizabeth let out a frustrated scoff. "How the devil was I supposed to know that?"

"You are supposed to have nothing to do with this!"

"Then why are you spying on me? Why are you following me around? How else would you know we'd be at the cabaret, let alone in the gaming room? And where did you get the bloody bobby getup?"

"I was not spying on you," Nick said sharply. "There are a great many more important things on my mind than the shoddy places you spend your time, Eliza."

Elizabeth went bright red, but with a great effort, she forced a patient tone. "I am trying to help, Nicholas. If it weren't for me—"

"I don't need your help."

"So you're willing to accept—invite—Saffron's assistance, but not mine? Am I not educated enough for you?"

"In this case, no," Nick said bluntly. "You're meant to be at home. In bed. Preferably alone, though at this point that's probably too much to ask."

Saffron stared at him. He wasn't speaking through any identifiable mask; he merely seemed tired and irritated. But she couldn't believe that Nick would be so tactlessly disrespectful to his own sister.

"Nick," she said in a softly scolding tone, stepping forward in a half-hearted attempt to encourage him to stop towering over Elizabeth.

"No," Elizabeth snapped, pushing to her feet. It forced Nick to step back, and she stood so they were nearly nose to nose. "How right you are, Nick. It is too much to ask for me to behave like a good little girl. Are you sure you've been out of touch with our parents? You sound exactly like them. I'd wager you'd like me to put on a virginal white gown and command me to stand perfectly still while men three times my age sniff around me. Maybe you could hold my lips back so they can inspect my teeth like I'm a damned horse for sale!"

Withholding a wince at the increased volume of Elizabeth's growing rant, Saffron did her part and glared at Nick. He showed no reaction whatsoever.

"If I wanted my family to judge and scold me like I'm a child, I'd go back to Bedford. I'm too old for this by far." She let out another frustrated groan, her shoulders bunching. "How stupid I was to believe you'd be any different from them. That you might believe in me, might agree that I should live my life how I see fit. How idiotic I was to think you might have been more like Wesley."

Silence fell as Elizabeth's voice broke on her brother's name. Saffron went to her side, took her hand and squeezed it.

Elizabeth let out a shuddering breath. "You may exit my life now and stay gone from it this time. Better I have no brothers than one who'd use me, only to censure me for trying to help."

Nick's jaw worked, but his voice was cool when it came out. "I see. I will do just that if that is what you truly want. But tell me, should I extricate myself entirely, or would you prefer to keep your job with Lord Tremaine?"

Elizabeth went stiff. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Nick shrugged. "Consider it a parting gift."

He left the room, and a moment later, the front door shut quietly behind him.