Chapter 22

It was about three in the afternoon before he could return home, and the moment he stepped through the door needing, craving Lousia's presence.

"Where is Her Grace this afternoon?" he asked the footman who had answered the door.

"She is in the attic, Sir," Sawyer replied.

"Thank you," he nodded, then headed up to the attic but paused at the doorway.

Louisa was standing there, clad in a pair of tan breeches that fit her legs like a second skin and the male shirt draped over her generous curves, her hair was pinned up away from her eyes as she aimed the gun to the straw dummy at the end of the room.

She stood in the proper stance he had taught her last night, her hands up, elbows locked. Her eyes narrowed and she pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the dummy right in the middle of its chest.

"Oh, thank god," she sighed, hands dropping.

Clapping slowly, Julius approached her while wondering how long she had been at it, but from the sweat wetting the roots of her hair, it seemed she practicing for a while. "Well done."

Gently, he pulled the gun from her hand and massaged the stiffness from her palm. "Well done. With more practice, the armed forces might hire you."

She laughed, "Stop jesting."

His eyes dropped to rake over her again. "How long have you had these breeches and why have I not seen them before?"

Her cheek pinked prettily, "I rarely used them, but when I do, I wear them as a part of my riding habits at times when I get the urge to ride astride. I know it is unladylike and very?—"

Julius backed her against the wall, the wood smooth cool against her his palms as his mouth found hers, and the kiss surged with hunger. His lips were hot and fierce against hers; their tongues twisted and twined, stroked and suckled.

He could not get enough of her and loved when she gave into him, into herself, into the desires twisting her insides. Through the thin cloth, his hands closed over her unfettered breasts, his fingers lightly tweaking the budding centers.

Her fingers buried into his hair as her back bowed off the wall. Julius did not know where he was taking this but all he knew was that the stress of the day pushed him to release his trapped energy in the most pleasurable way.

Sliding his hands under her thighs, he lifted her higher and urged her to wrap her legs around his waist. As she did, his hand slipped between them and pressed hard on her center, the heel of his palm pressing right over her bud.

"My beautiful girl," he murmured. "I love seeing you when you shatter over the edge."

"Keep doing that and I will shatter quicker than you think," she gasped, her hips flexing but she stopped. Julius smirked wickedly. "We're all alone, naughty girl. I think you do know what to do. Go ahead, then," he murmured, his mouth lowering to hers again. "Ride me. Take your pleasure."

A haze washed over her eyes and pleasure spiraled through him as she wound her arms around his neck and rocked herself shamelessly against his hand.

Leaning in, his mouth skimmed over her throat and ear, while his length hardened. "You do not know how good that feels, sweetling."

Through the arousal pumping in his ears, Julius barely heard the door open, "Pardon me, Your Graces," Sawyer said. "I am not aware if you know but Lady Rose left to the Holbrook House this morning."

Julius reacted the same way he would if a bucker of icy water had been upended over his head. jerking away and almost let Louia fall, he roared, "What?"

"From what I understand, Lady Diana came with her carriage and asked Lady Rose to join her to go look at book at the Temple of the Muses." Sawyer replied gravely.

"Oh, good god no!" Julius was halfway out the room unaware of Lousia following him. "We have to find get her back."

"I'm coming, and do not tell me I cannot!" Lousia said from the level, before darting in the direction of her rooms.

By the time the carriage had arrived, she had met him down the stairs, her hands filled with cartridges while Julius sent for his horse. Confused marked her face.

"Why are you riding there?" she spied the carriage coming around the corner. "Do you think something untoward happened? Lady Diana is her friend."

"But Holbrook is not mine," Julius stressed. "Considering what he tried to do with me and trick me out a fortune, I do no trust what he would do with Rose, especially when she is under his roof." Raking a hand through his hair he added, "I should have told her about the threat, Louisa. I should not have kept her ignorant."

She touched his cheek, "Do not blame yourself so, Julius."

"But I am," he replied. "Who is to tell if he is using Diana—" a stableboy came running with his horse and Julius swung into the saddle. "Come after me."

He did not look back to see when she boarded the carriage but sped off down the lane.

Heart pounding, Louisa clutched the bullets in her hand as the carriage came trotting to her feet. "To Holbrook House," she said and as she made to step in, a footman came running with a letter in hand.

"For you, Your Grace," he said, "From a Lord Orrville."

Taking it, she nodded her thanks and closed the door behind her. As the vehicle went off, she tore it open. The letter was straight to the point.

Your Grace,

I have personally checked all the minor financial institutions in and around Town and not one has any record of Sherborne and his industrial business. Using my managerial power, I have found that Lord Holbrook is in debt up to seventy-five thousand pounds, his earldom is dry and no bank will extend a line of credit to him.

He does have a home in the city of New York in America and my suspicion is that he might sell that home of he might escape to it. Furthermore, his son had lost his place and is banned from the Royal Society, having found that he copied and plagiarized another man's thesis on mechanical engineering of a new carriage axis.

My sincere regards,

Oliver Heath.

"Dear God," she whispered as it all became clear. "He planned on using Julius to clear his debts and then vanish."

Gripping the letter, she swallowed over a tight throat and the passing minutes felt like eons dragging by. What exactly had Julius thought about when he had heard Rose had gone off?

Yes, Holbrook might have tried to trick him into this scheme…and since he did not get the money he wanted….

The conclusion that spurred in her mind made her blood turn to ice. Trembling in horror, she realized that Holbrook would have taken Rose for ransom.

"Coud it be that he was the one who had tried to kidnap Rose before and failed?" She pushed her palm to her thundering heart. "He made sure to secure his position, asking Julius for the money first and then making Diana Rose's friend as a contingency plan."

I should have told her about the threat, Louisa. I should not have kept her ignorant.

"And by so we have all but delivered her up on a silver platter," she grimaced.

When she arrived at the countryside house in Covent Garden, the fine front fa?ade made dread drop like a brick of ice inside her stomach. Before alighting from the vehicle she made sure to load a bullet into the gun then slipped the rest into the side of her half-boots.

"Stay here," she instructed the driver then mounted the steps.

No one greeted her at the door, and the hairs on the back of her head stood up as she crossed the empty parlor. The house seemed to be three stories and she knew she did not have time to search all three floors, instead, she thought of where she would go upon visiting a friend.

Her friend's bedchamber or a drawing room.

Mounting the stairs, she assumed a direction and began to creep down the corridors, listening closely to hear two girls chattering away.

"Meowr."

Looking down, Lousia saw a plump white kitty, its green eyes wide staring at her. Crouching, she smiled, "Hullo pretty lady. Can you show me where your mistress is?"

The cat stood and sauntered off down the hallway, turning a corner and Louisa followed her. She ducked into an open doorway and this time, she heard Rose's voice—but it was not a happy one.

Inching to the door, she saw Rose, but the girl was trapped, latched with ropes and Holbrook holding a knife to her throat.

"This is not complicated," Holbrook said. "Pay me the hundred thousand and you will have your darling little sister. Honestly, if the henchmen I had hired a year ago had found some gumption and not gotten scared off by a butler with a rifle, I would not have needed to do this."

"But why did you do it at all?" Julius' voice was tight but controlled. "My family has been good to you, Adam."

"Until your father cheated me out of a fortune," the man sneered. "The ships to America who were smuggling French contraband. They paid three times the price of the merchandise and he never uttered a word to me about it. The blighter made at least four hundred thousand from it alone. Do you know what I could have done with that sort of money?"

"So, this is retribution," Julius said tightly.

"Restitution, actually," Adam sneered.

For the first time, Louisa heard a sniffle. "Papa, please," Diana sniffled. "Please don't do this. Please!"

"Be quiet gal," the earl snapped. "At least you did your part."

The girl got up from the floor and Louisa was horrified to see the lady's face sported a purpling mark, as if she had been struck. "But n-not this! I d-didn't bring her here for this."

At least Louisa knew that the girl was innocent in this; her father had manipulated he into his scheme unwittingly.

"Let my sister go," Julius replied. "The Runners already know about your scheme, Holbrook and they are probably swarming Batcliff Docks as we speak. I am sure they have already apprehended this man Sherborne and you do know that if he turns on you, you will both hang."

"Not if we leave these shores," Adam said, "You're a duke, arrange it."

"You're mad," Julius replied. "Do you think you can get away or out of this situation alive or without being captured?"

"With this lady as insurance, yes," the earl lifted the knife to Rose's neck. A fresh wave of tears marked Rose's face as the blade and the pure fear in the girl's eyes made pain slash right over Lousia's heart.

"J-Julius," she whispered, fear almost clamping her lips tight.

"Don't fret, Rose," he said calmly. "I will have you out soon enough."

She stepped forward to him but Holbrook stopped her by pressing the dagger closer to her neck. "Tut tut, dearie, any loser and I am afraid I will be forced to hurt you."

"Let me go," she whispered.

"Not until your brother does what is right and hand the money over," Adam said, "A hundred thousand pounds is a pittance to a duke. I do not know why he won't turn around, go to the Bank and supply me with what I need."

Once again, Rose reached out, "Please."

"No," Julius said. "I will not give him what he wants so he can disappear and not face the consequences."

"You prize your money better than your sister's life?" Adam asked.

While he spoke, Lousia studied the man; was holding the blade in his left hand, and she hoped—while lifting the gun—that his reaction would not be deadly for Rose.

Aiming with shaky hands, she pulled the trigger—and the shot went wide, just as she had hoped. Adam's hand shot to the side as the gunfire ripped through the night.

Julius lunged.

They went down in a heap, Diana quickly dragging Rose out of the way as he rolled with his adversary, using momentum to gain the upper hand. Holbook shook loose and threw a punch at him that connected with his jaw.

Dodging the blow, he threw one of his own and his fist connected with a crack against the man's jaw. Gripping Adam's lapels, he rolled with his opponent, plowing his gloved fist into the other's face, over and over again, the crunch of bone a visceral satisfaction.

He evaded the other's clawing hands, landing punch after punch, but then recoiled after Adam slammed a knee into Julius's gut and unseated him, sending him sprawling to the side.

On his feet, Adam aimed a kick and a lifetime's training made Julius twist, evading the attack, kicking out himself. His boot connected with Adam's ankle and hopping up, he spun on his feel and stuck out with his boot. Bloodlust flowed hotly through his veins while his mind was crystal-clear, cold, focused as his muscles burned pleasantly from use.

The vicious kick caught Adam in the ribs, and he collapsed again. Straddling him, Julius swept the knife off the floorboard and held it tight to Adam's neck. Fear made the man's eyes bulge out comically.

"How do you like it?" Julius asked coldly, "On the other edge of a blade ready to sink into your open flesh?"

From the corner of his eyes, he spotted the two girls huddling in a corner together and wondered where Lousia was, but he did not pay that much mind. He thanked for distracting Holbrook with the shot so he could free Rose.

"Do you like it? How easily my hand could slip and the blade be embedded in the middle of your cursed throat?"

He angled the blade so the tip would nick Adam's throat, drawing a thin like of blood in its wake. Adam flinched.

"Brother, please," Rose said softly, "Don't kill him."

"Death is an easier solution," Julius said, his voice as still as eternal damnation. "But it would be too easy for you. You will suffer. Take my word for it."

A thunder of feet had him looking up and found Louisa rushing into the room with two constables at her heels. "J-Julius, I rode as q-quickly as I could to g-get these men for you."

Flicking the knife away, Julius stood and flexed his smarting jaw. "Take him away."

Facing the two girls, he asked, "Where is your brother, Lady Diana? Did he have a part in the plot?"

"Y-yes," Diana replied. "At first, he wanted to force Rose to marry him, but he lost his nerve and took off. To the shipyards, I bet."

"Ah, so the Runners will get him too," Julius nodded, then went to gently lifted Rose and Diana from the floor. "It's over now. You do not have to be afraid anymore."

Louisa looked around, the fright drying from her eyes. "Are you all right?"

"I will be," he said while the constables heaved Holbook from the floor and out the door. To Diana, he asked, "Do you have anywhere to go? Family? Relatives you can rely on?"

She silently shook her head.

"Then you're coming with us," Julius said, his shoulders sagging. "You'll find a home with us."

Easy, step by step, they descended the stairs, with Rose and Diana holding each other and Louisa coming up behind them. As they stepped into the sunlight, a crowd had started to gather around the house while Adam was forced into a black carriage, the dapper greys prancing in agitation.

As they descended the stairs, Henry Cowell approached him, his keep eyes flickering over the scene. "Bad timing?"

"Did you find something about Harrington?" Julius asked.

"Oh, we found everything," the investigator said, his smirk telling, "And you won't believe me when I tell you."