Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

"B loody hell."

Fleur's blood ran cold because that curse was filled with so much meaning. "What is it?"

"Avalon's right hand is named Reynolds. He's the one that tied me up in that blasted warehouse." He shoved a hand through his hair. "It appears this intrigue goes deeper than I'd originally thought."

She found it difficult to follow his line of reasoning. "I don't understand."

"You soon will. Wait here." He left the room and she started pacing, stopping only when he returned a few moments later. "I sent Devon on an errand. If there is anyone who might be able to get us any quick answers about Avalon's next in command, it will be him. Until he returns, it would be a good idea to see if Harriette has returned."

Without a second's hesitation, Fleur joined Drake as they headed down the street. They made their way up the steps to the former courtesan's house on Chelsea and she waited anxiously for the butler to answer their summons. His bored gaze flicked over them as he said, "The mistress is out."

When he would have shut the door in their face, Drake set his foot in the jamb and pushed his way inside. "That's fine. We are here for information and she doesn't need to be present for us to find it."

The butler gasped in outrage. "I must protest this intrusion?—!"

"Protest all you want; it won't change anything," Drake noted firmly.

"I'll send for the watch!" the servant sputtered.

This time, Drake paused and set his face directly in front of his. "You will mind your own business and look the other way. Mr. Porter didn't earn his reputation for no reason, so for your sake, I would be careful how far you test my patience."

Immediately the butler looked as though he'd seen a ghost. He actually made the sign of the cross, proof of his apparent Catholic upbringing, before he turned and rushed the opposite direction.

Although Fleur hadn't been sure what to think about Drake's fearsome repute, she was thankful for it right then.

"Where shall we begin?" she asked.

He glanced at her. "Where all women keep their most prized possessions. In the bedchamber."

She nodded, but when they reached the lady's hallowed apartments, she glanced at Drake curiously. "What am I looking for?"

He finally paused to look at her steadily. "Anything tying her to Reynolds."

Her mouth fell open. "Do you mean?—?"

"Indeed," he said almost bitterly. "There is a twisting tale starting to unfold and I should know the truth."

As he started to open drawers and go through them, Fleur's mind began racing. For no particular reason, the conversation he'd shared with Amos flew back into her mind and she knew that, before she could go any further, she had to know some truth of her own. "Do you still think Flavian is guilty of wrongdoing?"

Drake stilled in the midst of his task, and without turning to face her, he asked softly, "Why do you ask?"

She swallowed hard over the lump threatening to choke her. "I overheard your conversation with Amos about a list of names and how he needed to be watched." She blew out a heavy breath. "In light of recent circumstances, and your confirmation that you believe the villain was a grenadier, please tell me you still don't cast Flavian in such a bad light."

Drake finally straightened and turned to her. "Honestly, I'm not sure what to believe. I told you the idea was likely that it was a grenadier, but that doesn't make it so. Since your brother is missing and I didn't gain a good look at the culprit, I can't answer that question yet." He paused and she could feel the center of her stomach drop to her toes. "But,' he added. "I hope that Devon can answer that for us, along with whatever information we might find here."

Fleur nodded. She supposed that was as close to an apology she might receive. And at least he appeared to be speaking the truth. That meant more to her than any lies he might have uttered to the contrary.

After that, silence took over the room as they continued to rummage around Harriette's personal effects. Drake stood with his hands on his hips and glared as he looked about the room. "I'm going downstairs. Perhaps she has a study she utilizes."

When he left, Fleur was starting to feel the same frustration, mainly because she didn't know what sort of evidence she was supposed to be procuring.

Closing her eyes, she started to imagine where Harriette might put something close to her heart. Her eyes popped open and she moved to the bed. While the trunk at the foot of the bed had been exhausted, she bent down and searched beneath the frame. When that proved fruitless, she ran her hand beneath the lady's pillow and the feather mattress. She wondered if that would turn out to be nothing more than the same worthless endeavor, but her fingers brushed the edge of something that felt suspiciously like an envelope. Her heart started to race anew as she grabbed the paper corner and slid it out.

There, with simple, feminine handwriting, was Harriette's name scrawled across the front. Fleur's hands were shaking as she turned it over and removed the folded letter inside. It had creases of wear, as if the precious item had been read over and over again. There was a slight smudge of ink, as if a tear had fallen upon the words where the sadness would remain for all time.

The lines were faded, but she still had no trouble reading the poor entreaty.

Dearest Harriette,

I employ you to help me. I have lost everything although I cannot blame anyone but my poor sense of judgment. I had two men who would do anything for me and I have used them most ill. They have washed their hands of me and I have no one else to turn. Elijah has tortured me anew and I fear that his mind is tarnished. He was not the same since he returned from the war and I thought I might find some semblance of peace with him, but I fear I am not long for this world. I am riddled with disease and melancholy and I yearn for easier days in which to pass on from this life. I know I do not deserve any sort of special consideration from you, dear cousin, but I beg of you to ease my suffering. Send for the apothecary and request a bottle of arsenic. I shall contrive the rest. It will be a blessing to leave this world behind. It has not been kind to women of our ilk and I find I no longer care to remain. After the loss of two children that might have carried me through these days of grief, I no longer have the desire to continue. Please do not blame Elijah, as I truly believe he wants to live a good life. He is just unable to do so without the proper guidance, the sort of which he cannot gain from Avalon. I fear he will soon lose all sense of reality and fall prey to his own mind. I have also written to his brother in Greenwich to see what might be done to save him. I pray that he isn't struck down as I have been—as you may be someday, cousin dear.

I will eagerly await your arrival. It is the last wish of my miserable existence and I hope you will grant it.

Yours Faithfully,

Elina

A tear slid down Fleur's face, but before it could fall upon the letter, she folded it and set it back inside the envelope. Pressing it to her chest, she closed her eyes and exhaled a shaky breath. She understood the plight of this poor woman because she had nearly fallen down the same path should she not allowed her love for her brother to keep her getting up each day and pressing forward. Unfortunately, for Drake's ex-lover, there was nothing more to be done for her fractured soul.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

The snide, feminine comment had Fleur spinning around to meet the accusing glare of Harriette. The woman's dark eyes were a menacing bore as they peered at the letter held in Fleur's grasp. Wiping away the evidence of her empathetic grief, she asked the one thing she was desperate to know. "Did you?—?"

"Yes." Harriette confirmed firmly. "It seemed a charitable kindness to offer someone who was dying of syphilis. It can be a painful and dreadful disease and just as I wouldn't wish to see an animal struggle with a broken leg, neither could I allow my cousin to deal with the same fate when I could send her to the heavens myself."

A thought occurred to her. "You wrote that memoir to honor her memory."

The courtesan's mouth tightened. "I did it for all the women who trusted in the faithless consideration of men. I wanted others to know that they didn't have to have the last word."

"And what of my brother?" Fleur countered. "I daresay he wasn't among men like Elijah Reynolds."

"Perhaps not right away, but it was apparent that his love of drink and vice would soon steer him in the wrong direction. It is best other women are spared from the disaster that he promises."

The blood promptly fled from Fleur's face. "You know where he is."

"I do."

That single word both relieved and terrified Fleur. Harriette said it with such cold abandon that Fleur was worried now, more than ever, for her brother's fate. She took a step forward. "Please, tell me."

A derringer was whipped forward and pointed directly at Fleur's heart. "I would ask you to remain where you are."

Fleur froze but that didn't keep her from pleading for Flavian's life. "Please, just release him into my care and I vow that we will leave London this very night. We will trouble you no longer."

The lady shook her head almost sadly. "I know that you love your brother, Miss Davies. It would be difficult not to do so considering the strong bond that you share. Twins are a remarkable gift for any mother but the fact still remains that he must face the responsibility of his own actions. You have allowed him too many freedoms."

Fleur's anger was starting to spark. "And what of the freedoms you offered when you sent him along with Avalon to the gaming tables?"

She shrugged. "I gave him a choice. Choosing the wrong one further proves that he must be punished for his actions."

"He's young. Don't you think we all make mistakes?"

The lady's face twisted bitterly. "Some mistakes can never be undone. It causes a demise the likes that Elina did not deserve."

A sound at the door caused Fleur's focus to temporarily disengage from Harriette. She saw Drake's head whip in the direction of the courtesan. After a temporary shock, he noticed the weapon in her grasp and where it was pointed. He didn't appear to think as he lunged for the derringer.

Harriette was too stunned to do more than cry out as the momentum of Drake's body sent her to the floor, the gun skittering across the floor out of reach. He held his hands at her throat and squeezed while she clawed at the hold he had on her. His eyes were deadly, his jaw set with the same intent. "I should kill you for daring to threaten Fleur."

Fleur's mouth went slack. She had never witnessed this side of Drake and it frightened her. She could fully believe that he could commit murder in that instant. Finally, she snapped out of her shock and went forward. Putting a gentle hand on his arms, she begged, "Drake, don't do this. She knows where Flavian is."

It took a moment for her words to penetrate his brain but when they did, he blinked and slowly released his grip. Harriette gasped and sputtered for air. Once she had taken several bracing gulps, her focus shifted to her. "Thank you." Closing her eyes, she seemed to gather herself and then she offered a courtesy in return. "He is in Greenwich with Elijah's brother, Daniel." She looked to Drake. "Daniel wasn't the only grenadier who fought in the war. Elijah did as well. He has struggled with adapting to the societal strictures ever since." Her eyes welled with moisture. "I am truly sorry for betraying you as I did but you have to understand I have been sadly neglected over the years and I am afraid my friendship skills are sadly lacking."

Fleur put a soft hand on the woman's shoulder where Drake still kept her pinned. There was a time she didn't think she could ever forgive this woman her treachery but with such humble words and the knowledge about her brother, she couldn't ignore such an entreaty. She took the letter and wrapped her hand around it. "Thank you."

* * *

Once they left Harriette's house, Drake decided that he needed some explanation. He couldn't seem to wrap his mind around Fleur's charitable nature.

He stopped abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk. Holding out a hand, he said, "I need to understand what I just saw."

She looked at him with those wide, green eyes and that innocent expression. "What do you mean?"

He gave a harsh bark of laughter. "I am referring to you . After all of the hardships you've endured with Flavian, myself, and Miss Wilson, you still find enough goodness in your heart to treat that blasted woman with kindness after she'd just pointed the barrel of a gun at your heart."

She looked at him curiously and then spread her arms wide. "I am uninjured, as you can see. What is the point of lashing out at someone hoping to make amends. I don't intend to continue a relationship with Harriette but I will not deny her the forgiveness she sought. That would be blatantly cruel."

He scrubbed a hand down his face. "Do you not understand that I still want to go back there and end her life for daring to threaten you in such a manner? Rage continues to pour through me even now. Can you not see that I died a thousand deaths at the prospect of you being taken from me?" His voice had turned raspy, as he attempted to keep the emotion swelling up inside of him from tearing him apart. Instead, he moved to her and captured her face with his hands. "I would be destroyed should something befall you." He pressed his forehead against hers. "I have lived a life that is unworthy of most forgiveness of my own. I have acted without conscious thought, the only desire to find some benefit for myself. With you, the single thing I want is for your happiness. Most days I feel as though I should have bowed out of that auction in order for you to have discovered a peace that I can never possibly offer you. There are too many demons in my past to offer such a sanctuary. And yet, I am too selfish to let you go."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. He could feel the hardened shell inside start to slowly crack and break apart. "I'm not going anywhere, Drake. My place is with you. Now and always, so long as you'll have me."

He released a shuddering breath and he wondered if he wasn't going to break down in the middle of Chelsea for everyone to observe. He suddenly realized that he didn't care what anyone thought of him. He had long been known as the tumultuous Mr. Porter, a man others didn't want to cross, but he cared not for anyone's approval save that of Fleur. As long as she held him in the circle of her arms, he was content. At long last, he dared to open his heart again.

Stepping back, he took her hand and brought it to his lips. Kissing her knuckles, he said the one thing sure to appease her. "Let's get your brother."

Keeping hold of her hand, he vowed that he wouldn't let her out of his sight again. Where he went, she would be there as well.

As they entered the townhouse and found Devon standing and waiting for them, he confirmed what they'd just heard from Harriette. "He's being held at the stables in Greenwich. Elijah is there too." As he started to continue, there was a loud knock on the front door. "And one more thing?—"

The door burst open and Avalon stood there with several men from the Blue Boys, their identities noted by the fierce loyalty he saw in their eyes as they stood by their master.

"—Avalon is here."

Devon's statement faded into the air as Drake kept a firm hold about Fleur's waist. He tensed, ready to fight to the death if need be, but Avalon lifted his hands into the air in supplication. "I come here in peace. At least, toward you. For Reynolds, I cannot claim the same. He has betrayed me in the worst fashion by daring to threaten our acquaintance and I do not take too kindly to such a slight from someone I was supposed to be able to trust."

Drake relaxed slightly but he was still determined to remain on guard in case this was nothing more than a Trojan horse attempt to gain his ear.

"I know he absconded with you and I want to personally apologize for such a terrible action against an ally." His lips twisted ironically. "I know we have not always seen eye-to-eye on everything, but women have a tendency to scramble a man's common sense."

He offered a brief nod of acknowledgement to Fleur.

Drake decided that since Avalon was being honest, he would do the same. "I didn't steal Elina away from you. She told me things were over between the two of you and she was searching for another protector."

Avalon jerked as if he'd been struck but then he appeared resolute. "I can't say I'm surprised. She never seemed that steadfast when we were together. She was always wanting more, searching for more."

"And in the end, she had nothing."

Drake and Avalon's focus turned to Fleur. She took a deep breath and said, "I found a letter Elina had written to Harriette with an entreaty. They were cousins. She claimed that she was with Elijah and that things were not going well. She was… unwell and wanted Harriette to… attend to her."

Both Drake and Avalon stood silent for a few moments, as if they were both mourning a lost love, or at the very least, a woman that had been of temporary importance to them.

"All this time I believed Elijah was—" Avalon shook his head and moved forward to Drake. Holding out his hand as an offering, he said, "I am man enough to admit when I have done someone wrong. For the offenses I have laid at your door, allow me to atone for those now." He snapped his fingers and Amos appeared in the foyer. Devon rushed to him, and father and son embraced, Fleur put a hand over her heart, obviously touched by what she observed.

Drake dared to admit to himself that the reunion was rather emotional. As his annoyance toward Avalon faded, he stared at the palm before him and found himself reaching for it. Other than Amos, he supposed that Avalon was the only other man he might actually be able to respect.

After a brief grasp, they parted.

Drake lifted a brow. "Does this mean you've also decided to be a hero for the day?"

With a snort, Avalon said, "I much prefer being the villain, don't you? Let's retrieve young Flavian and show his captors what men of action actually do."

Drake's grin spread over his face. "I couldn't have said it better myself."