Even so, it stung.“There’s nothing wrong with me,” he grumbled.
The look Keely gave him spoke volumes.“Whatever you say, Mr.Sinclaire,” he said, touching a finger to his forelock.
The damned cheeky bugger.“Regardless,” Ethan gritted, “I shall be there, if only to keep out of sight and step in if necessary.”He glowered when Keely looked about to protest.“And that is final.”
Keely deflated in his seat before, his typical optimism springing back, he straightened, rising from his seat, tugging his jacket down with a determined yank.“As you like, Mr.Sinclaire.Meet me on the footpath beneath the Serpentine bridge closest to the guardhouse, tomorrow at quarter to five.”
Ethan watched him hurry off, a strange mixture of anticipation and trepidation simmering in his breast.Tomorrow, he vowed, his hands balling to fists on the arms of his chair.Tomorrow he would have the answers he had been searching for.
23
The air was crisp, a cool fog having settled over the landscape as Heloise, following closely behind Sylvia and Laney, hurried through Hyde Park to the designated meeting place.A fine mist peppered her face beneath the edge of her hood, though it did little to cool the heat on her skin from her galloping heart.The path was empty this early in the morning, the dim gray of the coming dawn barely lighting their surroundings, giving the whole scene a macabre feel, like something out of a gothic novel.She half expected a tragic masked figure enveloped in black to stumble out of the shrubbery to set a curse down upon their heads.
Blessedly, none did.That did not mean, however, that Heloise was any more at ease.Truthfully, she only grew more anxious with each step, perceiving each rustle of leaves, every call of a bird, as if it were a harbinger of doom.As they made their swift way along the wide path running parallel to the Serpentine and the bridge loomed into view, elegant stone arches spanning the dark waters, a sudden movement in the corner of her eye had her reaching for the knife tucked in her sleeve.There was no small blade in her pelisse collar today.No, each weapon she had secreted on her person was long, wickedly sharp, and intended to inflict maximum damage.The steel flashed in the fitful predawnlight as she turned, hand outstretched, eyes straining as she scanned her surroundings…
Only to see a swan on the bank of the river stretch its wings and give them a good flap before settling back down and tucking its head along its back in obvious unconcern.
She let loose a shaky breath.“Damn swan,” she muttered, glaring at the creature.
“What was that, Heloise?”Sylvia whispered, looking back, face barely visible under the edge of her hood.
“What?Oh, nothing.Nothing at all.”Sliding the knife back within the leather sheath she had strapped along her forearm, Heloise stretched her head from side to side in an effort to relieve the strain in her neck and hurried on after the other women.Soon they were at the bridge, stopping just short of the tunnel that spanned the path.It yawned before them, a great maw, hiding God knew what—or whom—within.Heloise shivered in trepidation.
For a long moment they barely dared to breathe, ears straining for any hint of sound.But there was nothing to indicate anyone had arrived.
“Are we too early, then?”Laney asked, the words quiet on the still, heavy air.
Before Heloise could think to reply, a voice floated out of the shadows.“Not a bit,” a man said.“I’d say you’re right on time.”With that, a figure stepped out of the mouth of the tunnel.The fog swirled about him in agitation as he moved toward them with a practiced, unconcerned ease.
At once, Heloise’s hand was back on the blade strapped to her forearm, fingers curling around the hilt.Not that the man appeared threatening.In fact, with his slight frame and nondescript clothing, he looked like an average man you might encounter on the street, a fellow who could easily blend into any crowd without suspicion.
Though Heloise knew that the ones who appeared nonthreatening were often the most dangerous of all.Subtly shifting, she moved just in front of Sylvia, muscles tensed and ready.
Proving that he wasn’t as harmless as he seemed, the man’s eyes glittered beneath the brim of his cap, his lips curving up ever so slightly as he caught the movement.“I understand your caution,” he said in a soothing voice that only heightened Heloise’s apprehension.“But I swear I’m not here to cause you harm.I really am looking for people who may have been cheated at Dionysus.”
“And what do you hope to do with that information?”Sylvia asked.As was typical when she wished to hide her identity, her voice took on a rougher cadence, a callback to her less-than-elegant upbringing before she married a viscount and entered into the aristocracy.And a subtle threat that she was not to be trifled with.It never failed to take Heloise by surprise, the change in tone making Sylvia seem like an entirely different person.
“I have an interested party who’s looking to make things right,” the man replied.“But to do that, he needs to interview the wronged parties.”
“Is he not a ‘wronged party’ himself?”Laney asked.“That was the impression we received when we learned there was a search for victims.”
His lips curved at the corners ever so slightly.“Yes, he’s definitely a wronged party.But he’s of a position to correct things as well.”
A statement that caused the hair at the nape of Heloise’s neck to stand on end.Something was definitely off here.This was no mere cheated person looking for others.A thought reared up in her mind, a beast with bared teeth: What if this person worked for someone within Dionysusitself?It could very well be a trap.
Inching closer to Sylvia, she eyed the man with even more caution than before.“I think it would be best if we leave,” she said, voice low and tense.
Sylvia glanced at her sharply, eyes glittering in the shadows of her hood.The air turned heavy and electric as the other woman considered her.Heloise thought she would refuse.She had gone through much to find someone who might have been affected as Julia had, after all.
In the end, however, Sylvia nodded once, then turned to face the man.“We’ll be taking our leave now.”Then, taking hold of Laney’s arm, she turned and started back down the path.
Heloise, relief making her nearly sag, nevertheless could not let her guard down just yet.Keeping the stranger in her peripheral vision, she moved off after Sylvia.Which allowed her to see just when the man realized his plans had gone awry.He took a step toward them, hand outstretched.“Wait—”
Before the word was fully out of his mouth, Heloise pulled the blade from her sleeve once more, swinging to face him, arm raised.Fortunately, the man was not stupid; he stumbled to a stop, eyes fixing wide with alarm on the knife as it caught the early-morning light.Unfortunately, her swift, fluid movement caused her hood to fall back.
The world seemed to freeze on their tense tableau, the very breath stalling in her lungs as she grappled not only with the possibility of violence and what she could do to protect Sylvia and Laney, but also with the knowledge that her identity was now fully revealed.Which could be a problem if this man worked for Dionysus.Blessedly there was not a hint of recognition in the man, not even the slightest start to indicate he knew who she was, and she believedherself to be safe.
Until a strangled gasp echoed through the crisp air.But it was not from the lips of anyone she could see.No, it came from off to the side of the path, within the shadows of the shrubbery.Before Heloise could right her hood and conceal her face again, there was the rustling of leaves.And then a hulking figure stepped from the bushes and onto the path—and began striding right for her.
