The man nodded and pushed his way up the stairs without another thought. If Lydia had been worried that he did not truly have a connection to the Cheltenhams, she was not any longer, as he went straight for Charlie’s room without need of direction. Lydia hurried behind him, lifting her skirts to move more quickly.
The door to Charlie’s room knocked into the wall with the force that Sir Henry pushed it open. Charlie sat up abruptly in bed with a yelp.
“Charlie, where is Lucas?” Sir Henry demanded.
Charlie blinked at them, one eye squinting more than the other.
Lydia stepped up behind Sir Henry. “Sorry, Charlie. We need to know where your brother’s club is.”
Charlie groaned, grabbing his head. “Ah... Great Peter Street. Off Victoria.”
Sir Henry slapped his hand against his thigh and pivoted as he walked back to the door.
Lydia followed. “What do you intend to do?”
“Find Lucas.”
“But you do not have anything but the street.” She was tired of waiting around. “I will come with you. Give me but a moment, and I will grab my cloak.”
Sir Henry glanced over at her, looking her up and down. “No.”
“No? You need me. I have seen the club. I can help you.”
“Me too.” Charlie had appeared in the doorway they’d just left, still holding his head, but standing up straight.
Sir Henry groaned. “Lucas will kill me if I get either of you mixed up in this.”
“We already are,” Charlie grumbled.
Sir Henry pointed at Charlie. “You are half dead on your feet. And you—” His hand swung to Lydia. “You are a woman I do not even know.”
“I do not see why that means we cannot help you locate the club,” Lydia said.
“I still have the other half of me that is not dead,” Charlie offered.
“I only need one of you then. And I choose Charlie.”
“If you are worried about Lord Berkeley’s wrath, leaving me alone at home would anger him just as much,” she bluffed. She would have been content staying home, but after hearing how terrible these men were that Lord Berkeley was up against, she had to see that he was all right.
“You are in a home full of servants; you will be all right.”
Though a reasonable argument, Lydia was not feeling particularly reasonable. “Andyouare wasting our time fighting me!”
The man ground his teeth, clearly weighing his options. Finally, he swore under his breath and threw up his hands. “Fine, but you will both stay in the carriage.”
Lydia nodded, agreeing to the terms. Not waiting another moment, she ran the few doors down to her room and grabbed her cloak. She wasn’t sure how long the men would wait for her, so she immediately spun around and retraced her steps. They had made it to the foot of the stairs, and Sir Henry did not seem pleased to see her. But he said nothing, yanking open the front door and marching out into the night.
Chapter 33
Colin had closed down theclub before Lucas arrived. Except for Sundays, Colin never shut the thing down. It ran into the early hours of the morning then reopened in the late hours of the morning each day, like clockwork.
But now, there was no one within. Lucas walked with careful steps through the large interior. It seemed almost ghostly in its emptiness, illuminated only by the thin moonlight filtering through narrow windows.
Shouts came from Colin’s office, and Lucas abandoned stealth for speed. In seconds, he flung the door to the room open and joined the fray within. Colin was trading blows with one man, while another circled the desk to join the fight. Two against one was the oldest version of unfair. It made Lucas’s blood boil.
He grabbed at the back of the broader man’s shirt and threw him against a wall. His pudgy face registered surprise before Lucas clocked him with a flush hit to the jaw. His flat, squashed nose was not the result of the hit, but it was definitely made worse with Lucas’s second punch.
Within minutes, the lord and the Scot had the two thugs in the corner of Colin’s office, hands bound and scowls wiped from their faces thanks to their blissfully unconscious states.
