“You can leave me a note at the Blue Angel.”Then he crossed to the window, stepped one long leg over the sill, and disappeared into the night.
Violet stood staring in shock at the window for several moments before racing over to lean out.She looked down at the second-story drop but didn’t see him.Then, to her right, she spotted his long, lanky shadow crossing the lawn.How had he made it so easily to the ground?Turning to scan the outside wall, she saw where the drainpipe came down the corner of the house.She supposed it was within arm’s reach if one had very long arms.She shook her head.What a fascinating man.
She crossed back to the desk and grabbed the bundle of letters.Scanning the desktop to make sure nothing looked out of place, she chuckled again.How would one even know if something was out of place in this mess?She pushed the chair back into place.
Slipping out of the office, she returned to the ladies’ retiring room, where Ginny waited.
Her maid’s worried expression melted when she spotted Violet.She hurried over.“Everything good, my lady?”
“Yes.”Violet nodded.More than good.She had a bundle full of possibilities and had the most interesting encounter in the dark.Violet couldn’t remember the last time she had been so amused.She had almost felt like her old self.“Here, take this and hide it under the seat in my carriage.I was successful in my mission tonight.But now I must get back to the ballroom before Sommerset comes looking for me.”
Ginny nodded as she accepted the bundled shawl.
“How do I look?”Violet asked.
“A little flushed but beautiful.”Ginny reached to smooth a misplaced ringlet of hair.“There, perfect as usual.”
Violet could only muster a wan smile at that.She straightened her posture and made her way back to the ballroom, knowing that she would have to play her part as hostess for the rest of the evening.But the thrill of her encounter with the handsome Mr.Seaton sat in her chest.That and a tiny bit of hope.Perhaps somewhere in those letters he had helped her procure was the key to freedom for her and her child.
Chapter Six
Violet Sommerset hadsurprised the hell out of him last night, standing behind her father-in-law’s desk, beautiful features pinched with frustration.He shouldn’t have interacted with her, but he hadn’t been able to resist.The lady was a fascinating mix of fragile beauty and sadness.Rhys never could resist the pull of someone in trouble.Lady Sommerset was definitely in some sort of trouble.But what kind?And why was she snooping through Lavensham’s study?
Her maid had scurried from the house with the bundled letters.He had followed her to the mews and watched her hide the letters in the Sommerset carriage.It would have been easy to take them for himself, but then he wouldn’t have an excuse to interact with her again.Rhys frowned at that thought.Violet Sommerset was a good way to find out more about Lavensham.If he could use her as an inside source in that household, then he could be rid of this infernal task.
Zeke’s voice broke through his thoughts.“Boss?”
“Sorry, I missed that.What?”he replied.
Across the table, Zeke leaned back against the bench seat.“If you don’t mind me sayin’, you are real out of it this morning.Something on your mind?”
The noise of the coffeehouse buzzed pleasantly around them.The smell of coffee and pipe tobacco wafted through the sizable establishment.Sunlight filtered through a large plate glass window that faced Bond Street.Rhys nodded.“Yes, but nothin’ that has to do with neighborhood business.Sorry.Continue.”
“Two of Rutledge’s boys came to me looking for work.Said they was tired of the way Rutledge runs things down at the docks.He’s got everyone paying him a cut of the quid they make like he’s the fucking king collecting taxes.”
“Hmmm.What do you think?”
“Seemed sincere.I’d hate to be under Rutledge’s thumb, but I wouldn’t trust them to be on watch.Could’ve been sent by Rutledge to bring back information on our operation.”
Rhys raised one eyebrow.“Which one?”
Zeke chuckled.“Any of ’em.But definitely can’t trust them to collect rents and listen to complaints.These two look like they have all the tact of a pair of bears.And I don’t want them anywhere near the auction house.”
“What about at the factory?It’s good, honest work.If they’ve been working as hooks, they gotta be strong.”The textile factory he had purchased turned a good income.He’d had to do a lot of improvements to make the building safe, but he employed folks from the neighborhoods on the Eastside and paid them fair wages.Creating opportunities for honest work was important to him.Opportunities that he’d never had.
Zeke nodded.“I’ll offer it.Next thing is, Mrs.Bloom said her roof is leaking, and she wants someone to come by.”
“Send Frank.He can get it done in a jiff.We’ll pay him extra if he can get over there today.”Mrs.Bloom was one of the many widows who lived in his section of the neighborhood.
Five years ago, he had inherited the land between Great Queen Street and Duke Street behind Drury Lane.Rents for all the houses and businesses on those three blocks lined his pockets well enough without much trouble.The land had come from his father, the Duke of Hartwick.Rhys’s mother had been the duke’s mistress for a short time, and though the man had never acknowledged Rhys publicly, he’d thought of him in his will.It had been a surprise that enabled Rhys to leave the gang he had been working for since adolescence and start investing in legitimate business ventures.
He glanced over at Zeke.Leaving the Newgate Boys hadn’t gone over well, especially when he had taken Zeke and Matthew with him.In the end, he’d had to kill Big Hank, and while the others had scrambled to fight each other for Hank’s spot at the helm, the three of them had walked away.
The new boss, Walter, and he had a fragile truce.Walter knew that Rhys could have easily taken the reins if he had wanted.All Rhys had asked was that they leave his neighborhood alone.But a man like Walter could only be trusted so far, and he had men on shifts to watch in the streets for any trouble Walter might decide to make.He also paid the youngins to keep an ear out for any word of trouble.If there was one thing working for Lord Fleming had taught him, it was that information was the key to success.
Rhys had begun renting the flats to mothers who needed affordable housing.If they started a business in the neighborhood, he waived the rent entirely.Mrs.Bloom was a seamstress and a war widow.She was a complainer, for sure, but her shop added value to the neighborhood.Both her sons worked at his factory and were raising their own families right here in the neighborhood.
The door to the coffeehouse opened, and a freezing blast of wind blew in, racing up Rhys’s back and neck.He tugged up the collar of his jacket.“Anything else?”
