“Good eye, Miss Todd. That last entry point does indeed lead into the Thames. My men have spotted lighters going into the banks beneath the flash house.”
“An underground water passage,” Violet breathed. “It reminds me of all those secret passageways we found when we solved that murder—remember, Carlisle?”
Viscount Carlisle, a rugged Scotsman, sighed. “Aye, lass. No matter how hard I try to forget.”
“That is four entry points,” Harry cut in. “Have we the men to cover them?”
Kent looked grim. “That brings us to the next question: our plan of attack. Garrity, what is your estimate of O’Toole’s forces?”
“O’Toole is the most powerful of all the dukes. With two others, Moran and Lavery, joining him, he will outnumber our combined forces at least two to one. And there is more.” Garrity’s dark eyes were forbidding in his pale face. “When Black and I met, we both agreed that O’Toole cannot be doing all this alone. He is a ruthless brute, yes, but there is a sophistication behind the hellfire, a subtlety and deliberation in how he has strategically been undermining Black’s power that is uncharacteristic of him.”
“O’Toole has a partner.” To Tessa, this made sense. “Do you think it was De Witt?”
“De Witt was a pawn,” Garrity said flatly. “For years, he’s been swimming in gaming debts. According to colleagues of mine, he’d been trying to sell a rock blasting device to the railways, but his venture failed when that substance proved too unstable. His gambling got worse. My guess is that he became so desperate that when someone approached him to make the hellfire for a deadlier purpose, he agreed.”
“Then someone else is pulling the strings behind the scenes.” Harry’s brows drew together. “Someone clever enough to cover his tracks at every turn.”
“Orhertracks,” Emma pointed out. “Never underestimate the power of a villainess. Trust me, I’ve made that mistake.”
At her words, her husband, the wickedly handsome Duke of Strathaven, put a possessive arm around her waist, pulling her snugly against his side.
“We don’t have time to worry about this hidden partner,” Tessa burst out. “The clock is ticking. We have only two days before O’Toole executes my kin. We must plan an attack.”
For a moment, silence shrouded the room.
“It will be a bloody battle,” Ambrose Kent said somberly. “One that might incur heavy losses, and, moreover, one that we cannot guarantee we’ll win.”
“Two to one are not winning odds,” Garrity said. “I am not a man to bet on a losing horse.”
“But we must help Tessa,” Gabby said, her blue eyes rounded.
Looking around the room, Tessa saw concern…and determination. These people, who hardly knew her, would be placing themselves and their men in jeopardy for the sake of her family. Entering a battle they knew they could not win. And she knew she could not ask that of them.
Suddenly, she knew what she had to do. “Mr. Garrity, the traitors Moran and Lavery aside, what positions have the remaining dukes taken?”
His brows lifted. “Severin Knight, Christian Croft, and the Prince of Larks have declared no position in this. I believe they are waiting to see where the chips fall.”
“Then it is time they are reminded of the fealty they swore to my grandfather,” Tessa said.
“No offense, Miss Todd, but I do not think they will listen to a female.”
“I may be a female,” she retorted, “but I am also a member of the House of Black.”
Standing beside her, Harry said, “I’ll go with you.”
And she loved him for it. She linked her hand with his.
“Sinjin and I have an acquaintance with the Prince of Larks.” This, surprisingly, came from Polly. “Perhaps we could be of help?”
Tessa stared at the beautiful lady and her extravagantly handsome spouse, the Duke of Acton. How on earth would these nobs be acquainted with the leader of the mudlarks?
“It is a long story.” Acton’s dark blue eyes were amused as he regarded his wife. “We’ll explain on the way there.”
“We have another ally.” Harry spoke up. “The police.”
“You thinkPeelerswill help us?” Then she recalled that her lover was one of them. “Um, no offense.”
“None taken.” Harry’s reply was rueful. “When your grandfather mentioned that Loach had been an informant for Inspector Davies, I asked my brother to look into the matter. To make sure the police were in no way involved in the plot against your family.”
