Asher nodded and prayed he wouldn’t have to use it. “I do.”
Dane squeezed his arm in reassurance. “I’ll follow in a few moments.”
Asher left his friend in the alley and walked to the front of the establishment. As he had suspected, his appearance brought stares from the men gathered near the steps, and when he went inside, all eyes turned toward him before interest returned to drink and wenches and cards.
He acknowledged the barkeep, then moved to the stairs. Up he went, past the second floor to the third. He took a deep breath before he moved five doors to the right. If Dane was correct, Beckford was just behind this door.
And there was a good chance that the book was, as well.
He knocked and waited a moment. The door flew open, revealing a man of about his own age, hair too long, eyes wide and wild, three days of beard on his cheeks.
“About time, I asked for a tumble an hour—” The other man cut himself off as he realized it wasn’t a lightskirt in the hall, but Asher. “Who the hell are you?”
Asher smiled, a forced expression. “Who I am is less important than the fact that I know who you are…Mr. Beckford. And that you’re wanted for murder.”
Beckford tossed a glance over his shoulder. The look in his eyes said he wanted to run, but then he glanced back at Asher. “That so? And are you here to arrest me?”
“No,” Asher said. “I’m here because you have something I want. And I think I have something that could help you, as well. Shall we talk?”
Beckford stepped back and allowed Asher inside. Asher passed him, tensing as his back was turned to the other man. It was a risk he had to take to play this out, but he didn’t like it. He turned as quickly as he could, watching as Beckford shut the door and then made his way through the small, untidy room to a bottle on the sideboard. The man had a heavy limp on his left side and he winced in pain with each step.
“You’re injured.”
Beckford let out a laugh and took a swig of his drink. “That’s what happens when every member of the guard has a sketch of your face in their pocket, isn’t it?”
Asher was taken aback by the man’s ramshackle appearance, coupled with a fine accent. Of course the man had been raised a gentleman. Once in line for the dukedom of Kirkford, in fact. Until greed had made him murder his cousin, the man in front of him for the title.
Now he was a common criminal who held Felicity’s future in his dirty hands. Asher refocused.
“I didn’t come here to discuss your state,” he said, keeping his tone cool. “I came here to do some business.”
“Yet I still don’t know your name,” Beckford said, sinking into a chair with a soft grunt.
“Asher Seyton,” he admitted. “I’m the son of a former servant of the Earl of Stenfax.”
That made Beckford’s eyes light up. “Ah. I see.”
“I know about the book of secrets your late cousin kept. And I knowyoutook it when you murdered his successor. I also know it may very well contain information that my father’s former employer wouldn’t want out in the world. I want that information.”
“Everyone wants what I have, it seems,” Beckford laughed.
Asher wrinkled his brow. “You refer to Gregory Fitzgilbert, I assume.”
Beckford stiffened. “What do you know about him?”
“How do you think I found you?” Asher asked, folding his arms and leaving the statement at that.
“Fitzgilbert got what he wanted. He paid me well for it. So if you think I’ll double cross him—”
“What are you talking about?” Asher asked, his heart beginning to throb.
“Fitzgilbert. He bought his secrets back.” Beckford got up with difficulty. “And some others.”
Asher’s vision blurred for one horrible moment and he got up to stare at Beckford. “Whose?”
“None of your affair.” Beckford laughed. “Now why don’t you worry about yourself? You want secrets, don’t you? How much are you willing to pay to bring down the house of Stenfax? Their secrets are mightily interesting, indeed.”
Asher didn’t realize what he was going to do until he did it. With a roar, he lunged at Beckford, slamming him down on the ground with his surprise attack. But for a man with injuries, Beckford was surprisingly strong and he managed to roll with Asher until they crashed into the chairs they’d both been sitting on.
