Turning to Devon, he said, “I have a house not far from here. But we need to swim and keep a low profile. It will help us if there is a question of whether or not we survived the blast.”
Devon nodded and together they made their way down the river. Thankfully, they were going with the current, so they didn’t have to exert as much energy. Drake wanted to conserve the strength he had to pay another visit to Avalon.
He wondered about Fleur and how she must be pacing the floor of their chamber with worry. He’d said he would return and he had yet to keep his promise. But so long as his luck continued to hold out, he would.
As Drake gave the signal, Devon followed him toward the bank where they climbed onto grassy knoll. Taking a moment to catch their breath, Drake led the way a short distance to another lodging house. He didn’t have a key with him but he knew how to pick a lock.
Once they were inside, he walked toward the corner of the main living area where he proceeded to pry up a few loose boards and withdraw two brown wrapped parcels. He tossed one to Devon. “I don’t know that it will be a perfect fit but at least they will be dry.”
As Devon inclined his head and moved into another part of the dwelling to change, Drake made short work of his sodden clothes. He was grateful that he’d secured provisions all over town in case he needed a quick fix. There was even needle and thread and a bottle of scotch if he needed to make a hasty stitch. He didn’t think Devon required anything of the sort. His abrasions looked rather shallow.
He waited for Devon to return. When he did, Drake lifted a brow. Although the trousers fit snugly, they didn’t appear to be bursting at the seams. The same for the shirt and jacket. The same couldn’t be said if he had just left the river with Amos. He would have been standing there in useless rags.
Knowing time was of the upmost importance, Drake said, “Might you tell me what you were doing in that warehouse?”
Devon scrubbed a hand down his face. “I honestly have no idea. I was leaving the Ten Bells last night and I was ambushed from behind. The next thing I know I woke up in that damned warehouse.”
Drake frowned. “Did you know who those men were today?”
“No. Which makes it even more strange why they would target me.”
Taking a moment to consider this information, Drake returned slowly, “Unless they weren’t after you. It could be that they meant to get to Amosthroughyou.”
“My father might have enemies, but I don’t see anyone going to these lengths to do it. There is some money involved here, whereas that is in short supply in the East End.”
“Yes,” Drake murmured. “I do. I will have to discuss this with Amos when I return to Chelsea. I would suggest that you join me and relay this same information to your father.”
The younger man nodded.
Drake gathered the pistol and another knife that he tucked into his other boot, and together they walked out the door.
As they did so, Drake spied a cloaked figure rushing along on the other side of the street. He might not have given it much thought, except his instincts had been on high alert for several days, ever since the fire that had destroyed a former residence.
Seconds later, he was grateful he had listened to that inner voice of warning. “Get down!” he shouted to Devon as they dove for cover, just as an iron ball was launched at the house he’d just vacated. It shattered against the side of the building and exploded into sharp fragments that hurled through the air, narrowly missing each of them with the deadly blasts. The structure wasn’t so fortunate. The thatched roof caught fire from the sparks that had landed on top and started to burst into flame.
By the time Drake searched for the menacing figure, they were swallowed up by the crowd that had started to gather around the chaos.
“Damnation,” Drake muttered under his breath as he helped Devon to his feet and they took off down the street. Hailing down the first hackney they saw, they climbed inside and Drake gave them the direction of the townhouse on Chelsea. As the sounds of bells could be heard clanging from the water trucks rushing to extinguish the fire, Drake leaned his head back against the squabs as they headed in the opposite direction. “At least now I know how the original fire was started.” He stared at the roof of the carriage with a frown. “It appears that the person who retains a grudge against me is a bloody grenadier.”
He searched his memory for anyone who might fit that description but came up with nothing. He had never purposefully attacked soldiers because they were the lifeblood of the country. Noblemen were another thing entirely. They were entitled men who hadn’t learned the benefit of true sacrifice.
Nevertheless, there was a reason he was being targeted now and he had to know why that was.
As the hackney stopped in front of the townhouse, he climbed out of the carriage. Devon followed close behind, and after a thorough look around the street, Drake walked inside.
* * *
Fleur frozeat the sight of several men surrounding her with pistols drawn and pointed directly at her.
“Are you quite sure you don’t need my protection, Miss Davies?” Avalon’s smooth voice slid down her spine as he walked into her line of vision. “Don’t be foolish. If you want to save your brother, all you have to do is agree to be mine.” She opened her mouth, but he shook his head. “Why me? Is that what you were going to say?” He grinned broadly but it wasn’t the sort of smile that encouraged her or set her at ease. It was the sort that warned her to stay away, that this man was dangerous. “Allow me to answer that for you.”
He circled her as the guns around them were slowly lowered. “I have something of a grudge against Mr. Porter. You see, he took something quite dear from me and I have never forgotten the slight.” He stopped in front of her. “Did he tell you the sorrowful tale of a woman named Elina Waters?” She must have paled because he nodded. “Ah. I can see he did. I’m sure he made it sound as though she was the worst person to walk the earth, but the truth was, I was in love with her and he charmed her away from me. I was crushed, heartbroken, but I decided all would be well so long as he could make her happy. But that’s not what happened. He used her ill and when he came to his senses, it was too late. She came to me for assistance, and I vowed that I would do whatever was necessary to protect her. I ordered Porter’s demise but decided I didn’t need a death on my conscience, so I changed it to a thorough thrashing. As you can see, I kept my word and he survived.”
There was a question that had been burning through Fleur’s heart since Drake had first mentioned his previous paramour. “What happened to her?”
Avalon’s mouth turned down at the corners. “I fear that her tale of woe isn’t quite finished. After she had what she wanted from me, she moved on to other protectors who promised more and more, until finally, she came to me, disease ridden and desperate for money.” His lips twisted with disgust. “She begged me to take her back, but I refused. She left, and for years she was lost to the London underground, the worst parts that most criminals won’t dare to go. I felt a temporary twinge of guilt, but it was soon extinguished when I learned that she had allowed herself to become nothing but a common whore. She was intelligent. She had the ability to be anything that she wanted, but she squandered it all on meaningless tups for pence in dingy alleyways.”
Feeling a bit of her bravado returning, Fleur stated, “You sound bitter towardher. Why punish Drake?”
