The Archer's Paradox (The Heart of a Hero Book 8) Read online

  The bastard was intelligent enough to know that if he showed his face here, at the very least he’d be implicated in the thefts of the jewelry.

  Harriet paused and took a deep breath. “I didn’t hear from him after that, until this afternoon. Someone dropped off what I thought was a letter, but it was a note from him telling me to watch for him tonight. He said he would bring a rope to throw to me so he could climb in my window, and look for his sister’s will so he could claim his inheritance..”

  “What happened when he arrived, Harriet?” Colin asked.

  “He climbed into my room and then…then he used the rope to tie me up, and he shoved a dirty handkerchief into my mouth.”

  Beatrice squeezed her hand. “Do you know where he went when he left your bedchamber?”

  “He said he was going to Madame’s room to look for her will.”

  Thank goodness Beatrice had the wherewithal to move the jewelry from Madame’s room. He had no doubt that was what the bastard was looking for.

  “After that he came back and shouted at me to tell him where we hid the jewelry. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but one of the guards heard him yelling at me and rushed into my bedchamber. Monsieur jumped out my window. I hope he hurt himself.”

  Beatrice hugged the girl to her, then pulled back to meet her eyes. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “No, he just scared me.”

  “All right, darling,” Beatrice said. “We’re going to take you to the parlor where the other girls and Mrs. Turner are waiting to see you. They all want to see for themselves that you are all right.”

  Colin had nothing but admiration for Beatrice’s skill in taking care of Harriet while still gaining vital information from her. She would be a wonderful mother to their children, if he could convince her to marry him. That thought ought to scare him, but it didn’t.

  After leaving Harriet in Jane’s capable hands, they rushed up to Madame’s bedchamber. Beatrice gasped. The room was in shambles. Delacroix had pulled all of the clothes out of wardrobe and dumped out every drawer in the room.

  “What do you think he planned to do with the diamonds?” Beatrice asked.

  Colin shrugged. “Sell them to fund another scheme. People like him are always looking to improve their own lives at the expense of others.”

  Beatrice began picking up the clothing and laying it on the bed. Wanting to help, he grabbed handfuls of clothes and deposited them on the bed.

  One side of her mouth quirked up. “I suppose I can come back and fold everything later. Let’s go check my bedchamber to make sure the diamonds are still there.”

  He followed behind her, enjoying the view of her curves as she moved down the corridor. Good grief. What was wrong with him? How could he be thinking about the places he’d like to be able to touch her when a young girl had just been frightened by a dangerous man? He sighed. It was just that she was so beautiful, and kind to the girls and pretty much everyone she met, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could go without tasting her lips again. Which probably wasn’t the thought he should have in his head when he was about to enter her bedchamber.

  Beatrice pulled a chain with keys on it from inside her gown so she could unlock the door and he groaned, but luckily not loudly enough for her to hear him. She waved him into the room, then closed the door behind him.

  “I don’t want any of the girls to see you in my bedchamber.”

  With that tantalizing comment, she strode to her desk and unlocked a drawer. “Thank goodness. Everything is here.”

  He forced himself to focus on the task at hand. “Given that we didn’t think Monsieur could get into the house, let alone steal anything, I think we should take the jewels to the Home Office tomorrow for safekeeping. Some of them are distinctive shapes and they will have access to the list of stolen items.”

  “That’s an excellent idea. I would love for them to find their way back to the rightful owners.” She placed her hand on his arm. “Do you think the girls will be all right? What if they’re scared that he’ll come back?”

  Colin smoothed his hand over her hair. “My hope is that Grant has already caught the scoundrel, but if not, there is no need to worry. He won’t be able to get back into this house. I’m certain none of the girls would dare help him after what transpired today, and he won’t be able to get in with both the Home Office and the Legion guarding the house.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “The Home Office is now guarding the house as well?”

  “They will be after we visit them tomorrow.”

  Their gazes met and he placed his palm against her cheek and slowly lowered his head until their lips met. She slid her hand up to his biceps and he growled. Moving slowly, he slid his tongue over the seam of her lips and she opened for him. He explored her sweet mouth for a moment, then kissed along the line of her jaw and down the pulse in her neck.

  “Ooh, that feels so good.”

  She was killing him. Wanting to be as close to her as possible without frightening her away, he lifted her against him and set her on the bed. He lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms, her head tucked under his chin. She ran her hand across his chest, leaving a trail of fire across his skin. He took her other hand and kissed each of her fingers, then turned her hand over and flicked his tongue against her palm. Her moan nearly sent him over the edge. Clamping down his desire, he threaded his fingers through hers and held her hand over his heart.

  “Ugh,” she groaned.

  That was not the sound he was hoping to hear from her. “Ugh?” he repeated.

  “I would like to stay here with you like this all night, but I have to go make sure all of the girls are safely ensconced in their beds.”

  “I could wait here for you if you like.”

  “Oh, I would like nothing more, but I don’t think we should risk being caught together, especially tonight.”

  She was correct, of course, but that didn’t make it any easier for him to part from her. He stood and moved toward the door. “Shall we meet in the morning, then? I’d like to get to the Home Office as early as possible.”

  “The sooner those stolen jewels are out of this house, the better.” She walked to where he stood, wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered, “I’m going to miss you. I’ll be dreaming about you tonight.”

  He would be dreaming about her as well, but his dreams would likely be of a very different sort than hers.

  Chapter Ten

  Beatrice fidgeted with the ribbons on her reticule, which held what she imagined to be a quite valuable collection of diamond jewelry. Every few minutes, Colin would place his hand over hers. It was anyone’s guess whether he meant to comfort her, or simply halt her restless fingers. Jane had accompanied them as well, but she was whisked away the moment they arrived at the Home Office. Beatrice had a feeling Jane had many hidden skills she likely would never know about.

  They had been waiting for some time to speak with someone. The office was familiar with Colin, of course, but she had no idea whether her efforts on behalf of the Legion were known to them.

  Finally, a man approached them. Colin had warned her that they could be quite cryptic and that names were rarely exchanged unless absolutely necessary.

  “Mr. Hoskins, Miss Pottinger, thank you for coming. My apologies for the wait, but there have been some new developments today.”

  The man led them to a private office and invited them to sit down.

  “Madame and Monsieur Delacroix are not what they seem. Their parents were loyalists, members of the Aubert family. Also, they were not brother and sister, but cousins. When their families were killed during the revolution, the two of them took the name Delacroix and came to London. It isn’t clear whether they are loyalists or supporters of Bonaparte. We’re still looking into how they found the money to purchase the building that houses the school.”

  “I think we can help you answer that question.” Colin nodded to Beatrice, who open
ed her reticule and carefully placed each piece of jewelry on the desk.

  The man’s eyes widened and he met Colin’s gaze.

  “Miss Pottinger found these in Madame Delacroix’s bedchamber. We assume they stole them over a period of time whenever the opportunity presented itself. I’m not an expert on the value of jewels, but I think we all know this is at least small fortune. It’s likely how they funded the purchase of the school, but our concern is what Delacroix might be planning to do with the money if he gets a hold of the jewelry. He tricked a student into letting him into the house last night and tied her up. Luckily we had already moved the jewels so he left with nothing, but his behavior is becoming more desperate. Do you have any idea what he might be planning?”

  “I am not at liberty to discuss that at this time.”

  Colin’s eyes narrowed. “I and most of the members of the Legion are guarding the school and the girls at all times. We deserve to know what’s going on. If one of those girls is hurt, your office will be to blame.”

  The only response from the representative of the Home Office was the blinking of his eyes. Beatrice didn’t know how Colin was keeping his temper in check. She had remained silent, trying to put some order to the information they had received. Then she decided simply to be honest about her motivation.

  “My hope in coming here today is to find the rightful owners of the stolen jewelry. I suspect most of the thefts were reported. Toward that end, I made sketches of each piece to make it easier for the owners to claim their property.”

  “Thank you for your efforts, Miss Pottinger.” With that, the man removed a satchel from the desk and deposited both the jewelry and her sketches into it, then stood and escorted them to the door.

  “Before I forget, do you have the directions I requested during my previous visit?” Colin asked.

  Without a word, the man pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Colin.

  “Is it always like this here?” Beatrice asked after they were outside.

  “For the most part, yes. It depends on the situation and who you speak with.”

  “I hope Jane is having more luck than we are.” Beatrice suspected the jewelry would languish at the Home Office instead of being returned to its rightful owners, but they had done their best, and at least it was out of the reach of Monsieur now. Her biggest concern was why he needed that money, and that question had not been answered.

  Colin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Every time I think we’ve made a breakthrough we hit a dead end. One of Madame’s so-called sons lives here in London. Would you like to come with me to interview him?”

  She nodded. “What about Jane? Should we wait for her?

  He raised a brow. “Are you afraid to be alone with me?

  “Not in the least, but how will Jane get home if we leave?”

  “She is very resourceful. It’s one of the reasons she usually has more luck at the Home Office than I do.”

  At six-and-twenty, Beatrice was old enough to be considered on the shelf by some, and she had lived and worked away from her family home for some time, so she wasn’t overly worried about damaging her reputation by being alone with Colin. Besides, she was rather hopeful that he might make an offer for her once Monsieur was no longer a threat.

  After giving his coachman the direction provided by the Home Office, he handed her into the carriage and sat on the seat next to her. He took her hand in his and she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

  “I feel like there is an important clue we’re missing. We know Madame was murdered, but not why. Monsieur is desperate to get a hold of the stolen jewelry, but we don’t know why he needs the money.”

  Colin sighed. “I think it’s definitely something bigger than paying off gambling debts.”

  A sudden idea popped into her head. “Has anyone checked whether the school is mortgaged?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “It’s a large house in a good neighborhood. I wonder if he had expected to be able to sell the house after he killed her, then discovered it was mortgaged to the hilt. We can’t know for sure that he’s the murderer, but the moment I heard that he wasn’t her brother, I felt with certainty that he did it.”

  “I think you might be on the right track with this, but that still doesn’t tell us why he needs a large sum of money.”

  Thankfully it wasn’t a long ride to their destination. They were both tired and frustrated. Her thoughts kept circling around and around until she thought she might go mad. There was a detail she was forgetting that kept tickling her mind, but she couldn’t grasp it.

  The carriage began to slow and Beatrice lifted her head to peer out the window. The neighborhood was neither rich nor poor, but somewhere in between. The houses were small, but well maintained. The moment they came to a halt, Colin leaped out, then placed his hands at her waist and set her on the ground. A little thrill went through her.

  Colin confirmed the place they were looking for was the second house on their left. He knocked on the door and waited. A woman pulled a curtain back and studied them, then unlocked and opened the door.

  “Are you Mrs. Delacroix?” Colin asked.

  Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head. “Are you Monsieur Delacroix?”

  “No, but we are acquainted with him, and we were hoping we might be able to speak with your husband about him.”

  She studied them both closely, likely debating whether to accommodate them or slam the door on them.

  “Ma’am,” Beatrice said, “we mean you and your family no harm. We tracked down your direction because I, too, was deceived by Monsieur Delacroix and we were hoping your husband might have information that can help us bring him to justice.”

  “You will find him at the tailor’s shop. It’s just up the street on the right. He is Mr. Williams.”

  Beatrice smiled. “Thank you.”

  It was a quick walk. Colin opened the door for her and followed her up to the counter. She thought it best that Colin question him since in her experience, some men were reluctant to talk to a woman, but there didn’t appear to be anyone in the store.

  “We are looking for Mr. Williams,” Colin said loudly.

  A man emerged from the back of the shop. “I am Williams.”

  “Is there someplace we can speak with you?”

  “I own the shop. We can talk freely here.”

  “I am Colin Hoskins and this is Beatrice Pottinger. We are trying to capture Monsieur Delacroix and thought you might be able to help us.”

  He let out a sigh. “I read in the newspaper that Madame had been murdered. Did he do it?”

  “We’re not certain, but he broke into the school, assaulted one of the students, and attempted to take a large amount of jewelry that we suspect was stolen.”

  Beatrice decided to speak. “Mr. Williams, I worked at the school with Madame. She told me that she had two children, but we’ve recently discovered that she was never married.”

  “That is all true as far as I know. They took me and another boy from the workhouse. Madame was kind to us, but I can’t say the same thing for him. They taught us to pickpocket, then forced us to go out every day and wouldn’t let us back into the house until we got something of value. We became quite adept at stealing coins and watches. It’s how they made the money to buy the house where they set up the school.”

  Colin nodded. “It makes sense that they then embarked on a more ambitious scheme to rob the wealthy. Is there anything you can think of that might help us?”

  “Do you know that they were cousins, not brother and sister?”

  Colin nodded.

  “Madame was kind to us, but he was not. He always wanted more. When he started beating us, she told us to leave and not come back. Madame was just happy to have escaped France with her life, but Monsieur supported Bonaparte.”

  Colin swung around. “Mr. Williams, thank you for speaking with us. If you think of anything else that might be
of use to us, please contact us at the school.”

  The two men shook hands, then Colin and Beatrice walked back to the carriage and climbed in.

  He squeezed her hand. “I can’t believe it turned out to be so simple. He supports Bonaparte. That’s why he killed Madame, and why he’s so desperate for money. They’ve been plotting to invade Britain for years, but so far they’ve been unsuccessful, and we’re going to keep it that way.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “I never expected to say this, but I’m tired of attending balls,” Beatrice said, and punctuated her statement with a yawn.

  Colin didn’t disagree with her. They had attended at least one ball every night since they determined there was a threat of a French invasion. So far, they hadn’t spotted Delacroix yet, but it was only a matter of time. If he needed raise capital to help support an invasion, the only place he would find it would be among the wealthy. It seemed unlikely that he had the influence to recruit supporters, but at the very least he had experience stealing valuables.

  He kissed Beatrice’s hand, hoping to persuade her to stay for a bit longer despite the fact that this was the second ball of the night for them. “Would you please consider dancing one more waltz with me before we leave?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “All right, but only because you asked so nicely.”

  He led her onto the dance floor and ran his thumbs across her gloved hands while they waited for the music to start. Though he might be wrong about the invasion, he knew without a doubt that Beatrice was the woman he wanted to spend his life with. As soon as the situation with the school and Delacroix was resolved, he was going to ask her to marry him.

  The music started and he pulled her close, not giving a fig what anyone else thought. Her lavender scent filled his senses and not for the first time, he wished they could marry now and go home to Romney Marsh. However, he could not ignore his sense of duty, so he would see this situation through, and after that, he planned to stay at home and guard the coast. There would be no more missions that took him away from his home and the family he wanted.