Page 24 of Betrayal from Beyond
He raised her hand to his lips. “But the rewards are beyond worth it.”
“A thousand times worth it.” She reclaimed her hand and traced a finger down the sculpted line of his jaw. “Since we first met, you have shown me in a hundred ways your strength, your kindness, the courage of your spirit. I believe in you, Niall. Just as you believe in me.”
“As we are forced to believe in specters?”
She gave him a smile, but it trembled a little at the force of her emotion. “No one has ever made me feel so comfortable in my own abilities, so able to take on the world. Together?” She waved a hand. “Specters don’t stand a chance. We can move mountains.”
“A mountain might move more easily than Petra Scot,” he mused.
“Gyda was right. We’ve beaten her once. We will do it again.” Her eyes narrowed. “We must.”
“You are right.” He sighed again. “I was just hoping for a bit of peace.”
Kara sat back, thinking. “Perhaps we are not meant for peace.”
He groaned.
“It might be true,” she said. “Perhaps our lot is adventure and intrigue—”
“And madness. Don’t forget the madness.”
She pulled a face. “Madness might be too strong a word.”
He huffed out a laugh and began to tick off fingers. “Murder, mayhem, international conspiracies, fires, pistols, cemetery guns, poisoned artifacts—”
“Fine, fine!” She took his hand and kissed it.
“I wasn’t even finished,” he complained.
“Madness is just the right word, then. I concede it. But as long as it comes with love and the ability to do some good in this world…” She shrugged. “As long as it comes with you, Niall Kier, Duke of Sedwick, then I can accept it.”
Laughing softly, he kissed her forehead. “Very well, then, Kara Kier, Duchess of Sedwick. We will conquer the madness together.”
She leaned into his kiss a moment, then sat back, growing serious. “Although this bit with the girl is more than madness—it is vile.” She arched a brow at him. “I mean to help her, if I can.”
“I knew that already.”
“I’ve written to Rachel, at the coffee shop on Adams. She’s been looking for a bit of help. She might be willing to assist us.”
“It’s a good idea. We should hear the girl’s story before we decide, though.”
It was no short trip, but at last they reached Westmoreland Road in Walworth, south of London. Niall held her hand as she left the carriage and looked up at the Newington Workhouse. As he gave John and the guard some quiet instruction, she stared up at the imposing brick building. Plain, but stretched out long, it stood three stories high. “That is a lot of potential for misery,”she whispered with a shiver. “Is it as bad as they say, do you think?”
“I think there are likely degrees of bad,” he said quietly. “Let us hope this is a better one.”
A porter admitted them into a stark entry hall. “Just a moment, please. I’ll fetch the matron.”
Kara shivered again. The air was chilly, though this room looked spotlessly clean. The walls and floor were of white stone. The only color in the room came from two wooden doors on either side of the hall and the words etched in black on the forward wall.God is Good.
“I thought it would be loud in here,” she said in a whisper. “You hear so much of the overcrowding.”
“The silence is a little eerie,” Niall agreed.
Kara jumped when the door on the right swung open. A plump woman, middle-aged and wearing a veneer of contempt above her dark gown, looked them over.
Niall bowed. “Good morning, ma’am. I am—”
“If you’ve come for the new babe, you’re too late. It’s been adopted out already.”
