Page 54 of One Night of Scandal
“Thank you.” Jack barely finished uttering the words before he was through the back door. It might not be them, but it was all he had right now.
Pushing the door open, he moved cautiously into a short corridor. There was a second door to his right and based on its location, he guessed it led to the alley. Hope bloomed in his chest, and he crept up the stairs, careful to make as little noise as possible.
He paused halfway up, worried that he didn’t have a weapon. What if they were armed? But he couldn’t leave, not if she was up there now and in grave danger. Maybe there was something he could use downstairs.
He hurried back down and went back through the doorway. He found a small storage closet. Inside was a variety of cleaning implements, including a broom. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing, and he’d taken his fair share of fencing lessons.
Inspiration struck, and he broke the handle over his knee. This left him with a jagged-ended pole. Perfect. Not really, but it would have to do.
Retracing his steps, Jack went up the stairs to a narrow landing. A single sconce burning on the stairs didn’t provide much illumination. There were three doors. Jack bent his head to each, listening. At the second one, he heard voices. Then he heard the definitive sound of a muffled shriek.
He threw the door open and rushed inside, wielding the jagged pole. A shocked pair of gentlemen stared at him. Pennington and Sir Humphrey. They stood on either side of Viola, and Pennington had his fingers jabbed into Viola’s side.
She tried to squirm away from him, but her arms were tied behind her back, and her mobility was limited.
Rage swam in Jack’s vision. “What the hell are you doing?”
Viola yelled something that might have been “Jack,” but he couldn’t say for sure because they had a gag around her mouth. Oh, he was going to commit violence. He just had to decide who would receive his wrath first.
Sir Humphrey’s eyes rounded. “Barrett! What are you doing here?”
“That hardly matters. Back away from her.” He realized he hadn’t used the right pronoun, but he didn’t care. Keeping Viola safe was the only thing that mattered. “Pennington, what are you doing poking her like that? Take the sack off her head.Now.” Jack moved forward and waved the broken broom handle in the man’s face.
Pennington let out a sound of fear and hurried to remove the sack. Viola’s hat sailed away with it, and her wig shifted.
Sir Humphrey gasped. “Eastleigh’s sister!”
Apparently, they hadn’t realized Tavistock was a woman. Wait, they’d had to. Her whiskers were in her lap. It seemed they hadn’t known her identity.
Viola’s eyes found his, and she sagged in relief. Jack, meanwhile, was ready to commit murder.
“Take off the gag,” Jack growled. “I can’t believe I have to ask.” He thrust the broom handle next to Pennington’s cheek.
He yelped, then quickly removed Viola’s gag.
Jack waved the pole toward Sir Humphrey. “Untie her!”
When she was free, she jumped up from the chair and dashed to Jack’s side. He put his arm around her and held her close. She buried her face in his neck. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “When I didn’t see you, I tried to leave, but they grabbed me.”
“Shh.” He kissed her temple. “I’ve got you now.”
He glared at Pennington and Sir Humphrey. “Explain yourselves before Bow Street arrives.”
They both paled. “We only meant to frighten him,” Sir Humphrey said, his voice high with desperation. “Her. Tavistock.”
“We didn’t know he was a woman,” Pennington said.
Viola glared at them. “You didn’t even have a gun, did you?”
Pennington shook his head. “We just wanted to frighten you. Sir Humphrey said something foolish to you last night, and Caldwell said he had to fix it.” He glowered at Sir Humphrey. “He convinced me to help him, as he and Caldwell have been doing all along.”
Caldwell.Jack hadn’t really thought that he—and these men—would resort to such measures to eliminate him, a political foe. “Where is Caldwell?”
Sir Humphrey wrung his hands. “He told us to take care of it. It was my mistake to mention the informer. No one was supposed to know.Iwasn’t even supposed to know.”
“And you told a reporter,” Viola said with disgust.
“What was your objective—along with Caldwell? You accused me of meeting with the Spenceans, and you’re trying to link me to the attack on the Prince Regent. Why?” Jack demanded.
