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“I suggest we split up.” Chastity motioned to the two men they had brought with them. They could have done with more men given the size of the building, but they dared not leave their father and the servants completely unprotected. “You go with Demeter, Eleanor and Aunt Sarah.” She gestured to Cassie. “We shall go with Jacobs.”
Cassie eyed the giant of a man who gave a brief nod. She had come to know several of the men who had been protecting them, bringing them biscuits and tea when she could. Jacobs had five daughters and two sons and despite his gruff appearance, apparently utterly doted on them. She hoped nothing dangerous happened today.
She prayed Luke had discovered nothing or even better, found the man responsible for the threats and had simply handed him over to the local sheriff.
Her heart skipped a beat when she paused to wonder why he had not returned if that was true. Wherever Luke was, she had to find him. He might have dismissed her this morning, but she would not do the same in return.
Cassie nodded. “Let us head to the back of the building. You three can search the front. And please, be careful. I do not think this man would think twice about harming a lady.”
“Never fear,” Aunt Sarah said, “no man can get the better of me.”
Cassie allowed herself a brief smile. Perhaps she should have continued to keep her family out of this but perhaps it would not have reached this point if she had let them be involved in the first place.
Her sisters were clever, and her aunt was bold. Between them, they might have caught this man before the threats even started. She regretted people had to get hurt because of her silly pride.
But she was willing to put that aside now. Anything to ensure Luke’s safety.
They made their way around the rear of the building. Smoke bilged out of tall chimneys, scenting the air. The dirt road leading past was dry underfoot but rutted with wagon tracks and Cassie had to lift her skirts to step over them. She inhaled deeply and went to ease open the door.
Jacobs moved in front of her. “Let me lead, my lady.”
She allowed the man to open the door and inch in. He motioned for them to follow after a few moments and Cassie had to take a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dark. Thin slits of windows ran along one side of the building but were high up, letting little light in. Piles and piles of wooden crates, sacks and barrels were stacked in the room, creating a maze of storage. Why a textile mill would need so many goods, she did not know. She glanced at Chastity, who shrugged.
They crept together through the building, following Jacobs. Her heart pounded so fiercely she felt it in her fingertips. The man behind the threats did not scare her.
No, it was the thought that Luke could be hurt...or worse. All thanks to her. After all, this person had either killed a man or salvaged a body from somewhere to burn and made Theodore disappear. Not to mention he had been entirely willing to beat a servant. Luke’s strength and determination could mean nothing when up against such a man.
She paused to peer into an open crate. Sacks of sugar filled it to the brim. She frowned. This was most certainly not just a textile mill. Was the man a smuggler? Perhaps the mill was just a front for smuggling but the man hardly had the look of someone in charge of a great criminal empire.
Admittedly, she did not know a single smuggler and had little idea what one might look like, but she had always assumed they were craggy old sailors who occasionally brought in stolen antiquities or alcohol through Cornwall. She had little idea such vast illegal activity was taking place in London.
“Chastity,” she whispered and glanced up. Her sister and Jacobs had vanished amongst the boxes. “Oh pooh,” she murmured.
She hastened to catch up with them, winding and slipping between crates but spying no sign of them. Her heart slammed to a halt when she heard voices. One of them was Luke’s. Relief made her limbs feel like trifle. He was alive!
Ducking behind a crate nearby, she inched her nose over to peer into the room from where his voice emanated. The man with the hat stood in front of Luke.
She clasped a hand over her mouth and smothered a sob that threatened to bubble out of her. Bound and kneeling upon the floor, he had taken a beating. A knife in the hand of one man glinted menacingly in the narrow light of the window behind Cassie.
Dear God, they would kill him if she did not act soon. Unable to make out what the man said, she peered around. There had to be something she could do to free him, but she could not fathom how to get past the man. She doubted a knee to the groin could do much right now, no matter how much Aunt Sarah extolled the virtues of such a move.
A distraction was needed. She rose slowly, careful not to draw attention, and moved over to a large stack of crates. She clambered onto one, then another, using them as steps until she could reach the higher ones. She gave one an experimental push with a hand and it rocked slightly. Whatever was in it was lighter than the sugar or it could even be empty. Someone had to be smiling down upon her.
Using all her strength, she gave the box a shove. It toppled down to the floor, taking several others with it, and splintered in a huge crash. The man shouted someone’s name and Cassie scrabbled down the crates, retreating to her hiding spot.
As soon as the man exited the room, his attention focused on the broken crate, she darted behind him and slipped into the room.
Luke’s eyes widened. “Cassie?” he hissed. “What the devil are you doing here?”
She flashed a smile. “Saving you, of course.”
***
LUKE BLINKED SEVERAL times. He shouldn’t be surprised Cassie had come after him. She had to be the most determined, foolhardy woman in the world. But he could not fathom why she had not washed her hands of him after all he said.
Covered in dust and grime, her gown bore the marks of whatever she’d just done to make such a noise. Light streamed in around her from the window at the other side of the building. Dirty or not, she could not have looked more angelic. Nor more bold.
God, he loved this woman.
