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At least he listened when Eric sent for him. Eric waited in an alley across the street from where he told Leyton to wait for him, and the man was there on time. He was pacing around, scowling at people as they went past him. Everyone started to give him a wide berth.
He was going to draw attention to himself if he kept doing that. Eric wanted meetings to be inconspicuous. No one was supposed to be aware that they were meeting up. Growling, Eric then whistled sharply. It caused several people to turn, but Eric was confident nobody would see through his disguise. The blond wig and beard hid pretty much everything. But it did make Leyton turn around, and it took him a moment to realize who it was.
The young man hurried across the street and ducked into the alley, glaring at him.
“Where have you been? I’ve been trying to contact you for days.”
“I had a bit of business to attend to.” Eric drew Leyton further into the alley. He didn’t want people to see this. “I got your last letter about your plan. What are you thinking doing this?”
“I know you said I needed to wait until closer to the wedding date, but I can’t.” Leyton shook his head. “Eleanor isn’t going anywhere near that aisle. Not unless I’m with her. I won’t let it happen.”
The stupid sap. He still had no idea that he was being used. As soon as he did what he was supposed to do, Eric would get rid of him. Now it looked like he was going to have to move that up.
“So, you’re doing this ahead of schedule?”
“I’ve got it all sorted.” Leyton lifted his chin, squaring his shoulders. “This is going to happen, whether or not you agree to it.”
Eric bristled. “You’re getting above your station, Mr. Leyton.”
“I don’t think so.” Leyton smirked. “You gave me the nudge, and I’m grateful for it, but I’m going to do this today. Eleanor is my woman. I want her now.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
So much for having things in his control. Leyton had proven to be very unpredictable. Eric silently cursed himself for not having someone keep an eye on Leyton to make sure he followed the rules. Now he had gone off on a tangent and was all over the place. That Eric was going to rectify soon.
He pretended to acquiesce and sighed heavily.
“All right, fine, but you do need to get rid of Captain Reynolds. He’s not going to sit back and allow his future bride disappear like that.”
“I’ve got it all planned, don’t you worry about that.” Leyton sounded very cocky. “He’ll walk right into what I’ve got for him. Then you get what you want, and I get what I want.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Eric muttered. “Captain Reynolds isn’t stupid. He’s going to know something is wrong. Make sure things are secure before you confront him, or you’ll be the one with a knife at your throat.”
“I’ve had years to practise defending myself. He won’t have a chance. When he comes to me, I’ll have it under control.” Leyton glanced towards the street. “I’d better go. I’ve got to go and meet someone.”
“If something goes wrong with this, I’m not a part of it.”
Leyton snorted. “It’s not going to go wrong.” Then he sauntered off, a swagger in his step.
Eric watched him go. There were very few times when he made mistakes that could blow everything up. This was one of those mistakes, and he wasn’t happy about it. Eric liked to think he ran a tight ship, but Leyton could easily ruin it with his plan, which was probably not as carefully thought out as he claimed. His focus was Eleanor instead of Nathan. Nathan should be the one they were getting rid of. If Eleanor fought back, she would end up dead too.
She would be dead herself soon enough, but Eric wanted to keep her around a bit longer. He would need to have a word with his men. Leyton would be dead by midnight.
* * *
Leaving without a footman had been a bit of a headache. Eleanor and Marion had been leaving just as Edward Heavenly came across them. Once he knew what was happening, her father had been unsure about Eleanor and Marion going out to Wandsworth Common, even though the common itself was just a few streets away and was mostly open ground. There were always people around as it was so popular, but Edward Heavenly was still nervous.
He was worrying far too much. Leyton was a problem, but Eleanor wasn’t about to let him control how she did things. She had Marion with her, so she couldn’t exactly get into trouble. Her bruises had pretty much faded now so they were not visible unless you practically had your nose right up against her chin. Eleanor felt better to go out and see someone in public.
Besides, she couldn’t exactly allow Lady Chapman into the house. After what she said, Eleanor had notified her father, and Edward Heavenly had been furious. He refused to let her step foot in the house again. Eleanor couldn’t agree more.
Since Lady Chapman couldn’t come to Eleanor’s, she would go to meet her. Eleanor wasn’t about to be locked up, and she was concerned. While she and Lady Chapman certainly didn’t care for each other, Eleanor wasn’t completely cold. She did have a heart, and something wasn’t quite right. Lady Chapman was practically begging for her to meet in the park.
Something wasn’t quite right, and Eleanor wanted to find out. It would put her mind at rest. If it was another attempt to tell her to break off the engagement with Nathan, Eleanor would simply walk away. There wasn’t anything she could do now with the banns prepared to be published. Lady Chapman wouldn’t be able to get what she wanted.
Unless she went the sneaky way about it, and Eleanor was not going to let that happen.
Eventually, Edward Heavenly allowed them to leave, and Eleanor and Marion headed off with little time to spare before they were due to meet Lady Chapman. They briskly walked to the common, which was surprisingly not very busy on such a warm, sunny afternoon. That was unusual. When Eleanor took her walks on the common, the place was usually thriving. There was always someone walking past who would give her a nod and a small greeting. Eleanor could handle saying good day, but nothing more. It often came around to her financial situation with people being too greedy for gossip. Eleanor wasn’t going to explain her situation to anyone. It wasn’t any of their business.
