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“I’d almost think he cared for you. But that can’t be right—no one cares for you. You ain’t nobody. Ain’t nothin’. Not even your da cared when you left. He just turned the whole thing over to me.”
Adelaide stilled at the words, barely, but enough for Clayborn to notice, and hate it. He moved, heading directly for the pair, prepared to knock away the blade and do whatever necessary to free her. To keep her safe.
Except Billy had woken up.
Before Henry could reach her, the drunken lout felled him, tackling him with a lack of finesse matched only by his lack of sense. Using the momentum of the attack, Clayborn spun as he landed on the ground to meet his previous foe. “Goddammit, Billy. You’re an automaton.”
“Is that someone who’s going to cut you to ribbons?” Billy asked, aiming his massive fist at Henry’s face.
“No, as a matter of fact,” he said, twisting away at the last moment, as Billy set his fist into the floorboards. Henry rolled to get up, but his opponent recovered, catching him by the waist, taking him to the ground, and landing several strong blows before he got the upper hand, reversing their positions and dispatching Billy with ease once more.
“I’ll say this for you, Addie. You’ve found yourself a pretty fighter. He does it dirty, too. No Queensberry rules for him.”
“Six years at school,” Henry said, coming to his feet, slower than before.
“What school?” Danny asked.
“The one that ensured that you’d better have a plan to kill me, because after the threats you’ve delivered to her, if you leave me alive, I will not rest until I have made your life pure hell.”
“Such threats!” Danny said. “Everything’s perfectly normal. I’m just havin’ a chat with our Adelaide.”
My Adelaide.The words crashed through Henry, loud enough that he had to clench his teeth to keep from bellowing them into the darkness.Mine.
“I’ll come with you,” she said.
The room stilled. The entirety of Britain stilled. And Henry could not stop his roar of outrage. “What?”
“I’m listening,” said Danny.
“I’ll come with you. You bring me to my father, you reveal me as the Matchbreaker, whatever you like.”
One of Billy’s blows had clearly been harder than Henry had noticed. “Over my decaying corpse.”
“No worries, Duke. That’s likely how it will be,” Danny replied.
“Adelaide. What is this play?” Henry asked.
She shook her head, meeting his gaze, her beautiful brown eyes clear. Full of the truth. “No play. I go with Danny. He takes me back to London. On one condition...” She paused. “You leave Havistock’s money on the table. You leave Lady Helene headed for Gretna with her man. You leave Clayborn here.”
Helene? What was happening?
“Fucking hell, Adelaide,” he said. “He’ll have to kill me to get me to stay here if you leave with him.”
“That can be arranged,” Danny replied.
She shook her head. “You need to get to Jack and Helene. You need to keep her safe.” Even through his fury, the words penetrated, a new piece of the puzzle. Keephersafe. Not Adelaide, Helene.Safe from what?
Danny seemed to consider it for a moment—long enough that Clayborn thought he’d go mad from fury that she’d do this—that she wouldn’t trust him to take care of it. To get them out of this.
And then the villain said, “Nah. No deal. Pretty words, though.” He feigned brushing a tear from his eye. “Little Addie, fallin’ for Mayfair just like you always did, standin’ on that bridge you liked so much and starin’ at Parliament like it might cough up a different life for you.”
The moment he released her, Clayborn would rip the man’s throat out.
Danny tutted dramatically. “And this is the best you can do, innit? Left us all behind on the South Bank, and you ended up a workin’ girl anyway. Duke or no, all men are the same in the dark, ain’t they?”
And then she retorted, the broad accent of the SouthBank in her voice. “Don’t be so sure, Danny—some know what to do in it.”
The insult landed, and Danny let out a cruel laugh, turning her to face him. Henry moved in the heartbeat of the shift, until the blade returned to her throat. Tighter now. A drop of blood formed on her skin.
