Mastering a Sinner (2 page)

She laughed. “I’ve been paid well to deliver this message. That’s all I care about.” The carriage stopped and she drew back from him. “Good night, Mr. Maclean.”

He waited until she got out of the carriage and then asked the driver to move on until they’d cleared the corner of the square again. Stepping out of the cab, he paid the fee and turned back to the large houses. There were few lights on in any of them and all was quiet. In less than an hour the maids would be up lighting fires and boiling cans of hot water for the household. He retraced his steps to where the woman had alighted and considered the steps up to the two front doors of the large stone-terraced mansions.

As far as he remembered, one of the houses was vacant. The other he recognized immediately. He’d wager his monthly stipend that the woman had entered a world he knew all too well. Not many of the patrons of the house of pleasure realized that the mansion they visited extended into the building behind it. Which happened to be the very one he was standing in front of on Barrington Square.

Not only did he know how to get into the house, but he also, courtesy of Jack Lennox, another Sinner, had a key. Sleep forgotten, he strode forward, went down the basement steps, and unlocked the door. The scent of lavender lured him on as he passed through the deserted scullery, out into the passageway that connected the two houses underground, and into the main kitchens of the pleasure house.

A footman stopped to wish him a pleasant evening and Alistair paused.

“Did you see a woman pass through here about a minute ago? She was dressed in black and wearing a bonnet.”

“No, sir. I haven’t seen anyone in the last half hour, but then I’ve just come up from the cellars, so I might have missed them.”

“Thank you.”

“Mr. Delornay is in the kitchen if you want to ask him, sir. I’ll also inquire of the other staff.”

“Thank you.” Alistair forced a smile and went through into the homely kitchen, where several members of staff sat eating and drinking around the large pine table.

“Mr. Maclean.” An elegantly dressed blond man stood up and inclined his head. “Were you looking for me?”

“Good morning, Mr. Delornay.” Alistair bowed. “I was looking for a woman who just came in through the Barrington Square entrance.”

Christian Delornay frowned. “Through the Barrington house? That shouldn’t be possible.” He came around the table to Alistair’s side. “Do you know who it was?”

“It was not someone I recognized.” He hesitated, but Christian Delornay, the owner of the pleasure house, was the soul of discretion. “Actually, she held a gun to my head and threatened my family.”

“Obviously an enterprising female. Come and speak to Elizabeth. She knows everyone who comes here and works here.”

Alistair followed Christian out of the kitchen and into the offices on the ground floor. He was quite familiar with the layout of the more practical areas of the house, having learned that if he wanted to fulfill his duties to provide entertainment at the Sinners, the Delornay family could offer him everything he needed.

As they walked, Christian spoke to every member of the staff they encountered asking after the woman in black, but to no avail. He knocked on a door at the end of the corridor and went in.

“Elizabeth, we have a mystery on our hands.”

His wife looked up from her perusal of the account books. She was one of the most beautiful and serene women Alistair had ever met. “Good morning, Mr. Maclean. And whatever do you mean, Christian?”

The smile Christian gave his wife was almost too intimate for Alistair to bear. It reminded him of how he’d felt about Gelis when he’d persuaded her to marry him.

“A mysterious woman gained entrance into the premises through Barrington Square. Mr. Maclean followed her inside, but there’s no sign of her now.”

“What did she look like?”

“I don’t really know,” Alistair said. “She wore black, and her bonnet shielded her face from me. Whoever she is could simply take off her pelisse and hat and I’d never recognize her again.”

“What did she want?”

Alistair hesitated for a second and then reconsidered. Anything he said to Christian and Elizabeth Delornay would remain between them and they already knew the worst about his brother.

“She’d been paid to give me a message concerning Harry. That I need to bring him under control.” He met Christian’s amused gaze. “As if I could.”

“Oh dear,” Elizabeth said. “I must confess to being worried about your brother. Christian and I were speaking of him only the other day.”

“He seems intent on finding his way to the devil’s very door,” Alistair agreed. “And I don’t know how to stop him.”

Christian sat on the edge of the desk and took his wife’s hand in his. “Perhaps you could ask Adam Fisher to speak to him.”

“I wish I could. He was the only man whom Harry ever
did
listen to. But he wants nothing to do with my brother anymore, and as he is my employer, I can hardly start meddling.”

“Agreed. Perhaps it is time to let your brother face up to his responsibilities.”

“But he’ll fail and . . .” Alistair tried to swallow. “I’m afraid he’ll end up dead and I’ll never forgive myself.”

Silence followed his confession and was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Christian called.

A footman entered and bowed. “Mr. Delornay, the doorkeeper reports that about five minutes ago, a woman dressed in black came through from the back of the house and went straight out the front door without acknowledging him at all.”

“Why on earth would she do that?” Alastair asked. “Why come in here and leave straightaway?”

“Well, perhaps she did it to show she had the ability to get into the pleasure house, which I don’t appreciate at all,
and
she found out something about you.”

“And what might that be?”

“That you had the ability to get in here, too.” Christian raised an eyebrow. “Now, why do you think she wanted to know that?”

2

“G
ood morning, Alistair.”

“Good morning, my lord.” Alistair placed a stack of letters on the corner of Lord Keyes’s desk. “I have gone through the first post, and these are the matters that require your attention. I also need to remind you that you have an appointment with your solicitor at ten regarding the purchase of your new town house.”

“Ah, yes, thank you.” Lord Keyes grimaced at the pile of mail. “Malinda is here, so I suspect she will want to speak to the solicitor as well. Perhaps you might go and remind her? She’s in the breakfast room with Faith.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Alistair took himself out of the room and down the corridor to the sunny room at the back of the house that served as the gathering place for the various members of the Sinners who had rooms within the large mansion. Lord Keyes and his wife occupied one suite, but were planning on moving out to accommodate their ever-increasing family. Adam Fisher had the second set of rooms, and the original founders of the club, Faith and Ian Carmichael, the current Earl and Countess of Westbrook, sometimes stayed in the third.

He wasn’t surprised to find most of them around the breakfast table, chatting amicably to each other. Seeing them in such a domestic setting, no one would guess that the Westbrooks had led one of the most complex spy rings of the Napoleonic wars. The countess looked up as he came in through the door and patted the seat next to her.

“Alistair, how is your hip? You have stopped using the cane, I see. Come and sit down and have some breakfast. You look tired.”

“That’s very kind of you, my lady.” He bowed. “But please excuse me if I have to decline your kind invitation. I have a message for Lady Benedict.”

“Don’t call me that.” The auburn-haired wife of Lord Keyes looked up and scowled at him. She had a piece of buttered toast in her hand and six more slices on her plate. “I don’t consider myself to be Benedict’s possession. Call me Malinda.”

Alistair nodded. “I apologize, my lady. Lord Keyes asked me to remind you that your solicitor will be arriving at ten this morning to discuss the purchase of your new house.”

“At ten?” Malinda turned to the countess. “I thought we were going shopping then?”

Faith looked up from reading her correspondence. “We can still shop, Malinda. You need to decide whether you have to be at the meeting or not. We can always go out later.”

Alistair gently cleared his throat. “You have an appointment with the furniture manufacturer at two, my lady.”

“And I think there might be something else to do after that.” She looked inquiringly at Alistair. “Is there?”

“You can hardly expect Alistair to know all this, Malinda.” Adam Fisher’s quiet voice drew Alistair’s attention to his other employer.

“I do my best, sir.”

“I am sure you do, but I’m beginning to believe we are overburdening you and need to get you an assistant.”

“Or Faith and I could find ourselves a secretary,” Malinda said.

“What an excellent idea!” Faith glanced at Alistair. “You don’t look too enthusiastic about the notion.”

“I can cope with the work, my lady. There is no need to worry.” The thought of another person being allowed to meddle with his rather complex job was highly alarming.

Adam stood up and came around to Alistair’s side. “Perhaps we should leave the ladies to their discussions. I have some news to share with you and Benedict.”

“Yes, sir.”

They walked back together to his office, which sat in between his two employers’ rooms.

Mr. Fisher gave him a slight smile. “You can call me Adam, you know. We’re all quite informal here.”

“I . . . wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that, sir.”

“You’ll get used to it.” Mr. Fisher knocked and opened the door into the other office. “Benedict, can you spare us a moment of your time?”

“Certainly.” Lord Keyes came through and sat on the edge of Alistair’s desk. “What is it?”

“I had a message from Christian Delornay this morning informing me that he and Elizabeth are no closer to finding out who the mystery woman in black was.” Adam looked at Alistair. “Do you know what he’s talking about?”

“Yes, sir, I do. Last night I followed a woman into the back entrance of the pleasure house on Barrington Square. She apparently walked straight through to the front door and left immediately.”

“She must be the first person in London to ever have done that,” Lord Keyes commented. “But if Christian doesn’t know who it was, how did she have a key?”

“That’s what Christian was wondering,” Adam said. “He was hoping Alistair could tell him more about what happened
before
she entered the house. You mentioned that she tried to rob you?”

“Not quite, sir. I hailed a hackney cab late last night, and as I approached it a woman came around the corner of the street and we collided. Once I realized she was after the cab, I ceded my place.”

“And took the next one.”

“Unfortunately not. She offered to share the cab, and as we were traveling in the same direction, I agreed. Just as we reached Barrington Square, she took a gun out of her reticule, pointed it at my head, and threatened to shoot me if I didn’t control certain members of my family.”

Mr. Fisher looked down at his boots. “From what I remember of your references, Alistair, you only have one brother here with you in London.”

“That’s correct. The female seemed to think I had the power and authority to change Harry’s behavior. I assured her that I did not, and suggested her employer stop being such a coward and deal with the matter himself.”

“All while she held a gun to your head. You could’ve been shot.”

“I wasn’t prepared to give in to such a demand, and I don’t like being threatened.”

“None of us do.” Keyes paused. “Do you believe you are in danger?”

“No, my lord.”

“What about your brother?”

“Quite possibly. I will, of course, write and let him know what happened, but I can hardly protect him from the consequences of his own actions.”

“No, you cannot,” Adam said quietly. “If this woman approaches you again, will you let us know as soon as possible?”

“Certainly, sir.” Alistair hesitated. “If you believe this matter might complicate my position here, please tell me immediately.”

Keyes glanced at Adam, and then they both smiled at Alistair. “There’s no need to do that. Don’t you know that the members of the Sinners thrive on just this sort of mystery? We are all sadly out of practice since the war ended, and need something to keep us all amused.”

“
Amused,
my lord?”

“I suspect you don’t find this very amusing yourself, Alistair, because it concerns your family, but rest assured we will find out who this mysterious woman is, and, more importantly, who is behind her actions. You’re part of the Sinners now, and we protect our own.”

“I . . . appreciate that very much, my lord.”

And he would do his damndest to make sure that Harry realized the danger he was in and laid low for a while. Perhaps he could persuade his brother to return to Scotland to visit their family. . . .

“Well, I must get on.” Lord Keyes stood up and brushed down his coat. “I have a busy morning ahead.”

Despite Keyes’s claim that the Sinners had ceased operating after the war, Alistair knew that his employers were still unofficially employed by the government to deal with clandestine matters such as spies, political uprising, and the monitoring of foreign undesirables—hence the full workload and the need for his secretarial services.

Speaking of which, he needed to consult his diary and report back to Malinda Keyes as to exactly what she was supposed to be doing for the rest of the day. After he’d done that, he’d write to Harry and warn him of the interest he’d stirred up. If his brother agreed to go to Scotland, he’d even pay for his coach ticket, but he doubted Harry would listen to reason and go.

 

A day later, he hadn’t heard back from his brother, and there was no further news about his mysterious lady in black. What there was, however, was the task of settling the monthly household bills, paying the staff their quarterly wages, and dealing with any queries that arose from either of those two tasks, which was as likely to happen as the sun rising.

By lunchtime, Alistair was deep into the accounts books and barely noticed when there was a knock on his door. When he finally looked up there was a woman standing in front of his desk dressed in a blue pelisse, ostrich-plumed bonnet, and a matching feathered muff.

He revised his first impression when she looked down her nose at him. Not a woman. A
lady.

He whipped off his spectacles and rose to his feet. “Good afternoon. May I help you?”

The lady consulted a letter she held in her gloved hand. “Is this the Sinners Club?”

“It is.”

“Are you Mr. Maclean?”

He bowed. “Yes, I am. How may I help you? Are you here to settle up an account?”

“No, I’m here for an interview.”

Alistair studied her anew. She wasn’t a young woman, and she bore herself with a quiet certainty that couldn’t fail to impress. She also didn’t look like the sort of person who needed to earn her keep.

“If I might be so bold, an interview for what?”

Her finely arched eyebrows rose. “I begin to understand why I might be needed here. Does no one in this place consult with each other?”

Alistair met her unamused blue gaze. “I can assure you that I keep a very firm eye on everything, ma’am.” He gestured at his desk. “As you can see, I am rather busy with the end-of-the-month accounts, so if you could plainly state your business, I would be more than willing to assist you.”

She considered him for a long moment. “I was invited here by the Countess of Westbrook. Does
that
name sound familiar to you, or have I arrived at the wrong address?”

“The countess wishes to interview you, then?” Alistair turned to ring the bell. “Then I will call the butler to ascertain if her ladyship is receiving visitors. If she is available, one of the footmen can take you up to her sitting room.”

“I don’t need to see the countess. I’ve already met her. She told me to present myself at this address at two o’clock so that you could interview me too.”

“You are seeking employment here?”

Her fingers began to tap against her reticule. “Obviously.”

“In what capacity? With all due respect, I doubt you wish to be employed as a servant, and all our special acts on the second floor are sourced from another place.”

If possible, her gaze became even more glacial. “Do I look like a domestic servant or a circus performer?”

“A governess, maybe?” Alistair hazarded a guess. “But Lady Benedict Keyes will not need such a person for at least four or five more years.”

Just as she began to speak, the door opened and Faith appeared.

“Oh, Alistair, I’m so glad that you two have met.” She beamed at them both. “So, what do you think?”

Alistair glanced helplessly at the countess. “I’m not sure I understand what is going on, my lady.”

“But didn’t Diana explain?”

“Diana” turned to the countess and curtsied. “I’ve tried, my lady, but Mr. Maclean seems to be remarkably lacking in intelligence and believes I must be some kind of domestic!”

“That’s not quite true, my lady, I—”

“Oh, I forgot, your other suggestions were a governess or a thespian.”

“Didn’t you get my note, Alistair?” The countess came around to stare at his desk. “I’m sure I left it here last night.”

“It’s probably somewhere under the accounts book, my lady.” He hesitated, one eye on the imperious figure poised on the other side of his desk. “What exactly did it say?”

“Just that Malinda has found us the perfect secretary.” The countess waved a hand in the direction of the visitor. “This is Diana, Lady Theale, our new secretary for the
ladies
of the Sinners Club.”

 

If Diana hadn’t been so annoyed, the stunned expression on Mr. Maclean’s face would’ve made her laugh out loud. That would teach him to dismiss her so easily. What an odious, officious little man.

“New secretary?” He actually stuttered.

Diana gave him her most gracious smile. “Yes, Mr. Maclean.” She allowed her gaze to sweep over his cluttered desk. “And it seems as if I have arrived just in time to prevent you from being overwhelmed by your current tasks.”

“I’m not overwhelmed, my lady. It’s quarter day,” he snapped. “The complexity of the payments requires the use of all the household accounts books—hence the current disorder.”

He didn’t even attempt to smile at her, and his Scottish accent grew stronger with every word.

“Then one can hope you will be more organized in the future,” she said soothingly. It would not do to antagonize him too much. She needed the job to complete her mission successfully. If the answers to her questions lay anywhere—it would be at the Sinners. “I’ve had experience dealing with quarter days both in London, and on my late husband’s country estate, so I’m sure I can be of service to you.”

The countess clapped her hands. “There, Alistair. Diana will be able to help
you
too.” She glanced across at Diana, who was still trying not to smile at Mr. Maclean’s obvious discomfort. “Would you give us a moment, my dear? I’ll get my butler to take you through to my sitting room, and we can share some tea with Malinda and discuss our requirements further.”

With a gracious nod, Diana went toward the door where the butler still hovered outside and allowed herself to be escorted to the countess’s sitting room. She already knew that the innocuous frontage of the Sinners Club held many secrets. Her hope was to discover a few more that might unlock the keys to her past, and offer her a far better future.