His Lady Midnight Read Free Page A

Sam,” she ordered as she peered around a stack of what might have been raw cotton or finished textiles.
    â€œMy lady, I should stay with you.”
    She shook her head. “I need you ready with the carriage, so we can leave posthaste if we must.”
    â€œI don’t like any of this.”
    Neither did she. Tonight was one of those fogbound nights when disaster lurked unseen. The sudden turn of the weather from winter to spring brought these fogs, which were at their worst here by the Thames. Hearing the muffled clang of church bells in the distance, she gasped. An hour had passed since she had arrived, and still the task for tonight was not completed.
    She glanced over her shoulder and saw Sam remained close behind her. “Go!”
    â€œMy lady—”
    â€œSay nothing!” She put her hand on his arm to soften the impact of her sharp words.
    When he nodded and turned reluctantly to follow her orders, she promised herself that she would apologize to him once they were back on Grosvenor Square. Another shudder raced through her as she thought of her beloved home, which was now mortgaged for more than it was worth. Helping others had come at a high price, and she was unsure how much longer she could live among the ton and still do this work. Greater bribes were being demanded with every ship that was readied to sail from the Pool to Australia. Her family’s estate in Kent must sell soon, or she would lose both it and her house here in Town.
    You could stop this .
    She ignored the tempting voice as she had since she had embarked on this crusade. Yes, she could halt this, but then the innocents among the true criminals would be punished for a crime no greater than stealing five shillings’ worth of bread from a shop or setting a trap to catch a rabbit on some unfeeling peer’s land.
    Seeing a familiar form through the contortions of the fog, Phoebe inched around the stack of bales. A mistake, she discovered, as Jasper turned and, in a hint of breeze that swept aside the fog, she saw another man beyond him. It was too late. She could not turn back now, because she had been seen.
    She pulled the hood of her cloak over her bonnet to hide its quality. She kept her arms close to her, so no one would see the silver bracelet around her left wrist. Bother! She would have left it on Grosvenor Square if she had had any idea that she must step into the discussions on the wharf. Letting the cloak’s hem drag in the puddles on the wharf so that she looked as bedraggled as Jasper, she hoped the man was from the Trellis .
    â€œWhat’re ye doin’ ’ere?” Jasper muttered, stepping between her and the other man who was watching her closely through narrowed eyes.
    â€œSeein’ what’s keepin’ ye.” She tried to make her accent as broad as his, but she glanced at the other man. For someone who spent so much time near water, she doubted if he had used any to bathe in weeks. His clothes reeked so much that her eyes watered. His matted hair was as dark as Lord Townsend’s.
    Why was she thinking of him now? She must concentrate on this bumble-bath and find a way to complete the night’s work without compromising Jasper or herself. Biting back the questions she longed to ask, she knew she had to wait for Jasper to tell her what was wrong and how she could help. Her fan and reticule bounced against her leg as she moved closer to Jasper, and she hoped her heavy cloak would hide the motions from this sailor. She did not want him to think about the possibility that her bag contained gold. She wanted him to keep his mind firmly on completing the deal that would allow them to get the innocents off the boat.
    â€œWoman, ye aren’t needed ’ere,” Jasper answered. “This be men’s business.”
    She slid her arm through his as she noted two other shadowed forms behind the sailor. Mayhap she should have heeded Sam’s concern and let him come with