“Do you see why I was reluctant to tell you?” Fear tinged the lady’s blue eyes. “Wrotham will deny everything and blame the Franklins. We’re both friends with Anna. It will look like we conspired together.”
“Trust me,” Theo said, his expression as dark as the bowels of hell. “Wrotham will be dead before he can make any accusations. You need to visit the office of the Order in Hart Street and have Lucius Daventry take your statement. He will assist us in bringing the real culprits to justice.”
“Mr Daventry is a defender of the law,” Eleanor added. “He will protect your identity. You have my word.”
The lady’s countenance brightened. “I shall go there directly.” She paused. “There is something else.”
“Yes?” Eleanor said.
“Wrotham is meeting Mr Franklin tonight. Since you’ve hired a man to guard your premises, they cannot leave the plates in your coal shed. They’re making the exchange at midnight on the north side of Blackfriars Bridge. Anna read a note from Wrotham and sent word with a penny boy.”
“Tonight?” There was a hint of excitement in Theo’s voice. “Then there’s no time to dally. It’s imperative we catch them in the act.”
A faint smile touched the lady’s lips. “Do you really think we might bring an end to this nightmare, Mr Chance? I must admit, I had given up hope.”
Theo gave a devilish grin. “Madam, nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing my cousin rot in a dank cell. Daventry never fails. Come tomorrow, we will all be rid of Wrotham for good.”
Chapter Twenty
From Eleanor’s dark bedchamber, Theo watched the silversmith shop through a gap in the curtains. Fog crept from the river like a silent thief, its ghostly tendrils curling around buildings and drifting through the streets.
“If Franklin doesn’t leave soon, I’ll lose sight of his premises.”
While Daventry hid near Blackfriars Bridge with Aramis and Christian, Sigmund watched Wrotham’s abode from an unmarked carriage.
Aaron moved closer to the window. “Perhaps I should wait outside on the street. Franklin doesn’t know me, and I’m skilled at keeping to the shadows.”
“We can’t risk losing each other,” Eleanor said.
“We’ll stick to the plan unless the fog becomes so thick I cannot see.” Upon sensing movement in the darkness, Theo narrowed his gaze. So far, he’d spotted nothing but drunkards and vagabonds. If only the gas lamp shone directly outside Franklin’s door.
Aaron paced the floor. He was always calm under pressure, but the reason for his agitation became apparent. “I’ve waited a lifetime to punish the Earl of Berridge. That devil left four boys to sleep on the street. Nothing will please me more than seeing his son bound in chains.”
Theo would count his blessings once Wrotham was stripped of his title and punished for forgery. He was wise enough to know the blame would probably rest at Franklin’s door. Still, he hoped Wrotham would get his just deserts.
Eleanor had other concerns. “I pray Anna will make a full recovery. We should enter the house when Mr Franklin departs and ensure she is well.”
“Half an hour won’t matter,” Aaron countered, his determination to hurt Berridge evident. “We must catch Wrotham in the act. If Franklin returns before making the exchange, it will ruin everything.”
Theo had promised Eleanor they would rescue Anna Franklin, and he would not break his vow. “We’ll have Gibbs bring Miss Franklin here. It will take two minutes to enter the shop and carry her to safety.”
“I’d never live with myself if I left her,” Eleanor said.
Aaron sighed. He was unused to negotiating with a woman. “Then you’d better pray Franklin doesn’t return and catch you in the act.”
Silent minutes passed before Theo spotted a figure in black emerging from the silversmith shop carrying a heavy valise. “Franklin is on the move. He’s heading south towards the river.”
“You’re certain it’s him?” Aaron said.
“As certain as I can be on a foggy night.”
The tension in the air intensified.
“Let me knock on Mr Franklin’s door,” Eleanor suggested. “If we’re wrong and he’s at home, I shall say I couldn’t sleep because I was worried about Anna.”
“Like hell you will.” Just thinking about her alone in the house with Franklin brought bile to Theo’s throat. “He’ll think you have romantic intentions.”
Aaron acted as peacekeeper. “As it’s almost midnight, I suspect it is Franklin. Let’s hope the Lord is on our side tonight.”
Wearing dark outdoor apparel, and with Gibbs in tow, they crossed the street to the silversmith shop. The fog was thickening, falling over the street like a shroud. With the meeting place being close to the river, Daventry would struggle to spot the villains.
Eleanor knocked on the silversmith’s door but received no reply. There wasn’t a light in any window, though the curtains upstairs were drawn.
“Step aside.” Aaron shooed them out of the way. “If we’re wrong about Franklin, let him blame me for breaking into the premises.” He didn’t barge the door with his shoulder but removed a ring of metal implements from his pocket and fiddled with the mortice lock. “A crook named One-eyed Eric taught me this trick.”
One click and Aaron opened the door.
Franklin had tidied the silver items from the floor and returned them to the cabinet. He’d even had the glass doors repaired. Had he staged the scene after losing his temper with his sister?
They found Miss Franklin asleep in bed, her head bandaged, her face deathly pale. Eleanor sat on the bed and checked Anna’s pulse before exhaling with relief.
“She’s alive, thank heavens.”
“We must hurry,” Aaron snapped. “Can you rouse her?”
Eleanor clasped Anna’s hand and patted it gently. “Anna? Can you hear me? We’re here to save you.” When she received no response, she tapped the woman’s face. “She’s definitely breathing.”
