“I spoke in haste,” he said quickly. “How could a woman of such high birth commit to a commoner?”

  “Easily,” she answered. Pulling his face down to hers, she found his lips and tried to tell him what she felt without words.

  “I may be offering you ashes if my father turns me out.”

  “No. You will do as you said and build up your own business. But we cannot dwell on the future now. We must get through this bit of time.”

  “Aye.”

  He held her for long moments, stroking his hands possessively over her back and shoulders. He was rousing her passion -- and his own, she knew. But finally, he stepped away from her.

  “Back to the business at hand. I was thinking of how we must proceed. I have worked out a plan.” Standing, he retrieved the bag he had dropped on the floor when he confronted his father. “I made inquiries and found where a large establishment such as the Riding Crop Club might have its laundry done.” As he spoke, he held up a brightly colored garment, and she recognized it as one of the navy and scarlet uniforms of the guards. “Tonight, I will wear this,” he said, before pulling out a different outfit. “And for you… Do you remember the man dressed in black who hid his face behind a hood?”

  She shuddered. “He would not be easy to forget.”

  Gareth held up a pair of black britches, a black shirt, and a hood. “I think these will fit you. The outfit will hide your identity.

  She liked the idea of wearing the disguise rather than the horrible dress from the night before. As for his guard’s uniform, it would make him nearly invisible -- part of the scenery inside the club.

  “Did you eat today,” he asked, and she blinked at the change of subject.

  “A little.”

  Gareth gave her a considering look. “We will need our strength. We should have some supper.”

  She nodded and followed him down the hall to the kitchen where she watched him get food out of the cupboard.

  He set out bread and cheese on a trencher as well as some dried fruit, and they sat across from each other eating the simple meal. The words he had spoken to her rang in her mind. He had told her he loved her. And she understood now why he was willing to go back into terrible danger -- for her. She knew he could get killed tonight. So could she -- or worse.

  But she would face the dangers with Gareth by her side.

  When they were finished eating, they went upstairs and changed into the outfits he had brought. In addition to the black shirt, britches, and hood, he had also brought her boots. They felt strange on her feet and lower legs. He also gave her a belt with a sheath and a knife that she hoped she would not have to use.

  Finally, she pinned up her hair so that it would not show under the hood. When she was thus equipped, she walked around the room trying to get used to the footwear -- and to the way the eyeholes of the hood partially obscured her vision.

  “How do I look?” she asked.

  “Let us hope no one will scrutinize you too closely.”

  “Mayhap I look like a man who is trying out a new role for the first time.” She stepped back to study the way he looked in the guard’s uniform.

  “And how am I?” he asked.

  “Not mean and ruthless enough, I think.”

  “Well, the lighting in the hallways is not bright.”

  “Luckily.”

  Once they had checked the outfits, Harri took off the hood and folded it in her hand because she could not walk down the street with it over her head.

  Afraid that they were both stalling, she said, “We should leave.”

  “Aye. But I must tell you a few things. We will go in through that door we found and take the stairs up to the hallway with the locked gate. I have brought tools that should open it. Once inside, we will find your sister and spirit her out through the same exit where we came in. I cannot be more specific because I do not know what we will encounter.”

  She nodded, then asked, “And what if we are caught?”

  “If I am apprehended, you must get out of the building and go to my father. You know where he lives.”

  She gasped. “Your father? He hates me.”

  “No. He simply does not react well to unexpected situations. He will come to my aid.”

  She hoped Gareth wasn’t being too optimistic. Really, she hoped she would never have to call on the father’s help.

  Gareth switched back to their night raid. “Also, we may need your talent -- to divert attention away from ourselves if we are challenged.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath. “What if I cannot?”

  “Let us assume that you can,” he said in a firm voice. “Are you ready to leave?”

  “After a quick stop at the privy.”

  It was almost full dark when they left the house. Harri was clad in her black outfit, minus the hood. Gareth wore a cloak to conceal the uniform he was wearing. Above them, almost like a portent, lightning flashed.

  “We’re going to get drenched before we get there,” Harri said.

  “The storm is not that close yet. Notice the distance between the flash and the thunder.”

  Still, the threating deluge gave them a reason to speed up. They walked together, like two people trying to get to their destination before the heavens opened.

  She glanced down at Gareth’s hand, wishing she could reach for it and feel his reassuring strength. Since two men would not clasp each other thusly, she simply kept pace beside him.

  The impending storm had driven most people inside, and there was little foot traffic on the streets. As they walked along the front of the club, they kept up their pace, avoiding the coaches pulling up at the entrance or waiting their turn. As one stopped by the front door, Harri saw a well-dressed man alight and turn to pull a woman down, none too gently. She wavered on her feet before righting herself and peering with distaste at the building. She was wearing a cloak, probably to hide a scanty outfit. The man who had brought her here took her arm to hustle her along.

  Harri was relieved when she and Gareth passed the well-lighted entrance and stepped into shadow as they turned the corner.

  At the end of the building, they turned again. She glanced up at the stone façade and thought that she could be looking at a prison.

  When they reached the back of the structure, they encountered a high stone wall, and Harri shuddered, recognizing the spot where the cart carrying her and Morgan had stopped. She said a little prayer that her sister was still unharmed. She finished by silently sending her thoughts to Morgan.

  We’re coming to get you out of there. Hang on a little longer, and we will get you free, she promised, wishing that Morgan could really hear the message.

  Gareth stopped at an iron gate and tried the handle. When it failed to respond, he reached into his small tool bag. He tried several bent pieces of metal and quickly found one that would act as a key. When the lock yielded, he pushed the lever down, and they stepped through the gate into the small courtyard. The last time, she had smelled garbage here, but she had not seen the stinking refuse bins. Gareth wove his way between them, leading her to a door about halfway along the exterior wall.

  Like the night before, it was not locked, and Harri thought she knew the reason. Employees must come out through the door to throw refuse into the bins, and they would want to be quick about getting back into the building. Probably the management didn’t know the door was left unlocked.

  After giving Harri a quick look, Gareth pushed the barrier inward.

  Beyond it, the dimly lit hallway made her think of a passageway to one of the seven hells. Before Gareth had closed the door behind them, she glanced toward the end of the hall and saw two sets of booted feet and then navy-clad legs coming down the stairs. Guards.

  Chapter Nine

  Before the men reached the basement, Gareth pulled Harri back outside, easing the door closed behind them. They stood waiting in the stinking enclosure.

  As she heard the guards come closer, she tensed, but the men walked past the exit and kept going down the corridor.

  She saw Gareth relax his clenched jaw. “That was close,” he whispered.

  “Aye.”

  They waited several minutes, listening, but the patrol had passed. When they stepped back into the building, the hallway was empty.

  Gareth took off his cape and folded it over his arm. Harri donned her hood, adjusting it for the clearest view through the eyeholes, but the circles were wide apart, intended for a man, and no matter which way she tugged the hood, her vision was somewhat obscured.

  Trying not to stumble, she followed Gareth down the passageway. They passed the closed doors they had encountered previously. She heard laughter behind one. Behind two others she caught the sound of a whip hitting flesh, followed by cries of pain. Silently, she prayed that Morgan was not in one of those rooms.

  They reached the stairs and walked up to the main level. On the ground floor, they followed the route they had taken on the previous occasion, passing the kitchen and storerooms. No one paid them any mind, but when they approached the open office door, she felt a stab of alarm. Master Williams, the manager they had encountered the night before, sat at the desk. When he glanced up as they passed, her heart began to thump, but he went quickly back to his papers.

  Finally, they came to the gate. As before, it was locked. But like the one at the entrance to the courtyard, it yielded to Gareth’s efforts.

  They hurried to the door beyond. Before they stepped through, he closed the gate behind them but did not lock it. He also closed the wooden door, shutting them into a square, dimly lit room with a door on each wall.

  In the quiet of the antechamber, Harri heard the storm break above them. Rain pelted onto the roof, and a clap of thunder shook the building. It was like an evil omen.

  As Harri pulled off her mask, Gareth tried the door to their right and pushed it open. Like the antechamber, the room was lit by wall sconces. Twelve narrow beds were the only furniture. Nine of them were occupied by girls all wearing scanty outfits -- some similar to what Harri had worn the night before, and some even more scandalous. The girls looked up when the door opened. Some cringed away, while others looked indifferent or defiant. None of them was Morgan.

  Harri backed out again, feeling a stab of anguish. She had come to rescue her sister, and these girls were just as worthy of rescue as Morgan. But she couldn’t dwell on that. She had to stick to her task.

  They turned to the door on the left. Harri opened it and peered inside. The scene was similar, a room with ten beds. Seven of them were occupied, but none by Morgan.

  At Gareth’s questioning look, she shook her head. “Not here,” she mouthed. Where could Morgan be?

  Quickly she stepped to the remaining door. When she opened it, she saw the lighting inside was brighter. There was only one bed -- higher than the ones in the other rooms. The head was against the wall, and at first all she saw was a girl’s naked legs, spread and tied open to expose her cunny. Her pubic hair had been shaved off, making her look even more naked and vulnerable, if that was possible.

  When Harri walked to the head of the bed, she saw that the captive was Morgan.

  Choking back a sob, she pulled off her hood, rushed forward, and leaned down to embrace her sister as best she could. Morgan tried to lift her arms, but the bonds kept them in place.

  “What did they do to you?” Harri whispered as she stared into her sister’s eyes. The pupils were huge.

  “Drugged,” Gareth muttered.

  Morgan blinked and finally seemed to gather herself. “Harri,” she sobbed out. “Oh, Harri, I thought you got away, but you’re here too.”

  “No. I did get away. I came back to rescue you.” She reached for the rope that held one of her sister’s hands, trying to unfasten it. When she couldn’t work the knot, she pulled out the knife that Gareth had given her and slashed through the bonds.

  Gareth worked on the ropes at Morgan’s ankles. Swiftly he cut through them. He had folded up his cape and brought it along, and now he used it to cover Morgan.

  “Come on. We have to get out of here,” he said, his voice urgent.

  But it was already too late. As another thunderclap sounded, Harri saw armed men rush into the antechamber. How many were there, eight? Ten?

  Gareth whirled to her, his voice urgent. “You must create an emergency! Set Master Williams’ office afire.”

  She gaped at him, her heart sinking. He was asking her to do the impossible. If that was the diversion he had wanted her to create, then they were lost. She was not in the office. How could she work with the fire there if she could not see it?

  Still, she knew that their situation was dire, and only a miracle could save them.

  Harri felt as though she had been caught by the wind howling outside the building. As men poured into the room, Gareth slashed at the nearest with his knife and cut through a uniform sleeve to the arm below. The injured guard cried out as blood welled up through the fabric.

  Before Gareth could get in another strike, two more guards grabbed his arms and held him fast. He kicked out, trying to free himself, but there were too many of the enemy.

  Behind the throng of guards, a commanding voice range out. “Stop struggling or I will have your slave friends killed -- slowly and painfully.”

  Gareth went rigid, his eyes blazing as he faced the newcomer. It was Master Williams, who gave him a satisfied smirk.

  “I was ready for something like this. You have fallen into my trap.”

  The guards kept their grip on Gareth. Two more grabbed Harri, as another pair snatched up Morgan, who began to sob. “No, please! No more! Leave me alone.”

  Harri struggled not to fall to pieces. She knew that Gareth had been right. Their only hope was to create a bigger problem than the man and girl who had invaded the club on a rescue mission.

  She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the chaos swirling around her -- Gareth, the guards, Master Williams, her sister. She found she could push them to the back of her mind as she changed her focus to the office down the hall. Mentally, she stepped into it, bringing the details into focus. She saw the comfortable furnishings, the desk covered with papers, and the lamp. She closed in on that, seeing the flame as though she were standing in front of it.

  This was harder than working with a candle because the lamp had a chimney. She sent her mind through the glass, focusing on the flickering light, feeding her mental energy into it. The activity around her threatened to obliterate her concentration. Another clap of thunder shook the building, but she held the picture of the lamp in a death grip, willing her magic to take hold.

  Nothing changed, and she realized her mistake. She was trying to do this by herself. She needed the help of Aeron, the god of fire. In a whisper, she called on him. “Aeron, if you have ever come to me before, come to me now. I need your help. My sister is in desperate danger, and I have put the man I love, Gareth Lamb, in mortal danger too. I throw myself on your mercy. I beg you. Come to me in my time of need.”

  At first, she was afraid the god had forsaken her, but then she felt energy flowing into her being, a magnitude of power above what she could hope for on her own. It gave her a chance to succeed -- if she could make herself one with the awesome potential. As the outside force flowed into her, she ordered herself to steadiness. When she had blotted out the chaos around her once more, she mentally focused on the lamp wick. It flared up, higher, higher until flame shot up the chimney toward the ceiling, then rained down on the desk, igniting the papers scattered there.

  The scene around her snapped back into focus, and she was back in the dire trap of her own making. She wasn’t really in the office. She didn’t know if she was only fooling herself about what she had seen there. All she could do was pray that, with the help of Aeron, she had created the emergency they needed.

  She heard voices and saw Williams forcing his way through the crowd. When he reached her, he grasped her arm and slapped her. She clenched her teeth against the sting of it.

  Another clap of thunder shook the building, and then, everything changed. Out in the corridor, someone shouted, “Fire! Fire in the office!”

  “Hold them,” Master Williams ordered as he turned and ran back the way he’d come. Harri’s heart leaped. She and Aeron had started the fire. Her vision was true. The flames must be burning the papers on the desk.

  Now that she knew it was real, she spread the flames around the rest of the office, down the legs of the desk, onto the floor and the rug. As the smell of smoke reached them, the guards who had swarmed the torture room turned and pelted into the corridor, trying to save themselves.

  Gareth wrapped Morgan in the cape and lifted her. “Run,” he shouted to Harri. “Down the hall and out the front door.”

  They ran into the antechamber together, but Harri stopped and threw open the doors on either side. Girls stared at them wide-eyed.

  “Fire! Get out of the building!” It was the best she could do for them. Probably they knew the corridors far better than she did.

  The hall had filled with smoke, making it difficult to see -- and difficult to breathe. Harri coughed and kept moving. Around her, people were running in all directions, unsure of the best way out. Desperate not to lose Gareth, Harri grabbed the tail of his coat. She followed him as he shouldered his way through the throng, heading for the main entrance.

  Tongues of fire leaped from the office, flames licking at the floorboards. But the walls and some of the ceilings were stone, and that helped contain the blaze. The kitchen and storerooms were on the other side of the burning office. The workers over there would have to run down to the dungeons and go out the back.

  Gareth shouldered his way along in the hallway, Morgan clutched against his chest. Harri hung onto him for dear life. When they reached the stairway leading to the upper floor, their progress was impeded by a press of panicked patrons coming down from the floor above, many in various stages of undress. Like a warship plowing through the waves, Gareth kept a steady course for the door.

  As they crossed the threshold, rain poured down on them, and in some corner of her mind, Harri was grateful. Hopefully it would keep the fire from spreading to other buildings.

 

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