To Deceive A Duke

Chapter 48

"What are you doing here?" He asks as they break away, "I thought you were coming to my house after the meeting," 

"We were, but Daniel and Peter have gone missing," She explains, her chest rising and falling quickly, "They've been missing for over an hour and this was the last place they were seen but they aren't here..." Her voice breaks and she looks away, fighting back tears. 

The colour drains from George's face, and he reaches into his jacket, "When you didn't come to the house, I went to Lygon Place and found this stuck to the front gate," He passes her a scrappy piece of parchment and she takes it with unsteady hands. 

"The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children"

He took what I love, I want what he loves

Webber Street 2 o'clock or he ends up with the same fate as his mother 

A wave of nausea courses through her and she scrunches up the note, "They have them," 

"Are you sure? They could be bluffing," George looks uncertain, "You can't just kidnap a duke of the streets in broad daylight. You'd have to be insane, or..."

"Hell-bent on revenge," She finishes, groaning and holding a hand to her head, angry at how she could miss it. 

The certainty in her tone captures his attention and he narrows her eyes at her, "What do you know?" 

She swallows, glancing down at the crumpled note, "Before I agreed to marry Daniel, I had a meeting with Baines and Lestrade, and Baines..." She sighs, searching for the right words, "Well, he said that he wanted your whole family dead," 

George frowns, "But why?" 

"He said that you took his sister and killed her," Clarissa replies, remembering the vicious expression on the man's face when he spoke about it. Coldness creeps down her spine. 

"But Baines didn't have a sister..." His eyes go wide in realisation, "But Daniel said he had a wife...I remember her...yes, of course, oh..." A haunted look flashes over his face, "He is quite right to hate us..." 

"Did Daniel..."

"What? No!!" George looks panicked at the mere thought, "It was our father. He...he took her for fun," 

"And he killed her? In cold blood?" 

"Not before he enjoyed her," George says, spitting onto this ground, "He kept her in the cellar for a month before he shot her," 

Clarissa swallows back the bile that rises to her mouth, "So that's what Baines means, he wants Daniel to pay for what your father did, my god," She collapses against the wall, "He will kill him if we don't turn up," 

"So what do we do?" He asks. 

"I don't know," She cries, throwing her hands up in the air, "Webber Street is a half a mile from here. The others won't arrive in time and there's no time to send them a message, it's undoubtedly a trap and I can't think straight!" 

George offers her his hand, "Then we figure it out as we go along," 

"You are coming with me?" She asks, her heart leaping in her chest. 

"Of course, I can't let you go alone," He says, "How many knives do you have on you?"

"Uh, 3?" Clarissa answers as he pulls her up. She picks the blade off the floor and checks that her knives are still secured in her dress. 

"4," George hands her a silver dagger, which she takes hesitantly. It's a short, thin blade, no longer than her hand, but deadly sharp. 

"You are better with a blade than I," He explains, checking the pistol at his hip. 

She smiles weakly and reaches under the first layer of her skirt, strapping the knife around the curve of her hip. She straightens up, smoothing her dress out and tying her hair out of her face. 

"Ready?" George asks, determination etched into his features. 

"Ready," She confirms. 

They edge out onto the street to take a quick scan of the area before starting to sprint down the pavement. George leads the way, a few feet in front of her, moving in and out the shoppers and tradesmen, jumping around people and keeping up a fast pace. Clarissa sticks to his heels, never losing sight of his head as she slips around horses and skids around children. People stop and stare as they pass but thankfully no one intervenes or questions and they don't stop running until they reach Webber Street, a few minutes before 2. 

They draw to a stop at the of the street and look around. It's a quieter road, mainly made up of houses and warehouses, with only a couple of small shops and stalls. They exchange a glance before starting to move down the side of the pavement, trying to appear as innocuous as possible, while keeping on high alert. With no exact address on the note, they don't know where to go next, and then Clarissa's eyes fall on a run-down tobacco warehouse. The company sign is the same as the one on the sign that Grace was found hanging from. 

She nudges George and gestures to the dilapidated building. His eyes narrow as he recognises the sign and he nods. They creep closer to the warehouse, casting looks around as they go. After some investigation they discover that there is no door on the main street and that the entrance is down an alley to the left, hidden by darkness. 

Clarissa leads the way down the small passageway, keeping her back pressed against the opposite wall until they reach the door. She takes the knife from her ankle as George clicks his pistol. They share a last look. There is no way that this isn't a trap but what else can they do? 

"Ready?" Clarissa mouths at George. He nods grimly, tightening his grip on his pistol and then she slides the door open.