Cin Craven - Wages of Sin Part 21

"Children, this is my good friend, Mademoiselle Justine."

Justine smiled but lingered near the door. I drew Sarah Katherine to the bed and sat with her and the other children, holding them and murmuring promises I wasn't sure I could keep.

"Sadie Kate," I said taking her hands in mine, "tell me, did you see the couple when they came in?"

She shook her head. "Only from the back. They both had black hair and were dressed in evening clothes."

I glanced sharply up at Justine, who c.o.c.ked one blonde brow at me.

"Children, listen to me. My mother, your Aunt Lora, had a book somewhere in this house and it's very important that I get it back. It's fine if one of you has it but I need it back now. It will help me get rid of those people downstairs."

Sarah Katherine blushed and then crossed the room to the wardrobe and rummaged in the bottom of it, finally producing the red leather-bound volume. She handed it back to me with a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Dulcie. I didn't mean to steal it. Mama said we weren't to go into Aunt Lora's workroom but Claire and I slipped in one night. There were all kinds of interesting things in there and I took the book back to my room with me but when I opened it I realized that it was in Gaelic. I meant to put it back but then Mrs. Mackenzie and Miss Fiona came and I was afraid they'd catch me. I'm very sorry, Aunt Dulcie."

"Think nothing of it, my dear, it's perfectly fine," I said, simply relieved that I'd been right about the location of the book. Of course, the children weren't supposed to know anything about witches, especially about the Macgregor women being witches, but children always know more than anyone gives them credit for.

I leafed through the pages of the book until I found the binding spell Mr. Pendergra.s.s had described. I read it through once and then asked Justine for my purse. She opened her cloak and untied the purse from her belt. The children gasped. Justine looked up sharply and then back down at her breeches. She rolled her eyes and threw me the purse.

"Mademoiselle Justine is a pirate," I said, digging through the contents and pulling out the little pouches of ingredients, "like Grainne O'Malley." It was the best I could come up with on short notice.

Sarah Katherine and Claire looked at Justine as if she were some pagan G.o.ddess of high adventure. Will simply looked at her as if he'd fallen in love. I smiled at him as I opened each pouch and checked the contents against the spell in the book. Only three ingredients missing, and nothing exotic at that. I could work with that.

"Are the people downstairs evil pirates?" Claire asked in an excited whisper.

"Yes, are they Captain Justine's sworn enemies?" Will chimed in.

I nearly groaned aloud. Ye G.o.ds, what had these children been reading?

"Something like that," I muttered, folding down the corner of the page to mark my place. "Capitaine Justine, may I speak with you outside a moment?"

I stepped to the door and paused, "If we walk back out do they have to invite us in again?"

"Non, they only need do it once."

We slipped out onto the balcony and I pulled the door closed.

Justine arched one brow at me, "A pirate?"

"It was all I could think of at the moment. Now, focus Capitaine. Kali and Sebastian are downstairs doing G.o.ddess knows what to my cousin Thomas and poor Amelia. What do we do?"

"We should go back for Devlin and Michael," she said.

I shook my head. "That'll take too long. What if they take Thomas and Amelia somewhere? I can't let anything happen to them, Justine. Besides the fact that I love them both, I'm all the family those children have. If their parents die, how the b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l am I supposed to raise three children?"

Justine paled at the thought. I paced the balcony.

"All right, here's the plan," I said. "I have nearly all the ingredients for the binding spell and the ones I'm missing are common herbs I can get anywhere. I walk down the stairs and Kali takes me. She's probably only here to use Thomas and Amelia and the children as leverage so that I will cooperate with her. If I go with her then she'll leave them be. Hopefully."

Justine frowned. "And what am I to tell Devlin and Michael?"

"Tell them there was no other choice. I want you to stay here and guard the children until we've left the house and then slip out the way we came in and find Devlin and Michael."

"And how are we to find you again?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. The spell requires it to be preformed in a sacred place, I just haven't figured out where that is yet."

She shook her head, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest. "Absolument non. I will not agree to a plan which puts you in their hands when we have no idea where you are."

"Justine, the plan has always been to work the binding spell. I have to get close enough to her to do that. You know that."

"Oui, but we were supposed to be near to hand when you were with her, in case something went wrong."

"So what should we do? We can't very well drop the children off the balcony and take them with us to find Michael and Devlin. If we leave the children alone then eventually Kali is going to come looking for them. Justine, she only needs one hostage, the other four are expendable. Tell me, what other choice do we have?"

She pursed her lips. "She could kill the parents anyway, once she has you, or she may take them along to ensure your cooperation."

"Then bring Mrs. Mac and Fiona and Mr. Pendergra.s.s back here. Mrs. Mac and Fiona can watch over the children and I want Mr. Pendergra.s.s to find some sort of spell to revoke the invitations issued to the undead."

"Even you?" she asked.

I frowned and nodded reluctantly. "Yes," I said, "even me. This is no longer my home. I have no right to be here."

She shook her head. "You risk your life for them and yet you think you have no right to be a part of their lives?"

I looked at her and arched a brow, "Did you not do the same for your sister?"

"Touche," she said, a pained look crossing her face for a fleeting second. "What do we tell the children?"

I smiled and winked. "Leave that to me."

I called Sarah Katherine out onto the balcony. Justine stepped inside to stay with the other children and I closed the door behind her.

I looked down into Sarah Katherine's face. She was so lovely, with her mother's dark blonde hair and her father's sparkling blue eyes. I remembered holding her just after she was born, when I was little more than a child myself. I would not, could not, lose her or any of them, not while there was one ounce of fight left in me.

"Sadie Kate," I said, using the nickname I'd called her as a babe, "I need you to be my grown-up girl tonight, can you do that?"

She nodded.

"The people downstairs are very bad people. They want me to do something for them and I think they mean to hold your parents captive so that I'll do as they wish." "Are you going to do it? What they want?" she asked, chewing her bottom lip.

"Yes, I'll do whatever I can to keep your parents safe. To do that, though, I'm going to have to pretend that I'm on their side.

Whatever you see or hear tonight, whatever anyone tells you I did, I want you to know that it was all pretend. I love you and I'll lay down my life to protect you and your family, do you understand?"

She nodded again.

"Justine is going to stay with you and the little ones until the bad people leave. They may insist on taking your Mama and Papa with them. I promise you I'll do everything I can to keep them safe and bring them home to you, all right?"

"If you and Mama and Papa leave with the bad people will Miss Justine stay with us?"

"She'll leave for just a little while to go get help. Mrs. Mackenzie and Fiona will come and stay with you. Also a very nice old man named Mr. Pendergra.s.s. He's a wizard-"

"Like Aunt Lora was?"

"Yes, and he'll make sure the house is safe for all of you. Now, if your Mama and Papa go with us, the minute Miss Justine leaves you go down and tell Masterson what I've told you and tell him that Mrs. Mackenzie and Fiona and Mr. Pendergra.s.s are on their way. And Sarah Katherine, this is very important," I said, taking her by the shoulders, "do not open the door for anyone but Mrs.

Mackenzie, do you understand? I don't care if the king himself comes calling, do not open the door or invite anyone in but Mrs.

Mackenzie. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Aunt Dulcie. I promise. What do we tell the children?" she asked, so grown-up.

"Mostly the truth," I said. "I know this is scary but I need you to be brave for the little ones, all right? So that they aren't frightened."

I took her hand in mine and walked back into the bedroom. Claire and Will looked up at me with large, round eyes.

"Children, I've just spoken with Sarah Katherine," I said. "It seems that two evil pirates, arch enemies of my friend Capitaine Justine, have taken your parents captive."

Will's bottom lip trembled and Claire twisted the hem of her nightgown in her hands.

"But have no fear," I said. "We'll rout the villains and return your Mama and Papa to you safe and sound. Just think of the tales of adventure they'll be able to tell you! Now, I'm going to go downstairs and pretend to be one of the evil pirates myself but it's all just a ruse to get them out of the house so that you three will be safe."

"Why doesn't Capitaine Justine just slice them up with her cutla.s.s?" Will volunteered.

"Well," I said, "because the fair Capitaine must go and find the Pirate King and his first mate and the three of them will ride to our rescue and save us all!"

Claire narrowed her eyes, "She's going to leave us here all alone?"

I kissed her cheek. "Just for a bit, love, but she's going to send Mrs. Mackenzie and Fiona to stay with you and a very nice old man named Mr. Pendergra.s.s who has lots of wonderful stories to tell. Fiona even has a new kitten who would love to play with you."

"Aunt Dulcie?" Claire said. "You don't look very much like an evil pirate to me. Are you sure it's going to fool them?"

I looked down at my dress with its long sleeves and modest V neck. There were blood stains on the dove gray silk but the heavy black lace covering the dress hid them well. Truly I didn't look much like an evil pirate, though. "Maybe I'm a lady pirate?"

Claire looked at me doubtfully.

"Well," I sighed, "we'll just have to make do with what we have. Maybe when this is all over Capitaine Justine will take me to wherever female pirates get their wardrobes made?"

Justine smiled and winked at me. I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled all three children into the circle of my arms.

"Good-bye, my babies. Always, always remember that your Aunt Dulcie loves you. Promise me?"

Three faces nodded back at me, three faces with excitement and fear written all over them. I would have to be strong and very powerful to keep their parents alive for them and, G.o.ddess help me, I hoped I could do it. I held the lives of everyone in this household in my hands tonight.

I stood and squared my shoulders. I would do this. I would fight her and I would taste victory. After all, this was what I had died for and by all the G.o.ds in heaven I would not let it have been in vain.

Chapter Thirty-Two

I walked calmly down the stairs, more calmly than I felt. Inside I was shaking. The scene in the foyer below was one of barely controlled chaos. The drawing room doors were firmly closed. Masterson lay bleeding but alive on the tile floor, several nearly hysterical maids hovering over him. Cook was ringing her hands and the footmen seemed to be waiting for instructions from Masterson.

Silence fell throughout the hall as they all looked up at me in surprise and then every one of them rushed me, tripping over themselves and talking a mile a minute. No one seemed to wonder how it was that I'd come to be upstairs; I suppose they were all just used to my presence in the house. Finally I called for silence and knelt down, easily helping Masterson to his feet. There was a gash on his temple but it didn't look too bad.

"Miss Dulcie, Lord Montford and a woman came to call. He cracked me over the head, he did, and they spirited Lord and Lady Craven into the drawing room and locked the door!"

"I could hear the missus screaming but I couldn't get the door open," one of the parlor maids said. The poor little mite looked like she was about to swoon.

"Has no one gone for the magistrate? Or the Bow Street runners?" Masterson chided, staring down each of the footmen who were standing about. Three of them made for the door but I called them back.

"No, Masterson," I said softly. "Trust me when I tell you that the magistrate can't help us with this." I addressed the crowd, "I want all of you to go to your rooms. Lock your doors. There's nothing more to be seen here tonight. You can gossip about it all you want to in the morning but not a word about this leaves this household. If I hear even a whisper of this night's events in Town I'll sack every last one of you just so I know I got the right one. Do I make myself clear?"

Everyone nodded and s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably. Thankfully no one remembered that it wasn't my house anymore and I no longer had the right to terminate anyone's employment.

One of the footmen spoke up, "Miss Craven, we can't leave you here alone and defenseless."

I laughed. "Of all the people in this house I am the least defenseless. Now, seek your rooms and good-night to you all."

One small, dark-haired woman in a deep blue dress caught my eye. "You," I said and she turned to me with a rather vacant look on her face. "I don't know you. Who are you?"

"The governess, miss."

I pursed my lips. "Did it not occur to you that the children might need you?"

A look of shocked horror came over her face, as if she'd just wakened from a dream. "Oh, dear Lord!" she exclaimed.

"Go up and stay with them, they're all in my... in Sarah Katherine's room. A friend of mine is with them. She's made up a game of make-believe, pirates and the like, to keep them occupied. Do whatever she asks of you."

"Yes, miss," she stammered and flew up the stairs.

I rolled my eyes at her departing figure and turned to Cook and Masterson who had stayed behind in the foyer. I glanced at the closed doors of the drawing room, thinking how much more sensitive my hearing was now that I was a vampire. Kali almost certainly knew I was here but I didn't want to tip my hand completely.

"Cook," I whispered, "take him back to the kitchen and tend that wound. After I've gotten these people out of the house my friend will send Mrs. Mackenzie and Fiona over from the... hotel."

"Oh thank the dear Lord," Cook said. "Mrs. Mac'll fix things up right and proper."

"Masterson, you remember Mama's friend, Mr. Pendergra.s.s?"

"Yes, Miss Craven," he said with a wink. He understood there would be magic afoot tonight.

"He'll be coming with Mrs. Mac and Fiona. Give him whatever he requires and let him do what needs doing," I said. "And do not open that door to anyone but Mrs. Mac."