Twice A Hero Part 20

"Why didn't you simply ask Caroline to marry you before all this happened?"

"I have my reasons, but they are somewhat moot under the circ.u.mstances. Liam is interested in you, of that I have no doubt. How interested will be the measure of our success or failure."

They looked at each other in perfect understanding, and Perry wondered how it was that he felt he'd known Miss MacKenzie beforea"as if he'd always suspected her existence somewhere in the world.

The existence of a woman who would be Liam's match.

"Then all we need is a plan," Miss MacKenzie said. "Frankly, that's what I don't have. This isn't mya city."

"But it is mine," Perry said. "We must see to it that Liam doesn't dismiss you. You must remain in his sight, his consciousness. He must be compelled to admit he wants you, and not Caroline."

"That's a pretty big job," she said in a small voice.

"Losing your confidence already?" he chided.

"Come. You are clearly a woman of courage. If you fail in your convictiona""

Her chin jerked up. "I won't fail. I have more commitment to this than you can possibly understand."

More of Miss Mackenzie's mysteries, it seemed. But Perry was content to let those mysteries standa"for now.

"Very well," he said. "The matter seems simple enough. In order to be near Liam, you must be introduced to the social circle of which Caroline is a part." He looked Miss MacKenzie over, frowning thoughtfully. "If I'm not mistaken, you have not spent a great deal of time in society, have you?"

"There isn't too much of that in the jungle," she said. "I have no illusions. I don't pretend to be the high-society type. In fact, I don't even own a dress. But I can learn to get around here, with your help."

Perry nodded. "I shall present you as my American cousin from some lost branch of the family. Backward missionary's daughter deprived of the benefits of society, thrown on the mercy of a distant relative, and only now making her debut. That ought to account for a few peculiarities of behavior, don't you think?"

"But how do you propose to get us near Caroline?" she asked. "Liam won't let you just resume your courts.h.i.+p."

"You may leave that to me."

"I guess I'll have to." She squared her shoulders. "All right. Let's do it."

"Then it seems we are allies, Miss MacKenzie. Shall we shake to seal our partners.h.i.+p?"

He waited, as was proper, for her to offer her hand first. "We might as well drop the formality," she said. "You can call mea"" He would have sworn a grimace crossed her face. "Call me Rose."

Rose, indeed. A most unlikely namea"and he suspected this Rose had thorns. "My friends call me Perry," he said.

"What next, Perry?" she asked, releasing his hand.

"I have a plan to set in motion, but I'll be in contact shortly." He reached into his waistcoat pocket for a card and went to the desk in search of a pen. "This is my address, should you need to reach me. Have you funds?"

"Not a dime."

He emptied his pockets of coins and laid several on the dressing table. "This should provide for any necessities for the time being."

She opened her mouth as if to ask for details and then thought better of it. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Always, Rose. Have no fear of that."

He left her with a handful of rea.s.surances and walked out the door feeling considerably better than when he'd first arrived in Liam's company.

Who would have thought it? The trap Liam had set had turned to Perry's advantage. An advantage Perry could not have imagined in his wildest dreams.

Liam had found himself a woman in the jungle. A woman utterly unlike Caroline. And therein lay the chance of victory.

Perry met Liam's guard in the hallway as he paused by the elevator. A few quiet words brought a nod and sly grin from the man, who found another excuse to leave his post.

The sky was growing dark when Perry emerged onto Market Street. He swung his cane as he walked the short distance to his boardinghouse, tipping his hat to the ladies he pa.s.sed.

The ladies. Rose MacKenzie might not be one of them, but she had something most of them didn't have. Something an ordinary man might not appreciate.

As Liam did not appreciate Caroline.

Perry started up the stairs to his second-floor apartments, staring at the worn carpet runner under his feet. Strange how untroubled he felt, considering the day's startling events. The shock of Liam's abrupt return, followed by the guilta"an emotional weakness Perry thought had pa.s.sed the Sinclairs by long ago. Guilt was a thoroughly useless burden.

But perhaps love had made him vulnerable. If so, it was the least price he would pay to save Caroline.

Friends.h.i.+p he had already sacrificed. Yet he recalled the good days Liam had invoked in the Palace Hotel room. Two men from vastly different backgrounds had fallen together in their search for something intangible: Liam, never satisfied with what he had, for a purpose beyond his acc.u.mulated wealth and hard-won success; Perry, aimless and jaded after too long in a business that leeched the life from anyone it touched, for some reason to live.

It had been Liam who'd made Perry feel again, rediscover the challenge in living itself. And Perry had forced Liam from his sh.e.l.l of isolation and hidden bitterness. They'd found common ground in jungle mud and desert sands, in ancient ruins and the thrill of discovery. Their partners.h.i.+p had taken them halfway around the world and back again. Danger had bound them as brothers.

Until Liam brought Perry back to San Francisco to meet his young ward. Caroline Gresham, fresh, vibrant, pa.s.sionate.

And no more than a duty to Liam, a valuable object he'd sworn to protect, a child he would never recognize as the budding woman she was becoming. Just as he had not seen her today, when she'd tried so hard and with so little success to make Liam notice her.

But Perry saw what Liam did not. He found in Caroline the youth and careless joy so long missing from his life, a joy remarkable in a girl who'd known so little love of the kind she deserved.

Love. What a very odd thing it was. Perry paused to sift his pocket for the keys to his suite, remembering. He'd certainly never expected to discover that tender emotion so late in his checkered career. Love had been rare enough in his ancient, cold, patrician family.

But what had begun as mild flirtation with a young woman eager to hear his tales of adventure had blossomed into something far deeper. And it was Liam's doing. He'd given Perry an immeasurable gift, and now he obliged his friend to betray him. For Caroline's sake.

For she needed room to grow, to explore, to know what she wanted of lifea"all the freedoms Liam would never permit her.

Perry reached his door, shaking his head. Ah, Liam, you blind fool. Love was what Caroline needed, what she must havea"the one thing her father's money could never provide.

G.o.d help him, Caroline believed that what she wanted was Liam's lovea"that he would love her as a woman. Value her for herself, not an oath fulfilled or some cardboard figurine of a perfect lady. She was too naive to see that was something Liam could never give.

Perry turned the key in the door and walked into his suite. He dropped his gloves on the sideboard in the front sitting room and tossed his hat behind them, nearly covering the photograph that he'd been meaning to put away.

The photograph. Taken in better days, four years ago: two men in the jungle, content in their freedom. The same photograph Rose inexplicably had in her possession.

No. Not the same. And the explanation hardly mattered now. Perry's attempts to make Liam see reason had failed, but he'd been given another chance. There would be no more room for sentiment. Or clemency.

Perry retrieved a gla.s.s and decanter from the sideboard and poured himself a drink, lifting it in a toast.

"To you, Rose MacKenzie, friend of my enemy. May you save Liam O'Shea before it's too late."

Chapter Thirteen.

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll!

Leave thy low-vaulted past!

a"Oliver Wendell Holmes HOME.

Liam paused on the flagstone walk just within the fancy ironwork gates and wondered why the word still rang so hollow.

Once it had meant somethinga"a dream and memory to his mother: a prosperous farm in Ireland, security, hope. Then hope had died, and "home" had become a filthy tenement in a new land that didn't deserve to be called anything but h.e.l.l.

Liam was the only one left to keep his mother's dream. And now "home" was before him, a Queen Anne mansion equal to the city's best, rising in splendor amid a gated garden handsome enough to shelter and protect a bloom such as Caroline Gresham.

In that it would serve its purpose.

Liam walked to the door and gripped the highly polished bra.s.s doork.n.o.b, feeling the solidity of it under his palm. If it hadn't been for Chen's urgent message, he'd be with Caroline now, attempting to reverse the damage Perry had done during his absence. Caroline would be upset enough when he told her she wouldn't be seeing Perry before her birthday ball.

If Perry wasn't a murderera"and Liam had seen and heard enough to seriously doubt ita"the Englishman had still betrayed him with his designs on Caroline.

As for Maca Liam smiled crookedly. She was probably cursing a blue streak at this moment. Not that he could blame her. He'd used her as bait for a trap, and she'd come out of the affair smelling like a rose.

He'd judged her unfairly, photograph or no photograph. Mad she might be, but she was not a traitress. He owed her for that misjudgment, and he intended to repay the debt.

Of course she could not stay in San Francisco. Liam had already given the matter careful consideration, and he knew where to send her. Somewhere she'd be safe, and could live her life as she wished. Once he made his offer, he knew she'd see the benefits of it. His ranch in Napa would suit her far better than the jungle.

In the meantime she was secure at the Palacea"guarded, of course, because he knew how rash she could be. He couldn't have her running about the city, for her sake as well as his own.

Dealing with Mac would have to wait until morning. And there would be no seeing Caroline tonight, whatever the urgency. He'd spoken with the man Chen had mentioned in the message, and plans for the raid had already begun. Such opportunities had to be seized as they came. They waited on no man's convenience, least of all Liam O'Shea's.

At least he could do his work tonight free of the certainty of Perry's guilt. Or Mac's.

He turned the k.n.o.b and pushed open the door. Almost at once a barrage of barking, both high-pitched and low, echoed through the entrance hall. Norton was first to arrive, his long ropey tail beating the air. b.u.mmer the Second scrambled in pursuit, claws skittering on the parquet floor and displacing the carpet runner.

Liam caught Norton's enormous paws halfway to his shoulders. "Well, boy, I see you still haven't learned your manners."

The Irish wolfhound answered with a wet slap of his tongue across Liam's jaw. b.u.mmer danced around his legs, his terrier's eyes bright with a plea for attention. Liam eased Norton back to the ground, crouched, and braced himself as b.u.mmer jumped into his lap with a joyful yip.

"And you, imp of h.e.l.l. Have you been driving Chen mad with your antics?"

b.u.mmer wriggled, and Norton rolled over majestically to present his lean belly for rubbing. Liam stroked the wiry coat. "And well you're named," he told the wolfhound. "The emperor would have approved."

Norton yawned. b.u.mmer launched himself from Liam's arms and dashed full speed at the man entering the hall from the rear of the house.

"Mr. O'Shea." Chen had only a moment to nod before b.u.mmer began performing fantastic acrobatic leaps about his soft-shod feet. "Welcome home."

Liam rose, nudging Norton gently with the toe of his boot. "Thanks, Chen." He watched Chen scold the terrier in quiet Cantonese, earning rare obedience from the dog. "I went to see our contact, as you advised. Everything is set for tonight."

Chen was accustomed to Liam's lack of ceremony. His serene expression didn't change, but Liam saw the concern in his eyes. "And the matter of your expedition with Mr. Sinclair?"

"That's a long story. You knew something was wrong when I didn't return with Perry?"

"Indeed. When I observed that some aspect of your plan had gone amiss, I alerted our friend in the Gresham household to be particularly watchful. I knew you would want a full report of all unusual activities when you returned."

Liam relaxed. Chen had been as efficient as always; he'd expected Liam to come home. "I've seen Miss Gresham, briefly. What do you have to report?"

"During the week since Mr. Sinclair's return," Chen said, "Miss Gresham has been to two parties, one ball, and one outing to the park, each in the company of Mr. Sinclair."

No less than Liam had expected. "And Mrs. Hunter?"

"Has apparently been present, though indisposed, during all meetings in the Gresham home. There has been no activity or conversation worthy of undue concern, according to the reports I received."

So Perry had made good use of Liam's absence, but he hadn't pushed too far. Apparently he hadn't felt ready to press his suit. Time had run out for Perry sooner than he expected.

"Very good," Liam said. "I'll take care of the rest." He turned his thoughts to the more pressing problem. "As for the raid, send a message to our friends in Chinatown. We'll meet in the usual place at midnight, and be ready to move by one."

"I will begin immediately." Chen stepped over b.u.mmer and took Liam's hat, turning to signal down the hall as he did. A pet.i.te and pretty Chinese girl in a silk tunic emerged from the servants' quarters, smiling shyly.

"You remember my niece Mei Ling, Mr. O'Shea," Chen said. "She has done well in her work as maid since she came to replace Mary. Her English is already becoming very good."

"I'm glad to hear it." Liam returned the girl's smile. "You're comfortable here, Mei Ling? Not afraid?"

She ducked her head. "Not afraid. Safea here."

Probably safer than she had been even in the hidden sanctuary where the other rescued slave girls boarded until they could find new homes far from their erstwhile masters. The tongs still found ways to trick some of the girls back into their clutches, but they'd been less and less successful of late. Liam knew how to deal with corrupt lawyers and bought policemen.

"Yes," he said. "You're safe here. Let your uncle know if you need anything."

The girl gave a self-conscious nod and retreated back down the hall. Liam's smile faded as he thought of the countless children like her who had been far less fortunate. But if all went well tonight, a dozen of her sisters would have a second chance at freedom in their new country.

There was just enough time for a few hours' rest. Fastidious Chen was probably near to swooning at the sight of his employer; Liam hadn't shaved or bathed in two days. On expedition that was common enough, but tonight he couldn't afford to be less than sharp and alert.

"I'm going to clean up, Chen," he said. "Don't bother with a meala"a sandwich will do." Liam patted the top of Norton's s.h.a.ggy, ma.s.sive skull and started toward the staircase. "One more thing. If you receive any messages from Mr. Bauer, bring them immediately. He's doing some work for me."

Not by the twitch of a brow did Chen reveal a hint of curiosity. He might a.s.sume that Liam had engaged the private investigator to help with the raid against the tongs, as he'd done in the past. But Liam had set Bauer a far more personal task.

With a bow Chen withdrew, b.u.mmer at his heels. Norton bounded up the stairs ahead of Liam. Thick, richly patterned carpet m.u.f.fled the footsteps of man and beast. The sound of the clock in the parlor filled the echoing quiet. Handsome, expensive paintings on each wall flowed one into another as Liam pa.s.sed by.

Home. It should feel more welcoming after three years and all the money he'd put into the place. Nothing had changed; why should it? He'd wanted the beauty and grandeur for Caroline, not himself.

He'd be happy with a hut in the jungle, with lakes and streams for was.h.i.+ng and flowers for decoration. A place without high walls that closed the world into a pretty little box.