Twice A Hero Part 21

In less than two weeks those days of freedom would be behind him.

He paused on the upstairs landing and turned toward the chamber that would be Caroline's. It had been decorated in her favorite colors, with no expense spared: a queen's quarters, connected to his rooms by a wide pa.s.s closet. When they were married she could retire therea"when she was not sharing his bed.

Restlessness twitched through him as he entered his own room. He glanced at the great walnut bedstead, imagining Caroline in it, her golden hair spread across the pillows. He censored the notion before it could fully form.

But another image filled the vacant place in his mind: snubbed nose, smudged face, dark hair cropped short as a boy's, snapping dark eyes, bold mouth, and outthrust jaw.

Mac. Mac in his bed, challenging him to join her.

Mac with her lean firm body twisting catlike around his own. Mac dueling wits with him, winner take alla Liam strode into the bathroom and snapped on the bathtub faucets, letting the tub fill with cold water.

Devil take it, what was wrong with him? He hadn't touched Mac in nearly a month, though they'd traveled side by side in the jungles and mountains and slept within a few feet of each other.

But this afternoon, at the Palace, when she'd faced him down so bravelya He strode to his dresser and tossed his coat over the back of a chair. Noa"he tugged his limp tie loose and threw it likewise on the deska"there was no good reason to think of Mac at all. Not when his thoughts should be only of his future wife.

He began to unb.u.t.ton his s.h.i.+rt, building a mental picture of Caroline. Pet.i.te, with dainty ankles and rounded arms; face as flawless as an angel's, as lovely as any English aristocrat's; china-blue eyesa Dark eyes. Short hair. Long legs and tanned skin and parted lips.

Liam slapped the s.h.i.+rt over the chair, glaring at his unshaven reflection in the mirror. He'd been too long away from his obligations. Once Mac was safely in Napa, he'd have no more of this baffling and troublesome temptation.

He'd make himself into the stable, respectable husband Caroline needed, here in this house, within these walls, confined to a simple domestic life. Tonight's raid would be his last. No more taking chances, no more adventures, no more meetings with bold, pestiferous, distracting females in the junglea His reflection stared back at him, grim and stolid. Liam turned away from the mirror and the man he was to become.

The Chinatown alley stank of human refuse and the stale odors of cooking. From where he crouched behind a stack of crates, Liam had an un.o.bstructed view of the gated and barred house that was the object of tonight's raid.

Almost no moonlight reached the alley, and the nearest streetlamp was far away. There were places of concealment everywherea"enough to hide the motley group of raiders: Chen and three other Chinese men like him, who'd lost relatives or friends to the slave trade or to tong bullets; a few policemen who'd come to agree with Liam that there was too much corruption to work within the law; even Irishmen like Liam himself, once known as the princ.i.p.al enemies of the Chinese in San Francisco.

Now they were scattered in a wide arc around the house, each man within signaling distance of the rest. Waiting for the instant when the tong hatchetmen guarding the entrance would be distracted, and the raid could begin.

The girls had arrived on a steamer late that afternoon, twelve of them, some no older than thirteen, each and every one bound for a life of slavery and prost.i.tution in Chinatown or communities in the countryside.

Since the Exclusion Act two years before, it hadn't been so easy for the tongs and their bribed allies to bring the girls into San Francisco. Not so easy, but far from impossible. At least four of this group had arrived smuggled in crates as freight; others had been carefully coached to convince immigration inspectors that they were native Californians returning from a trip to the land of their ancestors.

There were always mena"officials and policea"who would take bribes from the wealthy tongs and profit heavily by it. Men who had no pity for the girls and the terrible life of degradation that awaited them.

Two years ago Liam had a.s.sembled this little group. What they did was technically illegal, but Liam had no faith in the law to protect these innocents.

He nodded to Chen across the alley. In a minute or two Chen's niece would make the daunting walk across the street, in full view of the hatchetmen. The chance of seizing another Chinese girl in a town that never had enough of them would be too great a temptation for the tong men to resist.

Liam ground his teeth together and touched the b.u.t.t of his pistol. Using Mei Ling had been completely against every principle he lived by, but it had been getting increasingly difficult to catch the tong off guard. They didn't know who carried out the raidsa"Liam and his men always went maskeda"but they were more careful than they'd once been. The two heavily armed hatchetmen at the house were proof enough of that.

Only this once, Liam had told Chen. But the girl had insisted with remarkable courage, having at one time been destined for the bagnios herself. And it might be the only way to save the other twelve.

Liam's thoughts drifted inevitably from Mei Ling to the other two women who had succeeded in plundering his peace of mind.

h.e.l.l. He s.h.i.+fted his crouch, stretching a cramped muscle. Every time he swore to himself he wouldn't think of Mac again, he broke his own oath. What was she doing now? Was she sleeping, or wide awake still cursing him for today's little drama?

Or worsea was she feeling forsaken, afraid, alone in that hotel room with no idea of her fate, abandoned by the man who'd promised her safety? Liam scowled. He should have taken the time to explain, but Chen's message couldn't wait. And after the confrontation with Perry, Liam hadn't trusted himself to maintain the necessary control.

Mac would test the control of a saint. Liam's scowl became an edged grin. Mac, afraid? Ridiculous. She might want to kill him, but she wouldn't be frightened even if she were here beside him, about to throw herself into danger. She'd march into the street, oblivious to her peril, and spit right in the eye of the boo how doya .

"Mr. O'Shea! Mei Ling is ready!"

He turned quickly to acknowledge Chen's whisper. Mac wasn't here, thank G.o.d, and there was no more time for thinking. Liam tugged his mask over his face. Either he'd come out of this with twelve young girls on their way to freedom, or he'd die in the attempt.

Fierce joy swept through hima"the joy of challenging fate itself. There was no deception in this. No posturing to prove himself a gentleman worthy of Caroline Gresham. Only the rush of blood, the racing heart, the bunching of muscles preparing for action.

A lone, timid figure draped in a silk robe and hood crept into the street in front of the guarded house, looking about fearfully. One of the hatchetmen noticed and signaled to his partner. They straightened from their gambling and moved to the gate.

Liam raised his hand. Chen followed suit. All around the house the raiders tensed.

And then the waiting was over.

It should have been a day for celebration.

The raid had gone perfectly. All the girls had been rescued, spirited away to the hidden safe house where the tong would never find them.

Liam abandoned his tie, heedless of the uneven knot, and walked to his bedroom window. The morning was beautiful and clear, perfect for traveling. If matters had gone as intended he would have made the necessary visit to Caroline, keeping his promise to her and providing the required explanations, and then he'd have gone to the Palace for Mac. A bit of reasoning and persuasion, and he and Mac would have been on their way to Napa by ferry and rail. Liam had expected to return by tomorrow evening at the latest, leaving Mac safely bestowed on the ranch.

But the new information from Bauer, received less than an hour ago, had overturned Liam's best-laid plans. Biggs's note had arrived only a few minutes later, carried by the Gresham stableman.

Both had conveyed the same message: Come at once. Only Bauer's had mentioned Perry, but that was more than enough.

Liam tugged on his black cutaway coat, swearing under his breath. Had he underestimated Perry's capacity for guile yet againa"and his powerful desire for Caroline's fortune?

Liam gave Chen a few terse instructions and strode to the stables to the rear of the house. Forster had the phaeton waiting. Liam took up the reins and turned the carriage toward California Street, driving blindly past neatly-kept houses basking in the hazy glow of the early autumn sun. His thoughts were as fouled as a fisherman's net caught on a sunken s.h.i.+p.

He arrived at the Gresham residence in less than ten minutes. The stableman who took charge of the phaeton had the good sense not to offer a cheery greeting.

Biggs answered Liam's knock so quickly that he must have been hovering very close indeed. His ordinarily stolid countenance was clearly being put to the test.

"Where are they?" Liam demanded without preamble.

The butler coughed discreetly. "In Miss Gresham's sitting room. Mrs. Hunter is, as usual, indisposed and laid up in her bed. Another young lady is with thema""

Liam stiffened. "Another young lady?"

"She came with Mr. Sinclair. One Miss MacKenzie." He noted Liam's expression and arched a brow. "Ah, you know of her, Mr. O'Shea? I didn't realizea""

Apparently neither had Bauer, who hadn't mentioned a second visitor. And apparently Mac's guard at the Palace had been boughta"or tricked.

Liam brushed past Biggs and strode for the stairs. The sitting room door was open, and Liam paused in the hall to regain his composure.

Perry saw him first. The Englishman turned, his face as bland and cool as ever.

The tableau Liam had walked into didn't change for several seconds. Caroline and Mac stood side by side before a cheval mirror, the former in the process of fussing with some fastening on Mac's dress.

Mac's dress. Good lord. She was wearing a dress with long, sweeping skirts and an ill-fitting basque bodice. Her expression was one of discomfort and quickly hidden unease.

And Carolinea"she turned her head and froze, just long enough for him to see a fleeting uncertainty in her gaze.

"Liam!" she cried, sweeping toward him. "I am so glad you are here. You will never guess what has happened!"

"No?" he said grimly.

If she noticed his mood she chose to ignore it. "Perry came first thing this morning with the most remarkable story. Did you know about his little cousin?" She gestured toward Mac and rushed on without waiting for an answer. "To think this poor girl has been denied the benefits of society for so long! When I heard about her, I knew I had to help. She only arrived an hour ago, but I've already found one of my old dresses that almost fitsa"

Liam heard no more than one word in ten of her chatter. He was staring at Mac, struggling to decide whether he was more amazed at her vaguely ridiculous appearance or enraged at her unexpected and very unwelcome presence.

Perry was behind it, of course. But Mac, whom Liam had absolved of any treachery in the jungle, had come with him. Willingly, to all appearances, however Perry had convinced her. Liam d.a.m.ned himself for a thrice-cursed fool.

"I was not told about Perry'sa cousin," he said, interrupting Caroline's monologue.

She took his arm. "I am certain you will pity her as I do. Her father was a missionary in South Americaa"he recently pa.s.sed away, and she was left with no resources except Perry himself. She came all the way to San Francisco on her own." Caroline's words were shaded with unmistakable excitement and something dangerously like admiration.

"She did, did she," he said.

"Yes. She only just arrived yesterday. Is it not an amazing coincidence that she came to San Francisco the same day you did?" Caroline prattled, tugging Liam's arm to regain his attention. "Perhaps you were even on the same s.h.i.+p."

"I'm afraid I didn't have the pleasure of meeting the young lady," he said with a tight smile.

"Then you must allow me to introduce you!"

The damage was done. He couldn't remove either Mac or Perry without causing a scene, and Caroline was very deeply caught. "By all means," he said.

Caroline drew him farther into the room. "Miss MacKenzie, I have the great pleasure of introducing you to mya old friend, Mr. O'Shea."

Mac looked at him, her dark eyes bold as ever. She dropped an awkward curtsey and offered her hand.

"Mr. O'Shea. I'm very pleased to meet you."

He took her hand. It was strong for a woman's, but he could have crushed it with little effort. He exerted just enough pressure to make a point. "The honor is all mine," he said. "Perry's cousin, I'm told? I didn't hear him mention you before."

"I'm afraid Ia come from a rather obscure branch of the family," she said. "I don't expect Mr. Sinclair and I would ever have met, except"a"her mouth gave a very convincing tremblea""except that Papa died."

"You have my very great sympathy, Miss MacKenzie," he said. "I hear you came all the way from South America alone. It must have been a very difficult journey. Not one for a woman."

"But you must know all about such difficulties, Mr. O'Shea," she said. "Miss Greshama"Carolinea"has already told me what great adventurers you and my cousin are. I'm sure you've braved far greater perils than my poor papa and I."

"Some adventures are riskier than others," he said. "It takes excellent judgment to recognize when one has gone too far."

"Oh? I'm sure you would know all about that, Mr. O'Shea." She simpered with a flutter of dark lashes.

"What I don't know, I learn quickly," he said.

Caroline carefully positioned herself between them. She had a vaguely sheepish air about her, as if she were preparing to present Liam with another unwelcome surprise.

"Wea"Liam, I have told Miss MacKenziea" She gave him her most beguiling smile. "I was hoping to take her out to the shops. She cannot be expected to get by on my hand-me-downs. I think my dressmaker might do something with her."

"She must be a miracle worker," Liam muttered. Caroline was thrilled at the prospect of playing benefactress to a woman several years her seniora"and one so pathetically in need of exposure to the essentials of life. Her eyes glowed with the fervor of a missionary bent on saving souls.

"I cannot imagine what might have become of her without our help," Caroline went on obliviously, as if Mac were not even there. "But now there is hope. She is a little uncertain, and so inexperienceda""

Liam choked.

"a"in the ways of society, but it's only a matter of the proper instruction. She must be respectable, since she is a missionary's daughtera""

Liam looked heavenward.

"a"and I have been thinking how best to bring her outa""

"Bring her out?"

Caroline faltered. "Well, perhaps not as much as that. But surely there is no harm in taking her about and helping her get settled here. She has no connections other than Perry."

"Quite right," Perry said. "With our a.s.sistance she may at least find decent employment."

Liam turned slowly to confront the Englishman, who merely arched a brow in unspoken challenge.

"There. You see?" Bolstered by Perry's support, Caroline all but danced under her layers of expensive velvet and satin skirt. "Oh, Liam, it's almost like being part of one of your adventures."

Instead of rage he felt the mad desire to laugh. Saints above, did Caroline think she could transform a sow's ear into a silk purse? Not that Mac had ever been remotely like a sow. In that dress, ill-fitting as it was, she struck him asa quite appealing. b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l.

"Pleasea don't be so stern, Liam," Caroline whispered. "Rose doesn't know youa""

"Rose?"

"Miss MacKenzie. Surely there's nothing wrong in calling hera""

"Rose?"