Twice A Hero Part 26

Mac was reasonably sure Caroline was right. If Perry were able to come.

Good grief.

The quadrille ended, and the hired orchestra struck up a waltz. Mac faded back against the wall, determined not to be dragged out again by some well-meaning, tailcoated male who would grab a peek down her dcolletage.

Her vigilance was rewarded. She was left alone to watch Liam walk onto the ballroom floora"Liam, leading Caroline to the center of the room. A Liam who had never looked so eleganta"or so much like a cat among pigeons. Or a tiger pretending to be a house cat.

He wore his black and white, perfectly cut evening clothes as well as he'd worn khaki and canvas in the jungle. This was not his milieu, but when he stalked forward crowds parted for him like the Red Sea before Charlton Heston. He was the ideal blend of danger and elegance: Tarzan visiting his estates in England, James Bond in the rough, a fair-haired G.o.d of Adventure. A woman would have to be blind not to notice.

Caroline wasn't blind. And you'd never know from watching them dance that Liam had been cold and Caroline sullen for most of the past two weeks. Liam's dancing wasn't eleganta"it was powerful, sweeping Caroline about the room like a feather in a hurricane. And Caroline was an exotic bird in her costume gown of brilliant green silk and burgundy satin ribbons.

At the moment they were very much a couple, though Liam was almost twice Caroline's age. Both fair-haired and pale-eyed, both gorgeous, both from the same century.

And Caroline gazed at Liam, flushed and laughing, as if she were transfixed by the wild stare of a frightening and fascinating predatora d.a.m.n, Mac thought with feeling. d.a.m.n d.a.m.n d.a.m.n d.a.m.n daa"

"You aren't dancing, Rose?" someone asked from the general direction of a nearby potted plant.

She knew the voice, though the man who came up beside her was wearing a black cape and a mask that covered most of his face.

"Perry?"

He raised a gloved finger to his lips. "Quietly, my dear. I doubt Liam would be pleased to see me here."

Mac eased farther back against the wall and pretended not to notice him. "Where have you been?" she demanded in a whisper.

"Ah. I'd wondered if my absence would be noted."

"Noted? That's putting it mildly. Liam's been grim as death, Caroline's been sulking, I haven't been able to get an explanation out of anyone, and now you turn up in disguisea""

"All with good reason, I a.s.sure you."

"Such as? Maybe the fact that Liam was pretty mad at you following that stunt you pulled at Cliff House? I'd say that backfired for sure."

"It was hardly a 'stunt,' as you put it. There is a purpose in everything I do."

I wonder, Mac thought. "In that case, seeing as we're allies, maybe you could fill me in. Liam has virtually locked Caroline away. You've left him a completely clear field."

"I've been well aware what goes on in the Gresham and O'Shea households," he said coolly, "including your lack of progress with Liam. It was your intention to attract his interest, was it not?" He smoothed his immaculate white waistcoat. "You a.s.sured me you'd do anything to win him from Caroline."

"I don't see how I could have done much of anything, with Liam stuck to Caroline like glue. I've only seen him in Caroline's housea"Hey, wait a minute. What do you mean, you know everything that goes on?"

"I have my methods. And kindly don't gape, Rose."

She looked back toward the dancers. "Somehow I don't like the sound of that."

He shrugged. "One of us has to look out for our mutual concerns. I'd hoped that in my absence you might find it easier to deal with Liam. Plainly that was not the case."

"So what did you want me to do? Kidnap him?"

"That might not be a bad idea," he muttered.

The small hairs rose on the back of her neck. "Excuse me?"

Even from several feet away Mac could feel Perry's intensitya"an almost palpable aura she usually a.s.sociated only with Liam.

Determination. Tenacity. Ruthlessness.

"You didn't disappear just to make it easier on me," Mac said. "We were supposed to work together on this. If I don't know what you have in minda""

"I have in mind to stop Caroline from marrying Liam," he said. "And I'm afraid it has become necessary to take more drastic measures to a.s.sure it doesn't happen."

There was a flat certainty in his words that chilled Mac through the layers of stifling gown, though she'd been thinking along the exact same lines. "Why now?" she asked.

He touched his upper lip, and Mac realized with a shock that he'd shaved his mustache. "I told you that Liam was planning to propose on her birthday. After tonight he'll no longer have control over her fortune, but he wields enough authority and influence over Caroline that I fear she will accept him."

"Then why didn't you take the risk of asking her yourself?"

"She isn't ready." Perry paused to observe Liam and Caroline dancinga"watching with an almost frightening concentration, as if he could reach out and pluck Caroline from Liam's arms by sheer force of will. "The situation is delicately balanced. To push the issue now would play into Liam's hands. She needs time."

"Which we don't have."

"The carriage accident complicated matters considerablya""

"Carriage accident?" Mac interrupted. "What are you talking about?"

"The Beautiful Blue Danube" rolled by uninterrupted for several excruciating seconds.

"Then Liam didn't tell you?" Perry said. "I shouldn't be surprised. I knew you weren't in the surrey when the accident occurred, buta""

Mac closed the s.p.a.ce between them in a few awkward strides and barely restrained herself from grabbing the satin edges of his cape. "What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?"

He told her in so many dry, colorless words. Mac searched his eyes.

"How did it happen?"

"My sources tell me the axle was sawed halfway through."

She went very still. "Then you're saying it was deliberate. Someone wanted the carriage to crash."

And it must have happened after he dropped me off. d.a.m.n it, Liam, why didn't you give me some cluea "Someone," she said coldly, "wanted to kill Liam."

"So it would seem. And judging by your expression, Rose, you're remembering Liam's accusations at the Palace, and wondering if I had anything to do with it."

Her eyes narrowed. "You disappeared after this so-called accidenta""

"Given Liam's earlier suspicion and our recent contretemps, it wasn't difficult to guess where he'd a.s.sign the blame for the latest mishap." He held her gaze steadily. "Come, Rose. If I bore Liam such fatal ill will, why would I volunteer this information and earn your suspicion as well as his?"

He had a very good point, and yeta""How can I be sure? I hardly know you."

"But you of all people should understand what it is to be falsely accused of a crime. If I wanted him dead, I would have found a far more efficient means of committing the deed. Either you trust me, or we are both in very hot water."

What he said made a grim kind of sense. Somehow she couldn't see Perry trying to kill someone and making a mess of it not once, but twice.

"Even if I take your word," she said, "Liam won't."

"All the more reason for me to remain incognitoa"for the time being. That is in your hands, Rose. Do you trust me?"

"I don't have much choice. But I warn you, Perrya"" She stared him down with fierce determination. "If you try to hurt Liam in any way, you'll regret it."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "I wonder if Liam appreciates what a vigilant protector he has in you, Rose. You would make a formidable enemy. But have no fear. There is no need to kill Liam to secure Caroline's happiness." He glanced quickly about the room. "You must be prepared to act quickly and do whatever is necessary if we're to keep this marriage from taking place."

"And what do you think will be necessary?"

"The dance has almost ended. I can't linger here. I have my own work to do." He was distracted as the music finished in a grand Viennese flourish. "I hope you were not exaggerating the attraction between you and Liam. You may have a chance to put it to the test very soon."

"Whata""

"Be ready for my message."

"Wait! If you had nothing to do with the accident, then whoa""

But he was already gone. The waltz was ended, and Liam and Caroline had left the floor. Mac spotted Caroline gossiping with a group of girls her own age, fully absorbed in the activity.

And Liama"Liam was crossing the room at a brisk pace, headed for the wide double doors to the rear of the chamber. The Gresham butler, Biggs, was waiting for him. The two men slipped out of the room with a definite air of secrecy.

Mac's mind was full of Perry's news of the carriage accident, his claims of innocence, and the frightening implications that arose from those a.s.sumptions.

Regardless of what had happened in the jungle, someone had acted against Liam here in San Francisco. Someone had tried to kill Liam in the guise of an accident. He wasn't a subtle man; she wouldn't be surprised if he'd made a number of enemies throughout his life.

If Perry was innocent, then someone else had a motive. That person could, at this very moment, be arranging another attempt.

And it was entirely beyond Mac's control to interfere. Unlessa She didn't hesitate further. She had to find Liama"irrational, perhaps, but she had to make sure he was all right. She retraced the way Liam and Biggs had gone, hugging the wall and hoping no one noticed.

There was something to be said for being a wallflower. Her departure went unremarked. She got the heavy ballroom doors open without undue difficulty and closed them behind her. A dark wood-paneled hallway ran along the side of the ballroom; all Mac could hear was the echoing sound from the ballroom itself.

Until she caught the unmistakable timbre of Liam's voice from somewhere down the hall. The sound started a hum in her body just below where her snug bodice ended.

She pressed a hand to her belly and walked toward the origin of Liam's voice. It came from behind a closed doora"and there was another voice in the room with it, faintly accented.

The door was thick, but it was not impermeable. It was also open a very convenient crack. Another chance to develop my newfound skills at eavesdropping, Mac thought wryly. She did a quick scan of the hall to make sure it was empty and pressed herself as close to the door as she could.

"If it weren't for the urgency of this, Chen, I couldn't risk it. You know I was to propose to Miss Gresham tonight."

"I understand, Mr. O'Shea," said the accented voice. "Do you wish me to tell the othersa""

"No. If the tongs expect us to act tomorrow night, then we'll have to do it now, before they get new information. Only you and I know about the change. By the time we tell the others, whoever we can gather at this short notice, there won't be any time for the informant to betray us."

"Are you certain it is a matter of betrayal, Mr. O'Shea?"

A pause. "I'll find out. But it's a sign that we'll have to change our methods." He sighed. "Tonight will be my last raid. When this is over we'll meet with the others and decide who should take over the leaders.h.i.+p."

"As you say. I shall set things in motion. I have messengers waiting."

"Good. I'll join you as soon as I can. I have another matter to take care of."

"And may I wish you luck, Mr. O'Shea?"

Liam's answer was long in coming. "Thank you, Chen."

There was the m.u.f.fled sc.r.a.ping of feet. Mac had just time enough to flatten herself against the wall before the door opened and someone emerged from the room. Mac caught a glimpse of book-lined walls before the door hid her view again.

The man whose back she saw retreating down the hall was definitely not Liam. He was shorter, dressed in a different kind of suit, and his hair was very black. Chen, she surmised. She was certain Liam had mentioned his name before.

A sense of self-preservation ended her speculation. Best to get back to the ballroom before she was misseda"or before Liam caught her. What she'd heard gave her plenty to think about.

The tongs, raids, informants, betrayala"it sounded ominous indeed. And dangerous. She remembered something about the tongsa"powerful criminal a.s.sociations that had ruled Chinatown with an iron fist for most of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

What kind of raid would Liam be making on them? Something he wanted kept secret. Something that might be likely to win him enemies.

And just as ominous was his confirmation that he planned a certain proposal tonighta Footsteps sounded inside the room. Mac lifted her skirts and jogged down the hallway toward the ballroom doors. She reached them and had just slipped through when Liam came striding after, the light of battle in his eyes.

He came to a stop when he saw her. "Well, Mac. You look a little distracted. Have you been dancing?"

She sucked in a steadying breath before she thought to wonder if she might pop out of her low-cut bodice. This was almost as much as he'd said to her in a week, and she felt oddly giddy.

"Actually," she said, bluffing her way, "I've been up to no good. Isn't that what you'd rather hear?"

"I'd certainly be more inclined to believe it."

"Well, I haven't been dancing." She grimaced. "I'm not exactly great at it, I'll admit. It's probably a good thing for the gentlemen's toes that I've been bowing out."

"What? Caroline hasn't succeeded in her transformation of you? She'll be distressed."

"Oh, I doubt that. She's keeping herself busy. I'd say this is her perfect milieu."

Liam scanned the room. Mac could tell when he located Carolinea"still gossiping, still flitting about like a brilliant b.u.t.terfly, the center of attention and loving every minute.

"So I see," Liam said, with no smile to spare for his ward's antics. But when he turned back to Mac the smile came, edged with the usual mockery. "Do you know, Mac, that when I first came to San Francisco I wasn't much of a dancer myself."

It took her a moment to absorb the fact that Liam had just admitted to an imperfection in himself, and for no other apparent reason than to make her feel better.

Nah. He must have an ulterior motive. But the very notion made Mac's heart fill to overflowing and her throat catch.

"You can dance," she said. "I was watching."

"And were you now?"

Her ears caught fire. "There isn't much else to do around here. Except maybe contemplate how profitable it would be to introduce the local ladies to the virtues of high-top sneakers." She pointed to her slippered feet. "These shoes are killing me."