The Rebellious Rake (The Notorious Nightingales #4)

Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

R amsey was weary. He’d spent days with someone attached to his side, because Gray had insisted on it after their conversation at the ball. Apparently, even though Brandon had saved him, his cousin was not certain he didn’t pose a threat to Ram.

Sick of waiting, he’d gone out to lure whoever was after him closer. If Mungo wasn’t with him, then Alex, Gray, or Leo was. Another walked a distance behind, watching. He’d visited places he thought his uncle would frequent and asked if anyone had seen Brandon Hellion. The answer had been no, and no one had attempted to snatch him right off the street either.

There was a desperation in Ram now to see this over. He wanted Flora and needed to show that openly. He couldn’t, so instead he spent any time she was near watching her and trying not to let anyone notice he was.

Yesterday, he’d touched her. A simple hand down her back as he drew near. She’d stiffened and he’d walked on.

“I need to buy Theo some food shortly, or he will expire,” Alex said. “It’s freezing out here and getting more so. ”

It had snowed again today, and now, as the dark settled around them, they needed to have a care not to trip on ice.

“You mean you will expire. Your brother does not need constant feeding and is happy to be following me because he’s not having to amuse his sisters or listen to his tutor,” Ram said.

“All true,” Alex said, shivering.

“Whoever is behind this will not make themselves seen with someone constantly at my side, Alex.” Ram had tried to explain this to Gray and the Nightingales. No one had listened, so here he was, again, wandering the streets of London with no fixed direction.

Alex stopped suddenly and turned to look behind him.

“What?”

“Something feels off,” he said, suddenly serious. “I can’t see Theo.”

They retraced their steps and found Theo talking to Mavis Johns.

“Hello, Mavis,” Alex said.

The woman wasn’t known for her expressions. In fact, she usually looked the same, and yet right now she looked desperate.

“What has happened?” Ram asked her.

“My niece, Louisa, went out to buy some pies from Appleblossoms Bakers hours ago and has not returned. I don’t know where she has gone.” She looked around her. “I must find her.”

“And we shall help you,” Alex soothed. “We are not too far from Crabbett Close, so Theo can run home and get any others who are there. Bring them to the bakery, Theo.”

His brother sprinted off without another word.

“Where have you looked, Mavis?” Ramsey asked her.

“I have walked for hours. Tabitha, Mr. Greedy, and Mr. Douglas are out here too. I spoke with Constable Plummy also, and he is searching.”

“We will find her, Mavis, but I think we need to retrace our steps to the bakery and spread out from there,” Alex said.

She nodded, and Ram thought the indomitable Mavis Johns may be close to tears.

“Come, Mavis. Trust us to help you find her,” Ram said, putting a hand on her spine. They then walked, and the fact she let him support her was telling indeed.

“Would Louisa have reason to run away, Mavis?” Alex asked.

Ram saw her hesitation before speaking.

“My brother was only blessed with one child,” Mavis said as they reached the bakery ten minutes later. “Louisa has been spoiled and wants excitement in her life. They sent her to London in the hopes that time here would settle her down. She seemed happy enough, and then a few days ago she received a letter that she told me was from her mother.”

“And it wasn’t?”

“When I couldn’t find her, I came back to the house and searched her things. I don’t know why, but something felt off after that letter. She grew distant and restless.”

“Who was it from?” Alex asked.

“I found it under her mattress. It was from Mr. Jasper. He is a man a great deal older than her, and not a good man. He lives in the same village as my brother and has been trying to lure Louisa into his web of lies and deceit,” Mavis said.

“What does he do that is so wrong?” Alex asked.

“He steals from the locals and says he is a man of great wealth and importance, and they believe him, but not my brother. Milton sees Jasper for who he is. Lately he appears whenever Louisa leaves the house. She denies his advances, but my brother is sure he is attempting to lure her with his flattery, and that is why they sent her to me. It is not substantiated, but rumors reached Milton that Mr. Jasper compromised a girl in another village and left her without offering marriage.”

“What did the letter say?” Alex asked.

“That he was in London and wished to meet with her tonight, and that he would be waiting at the entrance to Crabbett Close. I can only think Louisa told him where she was going to stay in London.”

“We will find her,” Ram said.

“We were to go shopping tomorrow to get gifts, and then two days from now we will leave for the country to take her home, and now I’m not sure if I will find her again.”

“We will,” Ramsey said.

“Ah, here they come,” Alex said.

Ram looked but didn’t see anyone, and then suddenly they were all there—Bramstone, Leo, Mungo, Gray, Ellen, Theo, Charles, and Flora.

“Don’t you have a home of your own?” Ram asked his cousin instead of walking up to Flora and grabbing her, then kissing her. “You appear to have moved into 11 Crabbett Close of late.”

“We had things to discuss,” Gray said, and something in the way he said it made Ram think the discussion was centered around him, but he would come back to that.

“Louisa, Mavis’s niece, is missing,” Alex said. “She stepped out hours ago for pies and did not return home, but Mavis read a letter from one Mr. Jasper, who is a nefarious man from the village Louisa lives in. He preys on young women with promises he cannot keep. He lured her into meeting him here.”

“I’m so sorry, Mavis,” Flora said, stepping closer to the woman. “We shall find her.” She squeezed her hand.

“Do you have anything belonging to your niece with you?” Ellen asked .

Mavis unclipped a small silver bird from her coat. “She gave me this a year ago for my birthday.”

Ellen stripped off a glove and held the brooch in her hand. Alex had his eyes closed, and Leo’s were focused on the bakery. Charles and Flora were looking at their feet.

Bramstone, Gray, and Ramsey stood back slightly with Mavis and waited.

He’d always marveled at what the Nightingales were capable of, but it was Flora who held his attention. She wore her thick coat and a pale pink woolen scarf wrapped many times around her neck, which made her skin glow… well, to him anyway.

God, he wanted that woman. As if sensing him, her head shot up. Their eyes caught and held briefly, and then both turned away.

Ram wasn’t entirely comfortable with this kind of emotion but knew there was no way out of it now.

“I see a tavern, tall with at least two stories, which to me suggests there are lodgings above,” Ellen said, still clutching the brooch.

“Mr. Jasper may be staying there,” Mavis said. “We must get Louisa back before she does something foolish.”

“We will,” Leo reassured her.

“Mavis, have you lost a relative who was close to you… extremely close?” Alex asked. “I would approach this with more delicacy, but haste is of the utmost importance now.”

Ramsey watched the healthy color Mavis always carried in her cheeks drain away as she nodded.

“To me, this person is a sibling,” Alex added, “but they passed young.”

Mavis never made a sound, but a single tear trailed down one cheek, and Ram felt his heart ache for the pain he saw in her face.

“My sister, Ruth. ”

“I feel short of breath suddenly,” Alex said. “Like the air was taken from her lungs quickly.”

“She drowned,” Mavis said. “We did not even know she’d gone to fish until I looked for her. We did not find her until the following morning.”

“She was your younger sister,” Alex said, his voice solemn.

“Oh, Mavis,” Flora said, moving to the woman again. She then rose to her toes and wrapped her arms gently around the woman. The surprise to everyone was that Mavis leaned into her and allowed it.

There was a lot of throat clearing then as the rest of them struggled to process that Mavis had lost a sister, and none of them knew about it.

“Ah, you’ve brought them into the search,” Mr. Alvin said, arriving wrapped up in more layers than an Egyptian mummy. With him was Mr. Douglas and Tabitha Varney. Their eyes went to Mavis.

“We have just learned of her sister,” Ellen said.

“Tragic,” Mr. Douglas said. “Every year on the day of Ruth’s passing, we go to the Thames and throw flowers.”

“No one told us,” Leo said.

“Not everyone in the street knows. Mavis wanted it that way,” Tabitha said solemnly. For once there was no flirtatious look in her eyes.

Flora stepped back, and Mavis sniffed. She then patted one of Flora’s damp cheeks.

“Ruth is showing me lemons,” Alex said.

Mavis found a small smile. “She used to wash her face in them because posh ladies did to keep their complexions pale. She was just twelve when she passed.”

“We are so very sorry, Mavis,” Bramstone said solemnly. “And even sorrier that we did not know of your loss.”

She gave him a small nod.

“But now we need to find Louisa and get her away from this beastly Mr. Jasper,” Leo said. “Tell me, Mavis, did she wear something in her hair today? A comb, with flowers attached?”

“Pink flowers. Her mother made it for her.”

“Excellent, I have a need to find it.”

“I’m seeing an animal of some sort. Short, with long ears, and it’s on the side of the building,” Ellen said.

“Excellent information, Sister, considering there are at least ten public houses in London with the name and symbol of an animal attached to it,” Leo said.

“Hare,” Flora said. “They have long ears.”

“Hare and Hound,” Ramsey said.

“We need to go that way then,” Leo said. “Because while I have never frequented a pub called the Hare and Hound, it is this way.”

It was the oddest thing watching them all use their gifts, and the even odder part was no one seemed bothered by what they were doing.

“Should we not split up?” Mavis asked.

“Mr. Douglas, Tabitha, and Mr. Alvin, check she hasn’t returned and then walk around the park and closest streets in case she didn’t meet Mr. Jasper and is lost,” Bram said.

They left, and the rest started across the street with Leo leading the way. The scent of roasting chestnuts made Ram’s stomach growl. Alex hesitated, and Bram nudged him in the back to keep him moving. Streetlamps cast the city in a gentle glow, but Ram knew some people lurked in the shadows with nefarious intent.

“Where is Louisa from, Mavis?” Charles said suddenly after they’d been walking for a while.

“My brother lives in Barnsley, sir.”

“Ah, well then, I can hear someone speaking in a South Yorkshire accent, so we are heading in the right direction.”

“Is she all right?” Mavis asked .

“The fact that I can hear her voice is a good thing, Mavis” was all Charles said.

“Your sister has a great deal to say, Mavis,” Alex said. “Quite the chatterbox.”

“Always was.”

“When we have found Louisa, you and I will sit down and talk about what she is telling me. It will give you peace, Mavis.”

Her sniff was loud. “I would like that. Thank you kindly, Mr. Nightingale.”

They fell silent then and listened and waited for the next sign. Ram increased his pace to reach Flora, who had fallen back slightly from the others.

“Are you all right?”

“Oh yes, thank you. I was just focusing.”

“Perhaps focus surrounded by the others and not on your own, Flora.” He urged her forward once more.

They walked up and down streets and lanes until Leo led them to the markets. Ram had been here often while out strolling. He could buy warm bread or rolls and baked goods that made his mouth water. There were no such scents now; in fact, the place was eerily silent. Buildings were shut up, and tables were empty of produce.

Flora pressed her fingers to her temples as Leo stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Ram asked her.

“I am not shutting out the emotions. There are many swirling around me and not including those of our party.”

“Block them out, then.”

“I need to be able to feel, Ramsey,” she said slowly, sounding distracted.

He dropped back to walk behind her again with Bramstone. Charles was to her right, and Mavis the left. Leo, and Mungo were in the lead, with Ellen, Gray, and Alex behind .

“Straight ahead, up Murphy Lane,” Charles said. “I heard revelers?”

“Murphy Lane,” Mungo muttered, making a noise for the first time.

“Surely an Irish street name is not enough to upset you?” Ramsey said.

“I tolerate you English because I must,” he added.

They fell silent as the noise grew louder.

“No one break away. We stay together,” Bram said.

“I think some should stay outside,” Ramsey said.

“I will not be one of those,” Flora added.

“Nor I,” Ellen said.

“There will be men in there who will see you?—”

“Thank you, but your opinion is not required,” Flora cut Ramsey off. “We can look after ourselves.”

“I’m just trying to keep you safe,” Ram snapped, his eyes on Flora. He felt them then, the eyes of the others focused on him and didn’t care. She was his to protect and needed to understand that.

“We can’t just wander in there and not be noticed,” Alex said. “This is not the best location to linger or look suspicious. We’ll stand out, surely?”

“If there is but one man causing trouble, it will not take all of us to deal with him,” Mungo added. “I will go.”

“With me,” Bram said.

“And me, as I will know where she is,” Ellen added.

“As will I because I will feel her,” Flora said.

“I will go. She is my niece,” Mavis said.

Bram sighed. “Go inside in small groups.”

Ram found himself in the last group with Flora and Charles. He walked in at the rear.

Noise hit him from all sides. It was a bigger room than he’d thought from the outside, and it was full with people happy to be out of the cold and partaking in a few drinks while talking loudly. Ram didn’t mind an odd night in a pub with friends. Tonight, however, the woman he cared deeply for was in one, and not one he would frequent.

He couldn’t imagine what those carrying Nightingale blood were experiencing being in here, senses open and receiving thoughts, noises, and emotions.

The scent of alcohol and unwashed bodies was strong, and Ram thought that particular smell would be soaked into the walls for many years to come.

A man stepped back, laughing, on his right and straight into Flora. Before Charles could react, Ram had pushed him out of the way, and he stumbled forward this time and into the men he stood with.

“Watch it!” one of them roared.

Ram nudged Flora forward and away from them, behind her brother.

“Thank you,” Flora said.

“Leave now. I’ll take you,” he said into her ear. She ignored him and kept winding her way through the crowd. Ram looked over heads and found Leo to his left and Mungo to his right, but as he had no idea what this Mr. Jasper looked like, he couldn’t say if the man was here or not.

“I think she’s upstairs,” Flora said suddenly.

“Agreed. I can hear a raised voice in my head,” Charles added.

Ram caught Leo’s eyes and nodded to the stairs. He then followed Charles and Flora up and knew the others would too.

“If only walls could speak,” Charles said when they arrived at the top.

“What a tale they would tell,” Flora added.

They reached a long, narrow hall with several doors off it to the right and left .

“Go right, and we’ll take the left,” Leo said from behind him.

Charles stood outside the doors, and Flora pressed her ear to them. At the third door, her shoulders straightened, her head turning to look at Ram.

“She’s in there.” Eyes wide, she placed a palm flat on the door. “And she’s scared.”

Before anyone could move, Ram banged his fist on the door hard.

“Go away!” a voice inside roared.

They then heard a muffled woman’s voice. Ram tried the handle, but it was locked.

“Mavis, stay here,” Ram heard Bramstone say.

“Open the door, or we’ll break it down,” a deep Scottish voice said from over his shoulder. “I’ll give you until five.” Mungo then started counting loudly. When the door didn’t open, he said, “Stand back.”

Ram was nobody’s fool and knew that door was made of solid wood with sturdy hinges. He backed up a few steps. The Scotsman ran at it, and the door flew open with a splintering crash. They all followed him in.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

“Mr. Jasper, I presume,” Gray said in his haughtiest voice.

The girl, Louisa, was standing in a chemise with her arms wrapped around her. Fear was etched in every line of her face.

“Get dressed now, Louisa,” Flora said.

“Get out. My wife and I?—”

“Now we all know that for a lie,” Ram said.

“In fact, she is Louisa Johns, and here in London staying with her aunt. We also know that you’ve a reputation for seducing innocent young girls and stealing from people,” Bramstone said in a hard voice as he stepped forward to face Jasper .

The man couldn’t seem to form any words, just garbled sounds now.

“So here is what is happening,” Leo said, joining his uncle. “This is Detective Fletcher from Scotland Yard, and he was alerted to your behavior and asked to find you here in London.”

Gray had never been slow on the uptake. He moved closer.

“I will be traveling with this young lady back to her home, and once there, I will be making enquiries as to your actions. If your name ever again reaches my ears in any way that is not complimentary, I will arrest you. And don’t believe I will not hear. My colleagues are all over England,” Gray said in his best detective voice.

“Is he…? Good God, man, get yourself together,” Alex said as a small puddle appeared at Jasper’s feet.

“There now, let’s put your coat on, and we shall leave, Louisa,” Ellen said. “Your aunt is waiting for you outside.”

Flora and Ellen ushered the now-weeping girl to Mavis.

“You have been warned, Mr. Jasper. Next time, you’ll end up behind bars, as I’m sure there are many who will testify as to your character. Do you understand?” The man nodded, stammering out an apology.

Mavis was holding her niece in her arms when they stepped through the door and into the hallway. Louisa was crying and jabbering out her apologies.

“Thank you,” Mavis said.

“We need to leave here now,” Ram said.

They all headed back down the stairs and wound their way through the patrons. Ram thought they’d escaped further trouble until they stepped outside. A group of men were fighting.

“Have a care, Ram,” Gray said. “I know we are together, but if anyone is following down these dark alleys, one of them could attempt to grab you.”

“I am surrounded by you lot. How do you think that is even possible?”

“All I’m saying is don’t walk at the rear, get in the middle.”

Before he could answer, two men staggered toward Flora, Ellen, and Mavis, who were surrounding Louisa, clearly oblivious to the men approaching them.

“Well now, you’re a pretty lot.”

“Back away,” Leo growled. “Now.”

“Lads, we got us some more fun here,” the man said with a smirk.

“Nightingales,” Mungo muttered. “Always in trouble.” He swung a meaty fist at the man’s face and connected with his nose, sending him stumbling backward, and then all hell broke loose.

Ram lost sight of Flora as someone ran at him. He sidestepped, and the man flew past and couldn’t pull up in time, hitting the Hare and Hound front door with a loud thud and several curses.

“Stay back!” Ram roared to Flora as he waded into the melee of swinging fists and feet. The latter was from the Nightingales, who could fight using a technique their uncle had taught them.

Ram faced off with a burly-looking man. Raising his fists, he waited for his opponent to lunge first. When he did, he jabbed him in the jaw and then swept out with his leg, dropping him to the ground.

A shriek had him spinning in time to see Flora move her hands so fast, he had to blink, and then the man before her howled with outrage as blood flowed from his nose. She had the audacity to grin. He would not be telling her how proud he was. The idiot woman should be cowering with Louisa. Mavis, he noted, was wrestling with someone .

Ram lost sight of Flora briefly again, and then it was over, with Alex leaping in the air and delivering a kick to his opponent, who stumbled back and fell.

“Always the theatrical one, Brother,” Leo muttered, rubbing his jaw.

“Now we leave, and fast, before others join in from inside the Hare and Hound,” Bram said. He had a bloodied lip.

Ram grabbed Flora’s arm and dragged her toward Crabbett Close.

“You should have stayed with Louisa.”

“Did you see me, Ramsey? I made that man’s nose bleed,” she crowed.

“You could have been hurt.”

“But I wasn’t. Not a scratch. You, however, have blood on you.” She then fossicked around her pockets and came out with a handkerchief. “Here, it will help staunch the blood.”

He had absolutely no reason to laugh. His life was a mess. Someone was after him. He had an uncle who was now his father and Flora, the woman he loved.

“Slap him, Flora, clearly he’s hysterical,” Alex said.

“I’ll do it,” Mungo offered, which had Ram laughing harder.