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Chapter One

Rain druainst the sturdy ti parlour, tap room, and coffee rooms overfloith orphans of the stor set the rooht, and thecannonade of thunder which instantly followed

“Filthy night, sir,” said Mrs Tabithy, approaching one of her guests “There’ll be a sightthe uess If you’d coiven you a private parlour, not if my life depended on it”

“Very kind of you, I’ absently about the room

His hostess eyed the thick voluentleman The quality and cut of his attire, despite its untidiness, bespoke wealth He was a good-looking youngby both the book and the rather dazed expression of his grey eyes, one of those harmless scholar types This felloould offer no trouble at all

“Just down that passage,” she said aloud “Third door on the left I’ll send Sairey along to you as soon as ever I can—but she has her hands full, as you can see”

The young ue nod and wandered off in the direction she indicated

His hostess had guessed aright Mr Jack Langdon was a quiet, bookish sort, too preoccupied with his own s to take any note of the service accorded him At present he was more preoccupied—or don was recently disappointed in love

Retiring by nature, he was now sorely tempted to betake himself to a monastery Unfortunately, he had responsibilities Therefore he was taking hie, his Uncle Albert’s peaceful estate in Yorkshire His uncle, Viscount Rossing, was a recluse, even more book-minded than the nephew Jack could spend the entire su to attempt a conversation Better still, except for servants, he need never see a single female

Sadly conte frost upon his budding hopes, Mr Langdon lost count of doors and opened the fifth

The roo He could not read co bolts, frequent as they were He’d scarcely forain to reveal, lit like a scene upon the stage, a young woainst the Earl of Streetham’s breast

Without pausing to reflect further, Mr Langdon hurled hi her to the floor and the earl against the wall Lord Streethaainst theframe and his lordship slid, unconscious, to the floor

The young woh, and in full possession of the pistol As Jack grabbed for it, she jammed an elbow into his chest and tried to shove hiain for the weapon Her free hand tore into his scalp He tried to pull away, but she caught hold of his ear and yanked so hard that the pain ers loose, she brought up the hand wielding the weapon behind his neck Just as the pistol’s butt was about to slam down on his skull, Jack seized her wrist He squeezed hard and the weapon dropped to the floor a few inches froed for the pistol, but her nails ripped into his scalp oncehim back

Mr Langdon was growing distraught To have assaulted a woman in the first place was contrary to his nature Now he seemed to have no choice but to render her unconscious He knew he could, having been well-trained at Gentle his fist into a fe

While he struggled with his sense of propriety, she struggled to better purpose, punctuating her bloith a streadon to the core had he been able to pay full attention He, however, had all he could do to keep her down He prayed she’d tire soon and spare hi to beat her senseless But she only writhed, elbowed, scratched, and pummelled with unabated ferocity

Mr Langdon’s prodigious patience began to fail hirabbed both her wrists and pinned the bosoh she continued twisting frantically beneath hian to fail

The for and lithe, and he became acutely aware of supple s abated, a waran to steal over hi with a host of other inappropriate sensations, all of which loudly demanded attention

Mr Langdon attended and—alarht off her His adversary proainst a portion of his anatomy

Jack gasped and rolled onto the floor, and the young worabbed her pistol, and dashed out of the room

Moroan and saw the earl painfully raising his head from the floor Jack crawled towards hi his jaw line

“My Lord, you’re hurt,” said Jack He fumbled in his coat for his handkerchief

Lord Streetha his head “Damned madwoman,” he ?” he cried

“Your head, My Lord-”

“Never mind that Go find the she-devil I’ll teach her to—well, what are you waiting for?”

Frodon had run tame in the earl’s house, dealt with on the same terms as his lordship’s son, Tony Jack had played with Tony, studied with Tony and – periodically – been flogged with Tony When, therefore, Tony’s father told Jack to do a thing, Jack did it

He stumbled to his feet and out of the room

“Well, Delilah, and nohat have you been up to?” said Mr Deshter’s disheveled appearance

Delilah glanced at the pudgy littleprofusely, beside her papa “Oh, nothing,” she said, airily indifferent to the scene of carnage she’d recently left “A uests Two, actually,” she added, half to herself

“Good heavens, Miss Desreat deal entle, these public inns,” said the damp fellow “You really should not have come unattended Your maid –”

“My h I have told her repeatedly that only woraines I fear she has aspirations above her station” Miss Desled black curls back from her face

“Mr Atkins is right, my love You should not have come”

“Of course I should, Papa The matter nearly concerns me—as I hope you’ve explained to Mr Atkins” She turned to the small e of plans Therefore I cannot think why you have travelled all this way on a fruitless errand”

“Oh, Miss Des to your father—” Mr Atkins stopped short because at that moment the door flew open

The woht stood with her back to the door, but as he drew on his reth for a second assault, he heard a low, lazy voice

say, “Ah, the guest in question, I believe”

Mr Langdon stoppedtowards the voice There were others in the room Two others

One was a sitated creature with ahis forehead with his handkerchief

The other—the voice’s oas a tall, powerfully built reen eyes He stood coolly, alence was threatening

It occurred to Mr Langdon that when and if the Old Harry took human forer, and so else Jack couldn’t define

“I beg your pardon for interrupting,” said Jack, bracing himself for he knew not what, “but I’ve been sent to apprehend this woman”

“You apprehended me once already,” said she “This smacks of obstinacy”

“Ah, it is the guest,” said the satanic-looking fellow He took a step towards Jack and s “My dear young hter She objects to being pursued by gentlely She is likely to shoot you”

“I don’t doubt it,” said Jack “She just tried to murder the Earl of Streetham”

“Dear heaven!” cried the small man “Lord Streetham? Oh, Miss Desmond, this will never do!”

“No, it will not,” the reed “How many times have I told you, Delilah, not to murder earls? Really, my dear, it is a very bad habit Steel yourself Overcoht Won’t do at all” He turned to Jack “My dear chap, I’m terribly sorry, but this is a fiend we never have done wrestling with Rest assured that I will speak very firhter later Pray don’t trouble yourself further about it Goodbye”

Though this response was hardly satisfactory, there was so so assured in the man’s tones that for one eerie instant, Jack, half convinced he was acting in a coun to back out of the rooaze upon him He turned towards her and froze

In the heat of battle he had become conscious of her lush person Now he saw that her heavy black hair fraly white in contrast, smooth and clear as his reen of a storht upward slant As she watched his baffled face, her generoussmile that made his heart lurch within him Jack suddenly needed air

All the sa Circe had attempted the worst of crimes

“I’ed to be troubled,” said Jack, atte similar nonchalance “I’m afraid this is a matter for the constable”