The Bride of Devil's Acre Read online

  “A reminder of what you survived,” Emme said fiercely. “Don’t ever forget, my lady, you’re alive and he’s not.”

  Jacqueline had told her maid enough that Emme knew the man who had attacked her was dead. But he hadn’t been working alone, and Jacqueline wondered what had happened to the rest of them.

  Downstairs, Devil finished reading the note from Finn. The man knew better than to put details in writing. It didn’t matter that most of the people in Devil’s Acre couldn’t read. It wouldn’t do for any bit of information to fall into the wrong hands. Usually, the lack of information wasn’t a problem, but something in today’s note stirred the hairs on the back of Devil’s neck.

  He’d left Finn, and Purgatory, in the early hours of the morning. After grabbing his usual four hours of sleep, Devil had woken that morning to find the note waiting for him. Another bad sign. It took a lot to raise Finn from his whore’s bed before noon, and Dillon indicated the note arrived with the morning edition.

  “Good morning.”

  Devil looked up, slipping Finn’s note into his breast pocket as his wife glided into the breakfast nook. “Good morning.”

  “May I join you?”

  “Of course.” Devil indicated the place to his right. The table was set, and breakfast laid out. “I don’t employ a footman, but I’d be happy to serve you.”

  “Another one of those differences?” Jacqueline smiled as she took a seat. Designed to catch the morning light, the breakfast nook was warm and smelled of yeast and honey. “Thank you, but I don’t mind serving myself.”

  Devil watched his wife. Her fingers were surprisingly slender, and her movements quick and efficient as she selected pieces of fruit and toast for her plate.

  They ate quietly, a companionable silence filling the room. He was surprised, and pleased, to find that his wife seemed content in the quiet and didn’t feel the need to fill it with inane chatter.

  “Did you sleep well?” Devil surprised himself by asking. It was strange having someone join him for breakfast, but not wholly unpleasant.

  “I did.” Jacqueline bit into a juicy strawberry. “I didn’t hear you come in.” Not that she had been waiting, staying up past the time she usually retired.

  “It was late, and I tried to be quiet.” Finished with his breakfast, Devil rose. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

  “You’re leaving?” Jacqueline’s spirits sank. She had hoped for some time to get to know her husband, this man she would be living with.

  “I have business to tend to.” The letter from Finn was a heavy weight in Devil’s coat pocket. “Do you have plans for the day? Something to keep you busy?”

  “I was thinking of going out, doing a bit of shopping.” Jacqueline hadn’t been out much since the attack. She was tired of being cooped up inside and needed some fresh air.

  Devil frowned. It wasn’t a good idea for his wife to go out alone. Devil’s Acre wasn’t St. Giles, but it could be rough.

  “I’d like my man to accompany you,” Devil said. “Why don’t you come with me to my office? He can escort you from there.”

  “I’d like that,” Jacqueline said, curious about her husband’s business. “Give me a moment to fetch my things?”

  “Of course,” Devil said. He wondered what his wife was going to think of Purgatory.

  Devil left Jacqueline waiting in his office. They’d come in through the back door, bypassing the main room and the staff that was still cleaning.

  Purgatory never closed, but even the most jaded of patrons had to sleep sometime. Either that or pass out.

  Devil entered Purgatory from his office, striding past the bar and back out through the side door that led to the Petal & Thorn. It was a well-known connection between the two businesses, and the door was always guarded by one of Devil’s former fighters.

  Letting himself in, Devil wasn’t surprised to find Lady Jade in her office, still up and making entries in the books.

  “Where is he?” Devil demanded.

  “Where do you think?”

  Devil’s shoulders tightened. “Jesus, doesn’t he ever tire of that woman’s quim?”

  “It’s an amazing quim.” Jade made another note in the books. They’d had a good night, but even a bad night for the Petal & Thorn was good by most brothels’ standards. “You should try it sometime.”

  Devil didn’t bother with an response. He didn’t sample his whores. Mixing business with pleasure was, well, bad for business, especially when it came to the female of the species.

  Taking the stairs two at a time, he stopped outside Annie’s room. A sharp knock didn’t seem to bother the sounds of fucking coming from inside, the moans and sighs reaching a crescendo as Devil waited.

  “FINN!” Devil gave the door another pounding.

  “WHAT!” Finished, Finn collapsed back onto the bed and slung one arm over his eyes. He was breathing like a blown horse, great gulps of air that filled his oxygen-starved lungs. The bed bounced, the springs giving a small squeak as Annie flopped down beside him, her perky tits glistening with sweat.

  “Finn, if I have to come in there and end up with an eyeful of your white arse…”

  “For fuck’s sake, Devil, can’t a man have a tumble without you barging in on him?” Finn rolled off the side of the bed and onto his feet. Striding across the small room, he ignored his pants, throwing open the door and grabbing the frame. “What is so bloody important it couldn’t wait another five minutes?”

  Devil, hands on hips, took his time looking the man up and down.

  “At least it’s not my arse.”

  “I got your note.” Devil didn’t understand Finn’s fascination with the whore. Annie was cute; her blonde hair and blue eyes gave her a perpetual innocent look men seemed to like. A lot of men.

  Annie was one of Devil’s best-earning whores with a steady stream of regulars that didn’t mind parting with a considerable sum of coin for an hour of her time.

  Jade had said Annie had an amazing quim, and maybe Devil was missing something. He wondered if Jade was speaking from personal experience or word of mouth. Knowing Jade, it was the former.

  Finn frowned, his lack of comprehension pulling his dark brows over his eyes.

  “Jesus, Finn, you send a note saying there’s trouble and you can’t even remember what?”

  “Oh, aye, I remember. It’s just enough to blacken my mood and take the shine off my post-coital glow. Jimmy and Tom were picked up last night; the coppers are holding ‘em down at the cages.”

  Devil swore.

  “Finny, you coming back to bed?” Annie had propped herself up on her elbows, running her foot up the inside of her calf. She gave her boss a welcoming smile. “You can come, too, Devil.”

  Devil ignored the invitation, and the double entendre. “No, he’s not, and where’s Moose?” The two men were never far from each other. An odd pair until you realized Moose was slightly hard of hearing, and Finn talked too much.

  “The big boy is down the hall with Carly,” Annie supplied. Giving up on the idea of another tumble, she pulled the blankets up over her shoulder and plumped her pillow beneath her head.

  Devil’s eyes went from Annie to Finn. “You’re a bad influence on him.”

  Finn, seeing Annie settle in for the day, groaned and gathered up his pants. “One can only hope.”

  “Get Moose and meet me in my office. I’ll go with you to get the boys from the cages.”

  “Moose and I can handle it.” Finn pulled up his pants, his shirt hanging open as he hopped into his boots.

  “I’ve got something else for Moose.”

  Jacqueline took a turn around her husband’s office. The room was a surprise of rich leather and aged wood. It stood longer than it was wide with a hearth at one end and an intricately carved ebony desk at the other. Bookshelves and tapestries circled the room, history written in the pages and depicted on the walls.

  To her disappointment, Devil had left her to wait after bringing her in through th
e back door, avoiding the club and leaving Purgatory a mystery.

  Jacqueline eyed the door through which her husband had disappeared. She’d caught a glimpses of the room beyond, enough to know that that way was Purgatory. Just a peek, Jacqueline thought, and took a step in the direction of temptation.

  The door swung open then, and her husband strode in muttering. “Damn that man!”

  Jacqueline jerked back, heart pounding at having almost been caught. Doing what, exactly? Taking a look? Surely that was not such a big offense as to warrant the blush she was fighting. It was only natural that she should be curious about her husband’s business.

  Devil went around to his desk. Still muttering, he pulled back the large tapestry hanging directly behind his chair, and revealed a safe. A quick turn of the combination and the door popped open.

  Inside were stacks of cash, bundles of bills tied with twine, and several journals, each one a ledger of some kind. Her husband didn’t seem the least bit concerned with her witnessing the location of the safe or its contents.

  Devil pulled out what he considered enough cash to ensure Jimmy and Tom’s release from the cages and slipped it into his pocket. He wasn’t worried about bail, but the cost of doing business with the cops was always a bit uncertain.

  Behind him, the door flew open and Finn strode in, thankfully fully dressed. “All right, we’re here; let’s get this over with so I can go back to—”

  Finn saw Lady Edwards and pulled up short. His mouth went slack, and Moose ran into him, knocking him forward several paces.

  Moose grabbed Finn, setting the man right on his feet. “Here now, why’d you go and do that for?”

  Finn’s head whipped around to his boss. Devil stood behind his desk pulling on his coat.

  “Finn O’Sullivan, Moose, I’d like you to meet my wife, Mrs. Jacqueline Radcliffe.”

  Finn blinked.

  Moose, his view previously blocked by the open door, stepped around the wood panel.

  Jacqueline’s eyes went wide as the man that must surely be Moose stepped into her husband’s office. He was a mountain of a man, with wide shoulders and very little neck to speak of. His face was a bit unfortunate, with a crushed nose and big ears. Then again, everything about the man was big.

  With surprising grace, Moose stepped forward, tugging a forelock of dark hair and tipping his head. “Ma’am.”

  “Well, you are a big one, aren’t you?” Out of habit, Jacqueline offered her hand, surprised when it was encased in Moose’s two larger ones and given a gentle shake. “Forgive me; that was incredibly rude.”

  “No need to forgive when you speak the truth.” Moose smiled. He remembered Lady Edwards, though he wasn’t sure how she’d come to be the boss’s wife. Hard to have missed that one, though he wasn’t always around for such things.

  “Moose will accompany you today.” Devil watched the big man. Moose wasn’t the sharpest nail in the coffin, but he knew better than to talk out of turn. Devil’s wife would be safe with him. Everyone in Devil’s Acre knew Moose, and they knew better than to mess with the man.

  “I’m not going with you to get the boys?”

  “Boys?” Jacqueline asked, peeking around Moses’ massive shoulders.

  “A couple of my men were picked up last night,” Devil explained.

  Finn cleared his throat. “Aye, that would be while you were off getting married?”

  Devil nodded.

  Jacqueline frowned. “You didn’t tell them you were getting married?”

  “Didn’t seem important at the time.”

  Jacqueline jerked back. Why hadn’t he told his men he was getting married? It wasn’t like there was anything to be ashamed of, not unless you took into account her shredded reputation.

  Finn bit back a retort. One look and it was obvious Lady Edwards-ah, make that Mrs. Radcliffe-had no idea who any of them were.

  “Congratulations, Mrs. Radcliffe,” Finn said, bowing at the waist.

  “Thank you,” Jacqueline said, her eyes darting back and forth between her husband and his man Finn. “You’re Irish?” A shiver of something remembered slithered up her spine. She’d heard that Irish lilt before.

  “Aye, there are a lot of us here in Devil’s Acre,” Finn said. Of all of them, he’d spent the most time talking to the girl during her kidnapping. If there was anything she might recognize, it would be his voice.

  Of course! Jacqueline breathed a quiet sigh. “I seem to remember mention of your countrymen immigrating to our shores during the famine?”

  “Nothing drives an Irishman like food.”

  “And whiskey,” Devil added, helpfully.

  “Finn has a fancy for the ladies, too,” Moose added, hooking his thumbs in his belt loops and rocking back on his heels. His smile, Jacqueline noted, transformed his face.

  Finn took the ribbing in stride, the banter easing some of his tension and drawing Lady Edwards’ attention. “It’s true, ma’am, we Irish are a lusty lot.”

  “Please, call me Jacqueline.” Jacqueline smiled. It was obvious the men had been together for some time, their easy way with each other marking them as longtime companions.

  “Jacqueline,” Finn drawled.

  “Lady Jacqueline,” Devil warned, catching sight of Finn’s smile. It was the same one he used on the ladies at the Petal & Thorn, and unsuspecting maids.

  Devil stepped out from behind his desk. Moving past Finn, he reached out and placed a bundle of bills in Jacqueline’s hand, curling her fingers around the money. “There’s more if you need it, or you may set up accounts with whatever merchants you choose.”

  Jacqueline nodded, tucking the money into her reticule and watching as her husband handed Moose a smaller bag of coins.

  “Hire a carriage for the day, not a hack, and use Mulligan’s stables. He’ll give you the best deal and the healthiest horses.”

  Devil turned back to Jacqueline, a suddenly strange moment when he realized he was bidding his wife good-bye for the day. “Moose will take good care of you, and I’ll see you for breakfast.”

  Jacqueline blinked. “You’re not coming home then?”

  Devil shook his head. “I’ve got work to do here.”

  “Oh, OK.” Jacqueline smiled past her disappointment. “Good luck getting your boys.”

  Was she was ever going to have the chance at getting to know her husband?

  “What in the bloody hell are you doing?” Finn asked.

  Devil strode down the street, his silver-tipped walking stick matching time with his steps. “Getting Jimmy and Tom.”

  “You know that’s not what I’m talking about!” Finn hustled to keep up, Devil’s longer legs eating up the distance between Purgatory and the cages. “Please tell me you did not marry that girl!”

  “You told me to fix it; I fixed it.”

  “You thought I meant for you to marry her?”

  Devil finally turned to Finn, his eyes narrowing. They were a block from the cages, and Devil was in no mood to deal with Finn, or the cops. “It was the only way I could think of to make matters right. If you had a better idea, you should have said so.”

  “I had no idea you were going to marry her. If I had known I would have…”

  “What? What would you have done?” Devil’s voice was dangerously low, a sure sign he was losing patience.

  Finn threw up his hands. “I don’t know, but this was a bad idea. What if she finds out?”

  “There is nothing she can do,” Devil said. They’d arrived at the cages, that stinking cesspool where the criminals met the cops, and the criminals were the lesser of the two evils. “First, it’s her word against mine, and second, as my wife she is legally prohibited from laying charges against me.”

  Finn blinked. “That’s cold, even for you.”

  “It’s not why I married her, if that’s what you’re thinking, but it is an added benefit to the arrangement.”

  “So, you plan on telling her then?”

  Devil frowned and pulled
open the door. “Why would I do that?”

  “Well, if you have no fear of the repercussions, why not tell her and be done with it?”

  “Have you ever known a marriage to survive on truth?” Devil asked.

  “No,” Finn admitted, following Devil inside. “But then I’ve never been married.”

  Ten minutes and several pounds later, Devil left the cages. His mood had not improved.

  “What do you mean they were waiting for you?” Devil grabbed Jimmy by the upper arm, dragging the lad into a nearby alley. Tom and Finn followed more slowly.

  “Just what I said.” Jimmy stared up at his boss, eyes earnest. At fifteen, Jimmy was the youngest of Devil’s inner circle. His mother had sold him to Devil two years ago, taking the coin for gin over the offer of a place to stay and a job. “The coach was right on time, and right where you said it would be. Only, when we popped the door, there were two coppers inside.”

  Devil frowned. “They knew you were coming.”

  “How the hell could they have known that?” Finn asked, incredulous.

  “Someone would have had to have told them.”

  “Not me, boss, I swear!” Jimmy looked at Devil, his eyes wide. No way he’d betray the man that way, not after everything Devil had done for him.

  “Easy boyo; he knows it wasn’t you.” But Finn did wonder. How many people had known about the plans to hit the coach? Jimmy, Tom, and maybe a handful of others. “Could the coppers gotten lucky?”

  Devil shrugged. “It’s possible. It wasn’t exactly a secret.” Devil depended on the self-preservation instincts of his men to keep them from talking, or taking action against him. “But I wouldn’t credit the coppers with much in the way of offensive planning.”

  “Huh?” Tom was frowning.

  “Those boys are too lazy to come up with a plan like staking out the coaches in hopes of catching one of our highwaymen,” Finn clarified.

  “The only way they would have been there is if they were guaranteed a payoff.” Most of the cops working out of Devil’s Acre received their pay from Devil, but that didn’t mean they would pass on the opportunity to pick up a few of his crew members with an eye toward a bonus.