Beginning, Previous Section, Section IV
Jump to new as of June 6, 2000
Chapter Thirteen -- Simple Suggestions Work Best Posted on Saturday, 20 November 1999
Alexa awoke the next morning with a renewed sense of purpose. Whatever desolate future awaited her, the very idea of home was her last comfort. It was enough to focus on getting LeBlue and getting home. She could still feel the exhaustion deep in her bones, although Jack called it depression. But she was determined to move things along and leave this miserable era.
Jonathon came early and joined them for breakfast, looking as if he had slept very little the night before. Alexa had no illusions that it was on her account -- it was more likely that Darcy and Fitzwilliam kept him up. She quickly realized that it would be a very long time, if ever, before she could be in his presence without discomfort. Jonathon was somber with her, hesitant...and Jack was not letting him close enough for any personal discussion. With impatience, she realized that neither Jack nor Jonathon knew where to begin as they all sat down to plan.
Some fine investigators you two turned out to be, Alexa thought grimly. "Mr. Chase. Find the dressmaker's husband. His name is Benny, works for LeBlue and has been known to talk freely about his employer after a beer or two."
Mr. Chase looked uncomfortable, "Am I expected to match him drink for drink?"
Alexa couldn't help grinning. "I used to have a trick at dinner parties. Hold the glass in your hand and take small sips and keep your companions well liquored. After a drink or two they don't notice that you're still nursing your first one."
"I remember that trick," Jonathon murmured, more to himself than to her, as Chase left to find Benny.
Jack snorted at the comment and remarked, "Have you heard anything more about this Second Sons Club?"
"No. Fitzwilliam has bottled right up about it. I've wonder what is going on that he's holding his information so close to his chest."
"Does he believe that this is a real thing?"
"I don't know what he believes. He was quite talkative about it until his last few weeks at base camp. He got a letter that seemed to disturb him. I've been trying to find the letter but it's hard to search someone's room when they are always with you."
"Then we will have to get him out of the way," Alexa replied. "He seems partial enough to Elizabeth. He will probably stop by there once or twice in the next week. I can try to make sure he stays for a longer visit than he planned."
Jonathon's expression darkened perceptively. "And how are you planning to do that?"
The question annoyed her immensely. "By any means in my disposal."
"Now, Alexa..." Jack began to protest.
"Both of you can just shut up right now." Alexa said without rancor. "And get your brains out of the gutter. This is a society that talks to each other. So don't treat me like I'm about to put on a space suit and play the 'Earth Girls Are Easy' game."
"I remember that one too," Jonathon whispered.
Despite her bravado, Alexa hadn't thought about how and where she would meet the colonel and what she would do once she had his attention. She suffered through several teas with Lady Catherine and her comatose daughter. Jonathon sent her several significant looks much like the ones Jack had on his face. But every time they got up to walk out the parlour, both Darcy and Fitzwilliam sprang after them. And then a fuming Alexa would be left under the critical gaze of Lady Catherine.
"So much for doing whatever you can to keep Fitzwilliam's attention," Jack teased one night. He had resumed his habit of sitting on her bed before they both retired. "I am a little disappointed in your performance."
"What exactly do you expect me to do?" Alexa asked as she pulled pins out of her curls. "Overturn the teapot and do the dance of the seven veils?"
"That would work."
Alexa grinned at Jack through the mirror. "Want to make a bet on the number of colors Lady Catherine face could turn?"
"At least four."
"That few? I was going for an even dozen." Alexa sighed as the last of the pins loosened her hair. "It would help that Darcy and Fitzwilliam weren't so eager for any excuse to leave the room. Wonder why they come to Rosings at all?"
"Probably an obligation kind of thing," Jack said. "Fitzwilliam said Darcy keeps postponing their leaving." His legs swung off the bed and he came toward her dressing table. One hand tangled in her hair, caressing the tension from her nape. Alexa felt a betraying shiver run down her spine as her eyes met his in the mirror.
"Jack." She whispered. "Don't."
"Why not?"
"Because in the end, it won't mean anything."
Something indefinable flitted across his face. "Would that be so bad?"
"Usually."
He turned her to face him and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Why can it just be for now?"
Alexa pressed a hand against his chest to forestall another of those tempting kisses. "You don't know me at all if you can even ask that question."
Jack ran frustrated hands through his hair. "If you are such a one man woman, why are you giving Wentworth such a hard time."
Alexa sighed. "I have high expectations, Jack. I can't help it. I need a man who won't lie to me when it's convenient. And," she said softly, "one who's in it for the long haul." Jack's long lashes came down to shield his eyes. "I don't think we should have anymore of these midnight talks."
"I think you're right."
The next day, Alexa ventured toward the parsonage. She wasn't thrilled at the idea of seeing Mr. Collins but it was likely that Fitzwilliam would stop by at least once to talk to Miss Bennet.
She nearly stumbled when she came upon him on the path to the parsonage. He was striding away from the front door, his fists clenched. "Colonel Fitzwilliam!" She called out before he stepped on her.
He jerked to a halt, looking at her as if she had appeared out of thin air. "Mrs. Henriquez! I...I am sorry. I did not see you there."
"I am not surprised. You seem quite preoccupied. Is anything the matter?"
He gave a worried look over his shoulder. "Miss Bennet has taken ill with a headache. I have seen her into the care of Mrs. Collins."
"Perhaps I should postpone my visit for another day," Alexa said softly.
"I fear that would be best." He offered his arm, and Alexa took it with a self-satisfied smile.
"Why is it I sense you are blaming yourself for something?"
He looked away in distress. "I fear I caused Miss Bennet's present distress."
"How?"
"I was being facetious...telling her of things I ought not to divulge. And I fear I spoke of something dear to her. Without realizing it, I must have said something to distress her."
"Did she say what it was?"
"No. She merely said she had a sudden headache." His steps faltered a little. "Miss Bennet is too tactful to say if I had upset her. More tactful than I."
"I think you are being hard on yourself. You cannot do more than take her at her word. Miss Bennet is not a helpless young woman. She is quite forthright in her opinions. You have no fear that she would tell you if you had said the wrong thing."
He smiled for the first time. "Perhaps you are right. In any case, you say the right things to assuage my guilt."
Alexa laughed and tightened her hold on his arm." What brings you about the countryside this morning, other than to aid ladies in distress?"
He flushed. "I love the woods about this area. I always take a walking tour before I leave."
"Are you leaving us soon?"
"Not so soon as we usually do. I am at my cousin's disposal, as you well know. He has seen fit to postpone our leaving for several weeks now."
"Unusual behavior for him?"
"Quite so. You are a perceptive woman. You cannot have mistaken my aunt's designs on him."
"A blind man would see her designs. I wonder that her daughter does not protest."
"My cousin Anne has had much of her spirit withered Mrs. Henriquez." Fitzwilliam said. "I remember her differently as a child."
"More's the pity."
"Indeed." Fitzwilliam replied then changed the subject. "And how do you like Kent?"
"I have yet to see a part of England that I didn't like. Even sooty London has its charms. I will miss it."
"Are you leaving England?"
"That time is drawing nearer. One cannot stray so far from home for so long." Alexa breathed in the April morning air. "But there is one place that I have to see before we go -- but Jack does not have the time to take me."
"Where?"
"Hever Castle." Alexa smiled up at Fitzwilliam's startled gaze. "I find in myself a morbid fascination for Anne Boleyn's home."
"Do you hope it is haunted?"
"Perhaps. Although I hope never to have it confirmed."
Ha laughed heartily at her admission. "And why will your husband not take you there? I am sure the housekeeper is well acquainted with other tourists with a taste for bloody histories."
"I have heard tell that Hever Castle has been let. There are workers there at all hours. And not being acquainted with the new tenants, how could I possibly impose on them?"
Fitzwilliam looked pensive. "I know the gentleman who is in residence there. Perhaps I could introduce you. I can see no reason for him not to open his doors to you."
Alexa smiled widely. "That is a wonderful idea."
Chapter Thirteen ~ Part Two Posted on Saturday, 20 November 1999
Alexa hovered anxiously about the cottage for a couple of days, waiting for Fitzwilliam to send word. Neither Jack nor Jonathon was convinced that he would keep his word.
"Why wouldn't he?" Alexa argued. "He isn't the kind of man to make idle promises."
Jonathon pursed his lips in annoyance. "Alexa, the note I read was quite specific. It said, "tell no one." And Fitzwilliam has flaws enough to believe this entire venture could be legitimate."
"You can't blame a man for wanting better for himself." Alexa replied. "It's not as if he has much of a future ahead of him. Chase! What did Benny have to say for himself?"
"Nothing too significant, ma'am. None of the workers ever see what the other is doing. It seems they are trained to make a single piece and that is all they do all day."
"Ingenious." Jack replied. "Without a comprehensive idea of what is being built, no one person can know the final design."
"Can he help us?" Jonathon asked.
"He's scared out of his wits. Says conditions are rather severe for anyone caught talking. It took quite a bit of convincing for him to even talk to me." Chase said.
"Did the note say when they would meet?" Alexa asked and looked directly at Jonathon for the first time in several days. He met her gaze calmly and intently.
"No. Only that he would be contacted soon."
Alexa's gaze faltered and she began to chew on a nail. "We have to get into Hever Castle."
"You don't have to do anything more," Jonathon said with stunning fierceness. "Just let Jack and I handle the rest of this." Alexa turned away without argument. "Damn it Alexa! Will you listen to me?"
"I have done nothing but..."
"He's right, Alexa." Jack said quietly. "Wentworth and I have the training to do this. You don't."
"I know that," Alexa replied with unconvincing mildness. She could see Jonathon's eyes narrow suspiciously. "You have both reminded me of it so many times."
Alexa ventured into town the next day to speak with Benny herself. She was unsatisfied with their slow progress. Neither Jack nor Jonathon, for all their talk of training, had been able to penetrate the castle grounds. She saw Benny come into town driving an empty cart. He had obviously had a drink or two already, despite the early hour. He tottered off to the pub.
Alexa followed at a discreet pace, happy she had chosen to wear her boy's costume instead of the more obvious lady's dresses. She watched him look around the dim dining room and spotted Colonel Fitzwilliam having a quiet drink by himself before Benny did.
Benny straightened his clothing before stepping toward the colonel but Alexa pulled him to a dark corner.
"Wha' the bleeding 'ell?"
"Shush, now. Didn't your mother teach you not to swear?" Alexa saw the man squint at her and made sure the coin in her hand caught enough light to glint. "You're carrying a message of interest to me, I think."
"I'se doin' na such thing, boy. You've got a right nerve talkin' to your betters!"
"Then you don't need my money," Alexa made sure he could hear her formal prose and watched understanding dawn on his face.
"Wha' ya want? I'se only doing wha' my master says."
"Which is?"
"To give that man there," he nodded toward Fitzwilliam, "a message."
"And what is the message?"
"I can't read," Benny said exasperatedly. "That's why I get to carry the blasted thing."
Alexa put up a second coin. "I can read just fine. And I am sure this will keep it between us."
He handed over the scrap of paper and pocketed the coins. Unfolding it quickly, Alexa began to read.
Fitzwilliam,All is prepared. The time is now. Come with my man and we will discuss opportunities.
The Second Sons Club
She folded it back up again and handed it back. "What are you carrying back on your cart?"
He blanched. "Only the Colonel." His eyes bulged at the bill she held aloft.
"Not anymore."
It took a few minutes to rig the cart with a few barrels and crates. Alexa curled herself under a sackcloth that stank of dirt and things she couldn't bear to name. Taking a few last gasps, she hoped the bill she had waved in front of Benny's eager face kept his mouth shut and made him drive fast.
She heard Colonel Fitzwilliam's disgusted intake of breath at the sight of the cart and rolled her eyes. Then held on for dear life as the cart began to bounce along pitted roads toward Hever Castle. Alexa bit her lip to prevent the pained moans from escaping her. It seemed interminable, the entire grinding trip. Finally, when she thought she would either suffocate or go insane from the myriad bruises forming on her body, the cart rolled through what sounded like creaky gates and into a darkened area. She heard Fitzwilliam jump off the cart and walk away and finally Benny came for her.
"Get yourself off. I can't be responsible for more." Benny looked terrified enough.
"One last thing, when you get home from here today -- tell Chase you brought a boy to the castle."
"Blimey." Benny swore but she knew he would do what she asked.
Alexa walked through the halls, keeping her head down and trying to distinguish anything familiar in the din of voices and hammer on metal that filled the air. Men were shouting at each other and every room she looked into was filled with scraps of metal and furnaces of various sizes. Whatever LeBlue had planned, it was on a massive scale if the labor force in this room was any indication. She was scuffed by one man and sent on an errand that she ignored, hurrying outside to where Colonel Fitzwilliam was presumably meeting with LeBlue.
The sight of Benny hurrying his cart through the gates, leaving her to her own devices, disconcerted her. The first hint of doubt crept in, shaking her confidence at a time when she needed it most. Gritting her teeth, she could only hope that Chase would understand the cryptic message she sent. Jonathon would be furious, no doubt, and perhaps Jack as well. A hint of a red coat caught her eye and reminded her what she was about. Taking a breath for courage, she ventured out into the gardens.
Chapter Fourteen -- Torturing the Foliage
This is dedicated to Cathy who is probably the only person still interested in reading this story! :) Sorry for the long silence -- I am halfway through the next chapter and will try not to have another three months go by before posting! Cassie M
Alexa tried not to pick some of the filth out of her hair. I am a boy -- boys like dirt. Boys eat dirt. But the smell emanating from her was hard to ignore. The next time I see Benny, I am going to do his wife a favor and have Chase scrub him within an inch of his life.
It wasn't hard to spot the Colonel as he strode with the confidence of a gentleman through the throng of workers. Alexa had no such problems and learned a few lessons on the art of lock pulling and bird flipping when Fitzwilliam turned his back on the surlier men. She kept to the corners of the crowd, where she could be virtually unnoticed and watched the colonel's red coat weave through the expanse of the estate into the maze. Alexa groaned. She was what Sammy called directionally challenged.
Alexa was a tall woman, often towering over the other women of this era. But she had to hustle to keep up with Colonel Fitzwilliam's stride. How the heck do I figure out if I have been here before? Without thinking twice, and thankful she had remembered to wear thick gloves, Alexa reached into the hedge and tugged a huge piece out. She gulped at the resulting bald spot and tried to stuff a few more leaves into it to camouflage the gaping hole.
She made several turns and twists, pulling bits and pieces of the hedge as she went. Alexa knew she didn't have a great sense of direction and wished there were a nearby gas station that could point her to the right direction, but she hadn't expected to get lost within ten minutes of entering the maze. She stared at the hole in the hedge she had come upon and realized she was retracing her steps. And there was not a sign of Colonel Fitzwilliam's red coat. She pondered for a moment and tried a different route, veering left and then right until she bumped face first into a solid, distinctly non-floral object.
"Have we any mutual business, boy?" Colonel Fitzwilliam growled.
Alexa kept her head down and her cap pulled over her face as she scrambled for a reply. "No, sir. I was hoping to get a gander at the maze and am lost. Sir..."
"And when did you decide to try your luck at the maze, boy?" Fitzwilliam continued to scold. "Before or after you climbed into the back of the cart?"
Alexa cursed her luck. So much for Senorita Slick. "Before, sir. I heard ol' Benny saying 'e was comin' here and I stowed away." Even Alexa had to flinch at her awful imitation of a street urchin. She sounded more like a southern belle raised in Brooklyn.
"Lost, eh?" He seemed to soften at her answer. "Perhaps next time you can simply ask if you may accompany me." Fitzwilliam tugged at her sleeve and began walking through yet another lane. "You have a strange way of speaking, boy. Where are you from?"
"South Central." Alexa muttered, irritated at the way he kept calling her "boy." She resisted the urge to look down at her chest in wonder that none of the men she had encountered had ever doubted her gender yet. She'd never had anything but compliments on her curves before.
Fitzwilliam gave her an odd look. "I don't think I know where that is. Shouldn't you be at home with your mother? You can't be more than fifteen." But he strode on without waiting for an answer.
Alexa smiled. Fifteen? Well, that almost makes up for thinking me flat chested. She began chasing after him as he turned another corner. Fitzwilliam walked quickly with a snap to his steps. Alexa usually towered over the women and even some of the men, but she hadn't his stamina. They pushed on in silence for what felt like an hour, Fitzwilliam's eyes widening every time Alexa ripped a hole in a hedge, but never once questioning her intent.
Alexa was at the end of her strength when she again bumped into Fitzwilliam as he stood at an intersection, hands on hips and frowning left and right.
"You're lost too, aren't you?" Alexa said.
He frowned even deeper. "Officers in His Majesty's Army do not get lost."
"So we're supposed to be wandering in circles?" Alexa replied with a barely hidden snicker. "Are we on patrol?"
"I'm going to tan your backside, boy."
Alexa took three steps back in case he meant his threat. "Now, sir...I was only trying to tease you back into smiling. You've a lovely smile."
If anything, Alexa's comment made Fitzwilliam even more uncomfortable. "Young man, are you in the habit of complimenting men's smiles?"
Realizing her mistake, Alexa couldn't suppress a grin. "No, sir. But my sister says it gets her just about anything she wants."
Fitzwilliam started chuckling. "Well, don't copy everything your sister does. Come on, I think the center of the maze is that way. And stop tearing at the foliage."
"It's been a trail of sorts."
"Yes, except we've passed this way at least three times and there are more gaps than leaves on that hedge. I don't think the owners would approve."
"No, I certainly do not."
The new voice made both of them turn. Alexa nearly gasped aloud as she took a close look at LeBlue. He was smaller than she had expected, certainly slighter than Fitzwilliam. But there was a darkness that hovered around him, an emptiness in his eyes and tightness about his thin lips. He sported a thin mustache that did an incomplete job of hiding a scar on his top lip. He was staring at her with a narrow-eyed intensity that made her squirm.
"I told you to come alone, Fitzwilliam."
"And I did. This young man decided to get a look at the maze and got lost. It's a rather good thing you happened to stop by -- I rather think we were both a little lost."
"It was hard to miss the leaf trail." LeBlue replied.
Fitzwilliam turned a bland look on her. He stepped close to push her away from LeBlue. "Run along now, boy. You can find your way out now."
"I don't think so." LeBlue said softly and pulled out a gun from his pocket.
"What is this?" Fitzwilliam said with maddening calmness. "Not very friendly of you."
"This isn't going to be a friendly meeting. Especially when you bring the likes of that one around."
"This little boy is no threat to you."
LeBlue started laughing. "No? Then you are a fool twice over, Fitzwilliam." LeBlue turned his malicious gaze on Alexa. "Well...boy...take off your cap." Alexa shook her head and took a step behind Fitzwilliam. LeBlue raised the gun right to Fitzwilliam's head. "I have no time for your games. Take off your cap and let me see your face!"
Alexa looked up at Fitzwilliam, saw his eyes widen in startled recognition, and stepped away from him. Long curly hair flowed out from under the cap as she pulled it off and loosened the pins that had secured it. Fitzwilliam muffled a fervent oath as she looked directly at the men.
LeBlue laughed. "You? The best they could do was send YOU after me?"
Alexa tightened her lips in irritation.
"Mrs. Henriquez...." Fitzwilliam began but faltered as words again failed him.
"Henriquez?" LeBlue said. "Good old Jack. I've bested him before. He's no threat. So you are the mysterious wife who rescued him and did away with my man."
Alexa merely raised her head in assent. LeBlue smiled unpleasantly and stepped right up to her face, still keeping the gun trained on Fitzwilliam. "Did you really marry him? Last I heard you were very publicly engaged to..." Alexa had the satisfaction of seeing the color drain from his face.
"Engaged to whom?" Fitzwilliam bellowed. LeBlue jerked the gun in warning and the other man lowered his voice. "This woman is married to a very important man in Spanish society."
"This woman is a spy pretending to be married to a man whose ancestors shined shoes for a living." LeBlue replied. "You are stupider than you seem, Fitzwilliam." Suddenly, he grabbed Alexa's arm and pressed the gun to her back. "I think it is time to take this conversation somewhere more private. Walk ahead Fitzwilliam and don't have any heroic thoughts. It would be a pleasure to rid myself of this woman's miserable presence."
Alexa stumbled awkwardly with the combined presence of the gun and LeBlue pressed tightly against her back. Please, please, please Benny ...don't let me down. Tell Jonathon where I am.
Alexa would have had to be blind and an idiot not to feel the way Colonel Fitzwilliam was glaring at her. "Stop it, Colonel, or my hair will catch fire." She called as he again threw a glance over his shoulder at them.
"I knew I should have tanned your backside!"
"Shut up! Both of you." LeBlue tightened his grip of the soft skin of her arm. The gun at her back jabbed harder and harder with every step and Alexa was sure she was going to have a giant bruise by the time they reached the castle.
LeBlue signaled a few men to grab Fitzwilliam and drag him into the castle. Alexa tried to catch many a worker's eye as they strode through the clearing between the maze and the house. But fear was a strong motivation to stay silent and it was clear that the laborers were terrified of LeBlue. She caught sight of a man being whipped, heard him screaming with each lash and shuddered at the proof of her enemy's cruelty.
"Fear not pretty one," LeBlue whispered into her ear as he continued to drag her forward. "I have other plans for your skin."
LeBlue deposited them in a smelly, dark room somewhere at the back of the house. He had Fitzwilliam tied to a chair but not Alexa. When the three of them were alone once again, he began to circle her.
"So, is he here?"
"Who?"
"Don't play dumb with me. I know all about you. And this is just the kind of case Wentworth would be assigned to. And he's the only reason you'd even be allowed to follow me."
"I didn't follow you." Alexa muttered. "I followed him."
"Yes, the loyal little woman looking out for her man."
"The furious fiancée ready to drag her groom down the aisle." Alexa retorted.
"Crashed, did he? Got a little lost? Oh...the irony..." LeBlue grabbed her hair and yanked her head backward. Instinctively her arms flew up and he roughly twisted them behind her with one arm. Alexa was shocked by his unexpected strength. "I hope he lost the use of his limbs."
"Hardly." Alexa replied with teeth gritted against the pain. Fitzwilliam was shouting at them and squirming against the rope that bound him. "He's close you know. Closer than you think." She twisted to look into LeBlue's eyes and saw the fear he was trying to keep hidden. "He could be right outside that door right now."
"Too bad there isn't a window on the door then. So he could watch me take you. I've always wanted to bed a celebrity."
Alexa felt the bile rising up in her throat. "You are a coward."
He laughed nastily and licked her cheek, making her shudder in disgust. "We are going to have such fun. But first, I am going to take care of your husband and your fiancée." He shoved her hard, face first against the wall. "Does it get confusing having two men around?" He pressed his length to her back lewdly. "Don't worry -- soon there will only be me to think of."
Alexa was speechless with fury as he again hauled her around and strapped her to a chair. "We are going to have such fun."
An oppressive silence remained after LeBlue closed the door behind him. Fitzwilliam was nearly purple with rage and Alexa didn't dare broach the subject when he looked so close to an aneurysm. He was staring at her, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
"Are you all right?" He finally managed.
"Yes." Alexa said, trying to rub her cheek on her shoulder. "Although that man gets top billing on my World's Most Disgusting Villains list."
"Indeed." Fitzwilliam wasn't mollified by her attempt at humor. "Perhaps you should introduce yourself to me again. I seem to be uninformed as to who you really are."
"My name is Alexa...Matthews."
"And you are a spy?"
"Only recently."
"That explains why you are so bad at it."
Alexa glared at him. "You aren't exactly Mr. Intelligence either. You were walking unarmed and alone into a trap."
"I knew exactly what I was getting into." Fitzwilliam replied stiffly.
"You got lost in the maze."
"I found you, didn't I?" Fitzwilliam retorted. "Why are you chasing LeBlue? What do you know?"
"Tell me about the Second Sons Club." Alexa replied smoothly. She saw his head jerk up in surprise. "Come now, Colonel. You tell me your secrets and I'll tell you mine."
Alexa was amused by his attempt to stare her down. After negotiating contracts with Sammi for years, nothing could intimidate her. She merely smiled at his annoyed sigh.
"The Second Sons Club is a fictitious business geared toward making money. LeBlue has divested several young men out of their pitiful inheritances with promises of rich rewards for their investment."
"And he approached you as an investor."
"Yes -- but not the way he did the others. He said he was looking for a partner, someone with a sense of discipline and organization. Apparently he thought I fit the bill."
"And did you believe him?"
"I had doubts. Especially since he was unaware that I am rather comfortably settled thanks to my father."
Alexa was confused. "But you are in the army. And you are always telling Miss Bennet how a man like you must marry for money."
"England is at war, Mrs....ah Miss Matthews. I am in His Majesty's Service out of my own free will. A man must have a purpose in the world after all. As for Miss Bennet... well...Darcy gets rather nervous when I stray too close to her... it was rather fun to see him squirm."
"He's in love with her you know."
"Yes...and I suspect he's made a hash out of proposing to her." Fitzwilliam shook his head in reply to Alexa curious inquiry as to what happened between Darcy and Elizabeth. "Let us get back to the matter at hand. I suspect that LeBlue is working for Napoleon but I have no real proof. Meeting him here today was supposed to answer a lot of questions."
"I suppose you are going to blame me for this."
"It had crossed my mind, yes."
Alexa chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment. "LeBlue is mass producing weapons of a magnitude you have never seen. That is why there are so many people here. And I think Napoleon is only the beginning. I think he will sell them to the highest bidder."
His eyes narrowed in thought. "What do you mean 'of a magnitude' I have never seen?"
"I mean...weapons that are out of place for this age. More powerful than anything that ever existed before."
"To what age exactly do they belong then?"
Alexa bit her lip. She wasn't sure where the cut off was supposed to be and feared she had already told him too much. "I can't tell you more than that. It's enough to know that he will keep selling his merchandize to the highest bidder. Do you know how many countries and criminals would line up for a chance at such power?"
Fitzwilliam gave her a long hard look. "All of them." He replied softly. "Very well then, assuming you are being truthful with me, how did he come by these weapons?"
"I believe he is manufacturing them here. Stole the designs."
"From whom?"
"I don't know."
He seemed to consider her words. "How is it you know so much about this?"
"It's what I was sent here to do."
His eyebrows raised. "You told LeBlue that you were rescuing your fiancée. Is it true what LeBlue said? Are you engaged to Wentworth?"
"Formerly."
Fitzwilliam nodded. "That explains quite a bit."
"Such as?"
"Why he always seems near to blows with Jack Henriquez and why he makes a point of flirting with Elizabeth Bennet when you are within seeing distance."
Alexa felt her jaw tighten. "He is now free to flirt with whomever he chooses."
Fitzwilliam grinned irrepressibly, "So say you. Tell me -- does that vein always stand out in your forehead or are you lying to me?"
"Bugger off."
His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Good gracious! I don't know what kind of manners they teach you in ...where was it you said...South Central? But ladies do not say such things in England and they certainly don't dress like..." And he began to blush and look away as if realizing that those were indeed the shape of her legs under the rough breeches.
Alexa grinned at him, amused at Fitzwilliam's belated sense of propriety. "Surprise! Women have legs too."
"I know that." He said grumpily without turning to look at her again. "Men shouldn't see them however -- unless ... unless they are married and ... intimate."
Alexa started giggling. Who would have guessed Colonel Fitzwilliam was a leg man? "You are going to have to get used to my appearance for the time being I'm afraid. Ball gowns are in short supply at the moment." A moment of mischief passed over her. "I can trust you, can't I?"
"What a preposterous question! I am a gentleman, madam. You have nothing to fear from me!"
"Well good. That's settled then. So now what do we do?"
"Get out of these bindings." He struggled a bit. He twisted vigorously, the chair rocking about on all four legs.
"Ummm..." Alexa began hesitantly. "You might not want to do that."
Fitzwilliam glared at her. "I know what I am doing." And the chair began an alarming creaking.
"Colonel you are going to..."
BLAM
"...fall." Alexa stared at the prostrate man before her. "Are you all right?"
"Fine."
"I suppose you're now going to tell me that you did that on purpose."
He didn't reply at all, merely yanked his leg up hard, breaking one of the chair's legs and loosening the bindings on his ankle. They both stared at his one free foot.
"Please tell me you have extremely talented toes." Alexa said.
"Don't you dare laugh at me," Fitzwilliam replied with a wry grin. "And don't tell anyone about this either."
"Who would believe me?"
"Help me."
"How?"
"I don't know...but my other leg is falling asleep."
My hero. Alexa braced her feet on the floor and tried to stand. The chair was too heavy by far and she was able to waddle a short distance before plopping down again heavily and out of breath.
Fitzwilliam was laughing at her. "That was a sight!"
"Shut up you one foot wonder."
His jaw snapped shut. Alexa took a deep breath and tried again she managed to get a little closer to him. She stared down at him, still strapped to the chair with one leg sticking straight up. Now what?
"Don't just sit there!" He growled. "You're making me nervous."
"Listen Colonel SmartyPants, I made it this far while still tied up. Give me a minute and I will think of something."
"I can feel all my blood rushing to my head." He then lifted his foot to her shoulder and started to rub.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to take my boot off."
"OW! That hurts!"
"Hold still, I need the heel to catch on your shoulder."
"Cut it out! Stop!"
"Just a little longer." He gave a hard yank and the boot popped off, slammed on Alexa's head and landed upside down between her back and the chair. "Oh...sorry."
"I should bite you. I could have a concussion. Internal bleeding and then where would you be?"
"Still lying here on my side bootless, I imagine."
"So was there a purpose to that exercise or was that the only way you could kick me on the head?"
"Now you have to help me take my stockings off."
"How?"
He had the grace to blush a little. "I wish there was another way. But your teeth would be the best."
Alexa felt her jaw drop open. "You are a birdbrain if you think I'm going to agree."
"I need to use my toes."
"For what? Picking my nose?" Alexa said. "I don't care how much training the army gave you. No one is talented enough to untie rope this thick with their toes."
"I don't hear any suggestions from you oh wizened spy!"
Alexa ignored him and took a long look at his position. "We need to get you upright." Alexa said. "How strong are your legs?'
"I BEG YOUR PARDON?"
"How strong are your legs?"
"I HARDLY THINK..."
"Fitzwilliam, I know all about bachelor military men so stop playing the vestal virgin with me. Thirty seconds ago you wanted me to nibble on your toes. So shut up and answer the question! Is your bloody leg bloody strong enough to bloody lift you AND the bloody chair up if I bloody help you?"
Tear poured from his eyes as he howled in laughter. Alexa found the rope did not stop her foot from tapping on the dirt floor. "You...you...all this time...thought you were a lady...more like a fishmonger..." he gasped with every word. "Aunt Catherine would have a fit!"
"It doesn't take much to merit a Lady Catherine lecture. Answer the question or sit there and let the blood rush to your feeble brain."
"I think I can manage it if you help me." Fitzwilliam hiccuped a couple of times and then began to take her suggestion seriously. "All it takes is one hard pull -- just enough force to put the weight on one leg. This chair isn't as heavy as yours, I think."
"Exactly. Don't move." Alexa wobbled sideways a little and tried to grab his arm. Her hand was tied to the armrest just above her wrist and what little movement she was capable of seemed to give her very little grip on his arm. "I can't get a good enough grasp of your arm to pull you."
"There is always your teeth." Fitzwilliam's grin faded as Alexa narrowed her eyes and smiled with teeth bared. "Now...don't forget there is an arm under there."
Alexa nearly giggled at the yelp he gave as she chomped down on his arm. Her legs were screaming at the effort of holder her and the heavy chair on her back and her neck strained to keep hold of Fitzwilliam as they struggled to pull him upright. She let the weight of the chair pull her backward as Fitzwilliam strained his own body to push off the floor. She felt a sudden give as they were halfway there and the cloth of his sleeve began to rip under her teeth. She couldn't hold on. And even as Fitzwilliam screamed that it was too soon to let him go, she fell back with a jarring thud she saw him fly back down to the ground and groan at the impact.
There was a shout and a scuffle outside the door then a muffled oath followed by a few short bangs and silence.
Alexa felt fear choking her as the jingling of keys sounded outside but it evaporated when the door was thrown open, admitting a shadow as familiar as her own. She spit the cloth out of her mouth hurriedly.
"Jonathon..." she breathed in relief.