‘I tell you what.’ Lord Devere was not about to pass up the opportunity to give Malory the slip. ‘You go on and Lady Devere and I shall catch you up.’ My husband grinned as he took my arm and guided me out from amid Malory’s men.
‘Splendid.’ Mr Banks motioned us toward his premises just across the road.
Angry at having to split his force, Malory motioned a couple of his men to follow us and had the remaining four knights accompany him on his mission.
We had no sooner entered the consulate than my husband was asking after their bathroom facilities. When one of Malory’s guards tried to accompany him, Lord Devere put him off. ‘I feel sure I am safe in the consulate and do not require your assistance.’
Mr Banks suppressed a smile at the comment.
‘Bodyguards,’ commented my husband to his host. ‘They are a little overzealous at times. Stay,’ my lord had the cheek to order the knight once more. ‘I shan’t be long.’ As I was still under their watchful eye, the guard was embarrassed and remained in the lounge.
Mr Banks had gone to arrange things, and took a little longer than expected to return to the sitting room. When he did, he offered drinks all round and gave no hint that anything was amiss.
Only later did I learn that my husband had explained the situation to our host, and had then slipped out of the house. Mr Banks had provided directions to the back entrance of Mr Maximoff’s home, and also sent one of his house servants to fetch the local authorities.
Once five minutes had elapsed, I was beginning to wonder after my husband’s whereabouts myself, and although I tried to keep my guards distracted with lively conversation, one of them was clearly growing concerned.
‘The spicy food here is certainly a shock to the system,’ he commented to Mr Banks. ‘If you would kindly excuse me.’
Mr Banks was nowhere near as eager to offer up directions this time. ‘I’m afraid we’ve only one bathroom here. Once Lord Devere returns—’
The knight, frustrated, drew his sword, which made Mr Banks, and me, gasp in shock. ‘Go and find Lord Devere,’ he instructed his accomplice, pointing the tip of his sword in our direction. The consul then reached inside his jacket to produce two pistols, aiming one at each of Malory’s knights. ‘How about we await the Lord Devere’s return?’ he said, encouraging the men to relinquish their weapons. I collected them for safekeeping.
In the meantime, Lord Devere had raced to his brother’s rescue and arrived at the back entrance to Maximoff’s house, just as Malory and his men were approaching the front door.
After managing to scale the back wall in darkness, James nearly bowled over a couple of Arabs as he sped up a pathway in the courtyard. He entered the kitchen appealing desperately for information from the house staff. ‘Devere? Devere?’
At first the women shook their heads, alarmed by the intrusion, until James managed to piece together enough Italian to explain that he was here to warn his brother of danger.
The eldest woman looked James over and, able to see the family resemblance and that this man was clearly an English gentleman, she relented. ‘Come, I’ll show you.’
The servant woman knocked a few times on the guest’s door and then opened it when there was no response. She smothered a scream. A dark man leant over the sleeping Devere, and when he looked up his eyes glowed red and yellow like a demon’s.
‘Get your hands off my brother,’ James warned, his fear for his brother’s welfare giving him the courage to run at the beast, who had his palms clutched around Earnest’s temples. As James came near, the creature growled and shattered into a white mist, which wafted quickly out through the balcony doors.
‘Sweet mother of mercy,’ the old woman uttered, and crossed herself. James ran and shook his brother.
‘Earnest! Wake up!’ Slapping around the face didn’t elicit any response, so James threw a glass of water over his brother and Earnest came to with a start. ‘Are you all right?’
‘James? What are you doing here?’ Earnest looked around the room. ‘Where is my wife?’ As soon as he posed the question, Earnest remembered her departure. ‘Oh, no, we have to go!’ He clambered off the bed.
‘You have no idea.’ James aided his brother to throw his belongings into a bag, but as Earnest made toward the door James pulled him back. ‘Not that way.’
The sound of several men ascending the stairs in haste caused the brothers to back up toward the balcony.
Malory and his knights entered to find an old woman making the bed. ‘Where are Mr and Mrs Devere?’
The housemaid continued with her chore unfazed, as men flooded the room to search it. ‘They left some time ago.’
Malory noticed the closed balcony doors and immediately moved to check beyond them. He spied two figures scaling the back wall of the courtyard. ‘Out here.’ He directed his men over the balcony in pursuit.
‘Why are you not back in France?’ Earnest demanded some answers from his brother. ‘And who are we running from?’
‘An old friend of yours is responsible on both counts.’ James led his brother down the back streets toward the rear of the English consulate. ‘Does the name Lord Malory ring any bells?’
‘Lord Malory is here!’ Earnest was shocked to a standstill. James ran back and grabbed his brother’s arm to drag him back to a sprint. ‘But I don’t understand…does he wish me harm?’ Had the Grand Master got wind of the fact that Mrs Devere had fled her marriage?
‘All I know is that he kidnapped Lady Devere and myself in order to get to you.’ James ducked into a courtyard and pulling Earnest inside, he closed the gate. ‘Lord Malory seems to think that your wife’s destiny is to destroy some creature that originated in the Sinai.’
‘Molier.’ Devere named the said creature under his breath.
