You have until tomorrow night to figure something out, she counseled herself. For now, concentrate on the mission.
They were almost at the banqueting hall, a long building with two levels of supper boxes, arched windows framing the diners enjoying their half-crown supper.
Glory drew to a halt. “Over there, by the wine stall,” she whispered.
Livy shifted her gaze to the bustling stall some fifteen yards away. A queue of guests waited to sample what the stall’s sign boasted was “Cremorne’s World-Famous Sherry.” She saw Longmere immediately. Accompanied by his four cronies, he cut a dashing figure in an oxblood-red jacket. As she watched, an urchin approached the group. If she hadn’t been vigilant, she would have missed the boy slipping something—a piece of paper—to Mr. Thorne before vanishing into the crowd.
Thorne scanned the note, whispering something to his companions.
“I need to improve my lip-reading,” Glory said under her breath. “I cannot tell what he’s saying other than something about a fountain.”
“They’re moving,” Fi replied. “We must follow.”
The three wound their way through the crowd, using the sea of people as their cover while they followed the men. They ended up on the arterial walk that traversed the gardens north and south. Stalls selling food and trinkets lined the graveled path, and a glowing fountain splashed up ahead.
Smaller paths branched off from the main route, and as Livy glanced at the openings to those dark veins, a shiver chased over her skin. Cremorne was infamous for its labyrinthine “lovers walks,” used by trysting couples and those seeking paid pleasure.
As they neared the fountain, the throng thinned, and it was harder to tail the targets discreetly. The men paused at the fountain, and Livy pulled her friends behind an unoccupied stall.
“We should split up to surveil Longmere,” she whispered. “We’re too easy to spot as a group.”
Fi nodded. “We’ll meet up at the banqueting hall as planned.”
As Livy was about to reply, she felt a familiar tingling sensation. She peered around the corner of the stall…and her heart banged against her breastbone at the sight of the tall, masked figure who’d emerged by the fountain.
She whipped back around. “Zounds. Hadleigh’s here.”
“Hadleigh?” Glory’s brow puckered. “Are you sure—”
“It’s him by the fountain. Dash it, he always sees through my disguises,” Livy said in a panic.
She was lucky to have muddled her way through an explanation about the Black Lion; there was no way Hadleigh would accept her presence here tonight. If he found out, he would end things between them. Every fiber of her being resisted the possibility.
I cannot lose him, she thought desperately.
“Leave Longmere to Glory and me,” Fi said. “Focus your energies on evading the duke.”
Livy nodded. “You will take care?”
“Of course,” Glory said.
Livy leaned in, her friends doing the same.
“Sisters first will see us through,” they whispered together.
One by one, Glory and Fiona returned to the main walk, blending with the passersby as they headed after Longmere. Counting to ten, Livy left her hiding place, going in the opposite direction. She did not dare to look back at the fountain and tried to keep her pace brisk without raising suspicion. As she melted into the stream of people, a feather of warning brushed her nape.
She paused at a flower stall, pretending to examine the offerings as she covertly glanced behind her. Her gaze collided with Hadleigh’s. Through the eyeholes in his ebony mask, recognition flashed like lightning, jolting her into action. She half-walked, half-ran, trying to put distance between them. She passed a theatre, and luckily a show must have just ended for the audience flooded the walk. Livy took refuge in the swarm. Spotting a wooded offshoot up ahead, she let the crowd carry her there and then ducked into the opening.
She dashed down the narrow path, moonlight filtering through the ancient trees. Thumping filled her ears; she didn’t know if it was footsteps chasing her or the cadence of her own panic. She ran into the twisting maze toward a source of light. Rounding a corner, she halted: bathed in a lantern’s glow, a couple was rutting against a hedge. The woman’s exposed breasts jiggled in her unlaced bodice, her skirts bunched at her waist. A man stood between her legs, his trousers down, and he was pumping his member in and out of her.
They both paused to stare at Livy. The man’s assessing glance made Livy’s skin crawl.
“Care to join us, dove?” He withdrew from his partner, brandishing his glistening member with a leer. “Plenty to go around.”
Cheeks aflame, Livy ran on, the couple’s laughter ringing behind her. The deeper she delved into the maze, the more distant the sounds of the pleasure garden became. The creaking and swaying of the ancient forest created its own music, and she found herself running to the primal beat. A strange exhilaration filled her: she would escape and find a way out of this catastrophe…
She skidded to a stop. Her path had turned into a nook bordered by tall hedges. There was a stone bench…and no exit. Dash it, a dead end. Turning to leave, she gasped as a large, cloaked figure emerged, blocking her way out. She took a step back as Hadleigh advanced toward her; he’d removed his mask, moonlight casting his features in icy silver.
“I-I can explain,” she stammered.
He stalked her, his voice a low growl. “No more lies, Olivia.”
Uh-oh. He never calls me Olivia unless he’s furious. I’m in for it now.
Her spine hit the hedges. He planted his hands on either side of her head. He leaned his face into hers, so close that she could see the flames raging in his eyes.
In a lethally soft voice, he said, “What in blazes are you up to?”
As Ben stared into the face of the woman he thought he knew, a dark undertow threatened to suck him under. It wasn’t the first time he’d been betrayed, not by a long shot, but the impact
