A familiar rush of heat and icy cold flooded through Neil at Billy’s words. Some men called the feeling battle lust. Neil had never liked to think of himself as a man susceptible to lust.
But at the moment, he wanted nothing more than to slit Slag’s throat from ear to ear. He had no weapon, but then he’d honed his fighting skills until his body and brain had become the weapon.
“Lady Juliana?” Neil barked. He must take control of the situation. He must assess it from every angle.
“She’s safe. I came to you as soon as I could get away.”
“What is Slag planning?”
Billy lifted his shoulder. “I don’t know, but it will be bad.”
Neil did not need to be told as much. Slag would want revenge for the loss of the Ox and Bull and the loss of his position as the crime lord of Spitalfields. He’d have to make an example of Juliana if he wanted to earn back the respect and fear he’d lost.
“Porter!” Neil called, knowing the Master of the House waited nearby. “Flag a hack for me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Could you use my help?”
Neil would have recognized Rafe’s slow drawl anywhere. He turned to see his friend leaning negligently in the club’s doorway. “You might wrinkle your cravat.”
Rafe sighed heavily. “Such is the burden I bear.” He pushed away from the door. “I had better come with you despite the danger to my wardrobe. God knows you always forget to watch your back.”
“You sure you’re ready?” Neil asked, climbing into the hackney that stopped before them.
“I have my dancing shoes on.” Rafe clapped him on the shoulder and took a seat beside him. “I rather fancy a dance with the devil.”
This time Neil would make certain Slag was nothing but a pile of bones. If anything had happened to Juliana… If Slag had dared to touch her…
Neil didn’t know how he would go on, knowing he’d left her alone and defenseless. What had he been thinking? He’d been so concerned with his own pride, with his fears that he could never be worthy of her, that he’d put her in danger.
Why hadn’t he listened when she told him she loved him despite his bastardy? Why didn’t he understand that he had the family he’d always wanted right there? A family was stronger together than apart. Together, they’d repaired the orphanage and restored order to the lives of a dozen boys. Together, they’d taken a troubled boy like Billy and taught him to trust them. Together, they had taken down one of the most notorious crime lords in London.
Together, they could do anything.
He had to reach her before it was too late—too late for her and then too late for himself.
*
Julia took a deep breath. She could not panic. She had to move the boys safely down the stairs and out of the burning building.
“No pushing,” Mrs. Dunwitty instructed. “Count them when they reach you, Mrs. Koch.”
Mrs. Koch nodded and coughed into her sleeve. The black smoke pouring into the vestibule made it difficult to breathe or see. Her eyes watered and stung, but she would be free soon enough. As soon as Mrs. Koch had sounded the alarm, Juliana had wanted to send the boys down the servants’ stairs and out the kitchen door. But Mrs. Koch had seen her moving the boys that way and yelled, “No! No! The fire is in the servants’ quarters and the kitchen. Ve must go out this vay!” She’d pointed to the front door.
Juliana hadn’t liked that idea. Who knew what, or whom, might be waiting for them right outside the door, but she had little choice if the servants’ exit was consumed by fire. She wasn’t quite ready to blame this all on Slag, as Walter had done. Fires often began in the kitchen, and the kitchen was close to the servants’ quarters. But if Slag was alive and behind the fire, then this might all be a trap.
And very likely, he or his men would be waiting for them outside the door.
“Robbie. Walter.” Julia grabbed the boys’ hands and stalled them as the remaining children continued down the steps with Mrs. Dunwitty shepherding them. “If Slag is behind this, then we don’t know what to expect once we step outside. Be ready, yes?”
“Yes, my lady.”
The look of gravity on the boys’ faces made her heart clench. She didn’t want to give them this responsibility. She wanted them tucked in their beds and fast asleep. She wanted her heart to stop pounding and the fear of losing her boys to disappear. But she couldn’t think of that now. She had to act, not think.
Mrs. Dunwitty stood at the bottom of the steps. “I think we’re missing someone.”
Julia’s heart rose in her throat. She counted all the boys again. “Eleven. Yes, we’re missing someone.”
“Billy went after Slag,” Walter reminded her.
Billy. Why hadn’t he come to her with his worries? Why had he tried to take Slag on himself? Brave, brave boy. She wished she could hug him and tell him she was the one who was supposed to take care of him.
“Mrs. Koch and I will lead the boys out. Mrs. Dunwitty, you follow.” She had meant to say more, but she started coughing again. She had to escape before it was too late. Julia unlocked the door, took a deep breath, and opened it. Men and women had gathered out front, but they were gaping at the building, not lying in wait. Still, she would have to be vigilant.
She stepped outside, pulling Chester and James with her. Next came Walter, his eyes scanning the crowds. He was followed by Angus, Sean, and George. Julia led the boys away from the building and into the shadow of the shop across the street.
“Are you hurt, miss?” a man asked.
“No, I—”
Chester gasped, and Julia turned to see what the matter was. Chester pointed at the orphanage, and Julia gasped. Flames, bright red and orange, shot from the kitchen and into the dark sky. “Oh dear God,” she whispered.
“I want my mama,” Jimmy said, pulling at her skirts. Julia lifted him and hugged him.
“Shh. I have you. You’re safe.”
“I’m scared,” Chester wailed.
Julia lifted him too, hugging both boys tightly. Ralph and Michael pressed close, Robbie keeping vigil beside Mrs. Koch.
“Julia!” Mrs. Dunwitty said, rushing toward her.
“Is everyone out safe?” Julia asked.
Mrs. Dunwitty shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. “The little one, Charlie. He was right in front of me, and he wanted to go back for those rodents.”
“Oh no!” How could she have forgotten the rats?
“Matthew, Mark, and Luke!” Chester cried.
“I told him to forget them, but as soon as we reached the door, he pulled away from my hand and ran back inside. I tried to go after him—”
Julia shook her head. Mrs. Dunwitty could barely climb the stairs. She couldn’t be expected to go back inside a burning building. She handed Chester to Mrs. Koch and Jimmy to Robbie. “I’ll go back for him.”
“I’ll come with you,” Robbie protested.
“No! You will stay right here and keep the other boys safe. I am counting on you, Robbie. Promise me.”
He nodded. “I promise.”
Julia looked at her friend and former governess. “I’ll be right back.”
“I wish you wouldn’t go.” Tears streamed down the older lady’s face.
“I can’t lose him. I’d rather die than lose him.”
“I know. Come back to me. To us.”
“I will!” Julia called as she rushed back into the burning orphanage.
*
Neil jumped from the hackney even before it had come to a stop. He’d seen the flames shooting from the orphanage from a half-mile away. From that moment on, Rafe had to physically restrain Neil to keep him in the hackney.
“It will take longer on foot,” Rafe had argued when Neil tried to throw him off. Billy hadn’t moved. He’d sat still as a statue, his face as white as marble.
And when the hackney slowed, Neil hadn’t given Rafe a chance to hold him back. He’d sprung from the conveyance like a cat, sprinting with all he had for the burning building.