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Chapter 232: Epilogue
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The League of Rogues Chapter 233
BOOK EIGHT: The Last Wicked RoguePrologueLondon, December 1821The deafening crack of ice breaking was like a gunshot. It halted Charles Humphrey, the seventh Earl of Lonsdale, dead in his tracks. He'd been racing across the frozen Thames, twilight bleeding over the wintry landscape ahead of him, creating eerie shadows that led to the figure just beyond his reach."Stop!" Charles shouted. Pain and rage filled him to the point that nothing else existed within him. He was a beast driven with one purpose: to kill the man he pursued.His own brother.But the sound of breaking ice was all around him now, echoing across the Thames. The man ahead of him stopped, skidding briefly along the ice. Charles did the same, listening for another warning sound, but he could see no obvious cracks in the surface."Not another step, brother," the man warned, his voice firm and cold.The rage that had momentarily been pushed aside by the threat of breaking ice now came roaring back. His fingers c
The League of Rogues Chapter 234
Lily hurried up the steps to her small room. The drunken revelry of the gambling hell one floor below was now a distant roar. She slid her key into the lock, blinking rain out of her eyes as she continued to shiver. Her gown was soaked clear through and possibly ruined.This tiny room was her only true place of refuge, with its small wooden bed frame tucked away in one corner and a dusty brick fireplace in the opposite. It would be damp tonight, and she'd have to use all of her blankets to warm up after she removed her gown.Tonight had not gone as planned. So much had gone wrong, and she didn't want to think about it. She trudged over to the fireplace and retrieved the flint and kindling from a tin box on the dresser. Once a healthy flame was burning, she added a few logs until a steady blaze warmed the room. She rubbed her arms, desperate for warmth. Those brutes in the tunnel had ripped her cloak from her when they had grabbed her from Vauxhall Gardens.Of course, that had been e
The League of Rogues Chapter 235
Tom Linley.It was the name she'd assumed over a year ago when she'd been sent to Berkley's club to gain Charles's trust. The thin, scrappy lad known as Tom Linley did not exist; she was Lily Linley, daughter of a country gentleman and mother to a little girl she had to pretend was her baby sister. And she would protect that child at any cost, even if she had to destroy a good man to do so. She had no choice.As much as she wished she could refuse, she couldn't. Nor could she confess to Charles. He could not protect her, even if he wished to. He did not understand how much of his life and those of his friends Hugo had infiltrated. Even she did not know the full extent, just enough to realize there was no escape from him. She could not win his game; she could only hope to survive it.Lily sagged against the wall once Hugo had left. Her legs buckled, and she fell to her knees. A sob escaped her, and the torrent of emotions she'd been holding back tore through her like a raging fire. W
The League of Rogues Chapter 236
Charles finally settled into his own bed. Sleep came fitfully, plaguing him with dreams, dreams he feared would turn to nightmares. The past never let him go. It kept dragging him back under, over and over.The Pickerel pub was full of young men fresh from dinner after their classes. Charles, for the first time in weeks, had been able to have an ale with a classmate. Being so much younger, he'd found it hard to make friends.Peter Maltby, a student two years older than him, roomed across the hall in Magdalene College. Peter had seen Charles eating alone at dinner and had come over to invite him for a drink at the little pub just outside the college's gates. They had quickly become good friends, and the pub had become a ritual of sorts for them.Tonight, they'd bid good night to the elderly porter who manned the gates and settled themselves in a corner of the booth to drink and talk."Enjoying your lessons?" Peter asked, smiling broadly as he sipped his ale.Charles nodded. "I'm
The League of Rogues Chapter 237
"It's far too cold for croquet!" Emily St. Laurent, the Duchess of Essex, shouted at her husband. She curled a gloved hand over her swollen belly, which might hold the future heir to the Essex title, as she watched her husband, Godric, and his half brother, Jonathan St. Laurent, struggle to press the wickets into the hard ground of the small lawn in their back garden."Nonsense, darling," Godric grunted. "Just needs a bit of umph!" He slipped on the icy grass and landed on his backside. His brother burst out laughing but also lost his balance and fell down beside him. Emily covered her mouth to stifle a laugh."Lord, what a pair." A light voice came from beside her. Audrey, Jonathan's new bride, was grinning beside Emily. The two had been friends for more than a year, and now they had the pleasure of being sisters by marriage."It's so wonderful to see how much Jonathan has changed since he settled down with you," Emily said more softly. She'd seen the young man suffer in silence as
The League of Rogues Chapter 238
Something was afoot.Charles took his turn at the billiard table, aiming and taking a shot. All of his friends were in the room with him, happy, laughing about something he couldn't begin to understandmarried life. The rift was there, a widening gap between him and the rest of the League that made his stomach knot. How had it all happened so quickly? In the span of a year, he'd been cast out of their world as they all one by one settled down.And they can't even see itHe tried to banish the wave of despair sweeping through him before he spoke. "What's Em up to, eh?" he asked Godric.Godric leaned against his cue stick. "Em? Nothing, so far as I know. Why?""She called on my lad Linley, and I wish to know why. Are you in need of a new valet?"Godric snorted. "Certainly not. Jeremy does excellent work. Besides, I wouldn't dare take your friend away, not when it's clear he worships you."Charles chuckled. "He doesn't worship me."Godric and Cedric shared a look between them that
The League of Rogues Chapter 239
Lily crept into the servants' quarters and found Katherine sitting on Davis's lap. He was letting the baby play with a bit of blue ribbon, which she clearly found fascinating.Lily smiled at the young man as she took her daughter from him. "Thank you, Davis.""Anytime, Tom. I know his lordship keeps you busy, and I don't mind looking after her when time allows. After I lost Mary, it was damned hard to care for Oliver on my own. I don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been for Mrs. Farrow and the rest of the staff. We must help each other, right?" Davis tapped Katherine's nose with the tip of his finger. She squealed and clapped her chubby hands together. Davis laughed. Kat rested one of her hands on Davis's wooden hand, unbothered by the strangeness of it."You know I'm always happy to look after Oliver when time allows," said Lily."Thank you, the wee lad runs circles around Mrs. Farrow now that he's older." Davis winced as he moved his wooden hand. His wrist often ached
The League of Rogues Chapter 240
Sir Hugo Waverly stood in the shadows of the gambling hell known as the Cockerel. His gaze roved over the mixture of peers and lower-class men gambling and whoring. Rumors of an underground boxing ring run by smugglers had surfaced earlier that morning, and Hugo wanted answers.Smugglers were a fact of life, and one that he usually did not concern himself with, but this was different. What little was left of Samir Al Zahrani's slave trade had found new leadership and was said to be seeking out new recruits. It was important to sort them out before they found a toehold on the docks.He'd given Lily the mission of discovering more about them, offering herself up as bait. His little pet had mentioned being dragged down to Lewis Street as a prize for fighters, but Hugo suspected the ultimate destination would have been a cargo ship headed for parts unknown. She'd failed to learn more, thanks to Lonsdale, but thinking over the Lewis Street situation did give him an idea."Sir?" Daniel Sh
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