CHAPTER
Twenty-Three
Gabriella set aside the notes about potential buildings she and Eunice had looked over that day that might be appropriate to use as a new location for the agency and rose to her feet. She turned off the light in the parlor and made her way carefully up the stairs, not wanting to turn on the lights to guide her way because the hour was late and the other residents were already sleeping—except for Daphne, of course.
The faintest sound of a typewriter came to Gabriella as she climbed the stairs. Daphne had finally broken through the difficulties she’d been experiencing with her latest novel, and she was now typing away furiously in order to meet a deadline she kept claiming was going to be the death of her.
A nudge from Precious drew Gabriella’s attention when she reached the landing of the third floor, where her bedchamber was located. That the nudge was then followed by a growl had the hair on Gabriella’s arms standing up.
“What is it, girl?” she whispered.
Precious growled again as the sound of quiet footsteps walking around Gabriella’s room drifted through a door that was closed. Since Gabriella distinctly remembered leaving her door open—as Precious enjoyed taking naps on Gabriella’s bed—it was clear someone else had closed the door. Someone who was evidently up to no good.
Reaching out and touching a table that sat in the hallway, while wishing she’d turned on at least one light, Gabriella felt around until her hand wrapped around a bronze statue that always sat on the table. She grasped it firmly in her hand and edged closer to her door, leaning her ear against it, the sound of rustling lending credence to the notion that someone was in her room.
“On the count of three,” she whispered to Precious. “One . . .” She turned the doorknob and slowly began opening the door. “Two . . .”
Precious jumped through the door in a single bound, barking and snarling at whomever she’d found in the room. Gabriella charged after her, the odd thought springing to mind that Precious, quite like Nicholas, was a bit confused on how the whole one-two-three business worked.
Yelps sounded from the opposite side of the room, but not yelps emitted from Precious, because she was now barking like mad, throwing in a snarl every now and then.
Fumbling for the light switch, Gabriella stilled when light flooded the room and her attention settled on two children cowering against the wall, looking completely terrified as Precious snapped her jaws at them.
“Precious, enough,” Gabriella demanded, which had Precious plopping down on her haunches, her eyes trained on the two children, who, upon closer inspection, turned out to be filthy and looked as if they’d not eaten a good meal in some time.
For a moment, Gabriella could only stare at the children, the mere sight of them leaving her feeling quite as if she’d been thrown back in time, looking at an image of herself and Nicholas. One of the children, even though dressed in tattered pants and jacket, was not a boy at all, and her companion, who looked to be a year or two older, was trying to shield the girl with his thin body, his chin defiantly raised as he looked at Precious, then at Gabriella, then back to Precious, clearly trying to find some avenue of escape.
Her heart gave a lurch as she set aside the statue and took a single step forward. “I’m not going to harm you,” she began quietly. “But I am going to insist you explain what you’re doing in my room.”
Before either of the children could respond, women dressed in a wide assortment of nightclothes started pouring into Gabriella’s bedchamber, Eunice having taken the time to throw a veil over her head.
“What in the world is going on?” Eunice demanded, coming to a stop when she caught sight of the children. She shoved up the veil and peered at them before she looked to Gabriella. “Do you know these children?”
“I’ve never seen them before in my life.”
“What do you imagine they’re doing here?”
“I’d like to know that as well,” Nicholas said from behind Gabriella.
Turning, she watched as Nicholas, who was in the company of Agent Clifton and Phillip, advanced into the room.
“I seem to have some unexpected company,” she said, frowning when she realized the children were edging their way for the window. “I believe they’re contemplating an escape, but we are three stories up, which means . . .” She nodded to Agent Clifton, who immediately strode to stand in front of the window, right as Daphne came stomping into the room, looking quite mad, her hair straggling every which way, her dressing gown inside out, and her slippers mismatched.
“Is it too much to ask everyone to keep it down when I’ve made it well known I’m on a tight deadline?” Daphne demanded. “I’m in the midst of a most challenging chapter and—” She stopped talking, as well as stopped stomping, and glanced around the room. “Good heavens. Has something happened?”
“I found some visitors in my room,” Gabriella said with a nod toward the children.
Daphne’s gaze glanced over the children but then settled on Agent Clifton. “These must be some visitors if they’ve drawn a Pinkerton man here.”
Agent Clifton inclined his head. “Miss Beekman. Lovely to see you again.”
Daphne gave an absent-minded pat to her hair. “It’s always lovely to see you as well, Agent Clifton. As luck would have it, I was going to send you a note tomorrow because I have additional questions about procedures, but now I’ll be able to ask those questions sooner than later.”
“You asked me at least a hundred questions just the other day.”
“I have a very curious mind.”
Gabriella rolled her eyes. “Yes, well, your curiosity, Daphne, is going to have to wait because the first order of business is to discover what these children are doing here. The second order of business is to learn why Nicholas has brought Agent Clifton and Phillip here at such a late hour.”
“Phillip’s with me because he sought me out after hearing some disturbing gossip,” Nicholas began. “But I’m not sure why Agent Clifton is here. He didn’t come with me. I ran into him as I was coming up the sidewalk.”
“I’m here to ask a few questions of my own,” Agent Clifton said.
“It couldn’t wait until morning?” Eunice asked, pulling the veil back over her face and crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’m afraid not,” Agent Clifton said. “But because it appears I’ve stumbled upon something curious, what say we put my questions aside until someone explains what’s going on with these children?”
Gabriella returned her attention to the children, who were now whispering to each other, the whispers coming to a rapid end when the boy turned to Gabriella and smiled a cocky smile.
It was the same type of smile Nicholas had often smiled when they’d been caught in a compromising situation.
The boy fished a hand into the pocket of his jacket and began withdrawing jewels from it—sparkling diamonds mixed with sapphires, to be exact. He set the jewels on a chair, stepping back and gesturing to them.
“Me and, ah, Henry, are only here on her orders,” he said, jerking his head toward Gabriella. “We was to bring these jewels to her and that’s what we’re doing. She must’ve forgot to tell her dog we was expected cuz it started makin’ a ruckus when it found us.”
Gabriella moved in front of the boy, feeling the most unusual urge to smile. “And while that’s a very clever explanation, you know I didn’t hire you to steal anything, which means the two of you stole those jewels.”
The boy shot a look to the girl he’d called Henry, who squared her slim shoulders and moved to join him, defiance in her eyes as she glared at Gabriella. “We didn’t steal nothin’. Charlie’s confused since we just had the daylight scared outta us.” She lifted her chin. “You stole them jewels and had us watch over them for you until you felt the coast was clear. That’s when you sent us that note, orderin’ us to deliver them to you. We know better than to refuse an order from you, with you being the Knickerbocker Bandit and all.”
Vehement denials immediately burst forth from every woman crowded into the room, save for Daphne, who was scribbling away on her notepad, the unusual turn of events they were currently experiencing evidently too irresistible for her to ignore.
“Gabriella is most assuredly not the Knickerbocker Bandit,” Eunice proclaimed loudly.
“Then how come we’re here to turn over the Linwood jewels that everyone knows the Knickerbocker Bandit just done stole?” the girl shot back.
Impressed in spite of herself over the unmitigated nerve the girl was exhibiting, especially given the daunting situation, Gabriella shook her head and moved to stand next to Daphne. “May I use your notepad for a moment?”
Daphne continued scribbling away for a good few seconds before she lifted her head. “Now’s not a really good time. I’ve just had another thought.”
Gabriella arched a brow. “I’m sure that thought can wait. If you’ve neglected to realize, I’m being accused of being the Knickerbocker Bandit. I’m fairly certain my need for your notepad is greater than your need to write down another thought.”
“Not if I lose that thought in the end,” Daphne muttered even as she handed her notepad and pencil over to Gabriella.
Gabriella flipped to an empty page, wrote out a sentence, then walked over to the girl and handed the notepad to her. “You claimed that I sent you a note with specific orders. If you’d be so kind, would you read what I’ve just written down?”
The little girl, who couldn’t be more than ten, squinted at the page before she handed the notepad to the boy. “What do you think it’s sayin’, Charlie?”
Charlie peered at the writing. “Well, that looks like maybe . . . you . . . right there at the start, and . . .”
“It’s difficult to say for certain, though, isn’t it?” Gabriella said softly. “Especially when I doubt either of you can read.”
Charlie shot her a glare. “We ain’t dumb.”
“I never said you were dumb, but when one isn’t presented with an opportunity to attend school, and if one doesn’t live with anyone who knows how to read and is willing to teach them, it’s a difficult skill to acquire. I should know. I was in your very shoes when I was about your age.”
“You didn’t know how to read?” the girl asked.
“Not well, and I used to dress like you, trying to hide the fact I was a girl.”
The little girl’s eyes grew enormous. “I ain’t no girl.”
“You are, and I would imagine your name is Henrietta, which you’ve shortened to Henry.” The girl flinched, suggesting she was right about the name. “However, none of that matters right now. What does matter is who sent you to frame me for a theft I didn’t commit.”
When Charlie and Henrietta immediately turned mute, Agent Clifton stepped forward.
“Perhaps I should take it from here,” he said.
Glancing back to the children, who were looking rather seditious, Gabriella shook her head. “You’re welcome to try, but I doubt you’ll have any success since they clearly don’t trust us.”
“You’re probably right,” Agent Clifton agreed. “Perhaps while we wait for them to realize it’ll be in their best interest to cooperate, I should explain why I’m here.” He caught Gabriella’s eye. “Numerous society members have come forward with their suspicions regarding the missing Linwood jewels. Your name has been mentioned as a possible suspect a concerning number of times. Given the attention the Knickerbocker Bandit has drawn throughout the city, my supervisor asked me to pay you a visit, even at this late hour, to question you about your whereabouts last night.”
“She was at the Linwood ball, and then left with me,” Nicholas said, moving closer to Gabriella.
“But I heard from several individuals that you were having a chat with Mrs. Allen right before you left. Where was she then?” Agent Clifton asked.
“I was waiting for Nicholas in the carriage.” Gabriella nodded to Daphne. “Daphne was with me.”
Daphne looked up from her notes. “I was with her, and because I kept my spectacles on all night, I could clearly see that she never left the carriage.” She looked down at the children. “Since those two had possession of the jewels, I imagine they know exactly who the Knickerbocker Bandit is.”
“We ain’t no snitches,” Charlie said.
“But you must be incredibly stealthy,” Gabriella said, moving closer to the children. “You somehow managed to gain access to my room even though many residents of this boardinghouse are at home tonight. I’m curious how you were able to figure out which room was mine.”
“Snuck in here earlier and scouted it out, then came in through the back door after most of the lights were out,” Henrietta said, wincing when Charlie sent her a telling look.
Eunice shook a veil-covered head. “I locked the back door myself before I turned in for the night, because Ivan and Ann are out doing some surveillance work and aren’t expected back until late.”
“It sure enough was locked but didn’t take me more than a minute or two to pick it,” Henrietta said, earning another look from Charlie in the process.
“Seems as if I’ll be investing in a new lock come morning,” Eunice said before she returned her full attention to Henrietta. “Tell me this, though, child, how did you know Gabriella’s room was safe for the two of you to enter? Weren’t you concerned she’d repaired to bed?”
Henrietta frowned. “I told you, we snuck in earlier, and that’s when we heard Gabriella tell you that she wanted to work on her notes for at least another hour.”
Taking a single step toward Henrietta, who was rapidly proving herself to be the chattier of the two, Gabriella tilted her head. “Could it have possibly been Humphrey Rookwood who sent you?”
Uncertainty flickered through Henrietta’s eyes before she exchanged a look with Charlie, looked back at Gabriella, smiled a rather strained smile, and then nodded.
The smile suggested the little girl was certainly not telling the truth.
Gabriella turned to Nicholas. “Seems as if we might need to move up our visit to Rookwood because if anyone has answers, it’ll be him.”
“You can’t visit Rookwood,” Henrietta said before Nicholas had a chance to respond. “If he learns we’ve been snatched up, he’ll beat us for sure once we get back to Five Points.”
“And that is how I know without a doubt that Rookwood isn’t the one who sent you here,” Gabriella said. “Though I haven’t seen him in a long time, I know Rookwood would never harm a child in his care, although I doubt the same can be said for whomever sent you.” She looked back to Nicholas. “We should leave now. The sooner we find Rookwood, the sooner we’ll discover if he has any thoughts about the Knickerbocker Bandit or, better yet, who might be trying to frame me.”
“It’s almost eleven.”
“And Rookwood will certainly be available because he never repaired to bed until the wee hours of the morning.”
Agent Clifton stepped forward. “I hope you’ll be agreeable to my accompanying the two of you to Five Points. I’d be interested in what Rookwood has to say, while also willing to lend my skills with a pistol if you run into any difficulties.”
As Gabriella sent the Pinkerton a smile, Charlie took hold of Henrietta’s hand and lifted his chin. “You plannin’ on taking us with you too?”
Gabriella considered the children for a long moment. “No, you’re going to stay here,” she finally said.
“You can’t keep us here,” Charlie sputtered. “You’ll get us killed for sure and might even get yourself killed once the boss finds out you’re holdin’ us hostage.”
“He sure enough will strike back if you don’t let me and Charlie go, and he ain’t one to cross,” Henrietta added before she shuddered. “It ain’t gonna be pretty for us when he finds out we failed tonight.”
“Which is why you’re not going back to him,” Gabriella said before she turned to Eunice. “Will you watch over them while Nicholas and I are gone? Keep them safe in case whomever sent them shows up?”
“Of course I will.”
“I’ll watch over them as well,” Phillip said, moving to join Gabriella from where he’d been standing against the wall. “Eunice mentioned that Ivan’s gone out tonight, so I’ll stay until he returns in case there’s more danger ahead for this house.”
Eunice gestured to Alma, who was in her nightclothes but somehow still seemed to have a dusting of flour on her face. “We’ll need the guns—all of them.”
“We have guns?” Daphne breathed.
“Indeed,” Eunice said as Alma left the room, taking most of the ladies with her, which suggested there were many guns to be fetched.
“What do you think we should do with the Linwood jewels?” Gabriella asked.
“Leave them to me,” Daphne said. “I’ll take them to the attic and put them in my safe.” She walked over to the chair and scooped them up. She then settled her attention on Precious. “Come on, girl. You can help me stand guard tonight.”
Precious pranced to Daphne’s side, and together they left the room, Precious’s topknot bobbing with every step she took.
“You ain’t really plannin’ on making us stay here, are you?” Henrietta asked, drawing Gabriella’s attention.
She moved closer to the little girl and knelt down beside her. “You’re obviously terrified of whomever sent you here tonight. That suggests this person is capable of meting out punishments for the slightest infraction. And you did fail with your task, which means you’re in danger of suffering some type of punishment.”
“But even if we was to stay here tonight, he’ll find us. He always does.”
“He won’t,” Gabriella said firmly. “I’m quite clever when I set my mind to it, and I promise you that I’ll figure out a way to keep you safe from this man forever.”
Henrietta’s eyes widened. “You’re plannin’ on keeping us forever?”
“I’m planning on offering you a chance at a better life.” She nodded to Eunice. “You’ll see to it that they’re fed?”
“I will.” Eunice turned to the children. “Alma made chicken and dumplings for dinner tonight. I know there’s some left over in the icebox. Pie too.”
“Pie?” Charlie breathed.
“Pie,” Eunice repeated. “But you’ll only get that pie if you behave, so . . .”
“We’ll behave . . . for now.”
Eunice laughed. “I do so love a challenge.” With that, she motioned the children forward and left the room, Phillip beside her.
Telling Nicholas and Agent Clifton she’d join them after she changed, Gabriella waited until the two men left the room, then walked to her wardrobe. Anticipation began humming through her at the thought of speaking with Rookwood again, and not only because he might have answers regarding the Knickerbocker Bandit. She could feel it in her bones that he knew something about her past, and it was high time she learned exactly what that something was.