Strange to have a man in her life she could trust and rely on. She’d always relied on her father, but he’d been gone threeyears now, and she was used to relying on herself. She shouldn’t allow herself to get too used to not relying on herself, but she had slipped a little last night. She’d wanted the comfort of another person and—she could admit it—had wanted King. She was flesh and blood, after all. How long could she really resist that pretty face and that lovely body?
The experience had been more than she could have expected. She should have known that he would be skilled in bed. What else did he have to do with his time but seduce women and practice bed sport? But she hadn’t expected him to be so…generous. No man she’d been with before—and there had only been a handful—ever cared so much for her pleasure. King had put her first and made her feel…
Well, she’d never felt like that before.
And then, at the end, she hadn’t even had to ask him not to spill his seed inside her. He’d pulled out at the last moment, protecting her from pregnancy. She hadn’t thought a man like him would care about something like that, but King was constantly surprising her.
So, yes, she did trust him. More than she trusted most men, and that was saying something.
Upstairs, something metal clanged and she heard Georgie call out that he was sorry, and King’s deep voice give some answer. Violet looked back at her ledgers and began tallying another column. It seemed that Peggy should have been here by now. If the maid did not arrive soon, Violet would start readying the tavern to open.
A faint knock on the door made her glance up. Then she jumped down and went to the Judas hole, opening it and looking out. No one was there. Violet would have closed it again, except she heard a sound and caught the flash of something on the ground, leaning against the door.
“Oh, no!” Fingers fumbling, she lifted the heavy crossbar, let it drop, and pulled the door open. Peggy fell inside, her body lifeless. “King!” Violet called. “Joshua!” She turned Peggy onto her back and gasped as she glimpsed the girl’s battered face. Blood ran down her nose, and both eyes were swollen shut. Her dress was torn at the throat, and Violet made out a letter W. She could hear the sounds of footsteps racing toward her as she parted the torn fabric, exposing Peggy’s chest.
Written in mud were the wordsYOU BEEN WARNED
“What happened?” King demanded as he burst into the room.
Violet covered Peggy again quickly. “She’s been beaten.” She forced her voice to sound calm. “King, help me move her. Joshua, you close the door and bar it again.”
King bent over Peggy’s body and moved her feet. Together they lifted her and brought her to the back room. Violet looked over her shoulder to be certain they were alone, then uncovered Peggy’s chest again.
“A message from Ferryman?” King said, voice low.
“Who else would have done this?”
“Vi?” It was Georgie calling down from the top of the stairs.
Violet covered Peggy again. She didn’t want the boys to see the writing. “Fetch me water and some linen,” she told Georgie. “Be quick, but don’t spill it.”
“Yes, Vi!”
“I knew he’d retaliate,” she said, “but I didn’t think he’d go after Peggy. This isn’t her fault.”
“No, it’s not.”
She looked up at King and saw his hands were clenched. Was it possible he was as upset as she? No, he was not upset. He was angry. Violet just hoped he was not so angry that he did something rash.
“I must go pay him. If I go now, maybe this will be the end of it.”
“No!” Joshua said. He’d just come into the back room. “You know it won’t end here, Vi. It will never end.”
She rounded on him. “Then what do you want me to do? Allow Ferryman to beat us all bloody? What if this was you or Georgie?” She pointed to Peggy. “How could I ever forgive myself?” To her shock, her voice trembled, and a tear slid out from her eye. She swiped at it angrily. She was not about to cry. She was no weakling.
But then King took her shoulders and pulled her against him. Violet tried to fight, but once her cheek rested against his chest, and she felt the warmth of him and smelled the wool and bergamot tea scent trapped in his clothing, she couldn’t stop the tears. And then she felt so ashamed, she buried her face in his chest.
“Ferryman won’t touch another member of this family,” he said. Violet knew it was the sort of promise he couldn’t ever keep, but his words calmed her nonetheless. “Georgie, you know what we need to be ready. I need you to keep working on that while I have a talk with Joshua.”
“Yes, Pa. Is Vi all right?”
“She’s fine. She just needs a hug.”
“Oh. Should I clean Peggy’s face?”
“I’ll do it,” Violet said, voice muffled. She sniffed and quashed her tears. She had to get a hold of herself. She pulled back and wiped her cheeks. “I’m fine. See?” She gave Georgie then Joshua a watery smile. Neither boy looked convinced. “What is it you need to discuss with Joshua?”
King hesitated then seemed to come to a decision. He reached over and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “The boys and I are preparing for battle here.”
