“We have more at stake than they do,” Oliver finished.
“So, they’ve got us by the jugular?” Helgate said with a deep scowl.
“No, we still have the ledger.”
“They must want it badly,” Louisa murmured. “We haven’t even had time to copy its pages.”
“Oh, I copied it last night,” Helgate announced, his brows smoothing to make way for a grin.
“You did?” Louisa exclaimed. “When? How?”
Oliver arched a brow at his friend.
Helgate shrugged. “Your brother has atrocious sleeping habits, and rather than spend the night being kicked in places I’d rather not, I copied the pages. It’s rough, but it’s there.”
Some of the tension left Oliver when he glimpsed the smile Helgate’s news brought to Louisa’s face. He could hug his friend. He glanced back at Helgate. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Honestly, it slipped my mind.”
He stared at his friend blankly. It slipped hismind? Do things with such importance as this slip people’s minds? A certain betting book and a woman in a white night rail suddenlycame to mind. Very well, such things could happen, but they shouldn’t happen to a man such as Helgate.
“What?” Helgate muttered sheepishly. “You didn’t seem to worry much about the ledger, which is why it must have buried itself beneath other matters.”
“Well, they seem to be worrying about it,” Louisa said flatly. “I have half a mind to swap it out with a fake one and hand them that.”
Oliver thought about that. “As much as I adore that idea, the risk is too high.”
“A pity,” Louisa murmured.
Oliver nodded. “Unfortunately.”
“It’s rather interesting that they know about this ledger in the first place,” Helgate said, his head falling back against the seat. “The Fury network runs deep, it seems. My fingers are itching to untangle it.”
“It might not be as deep as you imagine,” Louisa said. “You weren’t there at the Havendish masked ball. They are extravagant people. I wouldn’t be surprised if they let slip about their dealings to others.”
“I agree.” Oliver thought about the octopus. “They aren’t the most subtle.”
“You mean to say the organization is ripe for the picking,” Helgate murmured thoughtfully.
Oliver nodded.
“What do you mean?” Louisa looked at him.
Oliver got caught in her vivid eyes for a moment before he answered, “Overconfidence is the number one reason criminals get caught.”
“Ah, so they believe they have become untouchable,” she murmured. “The Furys believe they are untouchable, too.”
“Hah!” Helgate barked. “A symphony to my ears.”
Oliver ignored him, and met Louisa’s gaze. “Yes, but there is an important difference between them and the organization the women run. The Furys’ confidence is steeped in calculation and caution.”
She nodded thoughtfully.
Helgate rubbed a bruise on his face. “The women’s hold on power started slipping when they started their antics in London. Turkish trousers come to mind.” He leaned forward to grasp Louisa’s hands. “That aside, your brother will not be harmed. Those bastards might be tough, but they are smart. Safe and well, your brother is of use to them. The moment they harm him they start a war—and they know that.”
Oliver scowled at Helgate, then at the man’s hands. “What are you doing?”
Helgate flicked a glance at him. “Comforting a lady.”
