Elizabeth Drake

Chapter Two

“Here...” Ryan dropped a fistful of money onto the desk. The cuts on his knuckles proved that he had to work for the payment.

“Is that all it?” Vincent asked as he sat forward in his chair and flipped through the money.

Running his hand along the back of his neck, Ryan answered, “I caught him hiding half of it. He gave some sob story about his daughter getting married.” Vincent smiled and looked up.

“Then he should take out another loan.” A devious smile inched across Ryan’s face as he walked over to the window. Vincent picked up a large portion of the cash and handed it over. “I need you to see Abram Cunning. He has not made his payment yet, and I am getting impatient.”

“That is strange. You are not the impatient kind.” Ryan turned away from the window toward the main room of the bank. A short and horribly scarred man walked into the building and headed up to one of the clerks. Although his face took Ryan’s attention for a second, he was quickly forgotten.

“Apparently, he was seen at the Brag table last night. If he has money to gamble with, he should have no problem making his payments.” Vincent stood up and walked around the desk. The cherry wood of the office gave it a deep maroon hue. Even the floorboards seemed to have a dark red tint.

“Which one is Cunning?” Ryan asked.  

“What is the matter, Hawke? Are there too many debts for you to remember?” Vincent lifted an eyebrow and smiled.

“Business has been picking up lately.”

“He’s the chimney sweep,” Vincent answered.

“We leant money to a chimney sweep?” Ryan looked confused. Giving a slight smile, Vincent picked up his pen and shook the ink down to the tip.

“It was a risk. I had to distort the paperwork a little.” Lifting his hand and waving it toward the desk Vincent sounded professional. “He seems like an honest man to me. He was in desperate need of the funds.” Writing an address on a piece of paper, he handed it to Ryan.

 “You leant money to a gambling chimney sweep?” Ryan took the paper. An evil smirk came across his face once more. “That is what I like about you. You are never afraid to help the little people.”

“And he will pay every red cent back.”

When Ryan stood next to Vincent, it was obvious whom the brute force of the operation was. Vincent was a nearly a half-foot shorter, and although they had similar features with dark hair and dark eyes, Ryan was far more menacing.

All conversation ended as a familiar sound approached the office door. By jingling a set of keys in his pocket, the young clerk always seemed to foretell his arrival. The door opened after a soft tapping, and the young man entered. Vincent acknowledged him briefly, but Ryan paid him no mind at all.

“Mr. Drake there is someone that would like to see you,” the young man announced. Less than eighteen years old, Mr. Thatcher was small in stature and frame. His hair was reddish brown in color with tight curls at the end.

“Have him make an appointment.” Vincent used a stern tone.  The young man seemed to be a little uneasy.

“I would, Sir,” he began. “But she says that she is your sister and it is urgent that she sees you.”

“You have a sister?” Ryan asked. Vincent walked near the door but stopped short.

“Beth is more like a sniveling little rat.” He looked back to the young man that had entered his office. “Send her in and stand by the front door. You can close it behind her when she leaves.”

“Yes Sir.” Mr. Thatcher was glad to be leaving the strangely tense office, but he did not know if he was supposed to follow Vincent’s order or not.

Ryan stepped closer to the door to look at the woman next to the scarred man. She looked nothing like her brother. Though her height and figure were decent, the woman was obviously a wreck.

“Now that is just mean,” Ryan stated in his thick voice. Vincent picked up the money off his desk.

“If she were your sister, you would understand the pet name,” he offered. “I have no use for her.” Walking over to his bookshelf, he lifted a book and opened the cover. It had no pages. The book was simply a decorated box that he stashed a large amount of money in. “I am sure she is either here for money or her father is sick.”

“I was not talking about that.” Ryan looked at the man next to her. “I was talking about her husband.” As he glanced at the older man with one eye, Ryan shook his head. “They are kind of an odd couple.” Elizabeth left Jacob’s side and walked with the young clerk toward Vincent’s office.

“He’s not her husband,” Vincent replied quickly. “At least I don’t think it is.”

Elizabeth was led into the room with the clerk closing the door as he left. She had tried to imagine that very moment all the way to Burdery. However, as she stood in the room, she had no idea what to say. Looking at the two men before her, Elizabeth was more than afraid. She had not seen Vincent in twelve years. Even with her perfect memory she was at a loss for words. Neither of the men looked like her brother. She waited quietly for one of them to speak. It was almost as if she would recognize him from the sound of his voice.

Her mind was fixed on her memory of Vincent. He had common brown hair with simple dark eyes. Both men in the room had those features. The moment became awkward for all them, but Ryan was ready to take his leave. The woman looked more than distressed, and he had no desire to witness the family reunion.

“Beth,” Ryan stepped forward to shake her hand before he left. The instant he did and said her name, Elizabeth felt a wave of relief.

“Vincent.” She bowed her head briefly and stepped forward.

Ryan was not prepared for the embrace that she was quick to give. The woman held on to him as if he was her savior. With his hands out to the side, Ryan glared at Vincent. He was expecting his colleague to remove the clinging woman from his chest, but the bastard only smiled. Turning his palms upward, he waited for Vincent to say something. When Vincent silently mouthed the words ‘get rid of her’, Ryan placed his hands on the woman’s shoulders and eased her away from him. Not wanting to involve himself, he offered the introduction.

“Beth, this is…”                                                      

Taking full advantage of the moment, Vincent stepped forward and held out his hand. “My name is Ryan Hawke. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Drake.” There was no expression on Ryan’s face as Elizabeth turned to face her lying brother.

“It is nice to meet you. I am sorry if I have interrupted anything,” Elizabeth offered politely.

It was astounding to Vincent that she could not tell the difference between them. However, he would not have recognized her either if she were not introduced.

“Oh, it’s alright, I have to get some papers for Mr. Drake to sign,” Vincent said as he patted Ryan on the back. The blank expression on Ryan’s face was both comical and threatening. “Just remember, we need to get to that meeting.” He reminded Ryan before he stepped out of the office and closed the door.

Thankfully that a beautiful woman that had entered the bank to distract Jacob, Vincent slipped into a back hallway. Elizabeth stepped back from Ryan and compared her memory to his features, admiring him from head to toe.

“Look at you. You have really done well for yourself.” The awkward situation was the perfect excuse for Ryan to remain silent. “You have really grown handsome, haven’t you? I don’t remember you being so tall.”

Ryan was hardly flattered by the compliment. The woman walked with a limp, wore a dress that was two sizes too big, and had traces of mud caked in her hair and clothes.

“You look…,” he whispered as he swallowed hard. “Thank you.” Elizabeth blushed and ran her hand along the bun in her hair. She knew that she looked horrible, but she tried not to dwell on it.

“I am sorry to just show up like this, but something terrible has happened.”

The woman had no idea how right she was. He had appointments to keep and books to balance and he was stuck playing catch-up with a woman he had never met.

“Beth, I really don’t…”

“Father has been murdered,” she whispered.

Once the words were out of her mouth, Ryan sighed and looked toward the door. He doubted that the news would affect Vincent that much, but he had gotten stuck trying to console the sister.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he offered without emotion. The lack of concern in his eyes did not surprise Elizabeth, but she was still distraught by the news.

“He was murdered, Vincent. Some men came to the house with guns.” She had begun to talk faster, trying to get all the details out as quick as she could. “He gave me an envelope and some money and told me to find you. I heard shots fired before I ran out.” Before she could explain further, Ryan held up his hand to stop her.

“Wait here.” He interrupted.

He was not about to listen to the dramatic details that her brother should be hearing but as he stepped out of the office in search of Vincent it was clear that he had disappeared. Ryan looked back at the woman before he closed the office door on her. Once she was secluded, he walked to the back hall to find Vincent.

“Mr. Thatcher,” Ryan called to the teller with the jingling keys. “Where is Drake?”

The young man nodded his head eagerly, delighted to be of help. “He just left, Mr. Hawk. He asked for you to meet him at his residence at seven o’clock.”

“Wonderful,” Ryan said as he looked back to the small office with the woman inside.

“He also asked you to take care of this man here,” Mr. Thatcher stated as he motioned toward Jacob. Instantly after, he took his keys out of his pocket and began to toss them gently. The trait that had started out as a nervous habit had grown to annoy Ryan immensely.

“And you are?” Ryan asked the man with the wicked scar spanning the side of his face.

“Jacob Lara, Sir.” The man stepped forward. “I brought the young lady from Caterwood.” Nearly exploding with anger, Ryan thought of the mess that he was in.

Ryan took an additional moment to inspect the scar as he spoke to the man, “I suppose I should compensate you for your troubles, Mr. Lara.” Jacob was eager to help in any way he could, but he was not about to turn down anything offered. Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple thick coins. “There, that ought to cover your expense.” Jacob graciously accepted the coins and returned his eye to Ryan.

“Will you be taking her to her brother then?”

“I will see that she gets there.” The idea seemed solid in Ryan’s mind.

“I don’t want to seem overprotective about the lady, but she has had a rather rough time. I would like to know that she gets to Mr. Drake.” Jacob did not feel comfortable leaving Elizabeth in the city alone. Especially, since the man that he was looking at was obviously not sociable. Nodding his head in understanding, Ryan tried to get rid of them both.

“Would you be willing to take her back to Caterwood?” He asked.  “Vincent could easily ride out there tomorrow?”

“I can’t take her back there!” Jacob was not liking Ryan at all. “She has nowhere to go, but if you tell me where Vincent is, I would be glad to talk to him about it.” Ryan ran his hand across the back of his neck.

“Don’t worry about it, just go,” he said as he looked at the scar along the man’s face. “I will take her to Drake.”

As he lifted the coins in his hand, the man’s personality struck a nerve in Jacob. He did not want his money, regardless of the need.  

Placing the coins back in Ryan’s hand Jacob replied, “See that you do.” Ryan walked back into the office once Jacob left the bank. Although his day was ending soon, his patience was ending sooner.

“All right Elizabeth,” Ryan sighed. “I know that you are in some kind of trouble and that you need help.”

“I just need to find…” She tried to cut in, but he held his hand up to silence her. Ryan did not notice the light shade of blue in her eyes, until she closed her mouth and waited for him to continue.

“Mr. Lara is returning to Caterwood. I am going to take you to Vin… to my house.” Ryan wiped his hand across the back of his neck. “We will figure this out there.”

“Yes, this is probably not the best place to talk.” Elizabeth agreed as she looked out into the large room of the bank.

“No, it is not.” Ryan added as he opened the office door. “Mr. Thatcher, I need my carriage.”

As Elizabeth watched her brother order the young man carelessly, she could not help but notice his hair. Vincent had always seemed to have such thin hair in the front of his face. However, now the hairline seemed more definite and higher.

“You have changed your hair,” she whispered as they waited for the man to return. Ryan looked back at her and wondered if she had a working mental capability.

“Is that all?” He asked.

“Yes,” she answered. “Well no, not really. You are obviously a lot taller.”

“How long has it been since you have seen …me?” Ryan looked toward the window as his carriage pulled up to the building.

“Twelve years.” Elizabeth did not understand why he could not stay still. He continued walking back and forth, avoiding eye contact with her as much as he could. “Do I seem different to you?”

Wondering how he had got himself into this position, Ryan turned to look at her. “Taller,” he guessed. The shortness in his voice was making her concerned. She could not understand why he was avoiding her.

“Vincent,” Elizabeth called as he began to move toward the door. Without asking what she wanted, Ryan turned to face her with a very annoyed stare. “I don’t know what happened between you and Father. I do need your help right now, but it won’t be for long. I am not here to complicate your life.”

“Good,” he said as he looked back to the door. “Can we go?” The woman would not complicate his life at all. Once he got her to Vincent’s house. He planned on forgetting they had ever met.

Despite the warning that went off in her mind, Elizabeth followed Ryan out of the building and to the carriage. Four large horses were hitched to the tall coach. She had never seen such magnificent animals. Their coats were dark and glossy, and their heads were decorated with black tassels and silver buckles.

Behind the horses was the most impressive carriage that she had ever seen. The outside was black with silver lanterns and handles. The polished steps unfolded from beneath the door leading to an even more spectacular interior. The plush red velvet seats seemed almost too beautiful to sit on.

“You really have done well for yourself.” Elizabeth stood with her hands clasped together while Ryan opened the door for her.

“It is a carriage,” he shot at her with little patience. The poor country girl routine was getting on his nerves. Taking out his pocket watch, Ryan checked the time. “Would you like to get in?”

She was unable to smile. Her brother did not seem like the young man that had taken care of her in her childhood. Now that she was stranded in a city with him, she was almost afraid. He did not seem to care one bit for her or their father. In turn, Elizabeth hesitated before getting into his carriage.

“Let me take you to the house. We will talk when we get there. Then, we will figure something out.” He still sounded short and annoyed.

The day was ending, and Elizabeth was miles away from anyone that she knew. Her only option was to go with him, until she could find Oswald Roshire. Even though he was acting as sensitive as a rock, her brother was all that she had now. He opened the carriage door wider as Elizabeth finally stepped up. Drawing his hand across the back of his neck, Ryan looked down the street to see if anyone noticed him with the mud caked, country girl.

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth whispered as he climbed in the carriage and sat across from her. His silence led her to feel a heavy guilt. “I would not have come if Father had not asked me to.” When he did not reply she began to feel even more alone.

She was not a weak woman. Elizabeth had spent much of her time alone in her father’s house with only a few other people in her life, but she had lost all normality in one day. Without warning, her emotions threatened to give way. Removing a handkerchief from the pocket of her dress, Elizabeth tried to hide her tears.

The roof of the carriage became remarkably interesting to Ryan at that moment. While the woman tried to silently sniffle before him, he wondered why he had let Vincent get away with dumping his kid sister on him. Still, the more she cried, the more he wanted her to save it for Vincent.

“Beth, it is going to be all right.” He failed miserably at his first attempt at compassion. His voice seemed very quick and unfeeling, but as the carriage moved slowly through the city he tried once more. “It’s going to be fine.” Ryan leaned forward as he spoke in a quieter voice. However, he still would not look at her. “You are going to get through this.”

Lowering her handkerchief, Elizabeth glared at him for a moment. He had no idea what she was going through, and he had no idea what she had to face. In the twenty minutes that she had been near him, he had hardly looked at her three times. One thing that Elizabeth held to be the fact that she was intelligent. The distain in his eyes was far too obvious to ignore, but Elizabeth held her tongue as they moved through the city. However, before she could let loose with the rage that was building, he motioned toward the window.

“Here,” Ryan nodded as they pulled up to Vincent’s house. “Things will all be clearer in a few minutes.

The house was tall and narrow. With orange brick and white trim, it seemed to be identical to all the houses on the street. She could not tell where one home ended, and another began. Ryan stepped out of the carriage and offered Elizabeth his hand. Her first instinct was to refuse his help, but as she looked up toward the grand house, she automatically raised her hand.

“This is where you live?” She asked, stepping onto the walkway.

Ryan did not answer as he released her hand and walked up to the door. He was not concerned about knocking. The butler was usually particularly good about anticipating his arrival.

“Come right in, Sir.” The elderly man bowed as he saw Ryan. It was pure luck that kept him from saying Ryan’s name. “We have been expecting you.”

“Is he in the study?” Ryan asked as Elizabeth followed.

“Where are we?” She asked.

Lowering her eyes away from the butler’s evaluating glare. Elizabeth knew that she must have looked horrible in the dress that Jacob had given her. Her hair needed to be washed. Her limp had become nearly crippling, but neither man offered her any assistance.

“Beth, this is Mr. Halis. He will take your coat and get you something to eat.” Ryan nodded to the steward as Elizabeth tried not to point out that she was not wearing a coat.

“Thank you anyway, Mr. Halis. I am not hungry,” she spoke in a whisper. The butler was the first to smile at her as he took Ryan’s jacket.

“Alright,” Ryan tried to find a place to pawn her off. “Why don’t you have a seat and I will be back in a minute?” He tried to keep his voice as quiet as hers, even though he was barely holding his patience. Once Elizabeth followed the gray-haired man into the parlor, Ryan strode into Vincent’s study. The smug look on his partner’s face nearly struck his last nerve.

“How did things go with my sister?” Vincent’s smile was irritating.

“Oh, rather well I think, considering that your father was apparently murdered this morning and she has nowhere else to go.” In his eyes, Vincent deserved the harsh information without any sugarcoating.

“Murdered?” The irritating smile faded quickly. Vincent set down his glass of brandy and cleared his throat.

“Well, I am not really sure.” Walking over to the brandy decanter, Ryan poured a large drink. “I stopped listening to the details. Once she opened her mouth. I figured it was a family affair.”

“Where is she?”

“In the parlor.” Ryan took a large drink and then reset the glass on the table. The look of surprise on Vincent’s face was exactly what he expected.

“You brought her here?”

“She’s your sister. If you want to get rid of her, you do it.” Ryan took another drink. “I am not your nanny.”