In Which a Villain Is Revealed
Victoria is worried, though she'll never admit it, and sends provisions down to the slums as a sneaky way to get a man down there to gather information. It doesn't exactly raise comment--philanthropic works ought to be part of every lady's social calendar, but it would be too much to hope that her actions would go unnoticed by her sometime allies.
Kevin sends a message back. Hey, if you have a messenger, you send the message.
And for a moment Victoria can't help but sigh with relief, because if Kevin's alright they all are. One thing Victoria knows, for all that she doesn't really understand it, about this group, is that Kevin would certainly die before allowing harm to come to any member of his ragtag band.
After her initial relief, though, she's left feeling a little amused. Leave it to Kevin to already be in over his head in another scheme.
Victoria taps her chin with her fan a moment, then sends another boy out on an errand to the theatre district. She's worked with Kevin's crew a bit, here and there, but she hasn't worked with all of them as a body yet. The only time she's met them all was that one meeting downtown, and if there's going to be another, she's taking backup.
She's got plenty of people who would follow obediently. She hasn't got many who will stand by her as friends, and react as human beings to whatever goes down. She sends for the ones she's got.
The boys turn up less than an hour later. Ryland still has a smear of greasepaint under one ear. "You bellowed, m'lady?" he asks with a sweeping bow.
"Well," Victoria says, all teasing nonchalance, closed fan tapping against her chin, "I was going to ask you gentlemen to accompany me down to a meeting with a group of underground leaders in the slums to discuss reactions to the possible recent arson in the lower city. If you're all too busy, though--"
The resulting chorus of, "Busy? Who said anything about 'busy'?" and "Your wish is our command," is rather gratifying, but not nearly as much as Nate's quiet, aside, "You always do keep things interesting, don't you?"
Because she does.
Victoria lays out her plans, Nate offers a few contingencies, and before they know it they're in the carriage, rolling towards the meeting point. Before they step out, she feels she has to warn them, "Now, our counterparts, they can be a little... volatile? And they don't always like me very much. Negotiations may get a little spirited."
"No worries," Alex tells her, "We've got your back."
It's possible that she stands a little taller than she did at the last meeting, but no one had better mention it.
Kevin is there, looking tired but proudly fierce, and a few of his compatriots are ringed around him. Victoria entertains no illusions that he doesn't have the place completely covered. She could, if she puts a foot wrong, die here tonight and no-one would know.
She smiles, feeling the familiar rush of excitement, and steps forward to greet her opposite number from the slums.
"Mr. Jonas," she says, "So glad to see you well."
At his raised eyebrow she explains lightly, "I brought a few friends, I hope you don't mind."
Kevin shrugged, but Victoria saw the flicker in his eyes. "If they come on your invitation, my lady," he said, leaving all the implications up in the air. "Please, sit."
She does sit. She also smiles, though, bright and sharp. "Kevin Jonas," she says, low and amused, "I hear you've been the very busy young man since all this trouble started. Care to share some information?"
Kevin speaks calmly, clearly, no waffle or bravado, no trying to bolster their accomplishments. He just lays it all out and lets it speak for himself.
"And so, my lady, given the source of our troubles comes from your end of town, I thought it wise that you be informed."
Victoria nods, appreciative. "I had no idea," she says, and it may be galling to admit, but it's better that this group understands that. "I assume," she continues after a moment, "You'll be looking to take some action?"
Kevin's tiny smile is wolfish. "We protect what is ours, Lady."
Victoria nods. "A quality I have always respected, sir." She studies his face for a long moment. "I hope you'll continue to consider me an ally in your further endeavors?" she asks.
Kevin raises an eyebrow, but nods. And Victoria gets the message loud and clear - mutual benefice.
Victoria rises gracefully, her boys scrambling to their feet after her. "We shall attend to matters upcity. I trust you can handle things at this end?"
They bid brief farewells. It's not until they're back int the carriage that Ryland shivers. "Who was that?"
"Would you believe me if I said you could have him on his kness for three silver coins at a tavern by the docks most nights?"
Victoria's not even sure she believes it sometimes, and she ought to know better than most what someone in Kevin's position can accomplish. It's something in the utter surety of bearing, proud as any gent. Prouder, maybe. It's hard to picture him submitting to anyone else's will.
But then again, she knows as well as anyone how high you can stand over someone even when you're on your back.
The boys scoff, like she's told a seedy joke, and she doesn't correct them. "Plan," she demands instead.
The brainstorming session lasts much longer than the carriage ride back, and the group ends up sprawled across Victoria's favorite parlor until all hours. The windows are dark cold squares by the time they have a plan. "I'll have one of the girls make up rooms for you," she says briskly, standing up.
Nate flutters his eyelashes. "Oh, what will the neighbours say."
Victoria smooths her skirts. "Whatever they want, what do I care?"
It's the first time they actually stay the night at Victoria's. It won't be the last. They rouse early, though, still needing to put on a show that afternoon. Victoria finds herself enjoying the preparations for the theatrics, in an odd way. It was nice to do this in good company for once. She likes the challenge, working with Kevin's people, but she thinks maybe she likes the companionship of working with those she might, if pressed, call her own, better.
When they step out early in the evening, their clothes are sharp and their smiles sharper.
Victoria knows just where they're going - people think whores don't have ears. She may not have known what was going to happen, but she's been hearing whisperings of trouble from her girls for months. It's time to cash in on a few rumors before they pay some calls.
To an outsider, it would have looked like Victoria the businesswoman was paying calls on her various enterprises. She chatted to the madames, wandered the halls, spoke quietly to some of the girls, moved on quickly.
But for Victoria, it was like taking the male part of high society and shaking it down for all its secrets. Her girls didn't just do sex, they also took confession, and Victoria had trained them well.
She kept her face impassive, but with each additional confirmation or accusation, her blood ran a little colder. The extent of a certain strain of feeling was startling, the violence of those who acted on it chilling.
As she allowed herself to be handed into her carriage, to ride to the next set of rooms, Victoria felt angry, but also a strange sense of kinship with the slums.
"Penny for your thoughts, m'lady," Alex asked.
Victoria looked up at him. "Just reflecting on how you can take the girl out of the slums," she said, leaving the statement hanging.
Alex nodded like he understood and turned to look out the window. "So," he said brightly. "Is anyone one else concerned about that dark green carriage and pair that has been following us to our last three stops?"
The carriage is stuffed full of people who wouldn't start with surprise if you lit a fire under them, so practiced in stifling instinct, but it's a near thing in this case. Victoria glances back and then leans forward to have a quick word with the driver.
Their carriage sways as it turns off the busy street and down a narrow side lane. It turns again, and Nate slips out through the open window, not bothering with the door. Victoria lets them trot a few seconds on before rapping the roof. The horses whinny as they pull up, then all is quiet until they hear the jingle of snaffles behind them.
Across the carriage, Ryland smiles. "Will they stop, or will they just roll past like nothings happening?"
"Roll past," Alex predicted. "They're cowards, remember."
Victoria says, "That's my bet, too," and then a grin spreads across her face. "Want to try for a bit of turnabout? We can still follow them, if we hurry."
Alex laughs. "Scare them, you mean? Nah, let Nate do his thing, they'll never see him and we won't have to waste our time trying to give us the slip. Where to now?"
"Home?" she asks. "Much as I'd like to rush in headlong, I think we need to know who's onto us already before we start making house calls. In the interests of survival, you know."
Alex nodded sagely. "I do like breathing."
It was nearly dinner time by the time Nate reappeared. Victoria waited until the staff had withdrawn before pointedly looking at him. "A pleasant evening, Mr Navarro?"
"The best," he replied, teeth bared into a slightly feral grin.
He sat at the table they'd been gathered around and reached for the tray of appetizers without a word, clearly willing to draw out the suspense as long as possible. Victoria eyed him as he chose a tasty morsel. "Mr Navarro, you do know its bad manners to keep a lady waiting?"
"Well then, it's a good thing I don't see any ladies, isn't it?"
Victoria's glared response was stony, but there was amusement underneath. Still, he didn't stall any further, laying out all that he had uncovered. Victoria recognized many of the names. "They all seemed to be listening to one called McCracken," Nate finished, sipping his wine.
Victoria pursed her lips. "I know him."
He had an account with her, in fact. Came round to her place of business on a fairly regular basis, and Victoria silently blessed Alex's earlier prudence in not tipping their hand by chassing after the tailing cab. With the element of secrecy still in place, there was a chance he'd pay a visit to one of her girls in the near future. McCracken had very specific tastes, almost had a standing appointment with Cassadee. Victoria makes a mental note to have a word with the girl first thing in the morning. "Anything else?"
For a moment Nate looked genuinely uncomfortable, but he did say without hesitation, "Actually, there is. You know how he was following? His kitchen help says he had a meeting with one of your housemaids the other day, Vic."
Victoria's face froze. "Very good. Thank you."
But the boys don't miss that, when she takes her napkin out of her lap, its all twisted and crumped, like she had been gripping it in her fists. She can be frightening when she wants to be, but tonight it seems she'd rather have a good time. They go easy on the wine in preparation for action later, but the foods is good and the conversation flows freely.