BooksBarbecue
Back Cardinal Black Save as PDF
Chapters (44)
  1. Title Page
  2. One: Into the Storm
  3. One
  4. Two
  5. Three
  6. Four
  7. Five
  8. Six
  9. Seven
  10. Two: London Calling
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Three: The Malignant Seven
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Four: Squirrels and Cats
  29. Twenty-Four
  30. Twenty-Five
  31. Twenty-Six
  32. Twenty-Seven
  33. Twenty-Eight
  34. Twenty-Nine
  35. Thirty
  36. Thirty-One
  37. Thirty-Two
  38. Five: Revelation
  39. Thirty-Three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. About the Author

Matthew realized Elizabeth was trying to protect both Lash and her brother Broodie. Also that since Lash had the airship plans he didn’t give much of a damn about the book any longer, but he could not reveal that to the assembled group. He had the plans and a fortune in the Prussians’ gold, and that had been the point of the entire endeavor.

“We shall,” he replied. “Let us retire to the parlor, everyone. Owl, you and your men go ahead.”

Cardinal Black strode forward so quickly Matthew hardly had time to swing the pistol in his direction. Black stopped a few feet from Matthew, cocked his elongated face to one side, and with a grim smile said, “You and your friend are declaring war not only on me, but on all gathered here. Devane is a killer. You are not. And here he is leading you to your destruction. Be certain that I will follow you to the ends of the earth to—”

With an explosion of anger, Matthew hit him across the face with the barrel of his gun. Black’s nose crunched and the blood burst out. He staggered back into Lioness Sauvage, who thrust him away from her as if he carried leprosy. Krakowski made a move to lunge at Matthew in the confusion of bodies, but the black-eyed brooding hole of Matthew’s gun in his face drained his enthusiasm for attack.

“Calm, everyone,” said Lash. “We have time to correct this situation.” To Elizabeth he said, “Don’t fret, dear. We’ll all survive this minor setback. I trust Mr. Devane has a light hand with a lady.”

“Into the parlor,” Julian said.

They all obeyed, including Black with his bloody, broken nose. The last in was Lash, who slid the door shut. True to his word, Julian pushed Firebaugh up against the door. “Stand behind him,” he told Matthew. “They won’t shoot through the door … I don’t think. If they do, the ball won’t reach you.” To Matthew’s dismay, Julian’s light hand with a lady included twisting one of her arms behind her back. “To the study,” he said, and he marched her off along the hallway.

In Lash’s study, Julian released Elizabeth to pick up the red leatherbound book where Lash had left it on the desk. He paged quickly through it by the light of the desk’s lantern to make sure it was the real thing, and though he couldn’t make heads or tails of it he did see that it was composed of chemical formulas. He slid it down in his blouse.

“Satisfied now?” Elizabeth asked. “Just take it and get out.”