Page 88 of A Game of Scandal

“Laing has had another device sewn into my ballgown,” I replied.

There was only the tiniest hitch in her step as she walked towards us. “I see.”

“And I was distracting Felicity by telling her that after all this is over, we’ll travel the world in style – together,” Ash put in.

“I don’t have access to my trust yet,” I said shakily, determined to stay as cool and calm as the two of them. “We might not be able to do it in style. Not that I mind,” I added quickly as Sylla circled me, gesturing me to stand still. “I don’t care about being poor as long as I’m with you.”

Ash laughed, and Sylla made a sound of annoyance from over my shoulder.

“What?” I asked.

“Felicity, the man owns an incredibly successful gambling den and half of the East End of London,” Sylla said, speaking slowly, as though explaining something to a small child.

“You’re … rich?” I frowned.

“Don’t tell my father,” Ash quipped. “He thinks I’m a lazy reprobate, and that’s the way I like it.” He looked me over. “Why do you seem disappointed?”

“I don’t know,” I said wistfully. “I liked the idea of being a pirate stowaway with you.”

“God, I love you,” Ash said with fond amusement. “Didn’t I promise we’d never be respectable?”

“Now that is all sorted,” Sylla said dryly, “I think we should probably turn our attention to the ticking time bomb in the room. It’s time for you to get out of the dress, carefully.”

With another squeeze of my hand, Ash moved back, only a fraction, and Sylla held the sleeves of the gown as I pulled my arms free and stepped out of my skirts. There was so much fabric that the thing almost stayed upright on its own.

I stood in my thin chemise and eyed the gown with deep dislike. “Let’s lay it out on the floor,” I said. “If it didn’t go off when I was dancing, it must be fairly stable. Careful, though.”

Ash stripped off his jacket and handed it to me, doing up the buttons on the front when I slipped my arms through the sleeves. It swamped me, wrapping me up in his warmth and delicious spicy scent. It was a small comfort.

Turning back to the dress, I rolled up the jacket’s sleeves in brisk movements.

“What are you doing?” Ash asked, moving in front of me.

“I’m going to disarm the bomb,” I said.

“Felicity.” Ash’s tone was carefully controlled, but again I caught the fear underneath. “You don’t know how to disarm a bomb.”

“She knows more than either of us,” Sylla said. “And I sent for Max’s men before I came but they might not make it in time.”

“I watched Winnie do it,” I said quietly. “I watched Fenton do it. And I understand the mechanics.” Sort of, I added in my mind. “I know how Laing thinks. I realized the bomb was here, didn’t I? I can do this.” I said the words with more confidence than I felt, but Ash had just promised me the world… I wasn’t about to let Laing put an abrupt end to that dream.

After another long look, Ash nodded. “You’re right,” he agreed. “If anyone can do this, it’s you, Felicity Vane.”

With that, I knelt and began running my fingers carefully over the fabric.

“Here,” I said, when I reached a section at the back. “There’s definitely something stitched between the layers.”

Sylla handed me a pair of scissors from her reticule, and I cut the entire section free from the rest of the dress, gently snipping through the tightly stitched seams. I forced myself to keep my breathing slow, my hands steady. Rushing this part could be catastrophic.

Finally, I unspooled the fabric to reveal the bomb. It was much smaller than the other device. A single, slim stick of dynamite, but it was made of the same component parts, including a small gold pocket watch.

I looked at the time on the face.

“It’s less than three minutes to the hour,” Sylla said calmly. “Do you think that’s significant?”

“It could be,” I said, knowing in my gut that it was. I reached for the scissors. “Let’s not find out. The two of you should really leave.”

“No one’s going anywhere,” Ash said. “We’re going to watch you do this, then I’m going to kiss you and tell you how clever you are, and Sylla is going to roll her eyes. All right?”