Rescued By the Spy

by Laura A. Barnes

  “I suppose this is the work of you drugging him?” Charles asked from behind her.

  She watched him as he walked around the side of the bed and eased the gun out of Maxwell’s hand. Charles laid the gun on the stand by the bed, then threw Maxwell’s legs on the bed. Standing over his friend he watched him with a frown on his face. He turned around towards her and waited for her explanation.

  Shrugging her shoulders, she answered, “I might have helped him with his much-needed rest.”

  “The same way you helped me a few weeks ago?”

  “Both of you had it coming to you. If not for drugging him, we would be the ones laying there, dead I might say.”

  “He was not going to kill us Raina.”

  “He was too. You might not want to accept this about your friend, but he was more than capable of murdering us.”

  “No, he was not. It was an act, an act my dear which has now put us in a quandary.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “No, I do not suppose you do. But then we all have our secrets do we not, darling.”

  “It appears we do.”

  “I will share mine if you want to share yours?”

  “I have no secrets you would be interested in. But feel free to share yours.”

  “Oh, I guess you have many secrets I would be fascinated in my dear. But feel free to keep them, I will always be here, when you are ready to share them. As for mine, they are simple. Maxwell shared with me why he was here and what he was to accomplish. We came up with a plan for us to make our way back into London undetected and for him to carry back news to Shears of our demise. But as you can grasp now, the act has changed. May I inquire how long he will be out for?”

  Raina winced, “Tomorrow morning.”

  Charles sighed and sunk onto the mattress beside his friend. As he sat there he tried to figure out their options. The plan was for Maxwell to shoot them with blanks and the Hobbs to find them covered in blood where they would spread word in the village of their deaths. Maxwell would then load them in the wagon and transport them back to London where word of their deaths would spread amongst the ton. Then Maxwell was going to report back to Shears of their demise and finish his mission. Charles did not ask what his mission was, the less he knew at this point the safer he could keep his family and Raina out of danger. But for this mission to succeed they needed to move in the dead of night. Now they were unable to. Before long the thugs that followed Maxwell would find them. Then none of them would be safe. He wished not to involve the Hobbs in this anymore then he already was, so Mr. Hobbs driving them to London was out of the question.

  Feeling tired suddenly, he laid back on the mattress, the late nights and worrying had left him exhausted. He closed his eyes and tried to consider of a way out of this mess. Shaking away the lightheadedness, he opened his eyes. When he saw the room in a haze, he realized it was not exhaustion, but she had drugged him too. Pulling himself up to a sitting position he focused on her across the room. The guilt on her face was evidence enough of what she achieved with them.

  “Why?” he asked her.

  “Why what?”

  “Did you have to drug me too?”

  She looked at him in confusion, “I did not drug you Charles, only Maxwell.”

  “No more lies Raina,” his words slurred.

  Raina rushed towards him when she realized what he was implying.

  “I am not lying Charles, please have faith in me.”

  “No more…,” he muttered as he passed out next to his friend.

  “Charles,” Raina shouted as she shook him.

  But he was not going to awaken any more than his friend next to him. Fools, both of them. They needed to leave at once, there was no time to waste. She needed to put into action her own plan for the return of them to London. Never leave it to a man to complete what needs to be done, the one thing her mother had engrained into her. Raina went over to the wardrobe and loaded her portmanteau with her belongings. As she packed her bag, she looked again for the missing jewelry box, but it was not to be found. She only hoped it was still at the Thornhills.

  Raina turned at the sound of the door opening and watched as Mrs. Hobbs came inside wringing her hands nervously. She watched as Raina filled her bag with her clothing, looking over at the two gentlemen lying on the bed guilty.

  “I am so sorry My Lady. I tried to stop him from eating the cake. But he was questioning me on Lord Maxwell and I did not want to look suspicious. I tried to warn you, but I could not locate you.”

  “It is okay Mrs. Hobbs, I figured that was the case when he passed out a few moments ago. We will have to change to Plan B now. Since Charles is unable to help me and he will be out as long as Maxwell is, I will have to transport us back to London by myself.”

  “You will not be safe traveling through the darkness.”

  “I have no other choice, we have to leave tonight before the men who were trailing Maxwell find us. It won’t be long before they do.”

  “Which is why you will let us help you. Our nephew Billy will drive the cart and you will hide in the back with the men. He will spread the story along the way of your demise. Mr. Hobbs and I will spread the lies around the village. By morning the news will have spread along with you to London. There will be no doubt left in anybody’s mind of the tragic end to your poorly departed lives. It was a tragic end, a lover’s spat gone wrong. With you caught in the middle between the two men who loved you, but only one man who you had given your heart to.” With the story Mrs. Hobbs was weaving, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

  Raina blinked at the sorrow the woman was displaying. The housekeeper should have acted on stage with the performance she was giving. It appeared she wasn’t the only woman with a plan. Shaking her head with a smile she reached to hug the stout woman. Drawing her plump body in her arms, she thanked her for everything, but mostly for her acceptance of her. With everything the woman was doing for her, she could not leave with the lie weighing heavy on her heart.

  “We are not really married.”

  “I know my dear, but it is only a temporary issue, one which will be remedied as soon as you two find the time.”

  “I am not so sure anymore.”

  “I am never wrong my dear, the man adores you and you him. You will bring me little ones to watch run in the charming garden you brought back to life. Mark my words.”

  Raina said no more. It wasn’t necessary to argue with dreams that were not meant to be. It was just best left to let Mrs. Hobbs believe in fantasy. They needed to be leaving. As she glanced around the room, she drew her memories inside her heart. Later she would reflect on her time at this cottage and how it healed her soul.

  Chapter Eighteen

  THE CART HIT EVERY bump and rut in the road. If they were not flying at a breakneck speed, the wagon creeped along the uneven terrain. Raina squished between the two sleeping gentlemen felt pinned in the cramp space. Her headache only made worse by both men snoring in each of her ears. She rolled her eyes at the sound. As the cart settled into a groove in the road and became a smoother ride, Raina’s exhaustion took hold. She curled on her side to face Charles. After adjusting her eyes to the dark she regarded him as he slept. It appeared over time; she has spent more moments with him sleeping or sick than she had with him awake. During times like this she experienced the most security with him. It was perhaps because she did not suffer from the guilt for every single lie and secret she kept from him.

  Not that Charles wasn't secure any during any other spell. He was. He made her feel safe and vulnerable in a good way. Which gave her the sense of a lady loved by her man. Not any gentleman, but the man she loved in return. She grasped once he awakened; she had much to answer for. Also, she realized it would be time for her to share with him her total involvement with Shears, Maxwell, and the mission assigned to her by the Crown.

  Raina kissed him lightly on the forehead then snuggled next to him for warmth and drifted off to sleep with her head pres
sed against his shoulder.

  Charles saw the exact second Maxwell came out of his drug induced sleep. He had been watching him and waiting. For he had awoken a while ago, during that time he sensed the drug leave his body and sharpen his awareness of his surroundings. His eyes adjusted to the dark cramped space to see when his enemy would awake. He noticed the woman curled into his side, with her head lying trustingly on his shoulder. He had gazed at her for a short time, his anger at her gradually creeping away as the cart took them to their destination. She had to quit drugging him. If she only trusted him, they could have worked something out together. Granted he had not trusted her in return with his and Maxwell’s plan of escape. He recognized now where he had erred. From here on out he promises to include her on every plan.

  He considered Maxwell an enemy now because he had deviated from their plan. In no part of their scheme was he to hold a gun to Raina. He took it too far; it was at that moment when he realized the true danger they were in with Maxwell. Raina had been right the entire time. Maxwell had his own agenda, and it was not to see to their safety. Could he really have killed them for Shears? He would not give him a chance to find out.

  While he kept his eyes on Maxwell, he knew the man was tied up with his arms pulled behind his back. He waited as Maxwell struggled to awaken, shaking his hair out of his eyes. When Maxwell turned his head to search his surroundings, his eyes landed on his. He noticed the moment the other man realized he was trapped and no longer in control. While his gaze first held confusion, they rapidly turned to anger. Maxwell let out a low growl, he observed as he struggled with his bounded hands.

  “Lie still Maxwell, you are not going anywhere.”

  “Where are we headed?”

  “I do not know.”

  “What do you mean, you don't know?”

  “It appears my lovely wife here, drugged us, bound you and has set us on to our destination.”

  “Well wake your lovely wife and find out,” Maxwell’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he ordered Mallory.

  Mallory looked upon the sleeping Raina and back to Maxwell, “I think not.”

  Maxwell growled his annoyance at the spot of trouble he was in. Lying still he quit struggling against the rope binding his hands together. When he awoke in the cart in the pitch-black dark, he panicked. He thought Shears had him, but when his eyes adjusted to find Mallory watching him, he figured he was safe. For now, anyhow. But he was still in a dilemma. He was no closer to getting the jewels and completing his mission than he was in running on this fool’s errand of killing Charles and Raina. Oh, he had no intention of killing them, just portraying he did. Enough to fool Shears into giving him the last piece of the puzzle he needed. Now he was stuck in a cart riding to who the hell knew where, with the same two targets who were supposed to be dead. He needed to get himself out of this mess and rethink a new plan.

  “Why?” Charles asked him unexpectedly.

  Maxwell shrugged his shoulders. He understood what Mallory was asking, and he had no attention of answering. He was a desperate man. And desperate men do desperate things. One of those is holding a gun on his friend’s “wife.” He snorted. They were no more married than he was innocent of the charges they held against him. He realized he was wrong to have threatened Raina. He owed her an apology, but of all folks, she would understand the most of why he did what he did. They shared a kinship in this war. One day when this ended, he would apologize. For now, his friend would have to stay angry with him. It was better this way, the more distance they kept the safer he would be.

  “Answer me, damn you,” Charles snarled in anger.

  But Maxwell did not offer him any explanation, which only made Mallory angrier. He wanted to wipe the smug arrogance off his face. Maxwell showed no remorse for actions if anything he smirked. As soon as this cart stopped, Mallory would make sure he understood the full brush of his anger. He would make sure Maxwell was held accountable for his actions. His only hope was Raina was transporting them to Thornhill. He trusted her instincts in making the right decision. Thornhill could help him make sure Maxwell came clean with them.

  Raina stirred in his arms, their harsh whispers, and the tightening of his arms around her as he became angrier at Maxwell was causing him to wake her. When her body stretched, and her eyes blinking open, he was trapped in her stare. So, caught up in her gaze he did not see Maxwell had untied his hands. When he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, he jerked his gaze back to Maxwell. It was to see him getting ready to climb over the side of the cart.

  Maxwell turned back in time to glare at Mallory, nodding his head, “Until another day my friend.”

  With those words, he stared as Maxwell jumped out of the wagon. Swearing he let go of Raina, moving to the back of the cart where he viewed Maxwell landing in the dirt filled road. Maxwell picked himself up and ran into the woods. The dark night embracing his shadows as he drifted away. As he got ready to follow him, he kicked his legs off the end of the wagon. A hand reached out to stop him, pulling him away from the edge.

  “Let him go Charles.”

  “After what he did to you? No, he will pay for threatening you.”

  “He would never shoot. We both believe he would never harm either one of us.”

  “You are being too merciful.”

  “You have taught me to forgive.”

  Charles was silent with her confession. She wanted him to forgive Maxwell for his crimes. When he had been trying to have her learn to forgive, the tables were now turned. How could he turn against what he preached if he wasn’t willing to do the same? Sighing he let her pull him from the edge and knew she was correct.

  “He will be back Charles and you will have your answers soon enough.”

  “Even the ones you still hold so dear?”

  Lowering her head, she nodded, “Even those.”

  Raina wanted to share with Charles her secrets, but now wasn’t the time. The cart was slowing in speed. They would enter London soon. Shortly they would play their biggest role yet. There was only a small measure of time remaining to explain her plan to Charles.

  She told Charles her idea, and he agreed it was workable. They agreed the plan of surprise only made it more believable. It would hurt and scare the ones he loved, but only for a short while. Only long enough to fool everybody in their deaths. They needed only one person to hear of their death being told to Charles’s family and word would spread amongst the ton like wildfire. If the ton shared the gossip, then eventually word would spread to Shears. Raina convinced Charles with that knowledge, Maxwell might have a chance at completing his mission. It was a small lie, one she could remedy as soon as she was able. She knew it was only one step closer for Maxwell to complete. The missing jewels were the final step. One he would have to invade the Thornhill’s in accomplishing. He wasn’t a mad man to invade the townhome. Or was he?

  Chapter Nineteen

  ONCE THE CART HAD slowed to a stop, they realized it was their time to put on the performance they planned out. Charles had whispered the plan to Billy, the Hobbs’s nephew as they headed into London. They agreed it was Billy who would inform the Thornhill’s butler Sims of their demise. Whereas Sims would inform Thorn. Billy would tell Sims he could bring the bodies into the residence where they could sneak in undetected. While Sims told the sad tale, they hope Ivy would be entertaining callers for afternoon tea.

  The cart shook as Billy jumped off and ran to the door meant for the servants where he pounded against the rough slate. A downstairs maid answered whereupon Billy asked to see the Butler Sims at once. The young maid argued at his demands, but when Billy whispered why he needed to see him, the maid burst into tears and ran from the door. They listened to her cry for help. Once Sims arrived at the back door, Billy told him the sad tale Mrs. Hobbs had construed. Sims was in shock giving Billy directions to move the bodies around back and into a private entrance. Where he was instructed to take the servant’s stairs and to leave the bodies in a bedroom, he would have p
repared. Billy then told Sims he would break the news to the Thornhills.

  Billy navigated the cart around to the back entrance. When he rose the tarp, Charles whispered for him to take Raina first. He did not want to leave Raina vulnerable in the open cart. He could protect himself better. Billy swung Raina up into his arms. Charles smiled as he watched her perform. Nobody played dead better than her. Her body went limp in the young man’s arms, with her head swaying back and forth from her loss of life. Charles saw the shock in Billy’s eyes at the believability of her performance. Billy looked back at him in shock, where Charles only shook his head, smiled, and mouthed she was acting. Billy gave a quick nod in understanding and carried her inside. Charles laid back and waited for Billy to come back to him. It didn’t take long for him to return. It was a good thing Billy was a strapping young man built for labor. For when he lifted Charles he did not do it so delicately, but instead threw him over his shoulder, clasping his arm around the back of Charles’s legs. While Raina was carried with care, he was being carried like a sack of potatoes. So much for being a privileged aristocrat. I guess it did not matter if you were dead or pretending to be dead. While Billy carried him through the private entrance, Charles could hear the grief spreading throughout the house. The plan seemed to be working.

  Billy carried Charles into the room chosen for him. His body laid next to Raina on the bed. She continued her acting, lying as still as possible on the counterpane.

  “I have to meet with Lord Thornhill in his private study for a full account of your deaths,” Billy whispered to Mallory.

  “Do so swiftly. Make your speech loud enough for the servants to listen to the news. Then inform Thornhill he needs to attend the bodies before Lady Ivy and send him here at once,” Mallory whispered back.

  “Yes, My Lord.” Billy left the bedroom and closed the door.