“Well it is a rather stupid question. Ask me something else.”
“Well, now, I really want to know the answer. Why do you not want to talk about it? And why are you blushing like a school girl about it?” The heat in his cheeks increased with her words.
“I am not blushing,” he insisted.
“If you are not, we perhaps ought to call a doctor because you might have a fever,” Daisy retorted.
Jasper huffed. “I do not need a doctor.” He paused and thought about her question, not meeting her eyes. “If you must know, I feel like I need to keep my wits about me. Being around my family makes me agitated. I would love to have a few drinks, or several, but I worry what will happen to you if I do.”
“Why, Lord Seaton, that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“Stop it, Daisy, now I really am blushing.”
Daisy laughed easily with him. Then she sobered. “Very well, my lord, I think I might be ready now. What else did you find out about Sadbury and Wright?”
“They are involved in a conspiracy.”
“Conspiracy, my lord? Are you perhaps being a touch melodramatic?”
Jasper grinned. “Perhaps a touch. But they are dangerous men to have gotten involved with. Well, Wright is, at any rate. From what I can tell, Sadbury is merely his weak-willed sidekick.”
Daisy stared at him, wide-eyed, without anything to add, waiting for him to continue.
“Wright has managed to make himself the head of a smuggling operation along the majority of the coast of Kent. Which must be how he got Sadbury involved. His lands near Camber would be ideally located for his purposes.”
Daisy was still watching attentively. “That is wicked, of course, but I still do not see how that could make them at all interested in me.”
“Is it possible you heard some of their plans? Or perhaps they think you did?”
“Not that I am aware. Like I told you, I tried to have as little contact with Wright as possible, and Lord Sadbury paid very little attention to me or the children, even when he was in residence, which wasn’t that often.”
“Think back to what little contact you did have. Could they have been talking about brandy, or tobacco, or spices, maybe even silk or something else?”
Daisy pondered for a moment, doubting she could possibly know anything, but then she felt her eyes grow round. “Oh, good heavens! Is it possible to smuggle people? They were talking about lace of Lyon. I thought they were discussing fashions and servants. But perhaps not. I still don’t understand why they would pursue me over this, though. Isn’t smuggling a very common activity in those parts?”
“Common, yes, but very illegal. The penalty has increased to death, if it can be proven. Of course, as a peer, it is very unlikely he would face death, but if they think you are a threat to their empire, they would want to silence you.”
“But I don’t know anything!” Daisy almost wailed.
“Do not allow it to trouble you, my dearest. We will solve this problem now that we know what we’re dealing with.”
“I do not see how. If we try to reason with them that I don’t know anything, they will be all the more convinced that I do.”
Jasper had to laugh over her words. “I don’t disagree with you, but you should be perfectly safe here. We’ll spend the next couple of days thinking about what is best to be done. Welland might have some suggestions, too.” He paused while searching her face. “Will you be able to enjoy yourself or should we just head to London and go straight to the Home Office?”
Daisy giggled. “Do not be absurd, my lord, I beg of you. I am perfectly willing to enjoy your sister’s hospitality while we figure out our plans.”
Chapter Seventeen
They were riding along the winding trail in companionable silence. Jasper’s brother-in-law was in the lead, followed by Bess, then Hawkridge, Daisy, and Jasper was bringing up the rear. Lord and Lady Abernathy had decided to remain behind at Lord Welland’s home. They had claimed to be tired from the journey, but Daisy suspected Lady Abernathy did not want to hold them back. Jasper had told her she did not ride, and Bess had explained that the particular place she wanted to visit was not accessible by carriage.
The scenery felt comfortingly familiar, very typical of this part of England. Daisy had grown up in very similar surroundings, and it brought a slight ache to her heart as she thought of her childhood home. She stifled her sigh. If only her father had thought to make provisions for her, her life would have turned out so much differently. But such thoughts were less than productive, so she shoved them from her mind. She was having a fine time with Jasper and his family. She ought not to pine for what might have been.
After a rather long ride for someone who had not been upon a horse in some time, they finally arrived at their destination. Bess had been right. It was a fascinating ruin of an old abbey. Bess’ husband was rattling on about the history of the place and its surroundings. At first Daisy found it fascinating, but then she wanted to explore it for herself. She wandered away to examine a tumbled wall. Jasper had made himself comfortable, stretched out on a sunny patch of grass. Lord Hawkridge was talking about doing some hunting in the surrounding forest. As Daisy drifted away, Bess called out to her not to be gone too long, as they were going to spread the picnic their cook had packed shortly.
“I shall return momentarily — I just want to see what is over there.” Daisy pointed off in the distance, but no one was paying her very much mind. She continued to amble along, fascinated with the ancient, abandoned architecture.
After several moments Daisy found herself quite alone, although she had the creeping sensation that someone was watching her. She glanced around, hearing Bess and her husband talking and giggling in the distance. Daisy tried to ignore the feeling, but the fine hairs on the back of her neck continued to shiver a warning to her.
Disgusted with herself, Daisy figured it was the talk she and Jasper had that morning that put suspicious thoughts in her head. But she could no longer enjoy her solitary explorations, so she turned to rejoin the others.
Out of nowhere, a pair of rough arms grabbed her from behind. She barely got out a gasp before a hand was clapped over her mouth. She struggled to free herself.
“I was not going to be so foolish as to approach you from the front this time, my pretty. I remembered how accurate your aim is.” Daisy stiffened when she heard Lord Wright’s oily observation in her ear. Her struggles began in earnest as he dragged her backwards, further away from her group.
Their movement was very awkward. Lord Wright was trying to get as far away from Daisy’s companions as possible, but her twisting and turning while dragging her feet made it very difficult. Finally the hand covering her mouth slipped.
“Help, Jas—“ Her shout was cut off as her assailant slammed his fist into the side of her head.
Jasper had been in a sound sleep, but he sat up abruptly, calling out to his sister. “Did you hear that, Bess?”
“Hear what?” she asked absently.
“I am not certain, but something woke me up just now. Where has Daisy wandered off to?”
“She was heading in that direction a few minutes ago.” Bess indicated with a vague gesture. “I told her to be quick as we would be eating shortly.”
Jasper stood, a sense of foreboding overwhelming him momentarily. “Something is not right. We have to find her.”
“She just went to the other side to admire more of the old building. Most people are curious about it the first time they see it. I am actually surprised you did not wish to explore as well.” Bess seemed offended that her brother was not more interested in the ruins she was displaying.
Jasper ignored her, setting off at a brisk pace, almost running when he did not see Daisy when he went around the wall Bess had indicated. He called out to his brother-in-law. “Welland, have you seen Daisy?”
His lordship shook his head, rising to his feet as he sensed his brother-in-law’s agitation. He could just se
e his nephew off in the distance. Welland indicated to Jasper perhaps she had accompanied Hawkridge.
The earl set off to intercept his nephew while Jasper continued in the direction Bess had indicated. His worry made him hurry, and he was nearly tripping over the tumbled stones and debris. There was no sign of Daisy. His stomach turned over, and he was nearly consumed with worry. He began running, calling her name. He almost fell over as he came across the hat she had worn. She had declared it darling and loved it like only a lady could. He had thought it ridiculous and teased her about it. He knew she would not have dropped it heedlessly.
Grabbing it up, Jasper ran back to the others, yelling for their help.
Bess was pale as Jasper described what he suspected had happened. He was sure Daisy had been abducted. He suspected it was Sadbury and Wright but had no proof, nor any idea of where they would have taken her.
Catching up their horses’ reins, all in the group quickly gathered their things and set off in pursuit. Fortunately, the groom who had accompanied them to help with the picnic was also experienced in leading the hunt. He would be able to help them find a trail, if there was one. Jasper had similar experience, but he was concerned that his distress would make it difficult to concentrate and observe.
Jasper was frantic as they searched. It took a while for the groom to find the trail, as they had all been wandering around and trampled some of it. Finally he was sure he had discovered the trail of two horses that had recently been through the area. They followed the trail as quickly as possible, but it was slow going. Jasper tried to keep a grip on his emotions, knowing it would do no good to become angry. The nervous young groom would be even more anxious if he realized the noblemen were becoming upset.
For the first time in his life, Jasper found himself praying. He knew he was on the verge of making a fool of himself, but he was beyond caring. He needed Daisy to be all right.
~~~
Daisy felt a dull throb in her temple and wondered why she was so very lethargic. She tried to put her hand to her head to see what the trouble was but found that she could not move it. With a start, she realized she was bound, and it all came rushing back to her. Lord Wright had grabbed her and struck her in the head when she had resisted his abduction. Fear seized her, and she felt momentarily paralyzed. But then an anger sharp and fierce, like she had never felt before, swept through her ,and she was mobilized.
Struggling with her bonds, she realized they must not have expected her to wake up so had not tied them tightly or well. She listened carefully but could hear nothing, not even anyone breathing, so she knew she was alone. Daisy quickly divested herself of the ropes around her arms and then reached for the cloth covering her eyes. For a moment, Daisy wondered if she wanted to know where she was and hesitated before pulling it off. Chastising herself for being such a ninny, Daisy quickly grabbed it from her face.
Looking around, it appeared to Daisy as though she had been tossed in a woodshed. She was confused about her location but realized her captors did not care overmuch for her comfort. She still had no idea why they had taken her, but Daisy knew she had to get away. Fighting the urge to start screaming for help, Daisy forced herself to take deep breaths and stood gingerly. Realizing that she was fully intact, and aside from the throb in her head she was fine, Daisy determined to extricate herself from this bizarre situation.
Exploring the room carefully in the dark, Daisy tried not to get splinters as she felt around trying to determine the environment she was in. There was so much chopped wood, she figured it must be the storehouse for some crofter’s cottage. Her panic was beginning to rise despite her best efforts until she came across what she was pretty certain was a door. She felt around some more, and sure enough, she came across the latch. Easing it open slowly, she was relieved to see light but no people. She was rather shocked that they had just taken her and then dumped her here, but she was not about to waste the opportunity.
Furtively, she crept around the cottage, nibbling on her lip, wondering which direction she ought to go. She was pretty sure she would be able to figure out which way was north, east, south, and west, but that did her very little good since she had no idea which direction Welland was. But the instinctive drive to be away from here moved her to pick a direction and strike out. She decided to head east, figuring if worse came to worst she would end up in London. She smiled at her own small joke and worried that the knock on her head might have done some damage.
She was unsure how long she had been gone from Jasper and the others, but the sun was still fairly high in the sky, so it could not have been too awfully long. She was relieved that she had several hours before dark. It offered her more time to find help or shelter. Daisy contemplated what to do if she suspected her assailants were pursuing her. Glancing down at herself, she was glad that her riding habit was green. Hopefully it would help conceal her if she had to hide herself in the woods.
Daisy had been keeping her ears strained to hear any sound of pursuit. Her nerves were beginning to fray because every sound in the underbrush was making her jump. But finally she heard the sound she had been dreading — hoofbeats. She hurried to get off the trail, concealing herself under a low hanging elder bush that had grown rather wildly.
She did not dare to even peek, but when the ground around her vibrated, she suspected there were more than two horses passing her. Should she take a chance and look? What if it was Jasper looking for her? She could not bear the thought of being captured again, but if she could be rescued, was it a chance she ought to take?
Taking a deep, steadying breath, she parted the leaves slightly, hoping to remain concealed and still see what was around her. To her profound relief, she saw Bess’ bright plum riding habit.
Daisy lost her breath momentarily, and her first try came out as a whisper, “Bess!” and then with much more force, “Jasper! I am here.”
She almost stumbled over her skirts as she crawled out of her hiding place and ran after the search party. Jasper was the first to get off his horse and make it to her side. He swept her up into his arms and crushed her to him. A sense of well-being and homecoming filled her and she wrapped her arms around him with the intention of never letting go.
It didn’t take long before sense returned to Daisy. She remembered there was an audience, and she pushed herself back from Jasper. It took a bit of effort. He did not seem prepared to follow her lead.
Speaking in a low tone, Daisy said, “Jasper, everything is fine now. I am perfectly all right, you got to me in time, all is well.” She stroked his back as she spoke, and slowly he let her go. As she stepped away from him, she saw Bess, her husband, and his nephew all surrounding them, staring at her in varying degrees of horror. Daisy became afraid at the expressions on their face.
“What is wrong? Have I been disfigured?” she asked, looking at Bess nervously.
“No, no, you are just a wee bit filthy,” Bess soothed. “What happened to you, my dear? We have been rather frightened for you.”
“Well, I have been frightened, too.” Daisy looked around, fear returning to her. “In fact, if none of you would mind, I would much rather have this conversation somewhere else. I just had a terrible time, and I would hate to run into Lord Gerard Wright again.”
“I, on the other hand, would very much like to run into him.” The murderous glare shining on Jasper’s face made Daisy gulp. She fervently hoped they would be able to leave before violence was required.
“Please, my lord, I want to get out of here. I am dirty and cold and need a bath and a cup of tea.”
Jasper looked at her fully for the first time, and Daisy watched his anger come under control. He was not able to quell it completely, but he was able to manage it. “You are quite correct, my dear. Let us get you back to Welland, and everything else can be sorted out later.”
When Jasper saw that Daisy had begun to shiver, he grabbed a blanket the groom had brought for the picnic and wrapped her up in it. Once he had her situated, he realized sh
e would be unable to ride like that, so he gathered her up in his arms and rode with her in front of him, grateful that he had chosen to ride his brother-in-law’s largest gelding. The horse would be just fine with the two of them. Daisy barely weighs more than a feather anyway, he thought with a frown.
The group was nearly silent as they made quick work of returning to Bess’ manor. The earl sent a groom to fetch the doctor as soon as they rode up the long lane to the house. Pandemonium briefly burst out when they entered the house. The butler, usually stoic, was unprepared to have one of the guests brought back to the house in the viscount’s arms. Kate was called, and she shrieked at the sight of her injured mistress. By this time, Daisy had insisted that Jasper put her down. She was so embarrassed by all the fuss that her colour was high, and she suspected she could not possibly look all that ill. But then she remembered the dirt, and most likely the blood, and allowed that she was not fit to be seen. She trailed obediently after Kate as she took her up to her room for a bath. Jasper promised to have a pot of tea sent up for her as soon as she was ready for it. Her wan smile did little to comfort him.
The marquis and marchioness had shown up when they heard the commotion but had remained uncharacteristically silent until Daisy had been led away and the rest of the group were seated in the withdrawing room. Bess had ordered tea to be served, but most agreed they needed something a bit more potent. Jasper especially was in need of fortification.
“We really ought to ride back there and search for the bounders,” Jasper was saying. “They cannot be allowed to get away with this.”
“Really, Seaton, what do you think can truly be done? Wright is a peer and Sadbury, a baron. What do you really know about Miss Pembroke? Perhaps they had good reason for carrying her off.”
Bess gasped over her father’s words but grabbed her brother’s arm to prevent him from physically expressing his wrath.
A Dangerous Debut: A Sweet Regency Romance (Ladies of Mayfair Book 5) Page 20
