by Brianna York
“Damnation,” Harold cursed, trying to press her onto the seat of the wagon.
Rosy raised trembling hands to attempt to balance herself as he threw her onto the seat. Her wavering gaze caught a flurry of movement to the side of the carriage. She felt a thrill of hope when she saw Cecily’s blonde hair for a moment.
“Do try and hold still for a moment,” Harold said angrily to her as he bound her hands behind her to the back of the seat. “I don’t want to have to hurt you again, but I will surely do so if I must.”
Rosy glanced over her shoulder and saw that the wagon was partially covered with some kind of cloth. She hoped that Cecily was going to be able to crawl under the cloth without drawing attention to herself.
“The Earl is likely still out looking for me,” Rosy said to try and distract Harold.
“I am sure that he is,” Harold replied. “We shall be waiting for him at home when he realizes that he shall not find you.” He turned to Rosy and smiled at her, the expression ugly. Rosy cringed away from the insanity in his eyes.
She winged a little prayer heavenwards that Cecily had managed to get into the wagon as Harold clucked to the horse and the vehicle drew forward.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Rob shifted in the saddle, his back and legs aching from the strain of riding for so many hours. He felt a heavy weight of despair settling over him. They had searched for hours and no one had heard or seen anything that might tell them where Rosy had gone.
“We shall have to go home soon,” Longford said to Rob, glancing at the darkening sky.
Rob nodded. “I know.”
“We must keep our hopes up,” the Countess of Pleasant said reassuringly. “All is not lost so long as we are willing to keep looking.”
Rob smiled gently at Countess despite his exhaustion. He had been pleased to discover over the course of the day that the Countess and the Viscount were both willing and competent partners in the search. They had not complained for a moment and had kept their spirits up even in the face of their lack of success. He was not sure how he would make this up to them.
“Ho there!” Longford called as they approached the brightly colored wagons of the gypsy camp.
Some of the men came forward carrying lanterns, their expressions wary.
“We have the permission of the Earl of Coulthurst to be here,” one of them called out. “I have papers to prove it.”
“We have not come to chase you away,” Longford assured them. “We have come because we have need of your help.”
The men exchanged glances, clearly uncertain of what this might mean for them.
“My wife has disappeared,” Rob said, riding forward. “I was hoping that you might have seen her.”
The man closest to them stepped forward, holding his lantern higher. His eyes widened when he saw who he was speaking to. “My Lord?” he guessed.
Rob nodded. “Yes. It is the Countess who has gone missing. We last saw her near the tents at the fair a couple of hours before your show was due to start.”
“And you think that we have kidnapped her?” the youngest of the men said angrily.
Rob held up a hand. “Not in the least. I cannot imagine who has taken her but I wanted to exhaust all avenues of inquiry before giving up for the night.”
“Foolish boy,” a woman’s voice said. “You are wasting the Earl’s time with your accusations.”
Rob squinted past the glare of the lanterns and saw an elderly woman making her way over to them. She leaned on a cane but moved with surprising grace for one of her age. Her dark eyes sparkled with life and intelligence as she regarded him.
“My Lord,” she said, offering him a stiff curtsy.
“Who are you?” Rob asked. He felt as though her bright eyes looked straight through him.
“I am Ethelinda,” the old woman said. “I knew that you would be coming to see me, Your Lordship.”
Rob felt a tingle run up his spine. “How could you know such a thing?” he asked.
She smiled at him gently. “I get feelings about things,” she said simply. “Often I am right.”
“Do you know where my wife is?’ Rob asked eagerly.
“Rob,” Longford said. “Surely you cannot believe that she would tell you truly. She might only be spinning you a tale in hopes of some coin.”
The dark eyes turned toward Longford, snapping with disapproval. “The blonde girl thought the same thing. I told her some fortunes are not for sale.”
“The blonde girl?” Rob said. “Cecily! You must have seen Cecily.”
The woman tilted her head to one side. “The name suits her. She came to me with the same question. I told her what I knew.”
“Where is my wife?” Rob asked again.
The old woman shook her head. “Alas, the Countess did not know where she was. I can only tell what the person themselves knows. I did tell this Cecily that she should look for her somewhere cold and wet. A man took her there.”
Rob glanced at Longford, one dark brow raised. The other man shook his head.
“Do you know if Cecily found her?” the Countess of Pleasant cut in.
Ethelinda shook her head slowly. “I cannot be certain unless I can reach out to her. Might you allow me to take your hand?” she asked Rob.
Rob regarded the old woman for a moment, then nodded. Ethelinda crossed the space between them and took his palm between her own. Her hands felt cool and dry and were surprisingly strong for an old woman. Rob heard her humming and muttering to herself. His palm felt prickly as though it had fallen asleep. After what seemed like an eternity to Rob, Ethelinda opened her eyes and looked up at him.
“She is very frightened. He is taking her to the house,” she said. Her voice seemed to echo with a note of fear that was not her own. Rob felt a shiver tickle down his spine.
“Does she know who he is?” Rob asked, feeling mesmerized by the little gypsy woman.
Ethelinda thought for a moment. “I think she does. I believe it is someone who was asked to leave abruptly. Does that make any sense to you?”
Rob thought for a moment. Suddenly, he realized who she might mean. “Harold!” he exclaimed. He removed his hand from Ethelinda’s abruptly and made to turn his horse. He turned back for a moment and called out, “Come by the house before you ride on. I will reward you for your efforts.”
Ethelinda shook her head gently. “As I told the girl before, some fortunes are not for sale. Now go! Before it’s too late!”
Rob nodded. “Thank you. I owe you a very great debt.”
Ethelinda smiled, revealing some missing teeth. “A debt to a Lord is worth more than coin,” she told him.
Rob found himself smiling back. “As you wish,” he said. He glanced at Longford and the Countess of Pleasant. “Come along. We have to get back to the house posthaste.”
“Do you believe all of that nonsense?” Longford shouted as they galloped down the lane.
Rob righted himself slightly in the saddle and looked over at the other man. “I don’t think it’s nonsense. I believe that the grandson of my former groundskeeper has decided to settle a debt with me in this very unfortunate fashion. My wife threw his mother and grandfather off the property while I was away because she suspected they were keeping the rents to pay for his schooling at university. They were let go without a reference and so came to me demanding that I give them one. I too refused them. I imagine this change of circumstance has cost the grandson his chance to finish university.”
“The man must be insane to kidnap Rosy in order to force you to help him in some fashion,” The Countess of Pleasant called to them.
Rob’s mouth set into a firm line. “I have not seen the lad since he was a boy. It appears that he has not grown into a very fine man.”
“I shall have to apologize to Cecily for my harsh words earlier,” Longford said grimly. “I unfairly assumed the worst about her with regards to your wife’s disappearance.”
“We can worry about that later,” The C
ountess of Pleasant said wisely as she drew up alongside the Viscount.
“We should be able to get back to the house right before dark if we hurry,” Rob called out, driving his horse for a little more speed. He cursed himself again for being such a poor rider and forced himself into a more correct position in the saddle.
“Once this is all over you really should learn to ride better, old man,” Longford called out.
Rob glanced over at the other man with a wry smile. “It appears that riding a horse with competence is a much more useful skill than I had thought,” he agreed. “I suppose that you shall have to teach me.”
Longford shook his head. “Nay. I will let your wife have the honor.”
Rob chuckled lightly, feeling some of the weight of the day slipping away for the moment. He did not allow himself to consider that Ethelinda might have been wrong about where Rosy was. He could cross that bridge when and if he had to. For now, it felt good to have a goal, even if the goal was riding right into trouble.
∞ ∞ ∞
“Stop moving about,” Harold snapped, jerking at Rosy’s arm.
She forced herself not to cry out at the pain he had inflicted. She was continuously fighting off nausea and dizziness at this point. The ride on the wagon had not helped her head to feel any better after Harold had hit her and she was so weak from hunger and dehydration that she felt slow and stupid. Harold had drawn the wagon up part way along the drive to the main house and pulled it around to block the road. They had been sitting in this fashion for at least an hour now and Rosy was beginning to lose hope that anyone was going to come to help her. She wondered if she had only imagined Cecily climbing into the back of the wagon. She had not heard or seen any indication afterward that the other woman had come with them.
“Ah! Finally,” Harold breathed out, his voice sounding relieved. Rosy roused herself painfully, her arms protesting her movements. She glanced behind her for a moment and felt her heart leap in her chest when she saw Cecily’s bright blue eyes peering out from beneath the cloth covering the bed of the wagon. She quickly turned around again so as not to draw Harold’s attention to the back of the wagon.
“Don’t try and tell the Earl your revelations about who I am,” Harold warned her, drawing out his pistol and pressing it against her temple. “I am only interested in the money I spoke of. I do not need his pity.”
Rosy nodded stiffly, her heart racing. She watched Rob, Longford and the Countess of Pleasant as they cantered up the lane. She saw the elation in Rob’s expression when he saw her and her heart flip flopped in her chest.
“Harold,” Rob said as he slowed his horse to a walk. The animal was bathed in sweat and breathing harshly. “You can see that we have made haste to find you. Surely that should be an assurance that I will do whatever you ask of me if you will let my wife go.”
“Good evening, My Lord,” Harold said politely, pressing the pistol more firmly against Rosy’s temple. “I am pleased to hear that you will be willing to meet my demands.”
“What do you want?” Rob asked sharply.
Harold tilted his head to the side. “Well, as I cannot gain back my family’s good reputation due to the actions of your wife, I should appreciate if it you would assist us in relocating abroad.”
Rob’s eyes were steely as he looked at the other man. “How much do you want from me? I only have so much money in the house but there are other valuables I could give you as well.”
Harold smiled. “I know that you will have just collected the rents. I should accept this quarter’s rent with another hundred pounds or so thrown in for good measure.”
“Untie my wife first, as a gesture of good faith,” Rob said, his tone flat and calm.
Rosy looked at him, drinking in the sight of him. She was not sure that any good could come of this. These might be the last moments she would have on earth. She felt Harold slowly untying her wrists, his fingers clumsy as he tried to work the knots blindly so he could keep an eye on Rob. After what felt like an eternity, she felt the painful pressure on her wrists ease somewhat.
“I shall not untie her hands altogether, My Lord,” Harold said. “She is quite a firebrand. I should not wish to have to hurt her.”
Rob’s jaw clenched but he nodded. “As you wish. I shall send Longford to the house for the money if you will allow it.”
Harold shook his head. “Nay. You shall have to go and get it,” he replied. You are the only person whom I trust shall not endanger the Countess with foolish heroics.”
“See here, Bruxton,” Longford said. “The Earl has promised you your money. Release the Countess so the poor thing might be seen to. She looks ready to faint dead away.”
“A pox on your arrogance!” Bruxton shouted, mashing the pistol against Rosy’s temple and shaking her. “You are all the same, you oldlings. You think that you can order us all about and we shall be glad to do your bidding. I shall not stand for it! I have made a request and it shall be honored!
Rosy whimpered in pain, closing her eyes. She thought sadly of the baby and how it might lose its life along with hers. She felt a tear slip down her cheek.
“Here now, Harold,” Rob said quickly. “We shall do as you ask. I shall go straight away to the house.” He rode his horse to the side of the wagon, his eyes on Bruxton.
“At least someone is finally seeing some reason,” Harold griped, his eyes following Rob’s progress. “You all hold still until he returns,” he ordered them.
Rosy opened her eyes a bit and saw Longford looking past her, a spark of recognition in his gaze. She felt her heart speed up as she remembered Cecily’s presence in the wagon.
“Bruxton, you really are the worst kind of ass,” Longford said abruptly, shifting his horse to the side of the lane.
“Hold still!” Harold shouted, his hand tightening on Rosy’s arm painfully.
“You insolent mushrooms of the under classes always think you can become someone of quality simply by gaining money,” Longford went on, pressing his horse forward another step.
“Don’t come any closer you bastard or I shall shoot her!” Harold screamed, shaking Rosy. Rosy cringed and tried to pull away.
“You shall not shoot anyone!” Cecily cried, throwing herself over the back of the seat and wrestling Bruxton’s arm away from Rosy.
“Damnation!” Harold cried, thrown off balance by Cecily’s attack. He dropped the reins as he struggled for control of the weapon. Rosy made to climb down off the wagon but the shouting and struggling in the vehicle had frightened the horses. They began to trot down the lane as Cecily and Harold struggled over the gun.
“Rosy!” Rob shouted. He had turned back as soon as he heard the sound of the wagon driving away. He watched in horror as the events of his childhood began to play out again before him. He felt frozen with terror as he watched the wagon jouncing over the ruts in the lane, the horses gaining speed as they became terrified of the struggle taking place in the cart.
As the horses broke into a frightened gallop, Rosy struggled with the ropes around her wrists. They had been loosened by Bruxton as he had clumsily tried to untie her from the cart but they were stubbornly refusing to slip off. Rosy registered that Bruxton had turned about on the seat and was kneeling now, shaking Cecily as he battled for control of the weapon.
The wagon jolted and jounced down the road and Rosy frantically worked to loosen the ropes binding her wrists. She looked up and saw that the horses were nearing the sweeping turn onto the country lane. She glanced at the ground that was rushing by and looked back at Cecily in panic.
“Jump!” Cecily screamed, fear in her eyes as Bruxton wrenched one of her hands off the pistol.
Rosy looked down at the ground rushing by, closed her eyes and leapt from the wagon seat. The ground came rushing up to meet her as if in slow motion and she tried to roll into a ball to protect the baby as she fell. The wind was knocked out of her as she slammed into the ground and she looked up at the stars, trying to gather breath into her str
aining lungs.
The sound of the pistol discharging startled her and she gasped and tried to sit up. She managed to struggle onto one elbow in time to see the wagon flipping over repeatedly. The horse scrambled to its feet and dragged the ruined vehicle down the lane before drawing to a trembling halt as it became hopelessly tangled in the remnants of its harness.
“Cecily,” Rosy whispered before laying back down, her breath painful in her chest.
“Rosy!” the shout was Rob’s.
She tried to respond to him but could not draw enough breath to utter any sound. She heard the thunder of hooves as Rob galloped up to her. She held up a weak hand to him and he clasped it with relief, gripping her fingers painfully and sobbing her name over and over.
“I thought you would die,” he gasped out, pressing his face against her hand. “It was like the past all over again.”
Rosy’s befuddled thoughts realized that this was the kind of accident that had killed his mother and sister and she felt a stab of pity for him. “I will not die,” she wheezed out, attempting a smile for him. “Cecily,” she said again, trying to sit up.
“Just wait a moment,” Rob told her, pressing her to lay down again. “I have sent The Countess to get the doctor. Lie still until you get your breath back.”
Rosy nodded and closed her eyes, feeling her lungs slowly returning to normal. She felt suddenly very tired and she wished ardently to climb into bed and sleep. The sound of a horse’s hooves roused Rosy from her drowsiness and she glanced up at Rob.
“It is Longford,” Rob assured her. He smiled down at her. “And Cecily is with him.”
Rosy felt relief wash over her. The other woman had risked so much for her. She was not sure how she could ever repay her.
“How are you Rosy?” Cecily asked.
Rosy blinked away the heaviness of exhaustion and smiled wanly at the other woman as her face swam into view. “I have been better. Just thankful that we are all alive.”
“Indeed,” Cecily replied.
“Bruxton?” Rob inquired.
“Quite dead, the cur,” Longford said with relief. He drew his horse to a halt, his hand resting fondly on Cecily’s knee where she sat in the saddle above him.
