“Forgive me, my lord, I saw something which I thought was really important and…”
“Shut up, fool! What could you have seen that you would leave me here without any direct order from me?”
“My lord, but the maid was…”
“I do not care about any of your discrepancies, Ron. I have a work for you. It appears things will begin faster than we have thought. You shall go back to the inn this night, people we need to make the plan work are back there. They are friends of the lawyer.”
“Oh, you mean the drunk men we saw last night?” Ron asked.
“Aye, they live their lives drinking, but they have the people you need,” Harold said and handed Ron a letter. “Give this to one of them when you find them. Lord Terrence will sleep here tonight, a future earl must not be spending much time at the inn. It is most uncomfortable.”
Both Terrence and Harold laughed while Ron went on his way.
***
That night, while Elizabeth lay on her bed, she couldn’t sleep. A visitor was in the visitor’s room and Harold was yet to come to their bedchamber. She planned to ask him once he entered. She was certain he was still going to lie to her.
Seconds later, Harold entered the room, humming to himself before gently climbing into the bed with her.
“You did not tell me we were having a guest that will be sleeping over,” she said without turning around.
He waited for a while before responding.
“You were busy with your knitting and I did not wish to disturb you,” he replied.
“Who is he?” she demanded.
“Just one of my clients who cannot go back to his home tonight again,” he replied.
Elizabeth thought of shouting ‘liar!’ at him but she calmed herself down. Confronting him would not solve anything. The only thing she needed to do was to play along with him.
“Okay then,” she said.
“I didn’t see Sophie this night at all, where is she?” he asked.
“I sent her on an errand, she would not be back till tomorrow,” she replied.
“You didn’t tell me, what if I needed her?”
“Well, you were busy with your guest and it couldn’t wait,” she retorted. That was the end of the conversation that night.
***
Ron stretched his back as he climbed down from the carriage. He was exhausted, and it was just some minutes to midnight. He hoped the men would be there at the time.
When he got to the inn, there were fewer men than usual; six men and a lady sitting by herself in a corner. Oh, wait! He looked at the lady very closely. It was the same lady he had seen that morning.
Now he was certain that something was wrong. He walked to the bartender who recognized him immediately, he and his master had caused them much grievance the previous night.
“Eh, pray, tell me how long the lass has been sitting there,” he said to the bartender who looked at the lady and shook his head.
“An hour or so,” he replied.
“Will she be spending the night?” Ron asked further.
The bartender was quiet so Ron gave him some coins.
“Aye, she will be. She said she only needed a place for the night but no more room, so she said she will sit there till ‘morrow.”
Ron frowned and took another look at her. Now her back was rested against the wall as she clutched her bag tighter. Her eyes seemed to be closing. He eyed the bag contemptuously. Something was not right, he thought. There was only one road in the area which led from the Parrish household to the Barton’s quarters. What if she was going to the Barton’s quarters? Was it possible that she had heard something or perhaps, she was on an errand? Ron knew that whatever was in the letter would help him a great deal, he only needed to find a way to get to it.
While he was talking, the two men from the previous night walked in. When they saw him, they grinned.
“Eh, if it is not the young lad from last night,” said the fatter one of the two.
Ron smiled and walked closer to them.
“Hope you were able to see Harold?” the other one asked.
Ron nodded. “Aye, with your help. My master is grateful. I am Ron and I have a letter for you from both Mr. Parrish and my master.”
The two men exchanged glances.
“Hold on, lad,” said the fatter one. “Your master is the other Barton brother, is he not?”
Ron waited before nodding.
“I thought so!” shouted the fatter one. “Darrel, you owe me two gold coins, and a drink,” he said to the other.
The other whose name was apparently Darrel smiled and signaled to the bartender.
“How did you come to realize this?” Ron asked while taking short glances at the sleeping lady at the corner.
“Well,” said the fatter one, “he was very interested in the will and the story. It was easy. So, you said you have a message for us?”
Ron nodded and handed him the letter. Both men went through it and gasped.
“Two hundred gold coins for five men to capture a lady! This is too good to be true. We are in!” shouted Darrel.
Ron laughed. “Good. I have the address with me, but first, there is something we need to do.”
The two men exchanged glances.
“You see the lass over there?” Ron said pointing at the lady. Both men nodded.
“She has something in her bag which I must have. I am afraid that whatever is in the letter will affect our mission.”
“Who is she?” asked Darrel.
“I think she is the maid of the Parrish,” Ron replied.
“Oh, you think she is trying to warn the lady that she is about to be captured?” asked the fatter one. He seemed to be the sharper of the two.
“Aye, I think so but we cannot be sure unless we read the content of the letter,” Ron explained.
“I have an idea,” said Darrel.
***
Sophie was not comfortable where she sat but there was little she could do. There was no room in the inn and she couldn’t go on the journey that night. So she had resorted to sitting down in a corner till the day would break. It wasn’t a problem at all, better still, she got to keep the money that Mrs. Parrish had had given her.
She sighed as she thought of everything that had happened. Mr. Parrish was really a dangerous man, this she had in mind until she began to fall asleep only to be woken up by something.
She couldn’t tell what it was but glancing through the inn, she could tell that the people there had reduced, so what had woken her up? She thought.
“Hello, miss.”
The voice startled her that she dropped the bag in her hand. Before, she could grab it the man had already done that. He was a fat man in a funny looking hat. There was a scar at the side of his neck He seemed like someone she had seen before, or probably he only resembled one of the men that would come to the Harold to drink and to gamble. It was either that or she was really feeling sleepy.
“My purse, please,” she said.
“Of course,” said the man with a smile. “I wanted to tell you that there is an empty seat where you can lie down without straining your back sitting down all through the night.”
“Oh,” Sophie said, a bit surprised. “Thank you,” she replied as the man pointed to a long seat which she noticed would be more comfortable.
“Thank you, now, can I have my purse?”
The man nodded and handed it to her.
“Thank you,” she said again before proceeding to the seat. It didn’t take long before she drifted off to sleep.
***
Sophie woke up very early the following morning. The inn was empty except for the cleaner who was scrubbing the floor. She yawned, stretched her back and rose to her feet. While doing so, she realized her purse was opened. At first, she thought it was nothing, but when she dipped her hand inside and realized that her money with the letter were gone, she sank to her knees.
“What are you doing, lady?” asked the cleaner.
She was a middle-aged woman.
“The letter my mistress sent me, the money I was given. They are all gone!” Sophie cried. This would mean she couldn’t leave the place to go back home or to get to Theodosia. She was in the middle of nowhere.
“Terribly sorry for your loss, what will you do now?” the woman asked.
Sophie could barely think, she was really confused. Certainly, the fat man from last night must have taken it when he kept holding her bag. She should have known that something was wrong.
“I do not know what to do. I am supposed to get to Edinburgh with the money and the address of where I am to go is on the letter. Now, there is no way I would get there.”
The woman looked at her pitifully. “Maybe the inn keeper will have a job for you. If you can do some work, you shall get paid and then you can be on your way.”
Sophie sighed. She was supposed to get to Theodosia as early as possible but now that there was no way to do that. The only thing to do was to find a work to do and hopefully get paid. At least, if she could get to Theodosia early, she would be able to help her get back home.
“Alright. Thank you, take me to the inn keeper.”
Chapter 10
Damsel in Distress
It was a beautiful morning in Edinburgh and Theodosia with Barton were sitting in a park, close to the stream, having a picnic together.
After the whole thing with the brother, the two had grown remarkably closer, enjoying the other’s presence as they day went by.
Theodosia was beginning to realize that marrying Barton may not be a problem at all, in fact, it might perhaps be the greatest thing to happen to her. Not only had she come to realize that they both have a good taste in reading same type of novels, she also discovered he had a very good sense of humor. Apart from that, he was friendly and very sweet, just like his sister had said. She was getting more attracted to him every day.
Barton on the other hand was becoming more relaxed, everything was falling into place. His birthday would be coming in the next few weeks and everything seemed to be working just the way he wanted. Ever since a couple of days ago that Terrence had visited him, he had not heard from him again. Luanne said he must have probably given up and decided to stay away but Barton knew his brother. Terrence would never stay away just like that unless he had what he came for.
***
“So, are you saying that you like the fact that Ramsey had to sit himself in the rain, get drenched just to show his love for Portia?” Barton asked on their way home. The sun was setting fast, and they were returning home from their picnic. They were both riding on separate horses while discussing a book they had read that day.
“Of course. Ladies love it when men would go an extra mile to prove their love,” Theodosia replied, laughing.
“That was not an extra mile, that was an extra punishment,” Barton replied while Theodosia laughed some more. “Men shouldn’t have to do everything, you know,” he said.
“I love how they had their first kiss, it was so romantic. I keep thinking about it,” she said.
“Oh, really?” he asked, pulling the reins so that his mare came to a halt.
Theodosia did the same, curious as to why they stopped.
“Why are we stopping? We are not even home yet,” she asked, watching as he dismounted the horse while walking closer to her. He had a look on his face which meant he was up to something.
“What are you doing, my lord?” she asked, but he got closer and stopped right in front of her. He lifted her from the horse so they were both standing face to face.
Theodosia could feel her heart racing as she was inches away from Barton. She didn’t know what he was up to, but in the book they had read that day, the man had tried to kiss the woman this same way.
“You know what I’m about to do?” he asked in a breathy voice.
She couldn’t even think, she was too excited. “I think I do,” she replied.
“Would you like to me go ahead?” he asked, and she chuckled.
“Ramsey hadn’t asked Portia if he could go ahead.”
They both laughed and finally he held her hand in his and placed the other on her cheek. They felt so warm against her skin.
“Close your eyes,” he whispered, leaning in closer to her.
When she felt his breath, she parted her lips and the next minute, they were kissing. His lips were warm and soft, causing some excitement deep down inside her. She held on to him but was startled when he yelped in pain.
By the time she understood what was happening, she saw several men surrounding them.
“What is happening?” she demanded as two of the men seized her, one at both arms. Barton tried to fight them off but the rest of the men kept hitting him.
“Leave him alone!” she screamed until one of them covered her eyes with some sort of blindfold. Then she was being hurled into a carriage. She tried fighting but a heavy weight descended on her and she fell into blackness.
***
Luanne checked the time. She couldn’t understand why her brother wasn’t back yet. It was getting later, she thought. Well, they were both adults, they would be fine.
She got up from where she sat in the drawing room and was about to climb the stairs when she heard noises outside.
“What is going on?” she asked David who had just come in then.
“My lady, it’s my lord…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Luanne rushed outside, her chest rising and falling. The servants were carrying Barton in, he seemed unconscious and his clothes badly torn.
Luanne gasped. “Oh My! What happened?” she cried, running towards him, while the servants carried him to the room and placed him carefully on the bed.
“Somebody should please get the physician!” she ordered, and the servants hurried out of the room. She cried as she saw how badly Barton was beaten. There was blood on every part of him.
“Who could have done this?” David cried beside her.
“How did you find him?” she asked.
“He came riding on his horse unconscious. He must have used his last strength to climb on the horse,” David replied.
“What about Theodosia?” Luanne asked.
“We didn’t see her, my lady. He came alone.”
“Get some servants, go out and search for her. Ask everyone you see, please and when you are coming back, get the constable.”
David nodded, bowed, and left.
Luanne sat beside her brother, holding his hands in hers. “Oh! You poor thing! I am certain that Terrence must have done this! This is like something he would do. I am so sorry,” she cried.
Luanne waited by the bed while the physician tended to her brother.
“Is he going to be fine, please?” she asked. They had already cleaned Barton up and changed his clothes.
The man nodded. “He needs to rest for a couple of days. He will be fine. He suffered no internal injury,” he replied. “How did this happen?” he asked.
“I do not know,” she replied. “But I am going to find out. Thank you very much, sir. I shall see to it that you get paid for your trouble.”
The physician nodded and exited.
Luanne went back inside to sit beside her unconscious brother. His bruises had been cleaned and dressed.
David came in, looking worried. “My lady.”
“What is it this time?” she asked.
“We did not see lady Theodosia but while we were searching for her, we came across this young lady who was seeking for the Barton’s quarters. We asked her who she was, she said she was sent by Mrs. Parrish to her daughter. So we brought her home, and she is demanding to speak to someone.”
Luanne frowned and immediately climbed down from the bed. “Take me to her.”
***
Sophie sat in the parlor, waiting. She was exhausted both internally and externally. She had worked at the inn that morning, cleaning several rooms which earned her some coins that brought her half way, then she had trekked
the rest of the way, asking passers-by for direction.
Luckily, she ran into the men who had brought her to the estate but she didn’t understand why she hadn’t seen Lady Theodosia yet.
She stood up as she heard footsteps. The man that had spoken to her earlier was followed by another lady who looked almost the same age as Theodosia.
“Hello,” the lady.
“My lady,” she said, curtsying.
“How are you, dear?” Luanne asked. “I am Lady Barton, who are you?”
“Sophie,” she replied. “Miss Theodosia’s maid when she was still back at home with us.”
“Okay. Is there a problem?”
“Yes, I need to see her. It is very important.”
Sophie watched as the lady exchanged looks with her servant.
“Come with me,”
***
Sophie gasped as she saw Lord Barton lying unconsciously on the bed. Luanne had explained to her all that had happened.
“I am sorry, my lady,” she said.
“Thank you, so we couldn’t find Theodosia. We think that whoever had beaten my brother must have kidnapped her as well,” said Luanne.
“As a matter of fact, my lady. I have come to warn Miss Theodosia of this.”
Luanne frowned. “You knew that this would happen?” she asked.
“Yes, my lady,” Sophie replied. “Yesterday, a man had visited Mr. Parrish, and my mistress and I listened behind closed doors. From what we heard, one of them was another Lord Barton and he and my master were planning to kidnap Miss Theodosia so that she wouldn’t be married before your brother’s birthday and in that way, the other Lord Barton can inherit the properties.”
When Luanne heard this, she was glad. Things were beginning to unfold,
“You are a genius,” she said.
“My lady, the constable is here,” said David.
“Come with me, Sophie. You are the only one that can help us.”
***
Constable Adams had been a friend of the Bartons for years. He was a man in his mid-fifties. He had come with his assistant, Joe.
“I will be asking you some questions, Sophie,” the constable said while Luanne sat beside her.
Anne came in with a tray, she handed a cup of tea each to Sophie, Luanne, the constable, and his assistant. They had been earlier introduced to Sophie.
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