Normally, something so simple wouldn’t signify anything, but knowing Phoebe and how attached she was to her dolls, she would never leave them behind willingly. Something was definitely wrong.
“We have to find her.” She might have stated the obvious but Elizabeth didn’t know what else to do. All manner of scenarios began rushing through her mind.
“Aunt Millie, find Wilkes and have him summon all the servants. I want everyone looking for Phoebe.”
“Certainly, but dear, most of the men went with Gabe.”
“I know, but we have to do what we can.” Elizabeth strode to the door.
“Where are you going?”
Elizabeth didn’t stop as she tossed over her shoulder, “Anywhere I think she may be.”
“Be careful!”
Her aunt’s admonition followed Elizabeth as she left the room. With no clear idea where to begin, she only knew she had to do something. She couldn’t merely sit around and wait.
She couldn’t bear to imagine the possibility of Phoebe not being safe. Besides, the child had probably awoken in the mood for an adventure. She was most likely off somewhere slaying pirates.
Elizabeth chose to ignore the voice in the back of her mind doing its damnedest to remind her of the abandoned dolls. But where to look? She could be anywhere.
The attic. That must be it. She must have gone to the attic in search of more costumes to play with.
Certain Phoebe would be there, Elizabeth couldn’t be bothered about how much of her ankles she flashed as she raced up the stairs. By the time she reached the attic door, she was gasping but her corset restricted her breathing.
Not about to let her torturous undergarments keep her from locating Phoebe, Elizabeth took short shallow breaths until she gained control. Wrenching open the door, she climbed the stairs.
In a rush to find the little girl, Elizabeth hadn’t stopped to grab a candle. Thankfully the flicker of lightening stayed constant enough to brighten the attic. Just what she needed to keep from tripping over things.
“Phoebe, darling, are you here? How about you come out and play with Lizzy?” Elizabeth tried to keep her voice calm. If Phoebe was here, she didn’t want to frighten her.
“Phoebe?”
Silence countered her question. The quiet made the rattling thunder deafening.
Her heart sank. Phoebe wasn’t here. Where else could she be? There weren’t many places in the house she enjoyed. Most of her free time was spent outdoors.
Surely the child wouldn’t have ventured outside during a storm. Shifting this way and that, Elizabeth made her way around all the trunks to peer out the window. It was small and covered with a layer of grime—which Elizabeth dispensed of with a swipe of her hand—but being the highest window in the house it had the best view of the south lawn.
Through the rivulets of rain streaming down the outer pane, she skimmed her eyes over the grounds, stopping at the pavilion, before she continued on, using the flashes of lightning as a light source. There was no sign of Phoebe. In this heavy rain, Elizabeth doubted the child would have left the house.
She might be only three but she was far from dim-witted.
Careful not to fall over the trunk sitting behind her, Elizabeth slowly started to back away from the window when her eyes caught a blur of movement.
She squinted to bring the object into focus through the darkness. It appeared as if someone was carrying something. She pushed on the glass. Damn. It wouldn’t open. She needed to get a better look.
Whoever it was moved slowly. If she was quick she might be able to catch him . . . her . . . whomever. Maybe he’d seen Phoebe.
Elizabeth ran down the attic stairs.
She refused to dwell on the last time she’d spotted a mysterious figure out a window and went running headlong into danger. She ignored the tingles of uneasiness slithering down her back. Focused on Phoebe, she pushed aside her fears and didn’t falter.
She should alert the others but the closest doorway to the south was down the servant stairs. It would take too much time to use the main staircase where she’d left her aunt and Jane.
The man could disappear at any time, and he might be her best chance at finding Phoebe. Elizabeth couldn’t hesitate a moment.
She reassured herself she had nothing to worry about. Well, nothing besides Gabe’s rage if he ever found out. Since that had never stopped her in the past, it didn’t halt her now.
The cold drops on her bare arms felt like pebbles of ice, and by the time she made it halfway across the yard, rain had soaked through the outer layers of her dress and made her hair stick to the side of her face.
Hurry, hurry . . .
The moment she was close enough to be heard over the noise of the storm, she cried out, “Stop! I must speak with you!”
The figure turned the exact moment the sky became lit by two streaks of lightning. The brightness made it easy for Elizabeth to make out the package the man toted.
She froze where she stood, the cold rain pelting her skin warmer than the chill crawling through her body.
Wrapped in a blanket and clutched in the man’s arms was Phoebe. Only her face was visible, those big, trusting eyes flickering from her abductor to Elizabeth.
“Lizzy, I’m cold. I want go home.” Phoebe struggled to get to Elizabeth but the man held her tightly.
“I know, sweet.” Unwilling to alarm the child, Elizabeth fought to stay calm. She had no way of knowing what he’d do if Phoebe started to resist in earnest.
Elizabeth gave the man a quick once-over. Recognition hit her squarely. He wasn’t as elegantly dressed but there was no doubt in her mind he was the man from the park. The one who had been watching Phoebe. Just as on that day, he didn’t look sinister but the dark shadow of a bruise on the side of his face said otherwise. A bruise she knew Gabe’s fist had deposited.
She might not know what this man wanted with Phoebe, but their predicament was dire. And Elizabeth would fight him with her bare hands if need be.
First and foremost, Phoebe must remain calm. Her safety was paramount.
With as much temperance as she could muster, Elizabeth smiled at the shivering child. “How about you think of this as a journey, darling?”
“We can find more treasure,” Phoebe piped with a nod that drew the blanket further off her head. The rain quickly dampened her curls.
The man shifted his stance but said nothing. Elizabeth sensed uncertainty in him, as if he didn’t know what he was about. He turned and started to stride off.
At his sudden action, Elizabeth glanced past him and through an opening in the hedge where faint light illuminated the outline of a carriage. Dread consumed her. If she let him walk away with Phoebe, she’d never see the child again.
“Wait!” Elizabeth shrieked. “Take me with you.”
He never paused, but hurried toward the hedge.
Gabe would never forgive her if she let anything happen to Phoebe.
She wouldn’t forgive herself.
Elizabeth followed in a rush, struggling to keep her footing on the soggy ground. “If you don’t take me along, I’ll return to the house and alert everyone to your deed!” she shouted. “You’ll be caught before you leave the estate grounds!”
Elizabeth thought he hesitated but before she could capitalize on his indecision, her skirt caught on a fallen branch. In her haste to free herself she ripped the fragile material. Looking up, she despaired to find him ever closer to the carriage.
There must be a way to reason with him. If he chose to leave her behind, there would be nothing she could do to stop him.
“I can help with Phoebe! You made her abandon her dolls. You won’t be able to manage her without them. But I can. She is familiar with me.”
He stopped for a moment
and Elizabeth held her breath as she waited for his response. What if he refused? What if he didn’t care how difficult Phoebe would be? What if he found a way to silence her so she couldn’t summon help?
Finally, he rasped, “You can follow but stay quiet. I’ll leave you behind if you don’t.”
Relief poured over her. They might not be out of harm’s way but at least she would be with Phoebe.
He didn’t wait for a response, but continued on his way. While they had been standing still, her skirts had collected more rain and the extra weight made it difficult to keep up.
But keep up she did, for he’d not walk away with a piece of her heart. Phoebe needed her.
They broke through the trees and in the clearing stood the horses and the carriage she’d glimpsed earlier. She had no idea how he’d managed to get this close to the house without being seen but she imagined having Gabe and most of the male servants out looking for him had been to his advantage.
The driver never cast a look in their direction, so she didn’t anticipate him being of any assistance. With no other alternative, she silently climbed into the carriage, following after the man and Phoebe.
The stranger placed Phoebe on the bench facing the front while he positioned himself opposite. Elizabeth took the open spot next to the child, who instantly pressed against her side.
Despite the blanket wrapped around her, Elizabeth could feel shivers rack Phoebe’s tiny body.
“Here.” He held out a dry blanket. “Use this before the child takes a chill.”
She didn’t bother thanking the scoundrel, kind gesture or no. Elizabeth stripped off the rain-soaked blanket and swaddled the child in dry warmth, from her shoulders to her toes.
“Here is one for you.”
His voice remained soft, gentle. Elizabeth couldn’t detect any type of evil in his tone. Though she’d never had a conversation with a killer before; maybe they all spoke as if in the midst of sipping tea.
Her dress was thoroughly soaked, and given the puddle growing on the floor at her feet, dry garments were not forthcoming any time soon. She wasn’t going to complain, though. The blanket he’d handed her was better than nothing. Unfolding the soft wool, Elizabeth pulled it around her.
Settled and drier, Phoebe curled into Elizabeth’s lap. “Are we going home now?”
“Not yet. You just snuggle in and get warm.” Elizabeth tried to sound cheery but the turn of the day’s events caused her voice to wobble, and her chattering teeth didn’t help matters.
It wasn’t until after they were off—to God only knew where—and she heard the rain hitting the top of the carriage, that pure panic set in. She hadn’t given a second’s thought to the storm. When she’d rushed from the house the rain hadn’t been more than a nuisance. Now, confined to the carriage, it became her greatest obstacle.
She wouldn’t surrender to it. For Phoebe she had to be strong. If she allowed her affliction to take control, she might not be able to keep the child safe.
To prevent the sharp edge of terror from cutting into her composure, she turned her full focus to the man sitting across from her. The lamp made it easy for her to study him.
He was younger than she expected. Though equally soaked, she could tell he wore decent clothing and maintained proper grooming. He didn’t appear to be a typical commonplace kidnapper. He seemed too refined for that.
Save for the slump of his shoulders and the way his gaze never left Phoebe, he appeared as if their drive was an everyday outing.
In an attempt to block out the clamor of the storm, Elizabeth concentrated on his eyes. Sadness rimmed the dark brown orbs, as if he struggled with something. Perhaps the very thing that had led him to sneak into the ducal house and steal away with the duke’s child.
She tenderly regarded Phoebe. The child’s lowered lids masked the vibrant blue of her eyes. She had fallen asleep. It was probably better that way—especially if Elizabeth could no longer fight the swell of anxiety rising in her.
“Where are you taking us?”
“Away.” Although he replied to Elizabeth, he didn’t take his eyes from Phoebe. A gentleness had mixed with the sadness. If she’d made his acquaintance in other circumstances, she’d never suspect him capable of kidnapping.
The rain beat harder against the carriage. Sweat immediately broke out over her chilled skin. She pushed away the blanket, now a smothering weight. Her breathing grew shallow.
Oh, no. This can’t be happening. Not when she needed to protect Phoebe.
She must continue to push through it. “The duke will find you.”
“Not where we are going.”
Apparently he wouldn’t be sharing any pertinent information. So much for using sterling conversation to keep the panic at bay.
How pitiful that she hoped to converse with the very man who had attacked her and had subsequently become an abductor. Elizabeth felt desperate enough to do precisely that if it would take her mind off the storm.
The thunder filling the night made the carriage walls close in on her. Not even deep breathing could prevent her heart from racing and the blackness from coming.
At this point she could only pray she wouldn’t lose consciousness before they reached wherever they were headed
Chapter 40
Gabe’s day and subsequent evening had been hell. When he’d set off after Elizabeth’s attacker, he’d been so damned sure they’d find him and he could finally pound some answers out of the man.
Gabe entered the house and slammed the door, well aware he was taking his frustrations out on the panel of wood. When they’d started to pursue the man’s tracks it had been so promising. Then the rain set in, and before they could follow the hoof prints to their conclusion, they had been washed away.
Not about to admit defeat, Gabe had pressed on. There weren’t many places to hide, so odds should have been in their favor. However, despite all his best efforts, the man had eluded them.
He could be anywhere by now.
Intent on disposing of his drenched garments, Gabe had begun to stalk up the stairs, when Millie rushed from the drawing room.
“Gabe, you’re back. Thank God they found you.”
Worry echoed in her voice and her usual calm demeanor had frayed.
“What’s wrong? Who found me?” He glanced behind the older woman. “Where is Elizabeth?”
“Gone. Looking for Phoebe, who seems to be . . . missing.”
“Missing! What do you mean, missing?”
He never thought his day could go from bad to nightmarish, yet his world had just crumbled around him.
A month ago if someone would have told him two females would become the center of his life, he would have laughed at such a preposterous notion.
Tonight there was no doubt his heart had been taken captive.
“When were they seen last?” he managed to ask, afraid to hear the answer.
“No more than a quarter hour ago. When Wilkes was taking a turn outside to see if Phoebe had wandered from the house, he observed Elizabeth following a man headed toward the grove of trees on the back side of the garden. He couldn’t be sure—his eyesight not being what it used to be—but it looked like the man might have been carrying Phoebe. Wilkes ran after, but lost them in the trees. Then, he heard a carriage roll away.”
“Damn. They’ll disappear before we find them!”
He sprinted to the foyer as if the hounds of hell were on his heels. Grabbing his wet coat from where he’d thrown it, he reached for the latch just as the door flew open. If he hadn’t stepped back it would have hit him square in the forehead.
“What the—”
His brother, shouldering his way out of the rain, cut off Gabe’s profanity.
“If I would have known I’d be riding through a hammering storm, I
’d have delayed my return.” Nate shook rain from his hair.
When he stopped and locked eyes on Gabe he asked, “What happened?”
Sensing Elizabeth slipping away, Gabe had no time to go into detail. He ground out, “Phoebe and Elizabeth are missing. We think they are with Elizabeth’s attacker.”
God only knew what Elizabeth and Phoebe were facing.
Nate’s eyebrows rose. “Missing? Attacker? I leave for a few days and everything goes to hell.”
The look Gabe shot his brother was more than enough to convey his fright and worry before he slipped out the door. Wordlessly, Nate hurried to Gabe’s side.
Not one to ask for help, it settled Gabe to know his brother understood him well enough to decipher what he didn’t say. It also helped he’d never known Nate to walk away from someone in need.
“What is the plan?” Nate shouted over the thunder.
“Find them.”
“And then what?”
“Kill the man who took them.” Gabe’s wooden voice was warning enough of how serious he was. He’d already lived seven years haunted by the ghost of someone he killed. He could somehow learn to live with two. Maybe their spirits could keep each other company.
There were no more words spoken as they retrieved their horses from the stable. Once he’d rounded up every able man, Gabe led the charge to find his daughter . . . and the woman he couldn’t live without.
Chapter 41
Elizabeth was surely going to swoon. She didn’t have the strength to resist any longer. Her head already pounded from struggling with it. At this point, the darkness to follow would be a blessing.
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