Victoria nodded. “Circumstances have altered, and the Viscount and Viscountess must be informed immediately. It is of the utmost importance; there can be no delay.”
“Oh… I see. Well then, I would be happy to oblige.” Simon jumped down and helped Victoria into the carriage, before resuming his position and turning the carriage around. The next moment, they rattled away from Miss Longacre’s townhouse, headed for the countryside.
Victoria leant back against the squabs and took in a breath, her heart thundering like a bolting horse. She didn’t know if her ploy had worked. Doubt churned in her stomach, for, if it hadn’t, then she had left Miss Longacre to the wolves.
Plucking out the silver, mirrored disc that she always carried upon her person, she held it up to the window of the carriage and angled it so she might see the road behind. At first, she saw nothing, and her heart sank further.
What have I done? Should I turn back? Should I bar the doors and trap the miscreants inside?
However, just as she was wrangling with her conscience, deciding what to do, a shadow appeared in the mirrored disc. Another carriage, moving slowly along the cobbled street. It seemed to be traveling with a deliberate stealth, as though the carriage didn’t want to get too close. She looked for any insignia that might mark it out as someone else’s carriage, but the exterior was devoid of any crests or sigils.
Adrenaline pulsed through her veins as realization settled over her in a mix of terror and satisfaction.
They took the bait…
Chapter 22
“Do you think something has happened?” Christian flicked away a tiresome branch that kept trying to tickle at the back of his neck. Hours had passed and there had been no sign of movement in the house. There had been no strange activities within the garden, either, unless the scurry of a hedgehog or the scream of a fox counted as strange.
“All seems to be well,” Benedict replied, through a strained yawn.
“Should I go and look, in case?” Christian needed to do something with himself, before his limbs decided to go the full journey and turn entirely to stone.
Benedict sighed. “It couldn’t hurt. Victoria will still be awake, so it’s not as though we’ll be disturbing her.”
With a collective groan, they rose from their hiding place and made their way through the darkness toward the house. The door had been left open, giving them easy access into the building. Christian stopped on the threshold and listened out for any oddities, but only the contented silence of a sleeping household echoed back.
“You think she’s wrong, don’t you?” Benedict said, as they pressed on toward the first floor.
“About the kidnappers coming for Miss Longacre?”
Benedict nodded.
“It is difficult to say what I think. I have no reason to doubt her, but there are so many other young ladies in London, who might be of equal merit to such cretins as these two men,” Christian replied, feeling as though he were under some sort of spotlight. “Then again, Victoria has made quite the impact upon high society, masquerading as my cousin. Perhaps that is enough to entice the kidnappers tonight, thinking they may seize two ladies for the price of one.”
Christian went directly to the bedchamber beside Miss Longacre’s, where Victoria had told him she would be. He knocked and waited. Silence responded. He knocked again, fearful that she may have fallen asleep.
“I will check on Miss Longacre,” Benedict announced, his eyes flashing with worry.
“Victoria? Are you in there?” Christian put his hand upon the door handle and turned. The room beyond lay empty. “Victoria? Where are you? Victoria?” His voice held a note of panic as he whipped around, scouring the hallway for any sign of his beloved.
“Miss Longacre is not in her bed, either.” Benedict emerged from the room next door, running a hand through his thinning hair. “They’ve been taken. That’s the only explanation. The kidnappers must’ve snuck up on them and stolen them away before they could raise the alarm. Those despicable blighters! They will pay for this! My word, they will pay!”
A thud nearby snapped up the two men’s attention. It came from behind a doorway directly opposite Miss Longacre’s bedchamber. Christian lifted his finger to his lips and crept toward the door.
“Hello? Who goes there?” he demanded to know, his fingers gripping the door handle.
“Hello? Lord Galbury, is that you?” a small, frightened voice replied.
“Miss Longacre?!” Christian wrenched the door open, to find the young lady huddled in the corner of the cramped space, with her knees tucked up to her chin. “What are you doing in here? Where is Victoria?”
With a shaky hand, Miss Longacre lifted up a creased sheet of paper and brandished it at Christian. “I couldn’t read it, as it was so very dark in here. But I believe she pushed it under the door.”
“When?” Christian pressed, desperate now.
“I-I don’t know. An hour ago, m-maybe. Or p-perhaps less.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I was s-so afraid that I d-didn’t dare to come out of this p-place. Victoria told me n-not to, until she c-came back for m-me.”
“Lord above!” Benedict barked, snatching the letter out of Miss Longacre’s hand. His expression darkened as he read over the contents.
“What is it, Admiral?” Christian stared at the note as though it held the secrets of the universe. Which, in a way, it did.
“You foolish, stubborn, ridiculous girl!” Benedict threw back his head. “She’s lured the kidnappers away, if this is to be believed. She thought they might escape if they were disturbed, so she’s taken it upon herself to capture them singlehandedly. Well, more or less.”
“What?! No!” Christian gasped, feeling as though the world were crumbling beneath his feet.
Benedict shoved the letter into his hand. “Read it for yourself.”
Christian did so, his eyes darting across the scratchy words, which had evidently been written in haste. “No… why would she do that? She promised me she would be safe. She promised me she would stay with the plan.”
“Aye, and you believed her?” Benedict balled his hands into fists. “I should’ve known she’d do something like this. She said she’d do anything to succeed in this mission. Blast it all, I should never have left her on her own.”
“Where has she gone?” Miss Longacre asked meekly.
“She’s gone to your house in the country, and I would wager she’s done it while masquerading as you.” Benedict slammed his hand into the wall, causing Miss Longacre to jump in fright.
“She… spoke in my voice.” Miss Longacre brushed away her tears. “It makes sense now.”
Christian focused on her. “What does?”
“She made it sound like you were within the house with her, though she used my voice to converse with… well, herself. Yes, she changed between the two—her and me.” Miss Longacre staggered to her feet. “She woke me so abruptly, and shoved me in here, telling me to be silent until she returned. I… I think she w-was trying to l-lead the kidnappers away.”
“At least we know where she’s going,” Benedict muttered. “Come, we’ve got to go after her, without delay.”
“And what of Miss Longacre?” Christian may have been frantic to find Victoria, but that didn’t mean he had left his senses when it came to chivalry. Leaving Miss Longacre alone here would be imprudent, if, perhaps, one of the kidnappers was still lying in wait.
“Rouse the staff and go to the kitchens. Stay there until morning,” Benedict instructed. “We’ll have to make a stop at Bow Street, to inform them of what’s happened. And, besides, we’re going to need some cavalry if we’re going after these ingrates.”
Christian nodded, satisfied with the solution. “Let us go, post haste. We don’t know how far ahead of us she may be.”
As a trio, they raced along the landing and down the stairs. Miss Longacre diverged, going to wake the staff so that she would not be alone. Meanwhile, Benedict and Christian ploughed on through the front door, only t
o pull up short as they reached the frosted street.
“Where’s your carriage?” Benedict asked tersely.
“Victoria has taken it.” Christian’s heart pounded. “We will have to use the one that is stationed up the street.” He had instructed the second driver to wait, at a hefty price, in case they required two carriages to deliver the kidnappers to Bow Street.
Benedict sighed. “That’s one thing in our favor, then.”
“What do you mean?” Christian glanced at him, puzzled.
“Ever since Victoria started on this mission with you, I had a friend of mine—an investigator in his own right, though unknown to Victoria—take the role of your driver. Didn’t you notice he’d changed?” A note of judgment lingered in Benedict’s voice.
“Green told me that he was a temporary substitute, whilst my usual driver visited with his sick family.” Christian gaped, realizing that Benedict had been watching his surrogate daughter all this time. A true fatherly figure, taking care of her, even when she was unaware of it.
Benedict laughed sharply. “No wonder these kidnappers chose to target the upper echelons. You’ll believe any tale you’re fed.”
“Is Green with Victoria now, then?” Christian gulped, feeling foolish.
“Let’s hope so. That way, at least she’ll have some back up if things take a turn for the worst.” Benedict set off up the street, to where the other carriage sat. Christian sprinted after him, horrified that he could have swallowed such a falsehood with barely a second thought. What if the driver had been working for the kidnappers, instead of Benedict? Why, he would have made their job twice as easy.
He kept feeling as though he ought to be furious with Victoria, for pulling the wool over their eyes in such a dramatic fashion. But he could not muster any anger. Instead, he felt only fear. Deep-rooted, all- consuming fear that something terrible was about to happen to her. And he would not be there to stop it.
Wherever you are, my love, we are coming for you. Hold on. We are coming.
He only hoped they wouldn’t be too late. She had promised to leave a trail, if something befell her, but the winds were picking up, sending leaves skittering across the roads. It howled through the carriage door as he entered, and he could scent the metallic tang of oncoming rain in the atmosphere. In truth, he was terrified that, by the time they were en route to Miss Longacre’s country house, there would be no trace of Victoria left anywhere.
Chapter 23
Dark landscape flowed like a river of shadow past the window of the carriage, as it left the glowing lights of London behind. Victoria sat within, trying to steady the rampant nerves that ran riot inside her. She had expected the kidnappers to strike the moment they reached a quiet road, but they had yet to do anything, even though she knew they continued to follow.
Frustrated, she lifted the mirrored disc and angled it once more, in case she had been mistaken. But, sure enough, a second carriage followed behind at a slower pace, keeping a cautious distance, as though it didn’t want to be spotted. Not that a cautious distance mattered out here, on the eerie emptiness of the country road. There could be no other reason for a carriage to be in pursuit of hers, however slow, unless those within had some dastardly notion in mind.
What are they waiting for? I don’t understand it.
Her mind turned toward Christian. If he had any sense, he would have entered the house and found the note by now. Although, she had lost all concept of time, sitting inside the rattling carriage, not knowing when the aggressors might strike at her.
Are you in pursuit of me now, Christian? Are you bringing rescue? How she wished he were here beside her, as he had been ever since they had begun on this endeavor together. Somehow, she had grown so used to him that she didn’t know what she would do without him. Not in the investigative sense. She was quite capable of doing that alone, but as for her life… she didn’t want to think of it without him at her side.
There had been plenty of allusions from Miss Longacre, suggesting that Christian cared for her, in a way that business partners didn’t care for one another. And she had seen it in his eyes, directly. But what could they do about it? Miss Longacre had also mentioned that Lady Helena had an admirer of her own, but Victoria remained unconvinced that Christian and his childhood friend would be able to put aside the promises they had made to their families and forgo their betrothal in favor of actual happiness.
It is hopeless. Perhaps it is nothing more than a fleeting fancy. He has said, often enough, how I intrigue him. Would he still care for me if the intrigue wore off, and he discovered that I am just… me?
She scolded herself, for these were not helpful thoughts at a time such as this, when she ought to be at her most alert. Lifting the mirrored disc once more, to make sure the carriage was still following, her heart plummeted. The second carriage had gone. Whilst she had been dwelling romantically upon her star-crossed affections for Christian, the kidnappers had… vanished.
Where did they go?! Oh, I am a fool! Where did they go?!
Her body flew forward as the carriage came to a violent halt. From outside, she heard the startled whinnies of the two horses up front. Her head collided with the bench opposite, sending a splinter of pain through her skull as she scrabbled around for purchase.
“Who goes there?” she heard the driver, Simon, shout. A sickening thud followed, accompanied by a pained groan.
Victoria gripped the squab and pulled herself up, squinting against the fresh throb in her temples. She blinked rapidly to clear her blurred vision, in time to see the door wrench open. A thin fellow with half his face obscured stepped inside, backing Victoria into a corner. Her eyes darted to the fellow’s little finger, where a blue gemstone glinted in the moonlight.
Maintain the ruse! I must maintain the ruse! Every survival instinct within her wanted her to lunge at this cretin, and swipe at his face with the knife she had concealed beneath her skirts. But that wasn’t what Lady Laura would have done, and she needed to keep up the pretense for as long as she could. If she didn’t, then they may very well leave her in the dirt, instead of taking her to the place where they were keeping the other captive ladies.
“Please, sir! Please, I beg of you, do not hurt me!” she wailed, in a suitably damsel-like voice. It disgusted her, to lower herself to such an extent in front of a man so foul, but it was necessary.
“Hurt you?” the thin fellow snickered, “I don’t intend to hurt you.”
“I implore you, sir. Do not dishonor me. Do not harm me. I have family—I don’t want to die.” Victoria even managed some crocodile tears, to make herself appear more convincing.
“Miss Longacre, I urge you to calm yourself,” the man said sternly. “You will not be harmed, as long as you do as you are told.”
She realized that her hood lay half over her face, while the impact from the bench had started to swell the other side. This man truly seemed to believe she was Miss Longacre, and she was only too happy to let him continue to believe that.
“I will… obey, sir. Please, I will behave,” she whimpered, despising that note in her voice. She had never whimpered in her life.
“That’s what I like to hear.” The thin wretch leaned forward and hauled her to her feet with surprising strength. She didn’t resist, as he dragged her bodily out of the carriage and into the icy darkness.
However, she made sure to stumble, collapsing into the dirt. Quick as a flash, she removed the bracelet that she had borrowed from Miss Longacre and placed a rock upon a small part of it, to hold it down against the gale that had started to blow across the countryside. All concealed from the thin villain’s sight.
He rolled his eyes. “Get up, Miss Longacre.”
“My apologies, sir. Please, don’t punish me. I didn’t mean to fall.” She managed to stand, her skirts hiding the first breadcrumb that she planned to leave for Christian and Benedict. If they were, indeed, following her at that very moment.
“Be more careful where you tread,” the man
retorted. He grasped hold of her arm once more and tugged her along the dirt road. She staggered after him, though not before she stole a look back, to make sure the bracelet could be seen from the road. It glinted, as if to let her know that it had her covered.
The second carriage, which had been pursuing her all the way from London, sat ahead of hers. Somehow, it had managed to get in front, whilst she had been distracted by thoughts of Christian. And Simon Green lay on the ground, his head bleeding, though he still appeared to be breathing.
“Hold still,” the man instructed.
Victoria did as she was told, though her eyes sought to penetrate the gloom, in order to locate the thin man’s associate. She noticed a shadow sitting atop the carriage. It had to be him. The shorter, stockier individual that Miss Jennings had mentioned, and that Christian had seen, that day in Hyde Park.
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