“The constables we hired found tracks leading into the woods. They have not found the cabin, but perhaps if we ride that way we will find them?”
“If indeed they went there. She was ambushed some distance from where I was taken. It would be a long ride in broad daylight with an unwilling woman on horseback.”
“In this weather we may encounter difficulty for volunteers. Perhaps we should wait until it clears.”
Zachariah shook his head. “No, I will not wait. As I am sure the Liverpooler who has her will not wait. You remain here. When it clears, take as many men as you can gather and search for the cabin. I will ride back to where she was abducted and search the area there. I have a feeling… I cannot explain it.”
Caleb nodded and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Very well. I will go with the constables and search for the cabin while you ride back toward the inn. We will reconvene here this night.”
With that, Caleb departed, leaving Zachariah to rush forth toward the stable to retrieve his fastest gelding. He had to find her—there was no other way.
Chapter 44
Melody rushed around the building and looked through the boarded-up windows as thunder boomed above her. She peered inside; the interior lit up by a flash of lighting. The tavern was empty save for a few overturned chairs and tables.
Just my luck the place closed down when I need their assistance.
She flared her nostrils in irritation and made one last round around the place. She knew the man who’d attempted to take her would soon come after her. She’d hoped for assistance from the innkeeper when the sky opened.
I can’t very well walk back to the Gentle Rose or to Sandorne in this weather. I must find shelter.
Yes, abandoned or not, this was her very best chance to hide out unseen until the storm passed and she could attempt to get help or make her way home. With her hands on her hips, she surveyed the area. As lightning flashed closer and closer and thunder rumbled, she noticed a small window where only one thin board had been used to barricade the window.
She grabbed it with both of her hands and yanked as hard as she could. It flew off with more force that she’d anticipated and she stumbled backwards, knocking down an empty barrel. With as much strength as she could muster, Melody climbed through the window and finally found herself safe from the weather.
She picked up one of the chairs that had fallen over and set it near the front of the tavern and positioned it by a boarded-up window. Seated, she was able to keep an eye on the clearing up ahead, the most likely direction her assailant might come from. In relative safety, she at last had time to consider her situation. Who was this man and why was he after her? This must be connected to Zachariah somehow. But how?
How much my life has changed these past months. Once I was a simple widow trying to make her way in a man’s world. Now I am ambushed on the road by a bandit who might have also held captive the man I love. A Duke.
Melody laughed then, at the absurdity of the situation. There was nothing else she could do. The storm had trapped her inside the building. She had only one thing to do. Wait.
By the time Zachariah had reached the location of the ambush, his greatcoat was soaked through. He stopped where the carriage had come to a rest. The coachman had taken off with one of the horses, unable to direct the carriage further with one functioning arm. Zachariah jumped off the horse and walked around the carriage.
The rain had washed away any trace of footsteps or hints of the struggle. He sighed.
At least the rain is letting up and I can see.
He looked up at the sky where slivers of blue pushed through the grey clouds. He surveyed the area and spotted something flapping in the wind in a nearby bush. He stepped closer and found it to be a piece of cloth with embroidery. Could it be Melody’s? She ran, as the coachman reported. So perhaps…
Zachariah made his way into the thicket, his horse walking by his side. He wanted to be sure not to miss anything by riding. He walked rather aimlessly through the woods, led by intuition more than anything else. If only the rain had not washed away any trace of her.
“Melody? Melody Balfour? It is I, Zachariah. Call out!” A sudden rustling in the bushes beside him roused his attention and he turned, dashing toward the sound. “Melody.” To his disappointment, it was only a hare that came out of the bush and hopped away, leaving him once more alone.
He carried on walking, losing hope the further he walked into the woods, when he spotted a clearing up ahead and just before it, he found his first piece of real evidence. There were signs of a struggle of some sort before him. The mud partially washed it away, but it had the imprint of a figure upon it. Broken branches further proved his theory.
“Melody!” He called out again, desperation seeping into his voice. Where could she be? What if she was taken? He’d never find her here. They had yet to locate the cabin he had been held in. He was about to mount his gelding and ride back to fetch more help when something sparkled in the distance. The first rays of the sun were intermingling with the last drops of rain and shone a light on whatever it was that lay on the forest floor.
He rushed toward it and squatted down, scooping the item up in his hand. It was her locket. The locket with the picture of the archangel Michael he’d given to Melody. She’d been here. As he rose again, he surveyed the are once more, the locket clutched in his hand. He stopped and squinted. Up ahead was a clearing and beyond it he saw what looked like the outline of a house.
“Come, Scout, I think I know just where we must go.” He swung himself atop his horse and galloped toward the house in the distance, his last hope of finding Melody.
Melody twisted her long hair and squeezed out as much water as she could. She’d already done the same for her gown and managed to dry herself off as best she could with some old pieces of cloth left behind in what was once the kitchen. Stepping away from the puddle at her feet, she glanced through the slates of the boarded-up windows when—
“Heavens forwent!”
“Lassie, you make it awfully hard on me. Now, come on out. Don’t make me smash up this glass.”
She stepped back from the window and looked around in haste. The window! The one in the back she’d been able to break into the tavern through. It was open! Melody rushed back toward the other side of the inn and frantically tried to close the window only to realize the reason it had been open in the first place—there was no glass! Once upon a time it had been busted and nobody bothered to repair it. Suddenly the knocking and banging at the front stopped and to her alarm, the man came around the side. Soon he’d see the window and make his way inside. There was no way she could get outside. It would take too much time to break the glass and remove the wood from another window. The noise alone would draw the man, anyhow.
I must find a weapon. Any weapon. The kitchen! Surely there will be a knife or even a rolling pin left.
She ran into the remains of the kitchen and yanked open every drawer only to find nothing of use. There were a few spoons and some dull dinner knifes she could not use and little else. She grabbed ahold of a cutting board and positioned herself behind the kitchen door and waited.
Her heart beat out of her chest as she readied herself to fight for her life. She hadn’t come this far, survived the death of her husband, built a business, and made herself into the woman she was today, to find her end at the hands of a small-time bandit. No, sir. Not today. Not ever.
“Lassie!” The voice boomed. “I see you left the window open for me. Very considerate of yer!” There was grunting and huffing as the man made his way through the window. Suddenly, it occurred to her she ought to just bash him on the head as he came through. Yes, that was the way to go. She ran into the front part of the tavern again when her heart almost stopped. Behind the man, who was attempting to climb through the window, a man appeared. Dripping wet and disheveled-looking, it took her a moment to recognize him. But when she did, her heart beat faster.
“Zachariah!” Sh
e exclaimed loudly as she saw him running up behind the man who was halfway in and halfway out of the window.
“Melody!” His voice was so full of relief and joy she could not help but lose herself in the moment, forgetting all the danger they were presently in. “I searched for you everywhere! I…” The bandit chose this very moment to fight back, ramming his elbow right into Zachariah’s face. He grunted and fell backward while the man slid out of the window. Melody watched in horror as the two men tussled, rolling through the wet mud outside.
She rushed forward and pulled a chair to the window, climbing out as fast as she could. The man was on top of Zachariah now, attempting to land a blow to his face while Zachariah held him off as best as he could. Melody spotted the broken piece of wood on the ground. She picked it up and wrapped her hands around it, thinking of Betsy and her beloved rolling pin.
“Let him go!” She stood with the board raised in the air when the man turned his head to look at her.
“Eh wot?”
It was all it took, a moment of distraction. Zachariah reached up and grabbed the man by the hair and yanked him to the side, rolling him over in one swift motion. He pinned back his hands and held him down.
“Quickly, I must tie his hands.”
Melody dropped the wood and ripped the hem of Betsy’s already ruined dress. She tossed it at Zachariah and grabbed the board again, just to be safe.
“You are made for each other, the lot of you! One as despicable as the other! Let me go! Let me go!” He wriggled and struggled as Zachariah tied his hands together.
“There. That is better. Soon enough you will be reunited with your friend, Skryer.” The man’s eyes grew wide. “Yes,” Zachariah continued. “I know his name. And yours, Mr. Bent. Lady Adelaide revealed the entire plot to me in order to save herself. You will soon meet the magistrate together and find yourself in gaol for some time. But do not fret, the food there is bound to be better than that mush you served me.”
Lady Adelaide? What does she have to do with it all? It wasn’t Caney, after all?
Before she could question him, he looked up and their eyes met at last. A warmth spread through her entire body as he stepped toward her. The question was forgotten in the moment.
“Melody.” He stood before her and placed a hand on her cheek. The sensation of his warm hand on her cold cheek made her shiver with pleasure.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the serpent,” she said, and took a hold of his free hand.
“I feel as though it has been years since I last saw you.”
“How did you find me?” Her breathing was heavy and her heart beat out of her chest. Just to be near him was exhilarating.
“I had a feeling; I cannot explain it. Then I found a torn piece of cloth and knew I was on the right track. And then… I found this.” He pushed his hand into the pocket of his soaked waistcoat and pulled an item out.
“My locket!” She beamed at him. “I thought it was lost forever.”
“As I feared you might be lost to me forever.” He sighed. “Melody, I…”
“He’s getting away!” She pointed at the man who had managed to stand and was presently running into the woods.
“Halt!” Zachariah yelled and raced after him, disappearing into the woods. She ran after them and stopped in her tracks the moment she caught up with Zachariah. Her eyes grew wide, as before her she saw not only Zachariah and the bandit, but Mr. Ridlington, perched high atop a horse, and behind him at least ten other men. Two more had the bandit by the arms and were presently hauling him onto a horse.
“Lost something, old chum?” The steward grinned.
“I was just letting him stretch his legs before it’s off to the gaol for many a year. But thank you anyhow.”
The two grinned at one another. Melody always found their friendship to be quite extraordinary. A Duke and his steward were often close, but never as close as these two. They were more like brothers than employer and employee. But then again, Zachariah was not exactly someone who cared much about convention. He would not be here, soaked to the bone, dirty from rolling in the mud, and with a wound on his chin where the man’s elbow hit him, if he did not break the mold.
No, this man does not care where you are from or who you are. If he cares for you, he cares for you—no matter what. He is a man who sees beyond the pre-set rules of this society we live in. This is a man who knows what he wants. And it appears he wants me. As much as I want him.
Suddenly, she realized she’d been staring at him, for the steward cleared his throat in a noisy manner, drawing her attention.
“I asked after the lovely Miss Lovell, Miss Balfour.”
She looked up, aware she was blushing. “She is well. She looks forward to your next visit.”
He smiled at this. “As do I. Perhaps given that the kidnapping plot is finally solved now, His Grace here will give me a few days to visit the Gentle Rose and its head cook.” He turned his eyes on Zachariah, who shrugged.
“I will have to give it some thought. Consider if it is truly deserved.”
“By Jove, are you certain this is the man you wish to align yourself with, Miss Balfour? Do you see how harshly he treats me?”
Melody could not help but laugh at the exchange. “I am quite certain,” she replied, a wide smile on her lips. She felt Zachariah’s eyes on her before she looked at him, and when she did, she saw a tenderness there, a warmth, and she wanted nothing more than to rush into his arms and soak it all in. For a moment, he took his eyes off her and looked at his steward.
“Would you please arrange the transport of Mr. Bent to the constable? So that he may be joyfully reunited with his companion?”
Caleb grinned. “I suppose that can be arranged. I trust you will be able to make your own way back?”
He nodded. “I am sure Scout can carry myself and Miss Balfour back to the estate.”
The steward nodded then and turned his horse around, directing the men back toward the road. And just like that, Melody found herself alone with him again.
Zachariah found himself suddenly unable to come up with the words to express how he felt at the sight of her. He’d had them all arranged in his head when the bandit interrupted him. Now he could do nothing but look at her and marvel at her beauty and her strength. After everything she’d been through, she was still standing before him as strong and determined as ever. He thought of the sight of her, standing above the bandit, ready to strike him down.
What a woman. Independent, fierce, loyal. She is not only all I ever wanted in a woman, but all I need.
It was she who broke through the silence. “So, it is over? The bandits caught? The plot solved?”
He nodded. “Indeed. And I will tell you all about it on our ride back to the estate. Sufficient to say, the danger is over. At least from the one who plotted against me. Caney is still at large, but he will be caught yet. We are free to do as we please."
She frowned then. “But are we really?”
He nodded. “We are. I do not care about society’s rules. They are cruel and outdated. In any case, I’ve realized during my captivity that there is nobody I’d rather be with than you. Your sustained me during those long hours of silence. You are what kept me from losing my mind to the loneliness. The memories of our conversations, our making beds together, making bread, and playing chess. The thought of the wine we shared and food we ate… All that I learned from you. It was you, Melody. You got me through it all.”
“Faith, Zachariah. It was the same for me. Knowing you were missing, it tore me apart. The worry, the fear. And yet, as terrible as it was, it forced me to recognize something I truthfully felt all along. That I want to be with you."
“As I wanted to be with you.”
She hesitated then and he knew exactly what was on her mind. She feared the repercussions of their union. An innkeeper and a nobleman. It was all but unheard of. And yet, he did not care. He never really had but now, after all of their ordeals, he was more convinced than ever
that she was right for him. That they were right for each other.
Zachariah dropped on his knees then, in the dirt, and she gasped.
“Melody Balfour. You are my light in the darkness. When I was about to lose hope, the thought of you encouraged me and pushed me to keep my wits about me. You are the piece of me that’s always been missing. And I never want to be without you again. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
She gasped and at once, tears sprang into her eyes. To his shock, she sunk into the mud beside him.
“Yes, yes, I will. I will be your wife.”
“I promise you that I will never interfere with the inn. I will be there to support you when you need it, and to step back when you ask me to. You are my equal, never doubt that.”
Desperately Inn Love with the Duchess: A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 26
