Color of Deception (Sullyard Sisters Book 1)

by Ruth J. Hartman

  Nathaniel had been there with her. If Kitty drew a horse, would he understand the clue? But the racecourse grounds were spread out. He’d not know to check in the shed the men had mentioned unless she somehow made it clear. He was to come collect her tomorrow morning for another assignment. Would he still come in light of what he’d witnessed of her and Stratford by the stream?

  Please Nathaniel him come. Just this one last time….

  If he did, would her sisters ask for his help in trying to find her? The clue needed to be something Nathaniel would understand that would point him in the direction of the grassy expanse behind the course where she’d seen the shed the day they’d been there, but not obvious to those other men.

  Very well.

  Time was of the essence, because she didn’t know how soon the men would come back. Grasping the pencil tightly, Kitty edged as close to the wall as she could and began to draw.

  Chapter Twenty

  Nathaniel could hardly contain himself as he snapped the reins of his uncle’s carriage. He was on his way to see Kitty. To collect her for the magazine assignment, but his foremost reason was something that would change their lives.

  If she said yes.

  Doubts slithered in. What if she didn’t? Told him no? That she loved Stratford?

  Stop the negative musings… If he progressed with that attitude, she surely would refuse him. It was his deepest hope that when he’d finished professing his love and admiration for her, she’d see him for who he truly was – not a rake, but a warm, caring man who wanted nothing more than to make her his wife. Forever.

  As he steered the horses to the Sullyard’s house, his heart danced about in his chest. It was his chance to finally find some happiness. Not be second best to his cousin. Could he convince Kitty he was the better choice?

  Time to find out.

  He slowed the carriage, tied the reins to a nearby post, and climbed down. As he walked purposefully to the door, he wondered if Kitty was watching out the window. It seemed she usually was when she was expecting someone to fetch her for an assignment. His intention was to ask the sleepy aunt to give them a moment of privacy so he could ask Kitty the important question that longed even at the second to spring from his lips.

  With a wide grin, he knocked on the door.

  It immediately flung open. His smile fell.

  Not Kitty.

  Both Lydia and Patience stood there. Eyes red. Had they been crying?

  “Oh, thank goodness it’s you.” Lydia reached out and grabbed him by the hand, yanking him inside the house. What in the world was she doing?

  Patience flung herself into his arms. “It’s the most dreadful thing ever to happen.”

  “What…”

  Lydia pulled him farther into the room and all but pushed him onto a nearby settee.

  Nathaniel peered up at Patience, then Lydia. “I say… what’s all this about? I’ve only come to collect Kitty.”

  “She’s not here.” Patience sniffed and dabbed her nose with a handkerchief.

  Nathaniel’s hand fisted in his lap. Had that letch Stratford done it again? Gotten to the house for Kitty before he could arrive? He stood, forcing the young women to take a collective step back. “Never you mind. I know where her assignment is to be. How long ago did my cousin come and get her?”

  Lydia shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. He didn’t come for her.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Patience paid a young man who’s a messenger to go and see if she was with him. Stratford’s reply was that he hadn’t seen her since the four of you were last at the stream.”

  “Then where—”

  Lydia grabbed his hand. “There’s something you must see.”

  Nathaniel was nearly yanked from his feet as he was unceremoniously pulled back outside and around to the back of the house.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Just come along.” Lydia didn’t release his hand. To his embarrassment Patience took hold of his other hand and pulled him even harder. Had Kitty’s sisters lost their minds?

  As they neared an old shed, Nathaniel frowned. He couldn’t imagine any reason at all why they’d want him to see something like that. He slipped his hands from theirs as gently as he could when they finally stopped. “Listen, I can see something has upset you both and I’d love to help, but I’m really just looking for Kitty.”

  “So are we.” Patience burst into tears.

  “My goodness. What’s happened to have gotten you both so upset?”

  Lydia stepped forward and placed a hand on each of his shoulders. He gasped. Did she mean to kiss him?

  “Nathaniel, there’s something you must know.”

  Was she going to profess feelings of fondness? She isn’t the sister I desire.

  “W-what is it?” Best to get it over and done with so he could tell of he loved her sister instead.

  “Kitty is… missing.”

  His heart thudded hard in his chest. “Pardon?”

  “We believe that someone has taken her.”

  “Why would you… how could… but I don’t understand how…” It can’t be true!

  “Just listen to what we have to say.”

  “If you truly believe she’d been kidnapped, why haven’t you notified the constable?” His voice rose higher with every word.

  Patience opened the door to the shed and stepped inside. “Enter and you’ll see why.”

  Things were getting stranger by the moment. Lydia nodded and ducked into the shed as well. Nathaniel peered inside the dusty interior, able only to make out their dim outlines in the shadows. It was daytime, but back beneath the trees in the dark shed with only one small window, it may as well have been twilight. He jumped when he heard a scratch and a hiss, but relaxed when a lantern Patience now had in her hand came to life with a bright flame.

  “Come and see what we’ve discovered.”

  Patience held out a small scrap of dirt-covered foolscap. An odor of some type of alcohol drifted up. “Read what it says.”

  Nathaniel squinted to view the tiny, nearly-illegible writing.

  Do not contact the constable or you will be sorry.

  He let out a gasp. Who had written it? Had someone played some macabre joke?

  “Now, come and see this.” Lydia tilted her head to the left.

  With trepidation, and still not quite sure what to make of it all, Nathaniel edged toward the far wall.

  Patience lowered the lantern. There, drawn low on the wall in pencil, was a picture.

  He frowned. “What is it?”

  “We were hoping you would know. We, that is Patience and I, can’t figure out its meaning.”

  Nathaniel crouched down on the floor, mindful of his lame foot, hoping he’d not lose his balance.

  When he peered more closely at it, the image began to take better form. It was the back of a large hand, probably that of a man by the thickness and shape of the fingers which was touching a woman’s… bottom. And right above the index finger, tucked beside a fold of the woman’s dress, was the letter K. He shook his head slowly, trying to understand what its meaning might be. What an odd subject for a drawing.

  Sudden realization struck him and he widened his eyes. Was it supposed to remind him of the day when he’d helped brush off Kitty’s posterior when they’d nearly been trampled by that horse?

  Why would Kitty have drawn such a thing? Nathaniel was embarrassed, remembering his reluctance to do it, yet wanting to act the part of the convincing rake. But more than that, he couldn’t forget the thrill he’d also felt at touching her in such an intimate way. His entire body heated and he feared a blush had crept up from his cravat.

  Something shuffled in the dirt, and Nathaniel angled his glance downward. Lydia stood quite close, as she tapped her boot on the floor. He had to tell them the meaning. There was no way around it.

  Kitty’s sisters were staring at him, obviously waiting for him to enlighten them as to his opinion on the
mystery.

  “I…” He stood and rubbed his hand down his face. How to explain what he thought it meant? To say it delicately and not insult the tender sensitivities of the two young women?

  “What?” Lydia grabbed his arm. “You must tell us. We have no idea. If you think you know what Kitty meant by leaving this clue, please let us know.”

  As much as the evidence pointed to something untoward, Nathaniel’s mind still couldn’t wrap around the fact that someone would have done this to Kitty. There had to be a reasonable explanation. There must be. “Are you absolutely certain someone has taken her?” Please have doubts. Please tell me what I need to hear.

  “Yes.” Patience sobbed loudly as if she wouldn’t be able to take much more of the strain of not knowing.

  Lydia patted her sister’s hand. Was she trying to calm her? “We think it for several reasons. First, we haven’t seen our sister since last evening.”

  He widened his eyes.

  “Second, when we finally remembered to check back here, the shed door was wide open.”

  “But why would that—”

  “Because we never, ever use it. Robert is the only one with a key, and when he does enter it for any reason, he always locks it when he’s finished. He’s even warned us not to try to come in here.”

  Panic grabbed hold of Nathaniel’s heart. While he’d been alarmed before, he still thought perhaps there was some reasonable explanation to account for Kitty’s absence. But after listening to their views on the matter, he understood why they’d been nearly hysterical and dragged him out there. “Speaking of your cousin, where is he? Out looking for Kitty?”

  Lydia shook her head. “No. When we went to tell him of Kitty’s disappearance, he was nowhere to be found. We don’t have a clue where he is. And Great Aunt-Anne is visiting her sister in Bath and won’t return for several weeks.”

  Patience pointed to the wall. “We know Kitty did this because of the K she hid in the drawing. Once we realized that Aunt Anne and Robert would be of no help and that we couldn’t go to the authorities, we hoped against hope that you would be able to help us.”

  Nathaniel lowered his eyebrows as he studied the picture again. He’d not noticed the roughness of the picture. It hadn’t Kitty’s usually carefully penciled detail. “The lines are so jagged. So rough.”

  Patience bit her lip and glanced at Lydia, who said, “We’re wondering if whoever took her had tied her hands.”

  Actual pain lanced through Nathaniel’s heart. Who would have done this? Taken Kitty? Treated her so reprehensibly?

  Something poked his arm with three separated taps. He glanced down. It was Lydia’s finger. “Nathaniel, if you know something, can think of anything this picture might mean, you must tell us. Now.”

  He let out a breath. She was right. “I believe that the picture is supposed to be Kitty’s… uh, posterior. And the hand is…”

  “Whose?”

  He let out a breath and whispered, “Mine.”

  Both girls stood with mouths hanging open.

  “I know it sounds extremely distasteful, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”

  Lydia scowled. “I’m not sure you know what I’m thinking. Why you’re a—”

  He held up his hand. “We can discuss that later. I think I know where she is. We must hurry!”

  Without hesitation, they rushed from the shed and went around front. He helped both sisters into the carriage and then he climbed up. With a quick glance at them and back at the house, he realized there was no time for propriety or getting a chaperone. Time was of the essence.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  The trip to Epsom seemed to take a lifetime. Nathaniel’s heart squeezed tighter the closer they got to the racecourse. And every time Patience sniffled, Nathaniel snapped the reins again, trying to force the horses to increase their speed.

  Would they be in time to save Kitty? What if Nathaniel didn’t find the right location? He was fairly certain Kitty had meant the grassy field behind the course, because that’s where the runaway horse had been. But even that area was large. They had to be hiding her somewhere.

  Please let me know where to look… and let me be in time!

  He pulled the carriage to the front of the course. Not many were around, so it must not be a race day. Nathaniel climbed to the ground.

  The girls stood from their seats. But Nathaniel put up his hand. “No. Please. I’d feel so much better if you let me go alone.”

  “Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.” Lydia glared at him and stepped down, unassisted from the coach and Patience quickly followed.

  He sighed, “Very well. Just please, stay behind me. Will you do that much? I’d never forgive myself if something happened to either of you.”

  The sisters eyed each other, then him, and nodded.

  Though there wasn’t a race, there were a few workers ambling about. Nathaniel hailed a young man over. “Pardon me,” Nathaniel gave his most confident smile. “We need to… er, that is…”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “You see, there’s a strong possibility that someone of our acquaintance is…”

  The man raised his eyebrows.

  “If you would be so kind as to—”

  A small hand grabbed his arm. He turned. Patience peered up at him and mouthed the words, “Let me.”

  He certainly wasn’t making any progress and they needed to get inside the course. The only way to the field out back was to go through the front gate. With a curt nod, he stepped aside.

  Lydia gave a harrumph, but Patience didn’t appear to notice as she stepped toward the young man who appeared to be about her age.

  “Sir,” Patience moved closer and linked her arm through his. “I would be very appreciative if you would be so kind as to let us inside.”

  “But I can’t.”

  She fluttered her eyelashes. “I hate to say it, and it’s so embarrassing…”

  Interest piqued, he tilted his head. “What is it?”

  “You see, I… I’ve lost my most favorite hat, and I’m certain I had it here last at one of the races.”

  “Oh?” He leaned a little closer to her, their heads nearly touching.

  She sighed, and in the process, took a deep breath, which caused her bosom to rise and fall. The young man’s gaze locked on that area until Lydia, from beside Patience, cleared her throat.

  Patience shook her head and frowned. “That hat is so important to me. My… my mother gave it to me for my last birthday.”

  Nathaniel glanced at Lydia who was rolling her eyes at Patience’s lie.

  The young man chewed his lip. “I suppose if it’s that important to you.”

  “Oh, it is.” She pressed her shoulder into his. “It would mean the absolute world to me. And…” She reached up and twisted a piece of her blonde hair. “I would never, ever forget your kindness.”

  His face reddened. “Well…”

  “Thank you.” She jumped up and down, which brushed her chest against his arm.

  He blinked and looked first at her, then Lydia and finally Nathaniel. Acting as if he’d been outnumbered, he gave a shrug. “Follow me.”

  Once inside, he stopped. “Now, do you remember which section you were seated in for the race? I’ll help you search for your hat.”

  Lydia took charge. “That won’t be necessary, but thank you for your cooperation.” She took off walking at a fast clip, with Patience close behind. Nathaniel nodded his head at the man and then hurried to catch the women. With a peek over his shoulder to make sure the man hadn’t followed them, he made his way in front of the sisters.

  Patience let out a breath, as if she’d had too much energy and needed some relief. Nathaniel wanted to commend her for her fine work of gaining them admittance but at the same time, was certain Lydia would want to scold her for her unseemly brashness.

  No time for that now.

  He waved his hand. “This way.” As quickly as his foot would allow, he rushed around the tr
ack and to the grassy expanse behind. No one was about. That was good. But now what? If this was indeed the place Kitty had intended in her drawing, where would she be?

  An old shed stood off to the side. Yes, now he remembered seeing it that day. Although at the time, he’d been too preoccupied with Kitty to give it much notice. The rest of the area was only grass and the pathway they’d taken. He took a tentative step toward the shed.

  Kitty, please be there…

  Lydia and Patience were still following him. He stopped.

  “What are you waiting for?” Lydia’s shrill voice always sounded like she was scolding someone.

  “I agreed to let you come with me, but I must insist that you wait here.”

  “But—”

  He held up his hand. “Please. For Kitty? If whoever who took her is still nearby, Kitty would be heartbroken if something happened to either of you.”

  “As she would with you,” Patience mumbled.

  “What was that?”

  Lydia scowled at her sister. “Nothing. Now hurry and find her.”

  With a nod, Nathaniel headed toward the shed. He wanted to run, but at the same time didn’t want to put Kitty in any more danger if she was indeed not alone inside the building.

  He settled for walking quickly on the balls of his feet, hoping not to make much noise.

  When he reached the door, he pressed his ear to the rough wood. Was that a shuffle? A mumble?

  He waited a moment more, hoping not to hear someone’s voice besides Kitty’s. When nothing was forthcoming, he reached out and tried the door handle. Locked, blast it.

  He gave it a light tug, not wanting to alert anyone inside to his presence. A shuffle came from within, but no shout. Was Kitty in there alone?

  Taking a chance, in a low voice, he said, “Kitty?”

  Something brushed against the door. If it were the kidnapper, wouldn’t he have opened the door to fend off whoever had come to enter the shed? Or would they stay inside and lie in wait for an unsuspecting victim?

  I can’t worry about that now. I have to save her!