The door was locked. She would not be escaping that way. What could she do? She reclined on the bench and tried to sleep in spite of the bouncing.
~*~
Jared almost slipped from his saddle due to exhaustion. The carriage had changed horses several times but had never let its occupant out. The men had all changed horses too and tried to keep up but as the carriage had various drivers that took turns, they were not stopping for anything else.
Marcus, Theodore, and Phillip were exhausted as well. It was evident with every stop.
By mid-morning they had reached the inn at Didcot, close to Rose Hill.
Theo was to stay there to provide direction to those who would hopefully be following.
The rest stopped in at Rose Hill to apprise the other wives of what was happening and to change horses.
Lady Remington, Jared’s sister-in-law, also known as Josie, had a different idea. “You have a good idea where she has gone, and Michael is with her. She is not alone or unprotected. You all need to rest and then continue so you are ready for whatever comes.”
Marcus looked at Jared with a frown. “You haven’t slept for two days. Josie is right. Rest and then we resume our journey.”
“And pray that God keeps Lucy safe,” Jared whispered before he trudged up the stairs with the men to their various rooms.
Marcus placed a hand on his shoulder when they reached the top. “We will all pray that Lucy stays safe.”
~*~
Lucy was awakened and dragged from the carriage only to be tossed on the dirt courtyard before a dilapidated country estate. One of the men hauled her to her feet and half carried her up the crumbling steps. The door opened. She was shoved inside and taken to a windowless inner room with one lantern lit. The man dropped her and she collapsed on the floor. She crawled to the settee and pulled herself up. She was thirsty. So thirsty. A tumbler and water were on the table and she helped herself to some. So tired. She stretched out and fell into a woozy sleep.
~*~
Her hair hurt. Without opening her eyes, she reached up to find pins still in her hair. How did she fall asleep like that? She started to pull out pins and a lump under her hair was tender to the touch. When did that happen? She shivered and opened her eyes to blackness. Now she remembered coming to this place. One light had been lit when she had been tossed in here, but they were all out now. Where was that water?
Don’t drink it.
What? Really? But I’m so thirsty, Lord.
Trust me.
She sighed. She would wait and trust. Dust pervaded her senses and she sneezed. Her mouth felt as if it was stuffed with cotton. She tried to recall the room when she had entered. At some point her captors would return and she wanted to be ready. But how if she couldn’t see anything? How could she find a weapon? Or even hide?
The strike of a match caught her attention and she looked through the darkness at the tiny glow as it moved. It hovered and grew. She guessed a candle had been lit and shivered that someone was there she could not see.
“How nice of you to visit me, my darling.”
Her heart pounded at the sound of that voice. How…?
The light came close to the face of the person holding it and her fears were confirmed.
“Father? I thought…”
“That I was locked in the Tower?” A throaty laugh followed. “Obviously, I am not. I am here, with you. I keep my promises.”
“You don’t make promises, you make threats.”
“I make threats to those who keep me from fulfilling my promises. I owe you nothing, but you, my dear, owe me everything. You are my ticket to ruling this country.”
“What makes you think you are fit to rule anything? You are nothing but an evil, traitorous…” Lucy shook her head in disgust. Her head throbbed.
“You seem tense, my dear. Would you like more water?”
Lucy shook her head. “No. I will forgo that pleasure. Would you like a drink? I will pour one for you.”
“You are kind, but I will await tea.”
“You are civilized enough to enjoy tea?”
“Tea serves a purpose, so I endure it.”
“Rather than drink a glass of water right now? That makes no sense.”
“I don’t expect to make sense to you. A mere woman is insensible on the best of days, and irrational on the worst of them.”
“I’m surprised you married and had children.”
“I needed an heir, but you were born.”
“I’m an accident you didn’t want. So why bring me here now?”
“Have you read the story in the Bible about Abraham being required to sacrifice his son?”
“Yes, and God intervened and provided a lamb so the human sacrifice was unnecessary.”
“In this case, it is Lucifer that demands your blood be shed. Alas, other women have been selected but have escaped in the past. Make no mistake, there will be no magical rescue by a silly sheep again. We have abducted yours.
“You loved that ridiculous animal. I have no doubt your husband will be joining us soon as well and will meet a similar fate. He will be the key to helping me earn the distinct favor of the Emperor, as well as my god.”
“You’re twisted.” Lucy could only see his face as long as the candle was held in front of him. The flames cast an eerie shadow that flickered over his glowering features. The firmness of the thin line of his lips, as the glint in his eye led her to believe he was serious about what he proposed.
“Rise and come with me. We have no time to lose.” He reached for her wrist, grabbed it, and pulled her to her feet. The door opened with a mere shout and he set the candlestick on a small table near it before they exited.
The brightness of the hall blinded her.
She was dragged down a hallway toward a ballroom at the back of the home. A few men were present. A large wooden table, similar to what she imagined knights of yesteryear sat at to dine before going to battle, dominated the center of the room.
Light shone in and dust motes danced in the air. Sconces lit and placed at regular intervals on the wall provided more of a haunted feeling to the room than any real light. What few draperies remained were tattered and moth-eaten. One that was closed had irregular spots of light shining through. The entire room testified to abandonment and decay. The air was musty and chilled her. Her ball gown was thin. She looked down to find it torn and marred with dirt. That was the least of her worries.
Her father brought her to a heavy wooden chair and flung her into it. She rubbed her arm where it had hit the wood. Soon she was tied up. The men moved nearer. Their eyes roamed her body as if she had been stripped. Her soul quivered inside as her courage ran to hide, while fear taunted it.
Do not succumb to fear. He that is in me is greater than he who is in the world. God will rescue me. And as long as Jared is free, death is not a horrible end to be feared. She glanced at the men creeping closer. Death may not be horrible, but the process of getting there might be more than she could bear.
“Do we get to play, my lord?” A gnarled older man drooled as he came close. His hand moved to touch her, but the crack of a whip elicited a cry from his lips as he fell backward.
“You can watch, but don’t touch,” the Black Diamond said.
Lucy saw him more clearly now as he cracked his whip around to urge the men to step away from her. Her father was not wearing the same suit he had worn at the ball.
“Father, why are you doing this?”
He laughed, deep and dark. “Power. I was meant to be more than a Duke. Did your mother ever tell you that she’d been sold to me?”
A hole opened up in her heart and threatened to swallow her whole. “What do you mean? Didn’t you love my mother? Your wife?”
“Love? What’s love? You think that your marriage to your Captain is love? Where is he now? There is no such thing as love. Lust certainly, but love? No. She was a means to an end but when she had you, as much as I was disappointed you were not a boy, I rea
lized you could be something more than an heir.”
“How?” She was afraid she wouldn’t like the answer.
“That diamond on your shoulder marks you as mine. I have been close on five other occasions to having the key to my power, only to have it snatched from my fingertips by my own son and his ‘friends.’ But now, my very own daughter, the one destined for this role to begin with, has unwittingly been brought back for me to fulfill my destiny.” He touched her chin with one finger and lifted it up. “Ah, beauty incomparable. You far surpass the others. Your mother caught wind of my plan for you which was why she left and hid. I knew where you were all along. With Damon dead, I had hoped they would send Michael after you so I could kill you both, but it is better that you are alive for this. We shall wait for Captain Allendale to arrive before we begin our ceremony.”
“C-c-ceremony?” She gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering.
“Yes, you are my ultimate offering to guarantee my success. Eventually I will ensure that your half-brother meets his end, but for now he is harmless. I will save him for another time.” He leaned over, ran a finger down the side of her neck, and down along the fabric of her dress as it rested against her chest.
Lucy struggled not to vomit. Surely he wouldn’t…
He smiled. “Oh, yes I will. My wife denied me relief as well as my daughter. You shall pay for her sins before you die.” He snapped his fingers and left the room with the men following behind him.
Did they look at her knowing her fate and approve? Who were these men anyway? What control did her father have over them? None of this made sense. Oh, Lord, I don’t mind coming home to see You and Momma, but spare me this if You would.
35
Jared almost collapsed from his horse as he rode up to the inn at Stone where Michael awaited them. “Have you found them?” Jared grabbed his friend’s lapels.
Michael nodded but his look was grave. “It’s an old estate. I’ve asked around and they said it used to be owned by some man named Sir Bastion who had been tried and found guilty of treason.”
Marcus remained seated. “Jared, you remember Bastion. He’s the one who was obsessed with Josie. The one I uncovered by entering that brothel.”
Jared nodded. He glanced at his brother and frowned. “You learned far more at that brothel, didn’t you?”
“Only of his betrayal and that he liked things rough. Josie would have died shortly after her wedding, I have no doubt.”
“Bastion is dead, but now the Black Diamond owns the property. When it had been sold, no one knew the identity of the Black Diamond. With easy access to the ocean from the inlet on the property, it was no wonder Diamonte wanted it. But why Lucy? What is up with his obsession with these women?” Marcus pondered aloud.
Michael cleared his throat. “I know first-hand the brutality of this man. We need to be careful though. Remember Wolton? We thought he had died after Valeria’s rescue.”
“Do these guys have nine lives?”
“Well, there was that valet of mine who seemed to not want to stay dead,” Michael offered.
“Your battle is not against flesh and blood but against the powers and principalities of the air. Isn’t that in the Bible somewhere?” Jared asked.
“Yes, and from what I’ve seen we are fighting a much bigger battle here,” Marcus added.
“I suggest we pray,” Theo said.
The men headed to the local chapel. Each sat in a pew for private prayers.
Jared swallowed his fear. Lucy was in danger and close. Yet God had not given him leave to rush in and save her. He was a veteran of intrigue, but this spiritual battle was new to him. How did one fight an unseen enemy along with a flesh and blood one?
~*~
The room grew dark and cold. Lucy shivered as the ropes cut into her skin. Every move had rubbed more and more flesh away from her bare arms. She was still so thirsty. She had prayed and tried to sleep. Her attempts to work her bonds loose failed. A gape in the windows showed a storm rolling in. She wondered when Diamonte would make his move.
The door slammed open sometime later and the Duke’s scowl doubled the size of her goosebumps. A lackey was with him and he growled to the poor man, “Untie her. We are running out of time. We need the full moon and a clear sky but the storm rolls in. Your swain is nearby, dearest daughter. While I may not be able to fulfill the sacrifice, I want I have an alternate plan.”
The Duke was wearing a many-caped great coat and a top hat. A sword was at his side as well as a side arm.
The bonds loosened, and the Duke lunged forward to grab her jaw.
“Ow!”
“Open.” He bellowed and proceeded to dump the contents of a metal flask into her mouth. She gagged on the foul substance. Some spilled on her face and burned against her skin. When the flask was empty her father slammed her mouth shut and plugged her nose. She struggled to resist the urge to cast up her accounts and by the second attempt of her stomach’s revolt, she drifted into darkness.
~*~
Jared led the group as they approached Sir Bastian’s former estate. Marcus was closer to the house. Michael and Jared split off and stuck to the hedges to spy any movement. Theo and Phillip were closer to Marcus. All were armed. Jared spied motion on the west side of the house and waved Michael over.
The Duke of Diamonte appeared to be dragging someone out and through the grass and field towards the cliffs.
“Is that your father?” Jared asked.
“It is. But I thought they arrested him in London.”
The two men followed but could no longer stay hidden as brush became nonexistent. They were soaked to the skin. Thunder shook the ground beneath them and lightning tore up the sky around them.
The Duke came to a halt at the edge of the cliff and pulled his sword.
“Halt!” Michael yelled.
Jared stared at the lump on the ground.
Lucy! Her dress was ripped and filthy. Her hair sprawled around her filled with dirt and grass. She was limp and his heart trembled.
Michael directed his focus to the man standing over her. “I thought you were arrested,” Michael stated.
The Duke puffed out his chest. “So, you finally met my twin brother. Your uncle. He’s under the delusion that I will share my throne with him once we win this war.”
The Duke pulled out his long sword and raised it high to the sky. He screamed out words in some unknown tongue and his eyes blazed red when he looked back at Jared. “Say farewell to your wife. She is mine, and always has been.”
“Oh, dear God, no,” Jared pleaded.
Another flash of lightning connected with the tip of the sword. The Duke dropped Lucy.
She tumbled off the edge.
The Duke’s body shook with the bolt as it catapulted him over the side of the cliff.
Jared and Michael raced to look down. Lucy was sprawled on a rocky ledge only a few feet below the ledge.
The Duke’s lifeless, broken body was twisted on the rock-strewn shore. He still held his sword and another finger of lightning connected with it, making the body dance. As the tide rose, the dead man was slowly caressed by the waves and dragged into its depths.
“Go get a rope, Michael. I’ll be with my wife.”
“Go down, and I’ll help you get her back up.” Michael undid his cravat in case they needed the length.
Jared lowered down to the rocky ledge, taking care not to step on Lucy. She was close to the edge and he feared that if she awoke she would move and fall over to her death. If she wasn’t dead already. He knelt down beside her and felt for her pulse. “She’s alive.”
He dragged her close to the cliff wall. There was little room to maneuver. He dragged his wife up into his arms and then draped her over his shoulder. Michael wrapped the cravat around his wrist, laid down on the ground above, and tossed him the end.
Jared grabbed for it, wrapped it around his own wrist, and used it to help him climb the rocks with his precious cargo.
&nbs
p; Michael backed up and helped pull them both away from the edge.
Jared sat his wife on the ground and checked for broken bones or other injures. Her breathing was faint. “We need to get her out of the rain.”
“To the house or the inn?”
“The inn, to be sure.” Jared took a deep breath, frowned, and gathered her into his arms again. Her head rolled and came to a rest against his shoulder. A noxious odor came from her.
“I think she was poisoned.”
“Why do you say that?” Michael walked by his side as they strode toward their hidden mounts.
“Smell.”
Michael leaned in and sniffed. His eyes grew wide. “Put her down. We need to get her to throw up.”
“What?”
“We need to get the poison out of her body before it kills her.”
Jared dropped to his knees and tipped Lucy’s head to the side. “You are sure about this?”
Michael frowned and nodded.
Jared removed his glove and stuck his finger as far back down her throat as he could.
She vomited the wretched smell.
“Again.”
“Once isn’t enough?”
“Most likely not. Trust me. I’m not doing this to get my jollies.”
Jared repeated his action and fought against casting up his own accounts. When they were done, Jared rolled her back into his chest.
Michael helped him rise and they moved quickly to the horses.
Once back at the inn, they entrusted Lucy to the lady of the house to get her cleaned up and in a gown.
The stable hand fetched the doctor.
“I’ll retrieve the others,” Michael offered. “You stay with Lucy and make sure she survives.”
“She has to. Right? God wouldn’t bring us this far to take her now, would He?”
Michael gulped. “I wish I could answer that in the way you want. We’ve both been at war long enough to know that sometimes the best people do not survive.” Michael put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Remember, her sacrifice was not in vain. The Black Diamond is no more. He will never rule England. He will never rape another young girl. He will no longer be responsible for the deaths of thousands of our best men on the battlefield. I want her to live. I know you want that more. We’ve done all we can and now the rest is up to the true King.”
The Captain's Conquest Page 26
