“How can you be certain that he did not work for Lord Cooke?” Leonard wanted to know.
“I, I cannot,” Jasper replied, his eye wide with confusion. “I only know that there were two highwaymen. I always believed this was the act of them alone.”
“We must speak with the mounted patrol in London at once. We will see if they have ever heard of this ‘Cooper’,” Leonard barked but no one understood his request.
“Fetch me Herbert!” Leonard roared and Catherine hurried to oblige.
“Who are these men you speak of?” Percival demanded. “How have we not heard of them before?”
“The duchy has its own guards,” Leonard reminded the Viscount, his eyes still fixed on Jasper with disgust. “Although they are apparently useless. There is a mounted unit which hunts highwaymen called the Robin Redbreasts. It is a gamble but is all we seem to have any more. We cannot be certain that Cooper is his real name.”
“There is no time to reach London,” David cried, distraught.
“You need not fret, David,” Leonard told him gently. “Your sister will be returned to us safely. I swear I will bring her home.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because tonight we will have Elizabeth back safe in our care. Tomorrow we will worry about finding the men responsible for her kidnapping. Our primary concern is finding her. Bringing the men to justice is a matter for another time.”
“Is that wise, Your Grace?” Percival breathed. “If they have taken her once, what is to stop them from taking her again?”
“No one is ever taking her from me again.”
The finality in his words convinced everyone in earshot. He pulled Jasper to his feet.
“David, find me one of those inept guards. See if they cannot manage to put this one in the barracks until I find a suitable punishment for him.”
“Your Grace, please, have mercy!” Jasper called. “I meant no harm to any of the ladies! I pray for Miss Elizabeth every night!”
Leonard glared at him.
“You would not need to pray for her if you had not put her in harm’s way. The amount of mercy I have on you will depend on the amount the highwaymen showed Elizabeth,” he promised. David grabbed the boy and pushed him toward the coach house.
“Duke, you are weary,” Percival told him. “Come inside and rest before we leave to collect Elizabeth. What will you have me do? Shall I tend to the money? Fetch a map?”
Leonard looked at the older man and shook his head.
“I would have you rest and eat with me,” he mumbled, suddenly exhausted. “We need to clear our minds before tonight. We need every wit in our collective heads.”
His emotions had been stretched to the brink in every direction and Leonard was no longer certain he had the ability to go on.
“As you wish, Duke. Come along before you fall to your feet.”
The two men shuffled toward the house, Percival in the lead. Leonard shook his head, wondering from where the man got his motivation. Every step felt encased in lead to Leonard but the Viscount moved effortlessly.
He is inspired by the fact that he will see his daughter again in a few hours, Leonard told himself. That is my motivation, too.
The old mill was in the thick of the densest woods in Pembroke, half covered beneath overgrown trees and vines. Leonard could not recall the last time the structure had been used or if it had been in his lifetime.
Not many people would know this place unless they were local, Leonard thought, his mind still trying to unlock the puzzle of what he had learned from Jasper. There were far more questions than answers, each minute bringing about more woe and confusion. The night was so dark, the moon barely a visible sliver following the new moon phase. Percival rode slightly up ahead, the light of his lantern casting an eerie glow against the branches of the trees.
“Lord Gordon! Wait!” Leonard called out, suddenly realizing how far ahead the Viscount was.
He should not go first. He does not know where he is going, he does not have the money, and he does not know what waits for him at the mill.
“What is it, Duke?” Percival called, pausing to look back but Leonard could not see him, only the glow of the lamp.
“Permit me to lead,” Leonard told him. “I have the money they seek.”
Percival did not respond but he did not move either, allowing for Leonard to close the distance between them. His horse trotted beside Percival’s yet even in their closeness, it was impossible to make out the man’s face against the moonless night. The dismal darkness matched the cloud in Leonard’s mind.
“Of course, Duke,” the Viscount muttered when he neared. “I am simply so eager to see Elizabeth again…”
“As am I,” Leonard assured him. “But we are clearly dealing with men not in control of themselves. I would prefer to take the lead.”
“As you wish.”
Leonard repositioned himself in front of Percival and the two men continued north into the trees. In minutes, they found themselves at the stream, almost evaporated beneath the thirsty trees. The mill loomed large and the men stopped, taking in the sight cautiously.
“I do not see anyone, do you?” Percival murmured.
“Check the hour,” Leonard urged. “Perhaps we are early.”
Percival reached for his watch and sighed.
“It is midnight,” he replied. No sooner had the words left his lips did movement catch their attention in the trees beyond. It was impossible to see a face, of course, but there was motion nonetheless.
“Who is there?” Leonard called. “Elizabeth? Are you there?”
“Do not come any closer until I tell you,” a man’s voice growled out from the dark. Leonard froze.
“Where is Miss Elizabeth?” Leonard demanded. “Show her at once.”
“You will see her when I have my money.”
Leonard was consumed with the notion that something was off with the way the man spoke, perhaps a note in his voice or something elusive which weighed on the Duke’s subconscious.
“Cooper?” Leonard asked boldly. “Is that your name?”
“Duke!” Percival hissed. “What are you doing?”
“Cooper!” Leonard snapped, kicking his horse forward. “I have fifty thousand pounds for you, sitting atop my saddle. Where is she?”
“I said do not come any closer!”
There was an unmistakable panic in the man’s voice—Leonard heard it without question. He listened closely for sound of other movement but his ears heard nothing. Cooper was alone. Elizabeth was not there, Leonard would have staked his life on that fact.
“Cooper…” Leonard choked. “Where in God’s name is she?”
“You will get her when I get my money!”
“Give him the money!” Percival squeaked. “Please Duke! I wish to see Elizabeth! I must see my daughter!”
“She is not here, is she, Cooper?”
“She is here but she will not be alive for much longer if you do not follow my instructions.”
The waver in his voice was undeniable. He was a desperate man, not in control of the situation. Leonard knew the pitch well. Slowly, he turned his head back toward Percival.
“She is not here,” he breathed to the Viscount. “I cannot sense her anywhere around.”
“Even if she is not,” Percival snapped, “they still have her! What will they do if we do not comply with their demands?”
But Leonard was not so sure they still had her. Cooper was frantic. He was alone. What had happened to his partner? Something had gone wrong with the kidnapping. Worry smothered Leonard but he was determined not to lose his composure.
“Throw the bag down and get out of here!” Cooper yelled. “Or you will never see Miss Elizabeth alive again!”
“Duke!”
Leonard held up a hand to silence him, his eyes adjusting slowly to the darkness. It was still impossible to see where Cooper stood and if he was armed. Leonard had disobeyed the instructions, a pistol sitting on hi
s hip but what good would that do if he could not see his target?
The arrangements had been well made—too well made for a couple of thieves who ran about robbing carriages. Someone had thought out every move.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“I heard you, Cooper but I am afraid I cannot comply with your request.”
“What—”
He was not afforded and opportunity to finish for Leonard tossed the lantern toward the sound of Cooper’s voice. At once, the pine needles captured the flames and a cloud of black smoke filled the air.
“Come on, Lord Gordon, move! Hyah!”
Leonard kicked his horse as the fire began to burn in his wake but above that was the sound of Cooper screaming in protest.
“Get back here! I will kill her! You have killed her, you bastard!”
The cries washed over Leonard like a thousand knife stabs but he held fast to his horse and moved the beast along, putting as much distance between him and Cooper as he could manage.
I did the right thing. Elizabeth is not with him. I am right.
“DUKE! DUKE! What have you done?!” Percival was quite nearly in hysterics when he caught up to Leonard, safely back in the thick of the trees.
“He does not have her,” Leonard told him again. “I will not give him the ransom if he does not intend to hand her over.”
“Perhaps not here but—”
“No,” Leonard told him firmly. “He was acting too desperately, too skittishly. Something happened, possibly with his partner.”
“YOU CANNOT KNOW THAT!”
“I know that he does not have Elizabeth, Lord Gordon. She either escaped or…”
“Or what?” Percival screamed. “You have ruined our best opportunity to get Elizabeth! Why? Why would you do that?”
“Because my heart is telling me that she is not his captive any longer.”
“Your heart! Your heart may have killed her! I was a fool to trust you with my daughter! I should have known that a man like you would never have the bravery and courage to fight for her!”
Leonard was stung by the words but he knew Percival was beside himself. He could not be faulted for whatever was coming out of his mouth.
“You will see I am right,” Leonard told him softly. “You must have faith that she has escaped.”
“What faith?” Percival spat back. “You have as good as murdered my daughter!”
Leonard swallowed the lump in his throat, kicking his heels into his horse’s ribs and urging the beast to move faster, as though he was trying to escape the words Percival spoke.
I did not kill her. I know I am right—Elizabeth is not with Cooper any longer.
He lowered his head and buried his face into the horse, his jaw locking. If she was not with Cooper and she had not escaped, Elizabeth was more than likely dead.
Chapter 28
Darkness had fallen into a cloak of blackness when Elizabeth chanced upon a town. It was unfamiliar to her and there was not a soul in sight when she stopped the horse at a trough for water.
“You rest, girl,” she told the beast. She stroked the soft mane of the horse and the animal neighed slightly before sticking her snout into the trough. They had been travelling for hours, into the fading twilight but Elizabeth still had not a clue where she had gone. Her body ached terribly, with the cuts on her arms and legs caked in blood, and certainly touched with dirt and possibly infection.
She needed care for her injuries, water for herself, and food but not until she was convinced she was out of harm’s way, that Cooper and Mark had not learned of her whereabouts. It was the reason she had waited to stop until night fell, even though the horse had protested at the incessant forward movement. Elizabeth considered herself lucky that the mare had continued to go, despite her exhaustion.
Elizabeth stood on the main street of the darkened town, hoping once more to take hold of her bearings but she was more confused than ever. On her journey, she had seen several people but she dared not stop, the sense that she was much too close to her kidnappers weighing heavily on her mind. She entertained the idea that she was unreasonably suspicious, that certainly Mark and Cooper did not have allies so far and so vast but she did not wish to risk ending up captured by either man again.
I, too, must rest, she realized, looking up the road for a place to sleep if only for a short while. It took her but a minute to find a small alley between shops and hidden from the view of the street. Elizabeth was certain she had traveled far enough from the highwaymen but she did not wish to be found asleep by anyone and caught unaware. She vowed to find help in the light of day but until then, rest was imperative.
Elizabeth reasoned that Cooper must have collected the ransom already and that he and Mark would be on their way far from Britain with their ill-gotten gains. It filled her with anger and sadness that Leonard had parted with his money, that she had been unable to return to Brookside before the drop was set but Elizabeth also knew that Leonard and her father would be relieved that she had returned to them, no matter the cost. Perhaps, God willing, there was still time to capture the men before they boarded a ship or stagecoach.
Elizabeth curled her filthy skirts around her as she sank onto the ground, resting her tangled dark hair against the wall of a shop. Her lids drooped instantly although her heart still pounded from all she had endured.
The worst is over now, she told herself comfortingly. In the morning, someone will lead you home. Rest and you will find peace in the morning.
Yet as slumber embraced her, Elizabeth could not supress the feeling that the worst was yet to come.
The chatter of young voices woke Elizabeth. She blinked several times, her eyes gritty and burning. The sensation that she had only been asleep for minutes did not make for a restful feeling but the weak light of morning streamed through the alleyway and she found herself staring at two children. She judged that they were siblings, their resemblance uncannily similar. They eyed her with youthful curiosity, undoubtedly believing her to be without a home.
“Good morning,” Elizabeth tried to call out to them but her words were cracked. She was much too parched to speak.
“Is she ill?” the small girl with large, brown eyes demanded. “We should not approach her lest she be catching!”
Elizabeth could see that both children had seen their own illnesses as they both were small and skinny.
“Please,” Elizabeth attempted again, ambling to her feet. She managed to stand without much incident although the fatigue in her bones was almost unbearable. They stepped closer, their interest overriding their good sense but abruptly they both stopped, their eyes widening with shock.
“She is injured!” a boy yelled, pointing at Elizabeth’s cracked skin. “We must fetch Mama!”
Elizabeth sank against the wall again and watched as they scampered off to find their parents. It was the best outcome she could have asked for in the circumstances. Explaining herself to children would only be futile. She needed adult assistance.
It felt like an hour passed although Elizabeth was sure it was only minutes before a woman appeared, blocking the light of the alleyway with a chubby, angry stance.
“What is the meaning of this? Off with you now,” a sour-faced woman snapped as she appeared in the alleyway. “This is not a town for transients!”
Elizabeth shook her head and pushed her body away from the building. It was her hope that the woman might see some semblance of fine dress despite her ragged appearance. Elizabeth had no doubt that she looked a fright but without water, regaling her tale would be difficult. It was the little girl who saw what Elizabeth was attempting to display.
“I do not think she is a transient, Mama. Look at the lace of her gown.”
The older woman’s eyes narrowed and she tentatively stepped toward Elizabeth, a broom firmly in hand as though she intended to use it as a weapon.
“It is your horse by the tailor’s shop?” Mama demanded and Elizabeth nodded, swallowing quickly to lubrica
te her throat as best as she could.
“Yes, madam. I have been kidnapped by highwaymen,” Elizabeth managed to gasp. “Please, can you tell me in which town I stand? Which duchy?”
“Kidnapped?” she did not appear entirely convinced but she did lower the broom slightly against her side. “Who are you?”
Elizabeth licked her chapped lips but before she could answer, Mama turned to her brood.
“Fetch some blankets and water. Bring them to the shop. See if Dr. Mallory is home.”
The Curious Life of the Unfortunate Duchess: A Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 24
