Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (181 page)

242

Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady

Peyton went on. 'Julia fought them. She didn't go easily. The viscount says they had to drug her, too, before they reached the carriage.'

'The bastards ! ' Paine wanted to explode with anger; anger at the men who did Oswalt's bidding, anger at the viscount for putting them all in this situation, anger at himself for having failed Julia.

'Calm down, Paine. You can't help Julia if you aren't thinking clearly or if you make yourself sick. The drug will wear off shortly. It's already been an hour.'

Paine touched his arm where one of the men had nicked him. The ugly blade had slipped through Paine's chair-shield only briefly. At the time, Paine had thought he'd been clever to avoid a larger slice from the wicked blade. But a larger slice had not been necessary.

'The blade was poisoned?' Paine asked.

seems to be the case,' Peyton concurred. 'The viscount said you collapsed suddenly and without reason. Oswalt probably had the blades rubbed with a topical poison.

Paine nodded. That made sense. He'd encountered several types of poisons in the East that could be used in that manner and bring about the desired result. As a merchant with far-reaching trade interests, Oswalt would have knowledge of and access to such a commodity.

'Have some tea. It will help settle your head and your stomach.'

handed him a mug, probably

wrested from the kitchen staff. It was thick and large, not at all like the dainty teacups Julia had thrown at Oswalt's men.

Scott

The thought of her brought the guilt back in full force. 'We have to get to her fast.' The words were inadequate to express the fears rioting through him. It brought him physical pain to think of Julia suffering the effects of the drug while being alone in the hands of her enemy.
Julia,
I
am coming.

'Do you know where they might have

her?'

asked after he'd had a chance to drink some of the strong tea.

'I have an idea,' Paine confirmed, calling over to Lockhart. 'Lockhart, does Oswalt still have his property in Richmond?'

'Y-y-yes. I believe so.'

was rooted to his

chair across the room, looking utterly immobile except for the movement of his mouth.

'That's where they went,' Paine said confidently.

'B-b-but he's got a house in London. It's closer.

Are you sure?'

took that unfortunate moment

to speak up.

Paine lashed out. 'Yes, I am goddamned sure of that.

I was unaware I had asked for your opinion or that you were even capable of formulating one of your own.' He pushed to his feet, spoiling for a fight now that the tea had quelled the last of his ill effects.

'Paine,'

warned

at his elbow, a

gentle hand on his arm. Paine was unsure if the gesture was meant to restrain him or offer balance if he wobbled. 'The man's lost his son and his livelihood all in one day. He's in shock.'

Paine shook off Crispin's touch and sat back down.

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Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady

'Get him a drink and get him out of here, then. His valet can see to him,' he growled.

Peyton barked an order and the valet came to fetch the viscount.

'I love her, you know,' Paine said as the viscount neared the door. 'I mean to marry her when all is settled, if she'll have me.' He had the special licence in his pocket to prove it. He'd interrupted the archbishop's breakfast for it just this morning.

But he didn't think the archbishop minded too much by the time their business transaction was done. Paine had his paper and

Palace had a new illumi-

nated map of India from Paine's own collection of atlases. It was one of his favourites, acquired from a Hindu map-maker in Calcutta. The Archbishop was thrilled at the prospect of sending missionaries to all the secret, heathen kingdoms on the map. Paine could care less what the Archbishop did with the map. The only soul he wanted to save was Julia's and he would have given anything in his possession to do it.

'It's been two hours since they took her,' Paine said restlessly.

'You're sure it's Richmond?' Peyton queried.

'Yes. Oswalt could have had me finished off during the fight-a lethal blade or a stronger poison would have done it. He meant for me to live and he means for me to find Julia. He knows I'll guess he went to Richmond.'

'All right, we ride and then we wait,' Peyton said. 'We wait for the cover of darkness and make our move then, unless there is good reason to move sooner. We'll stop

Scott

at

House and collect my footmen. They'll be useful in a fight, but we'll still need every advantage the darkness can provide.'

Paine nodded. Peyton was right, but it was six hours until dark and it seemed an eternity to wait. Foolish bravery would earn Julia nothing.

They collected Peyton's footmen and set out the short distance to Richmond. Paine rode with grim determination, the sound of his horse's hooves pounding out the litany that rang through his mind:
Julia,
I
am coming.

Paine would come.
He would.
Julia paced the confines of the tiny attic room she'd been stuffed in. It was windowless and eight feet wide-not that she could pace the whole eight feet, given that the slope of the roof line prohibited anyone over three feet tall to access the last few feet.

She sat on the little cot, the room's only furnishing, and sighed. She was glad for the privacy she'd been afforded so far. She'd been terribly ill when she'd woken up. She much

panicking alone than in the

company of her captors.

Now that she felt better, she could take stock of the situation. It was probably an intended side effect of the drug that one couldn't think clearly for quite some time after waking up.

Once her head had cleared, her

thought had been

for Paine. He was alive. She knew that much. Oswalt had spared him for that purpose. That worried her.