Lady Star (27 page)

What was happening? What were they doing?
Egad! They were taking her with them! They were actually abducting
her!

Star had to think. She had to do something.
Vern wouldn’t even realize anything had gone wrong until later in
the day.

She pulled out of his hold, kicked Ally in
the knees, stomped down on his foot and then gave him one more boot
to the crotch, a trick her brother had taught her many years ago.
She beamed with pride as he bellowed with pain and was momentarily
immobilized.

However, even as she ran, Farley was off his
horse and in her way. He reached for her, grabbed her by her hair
and yanked hard even as he hauled off and hit her. It wasn’t with
the back of his fist, but with his open palm and it stung. She fell
sideways, lost her balance and went down.

She felt her head connect with something
sharp and as the pain shot through her, she groaned. Just before
she lost consciousness she heard Farley shout. “Come on then,
hurry…help me get her trussed up and in the back of the
carriage…come on Ally, shake yer shambles!”

* * *

Stamford Manor in Rye was fortunate enough to
have a household trained to run the estate as efficiently as Jules’
servants in London. The butler stood at the front door, his eyebrow
arched as he regarded the grime-covered, ill-kept man standing
before him. He knew better than to admit such a person into the
house and he was very doubtful that he should take the note being
extended to him for Sir Edward.

His voice dripped with revulsion when he
spoke, “Do go away and take that filthy thing with you.” His chin
indicated the dirty envelope in the man’s hand. “If you want Sir
Edward to read a message from your master, make certain you deliver
it in better condition.”

“Eh no, Oi don’t have to toike that from ye
now, do Oi?” Ally shook his head and moved his hand inside his
jacket to allow his gun to show. “This here note be something yer
precious Sir Edward would be wanting to have, he would, and make no
mistake of that.”

The butler frowned over this. It was a fact,
that the nobility were given to quirks, and if Sir Edward had
rubbed shoulders with this creature’s employer for a lark of sorts,
well, he might want this letter. He reluctantly and gingerly took
up the missive with his white gloved hand, eyed Ally haughtily and
with great disdain commanded, “Wait outside.”

This was precisely what Ally wanted him to
say. He waited only for the door to close in his face before he put
distance away and made for his horse tethered at the hitching post.
A moment later saw him riding hard and away.

Upstairs, the Stamford butler found Sir
Edward standing on his balcony absently viewing the stretch of
green lawns before him. He cleared his throat and waited for Sir
Edward to notice him, upon which he went forward with an
apology.

“I am sorry, sir, but there was this dreadful
man who insisted you would want this letter.”

Sir Edward’s mobile brow went up with
surprise. “Really?” As the letter now rested upon a silver salver,
he took it up and went to the writing desk at the opposite end of
his room where he broke open the wax seal.

Well now Guv,

Mayhaps ye shouldn’t have come to grips
with me. Oi ain’t no snirp to be snabbled so easily.
Come to
think on it, Oi mean to have an apology from ye, Oi do and wit that
apology, it would be nice if ye handed over five hundred English
pounds.

Ye see guv, if ye see fit to come to
Deadman’s Creek tonight at midnight and do as Oi ask, then Oi would
be willing to give ye the lady, ye know the one Oi mean, the one ye
be sweet on, Miss Berkley that is.

If ye don’t do as Oi say, then Deadman’s
Creek will be a good place for her body, as it were.

Come alone,

Yer friend and servant,

Farley

Sir Edward felt his mind explode. He felt the
color drain from his body into a pool at his feet and his heart
began pounding so hard in his chest he was certain it would break
out. A violent sensation shook his nerve endings. All he could
think was,
Star, Star, Star!

Her face, her dark eyes, her voice, her
spirit swirled around his conscious. His Star, his beloved, his
reason now for living was in a scoundrel’s hands!

All at once, he knew without any doubt what
he had to do and damn anyone who got in his way.

Quickly he moved into action. He turned to
the butler and demanded, “The man who delivered this, where is
he?”

The butler sniffed but answered that he had
asked the man to wait outdoors on the front portico.

 “Damnation and Hell! May he still be
there,” Sir Edward cursed as he ran to take the stairs. On the way
he encountered Jules, who had just walked in and demanded to know
what was afoot.

Edward didn’t have the time or the patience
to answer him but asked, “Did you encounter anyone as you came
in?”

“No…no…why?” Jules followed him outdoors.

Sir Edward stood outside and peered down the
drive—no one about. The man had already vanished.

Sir Edward saw a passing gardener and asked
if he had seen anyone leaving. The gardener answered scratching his
chin, “Aye, wondered what the loikes of him was doing here.”

“What was he wearing? What color horse? Did
you see what direction he took?” Sir Edward demanded.

“What the devil is going on?” Jules
demanded.

For answer, Edward handed him the note he was
still clutching in his hands, while the gardener answered, “Aye,
Sir Edward. He was wearing old clothes…warm for this time of
year…and his horse, a dark chestnut. They didn’t go down the drive,
and I yelled after him not to go across the lawn, but that he did,
and over the fence…west.”

Jules had been cursing and exclaiming
unintelligible remarks at Sir Edward’s back, only to ask at this
juncture, “What is this? Is it for ransom then…shall I send my man
to the bank? Edward, why does he think you will pay ransom? Why ask
you and not her brother?”

“Because I would give him anything he wants
for her, that’s why and her brother can’t. Somehow, he figured that
out,” Edward said as he put his thoughts together. “Come on, there
isn’t a moment to lose.”

“Yes, but we need…” Jules started.

“Jules, I’ll explain on the way to Berkley.
You have your man ready our horses. I just need a few things.”

“But what are you planning?”

“I need to know everything that has been
going on at Berkley and then, I mean to find her, pin Farley
against a wall and kill him in slow degrees.”

Jules’s brow was up, “Aye, I don’t doubt it,
and so…that is how it is?”

Sir Edward turned and looked at him hard,
“
That is how it is.”

Jules smiled, “I am glad of it, Edward. You
and Star, I think, are meant. But come on then, we must not allow
anything to hold us up.”

“Nothing will hold me up,” Sir Edward
growled. “Nothing!”

Chapter Twenty-Five

“FAMOUS! EXCLAIMED VERN as the wind took
The Vision
speedily toward their destination. “Here, Miles,
come over here and help me read these maps, I can’t make any sense
of them.”

Miles laughed and came over, “Aye, Aye,
Captain. This is all so grand, isn’t it?”

“If you say so,” Vern grimaced. “Not my cup
of tea, though.”

“I must get a boat…something a bit smaller
than this…” Miles said.

“First things first,” Vern said frowning at
him.

“Which is?”

“The map, Miles, the map.”

“Oh right,” Miles said and laughed as he took
to studying it, looked around for a marker and contemplated the
coastline before saying with confidence, “We are right on course.
Now, going to fetch a bumper of ale for each of us, damned
thirsty.”

“Yes, indeed…I am as well and bring up that
fresh bread and cheese. Damned glad we let that hawker talk us into
it, hungry.”

A few moments later found them in perfect
harmony, tearing off chunks of bread from the loaf, stuffing it
with cheese and making short work of it as they sipped their
ale.

A sudden lurch of the boat made Vern spill
some of his ale into Miles’ lap which made Miles curse his friend
soundly before he poured some ale over Vern’s head. A food fight of
no mean order followed this until they were laughing long and hard
over their foolishness.

A screeching sound, unmistakable screeching
of renting sail brought their heads around and up. To the
screeching was added a groaning sound that makes even the least
knowledgeable sailor sober. Miles looked contemplated at the sail
with a sinking heart as he turned to Vern and cursed softly.

“What? What now?” Vern cried.

“This is bad,” Miles answered gravely, “But
not all that bad…it is the triangular sail—see it flapping? It’s
torn free of its mast. It will need to be repaired.”

“What?” Vern demanded worriedly. “Can we do
that?”

“We’ll have to sail into the shallows,
anchor, and repair the damage before we can proceed,” Miles said
thoughtfully. “Though I seem to remember you said something earlier
about your father always storing spare sailing supplies. Do you
have a spare jib?”

Vern gave this some thought. “I seem to
remember Papa counting a spare jib amongst the things he had stored
below. This is my fault. Star told me before we left that she
remembered the last time she sailed with Papa that the jib looked
badly worn. Damn, but she will never let me live this down.”

Miles grinned, “Even if she forgets, I
won’t.”

“Devil,” Vern said and smiled as he made his
way down the companionway stairs.

Miles took the helm and steered toward the
shallows, calling out, “Did you get it…do we have it?”

“Still looking!” Vern called up.

* * *

Star was not thinking about the jib or
The
Vision
as she lay on the hard wooden floor of Farley’s two room
cottage in Romney Marsh.

Her wrists were bound at her back. Her ankles
ached from the rope cutting into her flesh. Farley had also
blindfolded and gagged her. She could hear him shuffling about
before he scratched a chair against the floor. Was he sitting? Was
he settled?

She concentrated as she slowly, quietly slid
her head against the floorboard and finally dislodged the
blindfold. She took a moment to survey her surroundings.

Her room was more like a storage closet. The
only light that filtered through was through the wide cracks
between the wall boards. In one corner was a small cot. She had to
think. She could hear someone sit heavily and then shuffle
something on the table…what was that?
Yes, yes, cards
. He
was shuffling cards, amusing himself no doubt.

She was choking on the gag in her mouth and
tried to ignore this and remain calm. She rolled onto her back and
using her fists she pushed herself into a sitting position, then
scooted backward on her bottom till she hit the wall.

Something sharp poked at her back and with
some excitement she realized this was the point of a nail.

She started rubbing the ropes at her wrist
against the nail when she sat rigid to the sound of someone
entering the cottage. Clearly she heard Farley whose voice was
gruff and hard, “Well…did ye get it done?”

“Aye, that Oi did. First, let me tell ye,
Farley, Oi got to admit, Oi was scared. Thought Oi was snabbled
when they didn’t wants to take the note from me. Thought that there
butler of theirs was going to pull out a gun and have at me, Oi
did. Tough old bloke he was. But he took the note and told me to
wait. Oi took off Oi did.”

“Did ye hide yer horse out back?” Farley
asked sharply.

“Oi did, in yer shed wit yers,” Ally said.
“But, we have a problem, we do. He come up lame, he did. Come have
a look wit me…maybe ye got something we can use to help heal
him?”

“Curst bad luck, but never mind it, Ally…if
he won’t do and chances are he won’t, we’ll snabble another.” He
got up from the table. “Let’s go have a look, and if he can’t be
used, ye take m’horse and come back with another.”

Star heard them go outside and hurried to
position herself again at the nail. It took a good ten minutes to
tear through the rope enough so she could loosen and untie it. She
then undid the rope at her ankles. By the time she was done, she
was bloodied but fiercely determined.

She put her wrists at her back and tucked her
ankles under her gown, throwing the rope around them loosely as she
leaned back against the wall and waited. She would have to bide her
time. After all, she couldn’t just run out of the cabin while they
were so near.

She heard them re-enter the cottage and Ally
said, “Oi’m hungry…whot ye got to eat Farley?”

“Look in the cupboard…maybe some day old
bread. It will have to do.”

“Whot about the mort? Should we be feeding
her?”

“No, leave her be. She can’t go nowhere with
her wrists and ankles tied and no window in that room. Best to
leave her be.”

“Right then, Oi’ll go down the road to Jeb’s
house and take one of his horses and get some food from him and be
back.”

“No, ye’ll stay here and Oi’ll go. He might
try and side track ye which he can’t do with me. Aye, Oi’ll be
quicker about it than ye,” Farley said.

“Aye, but don’t forget to bring me back some
food…this bread is stale,” Ally returned.

A moment later, Star heard steps and her door
was flung open.

She blinked against the daylight that
streamed through from the other room and hit her in the face.

“I see ye got the blindfold off. That’s fine,
no harm, so tell me, are ye hungry? Oi could feed ye a bit of
bread, whether Farley wants me to or not,” Ally said. “Nod, if ye
want me to come closer and feed ye.” He grinned awfully, “and Oi’d
be exacting a price, Oi would…”