The Kidnapped Bride (19 page)

Colin entered the dining parlor next morning before Sarah had even finished her breakfast. She was alone, for Penny had already taken herself off to attend to the myriad details with which she managed to occupy herself each day. Sarah indicated an empty chair. “Sit down, Colin, and help yourself to whatever strikes your fancy.”

He obeyed, sitting carefully, and began spreading marmalade on a slice of toast. Betsy peeped in and reappeared a moment later with a pot of chocolate, which she set down by his elbow before taking herself off again. Colin remained silent, concentrating on his toast, until he was sure they would be undisturbed. Then he looked straight at Sarah, a touch of amusement in his eye. “I am to apologize for my reprehensible behavior last night.”

“So I should hope.” But she grinned at him.

“It was not as he thought.”

“Was it not?” She sipped her tea, watching him.

He shook his head. “I never meant to frighten you. You had said a ghost wouldn’t, but I thought if anyone else saw me creeping about, they might think twice about investigating. I forgot about Erebus.”

“What were you doing?” Sarah asked, though she was nearly certain she could supply the answer for herself.

“Searching for the treasure,” he responded predictably. “I thought there might be an outside entrance to your cellars, and you said you wouldn’t look.”

“Dolthead,” she said affectionately. “Those cellars have been closed off for years. Damp and dry rot made them unsafe, according to your uncle, so they were sealed off when he and your Cousin Darcy were children, as a safety measure to keep them from coming to grief there.”

Colin looked skeptical. “Do you know where the entrance was used to be?” he asked.

“Of course. There is a passage off the kitchen, but the door has been bricked over. I assure you, it is perfectly solid, no secret latch or hinges, just solid brick.”

Colin shrugged. “There might be another entrance you know,” he insisted. “One that has not been bricked over.”

“Well,” Sarah replied practically, “if there is one, it seems odd that no one discovered it whilst we were refurbishing the place.” The boy still frowned, so she sought for a means to divert his interest. “I think we are more likely to discover the solution to our mystery by acquiring information about the elusive Mr. Oakes. If he visited one tenant farm, he very likely visited others. I believe it would be a good plan to ride to some of them this morning. We could take your Jem along as a sop to your uncle, and perhaps, we might gather some new information.”

Colin hesitated, and Sarah was surprised to note the light flush spreading over his face. He carefully adjusted his cuff, not looking at her. “Not today, I’m afraid,” he said with studied carelessness. “Perhaps tomorrow.”

“But why not today?” she demanded. His color deepened, and she suddenly realized what was wrong. “Oh dear! That brute!”

That drew a reluctant grin. “Fact is, he was pretty thoroughly angry, you know. Read me the devil of a scold before … well, you know. Anyways, it wasn’t so bad. I’ve had worse at school. Daresay I’ll be right as a trivet tomorrow.”

Sarah still thought his lordship had overreacted, especially since he thought the thing only a boy’s prank. She had a strong desire to give him a piece of her mind, but she was afraid to confront him lest she reveal Colin’s true intentions. Then, the cat truly would be among the pigeons, and she had no notion how his lordship would react.

With a sigh, she decided she must leave well enough alone, though it meant a day of forced inactivity as far as the mystery was concerned. Not that she need be bored, because Penny would have a dozen suggestions for constructive use of her time. Just the thought spurred her thinking. A glimmer of a notion came to her.

She gazed at Colin. “Listen. I think I have an idea.” He gave her his full attention. “Your uncle said before that I might be in danger. Could we not put that possibility to good use? What if I were seen out riding alone? I wouldn’t really be unprotected, of course,” she added as he moved to protest. “It would only seem so. Would the murderer not have to show himself in order to get me?”

Colin’s eyes lit, but then he frowned heavily. “It would be too dangerous. Uncle Nick wouldn’t like it at all.”

“Well, of course he wouldn’t. Which is why,” Sarah said patiently, “we shan’t tell him. We will enlist the aid of your friend Jem. He will escort me, armed to the teeth, out onto the Common. But then he will drop back until I seem to be alone. Tomorrow you may come with us, and then I shall have two guardians.”

Colin hesitated. “It would be better if you were to take the woods path, I think. It would be difficult out on the Common to get Jem to drop far enough behind. Tomorrow, we can go the other way, and I will be able to divert him and still come up to you soon enough to effect a rescue.”

“Very well,” Sarah agreed. “Although nothing will happen today, for it will catch the villain unawares and unprepared. But if he sees that it is become a habit, he will, sooner or later, make his move. Then we shall have trapped him.”

Colin considered the plan but finally shook his head. “It may be a good notion, ma’am, but it is too dangerous.”

“You cannot stop me,” she said gently. “Or you could do so, of course, by laying information with your uncle, but I am convinced you would never do anything so shabby.”

“Well, of course I would not!” Colin declared, indignant at the very thought. “However, I daresay Jem will not agree to lag behind either. Very likely, he has had his orders from Uncle Nick.”

But Sarah wisely said nothing to the groom about her intentions. Colin strolled to the stables with her, once she had changed to her habit. He smothered a grin as she asked Jem if he would accompany her so that she might indulge in some much-needed exercise. The groom agreed at once and had clearly had orders from his master, for when he reappeared, leading their two mounts, Sarah saw the stock of a shotgun sticking up near his saddle bow.

Jem helped her to mount, and she waved to Colin as they set off at a brisk trot down the path leading to the main drive. A few moments later, they emerged from the Park, and with a quick glance around, Sarah drew rein. Jem pulled up beside her.

“Where would you like to go, my lady?”

Sarah hesitated. “I don’t really care, Jem,” she said at last, “but I wish I did not need an escort.” He looked puzzled, and she hastened to add, “’Tis not that I don’t appreciate your protection, Jem, only I should prefer to be alone with my own thoughts. Surely, you can understand that.” He nodded doubtfully. “I knew you would. Look here, perhaps we can manage it so that I may have my solitude and you can obey your master. If we take the woods path, and you allow me to ride a little ahead, you would still be near enough to protect me, but I should be alone with my thoughts.”

Jem eyed her warily. “How far ahead, my lady?”

“Oh, not far,” Sarah said with an airy gesture. “Just far enough so that you are out of sight but near enough to hear me if I shout.” She watched him hopefully, knowing she had set him a problem. No doubt Nicholas had made his orders quite plain. Then she saw hesitation in Jem’s eye and quickly pressed her advantage. “You know there will be no danger. ’Tis only one of his lordship’s starts. You wouldn’t worry if your sister wanted to ride alone on that path.” Jem had no sister, but it was clear that he had never thought of the trail through the woods as a source of danger before. His expression relaxed.

“Very well, my lady. We’ll do as ye say. Only perhaps we ought not to explain the matter to his lordship.”

She chuckled. “Never fear. If he asks about my ride, I shall tell him you did your duty exactly as he would have wished.”

A gap-toothed grin was her reward, and she kicked her mount into an easy lope, soon leaving the groom well behind. Once into the woods, Sarah maintained the pace only long enough to make sure he was well out of sight. A tremor of excitement made her shiver. Despite what she had told Colin about setting up a pattern of behavior, she thought it just as likely that the villain, if he truly wanted her, would be looking for any possible opportunity.

The wooded area on either side of the narrow path was silent, though she heard an occasional bird’s trill. In some areas the shrubbery was dense right up to the path, while in others, the ground seemed barren underneath tall trees. Shafts of sunlight beamed down through the foliage here and there, lighting the carpet of dead leaves with glints of orange and gold. It seemed peaceful enough, and Sarah’s thoughts turned, as they had done before, toward London and what she would be doing, had she not chosen to play her foolish games with Darcy Ashton.

The season was drawing to a close, now that the Princess Charlotte was safely married, and most of the Beau Monde would have followed the Prince Regent down to Brighton. Her uncle had hired a house there on the Marine Parade, and Sarah had been looking forward to a sojourn in that famous seaside resort. Lord Hartley was not a member of the notorious Carlton House set, but she had been invited to a ball and a musical evening there and had hoped to receive at least one or two invitations to visit the fabulous Brighton Pavillion. Now, it would never be.

Instead, here she was, hemmed about with restrictions once again, but perhaps Nicholas would relax some of them once the murderer had been caught. And, if she could be the one to catch him—well, that would make his lordship sit up and take notice. He might even, for once, approve. With a sigh, Sarah came back to earth. Whatever else he did, Nicholas would not approve. If she were to capture the murderer single-handedly and deliver him bound and gagged to Sir William Miles, Nicholas would no doubt censure the act as conduct unbecoming a lady of Quality.

Her horse shied a bit, startling her, but she brought him back to order. Jem was still out of sight, and she could see no other reason for her mount’s odd behavior. He settled down almost immediately, but his ears continued to twitch, and Sarah looked around again a bit nervously.

She wondered how long his lordship meant to keep her at Ash Park. Perhaps one day she would return to London. Certainly, she would like to visit Paris and Rome. Colin had had two letters from his mother, and the bits he read aloud had stirred Sarah’s blood with yearning to see the cities she heard described.

Lost in her thoughts, she was unaware of the thickening shrubbery, unaware that she was entering a section of the wood where sunlight seldom pierced, except in an occasional trickle on a breeze-tossed leaf. The gelding maintained its even, hypnotic pace, while Sarah envisioned herself at a Viennese ball or making her curtsy at the French court. Perhaps, she might meet a dazzling Russian prince or a gay Italian count. But then, suddenly, thoughts of counts and princes vanished, as a great bay stallion plunged out of the dense shrubbery immediately to her right. A hand of steel clamped bruisingly across her mouth before she could scream, and she was swept struggling from her saddle by the unseen horseman.

U
NABLE TO SEE HER
captor, Sarah experienced a moment of sheer terror. His hand still tight across her mouth, he urged his horse back into the shrubbery then turned so that, well-hidden, he faced the path once more. A moment later, Sarah saw Jem ride around a bend in the path, and a new fear welled up within her. The murderer clearly meant to trap Jem as well, to kill him, so as to leave no witnesses. No matter what became of her, she must prevent that.

Jem saw her horse standing in the path and urged his own mount forward with a muttered oath. Sarah felt the man behind her stiffen. It was now or never. Forcing her mouth open against his hand, she snapped her teeth shut upon his little finger.

“Ow! You little vixen!” He snatched his hand away, but though the opportunity was clear, Sarah held her tongue. The voice was only too familiar, and as he swung to the ground still holding her firmly, she was conscious of a devout wish that she were the sort of sensible female who could faint dead away in a crisis.

Nicholas dragged her with him onto the path as he moved to intercept the hapless Jem. “I will see her ladyship home,” he grated. “You get back there as fast as that beast will carry you, and I suggest you use the time you have before my return to concoct an acceptable explanation for daring to defy my explicit order!”

Sarah gasped at the fury in his tone. She had never meant for Jem to suffer; indeed, the possibility had never crossed her mind. The rapid hoofbeats were soon lost in the distance, and an uncomfortable silence descended upon the wood. Nicholas’s hand was heavy on her shoulder.

He drew a long breath and turned her to face him. “So help me,” he growled, “if you were wife, daughter, or sister, I’d lay you across my knee and blister your backside.”

Sarah drew herself up, squaring her shoulders under his grip. “Pray do not let the lack of a proper relationship deter you, my lord. You have already made it clear that you hold yourself my guardian.” She glared at him, adding angrily, “And you proved last night that you prefer violence to reason when it comes to dealing with disobedience from those under your charge!”

“Nonsense!” he snapped. “It was nothing like the same sort of thing, and you know it. You’ll only catch cold trying that line on me. If you’ve got an explanation for this, I’d advise you to trot it out, instead of doing your possible to make me lose my temper.”

“How did you find out?” she evaded.

“Heard you’d gone for a ride and thought you’d prefer even my company to that of the groom, so I followed. Saw the lad riding alone and figured that, one way or another, you’d managed to give him the slip, so I circled through the woods. But we digress.” There was another pause, while Sarah examined his top boots. “I am waiting.”

He didn’t sound prepared to wait very long, and she wondered fleetingly what he would do if she refused to answer him. But then, she looked up, and the expression she encountered gave her quickly to realize that her courage would not long withstand his temper. She forced herself not to look away, to meet that stern gaze.

“You will not like my answer, sir.”

“That is a foregone conclusion,” he replied uncompromisingly. “I am determined to hear it, nonetheless.”