by Bree Wolf
Garrett sucked in a sharp breath. “Where is he?” he said again, panic tinging his voice. His hand reached out and grasped her chin, bringing her gaze up to meet his.
The green in his eyes looked dark and thunderous, and the muscles in his jaw stood out as he clenched his teeth. “Ye said…” He took a deep breath, his teeth grinding together. “Ye said that Aiden,” he spoke their son’s name carefully, “that he had been taken. By highwaymen.” His fingers tightened on her chin. “Where is he?”
Unable to keep fresh tears from falling, Claudia sniffled. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to find him. That’s why I set out that night. That’s why I came here.”
Garrett closed his eyes and his face hardened, his lips pressing into a thin line as he fought for control. Then he looked at her again, his hands reaching for hers. “Tell me what happened. Everything.”
Taking a deep breath, Claudia nodded. She began her tale the day she was parted from her son, telling him how she had returned to London a fortnight later, unable to bear the solitude at Crestwood House any longer. She told him how only a few days later her brother had told her that her son had been taken, that the carriage had been ambushed on its way to the boy’s new family. She told him about speaking to Mr. Lambert, her cousin, about the nurse she had sought out and who had been able to recall that the highwaymen had mentioned an inn. She spoke to him of her brother’s return from said inn and the heart-breaking conclusion that it had to have been a ruse by the highwaymen in order to throw anyone following off their trail.
“No one demanded ransom?” Garrett asked, his eyes narrowed as his mind worked to take everything in. “No letter arrived? No message delivered?”
Claudia shook her head, feeling her heart grow lighter at being able to share her heartbreak with someone who felt it as acutely as she did. “No, nothing.”
Cocking his head, Garrett looked at her. “Why did ye go to that inn, Lass? Did ye not believe yer brother?”
Sighing, Claudia tried to explain the desperation she had felt that night. “It wasn’t that I thought he was lying to me, but rather…I…I had to do something,” she finally said, her eye suddenly dry as a new wave of determination washed over her. “I couldn’t simply sit back and wait. It occurred to me that Mr. Lambert had believed that the nurse would not be of help, and so he never even spoke to her again. But then I went, and she was able to remember the name of the inn.” Shrugging, Claudia looked at him. “I thought perhaps they’d overlooked something. I thought if I went myself, perhaps…” Again, she shrugged.
Understanding shone in Garrett’s eyes as he squeezed her hand. “Ye did right, Lass. Ye went and ye looked for him as a mother would. I’m proud of ye.”
Blinking back fresh tears, Claudia smiled at him, and for the first time since she had found out she was with child did she truly feel like Aiden’s mother. She had said the words before, thought them before, and yet, it had not been until this moment that she could feel the bond between her and her son.
“What did ye find?” Garrett asked, drawing her attention back to him. “Ye spoke to the innkeeper?”
Claudia nodded. “I did, like my brother had, but while he found out nothing, the innkeeper told me that a man with an infant had passed through, travelling north.”
Garrett’s eyes narrowed. “I’m guessing the same happened at the next inns?”
“It did,” Claudia confirmed. “It felt like someone had left bread crumbs for me to find as though these were messages for me alone, and when my brother asked, he was not told.”
For a moment, Garrett remained quiet, his gaze distant as his mind worked. Then he met her gaze once more. “This feels personal,” he whispered. “No ransom demand was made, and whoever took our boy is leading ye to them.” He shook his head. “’Tis a man ye know, Lass. Perhaps someone who cares for ye and thinks he’s doing this for ye.”
“I’ve thought of that, too,” Claudia said, wishing she had listened whenever her family had discussed the issue of Mr. Adams. If only she knew what had happened to him.
Garrett’s eyes narrowed, and the hands holding hers tensed. “Ye know who it is, do ye not?”
Claudia inhaled a deep breath. “I might.”
“Who is he?”
“He was a footman at my brother’s estate.”
Garrett’s jaw clenched. “How well…did ye know him?”
Claudia scoffed, “I can see what you’re thinking, and the answer is no.” Slapping him on the arm, she shook her head. “He was nothing to me. I barely knew him. I barely noticed him. I was too preoccupied with…” Absentmindedly, her hand brushed over her middle, remembering the feel of her child.
“I’m sorry,” Garrett said, his hand reaching for hers yet again. “I didna mean to suggest that−”
“Yes, you did,” Claudia interrupted, feeling her blood boil. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and brought them closer. “I know I did a foolish thing running off with William, but that was one time. I always tried to do what was expected of me, but that night, I…” Sighing, she closed her eyes, remembering. “I so wanted it to be real.” Her fingers on his shirt loosened as she saw the green in his gaze soften. “I wanted to feel something, adventure, excitement, love. I wanted to feel something, something more than…” Shaking her head, she sat back. “I just wanted to feel.”
Smiling, Garrett brushed a wayward curl from her forehead. “I know,” he whispered, “and I’m glad ye did, Lass. Otherwise, we would never have met, and Aiden would never have been.”
Pulling herself onto his lap, Claudia wrapped her arms around him, her eyes searching his. “I followed the wrong man to Gretna Green,” she whispered, “to find the one I was meant to be with.”
Garrett’s eyes were dark as they held hers, and for once, there was no humour in them. His hands reached up and gently cupped her face. Then he brought her down to him, his lips touching hers with the lightness of a feather. “When I returned home after Gretna Green,” he whispered then, his green eyes looking deep into hers, “Cormag wasna surprised to hear I was married. He said that Moira had seen it in her dreams.”
Claudia frowned. “Moira?”
“People whisper that she has the sight,” he explained, his lips coming back to brush against hers every so often, “that she sees things before they happen. Cormag told me she insisted he send me to retrieve the runaways.”
“She knew I would be here?” Claudia asked, overwhelmed by the thought that destiny had guided their steps. “And he believed her? Is she his wife?”
Garrett chuckled, “Nah, she isna, but sometimes I wonder if he might want her to be.” He shrugged. “He treats her differently than the rest of the clan. They meet her with distrust because…” He sighed, “Well, ‘tis a long story, but he always stands with her no matter what, as though he knows more than the rest of us do. As though he trusts her.”
Claudia smiled. “Perhaps they belong together…like we do.”
“Perhaps,” Garrett whispered against her lips before kissing her gently. “As much as I want to kiss ye, Lass,” he murmured, “we need to find our son first.” Smiling, he brushed yet another untamed curl from her face and tugged it behind her ear. “Tell me about this footman. Why do ye think it might be him?”
Nodding, Claudia forced her thoughts to return to one of the darkest moments of her life. “At Christmas, he tried to poison my brother.”
Garrett’s eyes widened with shock…and fear for their son.
“If it hadn’t been for Evelyn, his wife, we would have lost him. She’s a doctor, the best I’ve ever met. She saved his life.”
“Why?” Garrett asked. “Why did he do it?”
“We didn’t know it at the time, but later we learnt that we are related.”
“Related?” Garrett growled. “He would kill his own kin.”
Claudia sighed. “He is the son of my father’s elder brother and thus ought to have inherited my brother’s title instead of him.”
“T
hen why didn’t he?”
“Because he is illegitimate,” Claudia explained, thinking of her own child and wondering what kind of life Mr. Adams had led. “He was the son of my uncle’s mistress, and he never even acknowledged him. I believe he wanted to get back at the family who rejected him.”
Garrett nodded, a glint of understanding coming to his eyes. “So, yer…situation reminded him of his own? Of his mother and himself?”
“I believe so. He wanted to free me of my brother because he thought Richard was forcing me to give up my child. He thought him cold-hearted and only seeking to protect his reputation.” Despite many misunderstandings throughout their lives, Claudia now knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that her brother loved her dearly. “Richard decided for me because he knew I couldn’t do it myself. But if I had told him that I wanted to keep my son, he would not have fought me. Especially then. Especially after Evelyn helped him…understand me.”
“But I suppose Mr. Adams didna believe that.”
Claudia shook her head. “I didn’t speak to him after the poisoning, but I suppose it is very likely that he still believes as he did before. However, I’m not certain if it even can be him for my brother had him handed over to the authorities. Before I left for Crestwood House, I heard that he was to face trial. I’m certain he was convicted, but I don’t know what happened to him after that.”
Rubbing a hand over his face, Garrett exhaled loudly. “Perhaps he escaped. Perhaps he had help. Ye said that there’d been two men stopping the carriage?”
Claudia nodded.
“Of course, we canna be certain that ‘tis him,” Garrett admitted, “but I believe ‘tis very likely. Somehow, he got away, but instead of running away and hiding, he came back and took yer child, and then he left clues so ye would find him.”
“But how could he have known that I would search for him?”
A gentle smile came to Garrett’s face. “’Tis what mothers do, Lass. ‘Tis what mothers do.” He sighed, “Perhaps ‘tis a test to see if ye’re worthy to be reunited with yer son, to see if ye would put him above yer own reputation, yer family, yer prospects.”
Claudia felt her insides tense. “Do you think he will give him back to us?”
Garrett’s shoulders tensed, and his lips thinned as he thought for a moment. “I dunno think so, Lass. For one, he doesna know about us, and I worry what he might do if he learns that we’re married. It would destroy his carefully-laid out plan.”
“What if I find him on my own?” Claudia asked, afraid to discover her son’s whereabouts only to lose him all over again. “What if I go to him on my own and−?”
“I dunno think he’s planning on returning the boy to ye, Lass,” Garrett objected, his eyes dark with anguish. “It wouldna make sense to take the boy and then simply return him. Even if ye were to keep him, he would still be a bastard and face the same life Mr. Adams has suffered.” Gritting his teeth, Garrett shook his head. “Nah, I dunno think he will return our son to ye. I think he wants to take ye both away.”
Chapter Twenty-Four – A Message
Claudia’s eyes opened wide with shock. “Take us away? But where? How?”
Willing himself to remain calm despite the fear and pain rolling through his middle, Garrett shook his head. “I dunno know, Lass, but I think he has a plan where to hide ye, where to live. I think he plans to keep ye with him.” He swallowed, pulling her closer into his arms. “Do ye think he might have taken a shine to ye?”
A gust of air rushed from her lungs as her eyes widened. “That is ridiculous. I barley spoke a word to that man. He only ever followed me like a shadow. On my brother’s behest, of course.”
Pressing a quick kiss to her lips, Garrett felt his heartbeat slow a little. Even if Mr. Adams had fallen for her and was now under the illusion of turning her and their son into a new family for himself, at least Claudia had never looked at the man with love in her heart.
“Have ye had a chance to speak to the innkeeper downstairs?” Garrett asked, forcing his thoughts back to the task of locating their son.
Sadness came to his wife’s eyes as she shook her head. “It was too crowded. He couldn’t hear a word I was saying.” Her eyes narrowed. “How did you get this room?”
Garrett chuckled, “I didna speak to him, Lass. I only tossed him a few coins, and he tossed me a key.”
Suddenly rising to her feet, his wife looked down at him, impatience in her eyes. “We need to speak to him.” Then she turned her head toward the window where a faint glow appeared on the horizon. “The sun is about to rise. I’m certain he will be up soon.”
Nodding, Garrett got to his feet. “Get dressed, Lass,” he said before a devilish gleam came to his eyes, “for I willna let ye walk out that door half-clad as ye are.”
Returning his smile, Claudia went to retrieve her clothes. They both dressed quietly, exchanging a glance here and there. Garrett’s heart rejoiced at the silent understanding that suddenly seemed to exist between them. Only a few hours ago, there had been doubts and questions building a wall between them, and now, he only needed to look at her to know what she was thinking.
Now, all they needed was their child, and then life would truly be perfect.
Their child!
Whenever that thought entered his mind, it still knocked the air from his lungs.
He had a son!
Once dressed, they rushed downstairs, and Garrett banged on a few doors−disturbing a maid or two−in the process of locating the innkeeper.
Grumbling, the old man finally appeared, scratching his head and mumbling curses under his breath. “Could ye not have allowed me a wee bit more sleep?” he said yawning. “The sun’s barely up. This better be important.” Apparently, in a village with only one inn, there was no need to treat their guests kindly as they had very little choice when it came to accommodations.
About to speak, Garrett thought better of it and stepped back, gesturing to his wife.
Nodding her head, Claudia approached the innkeeper. “I’m terribly sorry to have woken you. However, this is a truly important matter,” she said sweetly, a dazzling smile on her lips to which the innkeeper was not immune.
Grinning back at her, he leaned closer. “What can I do for ye, dearie?”
“I need to know,” Claudia began, her hands trembling, and she clenched them in the fabrics of her skirts, “if a man with an infant has come through here recently. The boy would have been only a few weeks old.”
A frown descended upon the man’s face before his eyes suddenly opened. “Are ye Miss Davenport then?”
Garrett’s heart stopped, and he saw his wife’s face turn ash-white. “Yes,” she said almost breathless. “I’m Claudia Davenport. Do you have a message for me?”
Claudia MacDrummond, Garrett thought grimly, but with no small amount of pride. However, there would be time later to point that out.
Rummaging behind the counter, the innkeeper soon reappeared, an envelope in his weathered hands. “I was asked to hold this letter for ye, dearie. I’m sorry. I saw ye yesterday, but I didna catch yer name.”
“It’s all right,” Claudia whispered, the smile on her face becoming more and more strained. “Thank you.” Then she reached out a trembling hand and took the envelope. “Good day.” Turning on her heel, she strode past Garrett back toward the stairs leading to the upper floor.
Hurrying after her, Garrett felt his heart beat wildly in his chest as fear and hope clawed at it for supremacy. Fast steps carried him up the stairs, and he closed the door behind them with a loud bang, his eyes fixed on his wife as she sank onto the bed.
Her eyes rose to meet his, and then she returned her attention to the envelope in her hand, ripping it open. Her breath came fast as her eyes flew over the parchment, and her face grew ever paler. “It is him,” she whispered, her voice almost inaudible over the loud pulsing of his blood. “It’s Mr. Adams.”
Every muscle in his body tensed as Garrett watched his wife, saw the tears form in
the corners of her eyes and felt her heartbreak as much as his own. “What does he write?” he asked, unable to control his need to know any longer.
Looking up through a veil of tears, she held the letter out to him. “Read for yourself.”
Sucking in a deep breath, Garrett stepped forward and took the parchment. Then he began to read.
My dearest Miss Davenport,
I apologise for the heartache I have caused you. However, there was no other way to ensure your son’s well-being. Let me assure you that he is well and that you shall be reunited with him soon.
I have no doubt that my deeds must seem confusing to you, but they were necessary. I assure you. This ruse was the only way to liberate you and your son from your brother’s clutches. I had to be certain that you truly wished to have your son in your life and saw him as a blessing and not a curse. He deserves that and more.
As do you.
In my heart, I knew that nothing−not even your brother−could prevent you from coming after your child. You’ve shown true strength and devotion in following my leads, and I am proud to know that your little boy finds himself loved by his mother.
Meet me in Port Glasgow in two days’ time. Do not worry. I shall find you.
My sincerest regards,
Maxwell Adams
With each written word, anger rose in Garrett’s heart, and he crushed the parchment in his hand. His teeth grit together painfully as he cursed the man who would steal his wife and child and deem himself a hero for doing so. “Why Port Glasgow?” he asked Claudia, doing his best to silence his anger and allow rational thought to take over.
It was easier said than done.
“I do not know,” she replied, her eyes darting to his and away from her own thoughts. “I’ve never been there myself. The only time I ever came to Scotland was…” She left the sentence unfinished, but a deep smile lit up her face and she stepped closer to him.
Cupping her face in his hands, Garrett kissed her gently. Then he sighed, holding her tight, as he tried to determine how to proceed. “There is only one reason he would ask ye to meet him in a harbour town, Lass,” he said slowly, not wishing to frighten her. “He plans to take ye away on a ship. Perhaps to Ireland or the colonies.”