Checkmate, My Lord

by Tracey Devlyn

  “Yes, sir.”

  Bracing his feet wide, Teddy levered himself up enough to peer through the small window at the back of the passenger compartment. Inside, he found the shadowy silhouette of Sophie sprawled on the far seat, still in her nightdress. She appeared unharmed, but tousled.

  The carriage tilted to the side and then the door closed softly. Teddy ducked back down, holding on to Sophie’s wooden archer with all his might. A scuffling noise to his left made his ears perk up.

  “Put your weapon down, Mr. Cochran,” a new voice said. “We have your man.”

  The newcomer’s statement caused a moment of silence. Then Cochran demanded, “Who’s there? Show yourself.”

  “Name’s Declan McCarthy. Now drop your pistol and stand clear of the carriage.”

  Teddy’s eyes rounded. What was Meghan’s papa doing out here?

  “McCarthy,” Cochran mused. “Little Meghan’s father, I presume?”

  “That’s right, you bastard. You’ll pay for what you did to my wee Meghan.”

  While McCarthy spoke, Teddy followed the path of the man’s voice, which seemed to be moving closer to Cochran’s side of the carriage. The carpenter wanted to kill the gentleman who’d kidnapped Sophie. Did he even know she was inside? If he shot Cochran, he might miss and hit Sophie. Teddy rubbed his aching chest.

  Then the soft thud of hooves against hard-packed earth caught his attention. He shifted his gaze to the right and the painful beating of his heart stopped cold. At the side of the road, he spotted a phantom in a long black cape astride an even blacker horse. The rider edged closer, and Teddy pressed his back into the paneling, his eyes growing larger the closer the phantom came. The rider halted and lifted one gloved finger to his lips in an age-old signal for silence. At least, Teddy assumed it was the phantom’s mouth. The large cowl hid the rider’s face, revealing nothing but a dark, gaping maw.

  “Come now, McCarthy,” Cochran said. “Don’t the Irish reproduce like vermin? Surely, you have another child to take the chit’s place.”

  Teddy could hear more clicking of metal coming from the passenger compartment. The phantom’s presence kept him rooted in place.

  “The only vermin here is you,” McCarthy roared. “Why did you have to kill her? You could have gone away and never returned.”

  “And allow the baggage to snivel my name into Mrs. Ashcroft’s ears?” Cochran’s voice turned cold. “You should thank me; two less peasant mouths to feed.”

  “Bastard,” McCarthy roared. “She wasn’t a peasant, she was my daughter!”

  “McCarthy, no,” someone cautioned.

  Teddy recognized the butcher’s voice.

  “Yes, calm yourself,” Cochran said, unruffled.

  “I won’t tell you again,” McCarthy said between harsh breaths. “Drop your weapon and step away from the carriage.”

  “Tell me one thing first.”

  Teddy swiveled around when he heard another noise, this time closer. Two men in ragged clothing were inching their way toward the carriage. With their dirty faces, they were near invisible. But Teddy saw them. One was serious and intent. The other flashed Teddy a white smile followed with a wink.

  “What?” McCarthy demanded.

  “A simple matter of clarification,” Cochran said. “How did you know I would be on this road at this time?”

  “I received a note from someone named Specter. The message said my Meghan’s murderer would be fleeing back to London tonight. Seems my new friend was right.”

  Teddy glanced at the caped rider.

  “I see,” Cochran said. “You placed a great deal of faith in a stranger’s note.”

  “Saw no harm in checking things out. Time for conversing is over.”

  A shot exploded from inside the carriage, and Teddy covered his head with his arms. The carriage door wrenched open and then he heard the most awful words.

  “Stay back,” Cochran warned, “or I’ll kill the girl.”

  No longer silent, the night came alive. Masculine voices from all directions hissed curses upon Cochran’s head. Teddy peeked over his arms in time to see the phantom motioning instructions to the two men before melting into the shadows.

  Teddy rolled to his knees but froze when Cochran backed into view. He held Sophie against him, her arms and legs dangling like a doll’s and her head rocking back and forth. Sweat bubbled on Teddy’s brow and skated down his sides. Another step back and Cochran would find his hiding place. He glanced at the two ragged men drawing closer.

  “Put the Ashcroft girl down,” McCarthy demanded. “You’ve no call to bring her into this.”

  “I think having her at my side evens things out nicely.” Cochran whirled around, baring his back to Teddy.

  But not before Teddy saw Sophie’s eyes flutter open. Heartened, he gripped his wooden archer tighter and prayed for a heroic plan to come to mind. Nothing surfaced, for his mind was too frozen with fear. If all went wrong, he could lose his friend. His brow scrunched into an angry vee. He couldn’t let that happen.

  In the distance, Teddy heard a steady roll of thunder. Cochran heard it, too, and glanced up the road. For an instant, fear slackened the gentleman’s features before they transformed into a slab of hatred.

  “I require a horse.” Cochran faced his unseen foes. “Now.”

  Teddy heard the sound of feet wading through tall grasses. When McCarthy spoke next, his voice seemed to be within reaching distance.

  “You’ll have it,” McCarthy said. “Let the girl go.”

  Sophie spotted Teddy then, and he glimpsed her determination, the fire burning in her blue eyes. A new terror gripped Teddy as the thunder grew louder.

  “Bring the horse and I’ll deposit her a mile down the road.”

  No! Teddy held his breath while waiting for McCarthy’s answer. Cochran would take off on that horse with Sophie and he would never see her again.

  Getting his feet underneath him, Teddy waited for Cochran to turn toward the thunder, which seemed to be right on them now. The two ragged young men were shaking their heads and waving him off. Teddy ignored them, catapulting himself onto the scoundrel’s back. Teddy slammed the archer’s wooden arrow into the man’s neck, causing Cochran’s grip on Sophie to loosen. She took the opportunity to squiggle down far enough to sink her teeth into his arm, forcing a roar to rip from Cochran’s injured throat. He dropped her, and Teddy went sailing through the air. His head struck the road, sending shards of pain through his skull.

  Teddy heard a feminine scream and a man’s yell a moment before a large black horse trampled his prone body.

  Twenty-six

  Sebastian pushed Reaper, and the others, to greater speeds. Charging through the night placed them all in peril, but overcoming Cochran’s carriage before he gained the city was paramount. The clouds loosened their hold to reveal a waxing moon. Light sprayed over the road, and Sebastian peered into the distance. The outline of a carriage at the far end of the road materialized, and his pulse leaped with hope.

  He glanced over his left shoulder to find Catherine riding low over Gypsy’s neck and Helsford, Danforth, and Jack at her back. Jack had caught up with the two agents in the village mere seconds after Helsford’s informant had passed on precious intelligence about Cochran’s intended flight with Sophie. Once again, Helsford’s informant had provided accurate and timely information in support of their cause. One day, Sebastian would meet their mysterious savior and offer him a job.

  “Carriage up ahead.” He caught Catherine’s gaze. “Remember my instructions.”

  She nodded, a determined look in her eye.

  He had to trust that she would allow him to manage the situation without her interference. But for good measure, he sliced a meaningful glare at Danforth, who nodded.

  They gained on Cochran much faster than Sebastian had anticipated. He could see now t
hat the carriage was stopped in the middle of the lane and a man stood next to it. The man must have heard their approach, for he angled around and—

  “Oh, dear Lord,” Catherine cried.

  Cochran held Sophie against him, her arms and legs swung lifelessly from her body. The backs of Sebastian’s eyes burned at the sight. From this distance, they appeared too late, but if that were the case, the girl would be of no further use to the man and he would not be holding her in such a defensive manner.

  Sophie’s kidnapper whipped around, yelling at someone beyond the tree line. Sebastian saw no one, but a movement at the back of the carriage captured his attention. A small boy leveraged himself into a crouched position on the luggage boot.

  Teddy. Two children in harm’s way. Ice glazed Sebastian’s spine and sweat dampened his palms.

  His gaze narrowed on the boy, who had his hand raised in an attack position. Sebastian could not detect a weapon, but Teddy was definitely preparing to do something rash.

  “Don’t do it,” Sebastian demanded in a harsh whisper. He gave Reaper all the lead he wanted, and his mount burst forward in an amazing display of power.

  The boy picked that moment to launch himself onto Cochran’s back.

  The night exploded into a cacophony of screams and curses.

  ***

  “Teddy!” Catherine yelled. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The stable lad had launched himself onto the back of a grown man, who would as soon kill the boy as look at him. Infuriated and writhing in pain, Cochran dropped Sophie and wrenched the boy off his back, throwing him across the road like a bucket of yesterday’s slop.

  Right into their path.

  “Watch out,” Sebastian warned.

  Out of nowhere, a big black horse appeared carrying a cloaked figure. The rider maneuvered his mount over the stable lad, shielding him from their approach.

  Sebastian jerked his horse to the right and Catherine pulled Gypsy’s reins to the left; the three men behind followed suit.

  “Danforth, to Catherine. Jack, the boy,” Sebastian directed, after they cleared that particular danger. Helsford followed Sebastian into the fray.

  Catherine scrambled off her horse and stood paralyzed as she watched Sebastian dismount and draw a pistol from the back of his waistband. Sophie was on the ground, kicking at Cochran as he attempted to recapture her. From a distance, Catherine heard Danforth calling her, but she couldn’t obey his entreaty for her to come away. The two people she loved most in the world were fighting for their lives.

  “Cochran, stand down,” Sebastian said, leveling the pistol at his head.

  Desperate now, Cochran smacked away Sophie’s legs and scooped her up.

  “You killed Teddy, you beast!” Sophie cried. “How could you?” She no longer dangled passively in Cochran’s arms. She fought like a wildcat.

  Catherine was equal parts proud and terrified. She wrenched free of Danforth’s hold and ran forward.

  “Get back, Catherine.” Sebastian’s harsh command stopped her in her tracks. His eyes blazed with a luminescent vengeance that froze her heart.

  From behind the battling duo emerged Declan McCarthy and several men from the village, including the vicar, who ran over to assist Jack with Teddy. Two of the men held Silas between them.

  With her daughter acting the she-cat, Cochran appeared to Catherine almost relieved when Sebastian stowed his pistol and then plucked Sophie off her cursing and bleeding captor. Her sweet girl scratched at the air, determined to do the man more damage.

  McCarthy sank a fist into Cochran’s stomach, then kneed him in the face when the man bent forward. He knocked the man to the ground and forced his arms behind his back. Helsford pulled a length of rope from his saddle and tied Cochran’s wrists and ankles.

  With both men subdued, Catherine ran forward. Even though Sebastian tried to shelter Sophie’s curious eyes from McCarthy’s attack on Cochran, her daughter observed far too much.

  “Sophie.” Catherine held out her arms. “Come to Mama.”

  Fierce blue eyes turned her way. From one second to the next, the fight went out of her daughter and her eyes filled with tears. “Mama.”

  Sebastian handed her daughter over, and Catherine’s pulse quickened when the girl’s small frame began to quake. “I have you now, pumpkin. Everything’s fine.” Catherine smoothed her hand over Sophie’s back in wide, calming circles. Sebastian also placed a hand on Sophie’s back while he angled around until he stood face-to-face with her daughter. “Brave little sprite, why the tears? You vanquished the enemy with nary a bruise.”

  Sophie reared back and settled liquid blue eyes on him. An instant later, she bounded up and wrapped her thin arms around his neck. “Bastian,” she said. “You saved me.”

  With Sophie half in Catherine’s arms and half in Sebastian’s arms, he stood awkwardly for a few seconds before finally giving in and embracing them both. Catherine closed her eyes and absorbed the moment. It was likely the last hug she would ever receive from him.

  “Ah, that’s so precious, Somerton,” Cochran said. “Weren’t you supposed to protect the Ashcroft ladies, rather than seduce them?”

  The muscles in Sebastian’s arm rippled against her waist, and she heard Helsford order Cochran to be quiet right before the prisoner grunted in pain.

  ***

  Sebastian ignored the ice raking down his spine long enough to finish his conversation with Sophie. “No, sprite. Your brownie friend must take all the credit for your rescue.”

  Pushing off his shoulders, Sophie said, “But Teddy’s dead.” Tears leaked from her eyes.

  Sebastian glanced over to where a small group had formed around the boy. The cloaked savior had disappeared, as had the two young men who were approaching the carriage before Sebastian stormed into the fray. From here, he could not see if the boy was coming to, or if Cochran had managed to do the unthinkable.

  “Miss Sophie,” Declan McCarthy said.

  She peered over her shoulder at the carpenter.

  “I believe this belongs to your brave knight.” He held out a carved figure of a man holding a bow and arrow.

  Sophie accepted the piece. “I gave this to him.” She glanced up at McCarthy, her pride evident. “Did you see Teddy jab the arrow into the bad man’s neck?”

  “Yes, miss,” McCarthy said. “He’s a courageous lad. You must be a very good friend.”

  “Mama,” Sophie said. “I must go see Teddy.”

  Catherine glanced at Sebastian, and that’s when he realized he still held them close. Stepping away, he said, “Get them both out of here, Catherine. Please.”

  She nodded. “Be careful.”

  “You may depend upon it.”

  She strode away, toward the fallen boy, glancing back when she set Sophie down. The incredible pressure around his chest did not relent until he saw Teddy wobble into a sitting position.

  The carpenter’s normally wary eyes burned with purpose. “I’ll take care of that mewling coward who killed my Meghan.”

  “You know?”

  “Aye, m’lord,” McCarthy said. “I received a note that the men who killed my girl were fleeing tonight. The murdering bastard admitted his crime right before you arrived.” His hand balled into a fist. “Time to make him suffer.”

  Understanding the man’s pain, Sebastian gentled his voice. “I can’t let you do that.”

  McCarthy’s jaw stiffened. “Don’t try to stop me, m’lord.”

  Sophie’s kidnapper laughed. “Get in line, Irish. Somerton’s not going to let a dead girl stand in the way of protecting his precious Nexus.”

  “Quiet.” Helsford ground the heel of his boot into the traitor’s back.

  “Danforth. Mr. Foster,” Sebastian called.

  The agent and vicar were at his side in an instant. “Yes, sir?”

 
“How’s our intrepid hero?”

  “He’ll be fine,” the vicar said. “The lump on his head will cause him some pain for a while.”

  “Danforth, we need that carriage for Catherine and the children. And we need the men from the village out of here. Now.” To the vicar, he said, “Make sure the men have everything they need when they get back to Showbury.”

  “Will do, sir.” The vicar strode off.

  Sebastian faced the angry carpenter.

  McCarthy’s green eyes burned with a mixture of grief and hatred. “I’ll have justice for my Meghan and her wee babe.”

  “Yes, you will,” Sebastian said. “But not until after I extract some information.”

  “For this Nexus.” McCarthy’s lip curled in disgust.

  “No.” The lie fell smoothly from Sebastian’s lips. “Cochran speaks only to confuse you. His one hope of surviving this situation is to pit us against each other and only then might he have a chance at escaping.”

  The carpenter’s hands balled into massive fists.

  “McCarthy, I need the carriage free and operable. Can you and the other men make that happen? I want to get Mrs. Ashcroft and the children away from this place.” And he wanted to give the man something else to focus on.

  The men spent the next ten minutes readying the carriage, then Catherine bundled the two children inside. Sebastian frowned when he noticed Catherine and Danforth engaged in a heated exchange. Then the viscount threw his arms up and grumbled something about stubborn women.

  Mr. Foster climbed into the driver’s box, ushering Cochran’s coachman into the hands of two of the villagers. The carriage lurched forward, escorted by an unhappy McCarthy, the rest of the villagers, and Jack riding at the back. Catherine stood at the side of the road, watching the conveyance lumber out of sight.

  “Mr. Foster, wait.” Sebastian rushed forward, but the vicar ignored his command and continued on toward Showbury. “What are you doing, Catherine?”

  “What does it look like?” she asked in a calm voice. “I’m staying.”

  Warmth seeped into Sebastian’s heart, followed quickly by an ungovernable fear for her safety. “It’s too dangerous.”