The young woman fastened the back of the grey serge gown Lucy used for everyday.
She probed her maid with caution. “I think of you as a friend, Haddie. I feel as though I could count on you if I were in trouble or needed help.”
Haddie examined her face with an intensity that made her uncomfortable. “I would surely help you whenever I could. Is ought amiss?”
“No. Of course not. Not exactly.” She was about to broach the subject of escape, when Hercules became adamant about his personal needs.
Haddie smiled down at the dog and her face transformed, the plain girl becoming appealing. “I’ll see to him, miss.” She swept Hercules up off the rug and trudged out of the room.
Lucy surveyed the bedchamber, once a happy place, now a room full of sadness. If she were leaving today, she would need to pack her things. She wouldn’t be able to take everything. Maybe one gown, her jewelry, and her night rail. She would have to leave her bow and arrows behind. Lucy would regret their loss more than her gowns.
She gathered the things she would take and stuffed them into a small satchel. Perhaps she could pilfer a few food items from the kitchen this morning for the trip. Thank goodness she had coin of her own. Enough to pay for lodging and passage to London.
There was a knock on her bedroom door. She quickly hid the satchel under her bed. “Who is it?”
“It’s Flora, dear. Are you well enough to come down for breakfast? There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“I’ll be down soon. I want to check on Peter first.” Lucy put her ear to the door. Certain no one was in the corridor, she slipped out and down the hall to Peter’s room.
“Morning, miss,” Peter said, getting up from his breakfast. He bowed dutifully and pulled out a chair for Lucy to join him.
“My, you are turning into a real gentleman.”
“Thank you, miss. I’m feeling much better today. I’ve no fever and the swelling in my neck has gone down. I’m not feeling gun-tay-shus at all.”
“You mean contagious?”
Peter nodded solemnly.
The boy was so earnest. She hadn’t realized until now she had grown fond of him. “I’m relieved to hear it.”
“I ken mayhap I should go back to the stable today. The horses’ll be missing me sorely, and with the wedding and all, I wouldnae want to leave Mr. Alex shorthanded. Miss? Miss? Why do you cry, Miss Lucy? Have I said something wrong? Did I forget my manners?”
She scrubbed away tears and said, “No, sweetheart. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Lucy held out her arms. Peter stepped into her embrace and allowed her to hold him. It felt like holding a bird. His rigid little body relaxed after a moment. He patted her gently on the back.
“Dinnae feel sad, Miss Lucy. Everything will be fine. Mr. Alex will make everything fine,” he said with absolute certainty.
She released him and gathered herself. “Yes. You’re right, of course.” If only Peter were right. If only Alex could make last night disappear, never happen. But that was the furthest thing from reality.
Liam Ulbster appeared at the door to Peter’s room. He was one of the last people she wanted to see this morning, third only to Alex and Elizabeth.
“Excuse me, Lucy. I have something for you.” He held out a folded piece of parchment with a red seal. Lucy’s stomach flipped. She rose and took the proffered missive from Liam. It bore the emblem of the fox—Langley’s seal.
“Where did you get this?”
“Read it.”
Lucy cracked the seal and unfolded the parchment. Excitement and fear battled with each beat of her heart.
Dearest Lucy,
The bearer of this message is my agent. You may trust this person. If you still hold fond feelings for me, as I fervently hope you do, I beg you fly to me on love’s wings. I will never know true happiness without you.
Yours, Langley
She refolded the letter, hands trembling. “Excuse me for a moment, Peter.” Lucy stepped into the corridor and closed Peter’s door. “I ask you again, where did you get this?”
“Langley is a dear friend,” Liam said. “He begged me to bring this to you. I will be leaving Balforss this morning. If you are inclined to join me, I will deliver you to him.”
She eyed Liam with suspicion. Something told her not to trust this man.
“It’s your choice. You can go through with this ridiculous marriage, or you can come with me.” When she didn’t reply, he continued, “I will be leaving in an hour. I’ll wait for you in my carriage about a mile down the lane. If you aren’t there by ten o’clock, I’ll leave without you. As a precaution, I suggest you tell no one.” He walked away without looking back.
She tucked Langley’s letter in the pocket of her gown and peeked inside Peter’s door. “I’m going down for breakfast, sweetheart. I’ll come back later, and we can talk about you returning to the stable tomorrow.”
Upon entering the dining room, Lucy noticed a new face at the breakfast table. John and Flora were seated in their usual places. Elizabeth was conspicuously absent as were Sir Ranald and Lady Diana. Apparently, they were late sleepers. Alex spotted Lucy and stood. The remainder of the men rose automatically.
“Lucy, are you well?” Alex asked.
As always, her body responded to the soft rumble of his voice. She turned away, afraid that if she looked into his eyes she might lose her resolve. “I’m fine.”
“This is my brother, Ian.”
“How do you do?” She bobbed a curtsy without really seeing the man’s face. He, in turn, made a suitable bow but did not reply. She sat as far away from Alex as possible, taking a seat to Flora’s left. Lucy pushed eggs and sausage around on her plate while pretending to listen to Flora babble about how glad she was Ian could be here for the wedding.
After an acceptable amount of time, she quietly excused herself from the table. Unfortunately, her departure was punctuated by all the men rising to their feet. It seemed perverse to her that they chose now to demonstrate such impeccable manners.
Lucy’s body moved, making all the necessary arrangements to leave Balforss, yet her mind resisted. She shouldn’t trust Liam. He was a despicable person. On the other hand, he would transport her away from this nightmare, away from Alex into the arms of Langley. What did it matter how she reached Langley? All that mattered was that she leave Balforss today.
She begged a few food items from Mrs. Swenson, making up a story about a pretend picnic with Peter in his room. On her way back, Alex accosted her. She clutched her bundle of food to her chest.
“Lucy. I’m stalking red deer today.” Alex spoke in the soothing tone he used for his horse. Blast him. “Will you come with me and bring your bow? I ken you would be most helpful on the hunt.”
She almost laughed in his face. Lucy had longed to go on a hunt for years. Now, at the very moment of her departure from Balforss, the man she hoped never to lay eyes on again offered her the one and probably only chance to participate in a hunt.
Merde.
Thoughts sparked around her brain like flashes of lightning. She needed to get to her room, gather her things, and get away from the house as soon as possible. If she refused his offer, Alex would follow her around all day.
“Yes,” she said flatly. “I would be glad to go hunting with you.”
Alex’s handsome face broke into a heart-stopping smile.
She looked away, unable to bear his false kindness. “I have to change into my hunting costume and collect my bow. I’ll meet you at the stable in an hour.” Lucy made a move to leave, but Alex gathered her up by the waist.
“I want you and no other,” he said.
She cast her eyes downward. She would not allow herself to be tricked by this monster again.
“Do you hear me, Lucy?”
“Yes,” she said. Alex kissed her with lips soft, insistent, crushing her to his chest. She felt the same stirring she always did when he held her. How could Alex kiss her so passionately when he desired another? Lucy g
athered her wits and pushed him away.
As she hurried toward the house, he called to her. “I will find a way back to you, Lucy.”
She focused her mind on her objective rather than the dull ache in her chest, willing her body to keep from rattling apart. When she reached her bedroom, she locked the door and collapsed on the bed. Her darling Hercules scrambled across the bedclothes and licked her face.
“Am I doing the right thing, Hercules?”
The dog put his head down between his paws and looked at her with soulful eyes.
“Come on, my little man. No time to lose.”
She struggled out of her grey serge and donned her hunting costume. Fortunately, it was possible to dress herself without assistance—a white blouse, a brown velvet jacket cut very much like a man’s style, and a black wool skirt full enough to ride. She completed the ensemble with a well-tied cravat, light brown kid gloves, and a small, black beaver hat.
A fortuitous twist that Alex should invite her on a hunt. Not only did it give her the time away from him she needed for her escape, but the hunting costume would also be better for travel, and no one would question why she was carrying her bow case and satchel full of lunch. Clever, and yet, so tragic.
“Come, Hercules. We’re leaving now.”
…
Alex leaned against the paddock fence, chewing the sweet end of a blade of grass. Last night he thought Lucy might never forgive him. This morning he had hope. She had agreed to go hunting with him—Ian’s idea.
Whether they brought anything home or not, he would be alone with her. Away from the witch, Elizabeth, and her foppish stepbrother, Liam. He would have Lucy to himself for hours. She couldn’t stay mad at him forever. Alone with her, he could explain what had really happened. Then he would apologize, she would see reason, and forgive him.
“Alex,” Ian called. “How is it this morning?” His brother approached the stable with Declan and Magnus trailing behind. Alex met him half way. Embracing forearms, Ian said, “You look like a man who’s just been saved from hanging.”
“Thanks for the idea. She’s going hunting with me. I’m waiting for Lucy now.”
“I heard what happened,” Declan said. “You sure you want to be alone with the lass? She’s deadly with the bow.”
“If he comes home gutted and tied to the saddle, we’ll know who did him in.” Magnus laughed and congratulated himself on such a fine jest.
Ian moved to inspect one of the horses Alex had saddled for the hunt. “What have we here? He’s a new one.”
“He’s my wedding gift to Lucy.” Alex slapped the white thoroughbred on the neck. “She’s afraid of horses. I chose the gelding for his even temper. I ken they will get on fine. I was going to give him to her on our wedding day, but I thought maybe today would be better, aye?”
“He’s a beauty to be sure. What’s his name?” Ian asked.
“He came with the name Atepomarus, but I renamed him Apollo for Lucy.”
“How long you been waiting for her?” Magnus asked.
Alex glanced at the sun. Lucy should have returned by now. In fact, she was very late. Had she lost track of time? “She must be detained with Peter or Ma. I’ll fetch her. Will you wait with the horses, Ian?”
She was nowhere to be found. Not in her room, Peter’s room, the library, his mother’s parlor, the dining room, the kitchen, or the candle shed. Alex scratched his head. Lucy had said she would go hunting with him. He was sure he had understood her clearly. He returned to the stable, but Ian hadn’t seen her. Alex retraced his steps, checking every room a second time, concern plucking at the edges of his thoughts.
“Haddie, have you seen Miss Lucy?”
“Not since this morning when I helped her dress.”
He stopped his mother on the staircase. “Have you seen Lucy?”
“Not since breakfast.”
“If you see her, tell her I’m looking for her.”
He trotted down the hall to Peter’s room once again, this time venturing a few steps inside. “Peter, have you seen Miss Lucy?”
“Aye. She said I may go back to the stable tomorrow.”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
Peter looked up as if he might find the answer somewhere on the ceiling. “I ken it was a couple hours ago. Maybe longer.”
“Did she say where she was going when she left?”
“Oh, aye. She went to breakfast. Said she’d be back after, but she never came.”
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. This search had scrambled his thoughts and made his head hurt. Lucy’s trail kept circling back to where he started.
“Miss Lucy was sad,” Peter said. “But then the man came to the door and gave her something.”
Alarm jolted Alex back to clarity. “What man?”
“I dinnae ken. I never seen him a’fore.”
He forgot Lucy’s ban on Peter’s company and went to the boy’s bedside. “What did the man look like?”
Peter’s description sounded suspiciously like Liam.
“What was it he gave Miss Lucy?”
“I didnae see, but I ken whatever he gave her made Miss Lucy feel better.”
Alex tore down the stairs, looking for his mother. He found her in the kitchen with Mrs. Swenson.
“Where the devil is Liam?” he shouted.
His mother gave him a tongue lashing for using bad language before she finally explained that Elizabeth felt unwell.
“She and Liam left for Ulbster before breakfast,” Flora reported. “I saw them off. It was only the two of them in the carriage.”
That was a bit of good news. Lucy hadn’t left with sodding Liam. He didn’t imagine she would. He certainly didn’t think she’d climb into a carriage with Elizabeth. That would be like dropping two angry cats into a bucket of water.
Alex initiated a proper search for Lucy, enlisting the entire Balforss household. Declan, Magnus, and Ian spread out to cover the grounds around the house in case she’d gone for a walk with Hercules and the dog got away or she’d twisted an ankle. Alex ran down the path toward the duck pond. An Ophelia-like vision of her floating in the water appeared in his head. “Please, please let her be safe.” He was relieved to find the pond empty. But where in God’s creation is Lucy?
The men met in front of the house an hour later. It was now half two in the afternoon. The last time anyone had laid eyes on Lucy was approximately five hours ago. Alex forcibly tamped down the panic rising in his chest.
“It’s apparent one of two things has happened to her,” Alex said. “She’s either run away, or someone has taken her.”
“Her dog’s gone,” Magnus said.
He let the meaning of Magnus’s words sink in. If someone had taken her, they wouldn’t have bothered with the bloody dog. Lucy had left voluntarily.
Haddie ran out of the house, waving something in the air. “Mr. Alex. I found this. It was in the pocket of her grey gown, the one she was wearing this morning.”
He unfolded a parchment with a broken red seal and read.
“I’m going to kill him!”
Chapter Sixteen
Lucy reached the carriage, shaking and out of breath. Liam stepped out and helped her load her bow case and satchel. When she climbed inside clutching Hercules to her bosom, the dog lost his little mind. Her stomach lurched. Elizabeth sat in the seat across from her.
“What are you doing here?”
Instead of answering, Elizabeth said, “I see you’ve brought your pet.”
She struggled to control Hercules, who was writhing in her arms. “Stop your fussing, little man.”
“Keep him away from me. He’s dirty, and he smells.” Elizabeth lifted a perfumed handkerchief to her nose.
Liam climbed in next to his stepsister and banged on the side of the carriage, signaling the coachman to drive on. “This is cozy,” he said, a false cheeriness in his voice.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re taking you to Langley,
of course.”
“Where is he? Why didn’t he come himself?”
Liam and Elizabeth exchanged a look Lucy was unable to interpret. The look made her uncomfortable. But then, simply being in the company of these two people made her queasy.
“We’re on our way to Dunrobin Castle in Golspie. He’s with Lady Sutherland,” Liam said.
Why had Langley chosen such a disagreeable person to trust with her safety? He must have been so desperate to retrieve her anyone would do, even Liam Ulbster. That thought gave her some comfort. Langley wanted her, and soon all this nasty business with Alex would be behind her. When she returned to Maidstone Hall, she would explain to her father the terrible events that had befallen her in the Highlands. Her father would beg Lucy’s forgiveness and grant Langley permission to marry her.
“Did you tell anyone at Balforss of your plan to leave?” Liam asked.
“No. No one. I’m confident no one saw me.”
“Excellent,” Liam said. “The thought of seeing your Langley must leave you tingling all over.”
Lucy resented the wicked implication in his comment. “If you don’t mind, I’m tired. I’m afraid I’m no good for conversation at the moment.”
“Of course,” Elizabeth said. “I’m sure everyone would benefit from some quiet.”
Lucy closed her eyes, thankful not to have to look at or speak to them. Attempting, or at least pretending sleep, she tried to imagine how it would be when she would at last be delivered into the viscount’s arms. Unfortunately, she had a difficult time remembering what Langley looked like. Every time she tried to conjure him, it was Alex’s face that invaded her mind. In every one of her fantasies, she would fling herself into Langley’s embrace only to find herself kissing Alex.
“Merde.”
“I beg your pardon,” Elizabeth said. Did she know how ugly her scornful countenance made her look?
“Excuse me. Talking to myself.”
Hours passed as the carriage rocked and rattled southward down the narrow road. Liam’s carriage was well appointed. Much more comfortable than the wooden coffin in which she had traveled to Balforss. Black leather cushioned seats, black lacquered finishes, and glass windows with curtains. They also made much better time in this carriage than the lumbering Balforss crate.
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