Ravaging the Duke

by J R Salisbury

  Norwood swallowed the last of his whiskey. "If Robert doesn't take them back to the continent, though he is wanting to establish himself in London."

  "I thought the purpose of this grand journey was to find Anna a husband. Does he not think you worthy of it? Have you discussed the matter?"

  "Yes, we have discussed it."

  "And?"

  Norwood made it so hard in his current mood to hold a conversation with him.

  "I'm to call on her in London. I'll make a more formal proposal then. Both to her and her brother."

  "You're sure she's the one?"

  He smiled. "Yes. When she's away from her brother, she's another person. Sweet, fun. She even has a mind and opinions of her own. When her brother is around, she withdraws into herself."

  "I wonder why?"

  Norwood shook his head. "I can't put my finger on it."

  "Well, you'll do no good sitting in here drinking and brooding over something you can't change today. Come join us for a picnic."

  "Still going on with that?"

  "But of course. I refuse to let the weather ruin my party."

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Margaret was looking at an apple tree that stood out of place in the garden in between rain showers, when she felt the presence of someone standing directly behind her. She felt the hard end of a pistol in the small of her back before she could turn around.

  "Is that you, Uncle Thaddeus?"

  "Yes, it is me. Did you really think I would simply forget about what is rightfully mine?"

  She sighed and slowly turned in his direction, surprised he allowed it. "What do you want, Uncle? I'm married now. My dowry is not mine to give, so I don't know what you want."

  "You've always thought you were quite clever. You know exactly what I want."

  "Why don't you tell me?"

  "I want the gems your father stole from me."

  She laughed nervously. "There are no jewels."

  "Don't try to trick me. You left America with all the jewels. My jewels."

  "Then how would I have stolen them, or better yet, why would my father have had them?"

  She knew not to show she was nervous. That was what he wanted.

  "I gave them to your father to use in our little jewelry operation. Your father didn't have the money to purchase such items. Your father stole them, and now you and your mother are hiding them."

  "Uncle Thaddeus, there are no jewels."

  "Enough! I've heard enough of your lies. I'm not leaving until I have them. All of them."

  He jammed the pistol hard into her back.

  "I don't know what you expect of me. I've told you there are none. Now leave. My men will be here any moment."

  "And when they arrive, their mistress won't be anywhere to be found."

  "What are you planning to do?"

  He laughed. "Something I should have already done. I'm going to ransom you for the jewels."

  "It won't work. There are no jewels."

  Thaddeus pushed her. "Go. Walk to the tree line. We'll see how long it'll take your duke until he has all the jewels readied for me."

  "You're going to be quite disappointed, Uncle. There are no jewels like you're talking about. Alec has a few small pieces of jewelry he's given me. That'll have to do."

  "It won't. I don't need a necklace or whatever he's given to you. I want what's rightly mine, and I intend to have them. You won't like the consequences." He pushed her again before grabbing her hand and dragging her across the small yard.

  She knew she couldn't go with him. To do so might mean her death. It was obvious Thaddeus wouldn't back down. She had to keep her wits about her. Perhaps if she screamed now, someone would surely hear her.

  She felt him grab for her arm and roughly drag her along with him. He must have been reading her thoughts. "Don't think about screaming or tricking me. It won't work. If you scream, you leave me with no choice but to bind you and keep you from doing it again."

  "I'm just trying to understand, Uncle. I know nothing of the jewels you talk about."

  "Lies! All lies! If this is true, your mother must have them. I will get them, either way. How I get them doesn't matter. Remember that, dear niece."

  Drawing upon everything she had, Margaret began to scream as Thaddeus began to drag her away from the garden. She couldn't go with him, but he had over-powered her by his sheer size. Everything went dark.

  When Margaret awoke, the first thing she noticed was shadows. She was inside a cottage, but where? From the lack of light coming in, she deducted either they were in the middle of a forest, or the windows had been covered. She tried not to move and barely opened her eyes. Getting familiar with her surroundings was more important than letting Jacob know she had awakened.

  Her head felt like someone had split it in half. She eyed the room with silted eyes. Wherever he'd taken her, it hadn't been lived in for quite some time. There was a musty smell in the air, the way her father's shed smelled after a long winter.

  How far had he taken her?

  Surely he wouldn't risk taking her too far. He was determined to take possession of the jewels he thought were rightfully his. All she had to do was convince him there were no jewels. She had to keep him occupied. To give Alec and everyone time to find her.

  It would be a matter of who was stronger. Her or Thaddeus. She knew from growing up that her uncle was easily distracted. The only reason he'd taken drastic measures was that Jacob failed to kidnap her and get her on a ship back to America.

  She needed to convince Thaddeus she didn't have them. A myth. It wouldn't be too hard to do. Yes, the two brothers had been in business making jewelry, but these stones had been purchased discreetly by her father. He knew his brother was greedy and that including him would result in exactly what was going on now.

  She closed her eyes and listened for any sounds. Anything that might give away where she was. Not knowing whether or not the windows were covered made it more difficult for her to figure it out.

  No sound of the ocean. No waves. Which meant he had her inland somewhere. She hadn't been conscious to know whether or not he had use of a carriage. If he had, she could be anywhere. It certainly would be easier to tote an unconscious woman around in a carriage rather than on the back of a horse. Fewer questions should they encounter anyone.

  Who did he know? Who was helping him?

  She hadn't seen him yet. Where was he? She doubted he'd venture too far, for fear of being caught. Maybe he was tending to the livestock. The horses. He wouldn't leave her alone. Or was he setting her up? Giving her reason to try and escape. That certainly made sense. He hadn't tied her. He merely laid her on the bed.

  The sound of a door opening sent her into high alert. Was it Thaddeus? If it was, what did he plan to do with her? Margaret tried not to panic, keeping her breathing as calm as possible.

  "Are you awake, niece?"

  She said nothing, not daring to move. She needed to get him to believe she was still unconscious. It would work in her favor.

  He was near her; she could tell by the change in the air and the fact her uncle made more noise trying to be quiet than he did normally. He was close.

  "I didn't mean to harm you, but you gave me no choice."

  The scraping of a chair against the floor told her he was sitting next to the bed. This would make it harder for her to pretend she wasn't awake. The best she could do was try. He'd get bored shortly and find something else to occupy him.

  "I didn't want any of this, Margaret. I intended for you and Jacob to marry. But lucky for you, you found your duke."

  Still she didn't stir. He was talking. Perhaps he'd give up more details. Let her know where she was and what he intended to do. From the sound of it, she didn't think his heart was into the matter.

  "I can't go back empty-handed. Perhaps I should not go back at all." He sighed. "Now what do I do with you, Margaret? Alec will surely have the authorities looking for me. I'll be a wanted man."

  She waite
d. He was right about Alec. He would go straight to the authorities. Was her uncle truly sorry for what he'd done, or was this all a game?

  "Why go back at all, Uncle? Why not stay here, start a new life?"

  He stared down at the floor, then lifted his eyes to meet hers. "What would I do?"

  "You're a printer. I'm sure we could find you a position somewhere."

  "I'm also good with jewelry."

  "See? You have two skills."

  He shook his head. "But I've kidnapped a duchess."

  "If it's the authorities you're worried about, I doubt Alec will have gone to the authorities yet. He'll want to handle this himself. "

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes. If you want to stay, now is the time to tell me. I'll vouch for you to Alec and the others. I'm sure a position can be found for you somewhere."

  The edges of his mouth curved up. "Yes."

  "Then I suggest we head back."

  "Now? In the dark?"

  "There is a piece of a moon. Provided it doesn't begin raining again, we should be able to find our way."

  Thaddeus stood. "I'll go hitch the horses."

  "Excellent. You can find your way back, can't you?"

  He looked surprised. "Yes. We're not that far from the estate."

  Margaret nodded. "Good. I'll wait for you here."

  She watched her uncle walk through the door of the cottage. She hoped she'd be able to convince Alec not to turn Thaddeus in. He sounded and acted sincere. Ready to start a new life for himself. She would do as much as she could to make this happen for her uncle. The big problem right now would be Alec. He was under no obligation to agree to her plan.

  ***

  Alec was frantic. No one had seen Margaret's abduction. She had gone to the kitchen garden. It would be easy to sneak up on someone and carry them away. Closer to the house, he expected someone would have heard her screams. Surely she would have screamed.

  "Calm down, Alec. You're sure she's gone?" Norwood asked his friend as they walked down the drive for a second time.

  "She was supposed to meet Eleanor."

  "So she didn't show. How did they know she was to have gone to the garden?"

  "One of the kitchen maids saw her there."

  "Jacob did say he'd heard his father is in England, but he hasn't seen him. Do you think he'd go to such extremes?"

  Alec nodded. "From what Margaret has told me about the man, yes. He'd take her if it meant getting what he's after."

  "Evermont has gotten a group of tenant men together to search the grounds. If Thaddeus is behind this, is there anywhere you can think of he might take her?"

  Alec shook his head. "None. He would have had to have a carriage. He's not strong enough to fight with Margaret on horseback. No one would question a carriage."

  "If he did, there's no sign a carriage has been here."

  Alec stopped in his tracks. "Wait, there is a secondary road. It's mainly used by staff and for deliveries. He could have easily had a carriage or wagon nearby."

  "Yes, no one would question a merchant's wagon."

  The two men ran in the direction of the service road. It was well hidden from the main road behind old trees and shrubs. Once there, Alec began to walk the road, hoping there was some sign Margaret had been here. He didn't have to look long.

  Norwood called to him, holding up a lady’s white handkerchief. "It's Margaret's. It has her initials sewn into the corner."

  Alec took the handkerchief from Norwood. He balled it in his fist. "Come, we must get our horses and find Cameron."

  "We can spread out easier since it's obvious by the wheel indentions that the wagon was hidden over here just off the road where I found her handkerchief."

  "Where would he take her?" Alec asked as he turned away from his friend. He was shaken more than he wanted to admit. There was no telling what Thaddeus was capable of.

  "Let's find Cameron and the men. He's familiar with the area and might have some ideas of where a person could be hidden."

  Alec nodded. "Some place a man like Thaddeus could take her. He's not familiar with the area, so he won't know places we might."

  "Unless he's befriended someone who's familiar with Somerset."

  They were almost to the stable when Cameron appeared on his horse. He shook his head. He and the men had had no luck.

  Alec showed him the handkerchief. Cameron's face lit up. "Proof she's been abducted. But where has she been taken? He could have easily taken her back to London if he's sedated her."

  "I think we need to split up. You take a few men and search the town."

  "I agree with splitting up, but I seriously doubt he'd take her to town. He's a stranger," Cameron replied.

  "What of the rental cottages near the shore?" Norwood asked.

  "Good place to start."

  The three men stood and went over where they needed to search. Alec decided he needed to let his sister know where things were. His sister had to be frantic with worry. She'd been quite upset learning Jacob had come to England in the first place. Now it seemed the father had come to make his claim in person.

  "You sure you don't want me to do it?" Cameron offered. He gathered the reins of his gelding in one hand, waiting for the answer he knew was coming. He'd do the same if it were his wife gone missing.

  "No, I need to. She's my wife now, and I haven't done too good a job of protecting her from this man."

  "Don't be so hard on yourself, Alec. Everyone thought he was long gone once he got word the two of you were married," Cameron said.

  "There's more that Thaddeus wants. "

  Norwood's head turned in Alec's direction. "Of course. Those jewels. She explained to me that Jacob's father thought they were his when they were not."

  "What jewels?" Cameron asked.

  "I'll let Monty explain."

  "Make sure your butler and men keep an eye out for Thaddeus. He may have abducted Margaret, but he could come back to claim the jewels," Norwood said.

  "My staff went into lockdown the moment Margaret was abducted. No one strange will make it inside the house." Alec gazed at Norwood. "I'll meet up with you shortly. While Cameron goes into town, why don't you and I cover the cottages that run past Cameron's estate? A lot of them are empty right now."

  "And we'll join you once we're satisfied they're not in town," Cameron replied.

  The three men split up. Alec walked toward the house as quickly as he could. He was getting angrier by each thought that ran through his head. The idea he hadn't been able to protect his wife made him that way.

  He bounded up the front steps where he was met by the butler and housekeeper.

  "Have my horse brought to me. I need to inform my sister of what is going on. I want you to make sure the house is locked down. Do not let anyone inside."

  He nodded to the pair and continued on inside the house. He dreaded having to tell either of them anything when they had not a clue of where she could be. That and he couldn't let on he knew about the jewels. He'd only mentioned it in front of Cameron because he knew Norwood had to know. It was a thread, but one he could hang on to. For now, the pouch would remain where it was. In the safe inside the priest's hole.

  He approached the drawing room doors. He knew his sister would be there. Eleanor was a strong woman, where his mother had always left her fate to those surrounding her.

  "Have you found her?" Eleanor asked as soon as he strode through the doors.

  "No, but we are splitting up into groups. It'll make it easier to search."

  "What about London? He could have taken her back there, and then on to a ship. Is anyone going there?"

  "I doubt he's left for London. That would be too obvious. He's probably taken her to a cottage or found somewhere abandoned to hold her. In either case, we'll find her."

  "Please send word as soon as possible," Eleanor said.

  He nodded. "Please remain here until Cameron, Monty, or I return. My butler has been instructed to have men on the lookout and i
s to let no one into the house. "

  He turned to leave. Any further conversation would be futile. He needed to leave and begin his search with Monty. Over the years, there had been numerous cottages and houses built. Most of them remained empty except during the summer season, which was mere weeks away.

  Alec walked through the doors and out the front door. He found Monty waiting for him along with a few men.

  "I thought they could help us check."

  "Might not be a bad idea," Alec replied as he mounted his gelding.

  "Yes. There are other structures along the way where someone could be held. Abandoned or unused, and the men can go through them. She will be found, Alec."

  "I certainly hope so. If we don't find her tonight, I'm going to London tomorrow on the off chance he took her there."

  "I'll go. You need to stay here."

  "Very well. You're right, I need to be here. If we don't find her today, I'll search the grounds again."

  "How is Eleanor?"

  Alec adjusted his weight in his saddle. "Putting on a brave face."

  "To be expected."

  "You know Margaret isn't going to give him the jewels. It'd mean going back into the house. She knows of none of the tunnels leading to the house. She'd have to go through the front door, and the house is a fortress right now."

  "I thought the tunnels had been sealed."

  "All but one. My father kept it open. Unfortunately, it leads back to the priest hole where I have the jewels stashed."

  "But Margaret has no knowledge of the tunnel?"

  "None. I saw no reason to show her right now."

  "Then that'll make Thaddeus's job harder. He's going to have three choices as I see it. Let her go, send a ransom demand, or ask for a meeting."

  Alec sighed. "He won't let her go. He'd lose his bargaining chip if he did."

  "Or the only reason he'd let her go would be for her to take the jewels from the safe."

  "I'm beginning to think that Thaddeus took her without a plan."

  "Probably, which would be why he'd let her go and expect her to gather the jewels for him. He's too much like a scared deer when caught. He has no plan."

  "Yes. I think I ruined his original plans. This one is more complicated, and Thaddeus doesn't know the lay of the land," Alec replied. He secretly hoped he was right on his conclusions.