by Abigail Agar
When the door opened next, Jules’ head came around, and she frowned. There was a look on David’s face. “Men came out of nowhere,” David said as he winced while stepping inside. “They set on us while we were rigging up the carriage.”
Jules then noticed the blood on David’s face. “Where is Fredrick?” Jules stood up anxiously as the innkeeper called for assistance. Within a matter of seconds, a couple of men were headed outside to see what was going on. “David, what is happening?” Jules asked anxiously.
“I don’t know,” David said as he put his palm against his forehead and winced. “I think I need to sit down.”
The innkeeper swiftly appeared with a bowl of water and several rags. “Let me take a look at that for you while you try to clear your head,” the woman said with concern as she sat the bowl down and rung out one of the cloths.
David did as the woman bade him while Jules stood up and looked anxiously at the door. “But Fredrick? And the carriage driver?”
“If your friends are out there, the boys will aid them,” the innkeeper insisted. “You should stay in here. Highwaymen do not care about title or laws, Your Grace.”
Jules fretted but stayed put. She had never been one to stand idly by when something needed doing, and it pained her to do so now. David winced and sucked in a breath as the innkeeper touched the cloth to his hair.
“He’s got a nasty gash,” the innkeeper said softly as she rinsed the rag.
One of the men that had left earlier came through the door, “The carriage is gone. The stable boy said that some men took Lord St Claire with them. The driver was knocked out, but the boys are bringing him inside.”
A few moments later, the door opened, and the driver was brought in hanging limply between two young men who at the instruction of the innkeeper took the driver upstairs so she could look at his wounds. “I’ll be right up,” the innkeeper said with a shake of her head.
“Oh no,” Jules mumbled. She felt faint. “What is happening?”
The man gave Jules a reassuring smile. “I’m guessing they were bandits, probably the same group that’s been plaguing the road for months now. Normally they ask for money from the family. They aren’t murderers, Your Grace. They are just desperate men.”
Jules nodded and sat down in a daze. The weight of what was transpiring was on her. She had dragged Fredrick here. They should not have even been here for Fredrick to get taken. “I don’t know what to do,” Jules said softly, and the helplessness that settled over her felt foreign. Had she really become so useless?
“The Jules that I know would ride right out after them and probably give them a black eye to boot,” David said with a smile at the distraught Duchess.
Jules took a breath and calmed her nerves. The man who had come in to tell them what was going on said, “Little Jake said they headed towards London. They are probably keeping camp somewhere in the woods north of here as they frequent the road looking for people to waylay.”
“Then we ride towards London,” Jules said, “either we will find them, or we’ll find the Duke, and he can sort this out.” She felt better just mentioning Gregory as if speaking his name somehow invoked the man to protect her.
Although the Duke probably was not feeling very generous towards her at the moment, Jules thought.
David nodded. “I will ride with you. I have to be in London at any rate. I feel awful that I couldn’t fight them off. I never even saw them. I got hit from the back, and everything went fuzzy.” David said the last part with shame.
“It isn’t your fault,” Jules said staunchly to David. “They were clearly waiting for their opportunity.” Jules turned to the innkeeper who had handed David a towel so he could finish cleaning himself. Jules asked the woman, “Do you have a horse I can borrow?”
The innkeeper nodded eagerly. “Of course, Your Grace,” the woman said, and she looked over at the man by the door. “Go get the mare for Her Grace, and if the gentleman needs one, he can ride my husband’s horse.”
“My horse should still be in the stable,” David said as he got to his feet. “Thank you for your kindness,” David said to the innkeeper as he handed her the towel back. “I’ll just go and help get the horses ready.”
The innkeeper picked up her bowl and gave Jules a quick bow of her head. “Excuse me, Your Grace, but I need to see to the driver,” the woman said.
Jules nodded her understanding, and the woman swiftly was out of the room on her mission. Jules sighed heavily and sat back down. The room was suddenly very quiet. Breaking the silence was a roll of thunder in the distance.
She had been unnerved at the idea of riding in the carriage during the storm, but the notion of riding without the protection now sought to take away her last bit of courage.
She thought of Fredrick in the clutches of the bandits and forced herself to ignore the flutter of her stomach. “I wish Gregory were here,” Jules whispered to herself.
***
“We haven’t passed another soul, so they have to be at the next inn, surely,” Talbert reasoned. “What do you think, Your Grace?”
Gregory nodded. “At this point, I would settle for finding a bed,” he said wearily.
The two young men accompanying him nodded their agreement. “The morning will find us, I fear, before we find our beds,” Olly said with a sigh. “We couldn’t have passed them, though. We’ve checked every inn, meadow, and mound between here and London.”
“Lest they went round another road,” Talbert said helpfully.
Gregory sighed, “This is the main road. It was the road they were on when I saw them last. They have no reason to go elsewhere.”
“So, then they have to be at the next inn,” Talbert said.
Olly scoffed, “You said that three inns ago.”
“This is the last one,” Talbert said reasonably.
Gregory said firmly, “While I do hope that we find the Duchess and my brother there, we have been riding for hours. We will find beds and sleep at the next inn regardless. It will do no one any good if we are set upon by thieves because we were asleep in our saddles.”
“You are a wise man, Your Grace,” Olly said as he stretched. The storm broke a moment later, and Olly groaned loudly in dismay as the rain pelted them. The horses shook to rid themselves of the rain, almost ridding themselves of their riders in the process.
Gregory motioned for the young men to follow him as he took shelter under the trees. The trees broke the rain’s fall and protected them somewhat as they slipped from their saddles and huddled close to the tree trunks. The rain had soaked through Gregory’s coat, and the chill seeped into his shirt despite the warmth of the night.
Talbert remarked over the den of the storm, “This reminds me of that time we got caught out in a downpour while hunting for rabbits.”
“My father and I got caught out one time while hunting. Only then we had a bit of a rocky overhang to get under,” Gregory said to keep his mind off the water slowly dripping down on them through the canopy.
Olly laughed. “What I wouldn’t give for a bit of rock to get under right now,” the young man said as he pulled his coat over his head.
Gregory was glad he had worn his hat now. It was not much, but it did protect his head a little. Talbert miserably pulled his jacket tighter around himself. The rain showed no signs of abating.
“I’d suggest a nap, but I doubt I could sleep,” Gregory said jovially.
Olly teased, “I bet Tally could sleep anywhere. Couldn’t you, Tally?”
“I’m asleep right now,” Talbert said with a grin, “dreaming of my bed.”
***
Jules managed to get up in the saddle with little help thanks to her riding lessons. She, however, was not as confident in her ability to ride at night, especially if there was a storm.
The innkeeper, along with several others had tried to talk her into staying and letting the men ride out, but Jules would not have it.
“Let’s get this underway,” Jules said
as she took a steadying breath. The horse danced underneath her, and Jules was certain that it was mostly due to the fear that the horse could feel from her.
David swung up into the saddle easily and snapped the horse’s reins crisply. He coaxed the horse forward. Jules urged her horse after him, and to her surprise, the horse actually obeyed.
They rode silently for a bit before David said, “There’s a road that diverts here and heads into London via another route with lots of wooded areas. If they want to hide, it would be a good spot to do so.”
Jules pulled on her reins to stop her horse as it came alongside David’s horse. “That wasn’t what we told the people at the inn we would do. We should stick to the plan so that if anything goes wrong, we can be found easily,” Jules said as she stretched her fingers around the reins. She had been holding the reins tightly, and her fingers felt very stiff.
“The life of the rich has made you soft,” David remarked with a challenging grin. “Or was all that old bravado just for show?”
Jules shook her head and gave the reins a snap. As her horse galloped forward, Jules called, “You want to goad me? Fine. Just try to keep up.”
David’s laughter came from behind Jules. She heard the beating of his horse’s hooves. The night was dark with the cloud cover. The lightning in the distance seemed more to the right now that they had turned off the road.
Perhaps by going this way they would avoid the rain altogether, Jules thought with a hopeful heart. If the highwaymen truly were hiding somewhere nearby, then galloping like mad persons probably was not the best idea. Jules pulled back on her reins, and her horse slowed.
“Tired already?” David asked with a grin when he rode up beside Jules.
Jules shook her head. “I just thought that perhaps if we are trying to sneak up on someone that we should be quieter,” she said with annoyance to the man. Jules sighed. “How were the others holding up when you saw them last?”
David’s smile faded, and he shook his head. “They were angry, lashing out at everyone and anyone. They even thought I was in on it because you and I were close,” David said.
As soon as he said the words, it was as if the man suddenly remembered why he had made the long trip to the country to begin with. “So, now you pretend to care?”
“I came to the inn,” Jules reminded him. “I would not have done that if I had not cared what happened to my old friends.”
David nodded. “Could have told me that day I saw you on the street. Why pretend he was some common lad?”
“Their world is so complicated, David,” Jules said softly. “We weren’t even supposed to be there. We were …” Jules’ voice softened, and she let her words trail off.
David frowned. “What was it you were doing?”
“We were looking into the fire. We were trying to figure out what had happened and why,” Jules said quietly.
David snorted. “Really set things to right, did you? Seems to me that we all still got blamed for it,” David said. “I suppose it was worth it for the Duke, though. He got you for a few hours’ work.”
“That’s not fair, David,” Jules said. She glanced at the man and shook her head. “When did you get so callous?”
David narrowed his eyes at Jules. “When did you get so blind? You used to stand in the pulpit and scream the betters down off their pedestals. Now, look at you in your finery. It’s laughable really how quickly you changed your mind once the spoon was held out to you,” David bit out each word before he turned away from Jules as they rode on.
“I did what I thought was best for my family, and I will not be looked down upon by you,” Jules said as she squared her shoulders.
David said, “Ah, so that’s where your family went. I figured it was something like that when I came by to check on them only to be told that they had left with some man in a carriage. Were they your dowry or your price?”
Jules shook her head and pressed her lips together. Nothing she said would make David change his view of her, and Jules found she did not really care. Had that been her not so long ago? Jules pondered how much she had changed her views as they rode on in silence.
***
The rain slackened up enough that Gregory and the boys decided to brave the wetness to get somewhere dry. As they rode, they saw a figure riding towards them. Gregory held up his hand for the boys to wait as they came to a halt behind him. He rode out towards the figure. “Thompson?” Gregory called.
“Your Grace, you are a sight for sore eyes,” Thompson said with relief. “Lord St Claire sent me to tell you that they had been detained.”
Gregory laughed with relief at the news. “Let’s go back and tell them that they should have sent you sooner, shall we?”
Talbert and Olly heartily agreed as Thompson turned his horse around and fell into a gallop beside them. The rain was not nearly as unpleasant knowing they were headed towards a reunion and a good sleep. Gregory clapped Thompson on the shoulder as the man rode beside him. “Did the weather make them take shelter for the night?” Gregory asked of the older man. Thompson had worked for the estate for about five years, and Gregory had grown to like the man over that time.
Thompson shook his head and frowned. “They did not tell us for sure what we were stopping for. I got the impression that they were going to the inn to meet up with a friend of the Duchess,” Thompson said honestly.
“After some time, the man still had not shown up, so Lord St Clair came to send me out. As I was leaving actually, the Duchess and a man came up, and I was under the impression that they would be leaving right behind me.”
“Is that so? Well, then we should meet them soon enough,” Gregory said.
Talbert asked, “If they are headed this way, does that mean we won’t get to sleep?”
“You can sleep, even if I must pull your horse with you asleep on it, Talbert,” Gregory assured the man, which caused Olly great amusement.
After some time, they still had not seen any sign of the carriage. They reached the inn with no sightings of a carriage or horse. Gregory and Thompson exchanged worried glances as they stopped outside the inn. “I will go inside and make enquiries,” Gregory said. A stable boy ran up, but Gregory waved the boy off, “Leave my horse be until I return. I may need to leave again.”
Talbert and Olly exchanged glances and got off their horses to stretch their legs while the Duke went inside. Thompson too got down to stretch even if his ride had not been nearly as long. Gregory opened the door and stepped into the warm and thankfully dry inn.
A woman came out of the back and peered at Gregory curiously. “Duke St Claire,” the woman said in confusion. “I thought you were in London, Your Grace?”
“What gave you that impression?” Gregory asked as he took off his riding gloves.
The innkeeper gave the Duke a wary look. “I overheard the Duchess and your brother speaking about it, Your Grace. Can I get you a room for the night?”
“Where are the Duchess and my brother?” Gregory asked, ignoring the woman’s question.
The innkeeper smoothed her hands over her apron nervously. “There was an incident, Your Grace,” the innkeeper said. “Your brother was abducted by what we believe to be highwaymen eager to ransom him.”
“Why did you not tell me that when I came in?” Gregory snapped furiously. He was tired, angry, and more than a little confused. “Where is the Duchess?” Worry grew in the pit of Gregory’s belly that perhaps the Duchess too had been taken.
The innkeeper wrung her hands and begged, “Please, Your Grace, I thought you knew, and that was why you had come.” The woman swallowed and took a breath. “Her Grace left with the other man to go look for your brother on their way to London.”
“Left? The Duchess left?” Gregory stared at her incredulously.
The innkeeper nodded. “We tried to dissuade her, but she was bent to it,” the woman said as she nodded furiously. “She was set on finding your brother, and the man she was with said they were headed to Londo
n.”
“Who is this man?” Gregory feared the notion in his head, and he dared not speak it.
The woman said quietly, “David Larkin from London. He stayed here the day before to rest after his journey.”
Gregory felt another rush of anger, and this time a twinge of jealousy and fear. He pressed down the emotions. It would do no good to frighten the innkeeper more. Gregory asked, “What did they leave by, a carriage?”
“No, Your Grace, the highwaymen took the carriage with your brother. They dealt the driver a fair blow as well. He’s upstairs recovering. We plan to take him to your estate tomorrow if he is in a fair state to do so,” the woman said, wringing her hands.