Louisa caught sight of him, dropped her tray onto a table and hastened over. “Did you see Knight?”
Drake grimaced. “He knows? Does he want to kill me?”
Louisa blinked. “Knows?” She shook her head. “Julianna...did you see her this morning?”
“Well...”
“Drake, stop grinning like a fool. This is serious. Julianna is missing. Have you had something to do with it?”
“Missing?” His mouth dried. “What do you mean?”
Louisa grabbed his arm and tugged him aside, away from the tables. “She arrived early for work then vanished while I was cleaning. I assumed she had been with you from the smile on her face.”
Drake liked the idea that she was wearing a smile, but it hardly warmed him inside, not when she was missing. Cold dread curdled in his stomach.
“I should never have let her out of my sight.” He cursed under his breath. “Where’s Knight now?”
“Probably searching in the village. And looking for you. I’m surprised you did not see him.”
“I must have just missed him.” He drew in a breath, his heart pounding uncomfortably. If he’d not been so consumed in his need for Julianna, he’d have paid better attention to keeping her safe. “Have you seen Red or Nate this morning?”
Louisa nodded. “They’re scouring the village too. Nate muttered something about assuming she was with you.”
Drake rubbed a hand across his face. “She was. She had been. Damn it.”
She put a hand to his arm. “Julianna is a strong woman. She will not let herself be forced into anything she does not wish to do.”
He shook his head. “She’s strong, yes, but you should have seen how much this man scared her. He’s a beast, Louisa, and would not think twice about harming her should she not do his bidding.”
“Perhaps she decided to go for a walk or something.”
“And abandon her chores?”
Louisa’s expression turned grim. “You’re right. What can I do?”
“Ready some horses? Does Red have his here?”
“Yes, and you can take Angel. She’s out back. I’ll make sure they are ready, should you need to ride out.”
“Thank you. I must find the others, so we can concoct a search plan.”
Drake marched out of the inn. Slade had to have her and clearly that was what Knight had concluded. Why else would she have vanished? He curled a fist at his side. “I’m coming for you, Princess,” he muttered to himself. He’d be damned if he was going to lose her now.
He paused halfway down the hill toward the village when he spotted three figures approach. Their grim expressions offered no comfort, but a sense of relief washed over him. There were four of them and only one of Slade along with his man and maybe a driver or two. They had tackled many sticky situations together—surely between them they could hunt down Julianna?
“Any news?” he asked, keeping pace with the three men.
Red nodded. “Some. Looks like she was taken by carriage. Someone saw a carriage head out to the east early this morning. There were tracks too at the inn, but we could not be sure Slade had left.”
“So we mount up and search,” Drake concluded.
“Indeed.”
“We’ll need weapons. If he’s desperate enough to snatch her like that, we do not know what else he might do,” cautioned Nate.
Drake clenched his jaw. He better not have harmed her or he was going to have to kill Slade. He nodded stiffly.
“I have weapons at the house,” Red said. “Some of the horses will likely be saddled for exercise too. If we make haste, we’ll be able to outpace them on my fastest mounts.”
Little conversation flowed between them as they marched their way through the village. Villagers crowded the streets, forcing them to dart between the houses to make better time. Drake’s leg pulled occasionally—an unwelcome reminder of his injury—but he refused to let it slow him. He’d pay for it tomorrow, no doubt, but a day of bed rest and pain was an easy price to pay for getting Julianna back safely.
Tucked on a large plot of land a little way up the estuary, Whitechapel Hall stood alone, surrounded by flat land that had once been part of the river. The building and land had been in Red’s family for generations and would be worth more than Drake could ever amass.
They made their way up the long road toward the front of the building. Red pushed open the heavy front door and the rest of them followed him in.
“Weapons are down in the stores.” Red motioned downstairs and paused when his wife Hannah started to descend the long, elegant staircase. With black hair and big eyes, she always struck Drake as wholly innocent-looking and far too pleasant to be married to a man like Red—but they worked well together somehow.
“Oh, what is everyone doing here?” She smiled, clearly unaware of anything that had happened. She had a little dust in her hair and ink on her fingers. Red had met her when helping her move an artifact from Cornwall to London and her love for the ancient had not dwindled since their marriage. No doubt she had been studying something old and dusty before they arrived.
“If you had told me we were having company, I would have cleaned—” Her words trailed off when she noticed Red’s harried expression. “What’s happened?”
“Knight’s sister has been taken,” Red explained.
Hannah pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh no. That man took her?”
Red nodded. “We’re going to search for her now.”
“Well, I should come and help.” She moved to follow them but Red put a hand to her arm.
Red shook his head. “It could be dangerous. I will not have you putting yourself in harm’s way.”
She scowled. “Nonsense. You will need every eye you can get.”
“Yes,” Red said tightly, “but we cannot have you on a horse in your...condition.”
Her cheeks blanched slightly, and she nodded tightly. “Oh, yes, of course. Well, be safe please. I need you back in one piece.”
Red gave his wife a quick kiss. “I will not let anything happen to me, I promise.”
“Good.” She looked to Knight. “I hope you find her quickly.”
“Thank you, my lady.” Knight gave a quick nod of his head.
They made their way to the stores, following Red down a spiral staircase and along an ill-lit corridor, into a room full of brassware and oil lamps.
“Say, is Hannah ill?” Nate asked while Red pulled open a locked cupboard that housed a collection of pistols and hunting rifles. “She looks in perfect health.”
“She is quite well.” Red handed out the pistols and shot. “Let’s mount up. We do not have any more time to wait.”
“It’s a good job you persuaded Hannah not to come,” Nate commented. “If Patience found out she was missing out on an adventure, there would be hell to pay.”
Drake gave a dry chuckle but could not be as amused as he might usually be. No doubt Patience would still be annoyed she’d missed out on helping—and Drake might even appreciate the assistance of Nate’s wife, who was a better rider and shot than any of them—but there was no time to be gathering up any other people. Every moment they wasted getting organized was another minute of Julianna in Slade’s clutches.
Several of the horses were already out being exercised by the time they made their way to the stables. Thankfully two were saddled and had not gone out yet.
“We cannot wait any longer,” Knight said, frustrated. “We need to leave now.”
“Yes,” Red agreed. “Why don’t you and Drake mount up and start searching? As soon as the other horses are returned, Nate and I will catch up with you.”
Drake glanced at Knight. “It’s not ideal. We’ll likely be outnumbered if John has his man and a driver or servants with him.”
Knight grunted. “I don’t care if he has an army with him.”
“Agreed.” All that mattered was they got to Julianna—quickly. Hopefully Red and Nate wouldn’t be far behind. Drake shoved his pistol into his waistband. �
��Let’s get moving.”
Chapter Twenty
Julianna pushed herself up from the seat. Her cheek throbbed but the muddled sensation in her head had cleared. John sat next to her while his man sat opposite. She recognized him as Mr. Gamble, John’s long-serving valet. Both men were not necessarily built for fighting but even given John’s age, he had strength to him, and Mr. Gamble was tall. Both were much stronger than she. With the speed the carriage was moving, she did not much like her chances of escaping unharmed, especially with her hands bound behind her back. Her wrists were already raw from the subtle wiggling she’d been doing.
So she would have to reason with them.
She spoke against the gag in her mouth. John ignored her at first then rolled his eyes when she would not stop. Finally, he nodded to Mr. Gamble.
“Remove the gag. No one will hear her here anyway.” He wagged a finger at her. “Be too noisy and Mr. Gamble here will not hesitate to hurt you. He’s no gentleman,” he warned.
She nodded frantically and felt the blood rush back into her skin as the man removed the gag and fabric filling her mouth. She licked her lips, her tongue drier than sand. “Where are you taking me?”
“You will find out soon enough.”
“Did my father send you? This is kidnapping, you know.”
John snorted. “It is simply retrieving my property.”
“I am not your property!”
“Not yet, no.” He flicked a cold gaze over her and a shiver stole over her.
Julianna swallowed the tangle of fear in her throat. John had always put her on edge. He was one of those men that set all women on alert, whether he had revealed his true colors or not. Her natural instincts always screamed for her to keep her distance from him. When he had pinned her up against a wall and attempted to force himself upon her, she knew her instincts had been right. No doubt he was still sore she had kicked out and escaped him.
“Does my father know about this?” she pressed.
John smiled—an expression that threatened to remove any courage she had. “Your father has little care for what happens to you. He has his payment.”
“So you have bought me?” She licked her lips. “Why...why would you even do such a thing? Surely I am not worth that much to you? There are other women—willing women I am sure. Why risk the arm of the law to kidnap me?”
He turned to face her properly. “I am risking nothing. Everything is signed. All we need is the ceremony and a little squiggle from you and we shall be man and wife. You will be mine by law, Julianna.”
She let out a laugh, aware of the shudder behind it. “I will not sign anything.”
“You will, or I shall break your fingers.” The words were cold and hard as though breaking a woman’s fingers was something he did every day without thought.
She glanced at her lap. She did not doubt he would either. Lord, there had to be a way out of this. Was her father really so cold that he would hand her over simply for money? She drew in a breath and had to admit to herself that it was likely. He cared little for his children—as had been evidenced with how easily he had disowned Knight. If she could provide him with more income to live the lifestyle he wanted, he’d happily dispense with her.
And clearly he had.
“Please.” She had to try again. “Please let me go. Surely you do not want an unwilling wife?”
“Oh, dear sweet Julianna. Sometimes the unwilling ones are the best. It is most satisfying when they break.” He reached out and ran a finger over her cheek.
By some miracle she remained still and peered into gray eyes that sent a tremor directly to her heart. He touched her lips with that finger, and a half-smile curved his lips.
“I have admired you for many years, did you know that?”
She shook her head.
John smirked. “Well, of course you would not. You were too busy enjoying the benefits of being young and beautiful. You always have been an arrogant little thing. Never fear, I shall change that before long.”
Fighting the need to protest such a description of her, she peered out of the window. She did not recognize where they were—which was not surprising considering she did not know much of Cornwall yet—but they had been travelling for at least an hour.
Well, wherever he was taking her, she had not fled all the way south to be forced into a marriage to John. As soon as she could, she’d flee again.
Another hour went by, by her estimation. Her wrists chafed, and she had to try not to wince every time the carriage hit a rut or bump. Her joints ached too. If John intended to wear her down to ensure her submission, he was doing an outstanding job.
The carriage came to a stop, but Julianna forced herself to stay still, fighting the urge to jump up and fling herself out of the door as fast as humanly possible. John leered at her.
“Here we are.”
“Where is here?” she demanded.
“The place where we shall wed.” His valet opened the door first, stepping out and effectively blocking any escape.
John flashed a leering grin at her and motioned to the door. “After you, my dear.”
Fingers of dread made a path up her spine. She paused as she stood. “Am I really worth all this effort? An unwilling wife? Is that really what you wish?”
“As I said, I have had a fondness for you for some time, Julianna. I am used to getting what I want and today shall be no different.” He took her arm and inched her toward the open carriage door. “I have need of a wife—a young, excellently bred wife. You may think that you can fight this, but before long I shall have myself an obedient, meek wife, and you shall be so eager to please, that you will hardly remember what it was like to be anything other than my wife.”
Julianna snorted. “You are a fool.”
He pushed her forward so that she had to race to catch her footing and prevent herself from stumbling out of the carriage. She straightened and eyed her surroundings. They stood at a crossroads with only a tiny church for company. A few gravestones jutted out of the ground at odd angles, their engraved writing worn and covered in lichen and moss. It was hard to imagine that anyone came to this church to worship.
She looked up and down the ill-used road. There were no markers or signs to indicate where they were. If she ran, she hardly knew which direction to go in. Julianna glanced up at the valet then back at John.
Drawing in a breath, she summoned all her strength and darted forward. She might have little idea where she was or where she was going, but it had to be better than whatever fate awaited her in John’s clutch.
Her dash away from the men was short-lived. An arm banded around her waist and Mr. Gamble gripped her so tightly that all the air was crushed from her lungs. She kicked and jerked but struck out only at air. She sagged against the hold and Mr. Gamble deposited her unceremoniously on the ground.
John leaned over her. “Do I need to tie your legs as well?”
She shook her head vigorously. As much as she did not wish to submit to him already, she could hardly summon a way out if her legs were tied. A better opportunity had to arrive, it just had to. The thought of being tied to John forever...her chest tightened. Well, it was almost as bad as the idea of not seeing Drake again.
What would he think when he realized she was gone? Had he even discovered she had? Lord, she should have stayed with him this morning. Then none of this would have happened and she’d be warm and safe in his arms. Damn her for such a foolish decision. Damn her for being lulled into a sense of safety.
“Gamble, go find the vicar.” John pulled a pocket watch from his waistcoat and flicked it open. “We are an hour early. I anticipated more trouble from her. Go to the vicarage and I shall keep Miss Julianna here company.”
Mr. Gamble dipped his head. “As you will, sir. It’s a way down the road, though. I’ll be a while.”
John shrugged. “We have time. The ceremony will be brief.”
Mr. Gamble started down the road toward the vicarage, she assumed. Julian
na noted the direction. If there was a building that way, there had to be a village close by. Perhaps she could find some help there.
If she could get away.
John hauled her up by one arm. She gritted her teeth as pain ate into her wrists.
“Let us wait in the church.” He skimmed his gaze down her. “You are hardly dressed for the occasion, but you will have to do.”
He marched her into the church, shutting the heavy door behind him. The thud echoed through the empty confines of the shadowy building. Only six pews sat at either side of the aisle. Two brass candleholders sat at the altar, ribbons of dried wax coating them. There were few other signs of occupation save from the occasional hymn book left laying on the pews. John’s boots echoed against the red floor tiles underfoot.
John stopped by the font and scooped up a handful of water. He splashed it onto her face, making her gasp, then scrubbed her cheeks with a palm, tutting to himself.
“Why you would choose the life of a mere servant, I do not know. Your father should have raised you better.”
“My father who has willingly sold me to another man merely to feed his greed.” She snorted. “But of course a man like you cannot fathom why I would not wish to be near either of you.”
He ignored her and led her over to the front pew, dragging her down beside him. “Most of your sex would do anything for a match with a wealthy man.”
“Perhaps you have then realized I am not like most of my sex.” She glanced about the quiet, cold church. “The vicar will not marry me once he knows I am unwilling.”
“The vicar will have no choice.”
There was such certainty to his tone that Julianna had little doubt that she would be married here if she did not find a way to escape quickly.
“You cannot force me to speak my vows.”
He chuckled. “I can make you do many things.” He grasped her chin painfully and eyed her, lifting her head this way and that. “Do you not see, Julianna? I have loved you for a long time—since you came of age. If you would be but the wife I need, your life need not be one of hardship.”
Julianna tried to swallow the knot in her throat but failed. “I am not sure you know what love is,” she said, her voice hoarse. “Love is not forcing yourself upon another, nor is it kidnapping or threatening them.”
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