Suddenly, Nora had an idea. She pushed aside any inkling of guilt. It could be her only chance to save herself. The woman looked close to her size. It seemed simple enough, but with dead weight, her plan proved harder to put into operation than she had thought. Unsure of how much time she had, Nora tried to stop breathing for long stretches as she tugged the clothing off the woman and replaced it with her own. The clothing stank, but if it saved her life, she would not complain. At least the shoes fit, she thought, taking the woman’s study boots and replacing them with the single pink slipper. Changing her mind, Nora held onto her slipper. Oddly, the woman was wearing several undergarments, including pantalettes, that looked to have been decent at one time. She refused to wear the filthy undergarment but had an idea. Rolling them up as quickly as she could, she stuffed them into the crack in the window boards. She would need all the help she could create, and eliminating the light would assist that purpose. She stuffed her pink slipper into the pocket of the dress.
A scraping noise on the stairs caused her to abandon switching beds, and she ran back to hers and crawled on to it, turning to face the wall. She gave her best impression of drunken snores and said a silent prayer.
The door opened, and she heard footsteps enter the room. “Damn you, Sneed. This be the last time you tell me what to do. Me missus is right. I’ll git me an honest wage from tomorrow. He thinks I’m going to be his lackey. I’m done wi’ ’im and his bullying.” His footsteps stopped at the bed Nora lay in. “She’s still asleep. Won’t hurt ol’ Hyde if’n I take a little peek.” Large fingers grasped her arm. “Huh? What the devil? This don’t seem like her. The wench was dressed in a nightgown. Strange, oi thought she were on this bed.” The man cursed as he stumbled over something on the floor before reaching the other bed. She heard him roll the blanket around his quarry, apparently abandoning his idea to take a peek. Thank goodness!
The man grunted as he hoisted the woman onto his shoulder. “Must be that I’m tired,” he muttered. “The wench feels heavier. No matter. This is the last time I’m doing this fer ’im.” The door closed behind him and Nora breathed a sigh of relief. Sneed and Hyde. A sense of familiarity pricked her consciousness. She would remember eventually. For now, she needed to find a way out of her prison. First, she needed a weapon. Where is that large piece of glass?
* * *
“What do you mean, she is gone?” Colin’s voice bellowed across the room even as bile rose in his throat. Pain stabbed at his heart. Whitton had been right. Sneed had taken her. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that Benjamin had witnessed the kidnapping. However, the young boy was beside himself that he had been unable to save her. From his incoherent babbling, it seemed that she had saved him. Colin had to find her.
“Mrs. Simpkins, if Benjamin is willing, I would like to see the room and hear the details again, for myself,” Colin asked. The women were weeping, and the house was in an uproar.
Benjamin had described the scuffle to the housekeeper and the maid, telling them a big dark-headed man had snatched Nora from the window. Something was missing. He needed answers. He scanned the room, hoping for a clue to her whereabouts. Fresh scrape marks marred the new paint of the recently painted window. Hanging in the inner branches of a large oak tree next to the open window swung a knotted rope.
Woods was leaving to inform the Countess when Colin’s carriage pulled up before the orphanage. He asked the man to deliver a message to Morray and have the Earl meet him in the East End, at the lodging Whitton had described. He was sure Morray would understand the location. He planned to search there, first.
Nora Mason’s ability to manage the intricacies of running the orphanage astonished him. He felt sudden shame for having belittled her on the occasion of his first visit and made a mental note to make up for that somehow. The parlor reminded him of her—and of how he had diminished her with his bumptious offer. Shefford reminded himself that it was her grandmama who had convinced him to make that offer. He owed her a debt of gratitude. First, though, he needed to find his betrothed.
Loneliness crashed in on him. He missed her. It felt like more. Did he love her? He had never loved a woman before. Even having his best friends with him did nothing to ease the emptiness. He had never felt this way about a woman.
Benjamin appeared in his night-robe, holding onto Mary’s hand. “My lord, I tried to get him to sleep. He insists he knows where Miss Nora was taken.”
“I should like to speak with him. I will make sure he goes back to bed,” Colin promised, crouching down so he could be eye level with the boy.
“M’lord, I know where he took her. He brings the women to the Table.”
“The Table?” Colin had never heard of it. Was it another hell?
“A bunch of men pay money. I heard him discuss it once with his man, Hyde, while I was in a chimney.”
“Where is this Table?”
“He called it the Tunnel. Said the drunk toffs practically never see their pockets cleaned.
At that moment, the door to the parlor opened, and the Countess sailed in, followed by Bergen.
“Where is my granddaughter?” she demanded.
“Benjamin thinks she is in a place called the Tunnel,” Colin said. “Bergen and I are on our way.”
“What is the Tunnel?” the Countess insisted, closing her eyes and biting her lower lip.
Colin recognized the same look of fretfulness that he had seen on Nora.
“Take me with you, m’lord.” Benjamin’s small voice pierced the silence. “I know where the Tunnel is. I want to help find Miss Nora. She saved me life.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out her pink shoe. “This fell from the window when he took her.”
Colin looked at the slipper. It was delicate and pretty, just like the woman who had worn it. “May I?”
Benjamin nodded and handed the shoe to him.
“Nora will be angry, yet I am fairly sure this orphanage has no way to contain him unless we lock him up. Take good care of him,” the Countess interjected, sniffling. “Bring my granddaughter home… please.”
Less than an hour later, Colin’s carriage drew up in front of the same hell where he had been not more than a sennight ago, except this time he and Bergen had a young boy of eight with them. Colin gave a silent prayer that the boy knew where Sneed had Nora.
“Wait here, m’lords. I must jaw with my friend, Danny.” Before they could say anything, Benjamin shot off towards the back of the stable.
“Imagine what it took to bring us back here,” reflected Bergen. “When all this is over, I would like Lizzie to meet Nora. I think they could become friends.”
“I would like that too,” Colin said absently, fingering Nora’s shoe in his pocket. He wondered how long it would be before Morray arrived.
Benjamin returned to the coach with Danny close behind. The two men recognized him immediately. “Danny and I learned pick-pocketing together,” he said stoically. “But that was afore Danny found a place ’ere. I also ’elped out here, afore Tom Sneed bought me from the owner of the hell.
“Excuse me? You were owned?” The truth suddenly dawned on Colin. No wonder Sneed wanted him back. Benjamin was one of his cutpurses. And knowing this child, he was good at whatever he tried to do. The man considered Benjamin his property—it was a common enough occurrence—and he was losing profits with Benjamin’s disappearance. Colin also recalled the story about little Amy and wondered if Sneed was likewise an opportunist, trying to steal the little girl by posing as her father.
“Yes, m’lord. Me own parents sold me.” His voice cracked as he related his sad past.
“We will discuss this later, Benjamin. First, we need to find Miss Mason. Danny, have you seen Sneed?” The thought of these boys being sold distressed Colin, although he would have to consider what he could do about it later.
“’E went in the main ’ouse earlier,” Danny offered.
“The Tunnel sits a floor beneath it, m’lord,” added Benjamin.
“I thi
nk we should start where he lives. Benjamin, where does Sneed live?” inquired Bergen.
“Follow me. I know a way to get in with no one seeing you,” the small boy told them.
“Danny, I have a friend who should arrive here shortly. His name is Lord Morray. Will you send him to where we are going?”
“Yes, m’lord. I will bring him to ye,” the boy agreed.
The three of them crossed a narrow, cobbled street behind the stable, keeping to the darker side of the structure and avoiding light. Benjamin led them, stopping at the edge and signaling they wait. He approached the building and tapped on a red, paneled door. After a minute, when no one answered, he signaled for them to follow. They went through the door, climbing dark dusty steps which were lit only by a single wall sconce in the corner of the first-floor landing.
“This is how they bring people into the building for the Table,” the boy explained.
A knot formed in Colin’s throat as he imagined Nora being carried through this filthy passage. He dearly hoped they would find her here and not in the Tunnel.
* * *
A loud commotion stirred Nora to wakefulness. Dear God! How did I fall asleep? I have to escape this room! While she waited for her eyes to adjust, an argument flared up from somewhere beneath her.
“’Ow did you get the two wenches mixed up, you stupid fool?” a loud voice demanded. A loud crack sounded, as if something large had hit the wall.
That had to be Sneed, she mused.
A tiny, nervous giggle escaped her when she thought of the reaction of the roomful of men when they unwrapped the drunken trollop.
“Yer lying. Oi checked, and it were the right one, Mr. Sneed,” a second man answered.
Nora recognized Hyde’s voice.
“She ’ad the robe and all,” Hyde added.
She heard what sounded like a door burst open and smash against the wall.
“Who are you?” Sneed yelled.
She could not make out the conversation but heard struggling and a loud crack, followed by a loud “Umph!”
Thinking she was in untold and added danger from whoever that was, she steeled herself, deciding the window would be her best hope.
Finding a loose board, she pulled at it, hoping to pry it free. If I can move a couple of these planks, I may escape through the window. Recalling the dangling drawer, she retrieved it and used it as a lever under the loose end of the board, ripping it from the window. She tried the one above it. Success! Luckily, the commotion below covered the noise she made.
Satisfied with her efforts, she looked outside and saw what appeared to be some sort of stable with a brightly lit building in front of it. There had to be help in that direction. She glanced down at herself. She could no longer smell her own body and imagined she resembled a common strumpet—not that she had ever seen one before today.
Heavy footsteps, from what appeared to be several men, sounded outside the door. They were coming towards her. She had run out of time to escape. Alarmed, Nora grabbed the large shard of glass, no longer concerned with cutting herself. Summoning a prayer, she moved to stand beside the door, holding the glass above her head, ready to strike. A few seconds later, the door opened. Afraid to look, Nora squeezed her eyes shut and brought the glass down. At the same moment, two enormous hands caught her arms.
Fear and hysteria overcame her, and she began to shake and scream. The two hands securing her wrists pried the glass loose and pulled her close.
“Hush! Nora, ’tis me, Colin.” He pressed a warm kiss on her forehead.
“Colin?” She was still shaking from fright. “How did you find me?” Tears ran freely, followed by loud sniffs.
“Be at ease, my love. We shall soon have you away from here.” He pulled off his coat and wrapped it around her.
“We?”
“Oi came to help, Miss Nora,” a small voice beside him answered.
Nora recognized Benjamin at once. “Benjamin! What are you doing here? Why are you not in bed?”
“Oi wanted to help find you…”
Realizing the little boy had helped in her rescue, she pulled him into a hug, cutting off any further speech.
“We must leave. Now.” Lord Bergen’s voice sounded from behind them. “Danny is guarding the carriage at the door. There are a dozen angry men rioting in the main room—just feet away from the door. They are shouting something about a substitution made in the Tunnel.” His mouth curved in a knowing smile. “Morray has secured Sneed and his accomplice for the magistrate—trussed up and tied in a small stall in the stable. He and his men will watch them and make sure neither villain escapes justice.”
Nora’s head swarmed with questions as Colin hastily ushered their small group down the long staircase and out through the door that opened into the alley below. He quickly placed her on a leather seat inside the waiting coach. Benjamin climbed onto the seat opposite her. She saw Colin give the boy called Danny a handful of coins before joining them on the carriage. As they approached the stable, she recognized Lord Bergen’s voice and heard him and Danny drop from the rumble seat. She felt immediate relief—almost elation—once the carriage started again. I am safe!
“Thank you! I feel like a princess rescued from a tower—a very nasty one,” she whispered hoarsely.
Colin gave a sly smile and tugged her closer to his side. “Did you have something to do with a certain exchange that caused a riot in the Tunnel?”
A chuckle escaped her. “I may have had something to do with it,” Nora admitted timidly. “I tried to save myself.”
“Remind me never to underestimate you again, my darling. I did so once before and I vow never to allow it to happen again,” he said with a chuckle.
“I beg your pardon, sir! When would that have been?” she asked demurely.
“Impudent minx! When I challenged you to prove the orphanage to be more worthwhile than my project. However, had I not persisted, we might not be betrothed.”
“Very true…” Tired, she laid her head on his shoulder, no longer caring how she smelled. All she cared about was that he was here. He had saved her. Just like my dream… my dearest dream!
The coach rumbled faster than normal over the cobblestones, tossing the three of them uncomfortably on the bench seats.
Noticeably relieved when the carriage turned onto a smoother road, Colin drew back and lifted her chin with his finger.
“I have a big question,” he said, grinning broadly.
He slid from the seat next to her and balanced on one knee. “I do not think I presented my proposal correctly the first time.” He cleared his throat and held on as they rounded a bend. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my countess?”
She had to be dreaming. Unsure of whether she really wanted to wake up, she reached up and scrubbed at her eyes. It felt real. She blinked. It looked real. Tears welled up and crested on her eyelids. “Yes, sir, I would love to become your countess.”
Colin cradled her face in his hands, his eyes snaring hers.
“Nora, you have made me the happiest of men. When I discovered you missing, my world tilted. I could think of nothing but finding you.” Not waiting for her response, he kissed her, at first feathering her lips before leaning in for a deeper kiss.
As if remembering, of a sudden, they were not alone, Colin pulled back and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a pink satin slipper.
“I brought this along to remind me of you. Benjamin found it by the window.”
Smiling through her streaming tears, Nora peered behind Colin at Benjamin, who sat wide-eyed and quiet.
“You may both see the humor in this,” she teased. Reaching into the pocket of the slattern’s skirt, she extracted her other slipper and delicately shrugged one shoulder. “It did little good to have one. I am afraid I sent the other woman to the tunnel without shoes.” She considered the gentleman and the boy in front of her. “I am the luckiest person to have two men who care so much for me. Thank you, Benjamin, for helping to rescue me, a
nd thank you, Colin, for making me the happiest of women!
Epilogue
Three weeks later
London, England
Nora checked the looking glass above her dressing table once more and adjusted her headpiece. She felt like a princess in her gown. She and her mother settled on an elegant, pale pink spotted muslin dress with a train. A stylish, shimmering gold-pink ribbon separated a one-piece bodice and skirt. Short under-sleeves of white linen added form to the long muslin sleeves, which ended at the elbow. A shimmering over-dress of the palest pink gossamer she had ever seen covered the bodice and skirt. A small tiara of pearls and tiny diamonds was carefully woven into a loose chignon, with her blonde curls softly framing her face.
Absently, she repositioned a stray curl and stared at the image looking back at her. So much had changed in her life in little more than a month. Today was a day she had never imagined possible. She was marrying her own prince—the man who fulfilled that wistful dream of fairy tales placed in her head as a child. This was her day—her wedding day and the day she moved to her new home. Colin had already given her leave to redecorate anything she wished to. She learned that Grandmama had offered another building to repay her uncle’s debt, but he had refused it. Uncle had been arrested. According to Colin, the deed to the orphanage had not been the first document that he had altered. At least one more had surfaced, although she had not heard the details. Father was helping Grandmama get it all sorted.
Colin’s younger brother, Jonathan, had located the perfect property for their fencing salon quite by accident. With Colin’s backing, their dream would soon become a reality.
Earl of Shefford: Noble Hearts Series: Book Three (Wicked Earls Book 28) Page 15