He walked over to her and looked at her pitifully. “You never learn, do you?”
“I hate you,” she whimpered.
He laughed like she’d said something funny then slapped her hard. “Now get dressed. I’ll be back soon to get you,” he said before leaving her to cry for her loved ones.
Chapter 33
Lord Tananguard felt uneasy as he and the two women departed Declan’s estates. He was uncertain what caused those feelings, but he knew they were all in danger. His senses told him so.
“Driver, stop the coach!” he called out after fifteen minutes of riding.
“Marcus, is everything alright?” Lilly asked in concern.
“Yes dear, I just have one of my bad feelings. Driver—”
A shot rang out from nearby, causing the horses to dart forward in fear. The carriage lurched forward as well, picking up speed with the horses. It bounced as it hit holes and rocks along the road, continually tossing Lord Tananguard, Lilly, and Maggie around like rag dolls.
“Marcus, do something!” Lilly called as she was thrown to the floor. She clutched her stomach in an attempt to support the babe within.
“Driver, stop the carriage at once!” Lord Tananguard shouted. When nothing happened, he stole a quick look out the window and saw their driver slumped over. “Hold on, ladies. I’m going to have to climb out and stop the carriage myself.” Carefully, he climbed out of the door, hanging onto the edge of the carriage as he analyzed his next move.
* * *
“Marcus, be careful!” Lilly called as she watched him disappear out the door. Minutes seemed to drag by as she and Maggie continued to flail around inside, waiting for the thing to stop.
“What’s taking…him…so long?” Maggie asked as the two women bounced around relentlessly.
Fear clenched Lilly’s heart as she pictured her husband dangling near the horses’ hooves. Both ladies cried out when the carriage hit another pothole that sent them sprawling into one of the walls. Please hurry, Marcus, Lilly thought.
Finally, the carriage rolled to a stop. The women stared at each other, both still clinging to the wall. Maggie looked green, and Lilly understood. She too felt queasy from the wild ride they had just endured. Maggie pulled away and concentrated on breathing.
The carriage door swung open, and Marcus stood there looking intently at Lilly. “Are you alright?” He glanced down at her stomach.
She nodded and saw him sigh with relief.
Maggie struggled for the exit, pushing past Lilly. Marcus tried to help her, but she shoved passed him as well, stumbling out of the carriage and staggering forward. She made it only a few steps before she slumped to her knees and heaved the contents of her stomach onto the ground.
“Maggie?” Marcus asked her.
“I’m fine. Just give me a moment,” came the raspy reply.
Marcus turned back to Lilly and helped her climb from the carriage.
“Oh, Marcus. I was so worried,” Lilly said as he pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. “What happened?”
“Someone shot the driver,” he replied, receiving gasps in return. “We have to head toward the woods for cover and…” he trailed off. “Lilly, Maggie, get behind me. And Lilly?”
“Yes?”
“Take this,” he ordered, retrieving a letter from his pocket and handing it to her. It was the letter Declan had written for the sheriff. “Hide it.” He looked pointedly at her breasts. “There might be a good place. If they search there, I’ll kill them.”
Lilly felt the blood drain from her face as she obeyed, stuffing the letter within her bosom. “What is it, Marcus?” she asked.
He shook his head, pulling her behind him. He pulled his pistol out from underneath his jacket and took on a protective stance. And Lilly finally saw what had so unnerved him. Seven horsemen of a dangerous-looking nature were approaching the stopped carriage. Two of the men stopped a good distance away as though to keep watch, but the other five continued forward.
“What can I do for you gentlemen?” Marcus asked them.
“We’ve been instructed to escort you back to Lord Hoffman’s estates. There are…bandits on the road,” the leader of the small band of men said with a smirk. He was a dark-haired man with a black mustache and strong jaw line.
“Lilly, Maggie,” Marcus whispered, “when I give the word, run to the woods.”
“Marcus, no,” Lilly tried to whisper back.
“Put away your weapon, sir. There is no need for violence,” the leader continued.
Marcus obeyed by replacing his pistol in its sheath under his jacket. The leader and the four men with him dismounted and came toward them. The two men in the distance kept their post and simply watched.
“Were these bandits the ones who shot my driver?” Marcus asked.
One of the men snickered. The leader shot him a warning glare before answering, “Yes, they were.”
“Then I’m glad you arrived when you did,” Marcus replied.
Lilly was frantic. He was planning something. She couldn’t allow him to risk his life in hopes that she and Maggie could get free. She could barely run in her condition.
“Yes, it is fortunate, isn’t it? Now, if you’ll please return inside the carriage, we will escort you to Lord Hoffman’s.” The man gestured toward the carriage.
“Of course.” Marcus placed a hand on each of the ladies backs as though to guide them to the carriage. “Now,” he said to Lilly and Maggie, shoving them both to the left and toward the woods.
“What?” Lilly asked.
“Run!” he shouted, turning toward the men, withdrawing his pistol, and firing at the closest man. His target dropped to the ground in an instant. The remaining four men stared in stunned silence, giving Marcus time to throw his pistol at another man’s head and charge the leader. Lilly gaped as Marcus pummeled the dark-haired man in the gut, doubling him over. Then Marcus threw his knee into the man’s face and knocked him flat on his back.
Maggie grabbed Lilly’s arm and began dragging her toward the woods.
“Marcus!” Lilly shouted, struggling against Maggie’s grasp.
Another man tried to grab Marcus from behind, but he elbowed him hard, whirled around and right-hooked him in the face.
“Run Lilly. Get to the woods,” he shouted back as he fought. He was large in stature with broad shoulders, fine arms and thick muscular legs. He threw his weight here and there, keeping the four men on the ground from chasing Maggie and Lilly. His boot connected with one man’s skull and his fist leveled another. The two men on horseback had joined the group by then. They were dismounted and trying to help.
Maggie was pulling Lilly while Lilly tried to watch it all. “My Lady, stop fighting me!” Maggie cried. “We’re almost there!”
Lilly turned from Marcus to find Maggie was right. The safety of the trees was within their grasp!
“Get the women!” the leader hollered. Marcus slammed his fist into the man’s face to shut him up, but it was too late. Two men quickly removed themselves from the fighting and mounted their horses, and within moments they were spurring them toward Lilly and Maggie.
Lilly braced the bottom of her stomach and pushed her body to the semblance of a run. Marcus had just fought to free her. The least she could do was try to stay free.
They made it to the trees before the men could reach them, but they were far from danger. Lilly glanced over her shoulder to see Marcus finally overcome. It took three men to pin him to the ground with one man pointing a pistol at his head.
“Marcus,” she sobbed. They would not kill him, would they?
“My Lady, please come. Lucas would not dare hurt Lord Tananguard. We must keep going,” Maggie said as she struggled to pull Lilly behind her.
Lilly tried to focus, to continue to push her swollen body forward, but her lower back throbbed, and her abdomen began to cramp. “Maggie, I have to stop. The baby,” Lilly panted. “It’s too difficult to run.”
“My Lady, you ha
ve to try,” Maggie pleaded. “They are gaining on—”
A tall man with hair the color of sand suddenly appeared from behind Maggie. He covered her mouth with his hand, pulling her from Lilly and disappearing through thick foliage just as quickly as he had appeared. Lilly tried to scream, but a hand covered her mouth as well.
“Shhh,” a man’s voice whispered against her ear. He held her back up against his chest as he spoke urgently. “We’ll not harm you. We are here to help. You must trust me to get you to safety.”
What choice did she have? Whether she trusted him or not, she was under his control. She nodded, and he released his hand from her mouth.
He grabbed her upper arm. “Come.”
Lilly stared at him for a moment. His skin was olive colored, and he was of decent height—not as tall as the other man, but still a hand taller than Lilly. He had very dark eyes and hair with a black beard covering his face.
“Quickly,” he said. “They will be on us in moments.”
Lilly glanced over her shoulder at the two men searching for her and decided to take her chance with the man before her.
He led her through the brush where the other man with Maggie had disappeared. Lilly’s heart was beating rapidly out of fear, but she let him take her without complaint. After all, he had said he was here to help.
He guided her along an invisible path through a wall of thickets. There were three men waiting for them there as well as Maggie and the man who had taken her.
Lilly sighed in relief when she saw Maggie safe. Her captor still held her, but he was no longer covering her mouth with his hand. He was simply holding her shoulders gently to keep her from running.
“There are two of them and four more with the gentlemen,” he was saying to the small group. His voice was lined with a thick Scottish accent.
“They look like Rupert’s men. I believe we could overcome them easily enough,” the man holding Lilly added.
“No, Garret. I will not risk Marcus’s life on that. You and Thomas take these women further into the woods toward camp. We will keep an eye on these fools to make certain they do not follow. Then we will come find you,” came the reply from the one who seemed to be in charge. His voice sounded so familiar.
Lilly’s eyes were blurred from tears, and the shadows hid the man’s face from her. She blinked several times and strained to get a clearer view of him. If only she could see his face, she might discover where she recognized his voice from.
The two men with Lilly and Maggie—Garret and Thomas—obeyed, stealthily taking the two women away from their pursuers and into unfamiliar territory. Lilly quietly cried as she allowed Garret to guide her. Maggie seemed to struggle for a few moments before giving into Thomas and allowing him to slip her silently through the woods. Frustration and fear were present on her face, but Lilly felt these men were not their enemies. Something about that voice….
Chapter 34
Connor and Declan watched as Arden was escorted inside the gates by what looked to be hired thugs. There were still at least ten men standing guard. They were going to have to be as quiet as possible.
“Are you ready?” Connor whispered.
Declan nodded.
The two men crouched low to the ground and made a dash for the outer wall, staying hidden as much as possible. The high, stone wall surrounding the gates was covered in vines that created some coverage for the two men as they searched for the small entrance to the hidden tunnel. They found it where Maggie told them they would. Vines covered the old wooden door, just as she’d said, hiding the door from those who did not know of its existence. Declan clasped the doorknob and cursed.
“What?” Connor asked quietly.
“It’s locked,” Declan answered.
Connor studied the door. “It looks old. We could break it down,” he suggested.
“That would make too much noise,” Declan whispered. He stared at the door for a moment. Then he pulled a dagger out of his boot and stuck the tip in the keyhole. He jiggled it around inside as if trying to unlock the door. He worked the door mercilessly without success.
“Infernal thing. Open up,” he hissed at the door as he jabbed at the keyhole.
Connor watched his friend pull his dagger away in frustration and jam it back down into his boot. Then, without thinking, he kicked hard at the door. Not only did his foot go right through the old door, but it also tore it away from the hinges. Declan was currently being dragged forward as the door fell to the ground creating a loud bang.
If their situation weren’t dire, Connor would have thought the scene rather comical as he watched Declan being pulled into the tunnel by that old, wooden door. As it was, though, all the noise Declan had just caused brought anxiety to both men. They stared at each other in stilled silence, listening carefully for noise from above. Had anyone heard them?
* * *
“Quick, get in here,” Declan hissed from within the dark tunnel. He began tugging at his trapped foot. Why had he been so stupid? If he’d examined the door more closely, he would have realized the wood was rotten, and then they could have carefully pried it open. But no, he’d lost his temper and kicked the damn thing. His foot lurched free, the momentum sending him to the floor.
“Damn door,” Declan cursed as he climbed to his feet. He was ready to kick it again, but thought better of it. He didn’t have time to wrestle with a door. There was a commotion from above. Guards were coming to inspect the source of all the noise Declan had foolishly caused.
“Could anything else go wrong?” he growled as both he and Connor broke into a sprint down the dark tunnel to Lucas’s manor.
They could hear several pairs of feet following close behind. “What do you think?” Connor asked between breaths.
“Turn and fight,” Declan began, “or try to outrun them?”
“This tunnel can’t last much longer,” Connor panted. “But who knows what’s on the other side. We stand a better chance…fighting in close quarters than we do out in the open,” he finished in a rush of air.
“Then we fight,” Declan said, slowing to a stop. They drew their swords and waited for their pursuers to catch up to them.
The tunnel was dark, not showing much beyond the silhouettes of men coming toward Connor and Declan. As the mercenaries came closer, Declan could count six of them. One drew his pistol and fired aimlessly into the dark tunnel, causing both Connor and Declan to duck for cover as the shot ricocheted off the wall to their right.
“He wants them alive, you fool!” they heard a man shout out. “Put away your guns. We have to take them alive!”
“Well, that is reassuring,” Connor said sarcastically.
“How did he know we were coming?” Declan asked quietly.
Connor shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
They waited as the men approached.
“Put down your weapons,” a dark-skinned man said as the mercenaries grew closer.
“No,” Declan replied.
“You are outnumbered,” the man began. “You don’t stand a chance.”
“I think we do,” Connor said confidently.
The two men stared at their pursuers defiantly.
“Very well. Try not to kill them,” the dark-skinned man said to his men as he motioned them forward.
The tunnel was narrow, only allowing two possibly three men to stand side by side. It was perfect for Declan and Connor. They had just enough room to maneuver their swords without getting in each other’s way. The mercenaries were ruthless in their attacks, trading dexterity for power, but Declan and Connor were too fast and skilled for the blows. They quickly dispatched the small party of men without difficulty.
“I’m glad we chose to stand our ground,” Connor said while picking up a dead men’s pistol. “Now we have additional weapons.”
“Yes, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to be more careful once we get into the house. They will be expecting us now,” Declan replied. He was feeling very edgy as they drew cl
oser to the house. Why did Lucas want them kept alive, and did he know they were already here?
They approached their exit without further complications. There was a small, wooden ladder, which led up to a trapdoor, and that led to the storage room. Declan eyed the wooden rungs with unease. Hopefully, these weren’t as weak as the door he had kicked in.
The steps held their weight, allowing them access to the above storage room where they cautiously made their way to the kitchen. The cook let out a yelp as Connor and Declan entered from a room that, as far as she knew, had only one door, and that was the one the men were emerging from. The other maids simply stared wide-eyed at Connor and Declan as though gods had suddenly appeared within their mists.
“Where is Lady Allana?” Declan asked the group of women. They continued to stare dumbfounded at him. “Someone answer me!” he demanded. “Which room is he keeping her in?” Still no answer.
“They don’t know, Declan. Let’s—”
“She’s in one of the rooms on the third floor. I heard voices up there earlier,” a redheaded girl with freckles finally said.
“Thank you,” Declan said appreciatively before heading toward the door that led to the back hallway.
“Wait,” the girl said frantically. “There are guards every—”
“Shut-up you stupid girl. Do you want to get us all in trouble?” the cook hissed to the redhead.
“But—”
“We know,” Connor assured her as he followed Declan out of the kitchen and down the dimly lit hallway.
They made it to the library after sneaking past two patrols of mercenaries and found the entrance to the second passageway that would take them closer to Allana. It led them up a small, spiraled staircase and ended abruptly in front of a brick wall.
“I wish we knew what was on the other side of this wall,” Declan said quietly. There could be an ambush waiting for all he knew.
The Lady and the Earl Page 29