Once Bitten, Twice Shy (Choc Lit)

by Christina Courtenay

  ‘Have him followed,’ he ordered. ‘He’s involved in her ladyship’s disappearance somehow and we need to find out how.’

  A short time later Jason stood in the huge kitchen, surrounded by every one of his servants. Fear gripped his insides as he thought of Ianthe, either at the mercy of Gervaise once again or someone else equally ruthless. But he quashed these thoughts and held up his hands to gain everyone’s attention.

  ‘I am sorry to say that I believe my wife has gone missing. Has anyone seen her today?’

  One of the gardeners raised a hand. ‘I did, sir. She were walking in the rose garden with a gentleman. Smiled at me kindly, she did.’

  ‘And when was that?’

  ‘Oh, a while ago now, my lord. Seemed in a bit of a hurry. Usually, she stops to smell some of the blooms, but not today.’

  ‘What did the gentleman look like, do you remember?’

  ‘Um, a bit like yourself, sir, only smaller and with a bright yellow waistcoat.’

  Gervaise had been wearing a yellow waistcoat, Jason thought to himself, and there was a certain family resemblance between them. Although this only proved that he had walked in the garden with Ianthe like he claimed, not that he’d then abducted her, Jason was still convinced of Gervaise’s guilt. Why the hell would she go walking with him? She can’t stand the sight of him.

  ‘In which direction were they heading.’

  ‘Dunno, sir. Just wanderin’, I s’pose.’

  ‘And did you see her return?’

  ‘No, m’lord.’

  ‘Right, thank you. Anyone else see them?’

  No one spoke up. Jason wanted to shout with frustration. Gervaise may have forced Ianthe to go with him, but where could he have taken her? If he’d had a carriage waiting somewhere, she could be long gone. Or might she simply have fallen and hurt herself? Perhaps she was even now lying in the grounds somewhere?

  ‘We’ll need to organise search parties and see if we can find any clue as to where she went after leaving the rose garden. Let’s have four teams, please, one for each direction, and someone go and check that cave again, please.’

  ‘Milord?’

  ‘Yes?’ Jason looked impatiently in the direction of Ianthe’s French maid, Dupont, who was holding up her hand.

  ‘Why you not use ze dogs?’

  ‘Dogs? Yes, of course. Carter,’ he turned to the man in charge of his hunting pack, ‘go and—’

  ‘No, milord,’ Dupont interrupted him. ‘I mean les épagneules. They like ’er ladyship very much.’

  ‘Ep—? Oh, the spaniels! Of course, why didn’t I think of that? Thank you. Melmoth, where are they?’

  ‘I expect they’re still in the morning room. They were keeping her ladyship company earlier.’

  ‘Fetch them, please, someone. And Dupont, could you find a piece of clothing that my wife has worn recently? Let’s see if the dogs can track her. In the meantime, the rest of you may as well search the gardens. There might be some clue that will help us.’

  One of the footmen came rushing in, out of breath, and Melmoth ushered him forward. ‘This is the lad I sent after Mr Gervaise, my lord.’

  ‘Ah, yes, so where did he go? Did you manage to follow him?’

  ‘Yes,’ the young man panted, ‘went to the inn … in the village … sittin’ in the taproom now, he is.’

  ‘I see.’ This was not what Jason had wanted to hear. He’d hoped Gervaise would lead them to wherever he was hiding Ianthe, but it would seem he was playing a deeper game. Perhaps he hoped Jason would call off the search? Not a chance! Jason sighed and ran a hand through his hair. ‘Go back and watch him, please, but don’t let him see you, obviously. And come and report if you find anything out. In the meantime we will continue our search. The spaniels, please, Melmoth. The rest of you, go!’

  Everyone ran off to do his bidding and Jason went to wait impatiently in the hall for Dupont and the dogs. He prayed that it would work. Failure to find Ianthe was not to be contemplated.

  The dogs had never been trained to search and find, but when they were led to the French windows and made to sniff a piece of Ianthe’s clothing, they barked excitedly, straining at their leads.

  ‘Where is she? Where’s your mistress? Go seek, find her,’ Jason egged them on, hoping they would understand. Their tails were wagging frantically, but he wasn’t sure if they were merely happy at the prospect of going out into the garden.

  He, Melmoth and two of the footmen followed the dogs, making them sniff the item of clothing from time to time. When they turned left down the stairs and headed straight for the rose garden, noses to the ground, Jason wanted to shout with joy, but he knew it was too soon. It could be coincidence.

  Through the rose garden they went, at great speed, and on the other side of it the dogs sniffed around some more, then headed off to the right.

  ‘Where are they taking us?’ Melmoth huffed, trying to keep up. Jason hoped the rapid pace wouldn’t prove too much for the old man, who wasn’t as fit as he used to be.

  ‘I’m not sure, but it’s not towards the road anyway, which is a relief. If they were on foot, we stand a much better chance of finding her. We’ll just have to wait and see. Do you want to rest for a while and catch up with us later?’

  ‘No, I’ll be fine, my lord. I can manage, for her ladyship’s sake.’

  Melmoth looked as determined as Jason felt, and it pleased him that Ianthe had won the respect and loyalty of his servants already. But what good is that if she never comes back? He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, refusing to even contemplate such a thing.

  I have to find her, for everyone’s sake. No, that’s a lie – I want to find her for myself. Ianthe’s disappearance had made him realise just how precious she was to him. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself. Having found her, how could he live without her?

  It dawned on him that he loved her deeply, and this time it wasn’t calf love, like his feelings for Elizabeth; it was the true and abiding kind. ‘We must find her,’ he muttered.

  Melmoth nodded. ‘Don’t worry, my lord, we will.’

  Jason wished he could be as certain.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Ianthe leaned her head back against the hard wall of the little fisherman’s hut Gervaise had taken her to and tried to come up with a plan of escape, but nothing came to mind. There were ten men sitting around looking bored, but every time she moved so much as a muscle, at least one of them turned to look at her. It was impossible.

  She’d never been to this part of the coast before, and it had been quite a trek from the house, especially in flimsy slippers. Her feet ached now, but in the scheme of things it was a minor discomfort. The old hut was near a cove, similar to the one where the cave was, but smaller, and Ianthe could hear the waves caressing the shore below. The noise was soothing, but she still felt on edge.

  Gervaise had gone out, soon after their arrival, telling the men not to touch so much as a hair on her head. ‘She’s mine, understand?’ Everyone nodded in sullen agreement. It would seem that no one argued with Gervaise and Ianthe could only be thankful for it.

  She had no idea how long she sat there waiting, but at last Gervaise came back, seemingly in a good mood. ‘All well?’ he asked the leader of the men, the Frenchman Ianthe had had the misfortune to run into the day before.

  ‘Oui, tout va bien.’

  ‘Excellent. Shouldn’t be too long now. I’m expecting the ship just after nightfall.’ Another man came staggering into the hut, laden with two sacks, and Gervaise turned to indicate him. ‘We’ve brought some victuals from the inn. Tuck in, everyone. You’ll need your strength later.’

  He helped himself to some bread and cheese out of one of the sacks and brought some over to Ianthe. ‘Hungry?’ he asked, but she turned her head away.

  ‘No, thank you.’

  ‘Still sulking, are we?’ He laughed. ‘You’ll soon get over it. Once we’re in France, I expect you’ll change your tune. By th
en you’ll have realised you have to be nice to me unless you want that lot,’ he indicated the others with a nod in their direction, ‘to enjoy your favours.’

  Ianthe shuddered at the thought, but kept her gaze resolutely turned away and her mouth shut. There seemed no point in arguing with him. She simply had to find a way to escape. The alternative didn’t bear thinking about.

  ‘Suit yourself,’ he muttered and walked away again to join his men, who were now passing round a keg of ale.

  Ianthe closed her eyes and waited.

  The dogs carried on at the same breakneck pace and Jason had to pull hard on the leads to stop them several times so Melmoth and the others could keep up. The butler was rather red in the face, but he continued to refuse to be left behind, so after short breaks, they continued on.

  ‘You don’t think they’re just looking for rabbits?’ Melmoth wheezed at one point, but Jason shook his head.

  ‘No, if they were, they’d all be off in different directions like they normally are. It looks to me like they’re following the same trail this time. Seems we’re heading for the coast at the very edge of Wyckeham land.’

  ‘The old cove, do you think?’ Melmoth said.

  ‘Possibly. Perhaps I ought to go on alone, just in case? The dogs might bark otherwise and alert people to our presence. If Ianthe is being held against her will, it would be much better to surprise her captors.’

  ‘Yes, but take Lynch with you, my lord. You shouldn’t go alone. And young Jackson too perhaps.’

  Lynch was the brawniest looking of the two footmen, and Jackson, although young, looked as if he could handle himself in a fight nonetheless. Jason nodded. ‘Very well. You stay here with the dogs then, Melmoth.’

  Jason hardly ever came to this part of his estate as there was nothing there apart from an old path running along the top of the cliffs, but he knew every inch of it just the same. ‘There is a small thicket of trees and bushes not too far from the cove,’ he said to the two men, as they continued on together. ‘We should be able to reach it without being seen by anyone, but after that we’ll need to be cautious.’

  They hurried along and were soon enveloped in the welcome cover of leaves and other foliage. The trees here had been planted as a windbreak and Jason was thankful for that now, since it gave them the opportunity to observe any comings and goings to the cove without being seen themselves.

  ‘Let’s lie down here for a while. Keep your eyes and ears open, men.’

  They dropped to the ground and waited. Over to their right was an old fisherman’s hut which was so dilapidated, no one lived in it any longer. Jason had been meaning to have it knocked down, but had forgotten about it. It looked even worse than last time he’d seen it, but he supposed it could afford shelter of sorts for someone. This soon proved to be the case when two men came out of the door, one obviously giving orders to the other. Their voices were perfectly audible, carried on the wind, and although they were speaking French, Jason had no trouble understanding them. He’d had a French grandmother who refused to speak to him in English, thus unwittingly doing him a favour.

  ‘We leave as soon as the tide turns,’ the larger of the two men said. ‘We should be safe enough here until then, but be on your guard. I don’t want any mistakes now, is that clear? You know what you have to do?’

  There was a murmur of consent.

  ‘Good. We won’t bring the woman until the last minute. Don’t want any trouble with her high-and-mightiness and after yesterday, I’m not taking any chances. My eyes are still sore. Monsieur Warwycke said we can’t touch her, anyway. He wants her for himself, but not until we get there and he has more time for such sport.’ The man spat on the ground. ‘He is welcome to her, the bitch. I’ll have her when he’s tamed her. Now, let’s go down to the cove.’

  Jason waited until they had disappeared, then signalled for the others to withdraw further into the thicket for a moment.

  ‘Aren’t we staying to see if her ladyship is in the hut?’ Lynch looked confused.

  ‘She is,’ Jason replied. ‘They must be smugglers and it would seem my relative is involved with them, damn him.’

  ‘Is that what they said?’

  ‘Among other things. The most important part was that they’re leaving with the tide, which won’t be until after dark, so we have some time to arrange a little surprise for them. Have either of you got the strength to run to the exciseman’s house in the next village?’

  ‘I can, my lord,’ Jackson volunteered. ‘I can go further than that if you need me to.’

  ‘No, that will be enough. Just tell him what I just told you. He’ll need to gather his men and head for the cove by sea, but his boats mustn’t be seen until Gervaise’s ship has entered the little bay, understand? It will be dark by then, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to hide nearby. Lynch and I will stay here to make sure they don’t take my wife anywhere else in the meantime. Hurry now, please.’

  ‘Very good, my lord.’

  Jason thought for a moment about what he had overheard. He was sure Ianthe was in the hut, but although his first impulse had been to rush in and free her, he had no idea how many men were in there with her. It would be foolish in the extreme to attempt a rescue mission without knowing the odds. It would seem she was safe for now and he could only hope she would remain so. He needed backup and he needed it fast.

  ‘Lynch, could you just run back to Melmoth and tell him what we’re doing? Ask him to go back to the Hall and send some more men over here as well, please. The more, the better.’

  ‘Will do, my lord.’

  Jason returned to keep a lookout, praying like he had never prayed before, for his wife to be safe.

  As soon as darkness fell, Gervaise and his men began to prepare themselves for the journey. The goods they were taking with them were stacked in piles near the door of the hut, and the moment the signal came from the ship outside, they lined up to each carry their share. It seemed to Ianthe they got the job done incredibly quickly, but then she supposed they didn’t want to hang around in case they were caught. One man was left to guard her, so there was still no opportunity for escape.

  Soon, the little dwelling was empty and Gervaise returned for her. He pulled her up and tugged her towards the path down to the cove. She was grateful he hadn’t thought it necessary to tie her up, and wondered if there would be any chance to flee now. She was a reasonably good swimmer, and jumping overboard seemed like a good alternative to going anywhere with Gervaise.

  Unfortunately, it was as if he could read her mind, because he produced a length of rope and proceeded to bind her hands in front of her when they reached the tiny beach. ‘Just a precaution,’ he smirked. ‘Don’t want you to get any ideas.’

  ‘You’re despicable,’ she muttered, testing her bonds to see whether there was any give, but sadly she found they didn’t budge an inch.

  ‘So you keep telling me.’ He chuckled. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you once you give in to me.’

  ‘I will never do that voluntarily,’ she vowed, but infuriatingly, he just chuckled some more and led her towards the waiting row boat.

  Only half of Gervaise’s men were still on the beach when the attack came and pandemonium broke out all around them. Gervaise swore and yanked Ianthe in front of him as a human shield, even though she struggled to escape his grip, kicking and biting him as best she could. The knife appeared in his hand as before and he continued to try to pull her in the direction of the row boat, but she dug in her heels to delay their departure.

  There were sounds of fighting all around them and grunts of pain, as well as the odd scream to indicate serious injury, but to Ianthe’s dismay, Jason was prevented from coming straight to her side by the large Frenchman she had bested the day before. A brief struggle ensued, but when Lynch came to his master’s aid, they soon had the Frenchman sprawled on the shingle.

  ‘Give up, Gervaise, you’re outnumbered,’ Jason shouted over the din, but to Ianthe�
��s horror, the man behind her only laughed.

  ‘If you come even a step closer, she dies, cousin,’ he drawled, holding his knife against Ianthe’s throat. It glinted in the faint moonlight. ‘I mean it. I’ve killed one of your wives already, it won’t bother me to dispatch this one to hell as well.’

  ‘You son of a—’

  ‘Call your men off now, do you hear? We’re leaving.’

  Reluctantly, Jason did as he was bid and the fighting ceased.

  ‘Don’t think you’ll get away with this, Gervaise. I’ll find you, if it’s the last thing I do,’ Jason threatened, but Gervaise ignored his cousin and bundled Ianthe into the boat. His men, those who were still standing, scrambled in after them.

  Ianthe blinked away tears as she watched Jason and the shore recede into the distance while two oarsmen quickly sculled them out to a larger ship which was waiting in the narrow bay that presumably belonged to Wyckeham Hall. Ianthe was forced to climb a rope ladder, while Gervaise pushed from below, obviously relishing this task judging by his continued laughter. At last, she made it on to the deck, and walked quickly to one side, wondering whether she could swim with her hands tied. It might be possible, but if her dress dragged her down, she would be unable to remove it and she might drown. She swore inwardly.

  ‘Come, I’ll take you to the cabin,’ Gervaise said, and they began to move towards the back of the ship. There were no lanterns to guide them. Ianthe assumed this was because they didn’t want to be seen by any revenue cutters. She stumbled several times on huge coils of rope and other sailing paraphernalia on deck, but Gervaise hung on to her arm to steady her.

  Just as they reached what she thought must be the opening to the cabins, a shot rang out, however, and there was suddenly light coming from the mouth of the bay. ‘What the …? Damn!’ Gervaise pulled her quickly against him, and brought the knife out of his pocket yet again. Ianthe drew in a hasty breath.

  ‘What do we do, sir?’

  ‘It’s the excisemen!’