“You are the one Naomi knows,” she said.
“Aye,” he said, his smile deepening.
Her heart raced as she took from his expression the distinct feeling something more existed in his heart for Naomi then just the pleasures of a night between the sheets. He may have bragged about his lusty conquests to Beck, but clearly his reaction proved to be genuinely meaningful. If this was the case, then her plan just might work.
Gray’s smile faded. “How do you know this?”
“I heard Beck and Langley talking,” she said.
“Sometimes they talk too much.” Then he added, “You must know she asked that no harm come to you.”
Riley arched a brow. “How could she have expected anything differently?”
Gray shrugged. “I would say to Naomi anything other than death is manageable.”
“And what was she promised for my capture?”
“She would receive a sum of money large enough to take her to France where we plan to start a new life.”
“And is that where she is to meet you?”
“Aye, when my part here is done,” he said.
She took an audible breath. “She will not be in France, Lieutenant.”
He frowned. “If you are trying to make me believe Naomi will betray me, you are wasting your breath. I know she wants a new chance, a better life, and she’s decided to share it all with me.”
“It isn’t Naomi who has betrayed you,” she said.
His frown deepened. “And what would you know about anything?”
“As you said, Beck and Langley talk too much...and I listened.” She raised a defiant chin.
“And what did you hear this time, Miss Flanders?”
“Captain Langley’s instructions to Lieutenant Beck.”
He smirked. “And what would that be?”
“He ordered him to kill Naomi. And that is exactly what Beck did.”
Gray’s eyes widened as he grabbed her by the arm. “You lie.”
Leah moved between them. “Do ye remember she is not to be ’armed?”
Gray glared at Leah with venom in his eyes. She was a tiny girl, only came to his shoulders, yet she stood bravely between them.
Riley’s heart went out to the young woman standing in her defense. She had to get Leah away from these men, but getting Gray angry wasn’t the way to win him over. She put a protective arm around Leah’s shoulders. “I swear to you. I speak the truth.” Then she softened her tone. “I am so sorry.”
Gray removed his grip from her arm and stepped back. “Nay, that cannot be. We had a deal.”
“You give your companions way too much credit, Lieutenant. In the line of business they are in, didn’t it ever occur to you they’d not care about honoring any sort of deal?”
Gray, his demeanor rattled, combed his fingers threw his hair. “Are you sure it was Naomi?”
“Aye, I saw it all with my own two eyes. Beck ended her life with the blade of his knife.” She swallowed hard as the scene of Naomi and Tom lying in a pool of blood came rushing back to haunt her. “I’m so sorry, Lieutenant,” she apologized again. “But she isn’t going to meet you in France...or anywhere ever again, because Naomi is most definitely dead.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lieutenant Gray didn’t bind Riley’s hands with the rope, but instead tied it around her waist, and then attached the other end around Leah’s. In this way he could control where they trod, and like a pair of dogs, he walked them onto shore and out into the damp night. The only light afforded them was from the lantern Leah had brought to the cabin earlier. Gray held it now, but with him walking on ahead, she had a hard time navigating over the uneven terrain, laced with rocks. When her toe hit an unseen obstacle, she stumbled, causing Leah to become off balance with her.
The shoes I wear are not fit for such a trek. My riding boots would have sufficed far better.
In an instant her thoughts disgusted her. Had she come, living with convenience and luxury, so far removed from any discomfort that she only cared for her own plight? When had she become so selfish? Leah’s footwear was not even as well made as the pair she wore, and the younger woman’s shawl and worn dress were threadbare, yet she never complained. Despite stumbling when Riley did, Leah never cursed or whined.
Instead, she whispered encouragements. “We are almost there. Just stay quiet, and all will be fine.”
She had the distinct feeling if she weren’t compliant, Leah would be made to answer for it. And she wanted no repercussions against the younger girl because of her actions. Leah looked as though she had endured enough, lest she make her life worse. Even at the most destitute time of her life, she was never abused. Granted, Anita disciplined Riley when the need arose. But her backside was met with a loving hand. The blows stung but were dealt fairly and with control. She was sure Leah would receive a much harder punishment, one quite harsh and humiliating. A birching at the hands of these men would be nothing less than torturous.
Leah helped her stand, but she had a distinct feeling someone watched her. She glanced at a copse of trees, searching for the one who observed her, but the dark forest hid the watcher well.
Not long into the journey, a storm threatened. The rain, vicious and embittered by a chill, pelted her shoulders, drenched her hair, and stung her cheeks like needles of ice. Her teeth chattered in unison with Leah’s. Placing an arm over the other woman’s shoulders, she draped the end of her cape around her bony visage and drew her close.
“I thank ye, miss,” Leah said, soaking in whatever warmth their two bodies could afford them. And in that moment, she felt a bond growing between them.
Neither woman would be in the predicament they shared if it weren’t for their paternal parent. Leah’s father trusted his wife more than he worried for his daughter’s welfare. He allowed a woman, too cruel to care for a child that wasn’t hers, to decide Leah’s fate. As a result she was sold into bondage. And Riley had hoped to meet her father, to finally set eyes on the man who she believed was her only living kin. Both she and Leah had been tricked and deceived. Their journey brought them to a wrong destiny, and now they’d pay the price all alone.
Except, they weren’t alone any longer, they had each other. “You are not alone,” she whispered to Leah. “Not anymore. We will survive this and escape from these men.”
Leah’s large blue eyes glistened with tears. “Do I dare to remain ’opeful, miss?”
“Aye, Leah. For without hope we cannot stay strong, nor do what needs to be done to find ourselves back at Collins Stead,” she said.
The path turned into a steep incline, and Riley spotted the mouth of a cave ahead. As they approached the entrance, she heard Langley taunting and threatening to kill someone else’s family members if they didn’t comply. She had no doubt, even sight unseen, that the person was yet another woman. Wall torches lining the entrance illuminated the large opening as they made their way around a sharp corner.
Gray pulled his two charges behind him, coming to a halt as they stepped into a second chamber. “I’ve brought the other one,” he said, scowling with venom at Langley and then glancing with menace at Beck.
Would he let on to the other two officers he knew of Naomi’s death, or would he bide his time? She prayed for the latter. If Gray planned on revenge, and she was sure he felt enough for Naomi to vindicate her death, Riley’s chances to sway him to her favor might be possible. She held her breath, waiting for him to reveal his news, throw her further to the dogs, but he remained silent. Handing his end of the rope to Beck, he stepped aside, wiped his face with a kerchief he pulled from his pocket, and then walked out of the cave.
“What’s with him?” Beck said.
“I haven’t time to play nurse maid now.” Langley tied the hands of the person he intimidated, another woman Riley suspected, to a metal ring hanging from the stone wall. The ring was placed low enough to allow a prisoner to sit.
The other female was about Riley’s age, fair-skinned and dark-eyed
. One long chestnut-colored braid hung over her left shoulder. Strands had come loose from the tie, as well as tiny wisps curling at her temples and forehead. She appeared hauntingly exhausted and wore only nightwear, a cream-colored sleeping gown with long sleeves and a high collar. The flimsy material was streaked with dirt, its hem caked with mud. The woman’s bared, muddy feet were scraped and bloody.
Good Lord, the poor girl must have been snatched from her bed.
Langley glanced at Leah tied to Riley, and his voice sharpened. “Set the little twit free and tie the other to a wall ring,” he ordered Beck.
Beck nodded and did as he was commanded, tugging harshly on the rope still fastened around her waist. She tripped, coming down hard upon the cave’s floor. Her right kneecap landed on a jagged piece of rock, splitting the flesh. Warm blood trickled down her leg. Beck reached for the hood of her cape and roughly pulled her to her feet.
She limped in pain to a wall loop, standing on one leg as Beck tied her wrists together, and then secured them to the metal ring.
“I told you not to mark the merchandise!” Langley shouted at Beck. “You’ve got this one’s feet bleeding, and that one falling on her knee.”
“It was her own fault she fell, not watching where she was going,” Beck defended.
“Now, raise her skirt and see what harm has been done,” Langley demanded.
Beck’s leering smile proved he had no problem with that order and promptly lifted her skirt much higher than required.
Upon seeing her torn hose and bloodied knee, Langley growled. “Leah, fetch the items you will need to clean and dress that knee and the wounds on this other’s feet. I don’t need the threat of infection to ruin a business deal.”
Leah nodded and made her way quickly from the cave.
“You are all swines,” the other woman shrieked, her gray-green eyes glaring with hate at Langley.
Langley knotted a fist full of the woman’s hair in his large hand. “I have no problem reddening that lily-white arse of yours again, if need be. So think twice before you decide to trouble me further.”
The other woman’s face burned. Riley felt her own countenance heat, as she remembered Langley threatening to beat her in the same fashion. And most likely he would have, if at that moment, he wasn’t pressed for time. Her virtue may not be in immediate danger of being compromised, for she well-realized the client ordered the services of a virgin. And Langley most definitely wanted to comply with his client’s wishes. But that didn’t mean her modesty was safe from the hands or the eyes of these men. The humiliation of her bum bared and receiving a beaten obviously would quickly heal and nay a soul would be the wiser, except for her.
When Leah returned with the medicinal items, Langley and Beck made ready to leave.
“Leah, after you tend to their injuries, fetch them each a flask of water, a slice of bread, and a bucket for their privy use,” Langley ordered.
Leah nodded and bent to the task of cleaning Riley’s knee first.
Langley’s eyes swept over his bounty with pride. “Not a bad week’s work, hey Beck?”
Beck grinned. “Not bad at all, Captain.”
“Now, ladies, before I take my leave, I suggest you both rest. Tomorrow we sail early, and I will not tolerate any inconveniences. With that said,” Langley added, bowing with mock politeness, “I bid you a good night.”
“Sleep well, ladies,” Beck concluded before he and the captain left the cave.
Riley shifted the hem of her cape beneath her backside, to shield her bones against the ground chill, the best she could without using her hands. Then she extended her leg to Leah’s administrations.
“Why are you caring for her first?” the other woman complained.
Leah’s hands trembled, as gentle and efficient fingers cleaned and dressed the knee. “Because her wound is open, bleeds more,” she said, her eyes remaining on her work.
The other woman sat, grimacing with pain as her bottom met the ground. “I hope you all rot in hell,” she hissed.
When Leah finished, she made her way to care for the second prisoner and knelt in front of her. The other woman thrust out her legs in such a way her feet kicked Leah in the side.
Leah flinched.
“You need not treat her so. She is only trying to help us.”
“She is trying to ready us to be sold,” the other woman growled, her hateful gaze fixed on Leah. “Isn’t that right, bitch?”
Leah remained silent and continued cleaning the woman’s feet.
The other woman glanced at Riley. “Know it now, this little, daft twit does all their bidding.”
Annoyed with the other woman’s assessment, she came to Leah’s defense. “I don’t believe she is either daft or a twit, just a scared young woman.”
The other woman blinked back tears. “She stood and watched, wide-eyed and silent, while Langley beat and shamed me.” She glanced again at Leah. “Was it fun watching someone else being beaten?”
Leah stood, gathered up the medicinal items and said in a soft tone, “I will get the food and drink now.”
Tears trickled down the other woman’s cheeks. “Aye, you do that. You do everything they tell you, even if it’s wrong and disgusting.”
Sympathy filled Riley’s heart for the other woman’s fear and disgrace. “As I see it, Leah hasn’t much choice, for her own fate also hangs in the balance. She might not be tied as we are, but she is still a captive.”
“My father will have all of their heads on a platter, including that bitch of a laundress, Naomi,” the other woman vowed, choking on a sob.
Riley held her tongue, keeping silent the fact Naomi was already dead. Though she was also one of Naomi’s victims, she didn’t think it was a good idea for their background to be revealed.
“She tricked me, said my father lay stricken in the garden,” the other woman continued. “I had just awakened. My head was still a bit foggy, and when I heard my father was in need, I thought nothing of just following her without question. Once in the garden, the man Beck leapt from a bush, put a cloth over my nose, and the next thing I know, I am lying with my hands tied in the basement of an old building.” She raised her chin defiantly. “I am Lady Suzanna Wellington, and I will not be treated with such disrespect.”
Riley placed the name immediately to the tear-stained face. Lady Wellington, known for her very rich ancestors and their prestigious titles, was a spoiled and inconsiderate young woman with no concept for other’s feelings. She robbed other women of their beaus just for sport and severely punished her servants. “And I am Riley Flanders, ward of Lady Lucinda Collins of Collins Stead in Glenshire Sussex,” she said.
“And so, what point does that matter?”
“My point is,” Riley retorted, annoyed, “I don’t think right now it would matter if you were the Queen of England.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Help me fill the crates we occupied,” Gabriel said to Olivier. “When the Sea Patrol officers come back for the cargo and discover two of the crates empty, their suspicions will be raised.”
“Aye, I agree, but what will we fill them with?” Oliver said.
“Some of what is in the other crates,” he said, prying off the lid of a nearby wooden container and removing from it several guns and knives. “If we take a little from about five other crates, we can make up some of the contents of the two we hid in. It will take a while before the officers realize their bounty has dwindled, and hopefully they will just think they have been swindled by their providers.”
“Or that the shipmates have been dippin’ their ’ands in the loot.”
He nodded. “At any rate they will never suspect that two men infiltrate their camp.”
Oliver smiled at Gabriel’s two men reference, his adolescent shoulders squaring with pride. “Aye, ’tis a good plan ye ’ave,” he agreed, setting to work unloading and loading the crates until all the wooden containers appeared to be equally filled.
When the task was complet
e, they made their way through the forest, toward the direction of the river. The large trees and overgrown brush made travel slow but afforded them coverage from being spotted. All Gabriel had learned about scouting and tracking came in handy at this point, and he was thankful he had listened to his instructors.
About a mile into their hike, voices could be heard. Ducking behind a large bush, they spotted a small ray of light coming into view. A Sea Patrol officer led Riley, who was tied to a younger woman.
“This one is not one o’ the two who carried out the trunk,” Oliver noticed.
“No, he is not,” he agreed. “But the woman tied to Riley must be Lady Wellington.”
“Nay,” Oliver said. “I’m not thinkin’ that’s ’er.”
He frowned. “And why is that?”
“I remember Lady Wellington’s time to coome out was the same year as Miss Riley’s. The girl there,” he said, pointing a finger, “’tisn’t much older than I am, and she’s dressed poorly.”
He cast a sideways glance at Oliver. “You have a keen eye, my friend.”
Oliver’s chin rose with pride, but he answered modestly, “Nay, ’tis more like a keen memory.”
“Then if she is not Lady Wellington, she must be another girl they have kidnapped.”
Oliver took an audible breath. “I wonder ’ow many others there are?”
“I could not even begin to guess,” he said. “But if they have been at this trade a while, there could be several women on this trip alone.”
“And just ’ow is the two o’ us going to rescue them all?” Oliver said.
“We will not,” he said.
Oliver’s eyes widened. “But we must.”
Gabriel placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “If we are to save any of the women and stop this trade, we have to stay focused on the plan of action that will accomplish the mission.” He wondered if any woman is safe anywhere. Had he not traveled with his sisters to England to keep them safe from the white agents that took over their village? It seems he has brought Sunny to a place where a woman still was not safe in her own land. “The priority is to rescue Riley and Lady Wellington and get them away from these men. Then, when Captain Cavendish arrives with reinforcements, we can go forth to free the others.”
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