Despite the frightening emotions that raced through Eliza’s trembling body, a single concern possessed her: keep Kitty safe.
They walked in silence. The night air sliced through her damp gown and she shivered, but did her best to ignore the biting cold. Noticing that Kitty hadn’t grabbed any kind of covering, Eliza shrugged off her shawl and placed it around her sister.
“Hold this tight around you. You need to stay warm.”
Kitty looked at Eliza, fresh streams of tears drumming over her cheeks.
“I don’t understand, Liza. What’s going on?” Kitty remained calm when she spoke but the sadness in her voice ripped Eliza in half.
She wanted to tell her about Father’s actions—to erase some of the fear and doubt, but thought against it. Father had told her to keep it from Kitty, and though Eliza couldn’t understand why, Father had his reasons. She believed—hoped—that he knew best.
“We’ll understand all of this soon enough.” Eliza wrapped one arm around Kitty’s shoulders and the other around her own waist so she could pull away at the fabric that continued to cling to her. “Mr. Watson has already protected us once. I feel certain he’s leading us to safety.”
“You’re shivering.”
“I’m fine, Kitty.” Eliza smiled and squeezed her tighter. “We’ll be all right if we continue walking.”
A welcome warmth suddenly enveloped her. Eliza turned to see Thomas beside her, placing his jacket around her shoulders. “I don’t need it,” he said. “I’ve just had a long run.” The caring in his deep voice warmed her as much as his coat.
Eliza had been raised to employ perfect manners, but at the moment every proper response fled from her mouth. Nodding her thanks, she pulled it tighter around her shivering frame.
Thomas dipped his chin in return with a half-smile, which made her own mouth lift upward. He was a true gentleman. Such chivalry was difficult to find, not even Samuel had ever—
Eliza inhaled a sharp breath. Samuel! Did he know of this? She pressed her fingers to her lips. No, he would never have allowed this to happen.
“Are you all right, Miss Campbell?” Thomas touched her elbow, his dark brows arching down.
She pulled his coat tighter and nodded, unable to make any sound emerge.
“We’ll be there soon,” he said.
Eliza retreated into her thoughts. Once Samuel found out about what had happened he would be furious. She had to find a way to get word to him and let him know they were safe.
Wherever they were going, Samuel would find them. She knew it.
Chapter Five
“He did WHAT?” Samuel boomed at Donaldson who stood before him, browbeaten and bleeding.
“Sir, there was nothing we could do—”
“There’s always something you can do!” Samuel stopped him before he could say any more. “Where’s the list?” He held out his hand to the two soldiers as they exchanged nervous glances. “Well?” His voice escalated.
Donaldson handed him the small ripped paper, pulling his shoulders back. “This is the only name I got, Captain. Watson grabbed the other piece and got away before . . .”
Samuel snatched it from Donaldson’s hand.
His face burned and his heart refused to beat. Robert Campbell.
“NO!” He shouted and crumpled the tiny paper, throwing it into the dying fire behind him. He rested his fists on the table, breathing hard.
Donaldson continued. “We followed your orders and went to Campbell’s to apprehend him, but no one was there so we—”
“You didn’t.”
Donaldson raised one brow. “Those were your orders.”
Samuel’s fury turned white-hot. They’d been to the house?
Eliza!
If they’d so much as touched her he’d kill them with his bare hands.
“How could you be so foolish?” Samuel marched around the table. “I could have you punished for this! How would your miserable mother and sisters survive then, Lieutenant?”
Donaldson straightened, an air of suppressed disdain lurking in his tone. “We were simply following your orders, sir.”
Samuel backhanded the inferior soldier, grabbed him by the lapels, and yelled in his face, spitting as he spoke. “You fool! Robert’s dead!” Pushing the man away Samuel grit his teeth. Donaldson touched his mouth, examining the new bit of blood on the back of his hand.
“Besides that,” Samuel continued, “everyone knows Doctor Campbell was a Tory.”
Samuel turned away and gazed into the embers in the small fireplace. There were whisperings about Robert’s involvement with the patriots, although Samuel never entertained the vile rumor. He knew everything about Robert. They had shared the same ideals and beliefs—hadn’t they?
Gripping the bottom of the table, he yelled with all his might as he flung it across the room and sent it crashing into the wall. The two subordinates straightened, their eyes wide.
“Ready my horse,” he barked. “Now!”
Donaldson’s mouth hardened and his eyes narrowed for less than a second before he turned to his companion and motioned to the door, then slammed it behind them.
Samuel pulled on his coat, grabbed his pistol, and fastened his sword at his side. If Eliza needed rescuing of any kind, he would be prepared.
Not five minutes later he was astride his gray gelding and riding full-speed toward the Campbell’s. His mind struggled to grapple with what Donaldson had reported.
They’d already been there? The house was empty? Not possible.
Eliza and Kitty must be there—likely they were hiding, no doubt scared out of their wits.
Those fool soldiers. He should never have entrusted them with such a task. Samuel wanted to beat them senseless. And he would, just as soon as he knew his love was safe.
When he reached the house and found the front door open, his concern jumped fifty notches. Leaping off his horse, he ran into the house, calling for Eliza.
He strained all of his senses as he took in the scene before him.
The house lay in shambles.
What had happened? The sight of the overturned tables and chairs, the broken glass, turned his chest to stone.
He searched the parlor, the kitchen. Someone had been through the house in a hurry and left evidence of their escape.
“Eliza! Eliza!”
He stopped breathing, hoping to pick up even the tiniest sound. Since the bottom floor held no clue, he bounded up the stairs two at a time, calling for both girls as he explored the small room first, then the larger.
The view in front of him forced his stomach to his throat. His heart thumped against his ribs as he shoved his fingers through his hair.
The quilt had been thrown off the bed, and articles of clothes were strewn around the room. The doors to the armoire were wide open and the moonlight cast a phantom-like glow making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
They’d been kidnapped. That much was clear. But who had done it and why?
“Eliza!” he yelled again, panic flooding his voice.
His mind whirled at such a pace his thoughts couldn’t keep up. He ran down the stairs and out the doorway to his waiting horse, intent on heading back to question the soldiers further.
Suddenly he stopped. A frightening realization fit together in his mind like the pieces of a puzzle box. The autumn air grew thick around him as he formulated what must have happened.
It was Watson.
Watson must have known Robert well, if indeed they were both members of the same traitorous group. There was that time he’d seen Robert enter the print shop . . .
Yes. It made sense now. Robert may have told Watson he had two daughters and that Samuel was in love with one of them.
Watson planned to use Eliza as leverage.
Samuel gripped the sword at his side and cursed at the sky.
He leapt onto his gelding and raced back to town. The trees and houses whizzed by him at the speed of his whirling mind.
Watson must have planned to only release the girls if Samuel promised not to follow through on the blackmail. Well, not only would he follow through, he would see to the torture and imprisonment—even death—of Thomas Watson.
Samuel figured the press would be closed up tight. It was.
He didn’t even bother to knock. Kicking the door in, he barked at the four other soldiers he’d brought with him to begin searching. Their torches lit the room like monstrous fireflies.
“I’m heading upstairs. Yell for me if you find anything,” Samuel said.
As he headed to the back door, a man’s large frame filled the emptiness, a wide-eyed look on his round face.
“What’s the meaning of this?” the man demanded, his quivering voice a laughable companion to his shaking jowls.
“Who are you? Where’s Thomas Watson?” Samuel stood in front of the fat man, looking down at him.
“I’m . . . I’m George Watson, sir. Tommy’s uncle.” George scanned the space with a bewildered stare. “Tommy’s not here. He . . . he never came back from whatever it was he said he had to do this evening. I fell asleep. The first night in a long while that my bed’s not been rocking back and forth.” He chuckled, while his thick fingers massaged each other and his eyes darted between the soldiers moving about the room.
“You’re saying you haven’t seen him since earlier this evening. Are you sure? And he hasn’t been here?” Samuel had no patience for this. He wrenched George’s arm. “Don’t lie to me.”
“No, sir. I wouldn’t lie to you. I haven’t seen him since.”
“Take him.” Samuel motioned to Donaldson who stood nearby.
Donaldson nodded and moved forward.
“What? Me? I’m innocent!” George’s voice edged an octave higher. “I just arrived yesterday. Is this the way you soldiers treat a fellow Englishman?”
Samuel leaned into the man’s meaty face and grumbled. “All I know is that you are staying in the home of a man who’s just kidnapped two young women. A man who this very night assaulted soldiers in His Majesty’s Army and fled the city. I’m not about to take any chances.”
Two of the soldiers took the terrified man by the arms and struggled to get him out the door as he dug in his heels and tried in vain to yank free from their grip.
“Guard him until I get back,” Samuel ordered.
“Aye, Captain. Where are you going now?” Donaldson asked.
Samuel mounted his horse once again. “There’s one more place for me to try.”
He headed there in haste.
Thomas peered up at the sky through the canopy of branches. Thank goodness for the moonlight. Without it, their two-mile journey would have been impossible.
He exhaled and shook his arms at his sides. How could he think clearly when his emotions were pulled so tight? Every barking dog, every snapping twig, zapped his raw nerves and made his muscles cramp. No doubt the soldiers were on their trail. And if they weren’t already, they would be soon.
Thomas walked in front of Eliza and Kitty to be sure the path was even and that no hidden attacker lay in waiting. He peered over his shoulder as the desire to provide and protect consumed him. His companions huddled together, both for warmth and comfort, he supposed. Thomas’s stomach rolled and he gazed once again at the sky. What could he have done differently to save them from such a fate? Why hadn’t God intervened?
He couldn’t dwell on the thought. God worked in wisdom—even though Thomas didn’t always see it.
The three of them trudged on. Behind him, Eliza’s gentle voice drifted around him like bird-song as she consoled her sister. He fought the urge to slow his step and walk beside her. That would be too familiar a gesture, and walking in front allowed him to keep a more protective position. She spoke again, whispering something to Kitty and Kitty whispered back.
Thomas strained to hear Eliza’s hushed answer. “I’m sure we will be home before too long. Mr. Watson knows what he’s doing.”
The trust in her voice made his confidence wobble. He had no idea what he was doing. The faith and bravery that nestled inside that petite woman astounded him. She didn’t even know him and here she was, placing their lives in his hands. A woman of such courage was a rare commodity.
As they passed into a clearing, his cousin’s moonlit cabin came into view. A mixture of relief and added dread kneaded his already weary muscles. He approached the dwelling, scanning the area around him, cautious of any onlookers. Urgency poured into his gut and he waved at the girls to stay close to him.
He pounded on the door just as he had at the Campbell’s. He didn’t worry about waking the children as he might have at any other time. They would no doubt be up and running for their safety in a matter of minutes, just as the three of them were doing now.
Peering into the window, Thomas cupped his hand over his mouth as he spoke into the glass. “Daniel! It’s me, Thomas! Let us in!”
A candle flickered through the house and the door swung open.
“Thomas!” Daniel said, sleep glazing his eyes. The nightcap on his head tilted, revealing mussed hair. His gaze absorbed Thomas and the two wet and shivering girls behind him. “What’s happened?”
Before Thomas could answer, Daniel moved to the side and waved at the three of them to enter. They crowded into the small cabin as he shut the large door and locked it.
“Before you say anything Thomas, let me wake Clara and dress. It looks as if the three of you could use some care.”
Daniel put the lantern on a rough-hewn table in the center of the cabin and entered the room where his wife slept.
Thomas turned to Eliza, who continued to shelter Kitty. “Daniel is my cousin. He’ll be able to help us, and the two of you can get out of those wet clothes before we leave again.”
Eliza gave no expression when she nodded. What must she be thinking?
Daniel reentered, dressed in a shirt and breeches, followed in close order by his wife Clara. The telltale roundness in her middle caused her to hobble as she walked.
Clara’s dainty eyebrows rose at the sight of the midnight guests and she went to work straight away, keeping one hand on her belly.
“Daniel, start some water to boil, please.”
Daniel grunted in agreement and went to the fire.
“I’m sorry to wake you, Clara,” Thomas said.
She grinned. “This babe was keeping me up as it is, kicking and tumbling. You have nothing to worry over.”
Thomas tried to smile back, but he could only nod. He glanced at Eliza and Kitty who still huddled together, taking in their surroundings.
“Thomas, have a seat here while I look at your wounds.” Clara motioned to the chair in front of her.
“I don’t have any—”
“Sit down, before I decide not to be so kind.” She winked and Thomas slumped into the chair with a grin and teasing kind of growl that made her smile widen. Clara continued, “Do you ladies have any extra clothes? You must be a block of ice in those wet nightgowns.”
“We do.” Eliza’s voice was clear, but soft.
“Good. You may take them into our bedchamber there and change while I clean him up.”
Eliza and Kitty hurried into the strange room and closed the door, eager to rid their shivering bodies of the icy clothes.
“Let me help you, Kitty.” Eliza emptied the bag onto the disheveled bed and filtered through the articles to find what belonged to Kitty.
Through the door Eliza could hear the heated voices in the next room.
“Thomas.” Daniel’s voice was deep and powerful. “What’s going on?”
A deafening pause followed. Eliza and Kitty stared at each other, bracing themselves for the reasons of the evening’s nightmare.
“I’m ashamed to admit this.” Thomas stopped, and Eliza heard a chair scrape across the floor. She helped Kitty wriggle out of her sticky, wet nightdress as he continued, “I’ve put you all, and Robert Campbell’s two daughters, in danger.”
“Those a
re Doctor Campbell’s girls?” Daniel asked.
“They are.”
Kitty flipped her head in the direction of the door. “How did they know Father? Were they his patients?” she whispered as Eliza pulled her chemise over her head and down her body.
“Shhh. Let’s just listen.” Eliza fumbled with the laces of Kitty’s stays as she did them up. Her heart palpitated against her chest and she strained to keep her anxiety from showing. She prayed her faux air of strength and calm was believable, at least to Kitty.
Footsteps tapped across the floor. “I was approached several years ago, not long after I joined up with the Sons of Liberty, by a British soldier who asked me to divulge information about our group—what we talked about, what we planned to do, and so forth. But I refused.”
The girls shared confused glances, before Kitty helped Eliza out of her own muddy gown.
Thomas continued. “Not long after I’d refused his futile offer, he approached me again—this time telling me if I did not comply they would not only hurt me, but you Daniel, and your family as well. The details of which I wish not to speak of.”
Kitty slapped a hand over her open mouth and Eliza gasped. Dear Lord! How dreadful.
“They blackmailed you?” Daniel’s voice was quieter now, but threaded with hate. Eliza could well imagine the anger that lined his sturdy face.
“Thomas, I’m so sorry,” Clara said. Her heavy step moved across the floor followed by the sound of sloshing water.
“’Tis I who should be sorry. I should have found another way.”
Eliza’s stomach dropped to her knees and she crossed her arms as Kitty struggled with the laces on her stays. How could any soldier ever do such a thing? She breathed deep as indignation soared from her feet to the tips of her hair. Wait until Samuel discovered this. He would be furious and bring the culprit to a rightful punishment.
“So, what happened tonight? Why are you and Robert’s daughters in danger?” Daniel pressed.
Eliza and Kitty slipped into their dresses and helped each other button and lace their last bit of clothing into place while Thomas explained the rest of the tragic tale.
So Fair a Lady (Daughters of His Kingdom Book 1) Page 5