Impending Love and Madness

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Impending Love and Madness Page 25

by Laura Freeman


  When Bryce stopped, Vance pulled her from the saddle and set her on her feet. “Don’t try anything, Miss Beecher.”

  They were in front of a small cabin she had never seen. It wasn’t on Zach’s map.

  “Put the horses away,” Vance ordered. He removed the scarf covering her mouth and pulled out the gag.

  She took a long draw of breath. “Have you gone mad? My friends will hunt you down.”

  “They’re gentlemen. They won’t discover you’re gone until morning,” Vance said. “By then it will be too late to rescue you.”

  Cass struggled free from the blanket. Vance cursed. Her nightgown was her only clothing. He snatched the cover from the ground and draped it around her. The ground was cold beneath her bare feet. She took a step into a puddle and jumped back.

  Vance lifted her into his arms. She screamed. “There’s no one to hear you but the coyotes.”

  The cabin was dark except for red and gold ashes smoldering in the fireplace. Vance carried her to a small bed in the corner and deposited her on the cornhusk- filled mattress. “Get some sleep before morning.”

  Cass scooted to the far side against the wall. She pulled the cover around her, huddling in its protective cocoon. Vance squatted in front of the fire and added a log. “This will take the chill off the damp air.”

  Bryce entered with her bag. “Where should I put this?”

  Vance took it and dropped it near the bed where she cowered. “Be a good girl, and you’ll be reunited with your friends tomorrow.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “I’m getting paid to do it.”

  “I thought you were an honorable soldier, but you’re nothing but a mercenary.”

  He bent near her face. “Don’t talk to me about honor. While Tyler Montgomery stayed safely home with his wife and son, I lost everything.”

  Why did he hate Tyler?

  He turned and joined Bryce in front of the fire. “You take first watch. I’m getting some sleep.”

  Vance flopped onto another narrow bed across the small one-room cabin. The hewn logs were thick, and a small window provided the only light. Her only way to escape was through the door, and Bryce sat in a chair between her and freedom.

  After watching her captors, hoping Bryce would fall asleep, her eyes closed.

  ****

  Zach rose early for the sale and joined Ethan and Harry in the hallway. He knocked on the door for Cass. No answer.

  “Hey, sleepy head, wake up!” Ethan called.

  Zach opened the door. The bed was stripped of its blanket. A pillow was on the floor. Her bag was missing. “She’s gone.”

  “She’s been kidnapped,” Harry said.

  “No one would dare…”

  Zach didn’t hear the rest of Ethan’s words. He rushed to Seymour’s room. It was empty. He opened a drawer. His clothing was gone. They had ordered him to go. Did he take Cass with him?

  He ran down the stairs. Seymour was seated at the head of the dining room table eating breakfast. “Beautiful day for a sale.”

  Zach grabbed Seymour by his coat and raised him off the chair. “Where is she?”

  Seymour struggled from his grip. “No harm will come to Miss Beecher if you do exactly as I say.”

  Zach shoved him into his seat. “You want the papers.”

  “You’re not as dumb as I thought.”

  Ethan and Harry stood beside him. “I’ll turn them over to you when I know Miss Beecher is safe.”

  He tapped his fingertips together. “You’ll see her at the auction. If you try anything, she’ll be the first to suffer.”

  “You wouldn’t dare harm an innocent woman. You couldn’t hate me that much.”

  “Lucia mentioned Vance desires a wife,” Seymour said. “He’s had all night to convince Miss Beecher to marry him.”

  Zach punched Seymour. His head jerked with the blow, and his nose bled. Seymour grabbed his napkin and staunched the flow. “If he’s touched her, you’ll die by my hands.”

  Seymour examined the blood on the cloth. “You don’t have it in you to murder a man.”

  He looked at Ethan and Harry and laughed. “We killed plenty of men in the war. When we ran out of cartridges, we used our bayonets. In close quarters we used knives, and when we were without weapons, we used our bare fists.” Zach placed his hands on Seymour’s neck. “When you choke the life out of man, he doesn’t die quickly. He knows death is coming, but he can’t stop it.” Zach released him. “Cassandra would ask me to spare your life, but she’s not here to stop me.”

  Seymour shook. “The war is over.”

  “You started this one.” Zach sat. “And whether you live or die no longer matters to me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Cass spent a restless night in the strange cabin. As sunlight filtered through the lone window, she stirred. Vance was awake, dressed, and drinking coffee. Bryce was gone from his bed. She hesitated to rise. “I need to dress.”

  He turned his back. “Be quick.”

  The sparse furnishings didn’t include a screen for privacy. “You could wait outside.”

  “I don’t molest women, but if you don’t hurry, you can attend the sale in your nightgown.”

  She threw off the cover and stood on the wooden plank floor. She glanced at Vance, his back toward her, and opened her bag. Her anger replaced her fear. “Don’t you know how to pack?” Her clothes were clumped in a wadded mass. She sorted the undergarments from her dresses.

  “I don’t have time for you to sew an outfit,” Vance said. “Pick something to wear.”

  Cold winters had taught her to dress quickly. She pulled her bloomers on beneath her nightgown and slipped on her stockings. She turned. He was standing at attention, facing the opposite direction. She turned away and pulled off her nightgown, replacing it with her camisole. She stepped into her corset and pulled it to her waist, struggling to tighten the strings.

  “I don’t have all day, Miss Beecher.” Vance pulled the lacings and tied off the strings.

  “I don’t need your help.”

  “Women say that and immediately find themselves in dire straits. Besides, you don’t have anything I haven’t seen before.”

  He’d been married, but Cass hurried to finish her wardrobe. She fastened the corset cover. “Where’s my hoop?”

  “Hoop?”

  “For my skirt.” Cass looked around. “Don’t tell me you forgot the crinoline hoop.”

  “You can go without one,” he growled.

  Cass tied off her petticoat and slipped on a work dress. The sleeves were narrow and the collar high. The bodice buttoned in the front. The matching skirt hung in thick folds without a crinoline. She searched her bag.

  “Now what?” Vance demanded.

  “You forgot my boots.”

  “Go barefoot.”

  She found a pair of low-heeled slippers and put them on. “Next time you kidnap me, allow me to pack my bag.”

  “We’re not holding you for ransom, Miss Beecher.”

  “I’m a bargaining chip to keep my friends in line while Seymour sells Zach’s horses and steals his money.”

  “Precisely.”

  “That’s blackmail, Mr. Edwards.”

  Bryce entered. “Zach has agreed to the sale.”

  “Of course he did.” Cass didn’t bother combing and arranging her hair. She tugged on her cloth bonnet and swiped at a stray tear. “You gave him no choice.”

  “Prepare the horse and buggy,” Vance ordered.

  Bryce looked at her, turned, and departed. He wouldn’t help her. He was a soldier who followed orders first.

  Vance offered her a cup of coffee. She declined. “I’m glad you understand the situation.”

  “What is your role in this?”

  “Seymour hired me to manage the sale of all the horses on Ravenswood.”

  “All of them?”

  “Except those we claim for ourselves as payment for the deed.”

  “That w
ill ruin Zach.”

  He finished his coffee. “That’s not my problem.”

  “How much is Seymour paying you? Zach will match it.”

  “With what? He won’t have anything once Seymour leaves with his money,” Vance said.

  Zach would have her. Would her love be enough to sustain him through this treachery?

  “Your smile worries me, Miss Beecher.” Vance lifted her chin and examined her face. “What are you thinking?”

  “You haven’t stolen the most valuable thing to Zach.”

  His eyebrow rose, and a smile exposed crooked teeth. “You.”

  She tied the ribbons to her bonnet beneath her chin. “He’s the man I plan to marry.”

  “You may want to reconsider when he’s faced with poverty.”

  “I didn’t fall in love with his money.” She tilted her chin. “I love him.”

  “What do you know of love?”

  “I know when it’s real. You lost the person you loved. Can’t you sympathize with my plight?”

  His head jerked in her direction. “You haven’t lost a wife and child.”

  His suffering could explain the coldness and harshness in his behavior. “What happened to them?”

  “I don’t know.” He clanged the empty coffee cup against the table. “I was away fighting when death claimed them. I returned home to find two graves and an empty house. I should have spent the war sitting behind a desk like Tyler Montgomery.”

  Tyler again. “I understand why Seymour hates Tyler. He blames him for losing Ravenswood because of the will, but how do you know Tyler?”

  He leaned against the edge of the table and scanned her figure. “You were a little girl in pigtails when I saw you on the square of Darrow Falls celebrating Independence Day. Tyler wasn’t married to your sister then. He was stealing my property.”

  What was he talking about? “Tyler isn’t a thief.”

  “He stole Tess even after the judge said she belonged to me.”

  Tess had been a runaway slave whom Tyler and Cory had helped in 1860. But her master had been Edward Vandal, owner of the Silver Pheasant plantation in Vandalia, Virginia. He had followed Tess to Darrow Falls with his chasers. Cass had seen him from a distance, but he had worn a colorful vest embroidered by his wife. “Did Reggie make your vest?”

  “Regina,” he corrected. “Tyler tried stealing Regina from me when we were younger. I made her the lady of the Silver Pheasant, but my home lies in ruins.”

  It had been five years, but Cass recognized the broken nose and fierce countenance that had fascinated and frightened her. His hair was darker, and the war had aged him, but it was the same man Tyler had fought in the town square and argued against in the courtroom. “Hello, Edward Vandal.”

  “You remember me?”

  She packed her belongings. “Tyler has been searching for you.”

  “I know, that’s why I changed my name.”

  She faced him. “I don’t understand. Why don’t you want to be found?”

  “Tyler may not have fought in the war, but he’s still my enemy. I don’t trust him. And you can tell him he better not interfere with my plans to rebuild the Silver Pheasant.”

  “With stolen funds?” Cass shook her head. “You’re not setting a good example for Jefferson.”

  He grabbed her arm. The tight grip made her cry out in pain. “How do you know my son’s name?”

  “My sister Jem helped Reggie after he was born.” She smiled. “That’s why you called her Miss Jenny. You were there.”

  “Regina. My wife’s name is Regina.” He turned away. “Was Regina.”

  “Jem explained how you were going to name him after the president, and she thought you meant Abraham Lincoln.”

  A slight smile appeared on Edward’s face. “Stupid Yankee.”

  “My sister is not stupid.”

  “No?” Edward studied her. “She traveled to Richmond alone during a war. What woman does that?”

  “She was searching for her husband.”

  “She had courage.” His brows rose. “I see the same in you.”

  “Then you should understand I’ll fight for Zach until my last breath.”

  Edward turned away. “I, on the other hand, have nothing to fight for.”

  “What about Jefferson?”

  He turned, his hand raised to strike her. “I said not to mention my son’s name.”

  “Why not? Don’t you love him?”

  “Of course. No one could love him more.” He ran his fist across his cheek to swipe a tear.

  “Our families have been tied together through the years,” Cass said. “Because of Tyler, Tess, and Jefferson. The ties are too strong to break. We love him. Sterling loves him like a brother.”

  Edward looked confused. “Who is Sterling?”

  “My nephew. Tyler’s son.”

  “How could he have known Jefferson?”

  “They’re best friends. Jefferson has been living with Tyler since Reggie’s death. I mean Regina,” Cass corrected. “That’s why he’s been trying to find you.”

  Edward raised a clenched fist in the air. “Why do you torture me with lies? Jefferson is dead!”

  Cass flinched, expecting him to hit her. He had turned his back. He cradled his head in his hands. “Why do you believe Jefferson is dead?”

  “His grave was next to Regina’s.”

  “That was the baby’s grave,” Cass said.

  He spun to face her. “What baby?”

  “Regina’s maid, Esther, informed us your wife had a baby girl. They died within weeks of each other. Those are the graves you saw.”

  He grabbed her arm and shook her. “What happened to Jefferson?”

  “Esther delivered Jefferson to Washington City, and they traveled to Darrow Falls with my sisters two years ago. He’s been living with Tyler and Cory at Glen Knolls.”

  “I don’t believe you.” Edward released his grip and paced across the room. “It can’t be true.”

  “I’m not a liar.” How did she prove Jefferson was alive? She turned toward her bag and searched through the contents. She withdrew her photograph album and flipped through the pages of family members. She stopped at a picture of two boys sitting side by side. She showed the book to Edward.

  “Sterling Montgomery is on the right. I think you might recognize the boy sitting next to him in the photograph.”

  He grabbed the album from her hands and stared. His voice cracked when he spoke. “When was this taken?”

  “In June when all the family was together.”

  His voice was soft, a whisper. “The last time I was home he was still wearing a gown and bonnet.”

  Jake’s age. “Sterling and Jefferson are inseparable,” Cass said. “They share everything. They had the chicken pox together. Of course, they shared it with Olivia…” A sob stopped her words.

  Edward sat in the chair in front of the fireplace, his head bowed over the album. He brushed away tears. “I thought he was dead.” His voice broke in pain. He turned toward her. “You swear he’s alive?”

  Cass shook her head. “I swear. Jefferson Vandal is alive in Darrow Falls.”

  “You said he was living with Tyler Montgomery.”

  “Regina wrote him before she died. She asked Cory and Tyler to take care of Jefferson in case you didn’t survive the war. That’s the only reason Tyler has been searching for you. He wants to reunite you with your son.”

  Edward snapped the album shut. “This doesn’t change anything. I’m selling the horses.”

  Cass reached for the album. “You can’t. You’ve made a deal with the devil. Seymour doesn’t own those horses. They belong to Zach.”

  “I don’t care about Zach Ravenswood. I need money to rebuild the Silver Pheasant. Now, more than ever.”

  “You can’t rebuild your home with stolen money,” Cass said. “If you commit this crime, Tyler will prosecute you, and he’s an excellent lawyer. Jefferson will be a grown man by the time you see him.”
>
  Edward put the album in his pocket. “You’re going to do exactly as I say. You will follow my instructions without question, or Zach will lose his horses, home, and you.”

  Cass swallowed. A threat by Edward Vandal needed to be heeded. “Yes, sir.”

  Bryce opened the door. “It’s time for the sale, Major.”

  “Take her bag.” Edward offered his arm. “Come along, Miss Beecher. We’re going to an auction.”

  Cass loosened the drawstring on her reticule and examined the money inside. “At least let me buy a broodmare.”

  “Keep your money, Miss Beecher.”

  Edward escorted her to a buggy. A wooden box with metal reinforced corners was loaded in the back behind the single seat. It was the one she had seen in the room in the cabin. The broken handle had been repaired. Bryce placed her travel bag on top.

  “Everything is packed,” Bryce said. “We can head out as soon as the sale is completed.”

  “You’ll be wanted men on the run,” Cass said.

  Bryce looked shocked. “What does she know?”

  “Nothing,” Edward said. “I’ll take her in the buggy. Tie my horse to the back.

  “Is that Black Knight?” The familiar gelding grazed under a nearby tree. “I was going to buy him.”

  “You’ll be happier with Peaches,” Edward said. “She’s gentler.”

  Cass didn’t hesitate. She ran to Black Knight, stroking his neck and speaking gentle words to keep from spooking him. Then she put her foot in the stirrup and straddled his back. She kicked her heels into his sides and urged the horse along the overgrown path.

  The element of surprise wouldn’t last long, but if she could reach Zach, show him she was safe, she could prevent Seymour and Edward from robbing him.

  It had been years since she rode astride, but she hadn’t forgotten the skills that had made her one of the best riders in Summit County. She directed Black Knight forward along the little-used trail, hoping it led to a familiar site or landmark from her earlier trips on the property.

  She glanced back, expecting Bryce to be pursuing her, but it was Edward. He was angry. She urged Black Knight into a run to distance herself from her pursuer.

 

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