Duke Du Jour

by Petie McCarty

  “I thought as much,” Jared said pleasantly.

  With a glare, the innkeeper reclaimed his spot behind the bar.

  “We were trying not to create memories for anyone here,” Dexter scolded in his ear. “Remember?”

  From across the room, Thorpe beckoned them to a dark corner with a table smattered by grease spots. The soldier gave Harry a wary eye and said, “If you have need of one, there is a public privy in the alley.”

  Dexter and Jared grimaced in unison, and Bullen chuckled quietly at their discomfort.

  “You have news for us?” Dexter asked Thorpe, as he, Jared, Herford, and Bullen peeled off their gloves and joined the major at his table.

  Thorpe poured each man a mug of ale as they sat down. Harry curled up at Jared’s feet.

  “Not too much tonight,” Jared murmured to Seven’s old comrade as he eyed the man filling his own mug with ale.

  “Not tonight, Your Grace,” Thorpe agreed with a smile. “This is my first mug, and it is not by choice. The water in Spitalfields is not safe to drink. I knew you would be parched after your ride.”

  Bullen and Dexter raised their mugs in appreciation. Jared only sipped at his. These men were accustomed to Georgian ale, he was not. He wanted his wits on their best behavior.

  “What have you got for us?” Dexter asked.

  “You were right, Lord Dexter. Lady Ariana is being held in the old keeper’s cottage in the woods near the Pinder house. The woods mostly surround the cottage on three sides.”

  “That makes things difficult,” Dexter said.

  Thorpe only nodded.

  “How many guards outside and where?”

  “Only one that I could find. He sits a ways back in the woods with a clear view of the road in.”

  “No worries,” Herford said quietly. “My runners can circle around the outside and come at him from behind. If he is the only one watching for us.”

  “How many inside?” Jared asked impatiently.

  “Cannot be certain,” Thorpe said, “since the kidnappers do not come and go. But I believe there are three, possibly four, inside the cottage as well.”

  “What about Collins?” Dexter asked. “Did he get in?”

  “I believe he is in there, but I cannot be sure. One man entered not long before you arrived, but I was too far back to get a good look at him.”

  “Damn,” Dex muttered. “I hate making plans on maybes. We needed Collins inside.”

  “Too bad. I’m still going in,” Jared pressed.

  “Calm down,” Dexter ordered. “We just need to make adjustments is all.”

  “Well, hurry up. Every minute Ariana is in there is a minute too long.”

  All the eyes stared.

  “Lady Ariana. Forgive me.”

  “Allow me to send my runners into the woods,” Herford said. “No one is better than them at sneaking in and out without being seen. They can determine if there is only one guard or more.”

  “Do it,” Dexter said. “We will meet you at the end of Bishopsgate Street in one hour.”

  Herford nodded, slugged down his ale, and left.

  “An hour!” Jared exploded.

  “Might I remind you the note said to come an hour before dawn. We have well over an hour to spare. Better to be safe than sorry.”

  “He’s right,” Thorpe chimed in.

  “They will not be expecting me now,” Jared argued.

  “I assure you, they will be ready. If you show up without us planning the assault, both you and Lady Ariana will die, and there won’t be a damned thing I can do about it.” Dexter slammed his fist on the table. “So, we wait and do this right.”

  Jared huffed out a hard exhale and took another slug of the tavern ale. The hooch tasted like fox piss, not that he knew what fox piss tasted like.

  “What is the layout of the cottage?” Dexter asked Thorpe.

  “Two rooms. Large open room in front. Small bedchamber in back, windows in each room. They have Lady Ariana in the back bedchamber.”

  “How many guarding her?”

  “One, I think.”

  “If you are right, that leaves only two or three out in the front room,” Dexter concluded.

  “Why so few?” Jared wanted to know. “Ought he not to have placed more help inside and more guards to keep watch outside with this kidnapping? I mean, I expected eight or ten at least.”

  “Not if he believes he has an ace in the hole,” Dexter said grimly. “A guarantee, if you will.”

  “What kind of ace?”

  “Yes, what kind?” Thorpe wanted to know.

  “We shall know for certain when it is drawn,” Dexter said soberly.

  ****

  “If I was your bait, how did you know where to find me tonight?” Ari asked Lucilla.

  An hour had passed since her ignominious dumping in the back room, and she ached from head to toe, huddled on the floor as she was. She should at least gather what information she could.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You had your men at the Marsden’s ball. How did you know I would be there?”

  Lucilla laughed, her sharp trill grating on Ari’s ears. “Alice, of course.”

  “Alice, my maid?”

  “No. Alice, my maid.”

  Ari gasped.

  Lucilla clearly enjoyed her distress. “Alice has been my lady’s maid here in London for three years.”

  “I never liked her.”

  “Yes, that is what Alice said. I find her to be a delight.”

  “You set this whole thing up from the very beginning.”

  Lucilla gloated. “Only I could secure the bait.”

  “So, that is why you were at the ball.”

  “Why did you think I was there? To see Jared?”

  Ariana glowered.

  “You did! Then I did my job well,” the witch said smugly.

  “Could you see your way clear to untying my feet at least? I am aching from head to toe, collapsed on the floor like this. I can hardly fend off my captors with my hands bound. And if I ran, your friends would catch me in three strides.” Ari pressed. “Would you have me spend my last few hours trussed up like a pheasant?”

  Lucilla had the decency to look penitent. “I swear I thought they intended to release you.”

  “So, what do you say?”

  Lucilla stared at her huddled form on the floor for several long moments. “I suppose I could.”

  Ari tried not to let her immense relief show. “Thank you, Lady Wilder.”

  “Do not thank me!” Lucilla spat back as she cut the bonds on Ari’s feet with a small dagger she pulled from her reticule. “I am not your friend, and I would have stolen Jared from you in a London minute if I thought I could.”

  “You cannot steal what is not mine.”

  Lucilla gave her a curious stare. “Right.”

  The door slammed open, and Dawson swaggered in. His eyes on Ari, he told Lucilla, “Roulet wants ye out front.”

  Lucilla gave her a what-can-I-do shrug and headed to the front room. Thank God, the hussy had cut the bonds on her feet before she left Ari to the devices of this reprobate.

  “Alone at last,” Dawson said and eyed Ari’s breasts as he closed the door behind Lucilla.

  Ari struggled to her feet. She hated the look in his eyes. The man made her skin crawl. Would anyone come if she screamed? Or would they just laugh? Or worse yet, join in? Until this moment, she had never known real terror, but at least she wouldn’t let Dawson know. He was the type to feed on fear.

  “You had better keep your hands off me. The front room is full,” she reminded him, backing up. “We are hardly alone.”

  He took two steps toward her. “Don’t ye wants to be alone?”

  “With you?” she sneered.

  Dawson lunged, his arm raised to strike.

  Ari refused to flinch, waited for the blow.

  He pulled his arm back and chuckled. “Full of yerself, ain’t ye? Not afeared of a blow, bu
t I bet ye fear this.” He tugged on his private parts, which sparked an ugly glitter in his eyes.

  Ari gasped. Never had she been exposed to such crudity. She jerked back, shot a quick glance over her shoulder to gauge the distance to the window.

  “Thought so.” Dawson’s voice had gone husky, and he eased another step closer.

  Ari kicked at his shin to keep him back. “Stay away from me,” she hissed and scooted back toward the window.

  He slunk closer still. “Roulet said to keep ye quiet, however I likes.”

  “Get away from me!” Ari watched the highwayman’s eyes, ready to jump for the window when he made his move.

  “Yer hands are tied, and I can outrun ye. Why not just give over and enjoy yerself?”

  She needed a diversion to make a break for the window. Young Aaron Addlewich, the stable lad back at Wakefield, had tried to teach her to spit when she had asked him—at a time in her life when she felt certain she could do anything a man could do, only better. Thankfully, she recalled Aaron’s long-ago lessons and snorted back the proper allotment of unexpected phlegm, then heaved the slimy projectile as Aaron had taught—directly at her assailant’s eyes.

  Her aim had been superb, and the now furious highwayman slowly wiped the slime trail from his cheek and eye.

  Ari leaped for the window and screamed with all her might.

  Dawson lunged.

  ****

  Jared and Dexter studied the broken-down cottage from the cover of the tree line. Jared felt inexplicably reassured by Harry’s big body leaned against his leg. Dexter had argued vociferously against bringing the big hound, said the dog could expose their cover at the wrong moment.

  Jared knew that Harry was ready to give his life for Ari, just as he would, and considered that a good partner to have at his back, so he told Dexter, “You tell him he can’t go. He doesn’t seem to listen to me.”

  By golly, that toothy snarl had worked twice. Dexter backed off.

  Jared patted the wolfhound and said to the big brown eyes staring up at him, “We’ll save her, boy.”

  “What are you mumbling to that hound?” Dexter hissed.

  “Just keeping him quiet.”

  “Good. I told you not to bring him.”

  “Right.”

  Herford materialized from the darkened forest and slid in alongside Dexter.

  “Well?” the earl wanted to know.

  “My men have not located another guard. They are scouring the last quadrant of the forest. We believe it was just the one guard,” Herford whispered. “We missed him on the first run through. Found him sleeping.”

  Dexter and Jared blew out a huge sigh of relief in unison. Harry whimpered, and Jared gave him a pat to quiet him. Seconds later, the hound whimpered again and would have bolted if Jared had not grabbed his collar.

  Branches crackled and snapped about twenty yards away. A man yelped in pain.

  “Stay here,” Dexter ordered and took off with Herford in that direction.

  Jared started after them anyway, but movement at the rear cottage window caught his eye. He froze.

  Ari was backing up and staring at someone in front of her. She shot a glance back at the window, her eyes gone wide with terror.

  Harry tugged at his collar. “Stop it!” Jared hissed harshly and narrowed his gaze at the window.

  Lucilla had been the one in there with Ari when he and Dexter arrived. Why would she be so terrified of Lucilla?

  A heartbeat later, he saw the highwayman Dawson stalking Ari.

  “Stay!” Jared ordered the wolfhound and took off running.

  ****

  Dawson lunged. Ari did a twisting leap for the window. One breath too slow, as the big highwayman tackled her to the floor.

  “Keep it down een there!” Roulet hollered from the front room, then barked out a laugh.

  Ari screamed again and kicked out with both feet to get free of her attacker.

  Dawson cursed, and his hold loosened as he took the repeat blows to his head and shoulders.

  Taking advantage, Ari scrabbled backward across the floor. The window loomed almost within reach.

  A thick hand snatched her ankle and pulled her back across the floor as she kicked at the hand with her free foot.

  Dawson was on his knees behind her, one hand with a punishing grip on her ankle, the other hand pushing her skirts up her calf.

  Ari kicked out with her free foot and screamed with all her might.

  The window exploded in a shower of glass fragments.

  Stunned, Dawson let go her skirt, and Ari was ripped from his grasp.

  Jared!

  He shoved her behind him and swung at the highwayman in one continuous motion, sending her attacker sprawling with a howl of pain.

  “Go for the window!” Jared shouted and gave Ari a shove, as the highwayman clambered to his feet to charge.

  The bedchamber door slammed open, and bodies piled in.

  “Not so fast,” Roulet hollered and nodded for Collins to grab Ariana before she could flee.

  On his feet, Dawson sucker-punched Jared and sent him to his knees.

  “Stop it!” Ari screamed.

  “No fair playing dirty,” Roulet chastised Dawson, but a smile bespoke the lie. “Get back out front.”

  Dawson glared at Jared, as he strode past Lucilla hovering in the doorway.

  “Hell of a sign,” Ari heard Collins mutter to Jared, as he held out a hand and pulled him up.

  “Last-minute decision,” Jared muttered back.

  “Well, well, well,” Roulet gloated as Collins pushed Jared forward. “Our leetle turncoat showed up just like we planned. You could have used the front door.”

  Without warning, Roulet sank his fist into Jared’s gut and doubled him over. The breath whooshed out of him. “That is for breaking my window and letting all the cold air een.”

  Ari tried to run to Jared, but Collins held her back.

  “Let me go!” she cried and almost twisted free.

  “I have questions for you, Reston. Try anytheeng, and Collins here weel take it out on the girl,” Roulet growled and shoved Jared through the door into the front room. He turned back to Collins. “Guard the lady and that open window. Eef she tries to escape, shoot her. It weel save me the trouble later.”

  Ari saw Jared lunge for Roulet as the Frenchman slammed the door shut. Two back-to-back thuds echoed from behind the door, then an eerie silence.

  Her gaze shot to Collins’s face. He kept his expression grim and a strong grip on her arm as he pushed her onto the cot.

  “Did you kill Bullen when you hit him?”

  Collins looked surprised for a moment, then shook his head. He went to stand at the window and peered out into the night. The room temperature had chilled considerably.

  “What will they do to Jared?” she demanded.

  “That depends.” He kept his gaze on the darkened tree line.

  “Depends upon what?”

  He shot her one swift glance. “Things is workin’ out better than we planned.”

  “What things? What did you plan?”

  “Hush wi’ the questions,” Collins ordered. “Just sit there and keep still, and ye’ll be all right.”

  “You’re not going to shoot me?” she asked, hating that her voice sounded small.

  He gaped at her, then shook his head and went back to keeping watch out the window.

  What did that mean? He shook his head no, he would not shoot her? Or no, he could not believe she had asked the question? She had no hope of escape with him blocking the window and the rest of the Frenchman’s gang in the front room. Her stomach ached with fear for Jared’s fate. The rumble of male voices continued behind the closed door.

  This was all her fault. If she had stayed at home like Jared ordered and not gone to the ball, she would not have been kidnapped, and the French spies would not have Jared in their clutches.

  “If you will help me and the duke, we will make it worth your while,” she
told Collins, keeping her voice low. “We can pay you a lot of money.”

  The highwayman ignored her.

  “Please?” Ari begged.

  She thought he would ignore her again, but he suddenly stiffened and leaned farther out the window. An instant later, he straightened and stepped toward her. She scrambled to the back end of the bed, as far from him as she could get, in case he harbored the same ugly intentions Dawson had entertained. She kicked out with a foot to force him back and fell over sideways.

  Collins leaned in close behind her. She held her breath, then almost choked when he slid a small knife between her back-bound hands.

  “Cut yerself loose,” he whispered, “but make yer fists still look bound, while I keeps watch on the front. Ye cannot run just yet. Jardin is out there somewheres.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered back, almost overcome with relief. “I will pay you whatever you ask.”

  “Hush!” he hissed and glared her into silence.

  Stunned, she watched as he put his ear to the door.

  ****

  “You can answer my questions willingly,” Roulet warned, “or my men weel force you to answer them.”

  Lord, I have made a muck of things. Jared swiped at the blood on his lip from his prostrate position on the floor.

  Dawson and the giant they called Henri had dragged him off Roulet when Jared lunged following Roulet’s order for Collins to shoot Ari. Collins had shoved Jared into Roulet’s hands and then agreed to shoot her. Jared saw red, and he went berserk. It took Dawson, Henri, and a hard kick to his ribs from Roulet to bring Jared down.

  That bastard Collins had jumped sides at the first opportunity, probably made all that up about his family and making belts for a living. Jared felt like an arse. He never should have trusted a highwayman. Dawson and Henri jerked him to his feet and slammed him into a chair, leaving no doubt the two would love the chance to pound on him again.

  “What would you like to know?” he asked amiably.

  Roulet looked wary.

  “Would you like to know the price of tea in China or maybe the number of steps in a quadrille?”

  Roulet leaned back and gave a shout of laughter. “Always the joker, our leetle turncoat. That ees why I liked you from the beginning.”

  “We thought we could trust you, Jared,” Lucilla chided, from her safe perch behind Roulet. The woman was smart enough to stay out of Jared’s reach. He would wring her neck for risking Ari’s life.