by Joan Wolf
As he led Jessica away, Diana let out a sigh of relief.
“A little awkward that,” Lord Rumford murmured.
“Yes,” Diana said, and sipped gratefully at her cool orgeat.
Alex had hired a supper box at Vauxhall for the entire party, and Sally traveled with Lady Standish, Diana and Mrs. Sherwood in the Standish family coach. Alex drove himself in his phaeton, the Mertons came together and Lord Rumford also drove himself. They were all to meet up at the supper box, which was one of over a hundred that were located next to the Grove area of the Gardens.
Sally was awed by her first view of Vauxhall. She and the other ladies met up with Alex at the entrance, and after he had paid the entrance fee for them all, they strolled along the five famous walks that crisscrossed the extensive territory that made up the Gardens. Colored lamps glimmered among the elms and poplars that lined the walk, revealing mysterious alcoves and grottos on either side. There were a goodly number of other people on the path, and when they reached the section where the supper boxes were located, Sally saw that quite a crowd was seated and being served.
Their supper box was very pretty, adorned by a Francis Hayman painting of a maypole dance. Lord Rumford was already there and waiting for them, and Sally watched as he kissed Diana’s hand gallantly and drew her to sit beside him. The Mertons arrived about fifteen minutes later. Charlotte was clearly a little overwhelmed at being part of such an illustrious company, and everyone did their best to make her feel more comfortable. Sir Gilbert took a seat beside Mrs. Sherwood.
Vauxhall was famous for its expensive suppers and the party partook of very thinly-sliced ham, chicken and an assortment of biscuits and fruit. Alex had ordered wine and lemonade, instead of the Vauxhall punch, which had an extremely high alcohol content.
People visited their box constantly as they ate. Lord Rumford and Diana in particular were besieged by people wishing to congratulate them. An orchestra was playing in the Grove, and people were dancing. When they had finished eating, Alex asked Miss Merton if she would care to dance with him and, blushing a fiery red, she agreed. Then Sir Gilbert asked Mrs. Sherwood, Sally and Lady Standish if they would care to stroll about the Gardens for a bit to see the sights. The elder ladies agreed, while Sally said she was comfortable where she was. She was hoping against hope that Sinclair might turn up—without his beautiful mistress.
The three older people went off, leaving Sally, Diana and Lord Rumford in the box. A man whom Lord Rumford introduced to the girls as his cousin, came up and began to talk to him. Sally’s eyes searched the crowds which were flowing past their box. No distinctive blond head appeared.
Her head was turned toward Diana when she heard a familiar voice said, “How are you this evening, Rumford? I see that I must congratulate you for having won such a beautiful bride.”
Sally’s heart began to pound. She turned her head and found herself caught in an intent green gaze. “How are you Lady Sarah?” the Duke of Sinclair said. “Are you enjoying the evening?”
Sally hoped she didn’t look as shaken as she was feeling. “Yes,” she said. She swallowed. “Vauxhall is certainly very lovely.”
“Would you care to go for a short stroll?” Sinclair inquired. “I found a place for your latest rescues on my estate and I thought you might like to hear how man and horse are doing.”
“I would like that very much,” Sally said with alacrity. She slid out of the box to stand beside the duke.
Lord Rumford was frowning. He said meaningfully to Diana, “Perhaps we should join your cousin.” Clearly he did not feel it was appropriate to allow Sally to go off alone with Sinclair.
Sally cast Diana an imploring look.
Diana put her hand to her brow and said, “Do you know, I feel a trifle dizzy, my lord. I think I would be better off staying right here.”
Sally rewarded her with a quick smile.
Rumford’s frown changed to a look of grave concern. “Should I fetch your mother and Lady Standish for you, my dear? Perhaps one of them has smelling salts with them.”
“That might be a good idea,” said Diana in a failing voice. Sally silently congratulated her cousin on a splendid performance.
Lord Rumford looked sternly at Sally and commanded, “Stay here with your cousin while I fetch her mother.”
Sally didn’t appreciate being ordered about, but she didn’t say anything, she simply slid back into the box and put her hand on Diana’s forehead, as if she was checking for a fever.
“Are you really ill, Miss Sherwood?” the Duke of Sinclair inquired, one blond eyebrow raised skeptically. Apparently he was not as susceptible to Diana’s performance as her fiancé had been.
Diana smiled and Sally took away her hand. Diana said, “I know that Sally has been anxious to hear all about what you did with the man and the horse that she rescued. Go ahead and take your walk. I’ll wait here for Rumford to return.”
Sally said, “Are you certain you’ll be all right?”
“Of course I’ll be all right.” Diane waved her hand at them. “Go ahead.”
“I cannot leave you here alone,” the duke said positively.
Sally tried not to look as disappointed as she felt.
“I shall be perfectly fine,” Diana said. “No one will try to kidnap me, Your Grace. There are too many people around.”
He shook his head. “You may not be kidnapped, but you could easily be the target of some drunken reveler. You cannot remain here alone.”
“Then I’ll come with you,” Diana said. “If we stay here you’ll be constantly interrupted.” She glanced at Sally, a look that said clearly, Don’t worry, I won’t get in your way.
Sally said, “But what will happen when Lord Rumford comes back and finds you gone?”
“I’ll leave him a note,” Diana said. “I’ll tell him I changed my mind and thought a walk would help to clear my head.”
They waited while she wrote her note, and then the three of them left the supper box, the ladies on either side of Sinclair.
Twenty-Three
Sinclair chose the Hermit’s Walk, the smallest and most private of all the walks at Vauxhall. On one side of the walk was a wilderness and on the other was an open area of rural downs. The three of them saw no one else as they traversed this path, which was dimly lit by lanterns hung from the trees. Diana tactfully dropped a little behind Sinclair and Sally, saying she didn’t feel very sociable and wanted to enjoy the night by herself. She doubted that either of the others believed her, but neither of them challenged her excuse.
The scraps of conversation that Diana did hear were scrupulously above-board. The duke apparently was telling Sally all about her protégé and his horse and how they had settled in at Westover Hall, one of the duke’s lesser properties in Wiltshire. Then they talked about the prospects for making things better for climbing boys.
Diana could tell, just from the way that Sally looked up at the duke, that she liked him very much. She had certainly never seen Sally look that way at any other man.
Don’t let him hurt her, she prayed. She’s such a good person. She deserves someone who will recognize how good she is, who will understand that she is not just an ordinary young girl, with clothes and balls and other fripperies on her mind. She is a genuinely caring person. Please don’t let Sinclair be playing with her. She doesn’t deserve that.
Suddenly, there was the sound of steps behind her. Before she could turn around, she was grabbed from the rear. In the brief second before the man got his hand completely over her mouth, she managed a muffled scream. She heard the duke curse and saw him whirl around to see what was going on, and she thought with great relief, Sinclair will rescue me. Then two more men rushed out onto the path behind Sally and the duke. Diana was incapable of warning them, and, as she watched in horror, one of the men hit the duke over the head with something in his hand, and the other man grabbed Sally.
Diana struggled madly to get free, but the man who had felled the duke came over to her and, lifting his fist,
he struck her hard on her chin.
Everything went black.
The man who had felled the duke went back into the woods and returned with a lantern.
“What’ll we do with this one?” the man who was holding Sally asked in a gruff tone.
“We’ll leave the lady to summon help,” the man with the lantern replied. “She won’t try to follow us, and I don’t want no nob’s murder on my head.”
“Give us a few minutes,” the man with the lantern said. The other man bent and picked Diana up from the ground and slung her over his shoulder. Both men started across the downs. Sally watched helplessly before she looked at Sinclair, to see if he might be showing signs of revival. He never stirred.
The next few minutes were the longest of Sally’s life. The man restraining her was holding her so tightly that she would have bruises on her face and across her ribs the following day. Finally, when the lantern was just a glimmer in the distance, he said in her ear, “You’d better get some help for the gentry cove, miss. He got hit on the head pretty hard.”
He removed his hand from Sally’s mouth and shoved her hard, so that she lost her balance and fell to her knees. She turned her head to see her captor disappearing across the downs. Her heart was beating frantically. Diana was gone and the duke lay sprawled on the ground. Sally regained her feet and ran to kneel beside him. He was lying perfectly still with his eyes closed. Gently, she put her hand to the back of his head. It came away sticky with blood.
Terror closed like a fist around Sally’s heart. What should she do?
We have to get Diana back. God knows what those men will do to her. I have to try to find out which way they went so Alex can follow them.
The duke would have to wait.
Lifting her skirts, she raced across the downs in the direction she had seen her captors take. Far ahead of her, she could see the dim light of their lantern. But she had no light herself, and she tripped and fell several times on the uneven ground.
Abruptly, the light ahead of her disappeared. Sally had no idea what was on the far side of the downs, but she kept on going until she was surprised to find herself standing on the bank of the river. About a hundred yards away from her, downstream, a boat was moored. Sally was just in time to see one of the men hand Diana to someone already aboard. Then the man who had been holding Diana hopped on board himself. Sally started to run, but before she could reach the boat, it drifted out onto the river. It was illuminated by the lantern, which the men had hung so that the craft could be seen by other boats, and the light the lantern cast enabled Sally to get a clear look at the name that was painted on the boat’s side.
I have to get help, Sally thought, and, lifting her skirts, she retraced her way over the uneven ground of the downs, praying she would not get lost in the dark.
She actually came out onto the dimly lighted walk about fifty yards from the duke’s prone body. Two people were bent over him. As Sally rushed up to them, she recognized the young man as a friend of Lord Dorset. She didn’t know the woman, who was wearing a very skimpy and revealing dress.
It took Sally a mere two seconds to realize that she should say nothing to these people about Diana’s being kidnapped. She had been in London long enough to know that, even though Diana was the injured party, the gossip that would ensue over this could harm her reputation irreparably.
“Is he drunk?” she heard the woman asking her companion.
“No. There’s blood on the back of his head. It looks as if someone hit him,” the man returned.
Sally arrived at their side and said breathlessly, “It’s the Duke of Sinclair.” She put a hand to her heart. It was hammering. She had not been allowed to run since her illness and she was out of condition for the effort she had just made. She took a deep breath. “We were walking along this path when we were attacked. They hit the duke over the head and tried to kidnap me, but I managed to run away. We need help immediately. I’m Lady Sarah Devize. Can you find my brother for me? I will remain here with the duke.”
“You had better come with us, Lady Sarah,” said the young man, whom Sally recognized as a Mr. Bingham. “Clearly it isn’t safe to leave you alone.”
“The men got away,” Sally said impatiently. “I’ll be perfectly safe. Don’t just stand here talking! Go!”
Mr. Bingham hesitated, then he said, “Stay with her, Florrie.” He turned and started away down the path.
“Go as fast as you can!” Sally called after him. She saw him break into a run, then she knelt beside the duke.
She badly wanted to lift his head off the hard ground and cradle it in her lap, but she was afraid to move him. What if he was dead? She bent her head to listen to his heart and was reassured when she heard the strong, steady beat. She picked up his hand and held it.
The woman called Florrie started to ask her questions, but Sally just shook her head and said, “I’m sorry, I can’t talk just now. I’m too upset.”
It seemed like an eternity before Sally heard footsteps pounding down the path. It was Alex. He wasn’t even breathing hard as he fell to his knees next to her. “My God, Sally, what happened? Where is Dee? Wasn’t she with you? I sent someone to find Rumford. He should be just behind me.”
Sally put a finger over her lips and looked meaningfully at Florrie.
Alex stood up and said to her, “Thank you for your assistance.” He fumbled in his pocket and handed her some money. “Bingham should be here momentarily. Please step away now and let us help the duke.”
The woman obediently moved a little way down the path, where she was in sight but out of earshot.
“The men took Diana, Alex,” Sally whispered tearfully. “They hit her on the chin to make her unconscious.”
Alex swore.
Sally nodded her agreement. “I chased after them. They had a boat moored on the river. They were moving away by the time I got there, but it was one of those rental boats you often see. It had a small cabin. The lantern on it showed its name—Caprice.”
The duke stirred. He half opened his eyes and groaned. “Christ,” he said. “What happened?”
Sally bent over him. “We were attacked,” she said. “You were hit over the head. Don’t try to move just yet.”
Alex said, “I’ll check the boat rental places and see if I can find out who rented the Caprice. What color was the boat, Sal?”
“Green and white.”
“It might have come from that place near the Tower. That’s where I’ll go first. Tell Rumford when he gets here. Tell him to check the rental place by Westminster. It’s imperative that we move quickly.”
“How am I to get the duke back to his carriage?” Sally asked shakily.
“Bingham is coming back to collect the woman he was with. Enlist his services,” Alex recommended. “And then have him tell Mama and the rest of them what happened to you and Sinclair. So they won’t alarm the security people to look for us.”
“They will wonder where Diana is.”
“Don’t tell Bingham anything about Dee. Just tell him that you and Sinclair were attacked and that they all should go home—including the Mertons.” Then he was gone. Sally turned back to the duke, who was now struggling to sit up.
“I don’t think you should move,” Sally said, alarmed. “You were hit very hard.”
“I can feel that,” he said. Ignoring her advice, he managed to get himself to a sitting position. Wincing, he put his hand to the back of his head. “There’s a handkerchief in my coat pocket, Lady Sarah. Would you get it out and hold it against the wound? Perhaps we can stop the blood from getting all over my new coat.”
Silently, Sally did as he instructed. She was pressing the white cloth to the duke’s head, and telling him what had happened, when the Earl of Rumford came running up to them. He was breathing very hard and had to struggle to get his words out. “What happened?” He looked around. “Where is Diana?”
Sally repeated her story of the attack, then told him that Alex had gone to check the bo
at rental company by the Tower. “He suggested you try the place by Westminster, my lord,” she said. “The more companies you cover quickly, the better the chance of finding Diana.”
“I’ll go immediately,” Rumford said. “Bingham is just behind me. See if you can get Sinclair on his feet and off this walk.” He turned away, then turned back. “Oh, Bingham doesn’t know that Diana was with you and we should keep it that way.”
“We’ve been careful not to mention her name,” Sally said. She gave him a bewildered look. “I don’t understand why anyone would do this.”
“I don’t either.” Still breathing heavily, the earl turned. He ran for a few paces and then, as Sally watched, he slowed to a fast walk. Sally turned back to the duke.
“They may be holding her for ransom,” he said grimly.
She was silent for a moment as she digested this idea. “That must be the reason. Why else would anyone want to kidnap her?”
“I’m going to get up,” the duke said.
“No, you’re not,” Sally returned authoritatively. She held her hand up in front of the duke. “How many fingers?” she asked.
“Two?” he said after a minute.
“No, four. You have a concussion. You can just stay where you are until Bingham arrives. He can go for a stretcher. You shouldn’t even be sitting up.”
“I didn’t know you were a doctor, Lady Sarah,” he said acidly.
“I am not a doctor, but I know quite a lot about illnesses and injuries. And I know that if you have a concussion, you should stay quiet.”
“Concussion or not, I am not getting on a stretcher. I will make it out of here on my own,” the duke said. He managed to lurch to his feet, but he immediately staggered and would have fallen if Sally hadn’t grabbed him and slid her arm around his waist to give him support. She braced herself as his superior weight sagged against her.
The duke cursed again.
“I said you shouldn’t get up,” Sally said.
“Do you think you can walk me back down this path?” he asked. “We don’t want to call attention to this attack. If Miss Sherwood has indeed been kidnapped, we want to keep it quiet.”