by Anne Herries
Amelia knocked at the door. Receiving no answer, she opened it and went in. As the maid had said earlier, the bed had been made and the room was tidy, as always. The gold purse Amelia had given Emily for Christmas was lying on the dressing table, as were one or two other gifts. It was a little odd that Emily should leave them lying there; she would normally have put them in her dressing case for safety. Amelia had an odd sensation, a feeling that Emily might have done something foolish. Surely she had not run away? Or something more desperate! Chills ran down Amelia’s spine as she recalled her childhood friend Lucinda’s terrible fate. A few years ago, Lucinda had taken her own life in her desperation—but Emily would surely not be so foolish.
Going to the armoire, she looked inside, feeling relieved as she saw the leather dressing case and Emily’s clothes. At least she had not run away. Amelia was certain that her companion would not have left without at least taking some of her clothes and the dressing case. Besides, the girl was too conscientious to go off without at least leaving a letter—and, she believed, too sensible to take her own life.
A little reassured, Amelia went to change her clothes. Shortly after, she paid a visit to the nursery, where she talked to Lisa and some of the other children. She was asked to read a story from a book that one of the children had received as a Christmas gift. She read aloud, taking Lisa and one of the others on to her lap. The others crowded about her, clutching at her clothes and staring up into her face adoringly as she acted out the story for them.
She was unaware that Gerard came to the door and watched for a few minutes before leaving.
It was almost nuncheon before Amelia was able to break away from her audience and go downstairs to join the others.
She was at the buffet table, helping herself to cold chicken, a dish of potatoes and turnips and some green vegetables when Gerard came up to her.
‘I saw you just now,’ he said. ‘It is good of you to give so much of your time to the children, Amelia.’
‘I enjoy it. Lisa asked if I would read to her and the others wanted to listen. I believe they enjoyed themselves—and, after all, Christmas is for the little ones, do you not think so? Our Lord was born at this time and it is for his sake that we hold these celebrations.’
‘You deserve a large family of your own, Amelia.’
‘I hope to have several children—if God wills it.’
She looked up into his face and her heart began to race wildly. The way he was looking at her set her on fire and she wished that they were somewhere else—anywhere that they might be alone. She wanted so desperately to be in his arms, to feel his mouth on hers—but most of all she wanted his love. She felt what was becoming a familiar ache about her heart. Gerard had loved her once, but he had told her that something had died inside him when her brother sent him away and he believed that she had merely been toying with his heart. Would he ever be able to love her as she loved him?
‘Gerard—’ she began and broke off as a footman came up to them, offering a silver salver to him.
‘This was delivered for you a few moments ago, sir.’
‘For me?’ Gerard frowned and opened the sealed note. He swore softly and then looked at Amelia in some bewilderment. ‘I do not understand—this note implies that you are a prisoner. I am to pay the sum of forty thousand pounds or you will die…but you are here…’
‘Yes…’ Amelia shivered as a trickle of ice slithered down her spine. ‘But Emily is not…’ She glanced round the room, which was filling up with guests. ‘I believe she went out early this morning and, as far as I know, she has not returned.’
‘Would she stay out so long in this weather?’
‘I cannot think it. She was feeling unhappy. I wondered if she had run away, but her things were all in her room.’
‘Who would snatch Miss Barton and demand such a huge ransom?’
‘Someone who did not know me well,’ Amelia said. ‘On Christmas Eve I was wearing a dark blue cloak with fur lining. I had bought myself a new black one for Christmas, and because the weather was so very cold I loaned the blue one to Emily. If she was wearing it when she went out, she could have been mistaken for me.’
‘Good grief!’ Gerard was astounded. ‘We must send at once and make certain she is not in her room.’
‘I shall go up myself,’ Amelia said. ‘She was not in her room when we returned from our drive. I thought she wished to be alone and did not search for her. I should have alerted you before this, but I did not imagine that she was in danger. Excuse me…’
Amelia left her food untouched as she went immediately in search of her companion. She ran up the stairs. The sitting room was empty and so was Emily’s room. Nothing had been moved since Amelia’s last visit.
Her maid came from the other bedchamber, carrying an evening dress. Amelia asked her if she had seen Emily.
‘No, Miss Royston. I came up to fetch this dress. I was going to iron it for you for this evening. Is something wrong?’
‘Emily appears to be missing,’ Amelia said. ‘Please continue with your work, Martha—but make inquiries as you go. I am worried about Miss Barton.’
‘Yes, miss. Of course. I’ll ask if anyone has seen her this morning.’
Amelia went back down the stairs. Gerard and Harry were talking together in the hall. They turned to look at her. Amelia shook her head.
‘Martha hasn’t seen her. Her room is just as it was when I was last there.’
‘I have alerted my butler,’ Harry told her. ‘He will make sure that all the servants are asked for their last sighting of her. If we know what time she left, we may discover how long she has been missing.’
‘What can we do?’ Amelia asked. ‘How long have we been given to find the ransom, Gerard? I do not have that kind of money available, but I will sell some investments—anything I can to recover my poor Emily.’
‘We will all contribute,’ Harry assured her. ‘However, it may be possible to recover her without giving this rogue a penny.’
‘I cannot risk Emily’s life. She was taken because they thought she was me…’Amelia could not prevent a sob of despair. ‘If only we knew who had taken her. I shall never forgive myself if anything happens to her.’
‘You cannot blame yourself,’ Gerard said and frowned. ‘I must confess that I should have been devastated had they managed to get their hands on you, Amelia.’
Amelia’s eyes flashed with anger. ‘Are you saying that Emily’s life is less important than mine? That is unfair, Gerard. She is a lovely person and I am very fond of her.’
‘I did not mean to imply that she was less worth saving.’ Gerard ran fingers through his hair. ‘Of course we shall do what we can, but once they know they have the wrong person…’
‘Are you saying that they will kill her?’ Amelia was rapidly becoming distraught. ‘No! How do we let them know that I will pay?’ She looked at him wildly. ‘This is all my fault. If I had given my brother what he wanted…Oh, no! It is too much.’
At that moment there was a disturbance at the door and then two people entered, their clothes sprinkled with a dusting of snow.
Amelia looked towards the door and saw her companion. She gave a scream and ran to her. ‘Emily, my love! I have been out of my mind with worry! Where have you been?’
‘I went for a walk…’ Emily sobbed and threw herself into Amelia’s arms. ‘I was snatched from behind and thrust into a carriage. I had a blanket over my head and I did not know what was happening. After some time, perhaps half an hour or so, the carriage stopped and I was carried into a house. I was left alone in a bedroom. It was a very cold house. I screamed and tried to get out but both the window and door were locked. As they carried me in, I heard one of them say that if the money did not come through I was to be killed…’
‘Emily…’ Amelia drew back in shock to look at her face. ‘How terrifying for you, my love. What happened? How did you escape?’
Behind her, at that moment, she heard what seemed to be a qu
arrel break out. Turning her head, she saw that the man who had entered the house with Emily was the Marquis of Northaven. From the look of it, both Harry and Gerard were threatening him.
‘Please, you must not be angry with the marquis,’ Emily cried. ‘It was he who saved me and brought me back. Had he not come, I should still have been in that room.’
‘Is this true?’ Gerard demanded. ‘Explain yourself if you please, sir.’
‘I think we should speak privately,’ Northaven said. He took a few steps towards Emily. ‘I am sorry that you were subjected to such an ordeal, Miss Barton. I tried to warn the earl that he must be careful, but I did not expect that they would take you. I understood Miss Ravenshead was their quarry.’
‘You tried to warn me…’ Gerard frowned as something clicked into place. ‘Was it you that sent the doll?’
‘Yes. A clumsy trick, I think, but I was not sure how else to do it. I wanted to alert you to the fact that Miss Royston might be in danger.’
‘Why did you not say so plainly?’ Gerard glared at him.
‘Would you have believed me if I had signed my name? Would you have received me had I tried to warn you in person?’ Northaven lifted his head proudly. ‘I do not pretend to be without vice. I have done many things that I might wish undone—but I am not a murderer, though you persist in thinking me one. If I caused the death of comrades by loose talk, I regret it—but it was careless talk, no more.’
‘I think you need to do more explaining,’ Gerard said. ‘Amelia, please take Miss Barton upstairs and see that she is cared for. You might wish to send for the doctor?’
Emily shook her head in alarm. ‘I am not harmed. I was frightened, but I am well enough now.’
‘I shall take you upstairs, my love.’ Amelia put a protective arm about her. ‘You are cold and trembling. You shall go to bed with a warming pan and a tisane. I shall sit with you and you may tell me all about it.’
Amelia drew her companion from the room. She would have liked to listen to all the marqu is had to say, but she knew that Gerard did not wish either her or Emily to hear all the details lest it frighten them more. They had both had a terrible shock and it was only thanks to the Marquis of Northaven that things were not much worse. Amelia could hardly bear to think of what might have happened.
‘Were you far from the house when they took you?’ she asked Emily as they walked upstairs together.
‘Only in the knot gardens,’ Emily told her. ‘It must have been within sight of the house, but of course it was very early. I dare say even the servants had not risen.’ She gave a little sob. ‘I lay awake all night. I was tossing and turning and thought that a walk might clear my head. I had forgot what we said—besides, I did not imagine anyone would try to snatch me. It was you I believed in danger.’
‘My poor Emily.’ Amelia squeezed her hand. ‘You were taken because they thought you were me. A huge ransom was demanded, but I should have paid it, my love. We were trying to think how it could be done when you came in. I could not have borne it had anything happened to you.’
‘Amelia! I am so glad you did not have to pay—and I am sorry if you were worried. I did not dream that anyone would try to kidnap me.’
‘I dare say they would not had you not been wearing my blue cloak,’ Amelia said. ‘You must not wear it to walk in again until this rogue has been caught and dealt with, Emily.’
‘Have you any idea of who it could be?’
‘No, not truly. I suppose you heard nothing?’
‘They spoke of someone of whom they were afraid,’ Emily told her. ‘However, they did not name him.’
‘I know everyone thinks it must be my brother and I fear it may be so, though I do not wish to believe it.’
‘It is so wicked. I do not know who could do such things.’ Emily shivered. ‘I was to have been strangled had the money not been forthcoming—but that was after I told them who I was. I believe they realised their mistake too late. They spoke of a ransom note and said that if the money was not paid they would amuse themselves before disposing of me.’
‘My love! How awful for you. I am so sorry that you were exposed to such wickedness.’
‘It was fortunate for me that the marquis came to get me.’
‘How did he know that you had been taken—and where to find you?’
‘I have no idea. I did not think to ask. I was simply grateful that he got me out of that house before…’ A fit of shuddering overtook Emily. ‘I have never been as frightened in my life.’
‘I am certain that Gerard and Harry will wish to know where the marquis got his information,’ Amelia said. ‘Come, dearest, let me help you undress. Martha will bring you a pan filled with hot coals and a tisane. Tomorrow I shall take you home.’
‘No, please do not. I want to go to the ball as we planned,’ Emily said. ‘I shall not let this frighten me—nor shall I dwell on what happened with Mr Sinclair. At one time last night I considered taking my own life, but what happened made me see that I want to live. It will be hard to meet Mr Sinclair again, but I shall bear it.’
‘My poor love.’ Amelia kissed her brow. ‘You are a very brave girl. You must forget Mr Sinclair; if he could not behave in a proper manner, he is not worth breaking your heart over.’
Chapter Five
‘Well, I am waiting,’ Gerard said. ‘I am grateful to have Miss Barton back, but this begs an explanation. How did you know that there was a plot to kidnap Miss Royston and how did you know where to find Miss Barton?’
The marquis made a wry face. ‘I thought they had Miss Royston until I got there and realised that they had snatched the wrong lady. I persuaded them to drink some rum to keep out the cold and laced it with laudanum. As soon as they became groggy I snatched Miss Barton and brought her here. He will know that I tricked them and I dare say my life may be at risk, but I do not value it so highly that I shall lose sleep over it.’
‘You have still not told us how you knew what was going on,’ Harry objected. ‘And who is behind this business?’
‘Don’t look at me like that, Pendleton,’ the marquis said. ‘If you must know, I was offered money to help capture Miss Royston. However, I believe he sensed that I was not going to do his bidding and so he moved ahead of time. I was told the abduction was planned for when she journeyed to Coleridge.’
‘You were offered money—how much?’
‘Ten thousand pounds.’ Northaven laughed ruefully. ‘A pittance, I dare say, when you consider her fortune. A few months ago I might have taken his money. I was in debt and the bitterness inside me was much stronger than it is now. You may thank a lady for that—and, no, I shall not name her.’
‘Why did you not come to us—tell us who we have to deal with?’ Gerard demanded.
‘If I knew his name, I would have told you. He keeps to the shadows and hides his face—though I have seen it since our first meeting. I let him believe that I would help him, learning what I could of his intentions. I have tried to follow him, and I think he spotted me, which may be why he did not trust me in the end. However, I knew where they meant to hold Miss Royston for the first few hours—and I was on my way here early this morning. I had decided that I could not handle this alone and meant to ask you to listen to my story. As I walked towards the house, I saw what I thought was Miss Royston being snatched. There was no time to warn you so I followed them. They had not changed the rendez-vous—and, thankfully, his rogues still trusted me.’
‘You have no idea of his identity?’
‘I know that he calls himself Lieutenant Gordon, but I doubt it is his name—though I believe him to have been an officer, for he has the manner of a military man. However, I do not recall that he ever served with us.’
‘It was not Sir Michael Royston?’
‘Miss Royston’s brother? Good lord, no! I would have known his voice. I played cards with him quite recently.’
‘Could he not be in league with this rogue?’
‘He could, but not to my
knowledge.’
‘Why were you approached?’
‘He believed that I might want to bring you down, Gerard. He must have heard of our quarrel, which is known well enough in certain circles. His plans for Miss Royston were not simply to ransom her, believe me. Had you paid what he asked, he would have taken the money—and then I believe he meant to despoil her and kill you.’
‘My God!’ Gerard turned pale. ‘He must hate me.’ He took a turn about the room, then returned to where Harry and the marquis stood. ‘What have I done to him that he should hate me so?’
‘Only you can answer that,’ Northaven said. ‘Have you ruined a man at the tables or taken his woman?’
‘No…unless…Lisette—’ Gerard broke off and smote his forehead with the palm of his hand, a look of disbelief in his eyes.‘I do not know. My wife…was carrying the child of her lover when I married her. She was honest with me. Lisette told me that he had died and that she was alone in the world. I married her to protect her, but if her lover were severely wounded and then recovered…to discover that she had married me…he may blame me for her death.’
‘That may be your answer,’ Northaven said, eyes narrowed in thought. ‘If Gordon believes that you took her from him, he may wish to take what you love in revenge. Since Miss Royston is wealthy and you have your own fortune, he thinks that he may also have some financial gain from it.’
‘But I did not take her from him…’ Gerard shook his head. ‘When I found her she was close to death. She was lying at the side of the road, bruised and beaten. She told me that some French soldiers had raped her—more than one, I believe. I nursed her back to life and then I married her to keep her safe. She was very ill after the birth, but then she recovered…’ He paused, a nerve flicking in his cheek. ‘Lisette took her own life. I believe because she wanted more from me than I could give her.’