by Cara Elliott
“How the devil did this happen?” he snarled. His hand was still fisted in the tartan trim, and he gave the fabric a little shake.
“Isobel and I decided to take a walk to Sydney Gardens. As the weather was turning chillier, she lent me a cloak. It must be that your men mistook me for her.” Caro feigned a look of innocent uncertainty. “But I don’t understand what is going on. Why would you wish to abduct Isobel?”
He didn’t answer right away. Eyes narrowing in thought, he stared off into the distance.
Trying, no doubt, to come up with another way to sink his poisonous fangs into Alec.
Thank God he and his sister were out of harm’s way. Thayer could not hurt them.
He seemed to think otherwise, for an ugly smirk slowly curled his lips. “Perhaps this mistake is actually a most fortuitous stroke of luck. You may be even more useful to me than the Urquehart chit.”
“Me?”
“Oh, yes, I saw how Strathcona looked at you the other night in Sydney Gardens, and how he reacted to my being with you.” His low laugh made the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. “He cares for his sister. But I think he is besotted with you. To ensure your safe return, he’d be willing to do most anything.”
“You are mistaken,” she said, trying to keep the tremor from her voice. “His Lordship and I are merely friends.”
“I think not.” A speculative gleam lit in his eyes. “I would wager you are far more than that. He is a romantic fool and always has been.”
The gleam then turned into a leer. “What about you, Miss Caro? Are you equally foolish? Have you given him your heart?” He leaned in closer. “And perhaps your virtue?”
She recoiled. “You disgust me.”
“Do I?” His expression hardened.
Getting a grip on her emotions, Caro remained silent.
“A word of warning—you should have a care to keep a civil tongue in your head. Making an enemy of me would not be wise.”
We shall see who turns out to be the most dangerous adversary, thought Caro. But in the meantime he was right—she would watch her words for now, and wait.
Thayer turned abruptly and pushed her back toward the carriage. “We have a long journey ahead of us. You will have plenty of time to think of ways to sweeten your words.”
My thoughts will be on honey, but only because it is useful in trapping loathsome flies.
Swiping the sweat and dust from his brow, Alec slid from the saddle with a muttered oath of relief. The hired nag had been hell to ride, its jarring gait having left every bone in his body feeling bruised.
After lighting one of the stable lanterns, he quickly rubbed down the animal and then turned to make his way to the back entrance of the house. It was late and he was famished. A cold collation of beef and cheese, a glass of Highland malt to mellow—
“Alec!”
The narrow beam of light suddenly illuminated Isobel’s pale face and red-rimmed eyes as she rushed through the doorway. “Thank God you have finally returned!”
His fatigue-fogged senses snapped to full alert. “What’s happened?” he demanded.
“Caro…” she stammered. “The Gardens… a pair of horrible men… it happened so fast—”
“Take a deep breath and a moment to calm yourself,” he counseled, though he was wild with worry. “If I am to be of any help, I need to know exactly what has occurred.”
“Miss Caro has been abducted.” Andover came up behind his sister. “By two men in Sydney Gardens, who forced her into a carriage just across the canal bridge and drove off.”
“It was a nondescript vehicle, black with dark green wheels and no other distinguishing markings,” added Isobel, who had quickly composed herself. “She had gone to fetch us some meat pasties from a costermonger. I—I should have gone with her.”
“Then you both would be captives,” said Alec, forcing himself to react reasonably. “And we would have no clue as to what occurred. Your observations will help me find her all the quicker.”
Her look of remorse eased ever so slightly. “You will save her, won’t you?” she asked in a small voice.
“Yes,” said Alec grimly. “And then I shall pummel Edward Thayer to a bloody pulp.”
“Isobel came straight to me,” said Andover. “But much as I wished to rush off to the rescue, I had no notion of where her captors may be headed. Isobel told me that Thayer is the likely culprit, but whether he would head north or to some other hideaway was impossible for me to guess at.” He gave a helpless shrug. “So I thought it best to wait for you to return.”
“That was the right move,” assured Alec. Already he was making a mental checklist of what he would need to set off. Pistols, powder, foul weather cloak, bread and cheese so he could ride hard…
“Hell and damnation.” He smacked a fist against one of the stall doors. “My stallion went lame this afternoon. I’ll need to find a decent mount, but at this hour—”
“Take my chestnut gelding,” said Andover without hesitation. “He has both spirit and stamina. You may push him hard and he won’t let you down.”
“My thanks.”
“I’ll go fetch him now, and bring him around through the back gate of the mews, so as not to attract any undue attention.” Andover cleared his throat with a cough. “The authorities have not yet been informed of what has happened. I thought it best to let you decide how to handle the matter. Your aunt and servants have been sworn to silence for the time being. And Miss Caro’s mother is away visiting friends, so we need not deal with that complication just yet.”
“I’m grateful for such quick thinking,” murmured Alec, his regard for the other man rising another notch. Despite his easygoing manner, Andover appeared to be a very solid, sensible fellow in a crisis.
“While you gather your weapons and clothing, I’ll make up an oilskin sack of essentials, along with a blanket roll in case you need to sleep rough,” said Isobel, her fears giving way to steady resolve. “We haven’t any time to lose. With each passing moment, Thayer is taking Caro farther and farther away from us.” She swallowed hard. “To God knows where.”
“As to that, I think I know exactly where he is headed.” Alec waved Andover on his way and took his sister’s arm. “And when I catch up with him, there will be hell to pay.”
Once in the house, he left Isobel and his aunt to assemble supplies while he raced to his rooms for his pistols.
Oh, yes—he would cheerfully put a bullet through Thayer’s brain without blinking an eye if the miscreant gave him half a chance. But his former friend had a coward’s cunning and never dared face a fight unless he had found a way to cheat the odds.
Not this time, vowed Alec. The villain would be made to stand and account for his treachery.
As he slipped a packet of extra powder into his pocket, he heard the scuff of steps behind him.
“I’ve packed up all the essentials I could think of,” said Isobel.
He turned around. “Thank you. I’ve gathered what I need here. As soon as Andover arrives I shall be off.
“Oh, Alec.” She caught him in a fierce hug. “I’m terrified.”
“As am I,” he whispered. “But—”
“But what I mean to say is,” she interrupted, “those terrors don’t really matter. Your strength and courage is more solid than our Highland mountains—I know in my heart you will rescue her. It is your inner fears that worry me. Please, don’t be afraid of your feelings. The past is the past. The future…”
Isobel hugged him tighter. “The future is whatever you dare to dream it to be.”
Alec brushed a kiss to her brow. “You are wise beyond your years.”
“That is because you still think of me as a toddler in leading strings,” she replied with a wry smile. “Speaking of fears, you really need not fear so much for me. I’m far stronger than you think. I knew exactly what I was doing that night on the moor. You did not put me in danger—I chose to bear the message for the group knowing full well what it c
ontained.”
Isobel met his gaze. “In fact, I served as a courier on several other occasions for the group, but did not tell you because I knew you would worry about me.”
He drew in a ragged breath. “Well, a night of surprises.”
“I’m telling you this now, so you know that ladies are willing to take a risk when they feel the stakes are worth it,” went on Isobel. “And so, my dearest brother, should you.”
The truth was, he already knew that he was willing to risk everything, including his heart.
Alec squeezed her shoulders, then broke away. “I shall try not to disappoint you.”
Or myself.
Hunger was beginning to gnaw at her stomach, and a damp chill was creeping up through the slatted floorboards and penetrating the thin fabric of her skirts. Shifting on the hard bench, Caro pulled her cloak a bit tighter around her shoulders and tried to get comfortable.
Thayer appeared to be dozing, but with the weak flame of the carriage lamp giving off only a ghostly flutter of light within the inky shadows, it was impossible to tell. His hand was curled firmly around the uncocked pistol. For a fleeting moment she thought about trying to wrest it away, but quickly realized the idea was foolhardy.
Even if she managed to get it—doubtful at best—the chances of stopping the carriage and then eluding both her captor and his driver on a deserted road were virtually nil.
That sort of swashbuckling scenario might work perfectly in novels, but for this all-too-real ordeal, she would have to devise a more circumspect plan of escape.
As if confirming such thoughts, the carriage hit a deep rut and careened sideways, the wheels bumping over the rocks and tufts of grass bordering the high hedgerows.
Swearing loudly as his shoulder slammed into the paneling, Thayer righted himself and reached up to thump on the trap. A curt exchange with the driver ended with the decision to stop at the next inn for a brief respite.
Hot tea and a crust of bread, thought Caro longingly. Or perhaps he meant to starve her into submission.
“Might I have a bit of sustenance when we stop?” she asked, keeping her tone meek.
He turned, the dim light playing along the smug curl of his mouth. “Since you asked nicely, I will see that you have something to eat and drink.” The nasty smile stretched wider. “You see, if you make yourself agreeable, this can be a perfectly pleasant journey.”
Caro swallowed a sarcastic retort and merely made a small noise in her throat.
It must have sounded suitably submissive, for he laughed softly. “I’m glad to see you are not one of those silly, simpering chits who clings to the notion of true love.”
Love. The word made her heart flutter for a fleeting moment. A man as twisted as Thayer would never understand that love was far more powerful than hate.
“Like me, you are far more pragmatic.”
I am nothing like you, thought Caro.
“Which will, of course, make things easier on you, once we reach Scotland,” he continued.
“Just what do you intend to do with me there?” she asked. Knowing what she was facing would help her map out her own plans.
“That depends. I think Strathcona will gladly trade the incriminating evidence he has on my activities in order to get you back.”
“You misjudge his sentiments,” she murmured. “And even if he did a tendre for me, I believe His Lordship cares more for principles than he does for any personal feelings.”
“I think not. Alec McClellan is a weak-hearted fool when it comes to women. Just look at his history.” His laugh took on a nastier edge. “Indeed, he’s a buffle-brained idiot when it comes to many things. He’s so besotted with the notion of gentlemanly honor that he’ll actually believe I’ll keep my end of the bargain.”
Repressing a twinge of fear, Caro forced herself to remain dispassionate. She needed to keep her wits sharp and learn what he was thinking. “Once you have the evidence, why keep me hostage?” she asked. “My family and I will hardly want to make any accusations of abduction, so you need not fear that your misdeeds will be made public.”
“Precisely!” A flash of teeth—like a prowling predator about to seize his helpless prey. “You see, I have been thinking, and in all modesty, I must say I possess a very clever mind.”
“Y-yes, that’s quite clear,” Caro responded haltingly. He was not the only one capable of devious deceptions, though in truth it took little skill in playacting to sound confused. She couldn’t quite follow where his twisted machinations were going.
“But I don’t understand…” she added softly, hoping to coax him into revealing more.
“Of course you don’t,” said Thayer with savage satisfaction. “It takes a superior intellect to take a mistake and turn it into a stroke of genius.” He smoothed the wrinkles from his sleeves, the predator now turning into a preening peacock, admiring his own iridescent beauty.
“As I said, I have been thinking these last few hours. And it has occurred to me that you are even more useful than I first thought. As a hostage, you will force Strathcona to hand over documents, making it impossible for him to prove certain accusations against me. But as a bride, you will serve as even more solid protection.”
Caro jerked upright.
“Your sister’s husband, the Earl of Wrexham, is a rich and powerful peer,” Thayer went on. “He would never let scandal taint the family, so if I am his brother-in-law, he’ll use all his considerable influence to see I am never accused of any wrongdoing. Should Strathcona ever try to make trouble for me, he will be squashed like a bug.”
The man was mad. Even if Wrexham, who was known for his integrity and sense of honor, possessed such power, he would never use it for unsavory purposes.
However, she swallowed her outrage and instead simply mumbled, “How extraordinary of you to think of that.”
The comment seemed to please him. “Consider yourself fortunate to have had me take you away from the oafish attentions of Strathcona.” He shifted and his leg touched hers. “You’re a pretty enough chit that it won’t be a chore to bed you.”
A shudder slithered over her skin.
“And I imagine Wrexham has provided you with a very handsome dowry as well,” he mused. “So I shall be not only protected by an influential aristocrat but wealthy in the bargain.”
Another flight of madness, thought Caro. As if the earl would hand over a farthing to a miscreant who was guilty of abduction, as well as a host of other foul deeds.
But for now it was prudent to play the meek mouse and bide her time until the moment was right to transform into the cat with claws.
Thank God for the full moon, thought Alec as he passed through the outskirts of town and urged the big gelding into a canter along the road leading north. He meant to ride hard, and Andover had not exaggerated the sterling qualities of his horse. Beneath the pounding hooves and sweat-lathered muscles, the miles were flying by.
Eight hours.
He calculated that Thayer had a headstart of at least eight hours. The carriage would travel more slowly and be required to stop more frequently to change the horses, so he would quickly begin to cut the distance between them. There was, of course, the question of what route Thayer was taking and where he was heading.
But Alec was confident that he was right in guessing his enemy’s destination.
A hunting lodge just over the border—a place Thayer had bragged about to an erstwhile friend as a spot where he had debauched more than one young lady by seducing her with false promises of marriage.
A poisonous snake does not lose his venom, thought Alec, unless his fangs are pulled out by force.
Bending low, his own hair tangling with the flying mane, he spurred the bay to a faster pace.
Chapter Twenty-One
Stiff with fatigue, Caro stumbled on descending from the carriage and nearly pitched headlong onto the rutted ground.
“Be careful, you silly chit,” growled Thayer, steadying her with a rough grab. “We don
’t want to call attention to ourselves.”
Her only response was a small nod. He seemed to enjoy her silence, taking it as a sign that she was thoroughly cowed.
Let him think that, she mused, flexing her aching shoulders to loosen the knotted muscles. In the meantime, she was watching and waiting for her chance to escape.
Already she had managed to find the small penknife in her reticule and hide it in the sash of her gown. She had also dropped a few coins into the “V” of her corset.
Other than those paltry things, she had only her own imagination and resolve to rely on.
Her sisters would be proud of her, thought Caro with an inward smile. Rather than act on impulse, she had controlled the first blaze of anger and was being guided by pragmatism, not passion.
Perhaps I am getting older and wiser.
Reminded of the need to stay alert, she put aside such musings and took a careful look around her. It was important to learn where she was. They had traveled all night with only a few short stops for the driver to rest. It was now late afternoon, which meant they had been on the road for a little over twenty four hours…
Caro gave thanks for the fact that Anna was a stickler for accuracy when it came to the details of her novels. Because of her sister’s research, she knew that a carriage could cover roughly five miles in an hour.
One hundred and twenty miles. That meant they were almost halfway to the Scottish border. So, that left her another day and half to find a way to escape. Flight would be easier while still in England.
Quickening her pace, she hurried to get in as many steps as possible in the small area Thayer had allowed for stretching her legs. When the time came to bolt, she would need to move quickly.
As for rescue…
Caro tried not to think of Alec galloping in on a white charger, a knight in shining armor flashing a mighty sword and heroic smile.
For one thing, his horse was a dappled gray.
Expelling a rueful sigh, she reminded herself that even if he wished to be a hero, he had no idea of where to start looking for her. Yes, he would suspect that Thayer was behind the abduction, but there were a thousand—nay, a hundred thousand—places that her captor might be headed.