Nicholas placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure about this, Julian?”
He turned. “What do you mean?”
Removing his hand, Nicholas lowered his voice. “I mean, an old woman having dreams?”
“I know.” Julian sighed. “But it’s all we’ve got. Amelia is nowhere to be found. The house has been searched three times over.”
“All right,” Nicholas said with a nod. “Let’s go get her.”
Julian faced the rattling stable doors. Wind howled and pounded the thick wood. He secured his scarf around his nose and mouth, then adjusted the shallow-crown hat on his head. The wide brim would keep the ice off his face. He glanced to the others. “Ready?”
When shouts of ascent rose up, he nodded to the groom. The doors opened, blasting them with the furious wind and darts of ice. Titan resisted for a moment, then followed Julian outside to be mounted. Within seconds, they separated into smaller groups and shot out of the stable yard, each group heading for one of the stone cottages.
****
Amelia released a sigh when the rope fell free. She massaged her hands, wincing when her fingers brushed the raw skin at her wrists. “Turn around, Alex, and I’ll untie you.” She glanced to the door, praying the man wouldn’t come back for a while.
Her stiff fingers worked the knot. Oh please, oh please, oh please. Pain struck her low in the belly and she gritted her teeth.
“You all right, Mama?” Alex asked, craning his neck to see her.
“Yes.” She tried to sound normal. “Now let me finish.” The cramp subsided and she took a deep breath. Her fingers continued on the knot.
The twine loosened. “Oh, that hurts.” Alex groaned when he pulled his arms back around. He turned, rubbing his shoulders, then started on the rope securing his legs together. “Let’s go.” The bindings fell away and he shot to his feet.
Realizing she hadn’t followed him, Alex frowned down at her. “Come on, Mama. Can you get up?”
“It’s my ankle,” she lied. If she went with Alex, she would slow him down. He had to go without her. “You’ll have to go get help alone.”
His eyes went round. “I can’t leave you.”
“You must.” She wound the scarf around his neck.
“No—”
“Do as you’re told, Alexander Thomas,” she said sharply.
A worried frown pulled at his lips. “All right.” He placed a shoulder against the weathered wood, then shoved until the lock gave way. The howling wind made it difficult to open the door and Alex had to use both hands to squeeze through.
Amelia watched him hesitate. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Then he slipped through the opening and pushed the door back into place.
The pains hadn’t gotten any worse. Amelia laid her head against the stone wall and placed her hands on top of her middle. She closed her eyes, taking in slow deep breaths, the pain dwindled down to nagging little aches.
She thought of her son out there in that weather and that madman on the loose. A shiver coursed down her spine. Please, let Alex find Kenbrook.
When Amelia thought of Julian, the hand she’d been rubbing over her middle went still. Would he think she left of her own accord? Oh, no. “Please, Julian,” she whispered, “don’t think I left you.” Her head moved from side to side. No, Alex would get to Kenbrook and explain. Julian would know. Everything would be all right.
The door crashed open along with Giles’s colorful oath, bringing in a blast of pelting ice and freezing wind. He noticed the loose pieces of rope on the floor and narrowed his eyes. Then he glanced over at her with murder in his eyes. Amelia huddled against the wall. He stormed in her direction, raising his hand. “Where is the whelp?” he demanded.
Before she had the chance to respond, his hand connected hard with her already bruised cheek. As her head smacked back against the stony wall, she grew numb. In the blackness of her vision, she watched sparks dance. Taking in deep breaths, she resisted losing consciousness. The back of her head pounded and her cheek stung. A warm trickle of blood ran down the corner of her mouth.
Giles leaned down, his hands gripping her shoulders. “Where is the boy?”
When she remained silent, he squeezed until she cried out.
“Where is he?”
He drew his hands away and straightened. Amelia lifted her eyes. Giles removed something from his coat. The blade flashed and she sucked in a frightened breath. Sweet Jesus, save her.
He kneeled down. Her eyes stayed fixed on the sharp metal traveling slowly toward her. The tip halted just below her chin. “Now, tell me where the boy went or I’ll carve you like a Christmas goose.”
Amelia didn’t dare swallow for fear the blade would sink into her skin. “H-He went for help,” she whispered.
Giles scowled. “How long ago?”
“Just a-after you left, about an hour ago,” she lied, hoping he would think it useless to go after Alex.
He roared angrily and rose. She held her breath as she watched him turn toward the door. With a shake to his head, he turned back. Then he grabbed the rope from the floor and tied her back up. The twine bit into the raw flesh, bringing tears to her eyes.
When he finished with the knot, he yanked her to her feet. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“No questions.” He dragged her toward the door.
Amelia gasped when the frigid wind slapped her in the face. She squinted, seeing nothing but freezing rain falling from the ash gray sky. Giles yanked her forward and she stumbled on the slick ground.
“Come on, you lazy bitch.” He pulled her up and forward. She could no longer feel her feet.
As she forced her frozen limbs to move, she thanked God again that Alex had gotten away.
****
Halting by a large oak, Alex tried to catch his breath. The freezing air stung his lungs, and his side hurt. He wiped the bits of ice from his brows and glanced around, trying to figure out which way to go. At least he had a good sense of direction. Just like his father.
After resting for only a moment, he turned to his right and began forward. Please, let this be the way to Kenbrook. The howling wind slowed his progress. He bent his head and pressed on, thinking of his mother alone in that cabin, and the terrible man bound to return at any moment.
A horse materialized out of nowhere. Alex fell to the icy ground with a startled cry, trying to scramble away.
The man slid from his saddle. “Alex,” he yelled above the wind, “it’s all right. It’s me.”
“Grandfather?” He rose stiffly, his terror receding.
The Duke of Kenbrook pulled Alex into his arms. “Are you all right? Thank God I found you.”
Alex hugged him in return and wanted to cry. “Grandfather,” he jerked back, “Mama is in a cabin.” He turned and pointed to the south.
The duke looked relieved. He signaled the two men behind him. “Take my grandson back to Kenbrook,” he told one, then glanced to the other. “Go retrieve my son.”
Alex tipped his head up. “But, Grandfather, I—”
“No, Alex, you must return to Kenbrook. We’ll get your mother.”
****
Sheer determination had to be the only thing that kept Amelia going. Every step she took with Giles meant a step closer for Alex reaching Kenbrook. The only reason she simply didn’t give up.
When Giles halted, Amelia realized the wind had died down. Taking in deep breaths, she wondered where they were. Tall yew and oak trees surrounded them, their branches covered with ice. Tiny flurries danced gracefully around them. She glanced down at her legs and frowned. She couldn’t feel her feet. Not a good sign. She hoped they would find shelter soon. A roaring fire sounded like heaven.
The pain in her middle had subsided. Amelia breathed in a sigh of relief. And no sooner did she release the breath, Giles yanked on the rope securing her wrists.
She gritted her teeth to keep from crying out, but tears sprang to her eyes. The rope tore her tender skin, turning the
twine red with her blood.
Stumbling along behind him for another half an hour, he paused and took a sharp right turn. Amelia wondered where he was going until she saw the cave mostly hidden between the trees. Giles leaned forward so his head wouldn’t hit the low entrance and disappeared into the black crevice. She followed with reluctance, alert to any sounds from within the darkness. She didn’t relish the idea of having to deal with a wild animal at the moment.
Halting at the threshold, Amelia tried looking into the pitch interior. She could barely detect Giles’s outline. Nothing else moved and she relaxed.
“Come here.” He yanked on the rope, propelling her forward. “Sit there,” he directed to the spot at the back wall, his voice echoing slightly.
Amelia eased down on the spot he had indicated, her frozen legs starting to thaw and throb. She reached for her wet slippers to try and rub warmth into her feet, but found she couldn’t quite get to them with her swollen middle in the way. With a sigh, she rested against the icy wall and wiggled her toes. Feeling came back slowly, and pain followed. At least the frostbite wasn’t severe. She shivered when she recalled having to assist Dr. Rutland with the removal of a foot once. The poor young man had gotten lost during a terrible snow storm. When they found him two days later, one of his feet had turned black and couldn’t be saved. She shivered at the memory.
Giles leaned down and tied the rope around her ankles. The pale glow from the mouth of the cave gave her enough light to see.
“What are you doing?”
Pulling the knot tight, he tested the hold, then straightened. “Just making sure you don’t go anywhere.” He turned to leave.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“I’ve got some unsettled business to deal with,” he said over his shoulder, then disappeared through the cave’s entrance.
****
Julian flew into the cabin, pistols ready. Empty. His disappointment so great, he wanted to throw his head back and howl. A noise sounded behind him. He spun around.
“It’s just me.”
“Father,” Julian lowered the pistols, “sorry.”
“Amelia isn’t here?” His father stepped to his side, glancing around.
Julian shook his head. “Apparently not.”
“Alex could have been mistaken.”
Just as Julian started to concur, something on the ground caught his eye. He tucked the pistols away and retrieved the four-inch piece of twine. “Look here, Father.”
“What is it?”
He handed it over.
“It’s rope.” His father lifted his head. “She must have been here.”
Julian pounded the stone wall with the side of his fist. “And the son of a bitch has moved her.”
His father turned to the door where one of Porter’s men stood. “Go retrieve the others.”
“Right away, Your Grace.”
“Now that we know this is the right cabin, it is a place to start, Julian.”
“Yes, you’re right.” He faced his father. “I just wanted t—look out!” As a man stood a few yards behind his father, ready to throw a knife, Julian grabbed for a pistol.
Time slowed. His father fell to the floor just as the blade whizzed through the air. He took aim and squeezed the trigger, praying the thing hadn’t gotten too damp to fire. The blade grazed the side of Julian’s arm just as the explosion sounded. With wide eyes, the man crashed down to his knees, then fell forward into a large patch of ice.
“Father!” Julian raced forward. His arm burned as though on fire, but he ignored it. “Father, can you hear me?”
“Yes.” His father rose and wiped the dirt from his pants. “I am unharmed.” He eyed Julian’s torn sleeve and removed a handkerchief. “Here, let me wrap your arm, it’s bleeding.”
Julian glanced toward the man lying beyond the door and crept forward. The man had rolled over and covered the lower center of his chest with both hands. Dark blood, almost black, seeped out from between his fingers. Julian lifted his gaze to the man’s sneering face. To the four scars running down the length of his left cheek. To the hole where a tooth had been. Recognition flared. “I should have known.”
Giles chuckled. “You’ve lost, Amersleigh.” He coughed and blood trickled from his lips, running down his chin. “Your wife is dead. I killed her.”
“A lie!” Julian reached down and grabbed the man’s coat. He gave him a good shake. “Now tell me the truth.” He shook harder. “Where is she?”
Bloody lips twisted into a grimace. “She’s dead.”
CHAPTER 34
Amelia shivered on the hard ground. Darkness approached. And with the darkness, the temperature would drop even lower. Each breath created a plume of white smoke. She tried once again to bring her bound wrists up to her teeth, but since the rope had also been attached to the rope securing her legs, it wouldn’t reach.
“Curses,” she hissed, lowering her arms. Then she tried to lean forward, to reach the knot at her ankles, but couldn’t reach that either. Her swollen middle wouldn’t allow her hands to go any farther than her knees. Frustration swelled within her.
She needed to get away now, before Giles returned.
Tears stung her eyes. She took a deep breath and leaned her head back against the stone wall. Think, Amelia. Think!
Her thoughts turned to Alex. She prayed Giles hadn’t caught up to him. She also prayed he would make it safely to Kenbrook. A tear skidded down her cheek. What if he got lost? He was just a little boy. He didn’t deserve to die. “Please, God,” she whispered, “don’t let my son die.”
The bitter cold turned her bones to ice. She trembled. Her eyes grew heavy. So heavy. She could no longer think straight.
****
Julian watched two of Porter’s men secure Giles’s dead body in a blanket.
“It’ll be fully dark in less than an hour, Julian. We should make camp here and start at day break.”
Shoulders hunched in defeat at his father’s words, Julian gave a nod. The rest of Porter’s men began to take care of the horses and prepare a fire for a sparse meal they would all share. Another prepared to set out to Kenbrook to inform Megan of their plans.
The wind whistled through the trees. Julian closed his eyes, wishing the bloody damn wind would tell him the location of his wife. She was still alive, dammit. And he was going to find her.
A hand settled on his shoulder. “You don’t believe what Giles said, do you?”
He turned to Nicholas. “No. Amelia is still alive.” He could feel it. He started to say more, but something lying on the frozen ground caught his attention. “What’s this?” He hurried to where a frilly scrap of material lay. If he hadn’t looked right at it, he would have missed it. The white lace blended with the patches of ice.
“What is it?” Nick asked.
“It’s a handkerchief.” He brought it up to his nose and inhaled the sweet scent of vanilla. Amelia. He turned. “Amelia must have gone this way.” Excitement pumped through his veins. Scanning the area carefully, he noticed footprints disturbing a patch of ice nearby. “Here, Nick, look at this.”
His friend’s swift intake of breath confirmed that Julian hadn’t been seeing things. “I’ll go summon the others.”
Julian continued along the path. Evening shadows made it difficult to keep track of the footprints. Then light flooded the area.
“Thought you could use some help,” Jack said, holding up a torch.
“Thank you.” Julian took the torch and found Nick, Jeremy, and his father hurrying toward them.
“Are the footprints still visible?” Jeremy asked.
Julian turned back to the ground and held the flame up. He could see the indentions in several places up ahead. “Yes. It leads deeper into the forest.”
“Thank God you found that handkerchief. The path might have been hidden to us otherwise,” Nick said as they continued on.
Julian clutched the wood firmly in his hands, his eyes studying the prints. Occasionall
y, he would see an area where Amelia had stumbled, and where she had been dragged for about a foot. His gut twisted. There were a few smears of red in the areas she fell. Her hands must be bound, her wrists bleeding. God, please let it be nothing more. He moved faster.
Finally, the path ended at a pair of trees. There was a cave just beyond. He knew because he used to explore it as a child. Julian held up the torch to the dark entrance, his stomach in his throat. Amelia was in there. He knew it. On shaky legs, he moved into the mouth of the cave. Golden light spilled in and over the small form huddled against the rear wall. He sucked in a breath.
She didn’t stir, her face white as fresh cream. His heart jolted painfully. The others stood behind him. No one spoke.
Throwing the torch against the wall to his right, he went to her. “Amelia?”
She didn’t move. The back of his throat burned as tears collected. “Amelia, please. Please wake up.”
Her eyelashes fluttered then parted. She moved her head slightly. “Julian?”
Oh, thank God. “Yes, Pixie, it’s me.” He removed his knife. “Let me cut the rope.” He gritted his teeth at the sight of her raw, bleeding wrists, then cut through the bindings. Then he scooped his wife up into his arms. “Are you in any pain, my love?”
She rested her head against his shoulder. “No.”
He smiled because he knew that would be her answer whether she was in pain or not.
“Hello, Amy.”
Amelia lifted her head. “Jack, it’s dangerous for you to be here.”
He shook his head. “Finding you was more important.”
As Julian brought them out of the cave, Jeremy stepped forward. “You all right, pet?”
“I’m sure I feel better than I look,” Amelia said tiredly. “And not at all as beautiful as the picture you drew.”
Lord Sinister (Secrets & Scandals Book 3) Page 29