Wolton frowned. “He is strong enough to survive. He will be so enraged he’ll be unable to take his eyes off us.” He licked his lips in anticipation of the feast he’d planned.
“Tell me more of your plans.” Beth seated herself and motioned for him to do likewise.
Ah, let the torture begin. He was a master of the mental part of this game. He’d have her a quivering mess by the time he started his physical assault. There was no rush now that she was here. He’d savor every moment. Every flash of fear in her eyes. Every shudder that overtook her lovely body. His. She was all his. He could taste the victory already.
20
Outside along the banks of the river flowing a mile past the property, three shadowy figures searched under the darkening afternoon sky for a cave, or door or some kind of entrance that would lead them into the lower dungeons Beth mapped out for them.
“I found it,” hissed Michael, motioning for the men to follow him. They entered the darkness and lit torches stored close to the entrance, obviously used by others in the recent past. They searched the large area and found adjoining rooms filled with boxes containing guns, explosives, and ammunition, originally destined for British troops, but nowhere near the ports they were usually shipped from. “I think we can deduce how Wolton plans to bring down Prinny,” Neville stated.
“Treason for sure, but how do we prove it is Wolton and not Follett?” asked Michael.
Neville shook his head. “We’ll need to collect more evidence if possible.” He stepped into the entryway Beth indicated on her map and started to maneuver through the tunnels. At times, they were almost crawling their way uphill toward Follett Hall. Eventually, they entered a stone tunnel with steps heading up to a door.
At the top, Michael tried the door. Unlocked, he opened it slowly. Once inside, three tunnels were evident. Beth described how they all came back around to the main stairway leading up to the house. Other doors led to other tunnels with exits at various places around the property allowing for covert entrances and exits. At the center of all the tunnels and smaller rooms was a large room where, Elizabeth was certain, Phillip would be held. The men headed for that space.
They traveled slower than they wanted as the tunnels were narrow and the stone echoed any noise. They didn’t want to alert any guards. There were no lights as they approached the door. It was heavy wood and locked.
Neville gave Theodore his torch and bent down with a kit he carried.
“You pick locks?” Michael asked.
“Sometimes you need a good understanding and training in criminal arts to defeat them,” Neville answered with a whisper.
The lock clicked and they opened the door.
Michael took the lead and went in alone while the other two waited outside to keep watch and await his call. He made his way slowly around the large room. He could not see the entire space from one spot as the torch didn’t illuminate that wide of an area. A table took up the center of the room, made of sturdy wood, rough and stained with dark spots he assumed was blood. He moved around the table and found Phillip unconscious on the floor, with a chair tipped over next to him. Michael knelt down. He sighed in relief when he found a pulse. The man was freezing cold. “Hold on, buddy. We’ll get you out of here.”
He went to the other door to listen but there was no sound. No one was there. Back at the first door, he motioned for the men to enter.
Theo moved to where Michael pointed, knelt by Phillip’s side, and began to work at the rope with a knife.
Michael patted his friend’s face. “Come on, Phillip. Wake up. We need to rescue your wife.” He looked to Theo as the bonds broke free. “We’ll have to take him out whence we came. I hope Beth buys us enough time.”
Phillip moaned.
“Shhhh, Phillip, we’ll get you out of here.”
“Theo?” Phillip asked groggily.
“Michael’s got you too. Just a little further and we’ll take you to safety.”
“Beth? Where’s Beth?”
“Shhhh, we’ll tell you all we can as soon as we’re safe.” Michael grunted as they navigated the narrow tunnels. They came to a larger space and sat Phillip down next to a box of ammunition.
“Do we leave him here?” Neville asked.
“Theo, why don’t you take him back to the Red Rooster where Fenway can care for him.”
“He’s passed out again. I’ll have to drape him across my saddle.”
“Whatever it takes. Just get him to safety.”
Freezing rain had begun to fall. The men worked to help Theo put Phillip on the horse and they departed for town.
Seeking shelter back in the cave, Michael frowned. “I wonder if we shouldn’t take advantage of this wealth of ammunition.”
“What do you have in mind, Tidley?”
“If we set an explosion on this side of the property it might be enough of a distraction to help us get up to the house to free her.”
“Great idea. We need to give ourselves enough time to make it through the dirt tunnels. We’ll be blocking that exit.”
“I’ll set a long enough wick that should give us plenty of time.” Michael started collecting supplies. The two men worked together to pack the explosives around the entrance to the room and placed a sign outside as a warning in case anyone else tried to enter.
“I’m ready, are you?” Michael asked.
“As ready as ever.” Nigel nodded.
A torch was set to the wick. They watched it start to burn and hurried back through the tunnel to the room where they’d found Phillip.
~*~
Wolton was tired of pleasantries. He itched to get his hands on Lizzy. It was time to take control. He’d waited long enough. “I think we should visit your husband.”
“I would like that.”
She rose with grace which irritated him. She acted as if this was nothing more than a social visit. He needed to establish control. He grabbed her arm roughly and made his way to the door. Once unlocked, they discovered Lord Follett pacing the hallway.
“I suggest you keep yourself occupied, Folly. Your daughter and I have some unfinished business to attend to.”
Beth was close to her father but Wolton heard her words to the broken-down man.
“God forgives everything.”
Wolton growled and jerked her toward the rear of the house. No one and nothing would stop him now.
~*~
Awareness dawned as sharp pain exploded down his shoulders and back. The rhythm of a horse jolted him as icy needles fell from the sky. He closed his eyes as the landscape moved from his strange position draped across the horse.
“Phillip?” Theo’s concerned voice asked. A tight grip was held on his trousers lest he slip.
“Hmmm.”
“Hang on, we’ll get you somewhere warm soon.” The horse pulled up. “Whoa,” Theo whispered. “We’ve got trouble.”
“What have we here?” The booming voice sounded familiar. A hand grabbed his hair and pulled his neck back and Phillip was assaulted by the stench of the man’s breath.
A voice spoke. “I suggest you dismount. No quick moves or you’ll both die.”
“Sorry, Phillip. I tried,” Theo whispered as he dismounted.
Another voice came close. Theo was by Phillip as if he could protect him even now.
“What have we here? Someone managed to free our prisoner. Wonder what the Master will think of that?”
“He might have our heads if he finds the bloke gone,” the first voice said.
“We’d better get him back inside.”
The horse began to move and Theo kept to Phillip’s side, walking next to the horse with a hand on his back to keep him from sliding off. They slowly made their way through the woods, taking a path directly to the stables and the kitchen garden.
“Get him off of there,” a man bellowed.
“Sorry, I’m afraid this is going to hurt,” Theo apologized as he dragged Phillip off the horse and brought him to the damp ground.<
br />
Phillip shivered.
One of the men motioned for Theo to help Phillip up. Theo struggled and Phillip worked hard to get his feet to support him. He leaned heavily against his friend and closed his eyes. The men didn’t realize Phillip was awake. Theo was shoved from behind, almost dropping Phillip. “Drag him there if you have to.”
“A little help would be nice,” Theo whispered.
Phillip tried to assist but weakness and pain limited him. His mind told him he could do far more than his body was able to agree to. Frustrating. How would he rescue his wife if he couldn’t even stand on his own, much less fight?
They headed through the kitchen and to the door to the lower levels. “Déjà vu,” murmured Phillip as he tried to help Theo on the stairs. It was a slow and clumsy process.
Coming to the first landing the large man saw light ahead of him. “You’ve been caught out. The Master is ahead of us and he’s got a lady with him.”
One of the men chuckled. “We’ll see some fun now. Do ya think he’ll let us have what we were denied when we attacked her in the woods?”
“Don’t be a fool. He wants her to himself and the Master doesn’t share.”
“Neither do I,” Phillip muttered to Theo. Strength surged along with the hope he could help in spite of the weakness, pain, and bone-deep cold. He shivered. God would be with them but he prayed Theo had brought others to help. Theo had mentioned Michael. Where was Sir Tidley?
They began to catch up to Lord Wolton and Beth.
She turned and caught his eye. He gave her a wink.
Beth shrugged. “Why Lord Wolton, there is my husband now. He doesn’t look in good enough shape to enjoy all you’ve planned for us. I suggest you send some of your men back to the kitchen for food and water. It would not serve your purpose to have him unconscious or dead before you’ve finished your plans for me.”
Lord Wolton growled.
Phillip kept his head down and acted limp. It wasn’t much of an act. He leaned heavily against Theo who struggled to hold on to him.
“Fine,” Wolton bellowed. “You two in the back. Fetch some water and food. We’ll manage down here until you return.”
The men walked back up the stairs muttering to themselves.
Phillip grimaced in pain. Beth had been wise to send away two of their captors. It gave them a greater chance of survival. He’d married a savvy woman.
Apparently not smart enough to have stayed away, though. She shouldn’t be the one rescuing him.
“I wonder how you managed to escape, Lord Westcombe? But now you and your friend will have to die.” He motioned them all into the large room.
Theo stood in the doorway holding Phillip up as Lord Wolton moved around lighting the torches placed in the walls. The space filled with light although shadows remained. Benches surrounded the large table at the center of the room. A few chairs, including one tipped over, where Phillip assumed he’d been when he was rescued.
Lord Wolton motioned to Theo. “Put Lord Westcombe in this chair and sit next to him here,” motioning to another chair. “Keep him from falling off. I don’t want him to miss the show.”
Wolton came to stand in front of Phillip, who continued to act limp. The man grabbed Phillip’s jaw and tilted his head back. Philip blinked and closed his eyes again. The stench from the man was enough to cause him to empty his grumbling stomach.
“Ah, so you are awake. Barely.” Wolton stood and walked over to Beth. “Come, Lizzy. Now it’s time for you and I to get reacquainted.”
“Before we begin, I’m curious about a few things. Would you indulge my curiosity before my husband is fully revived since we need to wait for the food and water before we start?” Beth asked.
“What is it you desire to know? As you will all die anyway, I have no problem answering your questions.”
Careful, Beth. This man is dangerous. What did she think she was about? Phillip prayed for God’s help. He failed to envision any scenario where they emerged from this alive.
~*~
Beth freed her arm from Wolton’s grasp. She walked around the table, lightly touching it and fighting back the fingers of terror that threatened to overtake her. Memories of events in this room reared up in full horror as she spied the blood stains seeped into the wood. “Why are you so intent on having me? I never understood the reasoning. Why wouldn’t any woman do?”
“You are beautiful. Any man would desire to have you in his bed. I’ve tasted your charms in the past and enjoyed your screams for mercy.” He laughed, a deep dark sound that erupted into coughing. When he finished he leered at her. “I serve Napoleon, and dark forces, whose worship you’ve borne witness to. It should not come as a shock to you that a sacrifice will enhance my plans to overthrow the British government. I need the blessing of the Evil One. It is the price of power. Someone must pay it and it is to be you.”
“The Black Diamond?”
“He serves a higher master as well.”
“I thought virgins were necessary. I most certainly do not fit that criterion.” She motioned to Theo and Phillip. “And why must they die? They know little to nothing. Their deaths do not benefit you.” Her heart ached. She longed to go to Phillip and assure him of her love and apologize for all that had happened between them. She needed to play this out in an attempt to win his life, and Lord Harrow’s. No one else should suffer for her past, other than her.
“They are not necessary except to keep me from being exposed as a traitor. They possess too much information. I’m aware of the investigation. My goal is to finish this tonight. A ship will come and collect the ammunition, guns, and explosives waiting by the shoreline, and I will depart for France to await my return in victory when the Little Emperor wins the war.”
“You could leave them here until after you’ve gone. If what you say is correct, once you are off the shores of Britannia you would escape charges of treason. When you return in victory you might be a hero. There is no need to take any life other than my own to accomplish your purposes.” Beth stepped up on the bench and unbuttoned her cloak revealing her plump figure. She placed the cloak carefully on the table and sat down on the edge.
Wolton drooled. “So, you are with child after all. A double sacrifice will greatly please the Dark Lord.”
“I must disappoint you, my lord. I lost the baby two months past. I have not regained my figure.”
Wolton walked over and placed a hand on her swollen stomach.
Even she felt the kick where he pressed.
“You lie. There is most certainly a babe here. Would you like me to prove it to you?” He dragged a long sharp knife out of his belt and aimed it at her middle.
~*~
Phillip gasped aloud. Horror filled him at the scene playing out before him. She was trying to give them time, but for what? He wished his arms would work. Theo continued to support him.
Wolton turned. He placed the knife in its sheath and walked over to Phillip. He pulled Phillip’s hair, jerking his head back again.
Phillip grimaced at the rancid breath.
“You are not as weak as you pretend, pretty boy. Shall I show you how to treat a woman? Would you enjoy watching her suffer, squirm, and scream as your last images of life on this planet?”
A vibration rocked the room. The torches shook on the wall and dirt fell from the ceiling. A roar grew louder coming from the door opposite where Phillip sat.
Wolton motioned for his man to go find out what happened.
The big guy strode to the door and opened it but closed it quickly as the odor of gunpowder and smoke poured into the room.
Beth coughed.
Wolton yelled, “Go out the door, you fool!”
The big man walked over to Lord Wolton, grabbed him by his cravat and hauled him off his feet. “You don’t pay me enough for this. Do your own dirty work. I’m done.” He took a torch and stalked out the door leading up to the house, slamming it behind him.
It was all the distraction Theodore neede
d. He jumped up and landed a facer on Wolton, who stumbled back against the table. On the opposite side of the table, the bench moved out and Michael and Mr. Neville appeared aiming guns at Lord Wolton.
Phillip fell off the chair and closed his eyes in relief. Everything hurt and tears leaked from his eyes.
Wolton sputtered. “No. You cannot do this. I will be famous and powerful. I’ll ruin you! You cannot deny me my destiny.”
“Your shipment of arms vanished, Lord Wolton, as well as your access point to your rendezvous. You may as well surrender with grace. I have enough testimony to see you locked in the tower.” Neville walked around the table aiming a gun at Wolton’s chest.
Wolton struggled but Michael held the creep’s plump arms behind him and began tying them.
Phillip tried to sit.
Beth collected her cloak, placed it over her shoulders, and was soon by Phillip’s side. She enveloped him in her arms and held him fast. He brought his own around her. She helped him rise. He braced himself against the table and leaned in for a kiss. How long had it been?
The door flew open before their lips could meet. The three hirelings who had left before tumbled into the room, falling over each other as the door shut behind them. “We’re doomed! The house is ablaze above us!”
Beth turned. “My father?”
“Folly can rot in hell for all I care,” Wolton spouted. He yelped as Michael jerked his arm up and back.
Phillip looked at Beth. “Are we trapped here? With the one exit closed by explosives and the house on fire at the top of the stairs?”
She shook her head. “There is another tunnel. It’s old and not sturdy. It could have been damaged by the explosion.”
“It might be our only option,” Theo suggested.
“We’ll need to hurry.” She walked over to a moldy tapestry and unhooked it from the wall, letting it drop to the floor. Behind it was a smaller door. Beth grabbed Phillip’s hand and in her other took a torch. “Can you manage?” she asked him.
“Might need some help. Theo?”
Lord Harrow was by his side and grinned at Beth. “Ladies first.”
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