by Anne Mallory
The horses were led out, and Stephen helped her mount. They trotted toward a wooded path, a groom on horseback leading the way.
The landscape turned into a deep valley, and small houses dotted the countryside. It was a gorgeous pastoral scene. Audrey had grown up in the country and appreciated the setting, even if she had become a rabid city dweller.
Stephen asked the groom several questions about the running of the estate, and Audrey could see his mind working. The estate looked very prosperous. There was no way this property could be in debt.
Stephen was a perfect gentleman and included her in the conversation with the groom. The cool morning turned into a bright midday as they broke from the countryside into the village.
As they meandered down the street, the villagers stared at them in unabashed curiosity. Small children ventured close to stare, and Audrey saw puffed cheeks and healthy glows. These people were in excellent health. No starving here. And yet they were supposed to be in dire need of help.
And she was supposed to have killed the solicitor? Her eyes narrowed.
This was all too convenient.
There was a small inn in town. Probably not even ten rooms large, but they made their way there.
“They used to have excellent stews,” Stephen confided as he helped her dismount. His hands were warm on her waist. Her heart sped up and his lingers seemed to linger before releasing her.
The groom excused himself and left them to the innkeeper, who busied himself with making the two of them comfortable.
“I confess I have been thinking of nothing as much as your lovely stew since stepping foot in the county,” Stephen told the innkeeper after he was seated.
The innkeeper beamed. “I’ll be back with two bowls.”
A rich beef stew sounded superb after her meager breakfast, but Audrey didn’t know if she could dredge up an appetite when her stomach was coiled in knots.
Stephen gave her an unreadable look. “What do you think of the estate?”
She thought it looked very nice, but she was no closer to finding Faye after the inspection. Of course she hadn’t complained. She had no idea where she stood at the moment, but good sense proclaimed the ground shaky.
“I think the estate looks healthy and prosperous.”
“I do too. It looks well run and in need of little repair. I’ll need to look over the books.”
“Oh?”
“l have copies of some of the accounts, but the full ledgers are with my solicitor. I’ll retrieve them from him when I return to London.”
Audrey felt a faint line of perspiration dot her forehead. She had to get herself under control. He was watching her closely. “I’m sure you will have everything under control in no time.”
The innkeeper arrived with their food, saving her for the moment.
Stephen started eating, and she stared at her own bowl. Might as well eat, one never knew when it would be the last meal.
The stew was indeed good, and she ended up using her bread to wipe the bowl clean. She thought a faint bit of amusement crossed his face, but the unreadable mask was back in place. She found herself hating him at that moment. She had become accustomed to his joking manner only to have it rudely pulled from beneath through no fault of her own.
“Let’s ride some more. We can discuss our plans on the way.”
He thanked the innkeeper and sent the groom ahead to the manor. Stephen boosted her onto her horse, and she froze as his hand lightly caressed her backside.
She didn’t know what his game was, but if she could survive this experience and get him back to London, she could escape into the streets.
The country was a wide trap, but the city was her domain, and she knew all its twists and turns.
lf necessary, she could always fall back on her other plan. She would loathe herself if she had to resort to it, but her choices were slipping away. Last night she had felt a ray of hope. Today it had dimmed and withered away as usual.
Even the sun slipped behind the clouds to reflect her mood.
“There are numerous buildings to investigate on Travers’s property.
Which direction do you want to search first?”
“I don’t know,” she snapped.
Stephen looked at her askance. He had been trying to determine if she had heard the message and attempting at the same time to figure out how to ask. The case was becoming more and more complex, taking more twists and turns than St. John’s affairs.
“Feeling snippy?”
“None of your business. I’ll take care of my own problems, thank you.”
Irritation spread through him. “I know why you’re piqued. You overheard my conversation with the messenger. “
She looked at him sharply. “No.”
“How much did you overhear?”
“I don’t know to what you are referring.”
He couldn’t remember being this irritated with a woman before. Usually women were so pliable. So happy. So docile.
“Come off it, Audrey. I know you were there. Let’s get it out in the open.”
“Why?”
“Because then we can discuss why someone is making false claims about you being a murderer.”
There was a wary look in her eyes as she examined him for what seemed like hours. She slowly nodded. He had the distinct impression that she would rather have answered no to whatever he said.
Was there ever a woman so contrary? His mother had never been like this.
She had been a been thoughtful, caring woman. Not a prickly stubborn, ungrateful one. At least that is how it had appeared to have been in his young mind.
Had his parents ever fought like this? It was unbelievable that their sunny relationship had ever had any stumbling blocks. Not even in the end.
They had died in each other ‘s arms, something not even the street thieves could steal.
Stephen shook off the dark thoughts and stared at the street thief. He shook his head, no, at Audrey. “Rumor has it that you murdered my solicitor. The funny thing is you somehow carried out the dastardly deed two nights ago while I slept, managed to tiptoe back into my bed while I slept. Furthermore, you magically disposed of the of the body. Witnesses saw you kill him, but no one seems to know what happened afterward.”
A look of relief crossed her features. “Oh, thank God.”
“You thought I believed it?”
“Why wouldn’t you, considering my checkered past?”
Why hadn’t he? He had automatically sought an alternative explanation as soon as he had heard the first words from the messenger, never once feeling the messengers words were the truth.
“Because it didn’t make sense,” he said smoothly. After he had asked some targeted questions, it hadn’t, that was true. The accusation had been carefully crafted. Only his desire to believe in Audrey had prompted him to press the messenger and reveal the discrepancies.
“So what do I do about the allegations?”
I, not we. Their relationship had quickly regressed. “Roth is concerned you will do me in.”
“And what do you believe?”
“I told you I didn’t believe the tale. Should I be worried about my health?”
Audrey gave him a dark look. “I don’t make it a practice to kill my partners in crime.”
“Then whom do you make it a practice to kill?”
“Irritating men. Be grateful you’re my partner.”
He smiled. “I am grateful.”
Color stained her cheeks, and she moved her mare forward. “We should really be searching.”
He nudged his horse into a trot. “You’ve made an enemy of Travers, you know.”
She nodded brusquely “Yes, I figured he was behind this. We now have something else in common, Your Grace.”
The title stung, but he knew she was right about Travers. The man had hated him for years, even decades. And he knew what Travers desired.
All the pieces were falling in place, and it wouldn’t be long before
Travers was brought down. But first he had to locate Audrey’s sister. He was too nervous to put Audrey to the test if they didn’t find her sister; he knew he would end the loser.
Audrey glanced at Stephen riding next to her. He hadn’t believed the lies.
Or was this a more elaborate ploy? She quashed the negative thoughts.
She had to believe him.
A weight lifted from her shoulders. They were still no closer to finding her sister, but at least they were back on even ground.
“Let’s be methodical and head south first.” Stephen cantered ahead.
The mare was more spirited than she looked, and she sped off with only the slightest urging. They soared over an open valley The wind on her face, the ground flying beneath, Audrey had forgotten how much she enjoyed riding. There was never an opportunity in the city A few empty dwellings and barns occupied the southern portion of Travers’s property, but there were no tracks and nothing suspicious around them. They rode to the eastern portion that adjoined Stephen’s property, the portion closest to the manor, and scoured the area. The sun was starting to set when they finally found what they were looking for.
“Stop.” Stephen motioned to her, and she saw the small burst of smoke ahead.
They dismounted and tied their horses. Stephen removed his gun, and they crept forward. A small cottage was nestled in the trees, and a man sat on the edge of the front porch trying to light a fire in a pit. Tendrils of smoke haphazardly rose from his efforts. Audrey could see forms moving inside, but could not determine the number or gender of the people within.
Audrey recognized the man as an elder from the stews who sometimes worked with Flanagan.
Another man, this one a stranger, exited the house. “Our guests are all settled, boss. Are we supposed to just wait now?”
Had Flanagan sent someone? Or were these men working for someone else? And who were the guests? She wanted dearly to burst into the clearing and shake the answers out of them.
“The little Kendrick filly will stay put. Don’t worry about her, she’s well taken care of. “
The elder shook his head. “You don’t know her. “
Cold rage descended. They had Faye. She moved forward, but Stephen grabbed her. She balked and nearly pulled away, but their eyes met, her eyes glaring, his entreating, and after a few tense seconds she stilled.
She dropped her hand. “You heard them. They have my sister. I’m going in with or without you.”
“Not now. You don’t know how many others are inside. They don’t appear to be in any hurry We’ll come back later with reinforcements.”
“No.”
“Yes. I’ll call the constable and set up men to watch. These men will still be here in the morning.”
She read the look on his face. “Fine.” Her brows lifted, and she smoothed her hair. It would be better for her to return alone under cover of darkness anyway She could even walk the distance.
His eyebrows rose.
She answered his look. “You make a good point, and I’d rather have my sister in one piece.”
He didn’t look convinced—she’d have to do a better job at dinner, or he’d never let her out of his sight.
“We are working together.” She shrugged. “So, that means I have to wait for you.”
“Sometimes I wonder if our definitions of certain words in the English language might have different connotations.” He quirked an eyebrow, but held out a hand to her.
They led their horses back to the south and exited the woods into the valley. They ended up farther away from the manor, but with the tracks leading the wrong way They mounted and trotted back to the house.
A movement to her right alerted her. She turned toward the woods, but no one was there. Her senses went on alert. It was not an animal, she was sure of it. It might be a villager or even a poacher but there was someone in the wood. She edged closer to Stephen. If it were one of Flanagan’s men, she would need to protect Stephen.
Stephen made no comment, but he kept trying to guide her to the side. It was damn hard work protecting him when he kept putting himself in harm’s way.
But they reached the manor without incident.
After she retrieved Faye she’d find out who was watching them. And which one of them they were watching.
Stephen spoke with the butler, and Audrey meandered into the library, tension still thrumming though her. Volumes towered from floor to ceiling. She loved books. They were at the same time an escape, safe haven, and hope for the future. She had books of her own, tattered and well used, but nothing like what Stephen and the previous dukes possessed.
She put her hand on the back of a Rousseau and started to pull it out.
Someone coughed and she snatched her hand back.
Stephen stood in the doorway, lounging as usual.
“I wasn’t going to take it.”
“I never said you were. Did you want to borrow something to read?”
“Maybe later.” She absently walked to the window. Darkness had descended upon the country.
“Why do you assume that I think you are stealing?”
“That’s what I do, right?”
“And you automatically assumed I would find you guilty this morning with no facts to back any of the allegations.”
“I’m a criminal. You hate us.”
Although he appeared outwardly at ease, she felt him tense. “I don’t hate you.”
She shrugged.
“You don’t trust me,” he said.
“Why should I trust you?”
“Have I given you reason not to?”
She jerked a bit. “You don’t trust anyone, Chalmers. I know you. So why would you ask it of me?”
“I trusted in you this morning.”
“No, you used logic and reason to sort through the lies.”
He shook his head and leaned back against the door, that same inner stillness at odds with his posture. “No, I knew you weren’t guilty before applying logic and reason.”
She remained silent, unsure how to respond.
His eyes were penetrating. “Dinner will be served soon. I’ll see you there.” He pivoted on his heel and left.
An uncomfortable feeling spread through her, and she walked away from the window. He was being nothing but kind and helpful. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a simple lark. She had tried pretending it was, but it hadn’t been a game for a long time now. She needed to harden her heart if she was going to make it to the end and save Faye. The plan had never included saving Audrey.
Audrey moved listlessly upstairs to change her clothing, then dragged herself to the immense dining room. Chandeliers gleamed across the expanse, creating an intimate mood at odds with her feelings.
Dinner was excellent, but she barely did it justice. Stephen was consumed with his own thoughts as well, and there was little conversation. She didn’t know how to break the silence and wasn’t even sure she wanted to.
As long as he was preoccupied she could develop her own strategy however depressing the thought of their lost intimacy.
After dessert and an uncomfortable silence, she stood. Stephen rose as well.
“The constable will take care of everything tomorrow.”
She shrugged, not feeling what the motion indicated. The constable would just as well come to arrest her on the morrow. “Fine. Good evening.”
She felt him watching her as she walked slowly from the dining room.
She shut the door to her room, then locked it for good measure. She couldn’t forget her mission.
She stripped to her shift and tucked herself under the covers. They were warm, bless the maid. A nap would restore her energy before she returned to the cabin. Time for Stephen to go to bed, time for the servants to go to bed, and time for the bastards who had her sister to become drunk and lazy.
Revenge would be sweet. Right now the men in the woods were the perfect scapegoat for her pentup feelings—the confused ones for Stephen, the terrified ones for her sist
er, and the vengeance that she craved against Travers.
Audrey napped lightly and woke when she heard the footfall approach her door. There was an infinitesimal pause before they continued down the hall to the master suite. She stared at the ceiling. An hour later she was still staring at the same spot. By now he should be asleep. She tossed the covers and stepped on the plush oriental rug.
lt took a few minutes to find her coat and trousers. As soon as her weapons were in place, she cracked open the door and peered into the hall. The corridor was clear.
She made her way down the steps, slipped into the kitchen and through the back door. A half-moon provided enough light to illuminate her way.
She trotted to the east. Once inside the woods she stepped onto a trail and increased her pace. Years of running from the law gave her speed. She spotted the large oak tree she had mentally marked earlier and turned from the path. Slowing, she picked her way through the forest, trying to avoid stepping on anything that crinkled or rustled. She wasn’t accustomed to the terrain and found it much more difficult to traverse than it had been in the daylight.
Finally, the thatched cottage came into view. Three men sat around the fire. She skirted to the A back and sent up a prayer when she saw the partially open door. She snuck inside and stayed low to the ground. The idiots had left lamps glowing throughout the place. She poked her head into the first bedroom. Empty. Second one. Empty. A sound from outside caused her to crouch lower on the floor, knife in hand. Silence.
She moved to the final room. Empty. She twitched her hand and straightened. Walking into the living area she noticed that no one had been held here, now or in the recent past. Anger and frustration whipped through her, and she sidled up to a curtained window, peeking through.
The three men were still drinking and smoking around the fire. The stranger she had seen earlier was smoking, a man with his back to her was staring toward the trees, and the older man was leaning against a log drinking from a huge jug.
She opened the door. “What the hell are you three rats doing here?”
The older man dropped the jug, spilling ale on himself. “By the devil, Hermes, what are you thinking of, sneaking up on us like that?”