She reached Abby and took the reins to one of the horses. Her grip tightened as she looked back at the house, hardly aware that Noah and Caleb had come up to take the other horses’ reins. They waited in silence as the men ran into the main house.
“Where are they?” Caleb muttered, his anxious tone matching the way Lillian felt.
“Spread out,” Abby said. “They could be coming from any direction.”
Lillian and the others obeyed. Lillian went toward the west side of the house, still a ways off but close enough in case someone came out. She pulled out her knife in case one of them would be Charles’ men.
“Over there,” Abby called out in a hushed voice, pointing to the side of the house closest to Lillian.
Lillian’s gaze went to the west end of the house where Wade emerged, holding a boy in his arms. Lloyd. They got him!
Excited, she almost missed the woman who was running with him. Lillian’s grip on the reins tightened as she waved for him to come to her.
Wade stumbled within a few feet of her and fell to his knees, his hold on Lloyd loosening. The woman grabbed the child in her arms and pulled at Wade’s arm, trying to get him to his feet. He rose slightly, faltered, and fell down again.
Lillian rushed over to them, worry gnawing in her belly. What was wrong with him? He struggled to rise again and Lillian finally noticed the dark stain spreading across the waist of his shirt.
“What happened?” she asked, sliding her arm under Wade’s shoulder to help him up.
“He was shot,” the woman answered, her voice rising in hysteria.
Abby joined them a second later. “Help me get him on the horse, Lillian.”
The woman backed away, still holding the boy in her arms, and rocking slightly. Her terrified eyes kept darting toward the house. Lillian helped Abby lift Wade to his feet. Groaning in pain, he grabbed the saddle horn and pulled himself into the saddle while they pushed him the rest of the way up.
“Is he going to be alright?” Lillian asked as she rushed to his other side to secure his foot in the stirrup while Abby took care of the other foot.
“He’ll be fine if we get him out of here right away.” Abby turned to the woman. “Who are you?”
“Lloyd’s nurse. Charles has me take care of the boy. They came for him in the nursery, and the boy called him ‘Papa’.” She pointed to Wade. “I was with Lloyd and they promised to take me with them. Him and the other man. We were almost out of the house when Charles found us. He tried to kill Lloyd and me, and his pa stepped in front us. The other man went for Charles and we escaped.”
It took Lillian a moment to realize the other man she referred to was Mic. “What happened to the other man?”
“I don’t know. He told us to run and we did. There was another man, a-a giant. Lloyd’s pa told him Mic was still in the house.”
Lillian looked at the house, wondering where Mic was and praying he’d get out before something else bad happened.
Abby handed Lloyd to Lillian then turned to the woman. “Get on the horse with Wade. You head southwest as fast as you can go. The others will find you.” She helped the woman mount and slapped the horse’s rump. The horse took off at a gallop. Abby took Lillian by the arm and led her over to a tree where she’d tied her horse. “We have to go. Jeremiah will take care of Mic. We need to take care of Lloyd.” She untied the reins and mounted the horse then reached for Lloyd.
Lillian handed Lloyd to her, her gaze going back to the house where kerosene lamps were lighting the interior. A few men wandered around outside, lanterns in hand as they scouted the area. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn’t want to leave Mic, not when she didn’t know what had happened to him. She didn’t even want to leave Jeremiah behind. But what choice did she have? She didn’t even see Caleb or Noah anywhere.
“Come on,” Abby told Lillian, hand extended to her. “Someone’s coming!”
Lillian reached up when someone grabbed her wrist. She turned. She gasped, frozen. It couldn’t be!
“Why, Prudence Van Horn. It certainly is a pleasure meeting you here,” Robert said, his tone smooth, a smile on his face, a spark of anger in his eyes.
Lillian blinked then gulped. Her mind ran through a list of things she could do. She could fight him, but that would only alert the men to Lloyd, and they didn’t come all this way to let an innocent boy suffer. Decision made, she let the tears fill her eyes. “Oh, thank God you’re here. I’ve made such a big mistake. I never should have left Virginia.”
He glanced at Abby.
“The bandits kidnapped me and kept me prisoner. But you’re here now and everything will finally be alright.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried. Standing on her tiptoes she saw Abby’s conflicted expression and motioned for her to leave while he was distracted.
Understanding and fear in her face, Abby nodded and kicked the horse’s sides. In keeping with her disguise, she growled, “Good riddance,” in a pitch low enough to be mistaken for a man. “You were nothing but trouble anyway.”
Robert pulled Lillian away and grimaced. “For heaven’s sakes, get a hold of yourself, Prudence. You know I can’t stand it when a lady cries.”
“I’m sorry,” she replied and did her best to wipe the tears away despite having Wade’s blood on her hands. “It was horrible. The things they did to me, what they put me through.”
“That’s what you get for running off.”
She sniffled and lowered her gaze, bile rising in her throat at the words she spoke. “You’re right. What I did was wrong. I…I was just so scared of being married.”
“So you came out here as a mail-order bride?”
“A bride?” She dared a peek at the house, still not seeing Mic or the others as Charles’ men searched the property. “No, I was told I’d be a governess for the child and a lady’s maid. That’s what Mister Gray said. He said another woman had already written to him about being a wife and that she was accustomed to the finer things in life and desired a lady to care for her and his child. Or at least,” she wiped the blood off her hands as best as she could, “that’s what I thought. I’m so confused.”
He groaned. “Nothing has changed about you. You’re just as useless as before. Very well, I’m here now to handle things. Come into the house.”
She bowed her head further, hoping her anger didn’t show in her eyes. “Yes, Robert.”
Seizing her arm in a punishing grip, he stalked toward the house, dragging her behind him. She stumbled over the uneven ground, forcing him to slow down or let her go. He opted for slowing down, glaring at her. “Where is your trunk, Prudence?”
She gulped. “I don’t know.”
The thought of jerking her arm from his grip and running crossed her mind, but there was nowhere suitable to hide and with all the men running around, she was more likely to be shot than escape. She had to bide her time and stay alert for the right moment.
Scanning the property again, she hoped for a glimpse of Mic, Jeremiah, Noah, or Caleb, and at the same time she was glad she didn’t see them anywhere. Maybe they’d gotten out of the house and were hiding somewhere. Either way, she just hoped she could fool Robert long enough to escape. Fortunately for her, tears worked on him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Here’s the money for Prudence,” Robert told Charles as he threw a roll of bills onto Charles’ desk.
Lillian shuddered, glad Mic and the others had taken her from the stagecoach. She’d never thought a man could be worse than Robert, but Charles might just be that man. While good looking and charming, the man’s blue eyes were as dead as a snake’s. And she thought he might be just as cold inside.
Sitting toward the back of the parlor, her eyes lowered, partly because Robert expected it of her and partly so she could focus on the commotion going on in other parts of the house. She clasped her hands in her lap, wondering where Mic and his brothers were.
Men still rushed in and out of the house, although most of the activity
seemed to be outside. She guessed one of them was still around since Charles’ men shouted something about finding him.
Charles lifted the money from the table and very slowly counted it. Then he pocketed the cash. “More than worth the trouble she caused me.”
Robert glanced at her and chuckled. “Five hundred, Prudence. That’s all he thinks you’re worth.”
Her face grew warm from a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Taking a deep, calming breath, she closed her eyes and reminded herself why she was playing the role of a submissive lady instead of rushing across the room and attacking the insufferable oaf. Besides the fact that he was likely to kill her, her screaming could alert Mic and the others she was there, and they needed to get away from here, not come back for her.
“So,” Robert clasped his hands behind his back and focused on Charles. “Where’s her trunk?”
Charles shrugged, pouring himself a drink from a crystal decanter. “Who cares? You have the girl.”
Robert chuckled, though there was an edge to his laughter. “The girl comes with the trunk. One of my acquaintances saw her take it on the train with her.”
Lillian mentally cursed herself for being so careless. She should have known Robert would be keeping tabs on her.
Charles drained his cup. “It’s not my fault you can’t keep track of the girl or her trunk.”
Robert’s smile grew into a frown. “I’m not amused. Where is it?”
“How would I know?” Charles snapped. “It didn’t arrive on the stagecoach. Abby must have insisted her brothers take it along. So ask her.”
Robert’s eyes narrowed and a very dangerous look entered his eyes. “If you’re trying to keep that trunk for yourself and I find out, I’ll have you gutted like a fish.”
Charles poured himself another drink and lifted the gun from beneath the table, resting it on his arm. “Don’t threaten me in my home.”
Turning to her, Robert walked in her direction. “Prudence.” His soft tone sent a quiver through her. He was only being nice right now because he wanted something from her.
Letting the tears well up in her eyes, she looked up at him. “Yes, Robert?”
“Prudence, this is very important. Where is your trunk?”
She bit her lower lip and glanced at Charles. She thought to claim it went with the stagecoach so the two men would have a showdown over it. Robert would tear apart the entire place and might even kill Charles to get his hands on $10,000. But if she chose that option, she would be trapped here.
She could tell him her captors had the trunk at their hideout. He’d want her to take him to Mic’s cabin, and there were plenty of ways to escape along that way. It was the only way she could think of to get back to Mic. If anyone could handle Robert, it was him.
“The last time I saw it,” she began, “it was on the coach. The scary bandits could have taken it after they blindfolded me.”
Charles snorted. “Women.”
Robert glanced at him but told her, “Do you know where the scary bandits’ hideout is?”
Charles turned his gaze to her.
“Um, I…” The last thing she needed was to give Charles a lead. “Robert,” she lowered her voice and looked away from Charles, “he frightens me. Can we please leave?”
A man rushed into the room and whispered something in Charles’ ear that she couldn’t understand.
“Why don’t you take your runaway and go somewhere else? I have business to tend to,” Charles said with a sneer as he rose from his chair.
“Come, Prudence.” Robert extended his hand to her. “We’ll take our leave.”
She forced herself to take Robert’s hand and cower under the heat of Charles’ gaze. She edged closer to Robert, allowing him to lead her out of the room.
Charles’ men were yelling about finding one of the outlaws. At first, she thought he meant her, but they rushed past her.
“You needn’t trouble yourself, my dear,” Robert told her in a soothing tone better suited for a child. “This no longer concerns you.”
She let Robert lead her out of the house and down the porch steps. A gunshot went off toward the back of the house and she let out a startled cry. Mic! She jerked around, ready to rush inside. Did they get him? Or was it one of his brothers?
Charles came storming out of the parlor and down the hallway, cursing.
Robert’s hand tightened painfully on her arm and patted her hand. “It’s alright, Prudence. I believe there’s one less scary bandit in this world. That’s a good thing.”
This time when tears welled up in her eyes, they were real. No. It wasn’t Mic who got shot. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be any of his brothers either. They were too smart.
She blinked and Robert handed her a handkerchief. “I hope you stop this incessant crying. I need you to focus for me. We need to get that trunk so we can get you out of those atrocious clothes and into something suitable for a lady.”
Before she could make any sense out of the brawl and yelling, he put his arm around her shoulders and led her to three horses, two of which were used by Robert’s friends. She recognized Wilson and Daniel.
Wilson grinned down at her. He scanned her up and down, licking his lips. She always sensed something unnerving about him and now that she understood the way men desired women, she understood why he bothered her.
“I know it’s not ideal, but you’ll have to ride the horse like a man,” Robert told her. “It won’t be pleasant for either of us, but sacrifices must be made.”
Trying her best to ignore the commotion, she got on the horse and gripped the saddle horn. Robert mounted behind her.
She hated the feel of his arm around her waist and how she jerked against him in a much too intimate way as he urged his horse forward. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to lose what she ate earlier that day.
“When you came here tonight, which direction did you come from?” Robert asked, his breath on her ear.
She swallowed the bile in her throat. What she wouldn’t give right now for her own horse. “That way,” she said, pointing in the direction that would take them to Mic’s cabin.
It seemed like a long shot, but she figured she had nothing to lose. She dropped Robert’s handkerchief so it fell to the ground. Whether Mic would find it or not, she didn’t know, but it was better than not leaving anything behind. She needed him to know where she was going. If he was still alive and able, she needed him to save her.
***
The trip up the mountain slope had taken them most of the morning. Lillian walked at Robert’s side up the narrow path, Wilson and Daniel close behind. She’d intentionally chosen to zigzag through the area and managed to loop them into a big circle that successfully led them away from Mic’s cabin.
Around midday, Robert pointed to one of the trees with a broken tree branch. “I know we’ve passed that tree an hour ago.”
Biting her lower lip, she pretended to inspect the tree. “I don’t remember seeing it before.”
“For heaven’s sake, Prudence. You’re a grown lady, not a child. You should know where your trunk is.”
She shifted from one foot to the other, choosing her words carefully. “Well, I do. The scary bandits took it to their hiding place.”
“And they took you there too.”
She nodded.
He groaned and rubbed his eyes. “So you’ve been through this area before?”
She scanned the area and nodded again. “Yes. I remember the light that streams down through those branches because the light looks like a pretty angel hovering over us. I remember thinking it looked like an angel because I was so scared when those horrible men took me out here. That angel was like God assuring me you’d come along to rescue me and-”
“Enough,” he snapped then looked at Daniel. “Mark that tree. We’re going to start tracking where we’re going so we don’t end up in another circle. I swear, Prudence, if you didn’t take that money with you, I’d let you rot out here. You’re not goo
d for anything.”
Daniel approached the tree. “What do you want me to mark it with?”
Robert sighed. “I’m surrounded by idiots. Use your knife. Then if we stop by it again, Prudence will be aware of how stupid she really is.”
Lillian bit her tongue so she wouldn’t yell at Robert that she wasn’t stupid. But having him thinking she was stupid was better than him finding out she was purposely getting them lost. The forest was large and formidable. It was only because Mic had taken the time to point out specific trees and bushes along the way that she could navigate through it.
“I’m sorry, Robert,” she said, her voice soft as she tugged at the edge of her sleeve where a thread had come loose. “I’ll try to do better.”
With a heavy sigh, he returned to her side. “See that you do. Now, which way do we go to get your pretty dresses?”
She cleared her throat and examined the trees. “Well, I saw the angel up there,” she pointed up, “and they went that way.” She picked an alternate path that would still lead them away from Mic’s cabin. “There. We went that way.”
“We go this way,” he called out to the other men.
They followed her down another path.
***
An hour later, Robert turned to Lillian, his face red. “What do you mean you can’t tell where we’re going?”
“All the trees look alike,” she said.
He stomped toward her, his face a thundercloud of rage and violence. “All the trees look alike?”
She gulped and backed away. “Please, Robert, I—”
He shoved her, sending her flying backward. She landed hard across the leaves and tree roots. “All the trees look alike?” He reached down to grab her shirt and hauled her to her feet. “You stupid cow.”
He lifted his hand to strike her and she flinched, but a hand grabbed her and yanked her away from Robert before he could hit her.
The Stagecoach Bride Page 20