A Lady's Vanishing Choices (29 page)

Chapter 36

Royce, at the point of leaving again, halted when several urgent blows landed on the door. He jerked the door open and Jem pushed a note into Royce’s hand. Quickly, Royce devoured the message and shouted while he ran, “John, with me.”

John fell in behind him and raced to the stables. Royce sprang into action, mounting his stallion. Charles arrived on Jem’s heels, still mounted on his horse. Short of breath, he shouted, “Wilks left a note. He overheard something suspicious and is following. He tied a ribbon on the bridle path. I’ll show you.”

Royce raced to his stallion and sprang into action. With Charles in the lead, the riders urged their horses into a swift run toward Birdelwood Manor. Charles reined his horse to the left onto a dim trail marked with a yellow cloth, bold, bright and pointing the way. The group followed a sparse trail of ribbons for several miles through the forest and broke out onto the overgrown pathway leading to the old ruins of St. Paul’s Abbey.

“Come on men,” Royce urged. “She must be at the abbey.” Filled with renewed hope, he pressed his horse to a faster pace, praying he would find her alive. A raw, burning anxiety overwhelmed him with the need to hurry, but reason prevailed, and he forced himself to hold his mount to a safe pace.

After several long minutes of intense riding, watching for holes in the rough ground and peering ahead, the ruins appeared over the rise. The stark, old abbey stood sentry on a knoll in the center of a meadow. No trees guarded the ruins of crumbling, gray stones, from the weather. Thick weeds and wild flowers grew in profusion in an effort to retake the land. Dusk laid a light hand over the slowly deteriorating structure, at long last succumbing to nature’s call. As they neared the abbey, Royce waved for caution.

When the rescue party arrived, Wilks rode out to meet Royce and his men. “Over here, milord.”

Out of breath, he reined his horse close to Royce. “I followed Freddy and his father from the house. They argued for a while, then rode here. I couldn’t get close enough to hear much, but I did hear your wife’s name mentioned.” He paused to catch his breath.

“How long have they been inside?” Royce viewed the old abbey while he listened intently.

“Not long.” Wilks frowned in concentration. “A matter of fifteen minutes or so, I dare say. They ventured inside after a heated discussion. Someone was here before them. He didn’t bother to hide his horse. Seems he expected company or didn’t care.”

“My gratitude, Wilks.” Royce turned in his saddle and directed his men. “Break up in twos. Perhaps those two aren’t guilty, but I’m taking no chances. Surround the abbey. We don’t want anyone to escape.”

A shot rang out and Royce motioned for his men to spread out while he urged his stallion into a dead run toward the ruined abbey.

In a split second, Bethany dodged behind Laurent and scurried out the door. She ran, stumbling over debris in the dim corridor. Some vermin squealed and shuffled out of her way. Her desperate steps carried her all the way to the bottom of the stairs leading to safety before his long arm reached out and grabbed her.

He snarled, “You’d better be worth all this trouble.”

With all of her strength, Bethany fought him, landing a blow to his face. He backhanded her hard, and the room whirled before she closed her eyes.

Short minutes later, she struggled back to full awareness. Her hands, bound once more, tingled where the cloth cut into her wrist. Curled on the blanket in the corner of her prison, she noted him leaning against the wall, his gaze on her.

“Well, my dear. You do love to learn the hard way.” Laurent laughed. “It’ll be dark soon. Then we’ll be on our way.”

Her glance landed on Freddy and Sir Dimsworthy lying where they had fallen. Unable to drag her eyes away, she shuddered.

Laurent studied her and then the bodies. “Not a pretty sight, is it? Take it as a warning. I’m loyal to France and France alone. So don’t push.”

He nonchalantly transferred documents from Freddy’s small satchel to a much larger leather bag. When he finished, he snapped, “Let’s go.”

Cutting the bonds from round her ankles, he grabbed her by the arm and snatched her to her feet. He pointed her toward the door. Lifting the lantern high, he guided her down the same rubble-strewn corridor she traveled earlier in a desperate attempt at escape. He forced her to climb to the upper level. She found it necessary to lean her bound hands against the stone wall to keep her balance while she mounted the stairs.

Panic shortened her breath to shallow gasps.
I refuse to be a victim any longer
. She deliberately stumbled backwards, knocking his lantern and satchel down the steps. By dent of strength, he remained upright.

“You’ll pay for this,” he yelled, his tone cruel and merciless. “When I retrieve my case, I’ll be after you. So run, my love, run.”

She did, hurling herself up the remaining stairs, down another crumbling hall lined with sagging doors out into the twilight. Arms grabbed her the minute her feet hit solid ground.

Before she could scream, a blessedly familiar voice whispered in her ear. “It’s me. You’re safe again.”

She sagged against her husband in relief. He cut her bonds and held her close.

Royce pulled Bethany closer, silently cursing the cause of her tremors. Rage boiled up, replacing his earlier fear, and he clenched his teeth. Harcourt deserved to hang, not only to die, but to suffer for the torture he’d inflicted on others.
It’s a sad day when having him drawn and quartered is no longer possible
.

The men could hear Laurent racing through the hall, not bothering to disguise his approach. The men readied their weapons, and when he reached the doorway, five guns pointed directly at him, glinting in the moonlight.

John snatched the satchel from Laurent’s limp hands. “I’ll take that. I’m sure my superior will be happy to have this back in safe hands.”

“You cur,” Royce roared. “This is for Bethany and Mary Rose.” He drew his fist back to its fullest extent, and with the entire power of his wrath, delivered a stunning blow straight to Laurent’s face. A bone-crunching sound exploded before his head snapped back. Blood spurted from his nose and mouth while he stumbled backwards, falling down the steps to the stone floor below.

John rushed down the stairs with Royce at his heels. Royce rolled Laurent over, and his head lolled to one side, his neck clearly broken.

John whistled softly. “Remind me never to make you angry.”

“I didn’t actually mean to cheat the hangman, but he deserved much more than he received by my hand,” Royce spat out. “He’s dead. He can wait. Bethany needs me now.”

When Royce rejoined Bethany at the entrance, she threw her arms around him and hid her face against his shoulder. “Royce, Freddy and his father are down there. They’re dead. Laurent killed them. They were both traitors and murderers as well.”

“I’ll send someone back to recover the bodies.”

“Thank God you came.” She sighed and leaned into her husband.

“Yes, God pointed the way,” Royce whispered and mounted his stallion with Bethany before him. He drew her against his chest and, with only the moon to light the sky, Royce crooned, “I love you. I love you.”

“I love you, too. I knew you would come for me.” She relaxed against him.

The ride back to the hall seemed to take only a short while with Bethany safe in his arms. He needed to touch her, to hold her close and assure himself she was indeed alive, his wife, his love.

Seemingly every candle and lamp in the house had been lit in welcome. Several torches shone outside the walls, pointing the way. At last, home safe and sound.

Later in the week, John joined Sara on the settee in the parlor. Royce relaxed in an armchair with Bethany perched in his lap. Although against every dictate of polite society, he couldn’t bear her an inch from his side, even after a few days. Teacups were in every hand while they all sipped the brew and discussed the situation.

John grinned. “When I last met with my superior, he declared his gratitude. All the documents were recovered. The ringleader, a traitor from France and a true, heart-deep Bonapartist, was captured as well. Seems he was over here to hurry things along. Unbelievable.” John chuckled and rubbed his palms together. “His own cohorts had planted evidence against him. He deserved it.” He grinned and wiggled his brows. “I might even snag a promotion for this piece of work.”

“Well done.” Royce raised his cup in a salute. “Did he buy your fabrication concerning Freddy and Sir Dimsworthy?”

“Every line.” John grimaced. “He thinks Freddy lost his life when he discovered Bethany’s whereabouts. His reputation is spotless and his father’s also.”

Bethany worked to suppress her annoyance, but she couldn’t keep disapproval out of her voice. “That hardly seems fair. Still Freddy and Sir Dimsworthy
did
pay with their lives.” She grimaced. “I always liked Freddy. I can hardly believe he wanted me dead. He tossed me in the lake and cut the cinch on my saddle.” Bethany shuddered. “Sir Dimsworthy was worse than his son and totally unnatural as well. When Laurent shot Freddy, his father didn’t blink, not even with his son lying in all that blood.”

Sara said, “He didn’t seem the type to betray his country. And Freddy seemed so harmless.”

“At least the family was saved from disgrace,” Royce said with genuine sympathy.

“And dear me, poor little Eleanor can hold her head up. No disgrace or scandal to touch her name.” A wintry smile touched Bethany’s lips.

Royce wagged a finger at her. “Unworthy, my dear.” He twisted her chin around and gazed at her. “I thought your eyes might have turned a shade of green. I was really more concerned with the disgrace Lady Dimsworthy would face, besides losing both her husband and son.”

Bethany lowered her lashes and gave a sheepish grin. “My error.”

He drew her back and kissed her. “Eleanor is a lovely wigon on the outside, I’ll admit, but not near your beauty, my love. Her character is less than pleasing. I found her attractive, but she has drifted way beyond the pale many a time. She flies into a pelter quick as a cat can lick his whiskers. I hope Charles knows what he’s about.”

Bethany cleared her throat. “She is fortunate to have Charles. I hope she truly appreciates him when her expectations grow larger than her new station will provide. Please don’t blame me if I think she has more than she deserves.”

“I agree,” Sara echoed.

Bethany clasped her hands together and rather hesitantly added, “And to add to my sins, I’m delighted that my uncle and aunt are stripped of all of my possessions. My aunt will be blessed if she has a char-woman for the heavy chores.” Bethany could not suppress a crooked grin. “And Uncle Arthur won’t be able to afford his mistress.”

Royce wiggled his brows. “His just deserts, I say.”

Bethany glanced at her husband and shifted uneasily. “Laurent told me he’s the one who killed Perry.”

“What?” Royce erupted.

Bethany bobbed her head. “Yes, he excused his actions by claiming Perry had nearly caught him with the documents John now has in charge. Laurent said Perry pretended not to notice, but Laurent scoffed at that. He actually laughed. He followed Perry and stabbed him to death anyway.”

Royce’s grim expression gradually softened. “It’s a good thing I didn’t realize the blighter killed my brother at the time. I would have hit him harder.”

John laughed. “You managed a lot with the one blow.”

Bethany leaned against his shoulder and patted his hand. “His evil is at an end.”

Royce scoffed, “Perry probably didn’t even know Laurent had anything in his hand. Perry was in a fit of the dismals that day. We’d had words before he stomped out.”

Bethany squeezed his hand to comfort him.

“Let it go. I’ve hounded Bethany with those words. But it’s difficult. Still, there are always consequences with every choice, some bad and some good,” Royce owned. He gently patted Bethany’s stomach. “Our little consequence,” he whispered.

Later, when Bethany snuggled into his arms and quiet settled over Stroter Hall, Royce gathered her close. He kissed the top of her head. “I love you so much.”

She pushed back a little and gazed into his eyes. “I love you as well, nearly from the first moment when I nearly ran you down with my gig. I thought you were so handsome, so strong and able.” She chuckled. “I also thought you were an arrogant and totally ruthless man—and dangerous. I was correct about that.”

He drew her back against his shoulder. “And don’t you forget it, my love.” He stroked down her back to her hips and up her spine again. “I haven’t always treated you with the gentleness you deserve, but I shall in the future. If I forget, blow up at me.”

“You may count on it.”

“You managed to hold on, to survive all that life had to throw at you.” He gently kissed her lips. “We are joined together for better or for worse. We shall face hard times again, but we’ll face them together.” He gave a grateful sigh and held her close in his warm, sheltering embrace. “A warning indeed. Whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

Bethany and Royce, entwined in love and totally involved with only each other, allowed the world to fade away.