Escape with A Rogue (42 page)

Oberon let out a chuckle, but it was interrupted by a roar of anger from inside the carriage. Then Jack, wearing heavy chains, jumped down. That he landed squarely on his feet astonished her. His glare made her falter, more than the presence of the other men did. He had told her not to do something foolhardy. She could hear Penelope breathing hard beneath her. Nothing could be more dangerously mad than what she was doing—

Blood welled at the side of Jack’s mouth. He had been struck.

She drew herself up, towering above them all on Penelope’s back. “Who hit him?”

Livingston sputtered in outrage, and she knew it had been he. But Jack stepped forward, chains clanking. “Get out of this, please, Madeline,” he growled.

“I most definitely will not,” she declared. Softly, Madeline added, “This is your doing, Jack—you’ve given me the courage to face things that should terrify me.”

Jack groaned. Apparently he’d taken a strong woman and convinced her she was invincible. Up went her sweet point of a chin and she glared at Livingston. “Is this how you treat a defenseless man? He is in chains and is no threat to you. To strike him is . . . is bullying. I won’t stand for it.” She narrowed her eyes at Oberon. “But what else can be expected of a—”

“Wait, angel,” Jack advised sharply. God, how he loved her—what man wouldn’t be stunned by such a woman coming to his rescue—but he couldn’t be certain yet who to trust.

“Bullying?” Livingston took a menacing step. “You have no place—”

“Threaten her, and you are dead.”

Livingston cast his gaze over Jack’s shackles and sneered, but he didn’t give a damn about the captain and his pistol. Madeline dismounted and jumped to the ground. Damnation. On the horse, she could have escaped quickly.

“Lady Madeline had better not be at any risk from you, Oberon.” He pitched his voice low, menacing, and took pleasure when he saw both men step back, even though he was chained like an animal. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other guards had left the carriage.

He dragged his chains ahead, so he could step in front of her, but the stubborn woman moved up to stand at his side. The stubborn, astonishing lady he adored with his every breath.

Livingston snarled. “Unless you help us, Hart, I’m afraid she will be. And what will you do to protect her, after your neck’s been broken by a hangman’s rope?”

Jack tried to launch forward but the other men held his chains.

“Stop!” Madeline cried.

Oberon held up his hands. “The lady is correct. This is accomplishing nothing.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack watched Livingston’s face, but he spoke to Oberon. “You sent four men after me, one of whom almost killed Lady Madeline. You left another woman’s body in your wake.”

Livingston blinked. “What is this? What woman’s body?”

Jack believed the stunned expression was unfeigned. “A woman who provided a modicum of help to two convicts—and likely out of fear.” He had no real proof of it, but he angled to provoke a reaction. “Two masked soldiers cold-bloodedly shot that woman. Obviously on someone’s orders.”

Oberon began coolly, “The Crown did not—”

“I’m not talking about the Crown, Oberon. I’m talking about a traitor who works within it. You believed I knew of men in London plotting to commit treason, and you feared I had to know who was helping them. You’re afraid I can give up your name.”

Behind his glinting spectacles, the man blinked. “That is madness. I sent no one after you with orders to kill you, Travers. I would never involve an innocent woman. Any of my men who did that would be shot. And I am no traitor.”

Livingston stared at Oberon, who snapped, “Good lord, you are not listening to the word of a convicted criminal?”

Madeline’s voice fell amongst them then, confident and firm. “It is the truth, and Jack is
innocent
. He did not commit murder or treason. The only crime he committed was to escape from Dartmoor War Prison, where he was being
wrongfully
held. He escaped to protect me from the real murderer. If he had not, I might have died at the hands of Lady Lindale.”

“He’ll spend years in prison for his escape. We found a man dead—with his neck broken—near the prison,” Livingston barked. “Travers, your lady is facing a prison sentence. Give us the names we want and she goes free. She’ll be left alone.”

Christ, had Livingston just discounted what he’d said about Oberon? Or was he a traitor also? Jack caught Madeline’s anguished stare. She tried to hide it, but he could read the raw pain in her eyes. Those names gave him power, and he had to use them to get her free. “All right.”

“Wait!” Madeline lunged forward. She could not bear to have him give Stephen up to protect her. “One of those men was—” She paused. Fury crackled in Jack’s eyes. But she could not let him die. The name hovered on her lips. She would say it so he would not have to.

“Captain Livingston,” she cried, “do you not see what has been happening? Men were sent to kill Jack, not recapture him. Who else could have sent assassins after us but the man who appears to be orchestrating the search? He’s afraid now he’ll hear his own name. But there is another I will give you first. One of the men is Ste—”

Her voice died away as Oberon lifted a loaded pistol. But he did not point it at her or Jack. He’d stepped slightly in front of Jack to level his weapon at Livingston. The other agents, who stood at Jack’s side, stared in astonishment.

“What in blazes?” the captain gasped.

“You could be the traitor, Livingston,” Oberon claimed coldly. “You were in need of money. You are the one who has been questioning Travers. Do not do anything foolish, such as trying to run.” He lifted the weapon to aim at Livingston’s head and put his finger to the trigger—

Jack lunged forward, swung his shackled arms upward and brought them down, pressing the chains that secured his hands to Oberon’s throat. He’d rushed in to save Livingston’s life.

Madeline stared in horror as Oberon shifted his pistol, to aim it past his side and at Jack’s gut. No, she would not let it happen. She sprang forward and yanked as hard as she could on the traitor’s arm. The explosion of the gunshot swallowed his bellow of rage. The force slammed Oberon’s arm against her. She tipped, then landed on the hard gravel of the road.

The spent pistol clattered to the ground beside her.

“I did nothing,” Mr. Oberon shouted. He clawed frantically at the chain. It gouged into his flesh, which bulged on either side.

As Madeline scrambled to her feet, she saw a flash of sliver. Oberon held a blade. He must have hidden one in his sleeve.

“Jack!”

Livingston took aim with his pistol, but Jack jerked on the chain as the Crown agent slashed back at him.

“Don’t shoot.
Please!
” she cried, but Livingston fired with a roar and a burst of smoke. Her lungs seemed to explode in a scream. Jack.
Jack.
But the smoke wafted away to reveal both men still struggling in the road.

“Enough,” Jack barked. He abruptly lifted the chain from Oberon’s neck and the man sagged to the ground.

He had vowed not to take a life. But he’d had to. He’d had no choice. Surely Livingston and the other witnesses would see that. Jack had stopped a traitor.

The world tilted severely to the right. She put out her hand . . . then Jack was there, at her side, still chained but ready to support her. She steadied and blinked at him. “Is he dead?”

Deep and gravelly, Jack’s familiar voice wrapped around her. “I hope not. I only wanted to render him unconscious.”

Livingston crouched, ripped off his glove, and put his hand to Oberon’s throat. “He has a pulse.” Pale, he glanced up at them. He was shaking. “I owe my life to the both of you.”

Thunder rose around them. Her arm tightened on Jack’s forearm and they both stared down the road in the direction of her home. The tremendous rumbling wasn’t a storm—it was the pounding of many horses being driven at speed.

The riders rounded a corner and came into view. Madeline almost laughed in relief. Philip rode at the front on Jupiter. Braxton, Deverell, and Mayberry flanked him, and grooms and footmen from Eversleigh rode or ran behind.

“Are you all right, Madeline?” Philip shouted.

Her brother had come to her rescue. “Yes,” she cried. She tried to explain what had happened. The accusations of treason, Oberon’s attempt to divert suspicion, the fight . . .

Philip dismounted, but Deverell was already on the ground. He ran toward her, but halted abruptly in his tracks. His gaze flicked from her to Jack. She looked to Jack, too, and saw the stark possessiveness in his deep green eyes. Relief and joy and love flooded through her and burst out in a smile.

“Hades, I’ve lost,” Deverell muttered. “To him.”

Philip took instruction from Livingston and held a pistol on Oberon as Livingston rose and strode back to them. The captain pursed his lips. “Well then, Hart—”

“Wait. Lady Madeline took no part in my escape. Accept that, and you get your names.”

“But only if you arrange for Jack’s exoneration,” she added quickly. “He saved your life, Captain Livingston, and captured a traitor. He will give you the information you want if you give him a pardon. I will accept nothing less.”

She heard Jack’s wry laugh and frowned.

Livingston stood. “I know about your past, Hart. I know what you did, but that you acted in self-defense in those cases. I don’t like it, but I agree. Lady Madeline will never be mentioned as a part of this. You will be taken before the magistrate in regard to the escape. Given your actions here, I believe you will emerge from the court a free man.”

“One of the men you want is James Thomas,” Jack said. “That’s the name he uses now. Previously he was known as Stephen Bells. He can be found in the Seven Dials area of London. Or, at least, that was where he could be found when I was last there.” He gave other names to Livingston. “I’ll repeat them for you to record. It’s not all of them, but those are the leaders.”

Madeline’s breath left her in a whoosh. She stroked his arm. “I’m sorry.” At his questioning look, she added, “I know you believed you owed Stephen your loyalty.”

The cool chains brushed against her bare skin as Jack tried to embrace her. “You were right. Stephen is responsible for his own actions.”

“He wasn’t worth your life, Jack. Thank heaven you realized that.”

“I’m thanking heaven you believed it.” His gaze held hers. “You promised you would give me freedom, Madeline. I thought it was an impossible dream, but you made it come true. And now there’s one more impossible thing to do.”

She couldn’t begin to imagine what it could be. Behind her, Penelope whinnied and the carriage creaked as Oberon was loaded inside with cuffs at his hands and feet.

“Convince your father to allow you to marry me. If you’ll have me, of course.” Struggling with his manacles, Jack managed to get down on one knee. “I should be ashamed, proposing marriage to you here, while in chains.”

Proposing
marriage
? Joy, shock, disbelief, and relief all exploded in her at once.

“You can say no. I don’t expect you to say yes, but I want you to know how much I love you.”

“No! I mean, no, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing to regret. I love you, Jack Travers. And no, I will
not
say no.”

“Then will you be my wife, Lady Madeline Ashby?”

Tears of joy fell to her cheeks. “Yes. Yes, yes! I love you, Jack, and I will be your wife.”

Jack surged to his feet despite the weight of the irons on him. Livingston was heading toward him with the key to unlock him, but he couldn’t wait. Not any longer. He bent to Madeline’s mouth, but she moved first, rising on her toes. She kissed him with passion and hunger and love, and his heart took flight—finally, truly, free.

* * *

Sunlight sparkled through the windows of the church of St. Michael and All Angels. At Father’s side, Madeline shared a smile with him. Miss Sims, the organist, pressed her fingers to the keys. With her heart thundering in excitement, Madeline began to walk down the aisle.

A special license had arranged this, after a whirlwind of a fortnight.

Amelia and Mama sat together in the front pew. Amelia held her mother’s hands. And explained softly, once more, just who was getting married today. It brought tears to Madeline’s eyes that her mother would not remember this day, but she would—she would never forget it. And she would tell Mama about it often.

Amelia gave her a glowing smile. Her sister had returned from the Ferrars’ home, had hugged her with deep joy, thanked heaven she was safe—and thanked her for finding the truth. She had told Amelia about her illegitimacy.
“You are my sister,”
Amelia had cried.
“That’s all that matters to me.”

Both Deverell and Mayberry had left after Oberon’s capture. Before Mayberry’s departure, she’d convinced him to give up his antiquities contact in Greece, who had been selling forged pieces, to the Crown.

She had also been working to help the couple on the moors who had let her and Jack use their barn. Soon, their long-missing son would come home.

She’d coaxed Braxton to reveal what had happened in Africa.
“It was an accident,”
he’d said to her and Amelia.
“Didn’t even fire the shot. Another member of the expedition did. As for the man’s wife—I drove her through Hyde Park once or twice, but had no real interest in her. Sarah was going to tell lies unless I paid her. I realize now there’s never been any woman for me but you, Amelia.”

Madeline saw Amelia and Braxton exchange a lingering gaze and felt another burst of delight in her heart.

And then she saw Jack.

He stood at the altar, and now he turned and she stopped. In the middle of the aisle, with Father still attempting to move her forward. Colored light fell upon Jack like jewels. He wore a morning coat, an impeccably tied cravat, gleaming boots. But he also wore such an awestruck look of love, such a devastating dimpled smile, that her knees became as insubstantial as jelly.

Breaking a man out of prison is no easy task
, she’d thought as the gates of Dartmoor War Prison had closed behind her. Getting down the aisle without tossing aside her flowers, dashing like a madwoman, and leaping into Jack’s arms might prove as difficult.