The Beloved Scoundrel (27 page)

“Will he live?”

“I’ve seen him survive much worse.”

“Was it a wild animal?” She was shaking so badly, she could barely stand. “What did this to him? A wolf?”

He shook his head. “Knife wound.”

“Knife? He was attacked? Robbers?”

“We’ll have to ask him.”

“But he’s in a faint. You stay here with him, and I’ll go after Alex.”

“No,” Jordan said sharply. “We don’t know where he was attacked. Gregor will have to tell us.”

“I can’t wait. What if—”

“I’m … sorry.” Gregor’s eyes were open, looking up at Jordan. “I was … stupid. I’ve grown too soft with the life here. Should go home …”

Marianna felt a rush of relief. If he could speak, he couldn’t be too badly hurt.

“Well, your stupidity is not going to prove fatal. It’s a good thing you’re as big as you are. Anyone with less blood would be a corpse now.” Jordan’s voice was light, but his hand was infinitely gentle as he brushed the wild mane of hair back from Gregor’s face. “Where did it happen?”

“They were waiting for us.…” Gregor trailed off and then roused himself. “Seven men. They knew we were coming.”

“Do you know who they were?”

“I recognized only one—Costain.”

Jordan cursed beneath his breath. “Where?”

“Down the road … other side of bridge … about … six miles …”

“Gregor,” Marianna whispered. “Alex?”

“They took him.” His eyes closed. “That’s why … they wanted him. Southwick. They took the road toward Southwick.…”

He was in a faint again.

“Why would they take Alex?” she whispered.

“I’ll have to leave at once.” Jordan stood up and moved toward the staircase. “Stay here and take care of Gregor. I’ll get dressed and ride to Southwick.”

She felt a chill as she looked down at Gregor’s still body. Seven men, he had said. If Gregor’s tremendous strength had not prevailed, the danger to Jordan would be as great. “Alone?”

“There’s no time to go to Cambaron to get help.”

“You could take the two men you have on guard here.”

“No, I want them here to take care of you.”

“Sweet Mary, why? Do you think I’m going to run away when Alex is in danger?”

“No.” He looked down at her from the landing. “But you’ll stay here and not leave the house, and the guards will stay also. Do you understand?”

“The only thing I understand is that I want Alex back.” She recalled something else Gregor had said. “Who is this Costain?”

“We’ll talk later.” He threw open the door and strode into his room. “I have to get to Southwick at once.”

G
regor woke again four hours later. “Jordan?” he whispered.

“He went to Southwick.” She pressed the cool cloth to his temple. “He’s been gone some time now.”

“Alex.” He shook his head. “He won’t find him. It was too far … it took me too long. I … failed.” He closed his eyes. “Ship …”

A chill went through her. “Ship?”

“Why else … Southwick? Ship …”

“Don’t talk.” She pressed a cup of water to his lips. “Drink.”

He swallowed the water. “I am sorry, Marianna. Failed …”

“You couldn’t know this would happen. You could have been killed. It was one man against seven.”

“We were so careful. Should have been safe. Betrayed. I suspected nothing.” He closed his eyes. “But they were waiting.…” He drifted off again.

Southwick.

A ship.

Who was waiting?

She was beginning to fear she knew the answer.

G
regor woke twice more during the night and appeared to be gaining more strength with each passing hour. Marianna sat by the fire tending him, waiting.

Jordan did not return until well after daybreak.

“How is he?” he asked as he strode into the lodge.

“Better.” She braced herself. “Where is Alex?”

“On a ship that sailed two hours before I arrived at Southwick.” He paused. “A ship bound for Montavia.”

“Nebrov,” she said numbly.

“Not Nebrov. One of his lieutenants, Marcus Costain. Nebrov is in Poland meeting with Napoleon. Passage was booked for a Marcus Costain and his nephew, James Lakalb.”

“Are you sure it was Alex?”

“I made inquiries on the dock. Costain booked a separate cabin for the boy and told the agent his
nephew was ill and would have to remain in his cabin for the entire journey.”

Alex was a prisoner. Alex, who spent most of his waking hours outside, careening joyously around Cambaron, was going to be confined in that small space for the long journey to Montavia. It was too painful to consider. She suddenly recalled something else Jordan had said. “How do you know Nebrov is with Napoleon?”

He hesitated. “I received a message while I was in Sweden.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “You suspected he might be planning to make some move to do with the Jedalar. That’s why you brought me here; that’s how all this started.”

“It wasn’t a suspicion, only a vague possibility,” he said harshly. “We’ve been watching carefully since the moment you arrived at Cambaron. There was not one sign that Nebrov had discovered where you were.”

“You didn’t tell me,” she said dully. “I could have taken Alex and run away.”

“We didn’t
know
.”

“I wouldn’t have taken the chance. Not with Alex’s safety.” She stared directly into his eyes. “But you chose to do it.”

“I tried to—” He met her gaze and then said wearily, “Yes, I made the choice.”

She stood up and moved toward the staircase. “I’m going to pack my clothes, and then we’re going to go to Southwick. We’re going to board the
Seastorm
and follow Alex to Montavia.”

“We can’t do that,” he said. “Not yet.”

“Not yet!” She turned on him with blazing eyes.
“Alex is alone and afraid. When he reaches Montavia, that monster may kill him as he did my mother.”

“No, he won’t. You’re not thinking clearly. Nebrov doesn’t want Alex; he wants you. He only took Alex to lure you to him.” He added, “I once told you that was the danger.”

“And you still let him be taken.”

“We’ll get him back.”

“Now!”

“We’re going back to Cambaron first.” He lifted his hand as she started to protest. “You don’t take a hostage without leaving terms. No terms will be given to me because Nebrov would be afraid I’d ignore any threat to the boy if it meant losing the Jedalar. He’ll make sure his terms are delivered to you personally. And then we’ll take the messenger.”

“What good will that do?”

“I want him,” he said coldly. “Costain’s men were lying in wait for Gregor and Alex. Someone at Cambaron had to have told them when they left the castle. I don’t like traitors.”

“We don’t have time for you to indulge your taste for vengeance.”

“It’s not only vengeance. He may know something. Nebrov has the advantage, but anything we learn may help.” He added, “I assure you that within a few hours we’ll know everything he does.”

Torture.

His tone was so savage, she should have been sickened, but she was not. She didn’t care what Jordan did to any of those beasts, if it would get Alex back. “And then we’ll go after Alex?”

“I promise you, the moment we have as much information
as we can gather, we’ll set sail for Montavia.”

One part of her realized that Jordan’s way was the most reasonable, but she didn’t want to wait. She knew too well the brutality of which Nebrov was capable. She kept remembering her mother’s painracked body and hearing—

“Very well,” she said. “I’ll wait two days and no more. After that, I’ll find my own way to get to Montavia.”

She quickly climbed the steps and closed the door to her room.

Alex. She leaned back against the door as fear and sorrow overwhelmed her. It seemed impossible that only yesterday afternoon she had laughed as she watched him running along the bank.

She would not cry. Tears would do no good. They would not get Alex back. She crossed the room to her armoire and started drawing out her gowns. She had to keep herself busy and not let herself think of what might happen to him.

She must hold on tight.

C
HAPTER
11

Y
ou could go without me,” Gregor said. He shifted restlessly in the back of the wagon. “I am delaying you. I can follow tomorrow when I have more strength.”

“You go with us,” Jordan told him. “It will take only an hour or so more to reach Cambaron.”

Gregor looked at Marianna, who was waiting on the seat of the wagon. “I think an hour means a great deal to her at this time. Though she is taking this better than I thought she would.”

“Because she hasn’t exploded and torn us to pieces? I wish she would. She’s wound too taut. She may break.” His gaze went to Marianna’s pale, strained face and then quickly shifted back to Gregor. He smiled mirthlessly. “At least you’re safe from her wrath. You’ve already been punished for your sins.”

“Not enough. It was a very great sin.”

“My sin. My responsibility. If he dies, it will be—” He broke off and then said, “But he’s not going to die.” He drew the blanket higher around Gregor. “Try not to move or you’ll start the bleeding again.
Besides the inconvenience of having to take your corpse back to Kazan, I’m going to need you.”

He went around to the front of the wagon and climbed onto the seat beside Marianna.

D
orothy was waiting in the courtyard as the wagon rolled through the gates.

She stepped forward. “I’m sorry about the lad,” she said to Marianna. “I’m sure Jordan will get him back.”

“You know?”

“I sent a rider with a message before we left Dalwynd to tell Dorothy the boy had been taken.” Jordan jumped down from the wagon. “I thought it would save you distress.” He lifted her down from the wagon. “God knows, there isn’t much else I can do right now.”

“You’ve probably already done quite enough,” Dorothy said grimly. “I don’t understand any of this. But if it has anything to do with that Corsican, you had no right to involve the child.”

“Do you suppose you could refrain from heaping guilt on my head and see to Gregor? The trip wasn’t easy for him.” He smiled bitterly. “And, yes, I know, that’s my fault too.”

“I’m glad you admit it.” She immediately took charge, directing servants, sending for the physician in the village. Then, taking Marianna’s arm, she whisked her toward the front door.

“I’ll be waiting in the study, Marianna,” Jordan said quietly.

She nodded but didn’t look at him as she let Dorothy
lead her into the castle and up the stairs to her chamber.

“You’re as cold as a block of ice,” Dorothy said as she knelt at the hearth and stoked the flames. “Come and get warm.”

Marianna wanted to tell her that no fire could rid her of this chill, but Dorothy was being kind. She crossed the room and held her hands out to the fire.

“Why would they take the boy? Do they think Jordan will ransom him?” Dorothy asked.

“Perhaps.” She had never told Dorothy the details of her life before she came to Cambaron, and there was no use confiding in her now. She would not have understood a world so violent and alien to her own. “If you please, I don’t want to talk about it now.”

“Of course.” Dorothy moved brusquely toward the door. “Will you come down to supper?”

“No.” Jordan had said she must stay in her room in order that Nebrov’s messenger would have to come to her. He had set a watch in a room down the hall and would know who came and went.

“Then I’ll see that something’s brought up to you.” Dorothy paused at the door, hesitating. “And I wish you to know that I do not condemn you for going with Jordan to Dalwynd. Your loss of virtue was not your fault, and I shall still look on you exactly as I did before.”

“What?” Marianna raised her head and stared at her in bewilderment. Virtue? What difference did a loss of virtue make when Alex was gone? Mother of God, what did it signify if she became the whore of Babylon? All that mattered was making sure Alex was saved. Then, as she stared at Dorothy, she realized it did matter to her. She evidently considered it of great
importance, or she would never have mentioned it at this time. She might loudly embrace the rights of women, but the strictures of the
ton
had been more deeply ingrained in her than she knew. Even though she protested and denied it, Marianna was less in her eyes than she had been before.

She had broken the rules.

“That’s all I wished to say. Now we’ll forget this unfortunate incident and go on as before.”

As the door closed behind her, Marianna stared into the flames. Dorothy was wrong; they could not go on as before. She would continue to love Dorothy for her kindness, but there would always be a barrier between them from now on.

Dorothy is bound by the very rules she thinks she flouts.

Jordan had said those words. Jordan had known what she had never guessed. Clever Jordan.

But not clever enough to keep Nebrov from taking Alex.

She sat down in the wing chair before the fire and closed her eyes.

Let the messenger come soon, she prayed. She could not bear this waiting much longer.

A
n envelope was slipped under her door a few hours later.