The Countess (27 page)

He grimaced. “Well, I know trouble when I see it and got myself out of there right quick. Told the cook I was unwell and his lordship had excused me to recover, then came in here to await the hue and cry that he was dead.
But there was none
,” he added with exasperation. “When I finally ventured out it was to be told his lordship was feeling unwell and resting abed. I came back to my room to try to puzzle that one out. I knew damned right well the man was dead. So I waited until the servants were all abed and you were at the ball and then snuck upstairs to see for myself, but as I started up the hall your bedroom door opened. I ducked into the guest bedroom across from yours and watched through the cracked door as a man came out carrying George over his shoulder with a second man following. I recognized the one man as Lord Woodrow and while George’s body obstructed my view of the other man’s face, when Woodrow called him Richard I knew he wasn’t dead after all.”

“I stood there in that room for a long time that night, watching the comings and goings as a plan formed in my mind. I could blackmail Radnor about George’s death, take the markers and force your father to pay his debts, and then head for the continent.” He fell silent, his lips twisting with displeasure. “And it would have worked perfectly. By this time tomorrow I would have the blackmail money. The money for the gaming debt would have followed and then I’d be on my way.”

“Except for Suzette and myself,” she murmured.

“Aye,” he agreed grimly, his gaze scouring her with displeasure.

“You realize she knows I went in search of you and will soon worry that I have not returned,” Christiana pointed out quietly. “You may as well release me and just go. I promise if you do that no one will pursue you.”

“I’m sure you think that a very kind offer,” he said dryly. “However, I am not going anywhere without the money.”

“Do you really expect my husband simply to pay, knowing it is you?”

“He doesn’t know,” Freddy pointed out. “And he will pay. In fact, I think I will just up the price now that I have an added bargaining chip in you.”

“Me?” she asked with surprise.

“Aye. Judging by the caterwauling that’s been coming from your room the last couple nights, I think it’s safe to say he will pay handsomely for your safe return.”

Christiana flushed and glanced away. She was definitely going to have to stuff a bit of cloth or something in her mouth when she and Richard were alone. It was too humiliating to know everyone could hear them.

A tearing sound caught her ear and she turned back, frowning when she saw that Freddy had retrieved an old shirt and was rending it into strips. Wariness creeping up her spine, she asked, “What is that for?”

“To bind and gag you. We cannot stay here and I want to find that marker, but I am not sneaking you around to the office until I am sure you will not scream and give us away.”

Christiana stared at him wide-eyed, her mind working quickly. She was in a bit of a spot now, but if he bound and gagged her she would be helpless and she just didn’t feel like allowing him to put her in that position. She needed to draw attention while she could. Drawing in a deep breath, she opened her mouth to scream, but all that came out was a moan as his fist suddenly slammed into the side of her head, sending her into unconsciousness.

“I thought I heard voices out here.”

Richard glanced toward his office door as Suzette stepped out into the hall. She pulled the door closed as she glanced over them. Her eyes widened with surprise when she spotted Lord Madison there and she started forward at once.

“Father, what are you doing here?”

“He came to rescue us,” Lisa told her before anyone else could speak. “He even held Richard and Daniel at gunpoint until Robert and I explained the new situation to him.”

“Oh, how sweet,” Suzette said pausing before her father and hugging him, which seemed to leave the man a little startled. Apparently, he hadn’t expected a warm greeting from her, but she said, “I am sorry I was so angry when we arrived in London, Father. You didn’t deserve it.” She pulled back and added, “Chrissy says the men think Dicky drugged you and just made you think you’d gambled the money away. It was all a trick to try to get our dowers.”

When Lord Madison glanced his way in question, Richard nodded solemnly and said, “There are rumors that I, or Dicky really, had become quite chummy with the owner of a gaming hell famous for the trick.”

Lord Madison sagged with relief and nodded. “I had begun to suspect as much. I have no recollection of gambling at all, and what recollections I do have of the gaming hell are quite fuzzy flashes of being led through it, people talking and laughing, being told to sign something . . .” He grimaced and shook his head. “I have never cared for gambling and don’t even know how to play the games of chance in those places. Yet there was the marker with my signature on it.”

Suzette patted his back and hugged him again.

“Well, now that that is all straightened out, why do we not sit down and hear what everyone has learned?” Daniel suggested, moving to Suzette’s other side so that she stood between the two men.

Richard managed to restrain the grin of amusement that wanted to claim his lips. He knew Daniel’s main concern was changing the subject before anyone could mention that Lord Madison had sold his townhouse to gain the money to pay off his debt without the need for Suzette’s dower. The man was going to be itching to get Suzette to Gretna Green before someone spilled the beans. It seemed he’d definitely settled on the woman to wife, but wasn’t sure she would willingly wed him in return were it not for the circumstances she had found herself in. Richard wasn’t so sure Daniel had anything to worry about though. He had noted the way Suzette seemed always to track him with her eyes, and the way she tended to stick close to him. And then there was the scene he’d walked in on that morning after leaving Christiana to straighten her clothes. By his guess the pair had been a heartbeat away from anticipating their vows. He suspected Suzette’s feelings for his friend were much deeper than anyone suspected.

“Yes, let’s move into the parlor,” Richard suggested and then glanced to Suzette to ask, “Where is Christiana?”

“Oh.” She frowned and glanced along the hall. “I was just going in search of her. She was going to have Haversham fetch Freddy to us to interview, but has taken an awfully long time so I thought I’d best check on her.”

“George’s valet, Freddy?” Richard asked with a frown. Freddy had been his brother’s valet for twenty years and, like Robbie, wouldn’t have been fooled into believing George was Richard. The man must have known all along.

“Yes, George’s valet,” Suzette said now. “We realized that he might not have been fooled by the switch George made and if he somehow saw you the last day or two may realize you are not George. If so, he could be the blackmailer.”

“Of course,” Richard growled, and then glanced up the hall as Haversham came hurrying out of the kitchens, heading their way. He knew at once that there was trouble. Haversham was a proper En-glish butler to the core of his being and simply never hurried anywhere. It was considered unseemly, and butlers were never unseemly. Still, Richard was more interested in Christiana’s whereabouts than any small emergency the butler may be approaching about and asked, “Haversham, have you seen my wife? She apparently went looking for you to have you send Freddy to her.”

“Actually, my lord, I was just coming to seek you out about that. It appears Lady Christiana was unable to find me and went in search of your valet herself and has now found herself in something of a fix.”

“What kind of a fix?” Richard asked grimly.

“Well, I happened to be passing Freddy’s room and overheard him saying that he intended to take her and force you to pay to get her back safely,” he admitted grimly. “I believe he is planning to take her around to the office to try to find something first, however, so if we were to hide ourselves away in there and wait for him to approach we may be able to take him by surprise and relieve him of Lady Christiana without her coming to harm.”

“That’s actually a good plan,” Daniel said with some surprise and eyed the butler with a new respect. He then glanced to Richard and said, “We should move quickly though, I don’t recall a lot of places in the office to hide.”

Richard had already turned to head to his office when Robert announced, “I am coming too.”

“And me,” Lord Madison said firmly.

“Me too,” Suzette announced.

Richard paused abruptly and glanced back to see that everyone was following, including Lisa and Haversham. Scowling, he shook his head. “There aren’t enough hiding spaces for everyone. Robert and Daniel only will come. The rest of you need to get into the parlor and out of the hall so you don’t scare Freddy off.” His gaze slid to Lord Madison, who opened his mouth to protest, and forestalled him by adding, “I trust you are the only person here who could keep Suzette and Lisa in that parlor.”

Lord Madison let his mouth close with a sigh and nodded.

Richard started to turn away then, but paused and swung back to ask, “Might I borrow your pistol, my lord?”

“Of course.” Madison held out the pistol and said grimly, “Keep her safe.”

“I intend to,” Richard assured him as he took the weapon. He then stepped back and waited as Christiana’s father turned to take Suzette and Lisa each by an arm to lead them to the parlor. Both girls began to protest at once, but he merely said, “I am your father and you will go in the parlor and like it.”

When Richard’s gaze next slid to Haversham, the butler hesitated, but then nodded stiffly and turned to follow the others. Richard immediately turned and led Robert and Daniel to the office to seek out hiding spots and await the arrival of his wife and her captor.

Christiana groaned, or tried to, as consciousness returned to her. However, her groan was stifled by the gag in her mouth. She blinked her eyes open, and immediately wished she hadn’t and closed them again. The sight of the ground moving by below was only her first hint that she was not in a position she wanted to be in. The pain of the shoulder lodged in her stomach was her second hint.

Freddy had obviously knocked her out, bound and gagged her and was now carting her about over his shoulder like a sack of wheat. Her head was dangling down his back and aching. Though she wasn’t sure whether the aching was from the blow she’d taken to the head, her position, which had the blood pooling in that same abused head, or a combination of both. All Christiana really knew was that her head hurt, her stomach hurt from the jarring it was taking with each step, and the corners of her mouth hurt where the gag rubbed tightly against it. The inside of her mouth wasn’t all that happy either; it was as dry as a bone thanks to the gag apparently soaking up every drop of liquid in there.

Basically, she was very uncomfortable, and growing very annoyed with Freddy for it. Christiana could hardly wait to fire the man, for those were going to be the first words out of her mouth once the gag was removed. She was sure it wouldn’t upset him much, considering he’d planned to leave their employ and move to the continent. However, she would still enjoy saying the words.

Grimacing at her own thoughts, which truly were just an effort to distract herself from her discomfort, Christiana forced her eyes open again. The ground was still moving by below her, but now it was grass. They were outside. Lifting her head, she peered around to see that Freddy was carrying her along the house toward the French doors leading to the office. Christiana supposed he’d decided this was the safer approach and lowered her head, hoping that Suzette wasn’t still in there. The only thing she could think of that would be worse than her being held for ransom was Suzette being caught and held with her.

Freddy slowed and she glanced around to see that they had nearly reached the French doors. He was creeping close to the house now, presumably approaching cautiously in case someone was inside.

Apparently, the room was empty. At least that was her guess when Freddy began to move faster again, opening the door to slip into the room with her still over his shoulder. He paused halfway through the door, tensing like a rabbit smelling a predator on the wind, and Christiana tried to glance around to see what had made him suddenly tense, but couldn’t see past him to the room. She sagged against his back again, her gaze moving over the yard instead and it was then she glimpsed the man creeping up behind them along the back of the house. Haversham. The butler was moving with the silence and stealth of a thief as he approached. He also carried a rather wicked butcher knife in his hand.

Movement behind Haversham then drew her attention to the fact that there was another man following the butler. Christiana’s eyes widened as she recognized her father. She had no idea what he was doing there, but there he was, face grim and eyes determined as he crept along in much the same manner as Haversham, a smaller knife in his own hand.

Christiana had barely taken note of that when she next spotted Suzette and Lisa tiptoeing along behind the two men. Her sisters were each armed as well, Suzette with a rolling pin and Lisa with a big, long two-tined cooking fork. It appeared the whole household intended to save her and had raided the kitchen to do it, she thought wryly, and then wondered where Richard and the men were. She supposed it was possible that they were not yet back from their own task of arranging for the blackmail money, but Lisa and Robert had been together so she knew he at least must be there somewhere, though she didn’t see him yet. And then Freddy apparently got over whatever had spooked him and continued into the office and Christiana could no longer see her would-be rescuers.