The Lady and the Earl (50 page)

“
T
hat is
how we
will sneak in,” Connor said, grinning to
Declan
.  “Tell us
about them.
”

Her face paled visibly and fear crept
upon it
.
 

Arden entered the study with a pot of coffee and some cups. 
“Your coffee,
my
Lord
.”

“Thank you, Arden.  Please help you
rself to a cup if you woul
d like.  I may still have need of you tonight,”
Declan
said apologetically to the old man.  He felt sorry for keeping him up so late, but Arden was wise and could be of some help in this situation.

“Yes, Sir.”
  The man poured himself and Connor a cup as the conversation continued.

“Maggie,
” Declan said.  “Will you help us?”

“I…he scares me,” she answered quietly. 

“There is nothing to fear,
” Connor
said,
taking a large gulp of his hot brew.  He
gasped and cursed as the coffee burned
his mouth and throat
. 
 

“What if he fi
nds out I helped you?”
Maggie asked.

“He won’t find out, and if he does you will always be safe here.  Please, I must get Allana back,”
Declan
said.  Maggie still hesitated.  “Please, Maggie.  I love her,”
Declan
pleaded.

Maggie’s
sighed heavily.  She studied him then nodded to herself as if coming to some sort of conclusion. 
“
Very well.
 
There are several
discreet
passageways in the Hoffman Manor.  The first passageway leads from the outer grounds, under the stone wall that encircles
Lucas’s
estates, and to the cellar.  It is a bit to the left of the main gate.  It’s easy enough to find, but not recognizable for what it is.  It’s actually quite silly really.  It looks like a drainage area.  You see, the ground dips,
” she said, motioning with her hands, “
creating a crevice toward the wall.  The wall is covered in vines, and the vines have grown down over a door.  At the bottom of the door are metal bars to let water in and out of the passageway, making it look like a drainage tunnel beneath the grounds
.  It
isn’t, of course
.  It’
s a passageway to
the house. 

“
F
rom that passageway, you have to sneak through the kitchen and take the back hallways to the library
.  Do you know which hallways I’
m speaking of Master Connor
?” she
asked, turning her attention to Connor before continuing.

“Yes, I believe I do,” Connor replied.

“Good.  Then I won’t have to explain them
. 
As you enter the library from those hallways, you will see a wall of bookshelves.  Go to the far right corner and count three bookshelves to your left.  On that bookshelf, you will find three books of the same color all with the same markings.  They are eye-level for me and toward the center of the bookshelf
. 
Pull on them, and they will open the next passageway.  When you enter, you will take a right—not a left—and that will lead you to
Lucas’s
room.  I do
n’
t
know where the other passageway leads, so if you accidentally go left,
you are on your own
.  Any questions
?” she
asked when she was done. 

“Draw us a map,” Connor stated flatly.  “On it, write down everything you just told us.”

“I…I can’t write,” she said with embarrassment.

“Then
draw
and I will fill in the rest.  We do
n’
t
want to forget anything.”  He handed her an inkbottle, a quill, and some paper. 

Maggie obeyed, taking the quill awkwardly in her hand, and drew the best map she could.  “What if he has them guarded
?” she
asked afterwards.  “He
’
s not a fool
.  H
e will probably expect me to
tell you this. 
He may
even
be
anticipating it.”

“We will
simply
have to create a diversion, then, won’t we,”
Declan
replied.  He was already planning one. 
Declan
would send
Arden
to the Hoffman Estates with a letter.  The letter would
inform Lucas he had
twenty-four hours to return Allana. 
If he did not return Allana in that allotted time, Declan would send for the authorities.  He would take whatever actions needed to get Allana back and send Lucas to prison
,
even if that meant hiring an army
.
 
 
 

Declan
explained this to
the others. 
“While Lucas is receiving the letter, we will be scouting out the premises from the woods.  Lucas will think he has
over
twenty-four hours to make his next move, but in reality we will already be sneaking through his house.  He won’t be expecting us to act alone.  He will think we sent Arden with the letter as a way to find out how many men h
e has guarding his estates.  He i
s too cocky to think we would dare act alone after finding out how many men he actually has.  That will cause him to believe we will wait for the reinforcements before attempting anything.  We will find Allana and be gone before he even suspects we were there.”

“What abou
t Lucas?  What about justice?”
Connor asked vehemently.

“We let the law deal with him,”
Declan
replied.  “My intentions are to send your father, Lilly, and Maggie to
town
first thing in the morning with another letter and my seal explaining
Lucas’s
crimes.  They will take the letter to the sheriff, who will hopefully act immediately.  If
not, I will take Allana
straight
to London.  I have no intention of bringing her back here and giving Lucas another chance to kidnap her.”

“Why me?”
Maggie asked in a state of panic.

“Because Lucas will know it was you who helped us and possibly come for you, and also because Marcus will not leave Li
lly alone.  Thus, you will aid her in her condition,
”
Declan
answered. 

“Connor, go back to Tananguard and bring your father and Lilly here.  Explain to them what is going on, and tell them to pack for a few days.  Maggie, go pack your things and try to get some rest.  Arden, you are free to go get some sleep as well.  I will write the necessary letters and wake you when I need you again,”
Declan
ordered.

“Are you certain, my
Lord
?  I could help with the composition of those letters or gather any weapons you and Master Connor may need for tomorrow,” Arden suggested.

“I will be fine, Arden.  And we will be traveling light, so any packing or gathering can wait until morning,”
Declan
said kindly.  “Get some rest, my friend.  I cannot guarantee what will happen tomorrow.”

“Yes, Sir,” Arden answered, leaving the room with Maggie following
behind him
.

“I will see you in the morning,
Declan
, unless you want us here sooner,” Connor said once Arden and Maggie had left the room.

“No, morning is fine.  Make it early, though.  The sooner I have her back the better.”

“Don’t worry.  We wil
l be
early.  Probably so ea
rly, you’
ll still be asleep,” Connor jested.  When he only received a worried smile in return, he turned serious.  “We will get her back,
Declan
.  And it will be before he has a chance to harm her.
  Your plan is a good one.
”

Declan sighed. 
“I hope you’re right.  I truly hope you are right.”

Everything was ready.  The
missives
were written.  Connor had returned with Marcus and Lilly.  Maggie was packed and ready to go. 
Declan
’s
and Allana’s things were packed and ready.  Arden had gathered the necessary equipment they would need—swords, pistols, ammunition—before
Declan
instructed him on his role.  And before long, they were outside
Westbrook
preparing to go their separate ways:  Connor,
Declan
and Arden to
Lucas’s
estates, and Marcus, Lilly, and Maggie to
the sheriff.

“Good luck,
Declan
,”
Lord
Tananguard said to his friend solemnly.  “Bring her back safely.”

“I will Marcus,”
Declan
said with determination.  He would bring her back no matter what it took.  “Good luck to you as well.”  They shook hands before
Lord
Tananguard accompanied Lilly and Maggie into the carriage.

Connor and
Declan
watched as the carriage departed and eventually disappeared out of their sight toward
town
.

“Are you ready?”
Declan
asked.

“As ready as I wi
ll ever be,” Connor replied.

“Then let’s get this over with,”
Declan
said as he mounted Colonel and headed southeast toward the Hoffman Estates.

Allana woke with a
terrible
headache.  She lay in
Declan
’s
bed for several minutes before finally prying her eyes open.  When she did and they adjusted to the early morning sunlight
coming from outside, she realized she wasn’t in
Declan
’s
bed or her own for that matter. 

Where am I?
s
he
wondered.  She remembered falling asleep on the front of
Declan
’s
horse, and she thought she remembered him carrying her to his room, but this was not his room.  She did
not
recognize this room at all.  Had
Declan
moved her to a different room for some reason?  She tried to sit up, but the pain in her head hurt too badly.  She would have to wait for
Declan
to return before she could get any answers.  Until then, she was going back to sleep.  Maybe when she woke next time, her horrible headache would be gone. 

*
             
*
             
*

Lucas lounged back in his chair watching Allana sleep.  She was beautiful.  He felt badly for hitting her over the head last night, but he
didn’t
want her waking before he got her here.  Now it was midmorning, and she was still asleep.  He would wait.  Now that he had her here, he would wait as long as it took for her to succumb to him.  He smiled confidently.  He had men outside keeping watch over his manor.  He knew Cunningham wouldn’t give up his wife so easily.  It was just a matter of time before he came to storm the walls and steal Allana back.  By the time he did, Lucas was certain he would have Allana’s heart once more.  She could
not
resist him.  No woman could. 

O
ut of boredom, he pulled a letter
from
his breast pocket and began to read.

*
             
*
             
*

Allana opened her eyes slowly.  Her head still hurt, but not as badly as before.  It was suddenly forgotten, though, as her eyes focused on Lucas sitting next to her bed.  Quickly, she shut her eyes again.  Surely she was dreaming, but she was afraid to
open her eyes again
and find out. 
S
tay calm. 
Do not panic,
she
told herself.
  She lay there in fear, waiting anxiously as she kept her body in check.  After about half an hour of fighting the need to get up and run, there was
a knock at the door.  She heard Lucas rise from his chair and cross the room to open it. 

“
Lord
Hoffman, sorry to bother you, but there is a messenger at the gate entrance.
  The men you hired w
ill not
let him pass until you
have given
the word,” a male voice said from the hallway.  Allana opened her eyes to try and catch a peak of the man.  All she could see was
Lucas’s
back.   

“Tell t
hem to let the man through and
check him thoroughly for weapons.  Then show him to my study.  I will be waiting for him there,” Lucas replied.

“Yes,
Sir
,” said the voice from the hallway. 

Lucas shut the door and came back to the bedside.

“I had been hoping to be here when you woke, but I
’
m afraid your testy husband is quicker than I had planned,” Lucas said to her.  He sighed before making some rustling movements and leaving the room. 

Allana peaked carefully through slits in her eyelids to make
certain
he
truly
was
gone.  She heaved a sigh of relief when she found the room empty.  She
needed
to find a way out of here.

She sat up quickly, receiving a pounding ach
e
from her head, and laid back down for a few moments.  Carefully this time, she sat up and climbed out of the bed to examine the room.  It was large with the bed in the center.  There was a large window off to her left, which she quickly checked to see if she could climb out of.  She pushed it open and swayed when seeing the long drop to the ground.  She
must
be on the top floor, and
Lucas’s
home was three stories high.  She took another look out the window to see if there was a ledge she could walk along to get to another window.  There was, but it was very
narrow
.  Someone who tried to walk it could easily fall, but if all else failed, she was willing to try.  First, though, she
would
try the door. 

She was
fairly certain
she’d
heard Lucas lock it, but it couldn’t hurt to try.  She crossed the room to the door and found it locked
as
she’
d thought.  Next she checked the fireplace and the bookshelves and other areas of the room.  She remembered Lucas speaking to her once of hidden passageways in this old
manor
, but she found nothing.  She was growing restless and desperate.  That ledge was looking better by the minute.  Time passed as she continued to push and prod corners, books and walls.  Then a key clicked in the door.  Frantically, Allana dashed toward the bed, climbing back
in and pulling the blankets up
just as Lucas entered the room.

“Ah, I’m glad to see you’re awake,” he said as he walked over to her. 

“What am I doing here
?” she
asked calmly.  She
needed
to keep her fear in check if she was to outwit him.

“I brought you here last night,” Lucas confessed.   

“Yes, I gathered that,” she said
dryly
. 
“But why?”
 

His jaw clenched tightly, but he remained calm. 
“It was the only way for us to be together,” he replied coolly.  “
You were rushed into this marriage, Allana.  You were never given time to come to terms with
what happened between us.  I should not have left.  I should have sent Maggie away and asked for your hand
in marriage
.  I spoke out of brashness that day.  For you, I would have given up everything.  I would have been loyal, but your father took you from me and gave you to that maggot, Cunningham.  And now you despise me.  I brought you here to prove myself to you.  To prove how sorry I am for what happened and for what I did. 
I will change for you, Allana.  I could make you happier than he ever could.  I know you,
”
he finished with conviction.
    

She stared at him.  Had he lost his mind?  Why couldn’t he understand she did
not
love him and would never
love him?  He was a monster!
 

“Are you hungry
?” he
asked her when she
said nothing i
n reply.  “You must be.  It has
probably been a very long time since you’ve eaten.  I will bring you something, and then we can have a nice, long talk.” 
He gave her his best smile
and kissed her
cheek
lightly before exiting the room. 

She flinched at his touch, and when he was gone, she wiped savagely at the spot he had just kissed.  She fought back the tears that threatened to fall and prayed
Declan
would come soon
to
save her. 

Lucas wasn’t gone for long.  Allana watched him apprehensively as he set a tray of food in front of her.  She stared at the food.  Did she trust him?  Would he try to drug her? 

“Go ahea
d.  It i
s perfectly edible,” Lucas said laughingly.  It was as though
he’d
read her thoughts again. 

“I
don’t
like to eat in front of people,” she said
,
hoping he would leave her alone.

“Come now, Allana.  No lies.  You’ve eaten in front of me in the past,” he re
plied pleasantly.  “Besides, it i
s
quite
good.”  He picked up a fruit tart and tossed it in his mouth as though to show her nothing was wrong with the food in front of her.

Her stomach growled loudly, reminding her of how hungry she was.  She looked at him once more before diving in.  He laughed at her eagerness, and while she ate, he talked.  He talked about their future, and how he would take care of her.  He talked of his land and money as well as the power he had among his
peers.  His insistence that she
would be
with him
from now on astonished
her
. 

How can he believe I will be a willing participant in this future of his?
  She wondered.  “Lucas, please listen to me,” she said, silencing him.  “I do not love you.  I could never love you.  Why do you believe I eventually will?” 

“Allana, darling,
you ha
ve been poisoned to me
.  We are meant for each other.  With time you will come to realize this,” Lucas said
patiently
.

“No, Lucas, I will not.  I know what you are, and I want nothing to do with you,” she replied boldly.

The warm pretense disappeared from Lucas.  “You belong to me, Allana,” he s
tated.
  “I w
ill not
let anyone else have you.  Eventually, you will learn to love me, or you will learn to fear me.”

“No,
Declan
will come for me.”

“No, he
will not
,” Lucas said
coldly
. 

A chill ran over Allana.  “What have you done?”

“My men are surrounding them as we speak,” Lucas replied.  “Soon, both Connor and your precious Earl wil
l be my prisoners.”  He laughed
.  It sounded hollow and cold. 

“No,” Allana whispered.
  “No!  I
don’t
believe you!” s
he shouted at him. 

“Believe what you want
, my dear, sweet Allana, but
it’s
true,” Lucas replied. 
“I have men watching all paths into the
manor
, including the ones you
don’t
know about.  I have men
watching Westbrook.  They are prepared to take captive
anyone
attempt
ing
to ride for the sheriff.  Whatever path he chooses will lead him to my men.” 

Allana stared at Lucas, not wanting to believe him.  Anger seared through her. 
“You animal!”
She jumped at him, turning over her tray and attacking him with all of her strength. 

It took him off guard at first, but he was quick to regain his composure.  He endured a few painful bruises and scratches from her before he got a handful of her hair and threw her across the room with it.  She hit a table and lay weeping silently on the floor. 

He walked over to her and looked at her pitifully.  “You never learn, do you
?”

“I hate you,” she whimpered. 

He laughed like
she’d
said something funny then slapped her hard.  “Now get dressed.  I
’ll
be back soon to get you,” he said before leaving her to cry for her loved ones.

Lord
Tananguard felt uneasy as he and the two women departed
Declan
’s
estates.  He was uncertain what caused those feelings, but he knew they were all in danger.  His senses told him so. 

“Driver, stop the coach!
” he called out after fifteen minutes of riding.

“Marcus, is everything alright?” Lilly asked in concern.

“Yes dear, I just have one of my bad feelings.  Driver
—
”

A shot rang out from nearby, causing the horses to dart forward in fear.  The carriage lurched forward
as well, picking up speed with the horses. 
It bounced as it hit holes and rocks along the road, continually tossing
Lord
Tananguard, Lilly, and Maggie around like rag dolls.

“Marcus, do something!” Lilly called as she was thrown to the floor.  She clutched her stomach in an attempt to support the babe within.   

“Drive
r, stop the carriage at once!”
Lord
Tananguard shouted.  When nothing happened, he stole a quick look out the window and saw their driver slum
ped over.  “Hold on, ladies.  I’
m going to have to climb out and stop the carriage myself.”  Carefully, he climbed out o
f the door, hanging on
to the edge of the carriage as he analyzed his next move.