By the time his kin arrived Ballard had rested and then grown agitated again. Too much time had passed. He was all too aware of what could be happening to Clover. When Shelton and Lambert entered the room, Ballard leaped to his feet and was immediately assailed by dizziness. His brother hurried over to support him, but Ballard waved him off.
“I will be fine. I just got to my feet too fast,” he grumbled.
“Weel, ye are going to have to stand on your feet if ye mean to fight these bastards,” said Shelton.
“I hope ye are nae suggesting I stay here like some hand-wringing maiden while ye hie off to the rescue?” he snapped.
“Hellfire, Ballard, ye have been shot and kicked about. ‘Tis no weakness to stay put in the circumstances and let others do it for ye.”
“Your brother is right,” said Theodore, urging Ballard to sit down, but again Ballard shook him off.
“I willnae stay here. Curse it, the first time Clover needed rescuing, she saved herself and her brother Damien. The second time, it was young Willie who got her out. I willnae sit by and let ye do my work for me this time.”
“You mean to risk your health for the sake of your pride?” Theodore asked.
“Aye, ‘tis pride talking as much as anything else, but I will go even if I can only sit on the ground and tell ye which ones to hit. I owe this bastard Dillingsworth dearly, verra dearly. ‘Tis time I made up for not killing him back in Langleyville.”
Cyril handed Ballard a brace of pistols. “I thinkthese will prove easier to handle than a musket, with the wounds you are sporting.”
“Thank ye, Cyril.”
“I was wondering when you would get around to calling me by my Christian name. All that calling mesirmade me feel rather old. Come on, I have a stable full of fresh, fast horses. At least they had better be fast,” he said as he led them from the room. “The man who sold them to me swore they were.” He winked at Ballard, who managed a weak smile.
“‘Tis not your fight, Cyril. Nor yours, Theodore,” Ballard said as he watched Cyril saddle two horses. “Ye dinnae have to risk your life. I would ne’er ask it of ye.”
“I know, but ‘tis a fight any man would rush to join in,” Cyril assured him.
“Even Carter wanted to come,” said Theodore, “but someone has to stay here to be sure that weasel Corey does not slip loose.”
“Ye ken that I dinnae hold ye accountable for what he did,” Ballard said as he mounted the gelding whose reins Cyril handed him.
“Nevertheless I do hold myself partly accountable,” Cyril replied. “Ready, lads?” he called to Shelton and Lambert.
“Aye, sir,” answered Shelton. “I was just wondering which one of us is supposed to ken how to get to this Helen Lewis’s place?”
“I know where her cabin is,” said Theodore. “I spent some time with her last fall. Just watch closely for my signal to halt. We do not want to go in at a gallop.”
“Aye,” agreed Ballard. “We must use stealth. Of course, since they think I am dead or dying, and areconvinced no one kens where they are, we have the element of surprise in our favor.”
It was not a long ride, but it took a toll on Ballard.
At Theodore’s signal, he and the others immediately reined in and dismounted.
“We walk from here, lads,” Cyril announced in a soft voice as he lifted his gun from his saddle. “The cabin is mere yards from here. Smell that chimney smoke?” He waited until all four of his companions nodded. “It is essential that we move through the woods without making a sound.”
“We should scatter ourselves around and try to make them believe they are surrounded,” Ballard suggested.
“Good idea,” Cyril agreed. “One of us will have to go after Clover. I figure that might as well be you, Ballard. I doubt you will be much help to us if we send anyone else.”
“I fear ye are right.”
“The rest of us will space ourselves around the cabin in the cover of the trees.”
“So we shouldnae all be firing at the same time,” said Shelton.
“You would make a good soldier, son. Well, let us hope they are not expecting anybody. I have no doubt we can outfight these mongrels, but I much prefer catching them by surprise. So hold your fire as long as possible.”
“Should we try to take any of them alive?” asked Theodore as he checked his musket and then his pistol.
