“He’s still in the great hall, but if he intends some sort of move, it will be sooner rather than later. I did share my—our—concerns with Hawthorne this morning, but he was less than receptive. I think it’s best we take—”
Suddenly, a distant muffled cry echoed.
They both jerked and looked at each other.
Then the sound reverberated again, sounding more like muted feminine words. Ella spun and pointed to the staircase that led from the conservatory to the basement. “It’s coming from there.”
They stood still for several more seconds, waiting for another sound. But none came.
“Stay here.” Gabriel rested his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go see what that was.”
She shook her head and grabbed his arm as he began to move past her. “I’m going with you.”
He stopped and stared at her.
She fully expected him to deny her and make her stay in the conservatory, but to her surprise, he gripped her hand in his much larger one. “Very well. Let’s go.”
Chapter 33
“WHY ARE YOUdoing this?” cried an indistinct female voice.
With Ella’s hand still in his, Gabriel stopped abruptly at the top of the small stone staircase leading to the basement.
The woman’s stifled, pleading voice returned. “This is a mistake, surely you see it.”
Ella squeezed his hand and whispered, “It’s Phoebe!”
A weak light flickered from somewhere below, casting erratic moving shadows against the stone walls.
Gabriel considered his options. He wished Ella would have stayed in the conservatory, for he had no idea what they were up against. Whatever was going on down here could be dangerous, and he’d never forgive himself if she was injured because of a decision he made.
Phoebe cried again, “You must stop!”
“You’ll say nothing, do you understand me?” responded a male voice.
Gabriel could not stand by anymore—he needed to intervene on Miss Hawthorne’s behalf, but without a weapon on his person,he had to be careful. He looked back to Ella. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
This time, to his relief, she did not protest.
Gabriel took cautious steps down the timeworn stairs, careful to make no sound or cast a shadow. Once he reached the foot of the stairs, Gabriel stepped into the corridor and quickly figured out the layout. The light and sounds were coming from the first door down from the stairwell. To his right was an east-facing exterior door that led to the stables. He returned his attention to the room from which the voices came. The door stood slightly ajar, and he angled his head to see inside. From his vantage point he clearly identified Bauer and Miss Hawthorne standing next to a small stack of wooden boxes and an open trunk.
Was Bauer . . . leaving?
Gabriel could not let him leave. He might not have a weapon, but he did have the element of surprise on his side. With his attention fixed firmly on Bauer, Gabriel shoved open the door and lunged inside.
The next seconds slowed . . . then sped.
Miss Hawthorne screamed.
Bauer whirled.
Gabriel pushed forward, but Bauer snatched Miss Hawthorne by the waist and yanked her in front of him. With his other hand he pulled a pistol from his waist and pointed it at Gabriel.
Gabriel stopped midstride.
Perspiration trickled down Bauer’s scarlet face. He blinked rapidly, and his breaths were shallow gasps.
“If you discharge that weapon, you’ll wake every single person under this roof,” Gabriel challenged. “Release Miss Hawthorne. She has nothing to do with any of this.”
