Rhys merely glanced at it then tossed it aside. “The significance of it is as nothing if we cannot find Kenna.”
Nick did not like hearing the words but he knew the possibility must be faced. He gathered his coat and gloves and followed Rhys out of the library.
Their horses were lathered by the time they reached the ale house some thirty miles north of London. Mrs. Robinson ushered them in and took them to Janet’s room.
“My husband’s beside himself with worry,” she said as she opened the door. “Took to his bed right after we discovered that the young lady was gone. His heart’s not good; don’t know what’s to become of him. Nothing like this has ever happened in our inn before.”
“Ease yourself, Mrs. Robinson,” Rhys said to her as Nick crossed the room to Janet’s side. “His lordship doesn’t hold you to blame.”
Nick examined the livid mark on Janet’s temple and spoke her name softly. When there was no reply he stepped away, shaking his head. “It’s no use. She can’t tell us anything now, perhaps not even when she’s recovered.” He turned to Mrs. Robinson. “Do you keep a ledger of sorts? Something that will tell us who stayed here last night?”
“I have it downstairs. There was a stage on its way to London. Six passengers in all. I put them three to a room.” She continued on about the other guests as Rhys and Nick followed her downstairs. She gave the ledger to Nick then went behind the bar and drew them both a pint of ale.
Rhys asked for paper and pen to copy the names and she told him to tear out the page. He pointed to the first six names on the list. “These are from the stage?”
Mrs. Robinson tilted her head to see the writing. “No. The first three are that family I was telling you about. The widower and his two lads. They were gone at first light, headin’ for Scotland.”
“You saw them leave?”
“I did. They had but two horses between them. The boys rode together. Her ladyship was definitely not there.”
“What of the next three names?” asked Nick.
“Well, Jeb Thompson and Jake Sweet came in together. But after they drank away their funds they didn’t have the ready to get a room. Slept out in the stables, the pair of them. I can tell you I was glad of that. I didn’t want them muddying up my linens. Neither had taken a bath in a sennight as near as I could tell.”
Rhys listened patiently. “Did they have breakfast before they left?”
“No. I think your grooms mentioned they were gone at sunup.” She pointed a work-hardened finger at the name directly below Sweet’s. “Now this gentleman came a while later. About an hour before the stage and her ladyship arrived. He was quiet, well-mannered, not like some of the quality we get in here, lookin’ down their nose at everyone and fixin’ to raise a little hell.” She blushed to the roots of her dark hair as she remembered who she was speaking to. “Forgive my bluntness. Present company excluded, naturally.”
“Naturally,” Nick said dryly. “Was this,” he looked at the name again, “Deverell person here for breakfast? Rhys, look at this. I can’t make out the first initial. Is it an em?”
“It appears to be.”
Mrs. Robinson agreed happily. “Such fine handwriting, don’t you think? Yes, he was here for breakfast. Departed right before the stage.”
“Did he have a conveyance of some sort or was he riding a mount?” asked Nick.
“He had a roan colored horse.”
“Tell us about the people on the stage.”
The proprietress did so in great detail. “I know your sister wasn’t on that stage, m’lord. My husband helped load the baggage himself and saw them off.”
Nick sighed heavily. “That pretty much narrows it to Thompson and Sweet, don’t you think, Rhys?”
“It would appear so since Mrs. Robinson saw everyone else take their leave. What about your other customers, the ones who didn’t spend the night?”
“I can give you their names, but I’ll vouch for every one of them. They’d not be involved in this havey-cavey affair. Besides, they left last night when I locked everything up. You can see the doors yourself. Nothing was jimmied or forced. Everything was right and tight when I opened up this morning. No one broke in here.”
“Which means one of your guests was responsible,” Nick said. “That rather puts a hole in the theory concerning this pair.” He pointed to the names of Thompson and Sweet.
“Not necessarily.” Rhys tore out the page and pocketed it, pulling Nick away from the bar so they could talk in private. “We know Kenna did not leave with anyone else this morning. Isn’t it possible that someone allowed those two in? They took Kenna and left while their accomplice had a leisurely breakfast and departed, perhaps on the stage.”
“But that would make this no simple abduction. From the woman’s description of those two I was willing to believe this scheme began as a whim. An accomplice would make it premeditated.”
“Precisely,” Rhys agreed. “How many people knew of Kenna’s plans?”
“Who didn’t would be easier to answer. It was no secret that she was going to Cherry Hill nor that she was going to be here for the night. I provided pistols for her escorts but not because I suspected trouble of this nature. I did caution Janet that Kenna was not to be out of her sight and you can see where that led.”
