“What on earth are you doing out of bed, let alone riding like a banshee at this time of the night?” Christopher questioned, his brain not computing finding his friend on the road.
“I could ask the same of you, I guess. I was coming to see to you and Alaina’s welfare,” Graham responded.
“We were coming to see to yours. According to the letter, you had a nasty accident, but I can see we have been deceived.”
“And for that I am sorry… It seems your cousin has a need for funds and found a way to purloin my ring to lure you away from home. Who knows what he intended?” Graham replied.
Christopher was given no time to react before a faint echo found them.Pop! Pop! Pop!
Without another word to Graham, Christopher took off in the direction of the sound, back toward Alaina, and prayed that his ears had deceived him; he had been convinced that his nagging worry had been unfounded, and yet now his fear for his wife made bile rise in his throat.
Christopher was quick to realize that another horse was galloping beside him, his friend needing no explanation to follow. It seemed an eternity that Christopher and Graham rode back toward Waverley, around several bends, before they came upon a fallen tree. Each rider brought his horse to a halt and picked gingerly around the massive trunk splayed across the road. They found their way around the stump that, even in the dark, seemed to be cleanly cut at the base. As they found their way to the other side, both men’s eyes settled on the carriage and a collection of bodies, the horses still tied and tangled within the branches of the tree, but otherwise unharmed. Only a faint light shone from the post of the driver’s seat, and a soft groan could be heard.
Christopher and Graham quickly dismounted and located the man, the driver, stuck under the front corner of the conveyance.
“Nicholas, what happened?” Christopher rushed into questions, as he and Graham gently moved the man out from under the carriage, taking care not to move him too quickly. Graham stepped away to survey the interior of the coach and rushed back to Christopher.
“I am sorry, sir. The tree fell in the road and before we knew it, a cloaked rider was on top of us,” the driver stammered. “The man had a couple of pistols and dispatched with those of us that moved to stop him. And then he dragged Alaina with him. The last I saw they were headed into the woods.”
“Alaina is not inside,” Graham interrupted, confirming Christopher’s worst nightmare. At a quick nod from Christopher, the duke moved to check on the other men around the carriage.
Christopher stood and raced to the tree line. “Alaina! Alaina!” He turned this way and that, frantically searching for any sign of his wife and her assailant, but saw nothing amiss, and heard no sounds out of place. He ran around the carriage in his search, his breath ragged, and eventually came to rest near the upturned wheels of the carriage. Christopher’s throat was hoarse from his yelling, and a feeling of helplessness threatened to close in around him.
After a few moments, Christopher felt someone take hold of his arm and he turned to find Graham. “Christopher, I cannot see any sign as to which way they might have gone. I fear that to go out into the woods alone will be fruitless and dangerous.”
Christopher was loath to admit it, but his friend was right. It was his first instinct to go after Alaina at once, but without knowing what he exactly faced with his cousin, or where they had gone, he felt that idea could lead to an unpleasant end for both him and his wife. At the very least, it could end with a fruitless search and precious lost hours. Eventually, Christopher nodded in agreement, and Graham released his arm.
“Nicholas is the only one to survive,” Graham said, his tone bleak. “And he needs medical care. Not to mention, we are sitting ducks ourselves. We can regroup at Waverley, and recruit some more men to help. I promise we will recover Alaina and make sure all of those responsible pay for their wrongdoing.”
A grunt came from the marquess, and he returned to the driver. “Nicholas, the duke and I will get you help. I fear moving you without a proper litter, but I do not want to leave you here. Do you think you can sit in a saddle?”
Nicholas pushed his way onto his elbows. “My lord, I think I can sit on a horse, but I fear your delay in helping me may see some harm come to the marchioness.”
Christopher sought to allay the man’s fears as well as his own. “The duke and I know who took her, and I believe they will keep her alive to get what they want. If we get back to Waverley, I can send out men to see where they have gone.”
Graham had broken the horses free from the coach and was bringing one back for Nicholas. A fair amount of effort from the marquess and his friend saw the driver atop the horse, and they made their way to Waverley at a slower pace than before. As they traversed the road, Christopher kept his eyes sharp for any sign of people in the woods, but only inky blackness met his eyes.
Alaina slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus on the lit taper in front of her, unable to focus on all of her surroundings just yet. Her head throbbed, due to the blow from her assailant, but she was intent to take in her surroundings. The candle sat atop a desk, which she realized was actually the desk in the study of the hunting lodge. Alaina was astounded at how long she had remained unconscious. Without moving too much, she realized the settee had been moved toward the desk, almost to rest alongside it.
From her position on her side, facing the front of the desk, Alaina could see nothing more than the single candle and a faint outline of books on the shelves behind the desk. Afraid to move quickly, unsure of her physical state and loath to alert her captor as to her alertness, Alaina slowly turned from her side to her back. She took note of her tied wrists and ankles, and an ache in her hip. Alaina’s head throbbed as she moved, the small exertion making her aware of how vulnerable she was. Even if she could somehow get her ankles untethered, Alaina doubted she would make it very far before collapsing again. She hoped that with some time, her head would cooperate.
Moving just her eyes, Alaina probed the room, seeing mostly shadows, but discerning that no one else was with her. It was bizarre and terrifying to be in the lodge under the current circumstances, when Alaina held such fond memories of her early wedded days with Christopher here.
Just outside the door, she could hear a pair of footsteps, each one pacing rapidly, as two men argued.
“I told you that the marchioness was the only one in the carriage!” Even with a yell, Alaina could determine this was the man who kidnapped her, and yet she could not place the voice.
“She is not who I was aiming to surprise! I swear this scheme finds folly at every turn,” came a lower voice, muffled by the door.
“Well, you can still use her as a bargaining chip.”
“With someone well on his way to London? It will take days! And the servants are bound to notice someone taking up residence here.”
“If you had just asked the marquess for funds when you had the chance…” came the first voice, in a more pleading tone.
“Silence! I have told you before, he did not acknowledge my request for an audience,” came the second man, his voice sounding clearer as he walked toward the door of the study. “Now, I am going to check on our injured marchioness. You had better hope that she does not succumb to her injuries, or it will be the gallows for the both of us, if we are lucky.”
The last statement came to Alaina clearly, and her brain was slow to put the pieces together as Christopher’s cousin crossed the threshold. Alaina’s eyes went wide with shock and her heart hammered in her ears. Alaina had always pushed her feelings of unease away, but it turned out Charles was more dastardly than she had ever imagined.
