They left again, slamming the door and locking it. Only when their footsteps faded did Eliza tell Fenella the idea she’d just had.
“Fenella.”
She sat upright.
“Help me. We need to drag the bed against the door, and anything else in here that can stop them getting back into the room.”
Between them they managed to lower Polly and the other girl to the floor, where she could continue to slumber. They then dragged the bed toward the door.
“Hurry, Eliza. They will return soon.”
They got the bed up against the door, then looked around for anything else.
“We need to stand it up and then bring the other bed over,” Eliza said.
It wasn’t easy, but thankfully, it didn’t take long to get the frame upright. Next, they woke the other girl, who was dazed and sluggish. Eliza lowered her to the floor, where she curled into the fetal position and closed her eyes.
“Hurry, Fenella.”
They pushed the bed with all the strength they had and managed to maneuver it to the door. Between them, they led the sleepy girls back to it. She and Fenella then moved around the room, grabbing anything they could find and placing it on the bed.
“They’re coming,” Fenella whispered.
“Lie down in front of the legs,” Eliza said.
When they’d done that, she felt Fenella’s fingers reach for her, and she gripped them tight.
“Mungo,” she whispered, closing her eyes for a heartbeat. In her mind, she saw his face, all hard angles and fierce determination.Find me, you Scottish heathen.
She then braced as the men tried to reenter the room.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
By the time they arrived at Three Waters, the journey had taken three hours.
The longest three hours of Mungo’s life.
So many scenarios churned through his mind, each worse than the last. Every possible outcome ended with Eliza and Fenella hurt, terrified, or gone. He’d never known fear like this. It was a tight, unrelenting grip around his chest that didn’t ease even when the Three Waters driveway finally came into view.
It had been a silent journey, with everyone focused on what needed to be done.
Usually, Nightingales did not do silence. Even in the worst of times, someone always spoke or argued about something. But tonight? No one made a sound.
Calder rode beside him, grim and pale, no doubt thinking the same thoughts as Mungo.Are they safe? Will he have his daughter in his arms by morning?
The icy wind had long since frozen his cheeks, and dark had settled its weight around them as they rode in through the gates of the Three Waters Estate.
“It’s here,” Leo said softly. “The necklace is here.”
“Old Mungo is having conniptions, shouting out warnings,” Alex muttered. “We are in the right location.”
They moved onto the grass that ran along the side of the driveway so their horses’ hooves would be muffled. It was long, winding its way through trees and rolling pasture. The drive branched right, and he saw the shadow of a house in the distance, lamplight glowing through several windows.
“I think we keep going on this drive to see if there are outbuildings before we head to the house,” Gray said.
They agreed, and when they crested the next hill, they saw a large barn.
Bram raised a hand, and they all halted. There was little moonlight but enough to reveal two men walking around the building.
