Astonishment first kept him silent, but anxiety and fear soon succeeded this. “We are not stopping, Elizabeth.”
Conway had not stopped to investigate the commotion, and now they would have to deal with him when they arrived in Dartford. He might shoot them the instant he realised Steamer was missing.
She brought two hands to her mouth. “What shall we do? Do we attack him in the inn yard, in front of witnesses?” She looked at the tiny bottle that now had a splash of red on it. “This is not what we planned! He was supposed to stop so we could takethe carriage from him and drive it the rest of the way ourselves. What shall we do?”
She was panicking, probably from what they had just had to do as much as the scheme falling apart. She had been struck yet again, she had someone’s blood on her gloves, and the hurt of all the other stress of their brutal kidnapping must be near to pouring out of her.
“I don’t know,” he whispered. “Let me think.”
The last bit of colour vanished from her face. “This was not the plan!” she cried. “What do we do when we get there?” Her hands shook, and she was gasping as though she could not breathe. “We were supposed to take him by surprise on the road and steal the carriage!”
Darcy moved across the carriage and took her face in his hands. “We will think of something. Elizabeth, listen to me! We can still get away.”
He forced her to look at him, and she calmed. She muttered a quiet apology, but Darcy still drew her into his chest. Her breathing slowed as the carriage rolled on. After another quarter hour, it slowed to make a turn to enter the inn yard of the Bull and George. Elizabeth sat back, clutching the bottle in her fist.
“We should get out ourselves to put as much distance between us and him.”
She was right; they should not wait for someone to open the door and lower the steps. “Let me go out first?—”
“No, Conway might shoot you as soon as he sees you and not Steamer,” she cried. “Letmeget out first—they might still need me alive—and when he gets off the horse, I can stab him before he draws the pistol.”
It was not a bad idea to take Conway by surprise, incapacitate him, and then explain themselves to whomever was in the yard. “Give me the bottle, and let me do it,” he said, holding out his hand. He noticed both of them had blood on their gloves.
She clenched her fingers. “No, he will not suspect a woman so I can get closer?—”
“I am stronger?—”
The door opened, and to his great surprise Kirby peered inside. “Where is Steamer?”
Darcy’s mouth fell open. He and Elizabeth shared an anxious look, and she then asked, “Where is Conway?”
Kirby shrugged and folded down the steps.
“Were you riding on the rumble seat?” Darcy asked. He had not thought there was anyone on the back of the carriage.
“No,” he said hesitantly, still looking into the carriage to find Steamer. “I was postilion. Uncle said it was time to do more and said if I drove the horses then Conway could load cargo tonight. We are all to meet in Gravesend tomorrow—today, I suppose.”
Elizabeth gave Darcy an emphatic look before putting the broken bottle in her pocket. There was no way either of them would harm a twelve-year-old boy.
“Where is Steamer?” he repeated.
Someone came near and called out to Kirby for his tolls and tax tickets, and Elizabeth and Darcy stared at one another while Kirby showed he had paid. After that was settled, Darcy heard Kirby arranging for another team of horses, arguing over the price since now it was Sunday.
“We cannot harm him,” she whispered.
“Of course not,” he agreed.
“Will he just let us go? He has said that he does not want this sort of life.”
“He might be willing to look the other way and leave us here, but what would Markle do to him? Kirby will have to answer for it when he meets Markle in Gravesend later. Or he will go back toward Shoreham to look for Steamer.”
“You have to convince him to leave us here, Darcy,” Elizabeth said gravely, “and not try to help Steamer. If Kirby goes backfor Steamer and he is not injured, they could be back here in an hour.”
Darcy had no answer. He got out of the carriage and handed Elizabeth down. They were in the courtyard of the Bull and George, just inside the tall coach gate. The three-storeyed building around the courtyard was galleried. Inside, there would be a hall for receiving guests, a staircase, and through another door was probably the apartment for dining coach passengers. The first floor was arranged around the inner yard, and the rooms were accessed by the open gallery that wrapped around and overlooked the yard.
He saw a few horses in their stalls, but there were no stage coaches, post boys, or carriages in the yard. Not a surprise, since it was near three in the morning on a Sunday.
As the ostler worked exchanging the teams, Kirby returned to them. “Where is Steamer?” he cried again, his face in absolute confusion.
