Chapter Twelve
Ridge forced himself to tamp down his desire, turning all of his attention to the danger at hand. Granted, it would have been nice if the villain had waited a bit longer to appear, but there was nothing to be done for it. At least he might finally gain some answers into Wistenberry’s whereabouts, if he wasn’t lucky enough to catch him out in the open now.
On silent tread, he peered through the darkness, watching as a dark figure stumbled across the debris littering the castle floor.He cursed several times, his words slurring even from a distance.He’s soused, Ridge thought to himself, pleased at the idea that this would be a rather easy capture.
But he waited to see what the man would do, for the way he was rummaging around the stones of the castle walls, it was apparent he was searching for something. Ridge saw him remove a package, and then turn to go. At that point, he decided he’d waited long enough.
He stepped out of the darkness with his pistol raised and pointedit directlyat the man’s heart. “Stop right there.”
The man fell back a step, his face turning white. “What the bloody—”He broke off and demanded, “Who the hell are you?”
“Someone you don’t need to cross,” Ridge returned evenly. He gestured to the packet. “What do you have there?”
The man smirked. “My boss’s dirty laundry.”
Ridge lifted a brow. “Indeed? Then you won’t mind if I have a look.”
The man held the packet closer to his chest. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. My employer is rather particular when it comes to such matters.”
“No doubt,” Ridge murmured. “Even so, I fear I must insist.”
As a slight noise came from behind the man, he turned, just long enough of a distraction for Ridge to act. He rushed forward and brought the pistol down on the side of the man’s temple,sending him crumplingto the ground in an unconscious heap.
Ridge turned his gun on the approaching threat, but thenhastilylowered it when Isabella came into view.He released a frustrated breath. “I thought I told you to wait outside.”
“You did. I just decided you might need some assistance.” Ridge clenched his jaw, as she drew forward and peered down at the man lying on the stone. Her eyes narrowed, and after a moment, she said, “He looks familiar.”
Ridge tucked the pistol away and walked over to join her. “He does?”
“Yes.” She bent down to get a better look, and then she covered her mouth with a gasp. “My God,” she breathed. “It’s Simon’s valet.”
“In that case, we must be in the right place,” he said grimly. “And yet, where is the viscount?” He reached down and picked up the packet. He opened it and for a moment, all he could do was stareat the contents inside.
The anticipation must have been too much for Isabella, for she exclaimed, “What is it?”
He reached inside and withdrewa single package ofseveralbandedpound noteswithin.“I believe we’vejustfound your dowry.”
With a gasp, she peered inside and said, “I think this is more than my dowry. There has to be a fortune in here.”
“Indeed.” Ridge agreed. “But the question is, did we capture a traitor to his employer, or was Simon making plans to travel to theContinent tonight?” He saw Isabella pale, so he decided to keep any further musings to himself. Instead, he lifted the valet and tossed him over his shoulder. “Let’s get him to the castle. There’s a rather nice dungeon with his name on it.”
Ridge walked outside and tossed his burdenover the saddleofthe valet’sownhorse. Heput the package in the saddlebags, and thenturned to Isabella.“Want to ride back with our captive?”
She shuddered and took a step backward. “Thank you, but no. I’m more than capable of walking withyou.”
He chuckled and took hold of the reins, leading the horse back to Walmer as Isabella walked by his side in a companionable silence.
Once they returned to the castle and Ridge had stabledthehorse, he turned to Isabella. He reached out a hand to cup the side of her face, and said softly, “Go to your rooms and get some sleep. I’ll take care of him.” He gestured to the valet whohe’d dumped in an unconscious heap on the ground.
She swallowed visibly. “Are you sure you don’t want to…join me later?”
His cockgave an instantresponse, butRidgeshook his head. “While the prospect certainly has its merits, I’m afraid that I will have to postpone such anenticing interlude. I will need to see what I can learn from our unwilling captive, and the…coercion make take awhile.”
She must have understood his meaning, for she said, “Of course. Goodnight, Mr. Claymoore.”
He bent down to give her a light kiss on the lips.“Goodnight, Lady Isabella,” he whispered, and watched her depart.He waited untilshe was out of viewthenhe tookhis prisoner down into the bowels of the castle for a thorough interrogation.
***
