As for Miss Meghan McQuoid Smith? The chit was a hellcat and, for that reason alone, she bore closer watching. The termagant had a set of teeth and claws on her, but Culross could handle her.
Hewouldhandle her.
He—
Bloody hell.
His ears picked up on the loud grind of carriage wheels. Of a sudden, horse whinnies swelled through the dawn quiet. Shouts went up from the Smith family driver.
His brother Alec paled. “They are early.”
Which meant they couldn’t get into position.
August held a palm up, urging quiet…and waited.
Silence.
The quiet lasted as long as all McQuoid silences did.
“…wheel is loose, Miss Smith…”
Culross shook his head in annoyance.
The old fellow bellowed loud enough to summon the damned chit’s family.
“…have to leave for a short stretch and—”
Culross’s eyes flared.
The servant planned to leave them?
Sure enough, after a good deal of noisy muttering, the Smith driver freed one of the mounts, climbed astride, and headed towards the church.
It could not be this easy.
At least, it should not be.
But McQuoids were nothing if not predictable in their carelessness. They would, of course, make it so.
That delighted squeal pierced the early winter morning.
“What in hell are they shouting for?” Culross’s quartermaster sounded more affronted than relieved that a plan meant to abduct three ladies and thwart a wedding should unfold without resistance.
Laughter followed, bright, reckless, and the noisy trampling of boots through fresh snow provided all the confirmation Kerr required.
The silly girls at play remained on the periphery of Culross’s vision. His attention stayed fixed on the carriage.
With deliberate care, he withdrew the wooden spyglass from inside his cloak. Lifting it to his eye, he slid the tubes in and out until the image sharpened. He adjusted the objective lens, fine-tuning the focus.
Culross studied the scene for several moments.
He had been wrong.
This kidnapping would not be difficult.
It would be child’s play.
Without a word, he passed the spyglass to Kerr. His quartermaster accepted it with capable fingers and conducted a swift, practiced sweep.
