But Hawthorne had hurt Berry. The cur was possibly mad enough to have killed Lord Berwick now that everyone had abandoned him and he could not possibly pull off a ransom scheme on his own. Should he not face some consequences beyond a punch to the face and a possible broken hand?
The prelate, who lay sprawled beside a bound-and-gagged Lord Berwick, began to moan. Hawthorne must have used the heavy candlestick lying beside the man’s head as a weapon to knock him out.
Gideon set it back on the table where it belonged, wanting to keep it out of the prelate’s reach, lest this man of the cloth think to use it against any of them.
He would not stop the man if he intended to strike Hawthorne, however.
While he watched over Hawthorne and the prelate, Barrow removed the blindfold from Lord Berwick’s eyes and the gag from his mouth, and then unbound him. “Can you walk, Lord Berwick?” he asked gently.
“With assistance,” Lord Berwick replied, his voice raspy. He was noticeably in pain.
Gideon shook his head. “No, I’ll carry you.” Berry had seen the poor man being kicked and beaten by Hawthorne and his friends. Gideon could not be sure how severely they had hurt him. “My carriage is just down the street.”
“Praise heaven.” Tears began to flow down the old man’s face. “How is Berry? Did that beast Hawthorne hurt her?”
Gideon winced. “I’ll take you to her. Dr. Farthingale is tending her. He believes she will make a full recovery. But that devil Hawthorne struck her hard across the head.”
“Oh, my poor Berry!” Lord Berwick said with a sob. “I must see her.”
“Yes, I’ll take you to her right now. The doctor should still be with her, and now he will tend to you.”
“Knight, I may need you to take over trustee responsibilities for Berry for a while.”
Gideon nodded. “No need to think about it tonight. Let’s see how you are feeling in the morning. You’ve just experienced one of the worst nights of your life and must rest, my lord. But I am at your service, and will do whatever you need me to do to protect Berry.”
“Seems you’ve done plenty already.”
Gideon wished he had done more.
The urge to kill Hawthorne arose within him again, but he tamped it down. He would be of no use to Berry while facing a murder charge. And killing an unconscious man would be viewed as cold-blooded murder.
“Get Lord Berwick out of here, Mr. Knight,” his Bow Street companion said, using the rope that had bound Lord Berwick to now bind Hawthorne. “I’ll wait for Mick and George right here. They’ll be along soon, possibly with a few of the magistrate’s men. They’re going to take his lordship’s abduction and the attack on Lady Berry very seriously.”
Gideon supposed this was for the best. The ever-alert Barrow meant to get him out of here before Hawthorne revived.
“See you in a few hours,” Gideon muttered. “Thank you for getting right on the task. You saved Lord Berwick’s life, Mr. Barrow.”
Brent helped Gideon settle Lord Berwick in his carriage and they soon returned to the Musket Club. As instructed, Brent led the team to the rear entrance, although it might have been safe enough by now to pull up in front of the club.
All was quiet as dawn broke, and most of the patrons had returned home. The sky had gone from darkest black to lighter shades of gray. The sun would be up shortly.
Pudge, Joss, and Henry were back and immediately assisted Gideon in getting Lord Berwick upstairs. Bonham came running out of his quarters when he heard the commotion. “Put Lord Berwick in my bed for now. Thank goodness you are alive, my lord. We were so worried about you. Dr. Farthingale’s still here. Probably drifted off to sleep for a few minutes. He’s been keeping a watchful eye on Lady Berry.”
“Berry,” Lord Berwick said, and tears welled in his eyes once more. “How is she? I must see her first.”
Gideon nodded. “But only for a minute, my lord. She needs her rest, and you need to be examined by the doctor. We do not know the extent of your injuries, so you are best off—”
“Yes, yes,” Lord Berwick said, ignoring all cautions the moment Gideon opened the door to his quarters and he saw Berry sitting up in bed and being spoon-fed marrow soup by Horace. “Berry!”
“Lord Berwick!”
Gideon had never seen a happier reunion or more tears shed and hugs exchanged.
Dr. Farthingale came to his side. “Well done, Mr. Knight. I was quite worried this incident would not end happily.”
“So was I,” Gideon admitted, his gaze on Berry, who now looked at him as though he were her knight in shining armor. She graced him with a smile that would linger in his heart forever.
He was also pleased to see her having been changed out of her damaged gown and put in one of his nightshirts that was far too big for her slight frame.
