She gave him a frozen look.
“Ipromiseyou,” Gabe said, and with a last desperate gesture he kissed her hard on the mouth and went into Harry’s room, stripping off his evening trousers and coat almost before he was in the door.
She followed. “What are you doing?”
“Changing into my riding buckskins—or rather, Harry’s. Can’t ride in evening clothes—no flexibility—and mine would take too long to fetch.” Harry handed him a pair of riding boots and he pulled them on. “Good thing we’re the same size.”
He raced down the stairs, shouting at Sprotton. “Are the horses here yet, dammit?”
“Any moment, sir.” Sprotton snapped his fingers and a footman ran out into the street to look.
Ethan, Rafe, Nash, Luke, and Harry were all in riding clothes, she saw. “What are you all doing?”
“Going after them, of course.”
“I’m coming, too,” Callie said.
“You can’t,” Gabe said brusquely. “You’ll slow us down.”
She stared at him, agonized, knowing he was right. But how could she bear to wait, helpless, not knowing?
“I’ll take her,” Harry said to Gabe. “We’ll follow in the curricle.”
Callie flung him a grateful look and looked at Gabriel. “Please. I will go mad, otherwise.”
He sighed. “All right. Sprotton, tell the stables we need the curricle and the grays, at once.” He snapped his fingers and a footman went running.
“It’ll be cold in the curricle. You must take my cloak,” Lady Gosforth said. “Sprotton, fetch my fur cloak.”
“Immediately, my lady,” said Sprotton, and a maid went running off to fetch it.
Gabe turned to Harry and said in a low, urgent voice. “Look after her for me, brother. She is mylife!”
Harry nodded. “I know.”
Callie blinked. Had he said “wife,” or “life”? But he was gone, Ethan, Rafe, Luke, and Nash with him, galloping down the street.
Shaken, she managed to gather her thoughts together. She drew Lady Gosforth aside. “Do you have a pistol I could borrow? I’m going to kill that man.”
“Who, my nephew?” Lady Gosforth exclaimed, shocked.
“No, of course not! Iloveyour nephew. It’s Count Anton I’m going to kill.”
Lady Gosforth’s face cleared. “Well, in that case, by Jove, I do. Sprotton, fetch me my pistol. And make sure it’s loaded.”
“At once, my lady,” Sprotton said, and a footman went running.
The footman and two maids arrived at the same time, the footman with a case containing a tiny muff pistol, one maid carrying an enormous sable cloak and the other carrying a small bag. “Just a change of clothes and a few other necessities,” the girl told Callie, passing it to a footman to put in the curricle.
“Good thinking, that gel,” declared Lady Gosforth approvingly.
The curricle and grays arrived at the front door. Callie kissed Lady Gosforth and said, “Take care of Tibby and Jim for me. And thank you for everything.” Harry helped her up and in moments they were off, following Gabe to the Esterhazy residence.
Gabe spurred his horse along the road, followed by Rafe, Luke, Nash, and Ethan. His face was grim. He was furious with himself. He should have taken more care, should have thought that kidnappers might come across the roof in the night. He’d been so busy trying to seduce the mother, he’d forgotten that his marriage was all about the child.
She’d asked just one thing of him: protect her boy.
He’d failed her. He’d failed Nicky. And he’d failed himself.
