“Why is my money not good enough for you?” she pressed.
He flicked his wrist. “Once we have Lord Kendal, you will be returned to your brother. Consider yourself lucky.”
“Please, you don’t have to do this,” she pleaded.
In a swift motion, John slapped her across the cheek. “Stop talking!” he ordered. “Nothing you say will change anything.”
Octavia’s cheek throbbed but she refused to show any sign of weakness to her captor. And she wouldn’t let Lord Kendal sacrifice himself for her. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if he did.
The coach came to a stop and John muttered, “Finally.” He opened the door and stepped out. “Get out here.”
She did as she was commanded and exited the coach. As her eyes roamed over the path, she recognized this place as St. James’s Park. She had been here many times before.
John gripped her arm tightly. “Just do what I say and you will survive this,” he said.
Octavia knew there was no point in pleading with him to stop this madness and just walk away with his life. Her abductor was far too stubborn.
She turned her head to see the other two of her captors, both with pistols in their hands. They barely spared her a glance as they kept their gazes on an approaching coach that was slowly making its way along the path.
The coach came to a stop a short distance away and the door was tossed open. Octavia watched as Fredrick emerged first and was followed by Harred, causing her heart to drop at the sight of him. What was he doing here? She hoped he wasn’t going to try to be a hero by sacrificing himself.
John pressed the pistol to her temple. “Remove your pistols and drop them to the ground,” he ordered.
Fredrick retrieved a pistol and lowered it to the ground as instructed. He winked at her as he rose, and she suddenly felt better. Her brother would make this right. He just had to.
Harred put his hands up and said, “I did not bring a pistol with me.”
John shifted his weapon to point the pistol at Harred. “Ofcourse you didn’t, my lord,” he mocked. “Shall we get this over with?”
Fredrick spoke up. “Before I hand over Lord Kendal, I demand to know who hired you.”
“You demand, do you?” John asked in an amused voice. “What gives you that right to ask such a thing?”
“It is only fair for you to tell us since we did as we were told,” Fredrick replied.
John tightened his hold on her arm. “What if I just shot your sister?” he asked. “Would you stop asking ridiculous questions then?”
Fredrick’s next words came out more as a warning. “Anything you do to Octavia, the same will be enacted on you. I promise you that.”
“You do not frighten me,” John said. “You are just an earl. What do you know about making good on threats?”
“I served in the Army under Wellington,” Fredrick replied. “I saw things that you couldn’t even comprehend.”
“Regardless, that will not help you here. Just hand over Lord Kendal and we can end this,” John commanded.
“No,” Fredrick said.
John’s brow shot up. “No?” he repeated. “Are you mad?”
Fredrick pointed at her abductor. “I count three of you and you are vastly outnumbered, outmanned and outgunned.”
“There are only two of you, and we are all pointing pistols atyou,” John pointed out. “Why should we believe you?”
“Did you even bother to scout the area before you arrived?” Fredrick asked.
John glanced over at the woodlands that surrounded the path. “There was no need to. We are just here to exchange Lady Octavia for Lord Kendal. No one needs to be a hero here.”
Harred interjected, “Yet you assumed we would come alone?”
