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Running from the walled enclosure, he entered the mews to question the grooms, where he learned that MacNaby had keys to a recessed entrance where he sometimes admitted merchants making deliveries through the alleyway.

He rushed out into the alley and looked about, but there was no sign of anyone. Running down to the end, he checked the street to no avail, then backtracked to check the street on the other end of the block. His intuition told him they were gone. He would need to summon the Runner back.

Hurrying back into the gardens, he hollered for his brother until he appeared around the side of the house.

“Any sign of her?”

Angelo shook his head.

“I think MacNaby took her.” Marco held up the lacy handkerchief to display the initials, and Angelo rubbed his face in distress.

Guilt racked Marco as he blurted out, “We should have informed the servants!”

“It would not have helped if he took her from here. It does not appear he entered the house.”

“This is my fault.”

“That is a leap, brother. MacNaby is trying to kill you, not her. There was no reason to suspect he would take Molly.”

His brother’s assurance did not help. All he could think about was his vision of Molly consigned to torment, with her face covered in soot and her hair burning with molten lava. How disturbing it had been to witness her suffering in the world of dreams, only to wake to this living nightmare where she could be killed by a madman in search of revenge.

If she was harmed, it would break him in two, and he realized that despite his best efforts, Molly Carter had found her way into the very heart of him. Her forthright nature, her graceful form, her courage living in a household beset by such devious curses! It was more than he could bear to think of something happening to her.

They returned inside, and Angelo sent a footman with a note to find the Runner because Marco’s hands were shaking, unable to hold the quill steady to write the note himself.

“How has he grown so bold? To kidnap a woman?”

“Bold, indeed. Also rather foolish, I think.”

“What do I do? She must be terrified!”

Angelo bobbed his head back and forth with skepticism to this statement. “Fearful, perhaps, but Molly has fortitude. Perhaps I should find Lorenzo and Sebastian? We need to devise a plan to rescue her.”

A knock on the library door drew their gazes sharply toward Duncan, who stood holding a letter with an apologetic expression on his broad face. “Sir, an express rider from Edgware delivered this,” he announced. “It is from Mr. MacNaby.”

“Edgware?”

“It is a small village in Middlesex, sir, a few miles from here. It lies on the route to Elmstead. You would have passed it on your visit, if I may say so.”

Marco grabbed the letter. Confirming that MacNaby had sent it, he dismissed Duncan and closed the door. Quickly unfolding it to read the contents, his heart skipped a beat. It was true. The butler had taken Molly hostage.

“What does it say?”

“He has taken Molly to Elmstead. By now, they must have reached the manor. He wants me to meet him there without accompaniment.”

“That is rather melodramatic. Does he plan to kill you, then come and murder the baron and I one at a time? How can he know you will arrive on your own?”

“It says if he sees anyone else, he will put a musket ball through her head.”

Angelo threw his hands up in the air. “This is a halfhearted plan at best. He does not seem as committed as he should be, but I shall find Sebastian and Lorenzo, so we can leave for Elmstead. You summon the carriage and a spare horse to approach the manor without companions once we reach there.” The last was said with heavy sarcasm.

“Blazes, Angelo! We must take this seriously! Molly’s life is in danger.”

“I know, brother, but the four of us will effect a rescue.”

Marco hesitated, then relented. He was more certain of recovering Molly with help, despite the dire warnings in the letter. “Call the others.”

While awaiting Angelo’s return, Marco went upstairs to briefly inform the baron about what was happening. He could only hope his uncle’s resulting distress would not harm his vulnerable health. Marco then went to the entry hall and lifted one of the ceremonial daggers from the display on the wall. Testing the edge for sharpness, he gathered up several more and returned to the study. He hunted through the shelves until he located a walnut box. Inside lay a single dueling pistol with a flintlock, along with a few musket balls. The second pistol was missing from its indented space, and a chill ran through him as he realized MacNaby would have had access to the missing weapon.