The Earl's Nemesis Page 7

  Ron nodded and handed him the letter. Both men went through it and gasped.

  “Two hundred gold coins for five men to capture a lady! This is too good to be true. We are in!” shouted Darrel.

  Ron laughed. “Good. I have the address with me, but first, there is something we need to do.”

  The two men exchanged glances.

  “You see the lass over there?” Ron said pointing at the lady. Both men nodded.

  “She has something in her bag which I must have. I am afraid that whatever is in the letter will affect our mission.”

  “Who is she?” asked Darrel.

  “I think she is the maid of the Parrish,” Ron replied.

  “Oh, you think she is trying to warn the lady that she is about to be captured?” asked the fatter one. He seemed to be the sharper of the two.

  “Aye, I think so but we cannot be sure unless we read the content of the letter,” Ron explained.

  “I have an idea,” said Darrel.

  ***

  Sophie was not comfortable where she sat but there was little she could do. There was no room in the inn and she couldn’t go on the journey that night. So she had resorted to sitting down in a corner till the day would break. It wasn’t a problem at all, better still, she got to keep the money that Mrs. Parrish had had given her.

  She sighed as she thought of everything that had happened. Mr. Parrish was really a dangerous man, this she had in mind until she began to fall asleep only to be woken up by something.

  She couldn’t tell what it was but glancing through the inn, she could tell that the people there had reduced, so what had woken her up? She thought.

  “Hello, miss.”

  The voice startled her that she dropped the bag in her hand. Before, she could grab it the man had already done that. He was a fat man in a funny looking hat. There was a scar at the side of his neck He seemed like someone she had seen before, or probably he only resembled one of the men that would come to the Harold to drink and to gamble. It was either that or she was really feeling sleepy.

  “My purse, please,” she said.

  “Of course,” said the man with a smile. “I wanted to tell you that there is an empty seat where you can lie down without straining your back sitting down all through the night.”

  “Oh,” Sophie said, a bit surprised. “Thank you,” she replied as the man pointed to a long seat which she noticed would be more comfortable.

  “Thank you, now, can I have my purse?”

  The man nodded and handed it to her.

  “Thank you,” she said again before proceeding to the seat. It didn’t take long before she drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  Sophie woke up very early the following morning. The inn was empty except for the cleaner who was scrubbing the floor. She yawned, stretched her back and rose to her feet. While doing so, she realized her purse was opened. At first, she thought it was nothing, but when she dipped her hand inside and realized that her money with the letter were gone, she sank to her knees.

  “What are you doing, lady?” asked the cleaner. She was a middle-aged woman.

  “The letter my mistress sent me, the money I was given. They are all gone!” Sophie cried. This would mean she couldn’t leave the place to go back home or to get to Theodosia. She was in the middle of nowhere.

  “Terribly sorry for your loss, what will you do now?” the woman asked.

  Sophie could barely think, she was really confused. Certainly, the fat man from last night must have taken it when he kept holding her bag. She should have known that something was wrong.

  “I do not know what to do. I am supposed to get to Edinburgh with the money and the address of where I am to go is on the letter. Now, there is no way I would get there.”

  The woman looked at her pitifully. “Maybe the inn keeper will have a job for you. If you can do some work, you shall get paid and then you can be on your way.”

  Sophie sighed. She was supposed to get to Theodosia as early as possible but now that there was no way to do that. The only thing to do was to find a work to do and hopefully get paid. At least, if she could get to Theodosia early, she would be able to help her get back home.

  “Alright. Thank you, take me to the inn keeper.”

  Chapter 10

  Damsel in Distress

  It was a beautiful morning in Edinburgh and Theodosia with Barton were sitting in a park, close to the stream, having a picnic together.

  After the whole thing with the brother, the two had grown remarkably closer, enjoying the other’s presence as they day went by.

  Theodosia was beginning to realize that marrying Barton may not be a problem at all, in fact, it might perhaps be the greatest thing to happen to her. Not only had she come to realize that they both have a good taste in reading same type of novels, she also discovered he had a very good sense of humor. Apart from that, he was friendly and very sweet, just like his sister had said. She was getting more attracted to him every day.

  Barton on the other hand was becoming more relaxed, everything was falling into place. His birthday would be coming in the next few weeks and everything seemed to be working just the way he wanted. Ever since a couple of days ago that Terrence had visited him, he had not heard from him again. Luanne said he must have probably given up and decided to stay away but Barton knew his brother. Terrence would never stay away just like that unless he had what he came for.

  ***

  “So, are you saying that you like the fact that Ramsey had to sit himself in the rain, get drenched just to show his love for Portia?” Barton asked on their way home. The sun was setting fast, and they were returning home from their picnic. They were both riding on separate horses while discussing a book they had read that day.

  “Of course. Ladies love it when men would go an extra mile to prove their love,” Theodosia replied, laughing.

  “That was not an extra mile, that was an extra punishment,” Barton replied while Theodosia laughed some more. “Men shouldn’t have to do everything, you know,” he said.

  “I love how they had their first kiss, it was so romantic. I keep thinking about it,” she said.

  “Oh, really?” he asked, pulling the reins so that his mare came to a halt.

  Theodosia did the same, curious as to why they stopped.

  “Why are we stopping? We are not even home yet,” she asked, watching as he dismounted the horse while walking closer to her. He had a look on his face which meant he was up to something.

  “What are you doing, my lord?” she asked, but he got closer and stopped right in front of her. He lifted her from the horse so they were both standing face to face.

  Theodosia could feel her heart racing as she was inches away from Barton. She didn’t know what he was up to, but in the book they had read that day, the man had tried to kiss the woman this same way.

  “You know what I’m about to do?” he asked in a breathy voice.

  She couldn’t even think, she was too excited. “I think I do,” she replied.

  “Would you like to me go ahead?” he asked, and she chuckled.

  “Ramsey hadn’t asked Portia if he could go ahead.”

  They both laughed and finally he held her hand in his and placed the other on her cheek. They felt so warm against her skin.

  “Close your eyes,” he whispered, leaning in closer to her.

  When she felt his breath, she parted her lips and the next minute, they were kissing. His lips were warm and soft, causing some excitement deep down inside her. She held on to him but was startled when he yelped in pain.

  By the time she understood what was happening, she saw several men surrounding them.

  “What is happening?” she demanded as two of the men seized her, one at both arms. Barton tried to fight them off but the rest of the men kept hitting him.

  “Leave him alone!” she screamed until one of them covered her eyes with some sort of blindfold. Then she was being hurled into a carriage. She tried fighting but
a heavy weight descended on her and she fell into blackness.

  ***

  Luanne checked the time. She couldn’t understand why her brother wasn’t back yet. It was getting later, she thought. Well, they were both adults, they would be fine.

  She got up from where she sat in the drawing room and was about to climb the stairs when she heard noises outside.

  “What is going on?” she asked David who had just come in then.

  “My lady, it’s my lord…”

  Before he could finish his sentence, Luanne rushed outside, her chest rising and falling. The servants were carrying Barton in, he seemed unconscious and his clothes badly torn.

  Luanne gasped. “Oh My! What happened?” she cried, running towards him, while the servants carried him to the room and placed him carefully on the bed.

  “Somebody should please get the physician!” she ordered, and the servants hurried out of the room. She cried as she saw how badly Barton was beaten. There was blood on every part of him.

  “Who could have done this?” David cried beside her.

  “How did you find him?” she asked.

  “He came riding on his horse unconscious. He must have used his last strength to climb on the horse,” David replied.

  “What about Theodosia?” Luanne asked.

  “We didn’t see her, my lady. He came alone.”

  “Get some servants, go out and search for her. Ask everyone you see, please and when you are coming back, get the constable.”

  David nodded, bowed, and left.

  Luanne sat beside her brother, holding his hands in hers. “Oh! You poor thing! I am certain that Terrence must have done this! This is like something he would do. I am so sorry,” she cried.

  Luanne waited by the bed while the physician tended to her brother.

  “Is he going to be fine, please?” she asked. They had already cleaned Barton up and changed his clothes.

  The man nodded. “He needs to rest for a couple of days. He will be fine. He suffered no internal injury,” he replied. “How did this happen?” he asked.

  “I do not know,” she replied. “But I am going to find out. Thank you very much, sir. I shall see to it that you get paid for your trouble.”

  The physician nodded and exited.

  Luanne went back inside to sit beside her unconscious brother. His bruises had been cleaned and dressed.

  David came in, looking worried. “My lady.”

  “What is it this time?” she asked.

  “We did not see lady Theodosia but while we were searching for her, we came across this young lady who was seeking for the Barton’s quarters. We asked her who she was, she said she was sent by Mrs. Parrish to her daughter. So we brought her home, and she is demanding to speak to someone.”

  Luanne frowned and immediately climbed down from the bed. “Take me to her.”

  ***

  Sophie sat in the parlor, waiting. She was exhausted both internally and externally. She had worked at the inn that morning, cleaning several rooms which earned her some coins that brought her half way, then she had trekked the rest of the way, asking passers-by for direction.

  Luckily, she ran into the men who had brought her to the estate but she didn’t understand why she hadn’t seen Lady Theodosia yet.

  She stood up as she heard footsteps. The man that had spoken to her earlier was followed by another lady who looked almost the same age as Theodosia.

  “Hello,” the lady.

  “My lady,” she said, curtsying.

  “How are you, dear?” Luanne asked. “I am Lady Barton, who are you?”

  “Sophie,” she replied. “Miss Theodosia’s maid when she was still back at home with us.”

  “Okay. Is there a problem?”

  “Yes, I need to see her. It is very important.”

  Sophie watched as the lady exchanged looks with her servant.

  “Come with me,”

  ***

  Sophie gasped as she saw Lord Barton lying unconsciously on the bed. Luanne had explained to her all that had happened.

  “I am sorry, my lady,” she said.

  “Thank you, so we couldn’t find Theodosia. We think that whoever had beaten my brother must have kidnapped her as well,” said Luanne.

  “As a matter of fact, my lady. I have come to warn Miss Theodosia of this.”

  Luanne frowned. “You knew that this would happen?” she asked.

  “Yes, my lady,” Sophie replied. “Yesterday, a man had visited Mr. Parrish, and my mistress and I listened behind closed doors. From what we heard, one of them was another Lord Barton and he and my master were planning to kidnap Miss Theodosia so that she wouldn’t be married before your brother’s birthday and in that way, the other Lord Barton can inherit the properties.”

  When Luanne heard this, she was glad. Things were beginning to unfold,

  “You are a genius,” she said.

  “My lady, the constable is here,” said David.

  “Come with me, Sophie. You are the only one that can help us.”

  ***

  Constable Adams had been a friend of the Bartons for years. He was a man in his mid-fifties. He had come with his assistant, Joe.

  “I will be asking you some questions, Sophie,” the constable said while Luanne sat beside her.

  Anne came in with a tray, she handed a cup of tea each to Sophie, Luanne, the constable, and his assistant. They had been earlier introduced to Sophie.

  “I shall gladly answer,” Sophie replied.

  “You said you hid the letter in your bag but it was stolen at the inn?” the constable asked.

  “Aye,” replied Sophie. “A man approached me at the inn.”

  “Can you describe this man?” Joe asked.

  Sophie tried to remember. She had been sleeping before the fat man came to wake her up.

  He was a fat man in a funny looking hat. There was a scar at the side of his neck. He seemed like someone she had seen before, or probably he only resembled one of the men that would come to the Parrish home to drink and to gamble.

  “I think I have seen him before, back at home,” she continued, as she spoke, Joe was trying to paint the picture of the man in the paper in his hand.

  “Are you certain about that?” asked Adams.

  Sophie nodded. “Last night, when I saw him, I was feeling sleepy but now that I think of it, he used to come to the house. He is one of the friends of Mr. Parrish. They drank and gambled together. Mr. Parrish had told Lord Terrence that he had people somewhere that would help him get more men to kidnap Miss Theodosia. He must be one of them. What I am not sure of, is how did he know that I would be at the inn?”

  “He must have followed you or it must have been a coincidence,” replied Adams. “Whatever it was, they must have recognized you and seen that you may be a threat to their plan. Perhaps, he wasn’t alone.”

  “So what do we do?” Luanne asked. “We need to find Theodosia fast and bring these men to justice.”

  “We need to have something tangible before we can apprehend them. Maybe something like a written letter or a confession. Either way, we need to start from somewhere. Do you still remember this inn?” Joe asked.

  “Yes, I do,” replied Sophie.

  “Good. Check out this drawing, does it match the man you saw?” Joe asked, passing the painting to Sophie.

  “Oh, yes, it looked very much like him,” she replied. Quite impressed at the painting.

  “Good, then you shall give us the address of the inn. Joe and I will be there tomorrow morning. We shall try to find what we can find,” Adams said, standing up. Then he turned to Luanne. “Do not worry, my lady. We shall find her.”

  Luanne nodded. “Thank you very much, sir. I appreciate it.”

  Some minutes later the men left, and it was just Sophie and Luanne.

  “I am sure you are very tired,” Luanne said to Sophie. “Anne is preparing a room for you. Your mistress will be very worried so tomorrow morning, we shall send a letter t
o her. But we need to be careful so it won’t end up in Mr. Parrish’s hands.”

  Sophie nodded. “That is a good plan, my lady. I am certain that very soon, we shall find Miss Theodosia.”

  “I hope so,” said Luanne. “You must excuse me, I need to go check on my brother.”

  ***

  Theodosia finally opened her eyes. She winced from the pain surging in her left shoulder. She must have hurt herself when she had fainted.

  She looked around her but everywhere was pitch black. Still, she knew that they were no longer in the carriage. She seemed to be in some sort of building.

  She tried to lift her legs, but it was of no use. Her arms and legs were bound against the wall.

  This was not a dream, this was actually happening, she thought. Her mind went to Barton, she sighed, desperately hoping that he would be alright. She managed to shift her arms, but the ropes were really tight, it was of no use trying.

  She heard a rumbling noise, and she stilled. The door opened to her left and a tall figure came in, carrying something which was pushed to her.

  “Eat. We do not want you to starve,” the man said coldly.

  “My hands are tied,” she shouted. “How do you want me to eat with tied arms?”

  The man grumbled and then came forward. “Do not try anything stupid. I will not hesitate to harm you,” he warned before untying her arms. After that, he left, locking the door after him.

  Theodosia sighed and pulled the food to her, she dipped a hand inside and tasted whatever it was, it didn’t taste good so she spat. She couldn’t eat that. What if it was poison? She inhaled deeply, she needed to find a way out of this place, fast.

  Chapter 11

  Saving the Day

  Elizabeth stared at the letter in her hand and her heart sank. Her daughter had been captured and Sophie was at the Barton estate. What was she going to do?

  She heard Harold coming in, so she quickly folded the letter in her hands.

  “Good morning, Elizabeth. Is everything okay?” he asked, looking at her.

  She immediately forced a smile. “Yes, Harold. ‘Tis strange. I woke up missing Theodosia, and I was thinking if it would be alright for me to pay her a visit,” she said on purpose, awaiting his reply.