Page 58 of The Heir's Fortune
“Me?” he repeated, swiping his hand over his brow. “I am fine besides the fact that I do not thinkIbreathed for the last few minutes when he held the pistol to your head. One wrong move and it all could have been over. I am so sorry, Madeline.”
“Why would you be sorry?” she asked, furrowing her brow.
“Because this was all my fault,” he said, shaking his head. “I never should have drawn you – or anyone else – into this.”
“That we can discuss later,” she said, stepping back and looking around them. “In the meantime, perhaps we should determine just whoeveryoneelse is.”
“Quite right,” he murmured, turning around, although he kept one hand firmly pressed against her lower back. “Our mysterious saviours have not fled as they have in the past.”
As they left the horses and wagons and walked toward the men who were currently occupied with containing the Spaniards, Gideon leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Behind me, just in case.”
“Gideon—”
“Please,” he said, with so much supplication that she couldn’t help but agree, noting that their friends were gathered on one side of the clearing, the gentlemen standing in front to protect the women, although Madeline guessed that Faith was likely just as competent to keep them safe with her bow and arrow.
The Spaniards were now tied up and sitting in one of the wagons that was currently empty, while the gentlemen were on the other side, warily watching the men who had appeared in their hour of need.
“There’s nothing to fear, Gideon,” Cassandra called out, and Madeline realized then that the women had been working with these men, likely after she had been taken, although how it had all come about was a mystery that she was looking forward to learning more about.
One of their heroes lifted his head, his face, rather weathered and yet fairly strong, becoming clear from beneath his hat.
He looked familiar, but Madeline couldn’t immediately place him. It seemed Gideon, however, could.
His mouth dropped as he gaped at the man. “Anderson?”
Gideon couldn’t helpbut take a step back in surprise at seeing his father’s valet and attendant staring back at him, nearly knocking over Madeline as he did so for he forgot that she was standing right behind him.
“But how?—”
“It’s a long story,” Anderson said, walking over to him and lifting a hand as though he was about to place it on his shoulder before dropping it, likely remembering their difference in station, even though Anderson had known him since he was a child. “Perhaps one we best tell away from here, once we can be more comfortable. We accompanied the women here once we heard that Madeline had gone missing again. They trusted us but are waiting for an explanation as well.”
Gideon nodded slowly as he looked around at the rest of them. There was Victor, the stablehand; Jacobs, the butler; and John, one of the footmen. Even their old groundskeeper, the one he’d had to let go because he could no longer afford for him to take care of the grounds, was with them.
“One question before we go,” Gideon said, needing to know. “Did you come today because Cassandra asked for your help to find Madeline, or has it been you helping us the entire time?”
“We’ve been with you every step of the way,” Anderson said. “For far longer than you might guess.”
Gideon was trying to piece it all together, frustrated with himself for not seeing this sooner when Cassandra stepped forward. “Why do we not meet in the billiards room?”
“The billiards room?” he repeated. It was not a place for ladies and he had the feeling that these women were not going to miss this conversation.
“It has room for us all,” she said before stepping near him and murmuring, “and they will likely feel more comfortable there as it is closer to the servants’ quarters and Mother isn’t likely to come upon us.”
“Very well,” he said, immediately understanding and appreciating Cassandra’s sense when it came to such matters. She was right, of course. They couldn’t exactly bring the men in to sit in his mother’s drawing room without a good explanation, now could they?
“First, we must send for the magistrate,” Gideon said, pointing to the remaining Spaniards. They hadn’t even checked to see ifDonRafael was alive. Madeline began to point that out to Gideon, but the footman was already walking over to do so.
“One of us will go for him,” Victor said. “Take the women back to Castleton and we could meet in an hour, if that is sufficient for you?”
“Very well,” Gideon said, nodding his thanks to the stablehand. They had waited this long. What was a few more minutes? He looked to the other men, finding Devon standing on the other side of Cassandra. “Let’s get these wagons back to the stables and see the women inside. I’ll walk back with them.”
Madeline looked up at him, her eyes wide. “You are not going to ride with the treasure?”
“No,” he said. “I rather think that I have the treasure right here beside me.”
“How romantic,” she said, leaning back and away from him with a smile. “And how fortunate that we were to get the actual treasure back, is it not?”
There was a bite within her tone, one that he couldn’t quite understand, but he didn’t comment upon it, not now when they had finally set everything to rights. He had the fortune he had been chasing, he had Madeline,DonRafael appeared to be dead, and it seemed that he was going to receive some answers.
