Page 28 of A Wallflower Never Forgets
“Jonathan—recall there’s also an older gamekeeper’s cabin—it’s the one further back in the woods, behind the newer one. Remember those?” Rochester asked.
“The older one is not far beyond. With a full moon, we should have some natural light, which is good. We’ll take ten of the dogs and three men. The rest of you men spread out but stay with a partner. As I said earlier, the man is dangerous. Stay alert,” Jonathan said.
The groups of men spread out, and Jonathan, Worsley, and Rochester headed with their group toward the empty gamekeeper’s cabins—old and new, which were in the back of the estate. The wagon tracks they followed continued that way long after they had turned away several other times. The bastard had certainly done his work to make this difficult.
Jonathan had felt a constant pressure in his chest since Melanie had been abducted. He knew what Talbot was capable of. The man was depraved; he didn’t care who he hurt. He sent up a silent petition that Shep would be wagging his tail in greeting when they brought Melanie home. They’d set out on their search before the doctor had arrived. But Shep was a sturdy dog with a warrior spirit.
“I hear the dogs barking, but it doesn’t sound like they are finding anything,” Rochester commented.
“That can only be good news, I suppose. He didn’t leave the wagon. My gut tells me we are heading in the right direction,” Jonathan said.
“Mine, too. I think we should go to the furthest cabin first. Talbot would have gone for that one, I think. Thinking the gamekeeper might be in residence—Talbot wouldn’t have chosen to fight for the cabin if he knew of an easier one,” Rochester said. “Although the furthest cabin is abandoned and is said to be haunted.”
Jonathan agreed. Rochester’s idea made sense. As the three men rode in the direction of the cabin, Jonathan recalled the stories about the old hunting cabin being haunted. It had certainly fueled their explorations when they were boys. But he didn’t put much stock in it.
The men fell silent as the gamekeeper’s cabin came into view. There was no sign of any activity there. And there were no signs of wagon tracks turning towards it, so they continued to the abandoned cabin. The abandoned cabin was tucked closer to the perimeter of the property, an acre or so behind the newer gamekeeper’s cabin.
“I smell smoke,” Jonathan said as they drew closer.
“Yes. Remember, the cabins all have wood stoves. And it’s damn cold outside.”
“He’s in the old cabin. That’s where he has to be,” Jonathan said in a low, tense voice. “He would have held off lighting the stove until night so it couldn’t be seen. But he would need it for warmth.”
“Aye,” Rochester said. “And none of my men would be out hunting here without my knowledge.” He ordered the remaining men with the dogs to cover the woods that surrounded the cabin.
They picked up the pace as they neared the cabin. Jonathan’s heart thundered in his chest as he thought about Melanie and all the things he’d wished he’d told her. He prayed he’d still have the chance. I’m coming, Melanie. I’ll be there soon. Stay strong, my love. Stay strong…
“I’ll take the back of the cabin…you two take the front,” Jonathan whispered as they looped their horses’ reins around a sturdy tree a few yards away. “He has a reputation for setting traps, so be wary of wires or thin ropes.”
“Got it,” Rochester said.
“There’s a very dim light in there—you can barely see it. But it means the stove is fired up. We’ve got the bloody bastard,” Worsley said.
Even though Talbot was most likely working alone, he was a formidable foe. He’d escaped many times, including his most recent daring escape from the Tower. Once the other men completed searching the other cabins, they would set out to join them, thus making it harder for Talbot to slither away.
Jonathan searched around the back of the cabin, and as he predicted, Talbot had rigged a very thin wire that would have triggered a pistol to fire. He carefully disarmed the trap and checked for more. When he could get close enough, he tried to see in, certain Melanie was inside. He could hear the dogs barking in the distance and momentarily wondered if this cabin had been set up as a decoy.
“Nothing at the windows,” Worsley said. “What about you, Jonathan?
“Yes. I disarmed a pistol that was primed and ready.” He handed the pistol to Rochester.
“He’s in there…and I saw Melanie,” Rochester said with a growl. “She’s passed out in a chair—tied and gagged. I saw something wired at the front, but it looked complicated.”
We should probably look at it together,” Jonathan suggested. “If he’s touched her…I’ll kill him,” he muttered, his jaw clenched.
“He’ll die,” Rochester agreed.
“I’ll signal to the men checking the other cabins. They should be here soon. I’ll ask them to hold up by the empty gamekeeper’s cabin,” Worsley said.
“When you return, signal me, and we’ll rush the entrances, front and back,” Jonathan said.
Worsley nodded as he left on silent feet.
“Let’s look at the front again.” After ten minutes, he and Rochester had disarmed the front traps that Rochester had seen. This almost seemed too easy, Jonathan thought. He glanced around for any other traps that might wound or kill as they approached. He found his attention drawn to a tree at the corner of the house and studied it. Another wire!
“Be careful, Rochester. I just spotted another wire,” he said, pointing it out to his friend.
It was hard to follow where the wire was threaded, but he finally saw it threaded around several branches where a rifle had been set up, again, readied to fire at the slightest tug of the wire. He swiftly and carefully disengaged it, slinging the rifle over his shoulder in case it might come in handy.
