Page 29 of A Wallflower Never Forgets
The two of them discovered several more traps as well.
“Let me take a look at the back once more,” Rochester said. “The man seems to have been very thorough.”
“Good idea. A second set of eyes won’t hurt.” Jonathan walked around the cabin and found a large enough crack in the wood to peer through. Talbot had his back to him and was staring at Melanie. He watched as Talbot seemed to say something to Melanie, who was clearly unconscious, and then reached out and caressed her face. Jonathan’s blood boiled. It infuriated him to see her at the mercy of that fiend. He wanted to storm in there right now.
But he had to wait for the other men.
There was no telling what Talbot would do to Melanie if Jonathan burst in by himself.
He heard footsteps and was relieved to see his two friends walking toward him.
“They cleared the other cabins,” Worsley said. “We secured the dogs. We can assign two men to go through the front door and one man to guard each window. I’ll go in the back with you. “Did you find any other traps?”
“We did. Several. Rochester and I have checked the entire perimeter of the cabin. I think we are clear to attack,” Jonathan whispered.
“Can this be so easy?” Rochester said.
“No. There are trip wires located at each entrance and on the two windows. We couldn’t disarm them without alerting Talbot, but we must assume they are tied to weapons. So, when we enter the cabin, we need to step over them and under them. We discovered a house of horrors like this when we captured some of his men in France. Talbot escaped us that time as well. Unfortunately, we hadn’t anticipated the wires. Several men were stabbed and shot.”
“Understood,” Worsley said. “I’ll get the men in formation and let them know to watch their step as they enter and guard the windows.”
When Worsley returned, Jonathan signaled to attack, and the men burst into the cabin. He and Rochester rushed in through the back, and Worsley and two men rushed the front. Jonathan got to Talbot first while Rochester checked on Melanie. Jonathan and Talbot struggled and fought as Talbot pulled out a knife and aimed for Jonathan’s jugular. Jonathan managed to get a grip on the knife and hurl it away, punching Talbot in the face and kneeing him in the gut. Talbot groaned as he fell to the floor.
“You surprise me, DeLacey,” Talbot grunted as he sat up. “I would welcome you with wine, but I’m afraid I just polished off the last glass. However, the fair Melanie helped me finish it off,” he taunted, pointing to an empty glass by her chair.
“If you’ve harmed her, I promise you won’t live to see prison,” Jonathan swore.
“Let us handle him, Jonathan,” Rochester suggested.
Jonathan found that the rope that had bound her wrists had been shredded through, and her hands and arms had several cuts and abrasions. But her arms were still behind her as if she were still bound. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he lifted her hands and kissed the cuts. Had Melanie managed to free herself but then had been drugged by Talbot before she could attempt an escape? His chest constricted as he realized how brave Melanie had been to try to free herself. He was certain Talbot hadn’t noticed, or he would have done something drastic.
Perhaps Rochester was right about the spirits. Maybe there had been some spirits watching over Melanie. He leaned down, untied the binding at her feet, and wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling from the chair.
“Kitten…wake up,” Jonathan said, smoothing her hair back from her face. He felt a sticky wetness on her scalp. Seeing the blood, his temper seethed, and he wanted to beat Talbot to a bloody pulp. Instead, he pulled her close. “Kitten, it’s me…Jonathan. We have you. You’re safe,” he murmured into her hair, his voice hoarse. “You’re safe, my sweet darling.”
She stirred and opened her eyes. “You came for me, just as Mama said you would.” She looked around. “Is anyone hurt?”
“Only you, darling,” Jonathan said. “You have a cut on the side of your head.”
“I think my head hit something when he threw me onto the wagon.”
Jonathan kissed her head and helped her stand. He turned to Talbot. “It’s over, Talbot. We found Diana. You will be arrested for murder, on top of everything else. Good luck evading the noose this time.”
“Like hell!” he spat. “Diana was useless. And a murderess. I did the government of England a favor. She killed her husband, you know. A peer. But I have connections I can galvanize—no matter where you put me. The cause will prevail,” he yelled. “And sweet Melanie, I’m sure I’ll see you again one day.”
“Not bloody likely…not where you’re going. Tie him up and gag him so he cannot move a muscle,” Jonathan ordered, lifting Melanie into his arms and carrying her from the cabin.
The footmen had tied Talbot to the wagon they found covered in brush behind the old cabin. Carefully, they made their way back to the manor house. They would hold Talbot in a guarded cell in the basement of the manor house until the King’s men could transport him to the Tower of London.
Jonathan tightened his hold around Melanie, who sat in front of him on his horse, and turned to his friends, who rode beside them. “Thank you both for helping me. I don’t know how we would have found Melanie so quickly without both of you.”
“How is Shep?” Melanie asked, her voice full of emotion.
“I cannot say for sure, but Doctor Jones is very good. I’m willing to bet the little fellow will recover nicely,” Jonathan said.
“I pray he’ll be all right,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I-I tried to get away from Talbot and would have fought until my last breath against him,” she said, her voice trembling. “He said horrible things to me—and he admitted to killing Diana. He said he did it because she tried to run me over with that carriage.”
Jonathan felt a fierce shudder run down her body, and he hugged her closer. “She did. We were going to arrest her but found her dead.” He kissed her tenderly on the lips. When he pulled away, he noticed Rochester and Worsley grinning. Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m afraid my intentions can no longer wait until we arrive back at the house. I’ve waited too long to express my feelings, as it is. Rochester, may I have the honor of asking Melanie to become my wife?”
