Page 83 of When the Rogue Returns
“We took her out of that school in Carlisle.” His low chuckle made her skin crawl. “Or I should say,youtook her out. Jacoba can still mimic your handwriting well enough, and all it needed was a letter from you saying that you were sending your sister and brother-in-law to fetch her.”
His voice hardened. “We sent it from Edinburgh the day after you tossed my wife out of your house like you were too good for her. Well, you’re not. You’re the same as us, no matter how fine your friends are now.”
The fact that he knew where her daughter was in school lent credence to his claim, but surely the school would never have given Amalie over to strangers. “I don’t believe you,” she ventured.
“I thought you might say that.” He held something up before her face. It took a second for her to make out what it was in the dim forest light, but as soon as she saw the glitter of the hatpin with its fleur-de-lis, her heart faltered.
“I see that you recognize it. She said that you made it for her, that it’s paste. But you told her you’d give her one with real gold and jewels if she takes good care of this one.”
Lord help her, they really did have Amalie! Her poor baby! What must she be thinking? Was she all right? Surely Jacoba wouldn’t hurt her own niece. How could she?
“It’s just to prove that we have her,” Gerhart went on. “No harm will come to her as long as you do what we say, do you hear?”
She could barely breathe for the hold about her neck, and she couldn’t think at all, but somehow she managed to nod.
“I swear if you do this one thing for us, we’ll never trouble you again.”
When she snorted, he jerked his forearm back into her throat so hard that she reeled.
“It would pay you to be nicer to me just now,” he hissed in her ear. “I can make sure you pass out; I learned that as a wrestler. I can have you unconscious in a heartbeat if I wish. Do you understand?”
Her throat felt seared by an iron, and she nodded. She understood perfectly well that he was a villain, and she’d tell him so if she could just breathe once more.
He relaxed his hold again, and she gulped air.
“Now, listen well,” he ordered. “I want you to bring me the Lochlaw diamonds. I don’t care how you get them—I just want them in my hands by nightfall.”
“Why don’t you just let me give you money? Or jewels from my shop?” she rasped.
“Because the moment we’re away, you’ll have the authorities after us for kidnapping.” He pressed his mouth to her ear, and his beard scratched her cheek. “But not if you’ve stolen the diamonds. Then you’ll have no choice but to keep quiet about it.”
She groaned. That was how he’d always worked—turning her into a thief like him, so he could control her. “I don’t know the first thing about stealing,” she rasped.
“That’s not my concern. You can put a fake in their place if you want. We heard in town that you were the one to clean them, so you must have a good idea of what they look like. Or you can just steal them. I don’t care, though I’m sure you’d rather stay free of the noose.”
“Please, Gerhart, there’s no time to create a copy,” she protested, though she had no intention of making a copyorstealing the real necklace, if she could helpit.
“As I said, not my concern. But her ladyship won’t miss them until some ball or other, so after you take the real necklace and bring it to me, you’ll have plenty of time to replace it with an imitation to save your neck. Either way, I want the real diamonds by evening. Then, and only then, will I give you my niece.”
“What if I can’t get to the necklace?” she asked, her heart pounding painfully. “What if it’s in a strongboxor—”
“Then your sister and I will be raising little Amalie.” He taunted her, “I daresay she’ll be a hard little worker in some trade. Of course, she’ll always wonder what happened to her mama, but—”
Isa released a savage growl, and he choked off her air again.
Now his voice held an edge. “And don’t be thinking to pawn off any fake jewels on me. You taught me how to tell paste from real well enough. So, at five o’clock this evening, you will take the Lochlaw diamonds and leave the estate—alone—to ride out along Strathridge Road. At some point along the route, I’ll join you and we’ll make the exchange—my niece for the diamonds.”
Anger had her shaking even as she struggled for breath.
“Oh, and one more thing,sister. I advise you not to mention this little conversation to your husband. We both know he wouldn’t approve of your stealing any diamonds, even to save your brat. And if I see him going off to town to summon the authorities or mount a rescue, if I get even a hint that he’s following you this evening, I will never show myself, and you will never see your daughter again. Do you understand?”
When he lessened the pressure on her throat once more, she rasped, “I understand, you coward.” She fought for breath to vent her rage, but could only manage a low whisper. “I understand very well that if you hurt Amalie in any way, I’ll find you and cut your heartout.”
He chuckled. “How bloodthirsty you’ve become,Mausi.Does Cale have to sleep with one eye open, after the way he abandoned you?”
“You know quite well he didn’t abandon me!” she hissed.
“True. So perhaps it’syouhaving to sleep with one eye open. I heard that Cale languished in gaol for weeks while the prince’s guards were given free rein to go at him full bore, trying to learn the truth.”
