Page 74 of His Duchess in Disguise
“If it will be no trouble, I’ll take you up on that,” Leo said. “He says that he delivered Emma to Cleweme shortly before accosting me. I’m loath to throw my own cousin in gaol, but I cannot have him trailing after me, shooting arrows and making noises. Once I get Emma back, I will have time to deal with him.”
“Emma? Do you mean Emma Hoskins, the Calber heir that disappeared two weeks ago?” Mrs. Pearthorne widened her eyes in surprise.
“The very same. When her father gave her the news that she was to be married to the Earl of Cleweme, she disliked the idea so much she ran away. My cook hired her as a kitchen maid, only to discover that she can’t chop carrots and that is when I met her. She is a valorous mite, and I am fortunate enough to have received her consent to be wed.”
“Now that is very interesting,” Sir Draper observed. “Lord Harlow has run off with her because he says she is his wife to be, but you say that she consented to be married to you. Dash it all, Your Grace, she can’t marry both of you.”
“Indeed not. And I intend that I shall be the lucky man, not Cleweme.”
“Can she wed without her father’s consent?” Mrs. Pearthorne wrinkled her brow.
“She is nineteen, so I believe it is within the law. She’ll not inherit without her father’s endorsement, but I couldn’t care less about a ramshackle little cove.”
“Even though it opens onto the channel near Southside?” Sir Draper let his horse prance in place for a moment.
“So that is why Percy wants it! Thank God I asked Captain Douglas to sail the Menhiransten around to London in case I needed it. He should be here if the winds and tides were favorable. We can sail up the cove and intercept Cleweme before he can make it out to sea.”
“Here we are at my townhouse,” Mrs. Pearthorne said, as they rode up to a modest structure. “There is a small stable around back, and I’ll ask the gardener to come help us. He is quite the doughty fellow, one of Jemmie’s mates from the continent. He will find it all very amusing.”
In a very few minutes, they had made Mrs. Pearthorne’s guest comfortable in a nicely whitewashed cellar. The gardener brought down a forkful of hay, over which Mrs. Pearthorne spread a blanket. They left Reggie a bucket to use as a necessary, a pitcher of water and a loaf of bread. Then they all went out, and Mrs. Pearthorne turned the key on the lock.
“That should keep him for a bit,” she observed. “I’ll not try to go in and check on him.”
“If I may, I’d like to leave Jessup and the two dogs here, as well. I fear for their safety, and they can be of assistance to you”
“Oh, Your Grace!” Mrs. Pearthorne gushed. “Of course, you may. I would be delighted.”
“I can go with you,” suggested the redoubtable Sir Draper.
Leo glanced at Sir Draper’s costume of periwinkle blue nankeen, picked out with gold braid and bright with an amazing number of buttons. “I think you would be of greater use if you could stay and help Mrs. Pearthorne look after the prisoner.”
“However, I may serve,” Sir Draper swept the Duke a low bow. “I own it does give me qualms about leaving her alone with the rascal. But what of you, Your Grace? You will be riding out without an entourage. Where is Mr. Hamilton and Captain Arnault?”
“Mr. Hamilton has a shattered knee and a broken clavicle, thanks to Reggie. If all has gone well, Arnie has marched his men to the coast and boarded the Menhiransten, and I will meet with them shortly.”
“Oh, my! You’ve not only diverted a ship of the line but a whole contingent of soldiers as well?” Mrs. Pearthorne clasped her hands in delight. “You naughty boy! Emma is a charming child, but are you sure she is worth all that?”
“She is worth more than that, and I would sell my reputation and all besides for her. But I think I shall intercept more than my stolen bride. Putrid Percy came into his inheritance suspiciously fast. There have been suggestions that the line of succession was whittled away rather rapidly. Furthermore, in an economy where almost every nobleman is in debt up to his ears, Percy almost always has money to lend, to gamble, and to fritter away.”
“You suspect foul play.”
“I do. Now, I must ride for the docks to catch a ship, and hopefully to expose a traitor and to retrieve a beautiful young woman who has a lovely spirit and inventive mind.”And kisses like an angel, if angels kiss.
With that, Leo quickly nipped back into the stable yard, mounted his horse and set off for the docks.
Chapter 50
The carriage came to a stop, and there were sounds of the horses being led away. When all was still, Emma risked sneaking a peek around the blinds. It seemed to be pitch black. But then the blackness developed shades of gray and flickers of light. The ship was moving.
“Let’s get out of this carriage,” Emma whispered. “If we can free ourselves even a little bit, we have a better chance of surviving this.”
“What about your father?” Mrs. Able asked.
Emma sighed. “I’m not sure what is wrong with him, but I’m fairly certain it is something more than strong drink. Lord Harlow has clearly given him something to keep him compliant. If we can win free, we can come back for him.”I hope.In spite of everything he has done, he is my father.
One by one, they slipped out of the carriage. It seemed to be parked in a hold of some sort. The walls were close on all sides, leaving barely enough room for them to ease out into the inky blackness. It was not the bottom-most hold, for the floors were dry underfoot. As they crept forward, the party could see portholes through which torchlight shown dimly. A crude stair led upward and was topped by a trapdoor.
Mr. Jones climbed up the stair and pushed against it. “Locked,” he reported. “We’ll not be getting out that way. Mayhap if we look about quietly, we can find something to drink. Those gags must have been made from the guards’ dirty socks; they were that nasty.”
