Page 50 of An Unbending Lady for the Desperate Earl
Every time she glimpsed out there, she thought of Christian. But she couldn’t see him, nor Benedict. They had hidden themselves well, which she supposed was a good thing, even though she keenly wished to see them, if only to comfort her fractured nerves.
When will they come? What if they do not come? What if I have failed again? What if I sit here all night, only to discover, when morning comes, that another young lady has been taken?These thoughts repeated in her mind, until she felt she might topple over the brink into insanity.
The creak of a floorboard splintered through the still house. Nothing too out of the ordinary, for the house moved and groaned of its own accord. Nevertheless, Victoria sank down as low as she could and listened intently with pricked ears.
A scrape rasped, like wood being dragged against more wood. It was a quiet sound, barely discernable, coming from the lower floor of the house. Victoria wracked her brain, trying to think of what it could be. A window being opened, perhaps? Or someone emerging from a hiding place within the house? Like that chest in Lady Jane’s armoire.
Holding her nerve, she continued to listen. A few moments later, she heard the soft scuffle of bare feet upon floorboards. Another creak followed, jangling in Victoria’s ears.
They are downstairs… They are in the house… This is not going to work…The notion erupted in Victoria’s mind. Even if she called for assistance, any disturbance would send the kidnappers running. And that meant they might lose their opportunity to capture them, which would only make them warier going forward. As a result, this mission would become increasingly difficult. Perhaps impossible.
I have to act, and quickly.Victoria got up and hurried to the end of the passageway, treading carefully so she didn’t make a sound. Peering down the hall, she heard the whisper of voices coming from below, in the entrance hall.
Cursing under her breath, Victoria darted toward Miss Longacre’s bedchamber and let herself in. She stole across to the bed and placed her hand across Miss Longacre’s mouth, before stirring her awake.
“Stay silent and do as I say,” Victoria whispered.
“What do you mean?” Miss Longacre mumbled in reply, her voice muffled by Victoria’s hand.
“This way.” Victoria pulled Miss Longacre out of her bed and dragged her back over to the door, where she looked out to make sure the coast was clear. The kidnappers had not reached the first floor yet, likely doing their own checks before they approached their victim.
Good. I still have time.Victoria hauled Miss Longacre toward a door opposite, which proved to be little more than an airing cupboard. Without explanation, Victoria pushed her newfound friend inside and lifted a finger to her lips.
“Be quiet as a mouse. Do not make a sound, no matter what you hear. Do you understand?” Victoria urged, in a hushed tone.
Miss Longacre blinked in sleepy confusion.
“Miss Longacre, do you understand?” Victoria pressed. “You have to stay absolutely silent. Do nothing. Do not even move or breathe unless you really have to.”
After a few seconds, Miss Longacre nodded.
“I will come back for you,” Victoria said, though she knew it was a lie. She would not be the one coming back for Miss Longacre. That task would have to fall to Benedict and Christian, once they realized what Victoria had done. Or, what she hoped to do, if everything worked out the way her hastily-gathered plan desired.
As quietly as possible, Victoria closed the cupboard door and tiptoed back across to Miss Longacre’s now-vacant bedchamber. There, she went straight to the armoire and took out a hooded cloak, throwing it about her shoulders and lifting the hood over her head so it concealed her face just enough.
This has to work. This has to work. This has to work.But she was fast running out of time. With the hood flapping in her face, she ran to the bureau and plucked up the quill there. Dipping it into ink, she rapidly scratched a letter to Christian and Benedict:
I had to improvise. Forgive me. These men would have escaped if I had not. I had to try something else, in order to save our task from failure. I am taking the carriage and traveling to Miss Longacre’s country home, in the hopes it will lead the kidnappers away and inspire them to act. If something befalls me along the route, I will leave a trail for you to follow. Come and find me. Bring support. That is the only way we will capture these men. We need to be as stealthy and clever as they have been. This is the only way. And, once again, forgive me.
V.
Christian and Benedict would be furious when they found this letter, but Victoria could not worry about that now. The kidnappers were on their way up here, and she had to get past them before they seized her, and found she was not the quarry they were looking for. Or, at least, not their primary target.
Clearing her throat, she fixed the edges of her hood and clasped the note. Replacing the quill in its stand, she strode back over to the doorway and out into the hall. There, she slipped the note under the cupboard door where Miss Longacre hid and prepared for action.
“Laura, Christian, are you sure you will be well enough here?” She emulated Miss Longacre’s sweet voice with deft precision. Even in childhood, she had been an exquisite mimic. “I can arrange for my driver to take you and your cousin back to your townhouse before I leave—it will be no trouble?”
“No, no, you go on ahead. Your mother and father are likely fretting over your whereabouts—they will be eager to see you as soon as possible. Besides, Christian is fast asleep, and I should hate to wake him. I will sit and read at his bedside a while longer, and then retire,” Victoria replied to herself in her own voice, marking the stark difference between the two.
“I am sorry that I cannot wait until morning, Laura. I no longer feel safe here in London. I thought I could manage, but… no, it is better that I go now.” Even Victoria would have been fooled by the perfection copy of Miss Longacre’s voice, if she did say so herself.
“You are taking a chaperone, yes?” Victoria replied, in her own voice.
“Of course. I am no fool.” Victoria performed Miss Longacre’s charming laugh, before continuing in character. “Goodnight, Laura. And please, bid Christian a goodnight for me, too, when he awakens. I will visit with you again when I return from the country. The staff will attend on you in the morning, and make sure you are fed before you go home.”
“Goodnight!” Victoria called back, in her voice. “Travel safely and do write to let us know you have arrived.”
“I will.” Victoria smiled as she completed the ruse in Miss Longacre’s voice, though she reasoned the real Miss Longacre would be extremely confused by what was going on.
