Page 78 of His Wicked Secret
“Good God,” Lucien muttered.
“Two men, you say? Not a woman?” Cedric asked.
“No, they said two men. Though…” He spoke with the man again to clear up something. “It seems one was dressed as a woman?”
The men of the League all look puzzled by this, except for Lucien, who worked out puzzles as a daily routine. “Of course.”
Ashton thanked the man, and the League quickly left the docks, moving deeper into the port. Fortunately, Ashton had paid well for his privileges at many ports, which included benefits such as a minimum of interference from local bureaucracy.
“What about Audrey?” Cedric asked once they were clear.
“I suspect she escaped,” said Lucien. “That’s why one of the men chose to dress as a woman, to confuse the soldiers and give her time to get away. I wonder who?”
“It’s hardly important right now,” said Ashton.
“Probably not. It’s more a matter of curiosity. Avery may have had to disguise himself before in his line of work. But if Jonathan caught up with them… Yes, I could see him taking Audrey’s place. Or trying to.”
“So you believe Avery is with Jon then?” Charles asked.
“It’s the most likely scenario,” Lucien said. He sighed heavily. “Ever since he began this line of work, I’ve worried a day like this would come.”
They halted when they reached a blacksmith shop and pounded on the door, calling out for the man to answer. An older man appeared, muttering about poor manners.
Ashton fished out his coin purse. “How much for eight horses?”
“Eight?” The blacksmith stared at Ashton. “Eight, monsieur?”
“Eight,” Ashton repeated.
The five of them soon acquired their new rides. Cedric, Lucien, and Charles helped saddle the horses, and they took off down the road, with Ashton and Godric taking the lead.
Stay alive, brother. No matter what they do to you, stay alive.
Godric didn’t want to think about what would happen if he lost his brother. They’d only just begun to know each other as siblings and no longer as gentleman and servant. Jonathan had lived in Godric’s shadow his entire life, and it was a matter that still filled him with a secret guilt.
I have so much to make right with him. I can’t let him down.
The League rode like wraiths down the road, with only moonlight to guide them. As they passed through the village, Ashton asked some locals for more information. His French was so flawless that in the dim light from the windows they assumed the group to be of French nobility rather than English.
When he had the information he wanted, he nodded to the others and pointed to a nearby cliff. “That way,” he said in French. They rode off again, making all haste. The sight of a distant fire ahead of them was a good sign. That had to be them.
As they closed in, they heard the crack of distant gunshots echo down the road. Godric shouted, “Come on!”
He smacked the reins on his horse’s flanks and leaned down, taking off ahead of the others. Cedric was right behind him, shouting Audrey’s name like a battle cry.
* * *
“English scum!”One of the soldiers smashed the butt of his rifle into Avery’s face. “Where’s the woman?”
Avery grunted and spat blood onto the ground. “She’s right over there.” He was lying on his side, hands still tied together in front of him.
They had started their interrogation on Avery first and were clearly enjoying causing him pain. Some passed a bottle around and joked as it went on.
“Your joke has grown old, English dog. The man who warned us about you would not have mistaken that man for a woman.”
“Are you sure? She is rather fetching in that dress.”
The soldier kicked Avery in the stomach, and Jonathan shouted for them to stop. “You’ll kill him. Shouldn’t he get a trial first?”
