Page 69 of The Ones Left Behind
At Philip’s advice, she had dressed as a groom, with dark breeches, a dark coat and tall boots. At least she would be better protected from the thistles and thorns, she reflected.
Half a dozen of them met downstairs, equipped with ropes, lanterns and tools to cut away the overgrown path.
Frankly, Kitty was surprised by the number of people gathered, but she trusted Philip and the Duke. When everyone was present, they collected around Philip for directions.
“We will follow Mrs. Gordon, since she is familiar with the route. When we reach the path from the lake, there will be complete silence. Lanterns will be covered; and when the path becomes treacherous, we will clear it without making a sound. Before we begin the ascent to the folly, all of you will wait at the bottom for my signal. Does everyone understand?”
“Yes, sir,” they answered solemnly.
Kitty looked at the faces of those who had been selected, and all of them had known Henry as a boy. She suspected that was deliberate. Loyal retainers were more likely to understand what was at stake.
They left in silence, Philip indicating for Kitty to lead the way, while he and the Duke followed right behind her with their lanterns.
It was not a short walk, and Kitty felt a horrible sinking feeling that worsened with each step—as though she had a large rock inside her which wanted to be free.
Encouraged by Captain Elliot and the Duke, Kitty set a good pace. Indeed, they hurried through the first part of the journey without trying to be overly quiet. Their boots made a rhythmic pattern through the various terrains of gravel, earth and grass as they proceeded, interrupted only by the occasional squawk or howl from an animal disturbed by the unusual appearance of nocturnal humans. Earthy scents, mixed with salty sea air, filled Kitty’s nostrils as her breathing became heavier with exertion. When they reached the bottom of the valley before the climb to the folly, she stopped and inclined her head to Captain Elliot. He held up his hand to stop the group. They halted before him.
He gave a signal to the men and they covered their lanterns, pausing to slow and quieten their breathing while their eyes adjusted to the darkness.
“Wait here,” he whispered to Kitty.
Two of the men began to quietly cut away at the path which led straight up to the folly and the other men dispersed in a semicircle, surrounding what they could. Unfortunately, with the folly sitting at the highest point of the estate, there was a steep drop down the far side of the hill on which it stood, making an approach that way nigh impossible.
Kitty waited as she had been told, but found it difficult to stand there on her own. In the dark, every movement, every sound, was heightened and she was already on tenterhooks over what was about to happen. She did not want to see Henry harmed, and she did not think he would cede peacefully to these men he hardly knew.
Even once her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, Kitty could scarcely see. How must the searching men feel? She doubted if they had been able to clear enough of the path to escape all scratches and scrapes. Occasionally, she caught sight of a shadow-like movement, but nothing she could be certain about.
They should have reached the folly by now. What was taking so long?
It was hard to be patient, not knowing what was happening. She would have thought she would have heard voices if they were negotiating Henry, but there was nothing.
The longer she stood there at the bottom of the narrow, rocky path, the more vulnerable and worried she felt. What was it about darkness and the unknown that began to erode at a normally steadfast mind? She would be a dreadful spy, because she had no patience.
She began to debate whether to go up to the folly herself. Matthias would be angry, of course, but he was not there to prevent her.
She knew they would not return to the house and leave her, but she was serving no useful purpose by staying where she was. Slowly she began to creep forward, knowing the path was just in front of her.
Every step sounded like a hammer against brick, and she stopped to see if she had been discovered, but nothing seemed to change. Once or twice, when she stepped from the path, a sharp thorn would quickly set her on the straight, but narrow, track again. As she drew closer, she stopped now and then to listen, but there was utter silence. Something was wrong. Henry should have been found by now. Either there should be voices or there should be sounds of a scuffle... but not silence.
When she reached the pinnacle, she could just make out the white marble folly, and paused while she strained to see if anything were going forward.
Cautiously, she moved closer and then closer still. Suddenly, a lantern appeared in her face, near blinding her with both flame and fright. Somehow managing not to scream, she threw her hands up in front of her face in a feeble attempt to protect herself.
“Kitty!” Philip exclaimed in a loud whisper. He drew the lantern back beneath the blanket which covered it. “We thought you might be Henry.”
“No, I grew worried. You have been gone quite a while.”
“We have the folly surrounded, but there is no sign of him thus far,” he whispered close to her ear.
“There was no sign of him when I came earlier, either. Have you gone inside?”
“No. We were about to make the attempt when we heard you. We needed to secure the perimeter first.”
“The door creaks loudly,” she warned.
“Stay here unless I call for you,” he warned. “I do not wish to answer to Matthias if any harm befalls you.”
Kitty smiled a little to herself at the ridiculous notion, then quickly sobered again. This was no laughing matter.
