Page 89 of Let Me Be Your Hero
She was sobbing into his neck. “I was so afraid.”
“Iwas so afraid,” he said, voice trembling. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” she said, giving a great sniff. “Just terrified. How on earth did you find me?”
“That was thanks to Inge.” Archibald gestured behind him.
“Inge? Who is…” Izzie glanced over his shoulder, and her eyes flared with comprehension. “Oh, one of the pointers! Of course.” Her eyes sharpened, and she clung to his arms. “You’ll never believe who was behind all of this! It didn’t have a thing to do with the guns being stolen from the Navy. It was—”
“Andrew Milner,” Archibald said along with her.
“Yes! How did you know?”
“Fauconbridge recognized this as his address, and Diana and Lucy recalled that you had seen him in the dark walks.”
“It was the same man who tried to kidnap me while I was on my way to Nettlethorpe Iron. The one who tried to drag me into the carriage. He somehow sneaked into the house. He grabbed me from behind and put a gun to my throat. And then…”
Izzie proceeded to explain how he had forced her to gag herself, pulled a giant floppy bonnet over her head, and taken her straight out the window. “Then he marched me across the square with his gun digging into my ribs. He tied me up in here, and that was when Andrew Milner came in and explained that by this time tomorrow, I would be on a ship of convicts bound for New South Wales.” Izzie shook her head. “I can’t believe he was willing to resort to all of this to save his political reputation.”
Andrew Milner’s reputation was the least of his worries. He had just crossed one of the wealthiest men in England. Archibald was prepared to hire an army of barristers to make sure he spent the rest of his life rotting away in a dank cell.
He’d better hope he never got out of gaol. He needed those thick stone walls for his own protection. Because if he ever met Archibald in a dark alley, he was going to discover the true meaning of pain.
Archibald decided not to mention any of this. Izzie had already been through enough of an ordeal today. “Are you well enough to stand?”
“I am. And I’m eager to leave this place.”
He helped Izzie up. She was immediately enveloped in a bear hug by her very relieved twin, followed closely by the rest of her family. After taking a moment to lavish praise and ear scratches upon Inge, Izzie was ready to depart.
They tromped down the stairs, this time taking no pains to be silent. Locating Andrew Milner proved to be a simple task, as the Duke of Trevissick was still lecturing him in a loud voice.
Mr. Milner, a sallow man with wheat-colored hair, blanched as Archibald strode through the door. He lunged toward a connecting door on the far side of the room, but the duke had the sword he wore at his waist out in a flash and held it against Mr. Milner’s neck. “You, sir, are not going anywhere.”
The rest of the party streamed into the room behind Archibald. Izzie seized his arm. “That’s him!” she cried, pointing toward the butler, who was cowering in the corner with a silver tray bearing a bottle of wine. “That’s the man who kidnapped me today and the one who slapped me across the face.”
The butler wheeled around, sending the contents of his tray flying. He hurried toward a door in the corner, but Lady Griselda, who was the closest to him, managed to grab the back of his coat. He spun back around, raising the silver tray to strike her over the head.
Archibald was across the room in two strides. His fist connected with the blackguard’s eye, and the man went down in a heap.
Archibald hovered over his inert body, fists at the ready. After a moment, Harrington peered over his shoulder. “I, uh… I think you finished him.”
“Is he dead?” Lady Diana asked hopefully.
Harrington bent down and checked for a pulse. “No such luck.”
“More’s the pity,” the duke sneered from across the room, where he was still holding Andrew Milner at sword point.
Harrington clapped a hand on Archibald’s shoulder. “You can stand down now.”
“I’m waiting for him to wake up,” Archibald said tightly.
Harrington tilted his head. “May I ask why?”
Archibald cut him a look that said,Isn’t it obvious?“So I can hit him again!”
Harrington shook his head sadly, patting Archibald’s shoulder. “I’m afraid you finished him in one.”
Archibald turned, glaring at Andrew Milner. “I don’t suppose you’d like to make any sudden moves? Perhaps lunge at me with a knife?” His voice was low and menacing as he added, “I would beextremelyglad to have an excuse to hityou.”
