Robert mounted his horse once more, then sat and waited until the wagons had disappeared over the hill, heading back toward the nearby town. He checked his pistol then took a long deep breath.
It might well be nothing. Instincts told him otherwise. No one had any sort of reason to be in the laneway at this hour. The two wagons which had just left were the only ones that belonged to Tolley Manor.
His horse moved forward, and Robert peered into the darkness. The moon which was hidden behind a cloud barely lighted the way ahead.
At the top of the lane, he steered his horse toward a nearby stonecutter’s cottage, taking cover in the trees. He’d been sloppy tonight, any other time he would’ve had two armed men posted here as lookout. But over the past day, his thoughts had been elsewhere.
Robert dismounted, then after tethering the horse to a post, went ahead on foot. Voices reached his ears once more as he neared the bend in the laneway just shy of where the brick and stone bunker stood. Robert stopped and listened.
There was a man and—he craned his neck, trying to better hear. Yes, a woman. His brows furrowed. What the devil were they doing?
Please let this be a lover’s tiff.
Rounding the turn, he came upon a scene which turned his blood to ice.
There in the middle of the road was a wagon, one he didn’t recognize. It had been loaded up with all the empty East India spice barrels and crates. The ones he’d planned to burn tomorrow morning.
Had Jasper gone ahead and—no, he couldn’t have. The only two wagons on the estate had gone to Cambridge with him.
So whose horse and wagon is that? And why have they taken all the barrels?
Heart racing, Robert stopped and cocked his pistol, wincing as the click echoed in the night.Damn.
A figure emerged from the shadows at the side of the lane and moved toward the wagon. In his hand he carried a lit lantern. It gave Robert his first real glimpse of the stranger. He was a tall, well-dressed man clad all in black. Robert took in the black cloth which covered his nose and mouth.
Whoever he was, if he’d come to rob the spice stores, he was a day too late. Robert took another tentative step forward then stopped. A second figure emerged from the dark, and in that moment, Robert’s heart ceased beating in his chest.
Carrying an armful of the empty barrels was his wife.
“That’s the last of them, now can I please leave? I have done all your dirty work for you,” she said.
The stranger turned on his heel and pointed a pistol at her. Robert’s stomach dropped at the sight.
“I think we will wait here until your husband returns. I have no beef with you, Your Grace, nor does my employer. But my instructions from the Honorable East India were clear. I am to take His Grace the Duke of Saffron Walden into custody and deliver him to London.”
Robert swayed on his feet. Emotions and anger clashed with one another, leaving him feeling lightheaded. The agent for the East India Company had taken Victoria prisoner.
My wife.
“Well we could be in for a long night. I have no idea where my husband is, or if he intends to come back to the manor tonight.”
The agent gruffly laughed. “Don’t bother trying to play mind games with me. I know how His Grace works. I’ve been followinghim for several months now. The evidence we have against him will see him ruined.”
Victoria wrapped her arms about herself and stamped her feet. She bent and picked up the lantern. “It’s cold out here, so if it’s all the same to you, I might just take my lantern and go back inside and stay out of the wind.”
She turned to leave, but the agent grabbed a hold of her arm. He dragged her back to the wagon and shoved her hard against it. The lantern fell to the ground.
Victoria’s cry of pain went straight to Robert’s heart. The agent for the East India was going to pay dearly for having manhandled his wife.
This is all my fault. I brought this danger to our doorstep. I’m the one who put my wife in deadly peril.
My wife. The words sat heavy in his soul. Poor Victoria, she’d been forced into this marriage, and now she was being held at gunpoint. And it was all his damn fault.
He watched with rising fury as the agent leaned close to Victoria and ground himself against her. “You’re a pretty little thing, Lady Victoria. I read your wedding notice inthe Gazette. Has His Grace broken you in yet, or would you like a real man to do the deed?”
She reached out and grabbed at the mask, tearing it away. “I’ve seen your face now, so if you plan to do anything vile, I will be able to give the authorities a good description.”
He slapped her hard across the face. “That was a stupid thing to do, Your Grace.”
