Chapter Thirty-One
Mari watched the carriage drive away as she stood in front of the gate that led to Maddie’s townhouse. Guilt had niggled at her on the ride over and she decided maybe she should talk to Maddie first. They were best friends, and it was only fair to let Maddie know about Jamie.
“I am so glad to see you,” Maddie exclaimed, giving Mari a hug as the butler showed her to the sitting room. “Whatever happened last night? Did you and Nicholas have a romantic tryst?”
Mari shook her head at Maddie’s enthusiasm. “Nothing like that. Quite the opposite. I told Nicholas I could not marry him.”
Maddie’s mouth dropped open. “Why on earth would you do that? Let’s sit down and you can tell me everything.”
“I really cannot stay.” Mari hated to ruin her friend’s afternoon, but it was better the truth came out. “I am on my way to meet Jamie at the park. We are going to marry.”
Maddie’s eyes widened and then her face paled. “When…when did this happen?”
“I sent a note to Jamie this morning. He replied a short time ago, asking me to meet him in the park.” Mari hesitated and then decided to explain the hand-fasting that had transpired while she was in Scotland. “So you see, in a way we were already betrothed.” She took Maddie’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I am sorry. I know you liked him.”
Her friend’s face flushed, and for a moment she did not reply. “I think I always knew he wanted you,” she finally said in a small voice.
“Will you be happy for me?”
Again, there was a moment of hesitation and then Maddie nodded. Mari hugged her. “I really need to go. I promise I will call on you tomorrow.”
She felt strangely lighthearted as she walked down the street toward the park. The air had been cleared. Maddie understood.
As soon as Mari passed through one of the gates to the park, she saw a barouche waiting near the start of Ladies Mile. The driver appeared a bit rumpled, and the livery of the footman waiting by the door looked a bit too big for him, but it was the only carriage not circulating around The Ring or Ladies Mile. Mari smiled as she walked toward it. Jamie rode astride so he would have had to hire this coach and men. How sweet of him to go through so much trouble. With the drawn curtains, they were sure to have privacy too. In just a moment she would be in his arms.
The footman bowed as she neared, taking her arm to assist her, and then opened the door.
Mari peered into the dim interior. “You,” she gasped and then felt herself being shoved into the carriage. The footman climbed in behind her and slammed the door.
Agnes looked again at the folded note Effie had just given her and sighed. “I really wish I could impress upon Marissa the importance of having a chaperone along even if she just went to Madeline’s.”
“I do too, mum,” Effie replied, looking somewhat like a belligerent bulldog. “She sent me on a fool’s errand to pick up satin ribbon for a bonnet and left while I was gone.” Her scowl deepened. “She is a stubborn one.”
Agnes knit her brows. “Do you think she lied?”
“I helped raise Mari. I have not known her to lie, but when she takes it into her mind to do something that I do not approve of, she can be quite cunning.”
“Well, I intend to have a word with Marissa when she returns. She simply must be given to understand the implications of roaming about at will. There has already been enough scandal associated with her name this autumn.”
“I would like a word with her as well,” Effie said grimly as Givens appeared in the doorway, his face ashen.
“What is it?” Agnes asked.
“It is young Seth,” Givens answered. “He just now arrived in the kitchen, soaked and covered in mud—”
“Goodness gracious, why?” Agnes exclaimed.
The butler’s face grew even chalkier. “He says someone has abducted Miss Barclay.”
Mari tested the rope that bound her hands behind her and her body to the chair in the dingy flat and then stifled a gasp of pain from the rope’s pressure against her ribs. She’d tried to fight off the footman, but he’d laughed and slapped her hard enough that she’d fallen across the wooden bench, knocking the wind out of her.
Mari tugged at the bonds again. She could smell the brackish water of the Thames and hear muffled shouts and thumping noises so she thought she might be in a seedy neighborhood somewhere along the docks, but she wasn’t sure. Once she’d been subdued, she had been blindfolded and gagged.
Mari stared now at her captor, standing by a filthy counter in the small, shabby room, swilling whisky and grinning lecherously. A mantel clock ticked loudly on the other side of the room. “We thought you had gone to France.”
Wesley Alton poured more whisky and saluted her. “We plan to do that soon.”
“We?” Mari’s heart leapt to her throat. “Why would you take me to France?” Oh Lord, there was probably a ship readying to sail right now. By the time anyone realized she was missing, she might already be out to sea.
