Julia had never been the most obedient of women, nor did she believe Nicholas wished to have a wife who obeyed his every wish and had no mind of her own.On the contrary, during the night they spent together, he had told her that he wantedher, with all her stubbornness and determination.
Her father released a heavy sigh.“Your mother will refuse me access to her bedchamber, let alone her bed, if I allow you to put yourself in danger.Wolfingham will likely run me through with his sword!”
“Then take me with you so that I am protected from danger,” she urged.“And please do not ever mention your visits to Mama’s bedchamber to me, let alone her bed, ever again.”She gave a shudder.
The earl chuckled.“How do you think you entered the world, child?”
“I do not wish to hear it!”Julia placed her hands over her ears.“I will be down again in two minutes.Do not leave without me,” she warned.
She began to hum, to keep herself from hearing anything else her father might deliberately say to shock her, as she turned and hurried up the stairs to go and collect the clothes she intended to change into once she was in the carriage with her father.
Hopefully, on their way to rescue Nicholas.
* * *
Nicholas and the lawyer left the Mastersons’ home in the small carriage owned by the family.It was little protection for a man who was bound and gagged, but Nicholas doubted the kidnappers would attempt to dispose of him before the time of their expected rendezvous.Not when they had waited almost a week to get their hands on him.
There was very little other traffic about at this time of night, and even if it had been possible for Nicholas to effect an escape, he would not have done so.Whoever the kidnappers were, they needed to be stopped, once and for all.
He had, however, noticed a carriage following some distance behind them shortly after they left the Masterson house.Giles Masterson appeared to be concentrating too intently on maneuvering his own carriage to have noticed.Nicholas could only hope that it carried some of his associates.
The two men in the carriage did not speak again until it had come to a halt and they had stepped down before entering the park.
“I really am sorry to do this to you,” Masterson muttered as he held a lantern aloft to light their way to where the Chinese bridge was situated.
This late at night, there was no one else in the park.Well…no one who wished to be seen, at least.Nicholas could only hope that those following them were close enough to be of assistance when he was finally face-to-face with the kidnappers.
“Susan!”Masterson gasped anxiously.
Nicholas’s gaze sharpened on the three figures now visible standing on the bridge by the lamp being held up by the bigger of the two men.The third person was indeed a young girl.Susan looked distinctly worse for wear, her hair bedraggled and her clothes dirty.But she was alive, and that was all that was important right now.
The men with her wore kerchiefs tied around the bottom of their faces, effectively hiding their features.
“Oh thank God, Susan!”Masterson cried emotionally, having hurried onto the bridge to pull his sobbing sister into his arms.
“Gentlemen,” Nicholas greeted the kidnappers lightly.“As Mr.and Miss Masterson involvement has come to an end, perhaps you would permit the two of them to leave while we conclude our own business?”
“A cocky one, ain’t ya,” the larger of the two men scoffed.
“But he has a point,” the smaller one drawled, his voice more refined, as was his clothing better tailored.“I, for one, have had quite enough of dealing with this young and hysterical female to last me a lifetime.”
Bastard, Nicholas fumed inwardly.Susan was but fourteen years old.She had been snatched from the love and security of her family, unsure of what her fate would be as she was held prisoner for almost a week.From the state of her hollow-eyed appearance and filthy clothing, Nicholas did not believe she had been given the benefit of a hairbrush or a change of clothes during that time.
“Well?”he bit out coldly.
“An’ who’s to say they won’t go straight to the orforities?—”
“We won’t.I promise you we won’t,” Masterson fervently assured the bigger kidnapper, his arm firmly about his sister’s shoulders as he held her tightly against his side.“I just want to take Susan home and forget any of this ever happened to us.”He gave Nicholas an apologetic grimace.
Nicholas gave a slight nod of understanding and forgiveness before once again turning his attention to the two masked men.“So, are we agreed that the Mastersons shall leave us, gentlemen?”
“Yer an arrogant bastard,” the rougher man accused.
“But of course he is,” the smaller man mocked.“He is an English earl and so believes himself to be better than the rest of us.”
Nicholas believed he might have detected a slight accent in the smaller man’s voice this time.There was also an edge of contempt in his tone when he accused Nicholas of being “anEnglishearl.”
Could his accent possibly be French?
