AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The brawny man chuckled. “This one is feisty.”
“Did I earn my five pounds?” Lord Hawthorne asked.
“That you did,” the man replied as he rose. “You did good, Baldwin.”
Madalene turned her head, and her eyes sought out the five other young women sitting on the floor near the wall. They had their hands bound in front of them, and all stared back at her with fearful eyes. Her heart dropped when she realized that Edith was not among them.
The brawny man reached behind him for some rope and brought it in front of him. “We should celebrate over a drink.”
“That would be nice,” Lord Hawthorne replied as he turned his gaze towards her, and a shiver of fear ran down her spine. His eyes had turned cold, dark. Any trace of the man she thought she knew was gone.
Roughly, the brawny man grabbed her hands and tied them securely with the rope. “This will do nicely until it is time for them to depart,” he stated as he stepped back.
“When is that?” Lord Hawthorne asked.
“In a few hours.”
“This was the easiest money I ever made,” he said.
“That is the point, and you have helped advanced the revolution, as well,” the man replied, clapping his hand on Lord Hawthorne’s shoulder.
Together, they walked over to the door and departed from the room without even sparing the women a glance. The sound of a key locking them in could be heard.
Without waiting another moment, Madalene rose and walked swiftly over to the girls. “You need not fear. The Bow Street Runners will be rescuing us shortly.”
She could see the disbelief in the young women’s eyes. Their hair was matted to their heads, tear lines could be seen running down their dirtied faces, and their dresses were terribly wrinkled.
“It is true,” she asserted.
A brunette girl spoke up in a timid voice. “How do you know for certain?”
“The man that brought me here has planned the whole thing,” she explained. “He said he tipped off the Bow Street Runners.”
The girl shook her head. “You have been tricked. I was lured here, as well.”
“I haven’t been.” Madalene tried to loosen her bands, but to no avail. “I assure you that it is all true.”
“Then we shall wait and see, won’t we?” the girl replied as she rested the back of her head against the wall. “But I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”
Madalene turned towards the door and declared, “The Bow Street Runners will be here any moment, I am sure of it.”
She began searching the room, looking for anything sharp that might help in removing her bonds. But there was nothing that could help her. She walked towards the window and opened the dusty drapes. The sunlight poured into the room, and the other young women seemed to shrink back from it.
Madalene attempted to open the window but discovered that it was nailed shut. Drat! She realized there was no way for her to aid in her own rescue.
After some time, Madalene found her legs growing weak and she sat down. Why is it taking so long for the Bow Street Runners to arrive, she wondered. She glanced over at the girls, and they each gave her a look of pity. They truly believed that she had been deceived. But she hadn’t been. Lord Hawthorne wouldn’t have betrayed her like this.
But doubt crept in, and she began to wonder if she would be rescued after all.
Baldwin stared atthe door and wondered where the blasted Runners were. They had one simple task—to raid the pub and rescue the women—and they would be rewarded with accolades. Instead, they were botching it. Horribly.
He cast a glance towards Corbyn, who was sitting at a crowded table on the other side of the room. He had a smile on his face, but Baldwin wasn’t fooled by his act. He knew his friend was alert, preparing for a fight and just biding his time.
“Don’t you agree?”
Baldwin turned his attention back to Morton. “About what?”
Morton chuckled and held up his tankard in the air. “I think you have had one too many to drink, mate.”
