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Nathan looked up. Simon was standing in the doorway to Nathan’s study, staring at the pistol in Nathan’s hand. Nathan went back to his task of cleaning the pistol, putting the gunpowder in.
“What does it look like? I’m going out there to look for Leyton.”
“With a pistol?” Simon shot back. “You can’t shoot him in the street!”
“Oh, yes, I can.” Nathan placed the pistol on the desk and started to tie the bag of gunpowder to his belt with shaking fingers. “Just watch me.”
“Then you’ll be hanged for murder!”
“He’s got Eleanor!”
“And how is shooting him going to help?” Simon took the pistol, moving out of Nathan’s reach. He shook his head. “It’s not going to bring her back in a puff of smoke, is it? Chances are we’d never find out where she is.”
Nathan glared at his friend. They were wasting time. The anger had been building once Nathan realized what had happened. He was not stepping back and letting Leyton walk away with Eleanor. Nathan wouldn’t let him.
“I know it’s him, Simon. We both know it.” He rubbed his hands over his face. His hands were sweaty, something that hadn’t happened since the first time he went into battle. “He’s got Eleanor, and God only knows what he’s doing.”
Simon’s expression softened. He put the pistol on the desk.
“I understand, but he’s not going to do anything to her. Eleanor’s a fighter. She’ll make it difficult. We’re going to find him.”
Nathan was glad that one of them was optimistic. He was too scared about Eleanor’s safety to be optimistic. The last time he had felt this scared about something - or someone - was when he had been kidnapped as a scout early on in his career. Nathan had been held captive for close to a week while he had been interrogated for information. He hadn’t given them anything, but Nathan had been terrified. He hadn’t wanted to die, and the enemy had threatened to end his life many times. How he had got away, Nathan was still struggling with. Pure luck, as far as he knew. There was a chance and Nathan had taken it.
Now he had taken a chance on a convenient marriage and ended up falling for the bride picked out for him. That wasn’t supposed to happen, but it had. Now Nathan felt lost, floundering in the dark. He needed Eleanor back.
It was the first time Nathan had needed someone who wasn’t a member of his platoon.
The problem was, Leyton wasn’t going to be at his home in Clapham. His parents and brother still lived there, and Leyton couldn’t bring Eleanor to them, not when they objected to the way he had behaved. He would have taken her elsewhere, somewhere nobody would be able to find her or suspect that she would be there.
That meant they were stuck.
“Excuse me, Captain Reynolds?”
Nathan looked around. Mason was hovering in the doorway.
“What is it, Mason?”
“There’s a man out here asking for Lord Reading. He says it’s very important.”
“I’ll go to him, Mason.” Simon gave Nathan a sharp look. “Don’t you dare go anywhere without me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Nathan drawled.
Simon grunted and left with a shake of his head. Mason disappeared, giving Nathan a furtive look before he moved out of sight. Several of the servants had been looking at Nathan with expressions of pity once they heard what had happened, and Nathan hated it. He didn’t want pity. He was going to get Eleanor back regardless of what people thought. Even if it meant putting a bullet in Leyton’s head in the middle of the street. Nathan was angry enough to do that.
If it meant Eleanor was safe.
Shooting isn’t going to make Eleanor safe. Not if you don’t find her first.
It’ll make me feel better, certainly.
“Nathan.” Simon came hurrying back into the room. “I’ve got something.”
“If it’s an exact location of where Eleanor is, I’ll happily take it.” Nathan picked up the pistol and tucked it into his belt. “If not, then get out of the way, Simon.”
“This is important.” Simon stepped in Nathan’s way as Nathan made to go around him. “I think there’s a link between Leyton and the elusive Mr. Black.”
Nathan froze. Eric Black. The man who had seemed to have gone more underground lately. It was like the man was a ghost, and nobody would talk to Nathan. They were far too scared, even the children he did come across.
