AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He stood slowly and walked to his clothes. Annalise scrambled after him.
“Let me help you dress,” she said as she hastily put on her night shift.
Blake looked mournfully at her naked limbs, rapidly getting covered by the skirt of her shift. “I would have preferred you do it naked.”
Annalise smiled and walked over to him with a shirt in her hands. She helped him put on his breeches, and he went to perform his morning ablutions.
Annalise put on her dressing gown and collected all her hairpins when Blake peeked out of his dressing room.
“A thought crossed my mind just now. We have never had a wedding trip.”
Annalise turned to him. “No, we have not.”
He walked toward her and took her hands in his. “What do you say we take this summer to travel to the continent?”
Annalise blinked. “I think it’s a splendid idea.”
Blake ran his thumbs over her knuckles. “I shall ask my solicitor to prepare an itinerary for us. We can tour your favorite, Italy.”
Annalise grinned. “I love you.”
Blake placed a soft kiss on her mouth. “I love you.”
* * *
Jarvis met Blake near the Newgate prison. He wore a sling around his arm but otherwise seemed healthy. Ford was in worse shape and was still bedridden after their adventures, so he couldn’t accompany them to question the thugs.
Ford’s associates came, though, and they were the ones who arranged for a private meeting between Blake, Jarvis, and the bandits.
They entered the room and looked around. The thugs were the ones chained to their chairs now, while Blake stood tall over them. The door closed, leaving them in privacy.
Blake looked over at his former captors in disgust. “You know that I was abused by the both of you for weeks. But what I went through in your hands doesn’t compare to how I was tortured on that slave ship you sold me to. So trust me when I say this, I shall enjoy returning the favor.” The bandits visibly shrunk. “Unless you tell us who sent you after me.”
“We don’t know. We never knew his name.”
Blake didn’t believe it for a moment.
“Blake, do you mind calling one of the gaolers here?” Jarvis asked.
“Why would you want them here?”
“Just, please, do it.”
Blake slowly turned, unable to move too fast. When he reached the door, however, an agonizing cry pierced his ears. He flinched and turned back. Jarvis stood still by one of the thugs. The poor chap was writhing in agony.
“What the—”
“I swear,” the other man cried, his wide eyes frightened. “We never even saw his face. He wore a dark kerchief over half of his face and a mask.”
Blake looked at Jarvis. His face was marred in confusion.
“He was a toff,” the other bandit groaned in pain. “One of your own.”
Blake made his way closer to the bandits. “Why? Did he at least tell you why he kept me prisoner?”
“We made a mistake… It wasn’t you he wanted.”
“What?” Blake’s eyes widened like saucers. All the torture, all the pain, was for naught? For someone else. “Who did he want?”
There was a pause before both thugs looked at Jarvis. “Him.”
