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But before she could even grip the handle, she felt rough arms around her, throwing her back onto the seat. She cried out as she lost her balance, careering violently against the carriage wall. For the second time, she hit her head. It was worse than before. The pain was excruciating.
Everything was fading, now. Her vision was blurry. And then, everything turned to black.
***
Alexander had just left the ship, heading back along the pier, when he frowned. Barkly, their carriage driver, was running towards him, as fast as his legs could carry him, which was no mean feat given the man was quite large and corpulent. In his right fist he held a note, which he was waving like a flag.
Alexander stopped walking, gaping at the man. What was he doing? Why was he here?
The man was severely out of breath by the time he reached him. Alexander had to curb his impatience while he waited for the driver to compose himself.
“Oh, Captain Fletcher,” cried the man eventually, in between breaths. “A terrible thing has happened.”
Alexander’s blood ran cold. “What? What has happened?”
“It is your wife,” he continued, shaking his head in sorrow. “She was kidnapped, Captain! There was a trap waiting for the carriage on a quiet street. Three masked men. One of them grabbed Mrs Fletcher and bundled her into another carriage. And one of them gave me this.” He waved the note in Alexander’s face.
Alexander’s mind started spinning. “Give me the note,” he barked.
The man did as he commanded. Alexander opened it. He felt numb right down to his bones. It was like he was in the midst of a nightmare, and he was never going to wake up. His eyes slid over the writing in the note, desperately trying to take it in. It was just two short, badly scrawled lines in black ink.
We have your wife. Go back to your hotel and wait for word. If you call the Watch, you will never see her alive again.
“I did not know what to do, Captain,” cried the driver, wild eyed. “One of the men punched me. By the time I righted myself, the carriage was gone. I did not see where it went. I could not follow it.” He took a deep, ragged breath. “I thought it better that I find you straight away and give you the note.”
The man’s words washed over Alexander. It was like he heard them from a great distance. His heart hit the ground.
Someone has Olivia. Are they going to harm her? Has she already been harmed?
A furious anger swept over him. He wanted to punch something. The note told him nothing. It certainly gave him no idea where Olivia was. But with nothing else to go on, he must obey what it told him. Her life was in peril.
He felt like he was going to be sick. Why would anyone do this to her?
By the time he got back to the hotel, his nerves were so frazzled he could barely think straight. Filled with despair, he entered their chambers. The note had told him to wait here for further instruction. But he had no idea how long that was going to be. It could be an hour, or it could be a day. It could be a week.
He swore aloud. How was he supposed to endure it? How could he just sit here when Olivia was out there, possibly hurt, in fear for her life?
He clenched his fists, gazing out the window. He was a man of action. Standing around waiting was torture for him. He wanted to rush out and scour the streets for her. Every single street in London until he found her.
Swearing again, he turned away from the window. His eyes fixed upon a silk shawl, lying across the back of a chair. Olivia’s shawl. She had been wearing it a lot when they went to dinner. She claimed it was her favourite. She liked it because of the colour, a deep rose, and the long fringe. She had said it made her feel like an exotic flamenco dancer when she wore it.
He grabbed the shawl, pressing his face into it, his eyes filling with tears. Her scent enveloped him. He could smell her on this snippet of fabric. She was not here but her scent remained. And he did not know how he could stand it.
He squeezed his eyes shut, allowing himself to think the unimaginable. Allowing himself to think about losing her.
It could not happen. It would not happen. Because he suddenly knew, in a blinding moment of clarity, that he really could not live without her at all.
