Jackal (Regency Refuge 2) (6 page)

"Why not?"

Owen shook his head. "The prince never gave me the full story, but our mutual acquaintance had done something to him. He was a widow, and I often wondered if The Hunter was responsible for his matrimonial state. In any event, I followed you to make sure no one interfered when you met with the Austrian authorities. I was supposed to return to Russia posthaste after your meeting, but something kept nagging at me. In the end, I decided to see you safely out of the country. I stayed quite a ways back in the hope of avoiding notice by you and your driver."

"Did you get a look at The Hunter then?" Rupert's heart thrummed in his chest. Was it possible someone could actually identify the fiend? Tobias would have said so before now. Wouldn't he have?

Owen shook his head. "Alas, no. By the time I arrived, you were unconscious. A person on a horse – The Hunter I presume – raised his gun to fire again, but whoever it was wore a heavy cloak with raised hood. Between that and the glare of the sun, I couldn't even say if the person was man or woman. I fired my pistol. The rider dropped the gun aimed at you, and the horse took off."

"Did you pursue?"

A frown marred Owen's otherwise open expression. "I made a choice to let The Hunter go in favor of obtaining medical care for you."

"And I'm alive because of it." It wasn't a question. Rupert had very few memories of the months after his run-in with The Hunter. He'd spent much of that time in a fever-induce delirium. He did, however, have a vague recollection of a younger version of Owen. The man had been there at some point.

Owen shrugged. "That was in God's hands. All I did was give you a fighting chance."

"You're a believing man, then?"

A single nod from his guest was Rupert's answer.

Looking from Owen to the flames dancing in the fireplace, Rupert said, "I didn't used to be, you know. After I survived that encounter, I started to change my opinion. I shouldn't have lived, there's no denying it. Fighting chance or no, I should have been dead on the street. Once I finally got my wits about me enough to realize I wasn't, I began to believe God might have a greater purpose for me."

Owen pulled an envelope from inside his jacket and handed it to Rupert. "I'm not an expert on such things, but I've seen enough in my life to know I'd have to be cork-brained not to believe in the Almighty."

Rupert took the offered envelope and read the missive within. The brief note of introduction from Tobias was sufficient enough for him to believe Owen was who he appeared to be.

Looking the younger man over, Rupert asked, "What ever happened to the Russian prince?"

A grimace met his question. "He took exception to my letting The Hunter go. I was released from his employ."

"It worked well for you, then. Your heroism brought you to the notice of the minister, I assume?"

With a modest tilt of the head, Owen said, "Aye, that it did. It worked out for the best. It helped that I knew his son."

"Oh?"

"We were a couple years apart, but Lysander and I were at school together. My work in Austria earned me an audience with the minister, but I think it was my distant relationship with his son that tipped the scale in my favor."

The two paused as Mrs. Pembroke entered with a tea service. She set the tray on the desk and poured them each a cup. "Will there be anything else?"

"No, Mrs. Pembroke. Thank you."

After the woman closed the door behind her, Rupert took a sip of his tea. "So tell me what you learned on your journey."

Chapter Ten

The entourage took to the road the next morning, and the first several days of travel passed without incident. As evening approached on the sixth day of their journey, the carriage and riders sought out an inn in Luton. Tired and stiff from countless hours in cramped confines, the women were quiet as they disembarked. Even Mrs. Burnham failed to threaten anyone with a wave of her cane as they trudged into the Hagfish Inn.

"How many rooms do you have available?"

The innkeeper eyed Rupert and the subdued women and grinned wolfishly. "One room is all I've got left, I'm afraid."

Juliana sputtered, but Rupert merely nodded. "We'll take it. Any chance the rest of us can bed down in the stable?"

"If you find a spot, you can have it. We've got more people than space, so you might end up sleeping in your coach."

Rupert nodded, put his hand on Juliana's elbow, and guided her toward the stairs where a young boy waited to show them up to their accommodations.

After the four women squeezed into the small room with a single bed, Rupert gave the lad a coin and requested he see to it that a meal was sent up for the ladies.

As soon as the boy was gone, Juliana asked, "How are we supposed to be comfortable in here?"

"I daresay comfort isn't a priority at the moment. A roof over your head is enough to be thankful for. They could have had no rooms."

Juliana's hands dropped to her sides, and she glared at him. "We've not been forced to stay in such conditions before."

"It's a miracle we haven't already run into this." Rupert's voice was clipped. "This close to the city, the inn was bound to be full. We'll be in London tomorrow. Make the best of it."

****

Juliana stared after him. Rupert had never been so short with her before. She slipped over to the door and watched as he descended the steps. His limp was much worse than usual, and he held onto the banister with a death grip. Guilt swamped her.

Gritting her teeth and forcing a smile, she swung back to the room. "As Cousin Rupert said, we'll be in London tomorrow. We can make due for one night. I'd wager the three of you will fit on the bed. The room is actually quite spacious. A pallet on the floor will be splendid. I'll be snug as a bug in a rug."

"I can sleep on the floor," Eleanor offered. "I'm the youngest. It should be me."

Juliana laughed. "I'm not so old I will perish if forced to sleep on the floor, dear sister. The three of you take the bed. I'll do fine. The experience will make me appreciate the comfort of a feather bed even more than I already do, I dare say."

****

Rupert took a seat at a table in the tavern below. Owen and the driver joined him, and the three shared a filling meal. Few words were exchanged. They were all tired and looking forward to their rest. Because he still didn't know what the women were hiding from him, Rupert had engaged Owen's services to help him keep watch over them each night. Owen had been stationed in the hall between the doors of the ladies' two rooms the previous evening. Tonight was Rupert's turn, and he could muster little enthusiasm for the duty.

Having already inspected the upstairs hall, Rupert knew where he would be passing the night. He'd found himself a spot that gave an unobstructed view of the girls' door while allowing him to remain in the shadows. With his dark clothes and black hair, he should go unnoticed by anyone who didn't have reason to be at that end of the hallway.

A short time later, he waved Owen and the driver off. "Enjoy your slumber."

After the activity in the tavern died down, Rupert took to the stairs in search of his night's post. Had he been back at Castle Felton with his leg hurting as badly as it was, he'd have taken some of Mrs. Pembroke's barley tea to ease the discomfort. Here at the inn, pain medication came more in the form of tincture of brandy, which wouldn't at all aid his need to remain on the alert throughout the coming night.

One thing was certain. The constant battle not to let the pain get the best of him was exhausting.

Chapter Eleven

Juliana heard something out of place, but she'd gotten used to unfamiliar noises over the last several nights. Inns didn't offer the most restful sleep. Sharing a room with Mrs. Burnham had proven distracting, too. The old woman's snore could drown out a stampede of bleating sheep.

The sound came again, and Juliana shifted on her pallet, wondering if perhaps, in her current position, she was hearing an echo in the chamber. Accepting the fact that she wasn't actually going to fall asleep, she sat up and leaned her back against the stone wall. She tugged on her braid, a nervous habit, when the door to their chamber began to creep open.

Terror froze in her throat until she couldn't even scream. She watched as two people entered and moved slowly toward the blissfully unaware forms of her sleeping family. Realizing her sisters were at risk, she jumped to her feet.

Finding her voice at last, Juliana screamed loud as a banshee and seized Mrs. Burnham's cane from where it rested at the foot of the bed. She hit one of the men on the back. He grunted, and she took another full swing. Once begun, she continued hammering at the prowler. By that time, both Eleanor and Eudora had jumped out of bed. They squatted, huddled together, against the wall beneath the window.

The intruder rounded on her and grabbed the cane, wrenching it from her grasp and flinging it to the floor. She watched, almost mesmerized, as the man lifted his fist. As the beefy appendage began descending toward her, she came out of her daze. Juliana ducked away from the descending fist and spun around behind him then jumped onto his back and sank her teeth into his shoulder. She got a mouthful of coarse and foul-tasting material, and the ruffian acted as if she'd not attacked him at all.

A crash echoed through the room, and the intruder on whose back she was perched began to tumble forward. An arm reached round her waist from behind, pulling her from the brute's back. She expected to be tossed aside but instead found herself cushioned against a solid chest as Rupert's voice rumbled near her ear. "It's over. You're all safe."

Juliana's racing heart and ragged breath gave no indication of calming. She forced herself to look around, though, which is how she discovered her sisters standing against the far wall. Mrs. Burnham stood between the downed intruder and the girls, the remnants of a shattered chamber pot in her hands. The rest of the pot lay scattered about the floor, the apparent cause of the large man's sudden loss of consciousness. He groaned but didn't move.

Eudora pointed to something behind her. The second prowler was as unconscious as the first. Outside the open door, in the hallway, lay another man. Above him stood several men in varying states of undress. Her face heated as her eyes returned to Rupert. "Perhaps my scream woke some people."

He nodded sagely. "That may be." Then he leaned close, his lips brushing against her ear. In a voice soft enough that she alone could hear, he said, "If I were forced to hazard a guess, I'd say Mrs. Burnham's snoring prevented any of them from getting to sleep to begin with."

The innkeeper arrived on the scene then, wielding a gun and demanding to know what all the ruckus was about. Rupert set Juliana down and gave her a light push toward her sisters. She felt the absence of his reassuring warmth but did as he bade. Meanwhile, he maneuvered himself so that his back was to them. He filled the doorway, blocking the eyes of anyone who wished to gain a view into the room. "It appears we had some intruders. Take these three men down to the tavern and tie them up, then send someone for the magistrate."

No one dared argue with Rupert. His voice commanded respect and demanded action. Several of the men who had gathered in the hallway after hearing the commotion set themselves to the task. As they came into the room to collect the villainous forms of the two who had made it that far, they averted their eyes and did not look at the women.

Juliana couldn't help but grin. Between Rupert's presence and Mrs. Burnham's threatening glare, not a soul would venture to think, let alone say, anything inappropriate.

Once the scoundrels were gone, Rupert thanked the men and told the innkeeper he would be down momentarily. Owen was already downstairs, having been summoned from the stable. There was little chance of the thugs escaping. Rupert pierced Juliana with his eyes. Those eyes, normally solemn, burned with an intensity that turned her arms into gooseflesh. "Please dress and come down to the tavern."

A small part of her was cowed. Much as the men in the hallway had done earlier, she felt the urge to jump to do Rupert's bidding. The side of her personality that had forever been troublesome thwarted her good intentions. "We did nothing wrong."

Rupert's look softened, and he nodded his acknowledgement of her words. "I have no wish to contradict a lady. I do, however, need to ask some questions." His gaze flitted from her to Eudora and Eleanor then back to her again. "Perhaps it would be best if we discussed this downstairs."

Juliana wanted to drown in those eyes. They promised such hope. They said he was strong, enduring, faithful, honest, trustworthy. He was also a man who followed the law, and in this instance, that prevented him from being her ally. She gave him a brisk nod. "I'll be down straightaway."

****

Juliana stepped out of their chamber and found Rupert waiting for her. "Oh. I thought you would be speaking to the men."

He shook his head. "After the night's events, it didn't seem wise to leave the four of you unprotected."

She warmed at his thoughtfulness even as she reminded herself he wasn't entirely on her side.

"Once we go down, Owen will come up and stand guard until everything is resolved."

Juliana placed her hand in the crook of Rupert's elbow. "Lead on, Cousin. I wish to embrace my inquisition with dignity."

Rupert, whose face, as a rule, gave nothing away, frowned at her words. He moved gingerly down the stairs, and she again wondered at his injury.

"You're in pain."

"Aye."

"Yet you disabled two brutes and rescued me from collapse after Mrs. Burnham knocked out the third."

She saw the corner of his mouth tilt up the tiniest bit. "I would have taken care of that one, too, had you not jumped on his back and gotten in my way."

"You might not relish how our conversation goes once we get downstairs, so before we do…" Juliana paused, still a couple steps from the tavern floor. Rupert watched her, one eyebrow raised. "I, uh… Thank you for coming to our rescue. If you hadn't been out there keeping watch over us, I'm sure things would have ended in a vastly different manner."