The Stolen Bride (24 page)

“That she’s lying somewhere wounded?” completed David calmly. “I don’t think so.”

“I was going to say ‘dead,’” Randal said harshly. “Perhaps this time the maniac was more thorough.”

A muscle twitched in Lord Wraybourne’s jaw. “I don’t think so,” he said steadily.

“Is that just blind optimism?” demanded Randal sharply, forcing himself over the subject like someone trying to dig a bullet from his own flesh. “Or do you have logic to it?”

“There is absolutely no reason for anyone to want to harm Sophie,” said David firmly.

“There was no reason for anyone to try to kill Chelmly—Damn it. What if it is all a plot against me?”

“Why would there be a plot against you?” asked Verderan in a level, drawling voice. “We’ve established your spotless innocence in the recent past.”

Beth flinched from this tone that was perilously close to an insult, but Piers Verderan obviously knew his friend, for Randal collected himself. “I don’t know why,” he said. “But there has to be a connection. The attack on Chelmly. Sophie’s disappearance. Those damned notes.”

At that moment two people came laughing around the corner and the small figure broke away from his nursemaid to trot toward the men. “Ver!” cried Stevie blissfully.

The Dark Angel cursed softly but moved forward to stop the boy from joining the somber group. Beth saw the pursuing nursemaid hesitate, obviously more afraid of Verderan than of neglecting her duties. What did she think he was, the devil? More than likely.

Stevie offered his favorite toy for his idol’s inspection. It was somewhat faded after its swim. “Horsey,” he said.

“We’ve had this discussion before, brat,” said Verderan, not unkindly. “We’re all busy here. Go off with your nurse now.”

Stevie ignored this and pointed toward the porte cochere. “Horsey go,” he said, obviously trying to gain Verderan’s attention. He cocked his head and offered, “Sophie go horsey.” He stuck the horse’s hind legs in his mouth and mumbled something else.

They all looked at the child. Were they fools to hope? Stevie couldn’t have any useful information to offer, could he? As no one did anything, Beth went forward and crouched down beside the boy. “Did you see Sophie on a horse, Stevie?”

Stevie shook his head. The back end of the horse was still in his mouth and Beth carefully extracted it. “Did you see Sophie
with
a horse then?”

Stevie moved closer and snuggled against her.” Coachyhorsey,” he offered.

“You saw Sophie with a coach and horses?” Beth asked hopefully. Then she remembered that Sophie had seen the accident victim off. That was all the boy was referring to. Stevie nodded his assent and Beth looked up at the others and shrugged hopelessly.

Stevie grabbed her hand. “Sophie wiv ballady, ballady, ballady,” he chanted.

They all looked bewildered. “A song?” Jane suggested.

Hope couldn’t be dismissed out of hand. Randal beckoned the maid and she came over, nervously pleating her apron. She bobbed a curtsy. “Yes, milord?”

“Did Master Steven see Lady Sophie escort a lady to her coach today?”

“Yes, milord.”

“Where did Lady Sophie go after the coach left, Rosie?”

Before the girl could answer, Stevie set up his chant again. “Wiv ballady, ballady, ballady.”

Randal looked up at the maid with impatience. “What the devil is he saying?”

His sharp tone frightened her and she looked around for help, her apron now reduced to a knot. “I’m ... not rightly sure, milord. Sometimes he makes sense, sometimes he don’t.” She bit her lip and offered, “‘Bad lady,’ maybe?”

Randal caught his breath. He picked up Stevie and looked at him as if he might have the answers written across his face. “Why would he call this woman, this Mrs. Haven, a bad lady?” he asked Rosie. “You must have been with him, girl, when he watched the coach leave. What happened?”

“She didn’t want him to watch the horses, milord. She told me to take him away. That’s doubtless what he means.” After a moment she added with real spirit, “She were proper mean about it, and her just a person taken in out of charity!”

Beth saw the disappointment on Randal’s face and shared it. For a moment she too had believed that the child might hold the key to Sophie’s disappearance. Randal set the boy back on his feet. It was Lord Wraybourne who said to the maid, “But you said he did watch the coach leave.”

Rosie began twisting her apron again. “Yes, milord.”

“So answer Lord Randal’s question. Where did Lady Sophie go when the coach had left?”

The girl’s eyes opened wide and she looked as if she might cry. “I wasn’t exactly there, milord,” she mumbled. She looked up and said quickly, “I went to get the laundry basket. I was only gone for a moment or two and he was safe enough where he was and safe and sound—”

“Be quiet!” Randal cut off the gabble and they all shared his urgency. Logic said this was a wild-goose chase but instinct screamed that Steven Delamere held the key to Sophie’s safety.

“How much does a child of this age understand?” Randal asked. They were all childless and shook their heads. Even Beth had little experience with a child of such tender years.

Randal picked the boy up and strolled over to a bench to sit with him in his lap. “Well, Stevie, so you saw the bad lady leave in a coach?”

“Yes,” Stevie said with a firm nod of his head.

“And did Sophie leave in the coach too?”

“Yes,” said Stevie.

Everyone gasped and Randal looked bemused. Driven by urgency, Beth stepped forward and sat down beside Randal and the boy. She put the question again. “Lady Sophie got in the coach with the bad lady and they drove away, Stevie?”

“Drove away,” said Stevie, smiling at her, seeming pleased to have finally found someone to understand him. Then he added emphatically, “Fast!” He held his horse out and made bouncing motions as he moved it quickly from right to left. “Galloppy, galloppy, galloppy.”

“But it makes no sense,” said Mortimer softly.

“Sense or not,” said David grimly, “I’m setting men to trace that coach.” He strode off to put it in hand.

Randal gently put the child in Beth’s arms. “See what else you can find out,” he said softly.

Beth took a deep breath and asked calmly, “Did Lady Sophie want to go in the coach, Stevie?”

“Wiv ballady,” said Stevie, agreeable.

“Did Sophie climb in the coach, Stevie?”

Stevie nodded and stuck the horse back in his mouth. Beth looked up at the others. “Why would she go with a stranger without a word to anyone?”

At that moment Verderan reclaimed Stevie’s attention by picking him up off Beth’s lap. The boy took the horse out of his mouth and smiled brilliantly at his idol. Verderan smiled back.

He carried the boy a little way and put him down. He pointed to Beth, still sitting on the bench. “Stevie, you see that lady there. Let’s pretend that’s the bad lady.” He flashed an apologetic smile at Beth. “Let’s pretend you’re Lady Sophie. Can you show us how she got in the coach?”

Beth looked at Mr. Verderan skeptically. Who did he think Stevie was, the great Kean? The Dark Angel shrugged.

“How did Sophie get in the coach, Stevie?” he asked patiently. “Did she climb up the steps? Was she lifted in?”

It looked as if the questions were getting them nowhere. Then suddenly Stevie spread his arms wide and hurtled forward into Beth’s lap.

“Thrown in,” said Randal, surging to his feet. “I’m for following that damned coach.”

“We all are,” said Sir Marius, “but I think we have to pause and consider matters. It’s hours since that coach left and it’s possible we may not be able to trace it. We need to find out more.”

Piers Verderan came over and took Stevie from Beth. He passed the child on to the maid. “You’ve been a good boy, Stevie,” he said. “Perhaps tomorrow I’ll take you up on my horse.”

Stevie blissfully watched him over Rosie’s shoulder as he was carried away. Beth thought that perhaps Piers Verderan was a rake worth the reforming, but not by her. She found herself instinctively looking over at Sir Marius and he smiled. It was like an embrace and all there could be for them now. More urgent matters were in hand.

Randal imposed an iron control on himself and was attempting to reason it through. “If that woman had some devilish plot against me, why in Hades did she come to Stenby?”

Sir Marius spoke up. “I’m afraid, whatever’s going on, you can’t lay the attack on Chelmly at her door. She was genuinely ill when we picked her up. There’s no chance she crept out, walked five miles, and laid a trap for someone.”

“Coincidence?” queried Randal skeptically. “And she could have sent those letters before she left home.”

“But what of the one Sophie received at the picnic?” Sir Marius shrugged. “The only matter of importance is who is Mrs. Haven and where is she taking Sophie. The why can be sorted out later.”

The earl came back and his expression sharpened when he heard what more had been discovered. “I’ve sent men out in pairs to check the roads. One to follow the trail of the coach and the other to report back. We should soon know the direction and can follow.” His sharp pacing showed the impatience they all felt with just standing. “I’ll go odds,” he said, “that she’s not Mrs. Haven of Stone.”

“But who?” asked Randal. “And why Sophie?”

“She came with your wedding announcement in her reticule,” Mortimer pointed out.

“Bringing it all back to me,” said Randal. “Damnation. No one in the world has cause to bear me this much ill will!”

“Well, Sophie has certainly not grievously offended anyone,” said Mortimer. “Think again, Randal. Who might you have injured lately?”

“No one,” said Randal impatiently. “The only person I’ve seriously hurt recently is Edwin Hever and no one knows about that.”

“They do now,” said Lord Wraybourne drily. “This is to go no further,” said the earl sternly, “but the man attacked Sophie. Randal shot him to save her.” Jane and Beth shared a look. Jane had told Beth the whole story and that certainly wasn’t all of it, but Beth could see why the earl wanted as little of the truth as possible to come out. She couldn’t see how that sordid affair could have any bearing on the present problem.

“Could a relative of Hever’s be out for revenge?” asked Mortimer dubiously.

Lord Wraybourne dismissed the suggestion. “It was given out as suicide so—”

“Edwin Hever,” interrupted Marius. “By all that’s holy...”

“What?” It was a general question.

“That woman had a locket with her and I thought it reminded me of someone. It reminded me of Edwin Hever with hair.”

The earl set off speedily for his library, and they all followed. He grabbed his copy of Debrett’s useful tome,
The Peerage of England, Scotland and Ireland
. After a moment he cursed softly, “Hever’s mother is called Edith. His home was Marshton Hall in Essex, but it will surely have gone to his heir, a cousin. This doesn’t tell us where she will have taken Sophie.”

“Or why,” said Randal, white and tense. “If she knows the truth, and God knows how, she can only intend to ... to kill Sophie.”

Marius splashed brandy into five glasses and pressed one into Randal’s hand. Randal took a long drink. After a moment’s hesitation, he put some brandy into two more glasses and offered them to Jane and Beth. Jane shook her head but Beth took hers. It was supposed to be medicinal and at the moment she needed something.

She sipped and felt the spirit burn pure down her throat. It couldn’t burn away her fear, however. Those notes and “Mrs. Haven” were all tying together in a terrifying way. They would find Sophie but they would find her dead somewhere by the wayside. She saw that everyone in the room silently shared her fears.

Randal slammed down his empty glass. “We have to follow. Now.”

“Not until someone comes back with a direction,” said the earl steadily. “I have horses standing ready.”

Verderan’s cool voice broke the gloomy silence. “We can’t all hare off and one lady surely doesn’t need five men.”

“The question is,” said Randal, turning suddenly, “who are you going to get to stay behind? Not me, for one.”

“Nor me,” said Marius. “I’m the only man here who saw that woman and can recognize her again.”

David made a sharp, frustrated motion. “I should claim my place. Sophie is my sister, after all. But someone has to stay behind to handle things here. Randal, you really should stay at the Towers. You could well be needed.”

Randal said something very rude and then controlled himself and apologized to Jane and Beth. “They can survive without me for a day. I go.”

A scratch on the door ushered Burbage and a breathless groom. “We found the road, milord,” he gasped. “Heading Drayton way. Kelly’s stayed on the line and he’ll leave word behind.”

The earl praised the man and dismissed him even as Randal, Verderan, and Marius headed for the door. “Randal, you and Verderan aren’t even dressed for riding. Stop to change. I’m sure—” He broke off at Randal’s expression. “Take care, then. Remember, someone tried damned hard to kill Chelmly, and there might be a connection.” He grasped his friend’s hands. “Godspeed, and may you find her safe.”

Beth took another longer drink from her glass and silently echoed the prayer.