Bought for Revenge(43)

The chaise slowed and came to a halt. It rocked as their driver alighted  and rough voices sounded outside the door as he talked to his brother.

'This is it, Zac. Let's get 'em into the curricle and be done.'

'Nay, Amos, hold on, I bin thinking.'

'There's nowt to think about. We have to drive 'em over th'edge and make  it look like an accident. The Captain's payin' us good money to do it.'  They heard a savage laugh. 'And he'll have to keep on payin' us, too,  if 'e wants us to stay quiet.'

'Ah, but them horses is valuable,' protested Zac. 'I've never driven  anything like 'em afore. They'd fetch a pretty penny at market.'

'And get us hanged for it, too,' growled Amos.

'But we could take 'em to market elsewhere, Skipton, mebbe. No one knows  us there.' A long silence followed, then Zac said persuasively, 'It'd  be a sin to waste such grand cattle. Prime 'uns, they are. Best bits of  horseflesh I've seen in many a day. We should sell 'em.'

'Nay, Zac. If it's to look like an accident then the horses would have  to be trapped with the carriage. There'd be broken legs at best.'

'But who's to say it needs to be an accident? Duggan's the one they'd suspect, not us.'

'I dunno … '

'Come on, Amos, think on! We can still put the bodies in the curricle  and push it over th'edge, but the horses comes back with us. We'll take  'em away afore it gets light in the morning, and no one will be the  wiser.'

'But Father said-'

'You leave Father to me. He's not one to turn his nose up at a small fortune and that's what we'd get for these two.'

Another pause. Belle found herself holding her breath until she heard Amos speak again.

'All right, Zac. Let's do it. Get the cattle unharnessed and tether 'em to the coach wheel while we gets rid o' the curricle.'

The voices grew more distant and Lucas pulled Belle close. 'This is our chance,' he breathed. 'When I say-'

'Lucas!' She gripped his arm, shaking. A thin sliver of light was widening around the door as it began to open.

Lucas pushed her behind him. After the complete darkness of the closed  carriage the light of the half-moon seemed very bright and it flooded in  as the door swung wide. A man stood in the opening, the wide brim of  his round, shallow-crowned hat shadowing his face. She was thinking he  did not look big enough to be one of landlord Strutt's sons when Lucas  growled softly, 'By heaven, George, you took your time.'

'Lord love you, Major, we was waitin' fer the right moment.' George  Stebbing cocked his head as a confused mix of grunts and thuds was  heard. 'Sounds as if Rudd and Clegg have made the acquaintance of your  captors.'                       
       
           



       

As the man stepped back Belle saw the left sleeve of his coat swinging empty.

'Your valet?' she asked, unsteadily.

'Aye, it is,' said Lucas. 'You stay with him while I go and see what is happening to my horses.'

Lucas was out of the carriage even as he spoke. George Stebbing put out  his hand to help Belle to alight, but his grip tightened as she went to  follow Lucas.

'Beggin' your pardon, miss, but you'd be best stayin' here.'

'At least let me see … '

She stepped out to look beyond the carriage. The curricle was drawn up  directly before it and the two highly strung bays were snorting and  shifting nervously as a brawl took place on the road in front of them.  Even at a distance Belle could see that the Strutt brothers were much  bigger than their opponents and had the advantage, until Lucas reached  the first grappling couple, pulled them apart and felled the bigger of  the two with a punishing fist to the jaw. The other Strutt was similarly  dispatched and Belle heard George Stebbing's grunt of satisfaction.

'Thought I was going to have to give a hand, but it seems the Major has  dealt with that very nicely. Just have to decide what we're going to do  with 'em.'

'The rope they used to tie us up is in the carriage,' offered Belle.

'Excellent idea, miss.'

Minutes later the two brothers were securely bound and shut in the  closed carriage. Annabelle leaned against the door, suddenly weak now  the immediate danger had passed.

'Are you all right, miss?' Clegg peered at her anxiously.

'I am well,' she assured him, 'but how did you know where to find us?'

'I told them to follow me,' said Lucas, coming up. 'However, I didn't expect them to leave it this late to intervene!'

George Stebbing pushed up his hat and scratched his head. 'Well now,  Major, there was too many men at the Boar's Head and with the rascally  landlord holding the shotgun we couldn't be sure of getting you away  unharmed. But we saw Strutt's lads getting the carriage ready and heard  them saying how their father didn't want you killed on his property. But  Rudd and Clegg would have come in if they'd heard anything amiss coming  from that private room.'

'You were in the taproom?' said Annabelle, bewildered. 'I thought there were only packmen there.'

'Me and Rudd,' said Clegg, grinning. 'We paid the teamster to borrow three jaggers' coats and his ponies for the night.'

She looked at Lucas. 'Then the bells I heard, when they took us out to the carriage … '

'That was me,' explained George. 'I stayed out in the fold with the ponies-'

'Aye,' chuckled Rudd, 'Clegg and I might pass for jaggermen, but there  was a fair chance they would have rumbled George with his one arm.  Someone might've remembered he was Mr Blackstone's man.'

'Since you tell me the ale was pretty poor stuff I'm glad I stayed  outside,' retorted Stebbing. 'Anyway, it meant I could ring the leader's  bells, just a touch, like, so the Major would know we was on hand.'

'And, of course, no one would take any notice of packhorses on that trail,' said Annabelle. 'How clever of you.'

'It was the Major's idea,' explained George.

'Something we picked up in the Peninsula,' added Lucas. 'People don't  notice the obvious. But enough, we have not finished yet. George, Rudd,  will you take the carriage? Take our friends to the lock-up in Stanton  for the night. And you had best inform Sir John Rishworth, he will want  to send the constable to bring the landlord and his other boys in  tonight, too. By morning Strutt will know something is wrong and may  well make a run for it.'

'And Captain Duggan, sir?' asked George.

'I shall deal with him.' Lucas held out his hand. 'Let me have the Manton, George. Duggan already has its mate.'

'You mean to kill him,' stated Belle.

'I do.'

She caught his sleeve. 'No, Lucas, you cannot do that.'

He took the pistol and placed it in his pocket. 'I must,' he said shortly. 'He is a murderer.'

'And killing him would make you one, too.' She placed herself in front  of him. 'Let the others tell Sir John what has occurred and Captain  Duggan can stand trial. The law shall punish him, not you.'

'You can say that, after what he has done? Besides, I want those documents!'

She read murder in his eyes, but would not step aside.

'I would have justice, but not your way. You know as well as I that the  papers he has are worthless. They were signed under duress, you do not  need to fight him to get them back.' He did not move. She could feel the  tension in him. Every muscle, every sinew was hard and inflexible. He  was like some terrible, avenging deity. She raised her hands and cupped  his face, saying softly, 'Please, Lucas, no more vengeance.'                       
       
           



       

Time stopped while she waited for his response. Every fibre of her being  was willing him to give in. Beneath her hands, his jaw was clenched  hard and she could feel the muscle working in his cheek. She knew his  temper, but he could master it. She had to believe that, or there could  be no future for them.

Like a silent sigh the rigidity left him; the implacable look in his eyes was replaced by something softer. He raised his head.

'George, inform Sir John of all that has gone on here. Tell him he will  most likely find Duggan at the Red Lion. And retrieve my Manton if you  can!' He turned back to Annabelle. 'I shall take Miss Havenham to her  father.'

The tiny whisper of hope in Belle's heart burst into full song as she  took his hand. She did not speak. She knew he would see the happiness  shining in her eyes when he looked at her.

'I am taking you home.' Lucas gave Belle a fleeting smile as he helped her into the curricle. 'To Oakenroyd.'

'But my father-'

'He's waiting for you there, Miss Belle,' said Clegg, scrambling up into  the rumble seat. 'Mr Blackstone instructed me to take him and Abel to  Oakenroyd before I came on here to join the others.'

Lucas said gruffly, 'I could not bear to think of him living in that  cottage another minute, so I invited him to return to his home.'

Belle squeezed his arm. 'Oh, Lucas, thank you.'

'You have no need to thank me. Samuel would never have consented to move  if I hadn't persuaded him that we could better look after you there.'

She bridled at that. 'I do not need looking after!'

They were about to move off, but Lucas delayed, controlling his restless  team with one hand while with the other he pulled Belle to him and  kissed her, hard, regardless of the groom sitting behind them.