Chapter Nineteen
Gerald rode into Bellwood and noticed the smoke coming from the direction of the stable. “Dear God! We’re too late…he already got to her, and the stable is on fire!”
Squeezing his legs, he spurred Hermes to pick up the pace as they rode towards the house. As he approached the manor house, he saw his staff had already formed a human chain from the well to the stable and were dowsing the flames. He spotted more people running out of the house to help but didn’t see the person his heart needed to see. Selena…where are you?
Gerald scanned the throng of people helping put out the fire, but Selena wasn’t among them. “Selena!”
he yelled. “Selena…where are you? Even as he shouted her name, he knew she wasn’t there. He felt the agony of loss from the depths of his soul.
“We have to help put this out first,”
Gerald said, “Selena could be inside.” Gerald slid from his horse and helped Paul down, Banbury climbed down with Kat in his arms who was already asleep. Wright had already climbed down from his horse and had already run ahead to help.
“You have to stay here with your sister – out of harm’s way,”
Gerald said. Gerald spotted Connery emerging from the burning building carrying a bloodied animal.
“Dutch!”
The dog’s eyes were closed. Gerald tried to form coherent words. Except for his horses, he had never had a pet before Dutch, and now… His beloved dog looked dead. “My God! Is he…”
“He’s alive. I’ve sent for Doctor Baker,”
Connery said. “I suspect the pain knocked him out.”
Banbury and Wright ran toward the line of people putting out the fire as Gerald and Banbury spoke with Connery.
“What happened?”
“I heard screaming…”
Connery began. Before he could finish his sentence, Lady Fleur ran up to them.
“I heard the alarm and came running to help. Please let me help,”
Selena’s mother cried out.
“Where is Selena?”
Gerald demanded. A stark fear coursed through his body and his heart threatened to burst in his chest.
“She’s been visiting Diana and the babies in the mornings,”
Lady Fleur said, her eyes wide and filled with fear.
“Is my wife inside with the children?”
“Yes, I just came from there they are safe with Lady Bellecoat, but I came out to see if I could help.”
“My lord, my lord,”
Anna called out, running up to them. “Selena came out early this morning to feed Azure. She had Dutch with her… Dutch has been sleeping by her bed every night, since you left, milord. He followed her everywhere.”
“She went out with Dutch, and no one saw her?”
he questioned. “No one was with her?”
“No, milord. I suggested she take a footman with her…”
Anna began and stopped. Squaring her shoulders, the petite woman said stoically, “No, milord. I let her go without an escort. I am so sorry, I failed Miss Selena.”
“It’s all right Anna. It’s not your fault. She had Dutch with her and thought she would be fine, and he valiantly tried to save her.”
The young maid nodded, wiping tears from her cheeks.
A sob escaped Lady Fleur and she turned to Connery. “Oh, Angus, my daughter is missing. What can we do?”
“Gerald will find her and bring her home,”
he said. “Everything will be fine, I promise.”
Paul ran up behind Gerald and tugged on his shirt. “Mister Gerald? Can we help? I’ve toted water before,”
he said. “Kat and me…we want to help.”
“Who is this?”
Connery asked, nodding at the children.
“We found them at Rose Point, hiding. Their mother left them…It’s a long story. We can sort it later.”
“I’ll take Dutch inside and tend to his wounds as best I can before Baker arrives. Fleur come with me, and we can help these children get out of harm’s way. I’ll be back as soon as I get the children settled,”
Connery said. “Anna, you can help us.” Anna nodded and she rushed forward. Banbury handed Kat, who was sound asleep to Anna as Fleur took Paul’s hand. Connery, Lady Fleur, and Anna rushed toward the house, with Dutch and the children.
Gerald took a steadying breath as he realized Selena was truly missing. There was no longer a question. Vern and Grom had her and there was no telling what was happening to her at this very minute. Several days ago, when he turned around to wave goodbye, minutes before he rode away, he knew from her expression that she was begging him to stay. At this minute, he wished he had. I’m so sorry, Selena. I’m going to find you, no matter where you are. I promise with all my heart . I’m not going to lose you.
Gerald’s father and Ben rushed out just as he and Banbury were nearing the stable. Wright had already rushed inside.
“Ben was there when it happened,”
Gerald’s father said, panting from the exertion. “Ben, tell my son what you know.”
“You were in the stable when this happened?”
Without waiting for a reaction, he pressed. “What did you see?”
“I saw Miss Selena, she was with Dutch visiting with Azure. I had some work to do at the other end of the stable. But as I was working, someone came up behind me and hit me, milord. When I came to, I saw that Selena and Azure were gone and Dutch was lying in a pool of blood. I found Azure running around outside the stable in a frenzy. When I was able to secure Azure, this was what I found on the ground next to him. The older man withdrew a delicate, white shawl from his coat pocket and handed it to Gerald. “I think he took your new mare. It’s the only horse that’s missing.”
Taking the shawl, Gerald swallowed past the large lump in his throat. All he could think about was that his dear, beautiful Selena was in that vile man’s hands, fighting off God knows what. “Thank you for the information.”
“Son, do you know where he might have taken her?”
“I have a theory—”
Sudden shouts came from the barn. Wright and Banbury were dragging someone out. The man appeared to be unconscious. Gerald ran up to the men, followed by his father and Ben. The unconscious man was a giant. “Who is he?” Gerald rasped, trying to slow down his racing heart.
“It’s Grom,”
a stranger’s voice said from behind them.
Gerald spun around to behold a tall, dark-haired man striding toward them, flanked by two men on each side.
“Who the hell are you?”
he demanded.
“I’m Percival Bowles.”
There was a moment of stunned silence before Wright said, “I’m glad you’re not dead, my friend.”
“So am I, believe me,”
Percival replied in a grim voice. He ordered his men to help with the fire. Ben went with them.
Gerald immediately noticed the stitches on the side of Percival’s head. “Did they do that to you?”
“Yes. I had just been having dinner at the taverna with Captain Davies and First Mate Winters in the Lisbon near the port. Our ship had just docked. A fight broke out at the bar. It started with two men but escalated quickly into a melee. And when there’s a brawl, in a Port Town you can’t just leave. We ventured in to try to stop it and before I knew it, someone had hit me from behind. I woke up with my hands and feet tied under the docks. It was still low tide, but I knew I didn’t have much time before the tide started to rise. I managed to the bindings on my hands and feet and then pulled myself up to the docks just as the tide was rushing in.”
“My God, man, you are one lucky son of a gun,”
Wright said, slapping Bowles on the back.”
“Aye, I certainly am.”
“What happened next?”
Gerald asked. “Did you notify the authorities?”
“I did and they said it would be next to impossible to find out who was responsible.
I was incapacitated for nearly a week with this gash on my head while the authorities along with my Captain, and First Mate investigated and spoke to the owners of the taverna, and various other possible witnesses. Unfortunately, port cities are what they are—people either lie or don’t speak up when they witness a crime.”
“The Prince Regent sent a contingent of men to Portugal, did they make contact with you or your Captain?”
“Yes, when they arrived, they informed us about a man who’d taken my identity to lay claim to my inheritance. They described the man and his cohort, and we knew immediately who they were. I came here as soon as I could as you see, with men from my ship, under my command.”
“Well then, you can help us get the truth out of this bastard,”
Gerald said kicking the sole of Grom’s boots. “I need to know where Selena is. Throw some water on him and wake him up!”
Wright retrieved a bucket of water and tossed it over him, causing the giant to sputter and groan.
Gerald grabbed him up by his shirt. “Where is she? Where is Selena?”
“He took her,”
Grom rasped.
“Did he take her to Gretna Greene?”
Grom groaned as he nodded. “He’s going to marry her to steal her inheritance.”
Gerald’s fists clenched as he let out a low growl of fury. He was itching to give Grom a thrashing. Just because he couldn’t hit Vern—when that’s what he wanted to do. Just because he hadn’t stayed here instead of taking off on a wild goose chase to Rose Point. And just because his heart ached to see her beautiful smile and hear her beautiful voice. He missed her more than he thought he could ever miss anyone. But he balled his fists up and shoved them in his pocket. The man would swing soon enough. And he wanted every bit of information he could find out about Selena and that filthy imposter, Vern.
Blood streamed from various wounds on the giant’s arms and shoulders. His shirt was bloodied. He appeared to have been stabbed several times.
“He took the lass to Gretna Green. I didn’t want him to hurt her and tried to stop him,”
Grom said with a groan.
“Last I heard, you were part of his evil plans. Where did this sudden attack of decency come from?”
Wright asked.
“I never wanted to hurt anyone, but I didn’t stop him either. I couldn’t. He kidnapped my thirteen-year-old sister and said he would sell her as a slave if he didn’t do what he said. Once I got here, the foul little toad poisoned me and stabbed me. When I get my hands on him…”
The man’s words died on his lips in the face of Gerald’s anger.
“You won’t have to.”
Gerald felt a steely calm invade every fiber of his being as he stood up. He knew what he needed to do. There would be nowhere the bastard could hide. “I’m going to kill him,” he said.
“Oh, no you don’t. You can’t divorce yourself so easily from his acts of betrayal. You’re telling me he kidnapped your sister? When did he do this, and how do we know you’re telling the truth?”
Percival demanded.
“All of it was Vern. The man’s the Devil-incarnate. He threatened to sell her if I didn’t help him with this. And he said he’d make sure she got broken in by the ship’s crew before they sold her. My God! You know what they do to women on slave trader boats. She’s only thirteen! I’ve been trying to find her—hoping he will get drunk enough to tell me or find something that will lead me to her. Angela’s never done anything to hurt a soul.”
He looked up at Percival. I’m sorry for what I’ve done, Lord Bowles,” Grom croaked. “He told me to drown you, but I couldn’t, so I left you under the docks. I thought you would be able to free yourself before high tide.”
“I’m having a hard time believing you to be a saint in this. What else can you tell us?”
demanded Wright.
“He has a carriage,”
rasped Grom. “It was hidden in an abandoned barn about a half-mile up the road from the estate. We watched the guards and snuck onto the estate when they didn’t see us.”
“Describe it…describe the carriage,”
ordered Gerald, grabbing him by the collar.
“Black…shiny. The inside is red. Vern stole it from an inn on our way. It has four brown horses,”
groaned Grom. “All I’ve told you…’tis the truth.”
The sounds of horses’ hooves sounded from behind them, and they all spun around to see almost a dozen men, all dressed in royal uniform, riding onto the estate.
“Finally! The Regent’s guards,”
Gerald murmured. “Too late to help Selena.”
“Gerald, keep your temper, son,”
his father said. “They can be of help, here and with you. The horses have all been saved, and the damage to the barn was contained to the back,” his father said, running a hand through his damp hair. He nodded toward the house. “Your mother and Lady Fleur have the children and women in hand. Hear what the guards have to say. Maybe they have more information.”
“Doubtful, Father. I’m not sure how Vern and Grom slipped away from them to begin with. Make sure the Prince Regent’s guards hold onto this one,”
Gerald spat. He inclined his head before walking towards Hermes.
“We’re coming with you,”
Wright said.
“Take as many men as you need,”
Gerald said, climbing onto Hermes. “You’ll have to catch up to me.” Selena, I’m on my way, love. Don’t lose faith.