Chapter 14 #3
In the carriage, Alaina relaxed into the bench facing forward, thankful for the blankets and the warming pan they had brought.
The coals still maintained some level of heat, even after a few hours of window shopping.
Covering herself with one of her throws, Alaina leaned her head back against the wall of the carriage and closed her eyes.
It had certainly been an eventful season, with much more drama and stress than Alaina had expected or wanted.
She was thankful that her father was on the mend, as evidenced by his increasingly cantankerous mood, seemingly sick of all the company after being fussed over for the last week.
Alaina was still reeling from the garden party, and lamenting the end of her courtship with Graham. She did not love him, that was true, but she held him and his family in affection, and she was sad to have lost that close relationship.
And then there was Christopher. Initially, she had hoped he would visit her in the days following her return to London.
They certainly had some unfinished business to discuss.
But as time passed, seeds of doubt began to drown out her hopeful spirit.
She was convinced that at least by now he would have heard of the severed courtship, and would feel free to call upon her.
Maybe he was just giving her time to be with her family?
Or maybe it was that he had decided that he really preferred the bachelor lifestyle?
In Alaina’s mind, nothing made sense and, to be frank, it was starting to give her a headache.
Rubbing her temples to relieve some of the tension, Alaina heard a slight commotion outside the carriage, almost like someone calling or racing after a companion. Thinking little of it, Alaina kept her eyes closed against the daylight streaming in through the open window of the coach.
Alaina felt a shadow fall across the opening, blotting out the sun, and she heard the coach door snap open.
Thinking her mother and Evelina had made quick work at the milliner’s, Alaina opened her eyes, ready to greet each of them with a smile, only to find someone entirely different filling the doorway.
“Percy! What are you doing here?” Alaina exclaimed, having no trouble recognizing his narrow face and mean-spirited eyes.
Percy gave a lazy smile, and his eyes seemed to glitter with rage. “Lady Alaina, what a pleasure.”
He motioned, as if he was about to step up into the coach itself but then thought better of it.
Alaina noticed that his clothes were rumpled, although they appeared to be of fine quality.
She did not smell any intoxicants on his breath or person, so she had a hard time believing his appearance was due only to a night of carousing and a late morning rising.
Seeing him outside her carriage door made the hair on her neck stand on end, and her heart beat faster; surely the man was not here to say hello.
“What do you want?” was all Alaina could manage without her voice wavering between rage and fear.
“Well, it is funny you should ask,” Percy answered, his smile only growing more sinister.
Reaching his hand into his pocket, he deftly removed a small pistol and pointed it at Alaina.
The handgun was small enough to be blocked from sight on the street.
“If you would come with me, please, I would have no reason to use this, yet. And do not get any ideas to run or scream, I am quite a good shot.”
Swallowing hard, Alaina quickly considered her options and saw no means of escape.
Gritting her teeth in frustration at having to cooperate, Alaina slid off the bench seat and cautiously made her way to the open door.
Percy took a step back to allow her to descend the steps, but kept close to the carriage, so as to not raise an alarm on the street with the gun.
Stepping down to the ground, Alaina found it hard to hold her tongue. “I am not sure what you expect to accomplish by doing this, but it is sure to end in folly.”
“My dear, you underestimate your value mightily. I imagine my cousin would be willing to pay a tidy sum to keep you safe, even if I find your value quite minuscule,” Percy stated matter-of-factly.
Choosing to remain silent, lest the information of her and Graham’s severed courtship bring more danger, Alaina just glared.
Alaina looked around as much as she could, given Percy still largely blocked an escape route outside the carriage.
She only saw the driver, who seemed to be similarly detained by a subtle knife wielded by a large, burly man who was clearly one of Percy’s lackeys.
His hair was cut super short to his head, and he had one golden earring, giving him the look of a pirate from a fantastical book.
The back of the driver faced her, so she had no way of getting his attention.
The footman who had assisted her into the carriage was conspicuously missing, most likely away for a break at an opportune time.
Looking up and down the street and seeing an almost empty thoroughfare, as the hour approached teatime, Percy took the opportunity to proceed with what Alaina surmised was an abduction.
“If you please, follow me this way, my dear,” Percy motioned for her to proceed down the sidewalk, away from the shop with her mother and sister.
Alaina walked slowly in front of Percy, hoping he would assume that her purposefully minced steps were merely ladylike, but she had no such luck.
“Now, do not think you can hope to garner escape by slowing our procession. Remember the gun, darling.” Percy almost whispered, even with no one about, so close to her ear that she could feel his breath.
And then, as if she needed a reminder, he prodded her back with the pistol, which prompted her to speed up to at least her normal walking pace.
He certainly was not going to make it easy for her to flee.
In the distance, too far for Percy to be concerned with, Alaina noticed a pair of men walking quickly in their direction.
It took a moment, but Alaina recognized the footman by his uniform, almost too far away to see his face clearly.
The man trailing wore a peculiar top hat, not quite stylish, but black and distinctive.
Percy was still distracted by their slower-than-expected getaway, and being behind Alaina, he had still not noticed the men approaching.
As they reached the street corner, Alaina lingered before attempting to cross, even though the street was fairly empty.
Percy muttered something profane under his breath and pushed her forward, causing her to stumble and almost fall.
This motion cleared Percy’s vision, and he caught sight of the men.
In the same moment, Alaina’s footman pointed in their direction, and the taller man he had been escorting gave chase.
Percy immediately gave up Alaina’s capture in order to make a clean escape, turning the corner in an attempt to get away.
The man in the top hat, who had still been a few shops away, called out, “Stop! In the name of the law!” as he raced after Percy.
It seemed unlikely to Alaina that the man in pursuit of Graham’s cousin would have difficulty closing the gap.
To her surprise, another gentleman, similarly dressed in the same topcoat and hat, stepped out from an alleyway just in time to throw Percy to the ground.
A few moments later, the original man who had given chase stopped just short of Percy’s prostrate form.
Almost at the same moment the footman reached Alaina at the street corner.
“You alright, my lady?” he panted.
Alaina gave the man a quick nod, “Yes, I believe so. I must thank you for being quick, Benjamin.”
“I am just glad to have made it in time. I was lucky to step away from the carriage before those bastards came upon Milton, or else they would have gotten me too. I ran as fast as I could to Bow Street. It was the only thing I could think to do.” Benjamin puffed, having run almost the whole way there and most of the way back.
His cheeks were quite a shade of red, from a combination of cold and exertion, his flat brown hair askew and partially covering his youthful face.
Both Alaina and Benjamin watched the two men in uniform peel Percy off the ground, having put him in handcuffs, and lead him back toward the street corner.
As they approached, the lead pursuer called out, “Are you alright, miss? Your footman said this man had set upon you at your carriage. He feared the worst.”
“Yes, I am fine. Thank you so much for coming so quickly,” Alaina responded, taking a quavering breath before continuing.
“I fear he was after money from someone who had been courting me until just recently, and hoped to hold me for ransom,” Alaina responded, trying to ignore the shocked expression from Percy at this pertinent piece of information.
“What?! You lying bitch! She agreed to come with me to help my cousin,” Percy yelled, sending spittle flying as he struggled against the two men’s restraint. Annoyed with this struggle, the lead pursuer again subdued Percy with a quick cuff on the head.
“At gunpoint? I suggest you keep your mouth shut. You are not doin’ yerself any favors,” said the quieter of the two uniformed runners, before turning his attention to Alaina.
“My lady, if you will allow us to properly detain this fellow, our superior can come to call on your family for a full statement later, so you can go home to rest.”
Alaina, finally feeling the effects of the terror of the afternoon take hold, responded shakily, “Yes, I would find that agreeable. My family and I reside at the Norwich townhome on Berkeley Square.”