Chapter Twenty-One #3
Lucien’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. While he’d been discovering Kitty’s murder, Courtney had been fighting for her life, facing Lockwood’s violence alone. The thought of that monster laying hands on her, of what he might be doing to her even now…
“Was she hurt during her abduction?” Wolf asked, though the question was barely necessary given Ashley’s obvious injuries.
“She fought,” Ashley said with grim satisfaction. “Kicked and screamed until they used some sort of cloth—chloroform, I suspect. The last thing I saw was them carrying her unconscious through the garden.”
“That’s not good. She can hardly try to escape or leave clues if she’s rendered senseless,” Wolf said.
Unconscious. Lucien closed his eyes briefly, imagining Courtney’s terror in those final moments before the drug took hold. She would have known exactly what Lockwood intended, would have understood that everything they’d planned, everything they’d hoped for, was crumbling around her.
“We have to go after them,” he said, his voice rough with barely controlled emotion. “Every moment we delay gives him more distance.”
Rockwell stepped forward, his usual languid demeanor replaced by sharp focus. “Which route would he take? The Great North Road is the most direct path to Scotland, but also the most obvious.”
“He’s desperate, not stupid,” Farah interjected, her face tight with worry. “He might take a less traveled route to avoid pursuit.”
Lucien forced himself to think tactically, though every instinct screamed at him to simply mount his horse and ride hell-bent in pursuit. “He has money troubles, creditors closing in. He can’t afford a leisurely journey with multiple stops. He’ll want speed over subtlety.”
“The Great North Road, then,” Blackstone said decisively.
“But we should send men to cover all routes, just in case. He’ll have at least an hour’s head start, possibly more if he had horses waiting outside London.
We will have an advantage in that we will be on horseback and Lockwood will be traveling by carriage. ”
“Can Courtney slow him down?” Tiffany asked, voicing the question that tormented Lucien. “If she regains consciousness…”
“She’ll try,” Lucien said with absolute certainty. “But Lockwood has already proven he’s willing to use violence. If she resists…” He couldn’t finish the thought. The image of Kitty’s broken body was burned into his memory, a terrible reminder of what Lockwood was capable of when crossed.
Farah moved to Ashley’s side, taking her friend’s hand. “Did he say anything else? Any indication of his plans beyond Gretna Green?”
Ashley shook her head, then immediately regretted the movement, pressing a hand to her temple.
“Only that her father would accept the marriage once it was done. That accidents could happen to her father if the dowry wasn’t forthcoming.
” Her voice hardened. “He threatened Courtney and as we know, Lord Lorne will do anything for her safe return.”
The casual mention of threatening Courtney’s father sent fresh rage coursing through Lucien’s veins. Not content with abduction and forced marriage, Lockwood was prepared to use violence against her family as well.
“We need horses,” Lucien said, already moving toward the door. “The fastest in London. And weapons.”
“Wait,” Rockwell called after him. “Charging off half-cocked won’t help Courtney. We need a plan.”
Lucien whirled around, his control finally cracking. “While we’re planning, he’s dragging her further from London! He could be doing anything to her—” His voice broke slightly on the words.
Blackstone placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “I understand your urgency,” he said quietly, the grief for Kitty lending weight to his words. “But Rockwell is right. We have one chance to get this right. If we fail, if Lockwood reaches Scotland…”
He didn’t need to finish. They all understood the implications. Once married, even by force, Courtney would be trapped by law and society’s strictures. Her reputation would be destroyed, her freedom forfeit.
“Three hours,” Wolf said grimly. “That’s how long it typically takes for chloroform to fully wear off. If she’s unconscious in a moving carriage…”
“She’ll be violently ill when she wakes,” Tiffany finished, her face pale. “Disoriented, weakened.”
The clinical discussion of Courtney’s suffering made Lucien want to put his fist through the nearest wall. Instead, he forced himself to focus on what could be controlled.
“Lockwood has two men with him,” he said, his military training reasserting itself. “That’s three against however many we can muster. But they’ll be encumbered by Courtney, especially if she’s fighting them.”
“Four of us,” Rockwell said immediately. “Wolf, Blackstone, you and myself.”
“Five,” came a weak voice from the settle. Ashley was attempting to rise despite the physician’s protests. “I’m going with you.”
“Absolutely not,” Lucien said firmly. “You’re injured, and—”
“And I watched him take her,” Ashley snapped, her eyes flashing. “I failed to protect her. I won’t compound that failure by sitting here uselessly while she’s in danger.”
The guilt in her voice was unmistakable, and Lucien felt a stab of sympathy. But he couldn’t allow sentiment to cloud his judgment.
“You’ll slow us down,” he said bluntly. “And if there’s fighting…”
“There will be fighting,” Blackstone said with cold certainty. “Lockwood won’t surrender peacefully. Not after what he’s done.”
The duke’s tone suggested he was looking forward to the confrontation, and Lucien found himself sharing that anticipation. The thought of finally having Lockwood within reach, of being able to exact payment for Kitty’s murder and Courtney’s abduction…
“I’ll organize fresh horses at the coaching inns,” Farah said, her practical nature asserting itself. “Send word ahead so you don’t lose time changing mounts.”
“And I’ll contact the magistrate. They might be able to stop him until we can catch up,” Wolf added. “Make sure they understand the urgency when Lockwood is apprehended.”
When, not if. Lucien appreciated his friend’s confidence, even as his own doubts gnawed at him. They were making assumptions about Lockwood’s route, his timing, his intentions. What if they were wrong? What if even now Courtney was being subjected to horrors he couldn’t bear to contemplate?
Rockwell said, “Graves has already sent a missive to her father and brother at Tattersalls. I’ve asked for Fane, Axton, and Julian to aid us too.
” He turned to Lucien and added, “We have the numbers on our side. Plus, we will be on horseback and he’s in a carriage. We will be faster. We will catch him.”
The thought of her alone, terrified, possibly hurt, made his chest tighten with an emotion he’d been trying to deny for weeks. It wasn’t just desire or companionship or even deep affection that drove his desperation to find her.
He loved her.
The realization hit him with startling clarity, cutting through his fear and rage to settle in his chest with warm certainty.
Not the remembered love of their youth, but something new and fierce and entirely his own.
The love of a man who had been through hell and found someone willing to share the journey back.
And he might lose her forever because he’d been too much of a coward to simply tell the truth from the beginning.
If he’d just announced to society that he’d been deceived in Ireland, that his marriage had been a fiction, that Ava-Marie was illegitimate—yes, there would have been scandal, whispers, social ostracism. His sisters’ prospects would have suffered. His own standing would have been damaged.
But Courtney would be safe.
Instead, his need to protect his family’s reputation had trapped him again, just as it had five years ago when he’d felt obligated to buy his colors and serve in Ireland. Once again, the weight of the Furoe name and legacy had led to disaster.
“I should have told the truth from the beginning,” he said suddenly, his voice raw with self-recrimination. “About Ireland, about Ava-Marie. None of this would have happened if I’d simply been honest.”
“Lockwood would have simply found something else to use,” Rockwell said firmly. “The man’s a monster, Lucien. This isn’t your fault.”
“Isn’t it?” Lucien laughed bitterly. “I’ve spent my entire life being shaped by what’s expected of a Furoe.
Five years ago, I felt duty-bound to serve in Ireland because our family has always sent sons to war, quite forgetting I was an only son and therefore it was an idiotic thing to do.
Now I’ve hidden the truth about my time there because I couldn’t bear to bring more shame on the family name.
And in both cases, the people I care about have paid the price. ”
Blackstone’s expression was grim but understanding. “The burden of legacy,” he said quietly. “I know it well. But you cannot let guilt paralyze you now. Lady Courtney needs you focused on the present, not the past.”
The duke was right, of course. Self-recrimination was a luxury he couldn’t afford while Courtney’s life hung in the balance. But the knowledge that his choices—his cowardice—had led to this moment would haunt him regardless of the outcome.
“Twenty minutes,” Wolf said, checking his pocket watch. “That’s how long it will take to ready horses and supplies. We can be on the road within the half hour.”
It felt like an eternity. Twenty minutes during which Lockwood could travel another several miles, during which Courtney could… Lucien cut off that line of thinking before it could fully form.
“She’ll slow him down,” Ashley said suddenly, as if reading his thoughts. “Courtney’s stronger than she appears. Smarter too. If she can find ways to delay their progress…”
“She will,” Lucien said with fierce conviction. “She’ll fight him every step of the way.”
And God help Lockwood if he hurt her while she did. Because when Lucien caught up with them—and he would catch up with them—there would be a reckoning that would make Kitty’s murder look merciful by comparison.
The thought should have disturbed him, this cold anticipation of violence. Instead, it steadied him, gave him purpose beyond the gnawing fear for Courtney’s safety.
Lockwood had made the gravest mistake of his miserable life when he’d threatened what Lucien held most dear. And before this day was over, he would understand exactly how grave that mistake had been.