Chapter 19
The sun sank lower in the sky. The tall buildings cast shadows across the street as Elizabeth and Jean hurried toward Newgate. They had to see Jonathan before the day ended. They needed time to plan and then set those plans into motion.
Surprisingly, Stanley didn’t give them his usual hard time when they arrived. Upon seeing Elizabeth, he merely held out his hand and grinned as she placed a few shillings in his palm.
Elizabeth smiled to herself as Jean checked out their surroundings. His gaze constantly shifted while they walked through the dismal corridors toward Jonathan’s cell.
Stanley opened the door to the cell and announced, “Ye’ve got some company. Ye didn’t get as lucky as yer accuser,” he said with a chuckle, then added, “Heard tell he’s escaped.”
Jonathan looked up, startled. “What are you talking about?”
“That Captain Lee escaped ’fore they could get him to a cell.
They’re already punishing the guard. The way it looks, ye could be in here forever before they get this mess straightened out,” Stanley said.
“Can’t hold the trial without him.” Then he looked at Elizabeth and Jean. “Ye got fifteen minutes.”
Jonathan rose and greeted Jean with a handshake. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw you in the courtroom. Thank God, you’ve come at the right time. As grateful as I am, I’m still a little surprised. What are you doing here?”
“Ah, my friend. Are you always in trouble?” Jean replied with a chuckle. “Or does trouble just seem to follow you?”
Jonathan gave a sarcastic laugh. “So it would seem.” He looked at Elizabeth.
He wanted very much to touch her, to hold her hand, and just forget his problems but he didn’t dare.
“I appreciate what you did for me at the trial. At least it has put some doubts into everyone’s minds and has bought me a little time. ”
“I can’t believe that filthy Lee is still alive.” Elizabeth shuddered. “Did I hear the guard correctly? Lee has escaped?”
“So,” he said, “Lee must be caught and stopped before he strikes again. If I could get my hands on him, he wouldn’t be alive long. After what he did to Elizabeth and now me, he deserves no mercy,” Jonathan vowed.
Elizabeth swallowed hard. If only Jonathan knew the real damage that Lee had inflicted.
“You would have to wait in line, my friend,” Jean said in a nasty voice. His eyes blazed with seething anger. “Remember, Lee shot my beautiful Jewel. He must pay the price.
“When we found her, she told us Lee had drowned, and I had no reason to believe otherwise. With the swift current, it did not seem likely that he survived. The man must be blessed with many lives.”
“He’s a cat, all right. An alley cat,” Jonathan muttered.
Jean went to the window, stepped up on the cot, and glanced out. “I see you have fresh air.”
“Aye,” Jonathan said with a grin. “And loose bars.”
“Ah, I’ve taught you well.” Jean nodded approvingly. “I’ve come prepared to help you with whatever you decide to do. The decision is yours.”
“I’m glad you planned ahead, as usual,” Jonathan said, a cold edge of irony in his voice.
“There isn’t much to decide. My father will have my name cleared.
Lee’s escape has made his word look doubtful.
However, it could take weeks to settle these charges, and I’m not willing to stay behind bars that long.
Lee will likely be preparing to sail his ship.
As I’ve said before, I have a score or two to settle with him.
” Jonathan prowled the cramped confines of the cell.
Jean smiled, a ruthless gleam in his eyes. “Then we shall see you at midnight, my friend.”
Elizabeth bit her lower lip. She didn’t want to object, but she wasn’t sure about the idea of Jonathan escaping. She didn’t want him shot. “But the British will hunt you down. All they will see is an escaped prisoner.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Jonathan told Elizabeth. He turned to Jean and said, “Midnight it shall be.”
The downstairs clock struck twelve as Jean assembled his men at Trent’s House.
A slight movement in the darkness caught his eye, and he swung around to see Elizabeth coming down the stairs dressed in breeches and a dark shirt.
Her hair had been caught up under a cap, and she looked very much like a young boy, not the beautiful woman he’d been with earlier.
“What are you doing?” Jean demanded. He wasn’t sure whether to send her back to bed or to be proud of her gumption. She was a lot like her brother.
“I’m going to help you,” she announced defiantly. “You will not leave me behind.”
“You know this could be dangerous, cherie,” Jean warned. “I do not wish to see you hurt.”
“Nor do I.” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “I’ll be fine,” she said, heading for the foyer. She would not allow them to leave her behind to worry herself to death. “Besides which, we don’t want to waste time coming back to the town house when we can go directly to Briercliff from the prison.”
Before Jean could argue further, the front door flew open, and Dominic strode toward them. Elizabeth hadn’t realized he wasn’t among the other men—she’d been too concerned with convincing Jean she was going with him.
“You were right, Jean,” Dominic said when he stopped directly in front of his captain. “The Rose has already set sail.”
“The Rose?” Elizabeth asked, a little puzzled.
“Captain Lee’s ship,” Jean explained. “Lee has done just as we expected. He’s wasted little time leaving England and removing himself from harm’s way. Let us not delay another moment.” Jean looked at Elizabeth. “Jonathan will not like you accompanying us. But who am I to argue? Stay close by me.”
“I can take care of myself,” Elizabeth insisted. Jonathan wasn’t her keeper, and he couldn’t tell her what to do.
One of Jean’s men, Mel, held the horses that had been brought from the stables. When Mel handed the reins to Jean he said, “They’ll have the wagon readied by the time we get there.”
The group made one stop on the way to purchase a wagon full of hay from the stable where the horses had been boarded.
Elizabeth couldn’t fathom why they needed the wagon.
It would only slow them down. Then it occurred to her that they planned to hide Jonathan beneath the hay as they made their escape.
Soon the dark silhouette of Newgate loomed ahead.
They didn’t stop at the front gate, but went to the north side of the prison.
Jean dismounted and paced the area, taking long strides.
He seemed to be counting off his steps. When he reached a certain spot he stopped and turned toward his men. “Position the wagon here.”
The rest of the men and Elizabeth dismounted and tied their horses to the wagon. The horse pulling the wagon whinnied.
“Keep him quiet,” Jean snapped.
Elizabeth ran over to the horse, grabbed his halter, and started rubbing his muzzle, but not before the wagon rolled over Mel’s foot and he started swearing.
“Why don’t we just announce that we are here?” Jean spat.
“Sorry, Jean,” Mel managed to say as he rubbed his injured foot.
When everything had quieted down again, Jean stepped back and gazed up at the building.
“The window is too high to throw a rope up to Jonathan,” Jean said, rubbing his jaw.
“That means we’re going to have to take the rope to him.
Come, Dominic, and grab a coil of rope. Let us make haste, and see what we can do. ”
“You’re going to walk in the front door?” Elizabeth asked.
“That seems to be the only way. The walls are much too steep to climb. Besides, no one would expect a jailbreak through the main entrance. The British are so arrogant; they would never expect a jailbreak at all. It takes a Frenchman to be cunning,” Jean said with a smile.
“What can I do?” Elizabeth asked, stepping out of the darkness. “Should I go with you?”
“No, cherie, you must stay behind and be ready with the wagon. You’ve done a good job calming that beast. We don’t want him moving at the wrong time. Perhaps you can try to keep the horse quiet, eh?”
Elizabeth nodded, but doubt surfaced. “What if they don’t let you inside the prison?”
Jean looked at her as if she were a small child and sighed deeply. Suddenly, a wicked grin spread across his face.
“Then we’ll simply use persuasion.” He bowed to her and then disappeared into the blackness.
The darkness was aided by a full moon casting weak glimmers of light here and there as Jean and Dominic made their way around the building to the main gate.
They found very few guards on watch at this time of night.
Jean grinned and looked at Dominic. “Better hide that coil of rope until we are in the building.”
Jean picked up the brass knocker and knocked soundly on the thick oak door. When he didn’t get an immediate answer, he peered into the small slit in the door. The turnkey, Stanley, stumbled to the door. By the looks of him, he’d been asleep.
Finally, the door opened. “What do ye want? Ye can’t see a bloody prisoner this late at night,” the man announced sleepily and tried to close the door.
Dominic stepped forward quickly and blocked the way with his leg. “What if we make it worth your while?”
Stanley’s eyes grew wide with interest. “Such as?” he asked, opening the door a little further.
“Such as gold?” Jean suggested and held a pouch up by one finger.
“Real gold.” A slow, greedy smile crept across Stanley’s face, his gaze never leaving the small bag. Then he frowned and gasped as he realized what was going on. “Ye planning a bloody jailbreak!” He turned to call for help, “Guard—”
Dominic had his arm around Stanley’s neck so fast that the man didn’t know what happened. He could only gasp for air. He struggled, but Dominic pressed the sharp tip of a knife against his back, and then Stanley went very still.