29. Chapter 29
Chapter 29
To Dorset
“ S weet, you have no other clothes here. Are you going to be alright?” Fred stroked her arm.
She giggled another one of those delightful giggles. Fred thought she must have one for every occasion. She leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Do you think I smell bad?” He immediately got a cockstand.
“No, you always smell of jasmine and you. You smell even better when you smell like jasmine, you, and sex. I love that smell.”
Daniel returned to the drawing room. “Pardon, my lords, the coach has returned.” Blackwood stood and held out his empty glass of scotch to Daniel. "One more." Daniel poured from the scotch decanter. “Stay right there.” He took the drink, shot it down, and handed the glass back to Daniel. “I would love for you to come and work for me.”
“I’m flattered you would offer me a position, however, I’m quite happy here, your grace,” Daniel answered politely.
“I will pay you more.” Blackwood gave him an ornery smile.
“Lord Windham pays me well, your grace.” Daniel feared being rude, but he had no intention of leaving Lord Windham.
“You think about it.” Daniel bowed and walked away, relieved to have the short conversation over.
Fredrick, Margaret, Frank, with Stephen walked toward the back door. Fred looked out to see Max and Ben had the Concord ready for travel. “Max, you feel good enough to drive that Concord to Dorset?” Fred called out to him. The Concord required expertise above and beyond the requirements of a regular coachman. The only man who could drive the Concord in all of England happened to be Max.
“Yes, my lord. Fine for the drive. Need a quick something to eat and some water for the ride, but I’m ready, my lord.” Max turned to continue speaking with Ben while getting the horses ready.
Finally, Jonathan and Henry rode into the stables. “Lord Addams, Lord Herbert. Where the hell have you two been? We need to get on the road. I fear Thistlewood has a considerable lead on us as it is.” Fred should not have been irritated. They were volunteering their time. He was anxious to go, but he had to admit, he needed all of them. Keep your mouth shut and thank them. “Thank you for coming to help. Did you bring weaponry?”
“Yes, we both did. I apologize for the delay. Another issue at home – Father. You were not about to go without me.” John’s voice sounded deeply apologetic.
Henry kicked the ground in aggravation. “Yes, his father chose today to be difficult. But we are here and ready to go.”
“What has happened since we all spoke last?” John asked with Henry nodding his head.
“We can talk in the coach. Now, I need you to put what you won’t need right away in the boot. If you need more water than what we have on board, ask Daniel to find water jugs for you. I’m hoping to get us out of here in fifteen minutes.” He looked at Margaret standing to the side, watching the commotion. “Sweet, run upstairs, get in my dressing room closet, and take a blanket. The days have been warm, but the nights have been unusually cool. When you come down to get in the coach, sit facing front, next to one of the windows, alright?”
“Yes, Fredrick.” She turned to start for the stairs when he grabbed her arm.
Fred looked both ways, pulled her to him, and kissed her passionately. He could not help himself, but reached down and took a handful of her perfectly round bottom. She moaned. He slapped her on the bottom and she squealed. “Now go.” He turned to start toward the kitchen and saw John standing there.
“And you said what to me? Can you recall?” John goaded him.
“Yes, yes. I confess. I’m another horseman who has fallen off and fallen in.”
John patted him on his back. “Honestly, Fred, I’m happy to see it. You deserve to be happy. She is a beautiful young lady and I think she has had a tendre for you for at least a few years.”
“Why did you not tell me?”
“It was not for me to tell. It was for you to discover. And you finally saw her. I think she is an excellent lady to share your life with.”
“John, that is kind. And wise. I have thought many times that you are an old soul.” Fred took John’s arm. “I thank you. Now, we need to go. We have a little over one-hundred-fifty miles to get to Dorset.” Fred looked down the hall to watch for Margaret. Not seeing her, he walked to the bottom of the stairs. He caught her eye as she started down. She had a sultry look in those emerald eyes. “Do not look at me with those seductive eyes. We need to leave and I can’t have my way with you in a cabin full of virile men.”
“Fredrick, you must behave. I hope we will have many, many more times like the one we had last night.”
“I want another one of those tonight.” He grabbed her bottom again. “I love your bottom . It is perfect.”
She whispered to him again. “I want you to show me everything again tonight. I need a lot more practice.” Then she sashayed toward the stable yard.
“You are a minx.” He called out to her.
Max stood at the door when Fred finally made it there. “Something amiss?” Max had that look. Fred dreaded to hear it. It was never good.
“My lord, because we have six horses, Ben will have to ride the left horse – the guide horse. That means I will be without anyone on the coachman’s seat with me.”
Fred turned toward the hallway and called. “Daniel! I need you.” Very odd to see Daniel running, but he took off with an impressive stride. “You need an overcoat of some kind. You are going to ride up top with Max. Ben is riding the first horse.” Thank heavens. Easy fix.
“Yes, my lord.” And Daniel ran down the servants' back stairs.
“Anything else we need?” Fred hoped they were done.
“I have a shotgun under my seat. I think that is all I will need, my lord.” Max gave a chuckle, turned, and walked out. Fred hoped they were all set as soon as Daniel returned. He prayed once again, they were not too late.
Margaret sat at the window seat with Fred next to her and Blackwood on the other side of him. Frank, John, and Henry were rear-facing. Fred and Frank explained the events of the last two days. Quite a revelation to John and Henry. Their commentary even filled in some of the blanks for Margaret. Once everyone had all the information on the murder of Linda/Glenda and Clarice, they better understood the brevity of the situation.
“My opinion and hope is that Marcus Thistlewood returned to wherever he stayed after he murdered Lady Blackwood. If he stayed overnight and left for Dorset between eight and ten o’clock, he would be one to three or four hours ahead of us. What we don’t know is his mode of transportation. For some reason, I don’t think he would ride horseback. I’m less confident about whether he took a coach, but I’m hoping he paid for a stagecoach. If that is the case, we might be able to catch him or even pass him.” Frank sounded credible regarding his thoughts.
“We have six horses, thank you, Lord Herbert, so we will be stopping at twenty-mile increments. Perhaps less.” Fred mentioned. His coach with six horses would allow for longer intervals between the changing of horses.
“What did Ernie, the bar wench, or the doxy tell you as far as Thistlewood’s description?” John, ever the detail man.
“Ernie gave a detailed description. The bar wench only reported Thistlewood as ‘nice looking’. Ernie told me he is not tall, perhaps five feet-eight or nine inches; Medium brown hair; Brown eyes; Right-handed; Expensive clothes and timepiece; and he made sure that Ernie saw he had a lot of money on him.” Frank had memorized the information Ernie provided. Frank continued. “Another thing, Thistlewood told Ernie that he planned to meet Lord Blackwood there. It created a suspicion among Bow Street that had he planned to kill you, too?” Blackwood's expression was nondescript.
John looked at Blackwood. It sent a chill down his spine. Not for him, but for Little Stevie girl. She needed a family. She needed Stephen. "John, I have to tell you and everyone else here, how very grateful I am that you stopped to take the picture frame from Glenda's flat. Little Stevie's location might not have ever been found without you and Lady Margaret. The damn frame sat in my townhouse for weeks and the answer was waiting for us to discover in that frame." Fred felt a bit like he should have known.
Fredrick, I am unsure if any of us, save for Lady Margaret would have opened the back of the frame." John knew none of the men in that coach wold have bothered.
They continued on their trip to Dorset, with a lot of conversation. Some slept, some sat quietly, and some had quiet conversations. During the stops, some got out to stretch or relieve themselves. They had been traveling for a little over twelve hours when they stopped around Hounslow. All six disembarked. Fred helped Margaret down. “Margaret, you know that traveling with us this way has ruined you. I don’t like it. If anyone, any stranger asks who you are, you tell them you are my wife.” He had tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. He squeezed her fingers. “I can get a special license and we could be married as soon as we return to London. What do you think, Ginny?” She looked up at him and he kissed her forehead. “I want you with me.” And he meant it.
When he spoke to her that way, her heart flipped over. She could physically feel it. She had to pinch herself to make sure this was not one of her many fantasies. “I would be thrilled to, but – “ She looked apologetic. “You must speak with Papa first.”
“That will be the first thing I do after I get the special license.” She squeezed his arm. Him – Lord Fredrick Windham, unbelievably, unmistakably, a complete lovesick swain. He shook his head, with a small ‘ha’, looked down at her, and wondered how in the hell this had happened. Fred – overwhelmed yet elated it had.
As they all boarded once more. Max let Fredrick know. “We have maybe four more hours before we arrive in Weymouth.” Counting all the stops. By the time they arrived at their destination, they would have traveled around twenty hours.
The closer they got to Dorset, the more anxious the gentlemen became. Margaret could feel the tension build inside the cabin. They discussed their weapons. It frightened her to think fighting could be a real possibility. They were sure if they faced him, he would put up a fight. They needed a strategy for any number of scenarios and discussed each possibility.
By the time they arrived within a mile of Miss Ryall's Boarding School for Young Ladies, they felt confident they had more than what they needed to overtake the murderous bastard . When they stepped out of the coach this time, Stephen asked everyone to attempt to straighten their clothes as best they could.
Frank asked for their attention. “It would be wonderful if Little Stevie girl had not left the school and we had no dealings with Thistlewood. I would rather be prepared. Now we all need to get our pistols. If anyone has extra ammo, put what you can in your pockets. Stephen will go in and ask for his daughter. I think each of us should take a corner of the building. If she is gone, we find out what we can and go from there. If he shows up while we are there, the one who sees him first, calls out. Max, you are our last resort. Don’t hesitate. Any questions?”
They all looked at each other and felt they were as prepared as they could be. “Now, we go get Little Stevie girl,” Fred spoke as if it was a battle cry.
“I’m nervous and excited. I want my Little Stevie girl.” Stephen’s face said it all. Fred could see his hands trembling. It would have to be a surreal experience. He hoped it had a happy ending. They all re-entered the coach and had less than a mile to go.
They rolled up to the school. The men stepped out one at a time, covering each corner of the building with their pistols within reach. Lord Blackwood entered. “Good morning. I am here to speak with Miss Ryall.” Standing before the lady at the desk as regal as he truly was.
The young lady asked. “May I tell her who is calling?”
“I am Lord Blackwood, Duke of Berkshire. I expect to see her, you understand?” Curt, yet matter-of-fact.
“Ye – yes, your grace. I – I’ll get her…right away.” The young lady quickly stood from behind the front desk, and nervously, trotted off to find Miss Ryall. Stephen took off one of his gloves and continued to slap it against the palm of his other hand as he paced back and forth. He heard two sets of footfalls and turned to face the pair.
“Your grace, I’m Miss Ryall, how may I help you?” Her lip quivered, visibly nervous.
“I have come for my daughter, Miss Ryall.” He stood erect; focused and disciplined.
“Your daughter? I – I – I don’t – I – I- am sorry, your grace. Who is your daughter?”
“Stevenica Blackwood. I have arrived from India and desperately want to see her. If you would please fetch her. I will need to discharge her as well. I am taking her with me to Town. She is to be presented to the King.”
“My – my. Oh, my lord, I mean…pardon – your grace. She…is…gone.” The woman visibly shaking. “You are referring to Stevencia Black, your grace? Y-yes. She is gone.”
“What do you mean, gone? I sent a message that I would be coming. She cannot be gone.”
“But – but, your grace. Your – your sec…secretary came to fetch her.”
"I have no secretary that deals with my daughter." He studied her for a moment. “You do not move.” He demanded.
“Ye-ye-yeees, my lord, p-p-pardon, y-your grace.”
Blackwood stepped just outside the door. “Max, call for them. She's gone.” Stephen put his hand to his forehead. One by one the men met in the front. “She is gone. We need to all go in and get as much information from Miss Ryall as possible.”
As they entered, Miss Ryall’s eyes almost popped out of her eye sockets. Blackwood feared she was too overwhelmed. “Miss Ryall, this is Lord Windham, Marquess of Shropshire.” She curtsied.
Fred gave a small bow. “This is Lord Herbert, Earl of Powis; Lord Addams, Earl of Newcastle; and Mr. Frank Stewart, Chief investigator for the Realm. You need to start talking. I want you to begin from when this person arrived up to this moment. And do not leave one thing out. Do you understand?”
“Ye – ye – yes, my lords. Your, it was your secretary, Mr. Thistlewood, who came to get her. He told us he came to take her to meet you in Jamaica.”
“Remember, we read that she had referred to him as your secretary.” Fred reminded Stephen.
“Yes, she wrote that he brought her dresses,” John said. Their eyes turned back to the woman.
“I told you, I have no secretary – no secretary Thistlewood." Stephen began to display his anxiety. "When did he get here? What time? Today? Yesterday? When?” Stephen barked at her.
“About two hours ago.” She looked with doe eyes at each of the gentlemen.
“And what exactly did he say? I want word for word.” Stephen demanded.
“Lord Blackwood, you are scaring her to the point she may swoon.” Frank turned to her. “This is most important. This Mr. Thistlewood is a bad man. We fear he is taking her away to sell her. Can you remember what he said, exactly?”
“He said her father had arrived in Jamaica and wanted Thistlewood to bring her to him. You, my lord, pardon, your grace.”
“Did he say anything about where they were sailing from; anything like that?” Frank continued to gently coax.
“Oh, yes, he said they were sailing out of Dorset this afternoon.”
“Did he force her to go?”
“Oh, no. She was so excited to finally be with her Papa. And we all knew Mr. Thistlewood. He had come to bring her things from her father in the past. You, your grace. He probably came at the beginning of the quarter. He paid for her fees. From her father. You – , your grace.“
“Yes, yes. Continue. Did she take her clothes, anything?” Stephen asked.
“He explained she would not need any clothes. You would buy her all new clothes. She did take all the gifts you sent her. The entire school cried. We hated to see her go. She is the sweetest and most beautiful child. I felt like she was my own.” She began to cry.
“How long had she been a student here?” Blackwood asked.
“She came here at only six years of age. She was so beautiful. She was afraid when she first arrived here. She is the youngest student I ever had, but Mr. Thistlewood brought her and said her mother had died and her father had gone overseas. Such a sweet and beautiful little child. I had her sleep in the room with me maybe for – oh, two years. Maybe longer. Please find her. I love her like my own.”
“Yes, ma’am. We will find her. We will make sure she writes or even comes back to see you.” Frank told her. “Did he share the ship’s name? Maybe the time the ship would weigh anchor? Leave?”
“Let me think. We were all crying about her suddenly leaving us. I think he may have. Please let me think.”
“I would think Little Stevie girl would be easy to spot if she is as lovely as this lady says. People around the pier could tell us if they saw her.” Frank surmised.
Miss Ryall jumped. “ Thomas! Thomas ! The ship is Thomas ! I remember he said they would be sailing on the Thomas . He told her they were going on a big merchant ship. She could not contain her happiness. She was so excited to finally be together with her Papa. She wrote you all the time. We spent the holidays together because she…well, she had no family and all the other girls went home. But we were happy.” She pulled a handkerchief out of her sleeve and began to cry again.
“You have been most helpful. Thank you.” Frank gave her a little pat on the shoulder.
Stephen walked over to her. “Thank you for taking such good care of my little girl. I am grateful.”
“I love her. She is a joy.”
“We will be in touch.” Stephen shared a few more words with Miss Ryall. He bowed, left the school and they got into the coach.
“We are going to have to play this a bit differently. If he is on board, you four will have to throw your titles around. That should get us on board. Might be easier to get them if they are onboard. If they are waiting to board, it could be more problematic. If we can get him to run away from the pier we can use one of our strategies. Remember what we may have to do if he uses her as a shield.”
“We are ready. We need to get there.” Stephen’s fears were heightened.
Margaret had been standing by the front door, listening to the new strategies. When they walked out of the school, Fred took her hand. “Thank you.” He twined his hand in hers.
“For what, Fredrick?” She looked up at him with those big emerald eyes.
“I don’t know. I guess, because.” They walked toward the coach. “Because you are you. Now, don’t you distract me. I need to be focused on retrieving Little Stevie girl. If I’m thinking about you, I will never be able to think about anything else.” He could feel the tightness in his deerskins only by talking to her. He held her back and turned her around; his back to the coach. “See what you do to me.” He took her hand and put it on his cock.
“ Fre-e-ed . Someone might see us.” This time she gave that sultry laugh.
“I truly don’t care.” He gave her a quick peck and they then hurried to the coach.
The Pier
“Max! When we get to the pier, ask the workers if they know where the Thomas , is docked.”
There were four or five naval ships, but they had dropped anchor further out. There was no sign of any sailors on the pier. The merchant ships were at the end of the long pier with men going back and forth loading. Max stopped the coach to ask a worker the location of the merchant ship Thomas . A man stopped and pointed to the end of the pier and said something in a language neither Max nor Daniel had ever heard.
Fred opened the cabin door. “You need to stop the coach before we get to the front of the ship. We can get out and walk. We don’t want to alarm him until we are on top of him.”
“Yes, my lord.” Max began to slowly move the horses forward. They were three ships away from the Thomas , Max moved the coach closer to the warehouses and stopped. “Time we had better get our weapons situated. Anyone good with a knife?” Frank knew that particular talent could be quite useful.
“John, Henry, and I are all good with knives, but John is an expert.” Fred volunteered as he pulled his knife from his boot. John always carried a specially-made hand sax in a scabbard, hidden on his left side and another in his boot. Ben and Daniel knocked the step and the men poured out with Margaret exiting last.
“Hand me down that shotgun, Max,” Daniel called up. Max and Ben would have to stay with the horses and coach.
“I want you to stay here. I don’t want you to get in the middle of this if there is trouble. I would not want to lose you, understand?” He bent down enough to be eye-to-eye with her.
“Yes Fredrick, but I’m much more concerned about you. Please be careful.” He kissed her on the forehead and turned to catch up with the others.
Margaret prayed rarely. Her life had always been good. She left prayers for those who needed them, but she had been praying lately. A lot. She prayed for her poor brother and now for the safety of the horsemen.
The pier sat at the bottom of a hill, perpendicular to the road. The end of the dock had a steep hill which would make it difficult to climb. Before they got any closer, they decided if they were unable to apprehend him on the pier, he would most likely try to climb the hill and pull Little Stevie girl with him.
It would be beneficial to have two go around the back to cover the higher elevation behind the warehouses. John and Daniel volunteered. John might be able to take Thistlewood down with his hand sax. If Thistlewood got close enough, Daniel could easily take him down. So with a plan in place, they began to walk forward as Daniel and John ran to the back. They hoped they would be able to capture him before he attempted to escape.
As they neared the ship, they moved closer to the buildings. They saw an open area. They were unable to distinguish whether it was a warehouse, storage area, or a smaller waiting area for paying passengers. Frank and Fred were in front with Henry and Stephen right behind. Frank signaled Stephen and Henry to stay on the immediate side of the opened area. Frank and Fred would attempt to stealthily get to the far side of the opened bay door.
When Frank counted off with his fingers, one, two, three, they dashed to the other side of the opening. Stephen carefully looked around to watch for any movement. He spotted a beautiful young lady sitting on a bench, crying with an older man sitting next to her. He spoke to her, but the words were inaudible. Stephen wanted to charge in but Frank signaled them to wait. Sooner or later, Thistlewood would get up.
As Frank predicted, Thistlewood stood, said something to Little Stevie girl, and began to walk toward the large bay door opening. Unexpectedly, Stephen dashed out to tackle Thistlewood so the others followed suit, hoping to get him to the ground. Thistlewood pulled a pistol. He walked backward until he reached the bench and grabbed Little Stevie girl by the arm. “Don’t come any closer or I will kill her.”
“What good will that do? Then we will kill you. There is no advantage in that, Thistlewood. Put the gun down and step away from Stevie.” Frank spoke in a calm voice.
“Take me if you want a hostage. Only let my daughter go.” Stephen said to Thistlewood.
Suddenly, little Stevie girl called out. “Papa!” Thistlewood pushed her down. She fell to the ground. "Papa!!” She scrambled back onto her feet and ran to him. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her face. He showered her with a thousand kisses. “Papa!” She cried into his topcoat. “Papa.” She looked up at him. Tears flowed down her face. She whispered. “My papa.”
“Yes, my love. I am here for my Little Stevie girl.” He kissed her again and again.
“Papa. Never leave me. Please.”
“I will never leave you. Never. Not ever. I love you, my Little Stevie girl.”
“What a sweet little reunion. You know your stupid bitch of a wife knew about her a few weeks after the kid’s birth. How do you like that one? She hated you so much she had her hidden.” He saw Fred, Frank, and Henry inching closer. “Stay back. I mean it. I will kill her.”
“I used one of my whores as a midwife. Linda let the father’s name slip. She called out his name in labor. So I made a house call. You were not home, but sweet Clarice invited me in. I tried to blackmail her but she had a better plan. The problem arose when she decided she wanted the girl for herself. We disagreed.” Again, he yelled. “Stay back! Damnit.” He had the gun aimed at Fred and Frank. “Step over there, with him. Nice and easy. He walked around them in a wide berth. He fired his gun and ran.
“Did anyone get hit?” Fred looked at the three.
Stephen held his daughter as she cried.
Frank looked down, put his hand on his left side, and looked at his hand covered in blood. “Yes. I guess it was…me.” He fell to the ground.
“Jesus, Frank!” Fred felt around and saw the blood pooling from Frank's left side. “Henry, go to the warehouse guard. Tell him to whistle for someone on one of those naval ships. Find out if any have a surgeon onboard. Then get the first aid basket from the boot.”
“Fred, I think I’m alright.” Frank attempted to sit up and fell back down. “Well, maybe…not.”
“Be still, Frank. We will have help for you in a minute.” Fred took his topcoat off, put it on the wound, and applied pressure.
John and Daniel were hiding at the corner of the building on the backside. They heard a gunshot. “Bloody hell. Whose gun went off?” Daniel poked his head around the corner to see Thistlewood running diagonally up the steep hill. “Look my lord, he is moving away from us.”
John whispered. “We need to get him to stop. I hoped we could take him alive, but it doesn’t look like it will be possible. He has his gun out in front of him.”
“If I fire off this shotgun it should stop him. Then what? You have a gun?” Daniel seemed skeptical.
“I have something better. I have a knife.”
“Well, we better do it.” Daniel shot a round, aiming at the man. Thistlewood turned; gun raised. John stepped out from their hiding place, aimed his knife, and let it fly, hitting Thistlewood, dead center of his chest. Thistlewood screamed and fell backward, hitting the ground. Daniel ran down with the shotgun reloaded and kicked the gun away from Thistlewood’s reach. John bent down and pulled the knife out of the dead man’s chest which made a slight sucking sound. “My lord, you are excellent with that knife.” John wiped his knife in the grass when Daniel began to sniff the air. “What the deuce is that smell?” Daniel’s face scrunched. “It is foul.”
“Daniel, when people die, their muscles relax. Sometimes people defecate.” John cleaned off his knife in the grass. “Get his gun, Daniel. One can never have too many weapons.” He smiled up at Daniel.
“My lord. I don’t want to ever die if I’m going to shite myself. How embarrassing.”
“You won’t know it, Daniel.” Jonathan shook his head along with a slight chuckle.
At the entrance to the warehouse, all were huddled around Frank. Suddenly, they heard a shotgun blast. A second later a scream. Then nothing. Minutes later, Daniel and John came from around the corner.
“What happened? Jesus, Frank.” John squatted down with Fred.
“That bastard got a shot off. It hit Frank. I sent Henry to check on a naval surgeon. He will return the first aid basket.”
Margaret came running and bent down with the basket in hand. “Frank, Frank. Look at me. I have sent Henry to find a surgeon. You are going to be alright.” She pulled the cotton lint and gauze out of the basket, unbuttoned his topcoat and waistcoat, then pulled his shirt out of his trousers. “This is going to sting.”
“Not any worse… than this gunshot.” She poured whiskey around the wound. “You are…right. It…stings.” Frank tried to give her a smile.
“Frank, don’t talk.” She put the lint over the wound, folded the gauze, covered the wound, then applied pressure. “What was the shotgun blast?” She looked at John.
“The stupid bastard tried to run up the hill. Daniel fired the gun, Thistlewood stopped, and I killed him with my hand sax. It is a lethal weapon." John looked toward the coach and only saw Max. "Where is Little Stevie girl?” John stood to see her with Stephen. She continued to whimper.
“Thistlewood killed the kind man because of me.” She tucked her head into Stephen’s arm.
John calmly spoke to her. “No, Little Stevie girl. Mr. Stewart is injured, but he is going to be fine. It had nothing to do with you.” He wanted to console her.
“Thank you for telling me – my, my – lord. She peeked her head out and gave him a little smile. John’s heart stopped. He would always want to make her smile. She was so beautiful.
“Where the hell is Henry?” Fred stood, looking down the pier.
“It has not been that long, Fredrick. He will be here. Hopefully, with a surgeon. Otherwise, we will have to find out where the local doctor resides.” Margaret patted Fred’s arm. Frank began to sweat. Never a good sign. Margaret dug through Fredrick’s topcoat and found his handkerchief. She patted Frank’s forehead. “You will be alright, Frank.” She reached back into the basket and pulled out the laudanum. She raised Frank’s head with one hand. “Here Frank, take a sip of this.” He did as she instructed, and then she laid his head back down.
“What the hell…ugh.” He turned his head slightly.
“Laudanum. It will help with the pain.” She resumed pressure on the wound. “Fred, get Daniel to find out what has happened with Henry.”
“Good idea, sweet.” He turned to see Daniel behind him.
“I will go. You stay, my lord.” Daniel ran down the pier. Big, strong boy. I can’t ever let him go. I need to find him a more responsible, higher-paying position . Fred watched as Daniel made it to the coach. Daniel stopped briefly to speak with Max, then ran off again. Max began to turn the Concord around. With little room for such a large coach to turn around, he took it slow, but Max could do almost anything with the Concord.
Frank began to drift in and out of consciousness. “Frank, I think you need to stay awake. I gave you the laudanum for the pain. The bad part is it makes you drowsy. Can you hang on for me?” She soothed his brow and spoke to him so sweetly.
“Just…for you…Margaret.” He struggled to speak.
“It looks like Henry, Daniel, and another man are running this way.” It relieved Fredrick…somewhat.
“Frank, someone is coming to help,” Margaret told him as she wiped his brow again with Fred’s hanky.
“Good.” Frank barely eked out. Words now seemed beyond his ability.
“What have we got here?” The man asked.
“Gunshot wound to the left side. The gut area.” Margaret explained.
“Thank you, my lady. Let me in here.” First, he began to feel around Frank’s back to find an exit wound. “I need to get him on the ship. I have a room dedicated to surgery onboard.”
“How do we get him out there?” Daniel asked.
“I have the dingy down there. We will have to row him to the ship and haul him up.”
“Alright, I will carry him. I may need someone else to help me get him onto the ship.” Daniel looked for someone to volunteer.
“I will go with you, Daniel.” Fred volunteered. Daniel is my footman. And I got Frank into this mess. “Margaret, you stay here with the rest.” He kissed Margaret on the forehead and ran to catch Daniel and the naval doctor.
Margaret walked over to Lord Blackwood and Little Stevie girl. “I am so sorry you had to go through this. Are you alright?”
“I have my Papa. I’m alright.” She spoke quietly, but Margaret heard happiness in her voice.
“We are so happy to finally meet you. We have been waiting for quite some time. My name is Margaret. Could I get something for you?”
“Yes, my lady. All the gifts my Papa sent to me are in a small pink bag. Papa’s secretary, Mr. Thistlewood, put it inside his coat. Would you be kind enough to get the bag for me, please?” She looked up at her Papa. “I am so happy you came for me.”
“I tried to come sooner. I will never let you get away from me now. I promise.”
Margaret walked over to John. “I’m afraid I can’t go through Thistlewood’s – “
“Say no more. I need to go through his pockets, anyway. It is alright.” John patted Margaret on the arm and then walked out of the building.
Blackwood and Little Stevie girl were seated on the bench. Margaret sat down on the bench with the two, far enough to allow for some privacy. Not much, but some. It seemed that the three were the only ones there for the longest time. Then Margaret heard the thundering of hooves, and the crunch of coach wheels coming closer to where the three of them were inside the warehouse.
Henry opened the coach door and Margaret walked out to meet him. With nothing else for Henry to do, he had Max take him back to Miss Ryall’s school to collect Little Stevie girl’s belongings. “Poor Little Stevie girl. She did not have much, but I got what there was. The staff and students surrounded me wanting to know what had happened to their favorite girl. I told them all was well and she was in her Papa’s arms.”
“Come in and meet her. She seems as sweet as her letters.” Henry took Margaret’s hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm.
“I am anxious to meet her. We spent a good amount of time trying to find her. I’m so glad we arrived when we did.”
Margaret and Henry entered the small, open waiting area. “Little Stevie girl, I would like to introduce you to another one of your father’s friends.” Blackwood and Little Stevie girl looked up; still so closely together they, indeed, looked as if they were glued together. “This is Lord Henry Addams, Earl of Newcastle.”
“It is such an honor to meet you, my Lady. We are all so happy to see you reunited with your Papa, Lord Blackwood.”
“I am pleased to meet you, my lord. I am happy to meet Papa’s friends. You were all so kind to come for me." She smiled up at Stephen. "Papa promised me that he would never leave me again.” He squeezed her even tighter.
“Never, ever.” He showered her with kisses on the top of her head.
Henry hesitated as he stepped forward, looking at Blackwood. “Your grace, may I suggest you take Little Stevie girl back to the school tomorrow or the next day and have a proper send-off. I went back to the school to retrieve the rest of her belongings. Miss Ryall said all the students and teachers at the school had been overborne since we all went into the school, looking for her.”
“Yes, I think you would like that, would you not, darling girl?” Blackwood looked down at the most beautiful little face he had ever seen.
“Yes, Papa, but I don’t want to be too much trouble.”
“No, no, not ever. We will go, take cake and ice cream and presents and have a grand time. Would you like a party at the school?” He kissed the top of her head, cheek, then took her by the chin, and raised her head to see him. “Would you want to have a party?”
“Papa. That would cost money. You have to save your money. I don’t want to be a burden. I can help you save money. I learned to save money a long time ago.” She smiled up at him, but the tears began to fall once more. “I don’t want you to leave me, please.”
“I will not ever, ever, ever leave you. Not ever. Did you hear what the bad man said? Mr. Thistlewood never worked for me. I had never seen him before; not until today in this room.”
“I’m so confused. Do you want me, Papa? Because I promise to be good. I will do exactly what you say. I will clean your house, wash your clothes, and cook your food. I will take care of all your needs for you. I want to make you happy.”
“Listen to me.” He took her chin again. “The only thing I need is for you to be happy for the rest of your life.” He squeezed her tight.
Relieved to see John coming around the corner, Henry could step away. The conversation between Little Stevie girl and Blackwood had been too heart-wrenching for Henry’s ears. He might tear up listening to her plead for ‘Papa’ to let her stay. Henry, anxious to make his exit. “Very nice to have met you, Little Stevie girl.” He bowed and walked away.
John came around the corner and had heard their dialogue. Would she always be afraid Stephen would leave her? She had been so sheltered. He approached the naive little beauty. “I have your bag with all the gifts your Papa sent you.”
Margaret stood. “Little Stevie girl, this is Lord John Herbert, Earl of Powis. He has been waiting to meet you for some time. We all have.”
He walked to her, took her hand, the one not wrapped around Papa, and bowed over it. “I am so happy to meet you. I hope you don’t mind us being a part of this reunion with your Papa. He is a good man. He has missed you so very much.”
“I know you are a friend of Papa’s, so you are a friend of mine. I’m so happy that you all came to rescue me from Mr. Thistlewood. I never knew anything about him. He only stayed at the school long enough to pay for me to stay at the school. Sometimes he would bring me beautiful gifts that Papa sent me, Is he alright?”
John looked into the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. “He will not bother you ever again, I promise.”
“Thank you, Lord Herbert. I will rest better.” With what she had experienced today, she might not give a genuine smile for some time. Not to anyone, but her Papa.