Chapter 15 #2
“I care not,” Peter said as he walked to the door and opened it. “You belong to me, and you soon will forget this other man, if you know what’s good for you. I hope when I return you will be more agreeable.”
The moment Peter slammed the door shut, Emma stepped over to the dressing table and looked for anything that might aid in her escape. Unfortunately, after a thorough search, she found nothing. She moved to the bed and dropped down onto it.
Think, Emma, she thought. How was she going to get herself out of this mess?
Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. She jumped up from the bed and hurried to the window. She unlatched it and pushed it open. Leaning out, she ran her hand along the uneven stones. She had no doubt that she could climb down this wall.
Emma could hear movement in the trees near the cottage, and she knew she needed to proceed cautiously. If she was caught by a guard, then Peter might tie her up… or worse. Frankly, she had no idea what Peter was capable of anymore.
Reaching into the pocket of her gown, she felt the heavy pistol weighing her dress down. She had one shot with the pistol. And she was a good shot.
Well, she had better start moving. She wasn’t going to wait around and be a damsel in distress. She was going to rescue herself.
With a drink in his hand, Simeon sat in Lansdowne’s drawing room.
It had been several hours, and still no word on Emma’s location.
And it was not for a lack of trying. Every available Bow Street Runner and agent of the Crown were scouring the streets and poring through documents in an attempt to find any lead. But no lead was forthcoming.
Now he sat alone. The Beckett family had adjourned to the dining room to eat a midday meal, but he was not hungry. How could he eat at a time like this?
He brought his drink to his lips. They had to find Emma.
But what if they didn’t? The feeling of overwhelming panic came into his heart as he realized he was reliving his nightmare all over again.
Emma had disappeared, just as Martha had.
It had taken him five years to find her.
No, that would not happen again. He would go to hell and back to find Emma. But where to look?
Benedict’s voice broke through his musings. “I know that look. You are about to go half-cocked on us, aren’t you?”
Setting his drink down, Simeon rose and turned to see Benedict leaning against the doorframe. “I’m going mad just sitting here waiting for a lead. I’m going to start searching for Emma myself.”
“Pray tell, where are you going to start looking?”
“Everywhere,” he announced, his voice rising.
An amused look came to Benedict’s face. “At least you have a solid plan.”
Simeon’s shoulders slumped. “I can’t lose her… not the way I lost Martha.”
“You won’t. We’ll find Emma,” Benedict said, walking further into the room.
“But what if we don’t?” he asked in despair.
Sitting down onto an armchair, Benedict looked up at him. “What happened to Martha is nothing like what happened to Emma,” he said calmly.
“Isn’t it?”
“It is not,” Benedict replied with compassion in his tone. “Martha was sold into slavery, whereas Emma was abducted by a spurned suitor. I highly doubt Peter whisked Emma away on a boat in the middle of the night to India.”
Feeling dejected, Simeon sat back down on his chair. “I failed Emma, just as I failed Martha. I am lousy at keeping people safe.”
“That’s not accurate,” Benedict assured him. “We’re all to blame for Emma’s abduction. Had we known what great lengths Lockhart was prepared to go to retrieve her, then we would have hidden her away much sooner.”
“May I ask where this safehouse is?”
Benedict’s expression grew stern. “It’s a well-guarded secret.”
“Understood.” Simeon ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. “I’m scared,” he admitted softly.
Benedict’s lips twitched. “Bow Street Runners aren’t supposed to be afraid of anything.”
“Neither are agents of the Crown,” he contended.
“Good point.” Benedict leaned forward in his seat, his expression growing serious. “This time, you’re not alone. You have friends that have a particular set of skills that can help retrieve Emma.”
“What if we’re too late?”
“We won’t be,” Benedict assured him. “Lockhart wants Emma alive.”
“But what kind of damage could he inflict on her before we rescue her?”
Benedict considered him for a long moment. “Emma is clever and strong-willed. She won’t stop fighting Lockhart.”
“And if Lockhart tires of her insolence?”
Benedict frowned. “You seem to focus on the negative. Why is that?”
“How can I not? My betrothed was stolen from me, sent to a brothel, and I spent five years searching tirelessly for her, only to have her choose another,” Simeon said. “Life has not been exceptionally kind to me.”
“My brother was murdered by the same man who abducted Martha,” Benedict shared. “He also nearly killed Eliza. But I chose not to dwell on it. Choosing despair or hate will eventually destroy you.”
Simeon blinked back the tears in his eyes. “My whole world was turned upside down after Martha vanished. I lost everything. My friends, my family, and my betrothed. And when I finally found Martha, I lost her all over again. How can I not lose hope?”
“Love is tangible, as is hope,” Benedict replied.
He sighed. “But what if I am not destined to have a love match? What if the problem is me?”
“It’s abundantly clear that you care for Emma,” Benedict said, watching him closely. “I’m sure even more than you’re letting on. So, I must pose the question, what are your intentions towards Emma?”
“I have deep feelings for her.”
“I see,” Benedict muttered. “True love is rare, and people can search their entire lives to find it. But you have been blessed to have found it twice.”
“No, Martha didn’t choose me. She chose Emmett.”
“If Martha hadn’t been sold into slavery, do you believe that you two would have married?”
“Without a doubt,” he rushed to answer.
“I believe fate intervened, because you weren’t supposed to marry Martha,” Benedict said.
“And I’m supposed to marry Emma?”
Benedict shrugged. “You tell me.”
Simeon looked up at the ceiling. “Why would Emma agree to a courtship with me? She is the opposite of me in so many ways.”
Chuckling, Benedict said, “My wife can speak multiple languages, best me in weapons training, and could kill me before I even blink. But she took a chance on me.”
“And I’ve never regretted that choice,” Eliza stated from the doorway.
Simeon and Benedict rose from their seats and turned to face her.
“If you two are finished being chatterboxes, Jonathon has returned, and he has a lead on Lockhart,” Eliza shared.
Benedict gave him a pointed look. “Let’s go save Emma, because we will save her.”
“Allow me to go change,” Eliza said, turning to leave the room.
“Absolutely not!” Benedict roared.
Eliza turned back to face him with a determined brow. “I cannot sit back and do nothing while you go rescue Emma.”
“Yes, you can, and you will,” Jonathon declared from behind her.
“No, I won’t,” Eliza challenged, turning to face him. “I am more than capable of wielding a bow in my condition.”
Adrien chuckled as he approached Jonathon. “I don’t know which Beckett sister is more stubborn.”
“Eliza, dear…” Benedict started.
“I’ll stay back in the shadows…”
Eliza’s words were stilled as Benedict approached her and cupped her right cheek. “Please think of our unborn babe. Besides, I cannot risk losing you.”
“I’m more than capable of protecting myself and our unborn babe,” she contended.
“You are,” he agreed, placing his other hand on her belly. “But you must trust that we will bring Emma back safely.”
“I know you will, but…”
Benedict cut her off, his eyes never straying from her. “I love you, but sometimes you make our assignments too easy by shooting everyone.”
Eliza let out a small laugh. “That’s my intention.”
“We’ll bring Emma back,” Benedict said, earning a nod from Eliza.
The look of love was undeniable as Eliza stared back at Benedict. “You must come back to me,” she murmured, her voice holding a slight plea.
“Always,” he replied before kissing her on the lips.
Jonathon cleared his throat. “If you two lovebirds are finished, we should probably go rescue Emma from Lockhart.”
“That sounds like a reasonable plan to me,” Adrien quipped from next to him.
Benedict kissed his wife again before he stepped back. “I’ll see that the coach is prepared,” he said, walking out into the entry hall.
“By the way, Bow Street Runners aren’t completely useless,” Jonathon expressed, turning his direction towards Simeon. “Pembrooke stopped me outside with an address to a cottage that Lockhart recently rented under an assumed name.”
“How did he come by that information?” Simeon asked.
Jonathon shrugged. “He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.” He turned on his heel and followed Benedict.
As Simeon watched Jonathon walk away, he knew he would do whatever it took to get Emma back. And then he prayed that she would agree to his courtship. But he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that he wasn’t good enough for her.