Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Giovanni watched as Silas examined his carriage that had been abandoned at the Richmond posting house, the horses stolen, and the doors left open. Silas emerged from the carriage, holding Anna’s blue traveling cloak in his hands, his eyes bleak. It was ripped.
“She struggled.” He held the cloak tenderly, folding it into his arms. “They hurt her.”
“We don’t know that yet,” Giovanni tried to reassure him but could see it was no good. This scene bore all the evidence of similar scenes Silas had found when Dugby trafficked women and children. He had brutal was them, too.
“Lucifer!”
Both men turned to see a rider approaching them down the London road. Giovanni was surprised to see Olsen Adley dismounting. For once, the man looked close enough to sober and lifted a letter, calling, “This arrived a few hours ago! It’s addressed to you!”
Silas ripped it from his father-in-law’s grasp.
He read it quickly, brows furrowed and then thrust it at Giovanni, who perused it quickly: Lucifer.
I have your wife. If you ever want to see her alive again, you will come to the old mill in Harrow Weald at night fall.
My best wishes, your old friend, Willy Dugby.
“It’s a trap,” Giovanni said, “he means to lure you in and then kill you. It’s all he’s ever wanted. We should send our men up there, storm the place.”
“And risk hurting Anna?” Silas shook his head. “I’m going in alone.”
“You’re giving him what he wants!” Giovanni exclaimed.
“I need to see that she is all right.” Silas crumpled the paper in his fist.
“Think, Silas!” Giovanni urged, grabbing his friend and master by the forearm, forcing him to look into his face. “Think what will save her, not only what will put your mind at ease!”
“Get off me!” Silas snarled. Giovanni let go instantly. He knew when Silas was close to breaking point. Any little thing at this time could send him over the edge into a rage of madness. “I’m going and not even the hounds of hell could stop me!”
“I am coming too,” Adley said. It was the wrong thing to say.
Silas had moved too quickly for Giovanni to see, his hand tight around Adley’s throat as he pushed him up against the side of the carriage with a growl of anger.
“You should go back to the bottle you crawled out of,” Silas barked. “Why would you even think of coming here, or volunteering your services? Do you think I have forgotten everything you did to her?”
“That’s why I have to come,” Adley gasped, eyes wet with tears.
“For forgiveness?” Silas gritted his teeth. “You called her a murderer! You blamed her for the death of someone she loved and then ruined her life! I should kill you where you stand!”
“Silas!” Giovanni pulled his master back and Adley fell forward, coughing and vomiting slightly on the floor. “This isn’t helping us find your wife!”
Silas paid no attention to him, his eyes fixed on the pathetic man at his feet.
“She deserved better than you.” Silas kicked Adley as if he were a dog. “Don’t try and play the loving father now, it doesn’t wash with me. Nothing makes up for what you did.”
“I know,” Adley panted, looking up at Silas with a pained expression. “But I have to try.”
“Why now?” Silas demanded, dragging Adley up and clutching the lapels of his jacket. “Is it more money you want? Trying to take advantage of my grief? If you think you’ve seen my wrath before this, it is only a fraction of what I am capable of!”
“No, no!” Adley winced, closing his eyes against the violence in Silas’ eyes. “I don’t want anything! I just have to try. I have to come with you. This might be my only chance.”
Giovanni held his breath as Silas and Adley stared at one another. He knew his master’s head was filled with blood and darkness right now. It would seem like nothing to him to break the Marquess of Willington’s neck in a second. Finally, Silas let Adley go.
“You can come.” Giovanni breathed a sigh of relief and Adley slumped against the carriage. “But I warn you. I will have no qualms in laying down your life in order to save hers.”
Adley nodded fervently. “Neither do I.”
This comment impressed Giovanni. The man had clearly been a terrible father, but he also seemed genuinely prepared to do anything for his child. Giovanni could tell that Silas was looking at his father-in-law with a tiny piece of grudging respect.
“Very well.” Silas turned to Giovanni, his face cold and sharp with anticipated violence. “Ready the best men. We go to Harrow.”