Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Caspian strode into his manor expecting to be greeted by Mrs. Roberston, and if not her, by a member of the staff. Even Timothy, surely wondering where he and Arabella had gotten themselves to, might have met him in the foyer.
So, when Caspian entered the manor and found it empty, it gave him a reason to pause and panic.
He stopped dead and listened. The manor sat in a state of perfect silence, the kind that brought with it a sense of dread because in a home of this size with a dozen staff constantly moving throughout, to find perfect silence was to find that something terrible had happened.
“Mrs. Robertson!” he called out, and his voice echoed across the foyer. “Mrs. Robertson!”
“In here, Your Grace!” her voice cried from the dining room.
If Caspian were not so panicked, he might have taken a moment to consider why Mrs. Roberston was calling to him, rather than rushing to find him.
But he was awash with fear for Arabella’s safety, he was filled with energy that made his body shake, and when he heard her call, he simply turned and strode to where she had called from.
A second later saw him walk into the dining room.
The moment that Caspian did so, he stopped dead, his stomach dropped, and he began to understand just how serious the situation was. Not only for Arabella, but for himself, and all those whom he cared for.
The entirety of the household staff was crammed into the dining room. Some sat around the table, while most stood awkwardly in small clumps. He saw Mrs. Roberston amongst them, but she was not his focus.
“Your Grace…” Stepping forward from his staff was a tall and gangly man whom Caspian did not know. He had a long nose, a skinny face, and hollow eyes. “It is so kind of you to join us.”
Caspian bared his teeth. “Who are you? Mrs. Robertson? What is going on?”
“Your Grace, I am so sorry.” Her voice cracked. “There was nothing I could do.”
“She is correct in that,” the gangly man said. “Do not blame her, for that would be to waste time. Rather, let us speak of what you might do to quicken this process and hopefully save lives while you are at it.”
“My wife! Where is—” Caspian took a single step forward but stopped dead when another man stepped beside the first. He was tall, also, but with shoulders that were wide and a neck so thick it stretched from shoulder to shoulder.
His size did not trouble Caspian in the least. Rather, it was the gun that he held in his hand that made Caspian falter.
“We are not here to hurt you, Your Grace,” the gangly man said simply. “Nor are we here to hurt anyone. In fact, I would prefer it if this were done clean and neat. Do as we say, and no harm needs to come to anyone. Yourself included.”
It came to Caspian then, quickly, and with painful clarity. The members of staff all looked fearful; their white faces were shaking terribly. The two men, one of them armed, had herded them into the room. And seeing as his wife was missing…
“You have taken my wife,” Caspian said.
“We have,” the gangly man agreed. “But she is safe, Your Grace. Which is important to consider. We do not want to harm her, but if you refuse us, harm will find her. So, again, let us do this simply and neatly.”
“Timothy?” Caspian searched the room. “Where is Timothy?”
Mrs. Robertson went to speak, but the gangly man cut her off. “He is upstairs, Your Grace. Also, under guard. And while I hesitate to believe that you care one whit about the safety of your employees, even I must believe that you care for the life of your nephew.”
Caspian trembled with bottled rage. Even with a gun pointed at him, he very much felt like charging the large man and beating him into the ground.
But that Timothy was being watched over, and that Arabella was being kept somewhere that he did not know…
Calm, Caspian. Remain calm until there is a reason to be otherwise.
“Who are you?” he growled at the gangly man.
“You may call me Mr. Tibbs,” the gangly man responded with a toothless smile. “And before you ask who I work for, all shall be revealed in time.”
“What do you want?”
“Finally, a question worth answering. But not here…” Mr. Tibbs looked at the large man with the gun and nodded once before turning back to Caspian. “Let us leave your staff with my friend for a moment. Do not worry, he will watch over them for us.”
“If he hurts any of them…”
Mr. Tibbs chuckled. “That will be up to you, Your Grace. Now, might you and I chat somewhere private? Perhaps your study? Business needs to be done.”
Caspian’s mind worked quickly.
He could not fight his way out of this situation… yet. But if he were to get Mr. Tibbs alone, he could certainly overpower the man. From there, he might be able to rescue Timothy, then take down the large man with the gun, and then find out where his wife was being kept.
It was not much of a plan, but it was the best he had.
“Everyone, listen closely.” Caspian swept his gaze across the terrified staff. “Do as you are asked. Keep your heads down. I promise, I will see us through this. You have my word.”
Mr. Tibbs chuckled. “Inspiring.”
“This way.” He fixed a glare on Mr. Tibbs, then turned and strode from the dining room.
“This is a lovely home, Your Grace,” Mr. Tibbs said as he followed Caspian into the foyer and towards the stairs. “Truly, I have been lucky enough to visit a few estates in my time, but this one…” He whistled softly. “Breathtaking.”
“I am glad you like it.”
“I very much do,” Mr. Tibbs said as he followed Caspian up the stairs. “As will my employer, I am sure.”
Caspian walked slowly as he listened to Mr. Tibbs following him. Then he smirked to himself as he settled on his plan. He would reach the top of the steps first, allow Mr. Tibbs to get close, and launch himself at the man. Caspian was bigger, stronger, and he knew how to fight.
Overpowering this weasel of a cretin should be no trouble…
Caspian reached the top of the stairs and turned, expecting to see Mr. Tibbs lumbering up after him. However, what he found had Caspian groaning, snarling, and cursing silently.
Mr. Tibbs had a pistol of his own, and he pointed it right at Caspian’s chest. “Did you really think I would risk being alone with you, Your Grace? Whatever you might think of me, I would appreciate some degree of respect.”
Caspian snarled at him. “You will not get away with this.”
“I will,” Mr. Tibbs said. “As well as my associate downstairs, I have another two men with me. One of them is with the boy—oh, I am sure they are having a wonderful time. The final one is in your study, awaiting us. And if you think my friend downstairs is intimidating…” He chuckled. “Just you wait and see.”
“What do you want?” Caspian growled. “Who are you working for?”
“All shall be revealed. Now…” He flicked his wrist toward the hallway. “After you.”
With no choice, Caspian turned and stalked down the hallway. From behind, he heard Mr. Tibbs following him.
Caspian hated this feeling. Helpless. Hopeless. At the mercy of another and unable to do anything to change it. Always, he was one who needed to be in control, and having that taken away from him was confronting and terrifying.
Worse still, he could not help but wonder what position his wife was in. And that she likely assumed that Caspian would save her… That he might not be able to do so brought such shame to Caspian that he could not stomach it.
No! I will find a way out of this.
When Caspian turned into the hallway that led to his study, he came to a stop. Standing down the end was another large man, and when he saw Caspian and Mr. Tibbs appear, he strode toward them.
“What are you doing?” Mr. Tibbs hissed and rushed past Caspian.
“The boy is missing,” the large man said in hushed tones. “I searched everywhere.”
“Clearly, you did not,” Mr. Tibbs snapped. “Honestly, the incompetence!”
Caspian chuckled, and he hoped that Mr. Tibbs heard it. He had lied about having Timothy under watch, and if Caspian knew Timothy like he thought that he did, the boy would be quite impossible to find unless he allowed it.
“Oh, is this funny?” Mr. Tibbs lost all composure as he turned and spat at Caspian.
“You lied about having Timothy,” Caspian said. “It makes me wonder what else you have lied about.”
“Wonder all you like,” Mr. Tibbs said darkly. “The boy is somewhere in the house, and we will find him. Even if we do not, we have your staff to play with. Not to mention…” He pointed his gun at Caspian again. “Your wife, and you. This changes nothing.”
Caspian shrugged. “If that is what you need to tell yourself.”
“I need to tell myself nothing!” He groaned and shut his eyes to think. “Stay close to me,” Mr. Tibbs snapped at the large man. “The boy matters not. Let him hide and cower. By the time he pokes his head out, we will be done here.”
The large man nodded once as he stepped into Caspian. He stood almost a foot taller than Caspian, and he towered over him as if trying to intimidate.
Caspian looked up at him with forced boredom, making sure that he gave nothing away. “Shall we continue?” Caspian then said. “Was it not you who wanted this done quickly and neatly?”
Mr. Tibbs laughed dryly. “Your study, Your Grace. Now.”
Caspian obliged, but he made sure to flash a smile as if he had everything under control. He did not, of course, but he enjoyed watching Mr. Tibbs lose his cool.
Unfortunately, any sense that Caspian was gaining the upper hand quickly vanished when he stepped into his study to find yet another man of gargantuan size waiting for him.
This one had scars across his face, a matted beard that ran to his swollen belly, and a missing right eye.
All in all, he was a truly grotesque figure.
“What, no gun?” Caspian asked as he walked into the study and made for his chair.
“One will do,” Mr. Tibbs said. “Now shall we be about business.”
Caspian sat down and surveyed the scene.