Chapter 28
Cormac sat by the window, staring out at the people passing by.
His mind was turning over everything. He’d wanted to go to see Rosalind himself, to be close as he told her what Hale had said, but Hamish had told him he would be noticed.
Even if she went to the church unchaperoned, someone would recognize him.
Cormac knew he was right, but it didn’t make him feel any better.
Two days, and Rosalind would become Lady Vane, unless he could do something about it.
Finding Hale had been a bit of a fluke. He’d been at the local tavern when Hamish went in to ask around about his possible whereabouts. He’d been rather scared to talk, but when he was reminded that a child’s life was in the balance, he explained what he’d gone through at the time.
It was his job to look after the carriage. Then he was taken away to do something else and he thought nothing of it when he got on the carriage to take his master and mistress out. The axle had been fine, nothing wrong with it.
But then the carriage had collapsed, and he ended up being thrown into a hedge. He’d been shaking when he talked about it, according to Hamish, remembering how close he could’ve come to breaking his own neck.
He’d gone to look for Rosalind and William, only to find William dead and Rosalind unconscious.
The horses were stunned, one of them with a broken leg and the other trapped by the harness.
The latter he’d managed to free, but the former he had to put down, and Hale had done that with a heavy heart.
It had been him to drag Rosalind out of the wreckage.
When he’d gone to get help, he’d found that Ellingham had followed him.
The brother had looked shocked that not only was Rosalind alive but Theo wasn’t in the accident.
Hale said he could immediately sense something wasn’t right.
Then Ellingham had said if he left right then and never darkened their door again, he would make sure Hale stayed alive.
With the way he said it, and the way the blade of a dagger glinted at his belt, Hale wasn’t about to argue.
He was able to take Rosalind away and get her back to the house, but then he disappeared, aware that Ellingham would follow through.
Then he’d received a huge payment that was more than enough to live on for a while before he needed to think about getting new work.
Hale admitted that he wished he’d said something, but he was scared of Ellingham. He was a dangerous man, and Hale wasn’t about to do something to find out. Cormac could understand, although he wished Hale had said something anyway. Then Rosalind and Theo wouldn’t be in such danger now.
He had to get them out of there. He couldn’t wait for the wedding to happen and confront Ellingham there. They needed to get Rosalind and Theo to safety now. Tonight.
Then he caught sight of someone running down the road, her hair being blown from her face as she grabbed her skirts, lifting them enough so she could run without tripping over. She darted around people walking sedately along the street, and they started after her, but she didn’t seem to notice.
Cormac was on his feet immediately. Rosalind. What was she doing here? Even from where he was, he could see the terrified look on her face.
He rushed to the door and opened it, meeting Rosalind on the threshold. She let out a gasp and flung her arms around his neck, not caring that people were staring at her.
“Cormac! He’s got him!”
“What?” Cormac drew her inside and shut the door. Rosalind was shaking against him. “What’s happened?”
“It’s… it’s Theo…” Rosalind gulped in more air, her face flushed. “Julian’s taken him out. They’ve gone for a drive, apparently. Nobody else is with them.”
Cormac froze. Ellingham had taken his nephew? There was a chance he’d heard about Hale being found and wasn’t going to wait around to be confronted.
“I need your help,” Rosalind begged, almost sagging in his arms. “I can’t live without Theo. Not my boy. But I don’t know where they’ve gone.”
“It’s all right. We’re going to get him back.” Cormac held her tightly and pressed a kiss to her head. “We’ll rescue him.”
“Rosalind!” Bea hurried down the stairs, Hamish coming out of the study down the hallway. Bea rushed to Rosalind. “Whatever—”
“Ellingham had Theo,” Cormac said grimly.
Bea’s face paled. Hamish looked grim.
“He’s not going to be patient anymore,” he said. “He’s going to make it look like an accident.”
Rosalind whimpered, and Cormac glared at his friend. That was not what they needed to hear right now. Bea pressed her lips together, tapping the back of her hand into the palm of the other.
“Where do you think he would’ve taken Theo? He would need somewhere outside of London where there won’t be many, if any witnesses.”
“What makes you think that?” Hamish asked.
“Because London’s a busy place. Someone is going to notice what he’s up to. He would go to a place a bit more isolated.”
“How are we going to find out, though?” Rosalind demanded, pulling back from Cormac and wiping her face. “How are we going to know where we need to go? I doubt Julian would’ve told anyone where he was going.”
“No, but someone might know,” Cormac murmured. An idea was coming to mind, and he knew they needed to try it.
Three pairs of eyes stared at him.
“What do you mean?” Rosalind asked, her expression hopeful. “Who would know?”
“I’ve got to go and find out.” Cormac looked past Rosalind to the butler, who was hovering nearby. “Get our horses ready immediately. We’ve got to go.”
“Where are you going?” Bea questioned.
“Hamish and I are…” he began, but Rosalind cut him off.
“No, you’re not. You’re not going anywhere without me.”
“Or me,” Bea added staunchly.
Cormac wanted to argue, pointing out that this was dangerous, but they didn’t have time. And Rosalind was not about to be deterred; she was going to go out and look for her son whether he was with her or not. Nodding, he gestured at the door.
“Get back and get your horse ready, then. Bea has her horse here. And meet us at Sir Crispin’s house.”
“Sir Crispin?”
“Go!”
Rosalind didn’t need to be told twice. She left the house, and Cormac saw her running back across the street. She must’ve looked a strange sight to others, but pretense and formalities were not on their mind right now.
It didn’t take long to get the three horses ready, and then Cormac was riding to Sir Crispin’s house, Hamish and Bea behind him.
They had a clear route, but there was always someone starting to walk out in front of a car, and then Cormac would have to change direction quickly.
He bumped against a cart during one, sending apples rolling across the stones.
He didn’t want to hear the shouting behind him as he hurried off; it would likely burn his ears.
When they arrived at Sir Crispin’s house, it didn’t take much for Cormac to get inside, telling Hamish and Bea to stay where they were. Sir Crispin was in his study, slumped in a chair with a large brandy decanter beside him with a glass in his hand. He scowled as Cormac strode over to him.
“What do you think you’re doing? I didn’t say you could come in.”
“I know about your debts, Crispin.”
“What are you talking about?”
They didn’t have time. Cormac dug his hand into his pocket and withdrew the scraps of paper Rosalind had taken from Ellingham’s study. He held them out, brandishing them for Sir Crispin to see.
“I’ve got them. All your debts to Julian Ellingham.” He saw the man’s face pale, and he started to sit up. “I know all about your deal with him. That these will be gone when you marry Rosalind Ellingham.”
“What…?”
“Did you actually think that was going to happen?” Cormac scoffed. “Do you actually trust that man?”
Sir Crispin didn’t say anything, but the look on his face was enough. He didn’t trust Ellingham. That man must’ve scared Sir Crispin enough to get him to agree to something he didn’t want to do. Cormac leaned toward him, holding up the wad in his hand.
“Unlike some people, I do keep my promises. And I will buy up every note Ellingham holds with your name on them, and I’ll burn them. That way you can walk away with your debts cleared, and you don’t have to worry about them anymore.”
“Really?” Sir Crispin looked unsure, but hope began to flicker in his eyes. “Do you mean that?”
“But only if you tell me where Ellingham’s gone right now. That could help with your debts if the man collecting them is arrested for murder.”
The older man blinked. “What? How would I know…?”
“You were brought in to marry Rosalind, and you would end up being the guardian to Theo. Did Ellingham tell you that you had to be the one to kill him and make it look like an accident?”
That was a shot in the dark, but from the way Sir Crispin flinched, he’d hit the target. Ellingham really had wanted Sir Crispin to carry it out and leave his hands clear of blood. He shook his head.
“I can’t believe you could agree to that. That’s just…” He straightened up and paced away. “How could you agree…?”
“I didn’t agree to that,” Sir Crispin protested. “I told him I would marry his brother’s wife, but I wouldn’t be able to lay a hand on the boy’s head. I’m too much of a coward, and I’m not afraid to admit that. I won’t hurt children!”
“It’s a shame Ellingham doesn’t have the same mindset.” Cormac pointed at the fire burning nearby in the hearth. “Tell me what you know, anything that can rescue Viscount Ellingham, or I’m going to make sure the authorities know you knew about it and you’ll hang alongside Ellingham himself.”
Sir Crispin looked as if he was going to pass out.
He shakily put the glass on the table, his hands clutching tightly onto the arms of his chair.
Cormac couldn’t wait, but he needed to. He was certain Sir Crispin knew about what Ellingham planned, especially if Ellingham had wanted him to murder Theo as well. The thought made him sick.