Chapter 28 #2
“He told me the best place to make it look like an accident,” Sir Crispin said finally. “Where nobody would be able to see. He would pay the coachman to look the other way and say nothing while I carried out… he even gave me a map of where to go.”
“A map?”
“I have it here.” Sir Crispin staggered over to the desk, fumbling through the drawers. “I should’ve thrown it away. I don’t know why I didn’t. There.”
He brandished a piece of paper as if he’d discovered something incredible. Cormac snatched it from him and looked at it. It was a crudely drawn map with instructions in Ellingham’s hand on one side, including names of roads.
He recognized this one. It was on the way to Gerard’s Cross, a less-used road that went over the river where the trees grew the thickest. He’d traveled it many times when he was a young man freshly joining Society. It was slightly out of the way, but it was secluded.
It would be the ideal place to go if you wanted to make sure a child had an accident. The river was deep at that point, and the current was fast. If Theo couldn’t swim, and he was fully clothed, which would get heavy as water soaked in…
“Ellingham wanted me to go here and do it,” Sir Crispin said, sagging into his chair behind the desk.
“He told me I had to gain the boy’s trust and get him alone, away from his mother.
That it would be the way to make sure my debt was completely gone forever.
But I… I couldn’t go through with it.” He buried his head in his hands.
“I’ve done a lot of bad things, but murdering a child…
that’s not right. I can’t do that, and Viscount Ellingham hasn’t done anything wrong. ”
“What about Rosalind?” Cormac demanded. “What were you going to do with her?”
“Ellingham said I was to make sure I got an heir with her, and then I could just discard her at one of my estates.” Sir Crispin shuddered. “How he expects me to find that woman attractive…”
Cormac snarled, which made the man fall silent. He leaned in, glaring at Sir Crispin as the other man flinched away.
“You do not talk about Rosalind like that,” he hissed. “That woman is so strong she makes a mockery out of you.”
“You’ve never been in debt, have you?” Sir Crispin said bitterly. “And certainly not to Ellingham. It’s not something you want to be in.”
“At least I wouldn’t lower myself to being someone else’s puppet. And I wouldn’t put anyone else through what I’m going through.” Cormac held up the debt receipts. “You want me to burn these and forget about them? You’d better be prepared to be honest if anyone comes asking.”
“Now you’re doing it as well!”
“Think what you like. Rosalind and Theo are my priority.” Cormac pushed off the desk. “I’ll burn the debt receipts once I get Theo back. When I know he’s safe, and you’ve told the authorities your side, I’ll burn them. Not before.”
Sir Crispin looked like he was going to have a fit, his eyes wide in shock that he’d just traded one jailer for another. Cormac liked to think of himself as the lesser of the two evils. He planned to follow through on his promise. But Sir Crispin had to prove that he wanted it.
At least he had given them a lead. If Ellingham had gone to the lengths of drawing a map, this was likely his first choice.
They just had to get to him.
Hamish and Bea were still outside when Cormac left the house. They’d now been joined by Rosalind, who was sitting on a horse that was jostling around impatiently as if it knew its mistress was agitated.
“I’ve got a lead.” Cormac mounted his horse. “They’re going toward Gerard’s Cross.”
“Why there?” Bea asked.
“Because it’s the ideal place for an… accident.” Cormac glanced at Rosalind. “I don’t think you should come, Rosalind. Things are going to get—”
“I don’t care about that,” she cut him off, her eyes flashing. “You can’t keep me away. I’m going to find my son, and you can’t leave me behind.”
Cormac glanced at Hamish, who simply shrugged. They weren’t going to get her to stay behind. He nodded at Bea.
“Stay with her, but stay close to us. We’re going to need to hurry.” Then he looked up and down the street. It had been a long time since he was in London. “Which way to Gerard’s Cross?”
“This way.” Rosalind nudged her horse into motion, heading off to his right.
Cormac was about to point out that she shouldn’t be taking the lead, but this was not the time. Rosalind was scared for her son, and they didn’t have time to argue about it. He just hoped that they got to the place in time.
They rode through the streets of London, picking up speed when they went down roads that didn’t have anything in the way, dodging around carriages and carts. Cormac could hear people shouting after them in annoyance, but he ignored them. That could be dealt with another time.
It felt like forever before they reached the outskirts of London, and Rosalind took them in the direction of Gerard’s Cross.
She rode fiercely, leaning over the reins that she gripped tightly in her hands.
Cormac couldn’t begin to imagine what was going through her head, knowing her son was in danger.
Ellingham was going to regret laying his hands on his brother’s family.
They reached a road that was looking very familiar, and soon Cormac saw a bridge coming up to meet them. Rosalind slowed to a fast trot, looking around in agitation.
“This is it,” she said. “But I can’t see them anywhere.”
“This is the main bridge,” Cormac replied. “The one described is a bit farther downriver.”
“Look!” Bea pointed. “Over there!”
To their right, there was a carriage just off the road. It was almost hidden in among the trees, but Cormac could see the movement of horses. A coachman was sitting in his seat, and didn’t seem to notice that he was being watched.
Panic gripped him. Had they gotten there too late? Where was Theo now?