Chapter 29
Rosalind wanted to break into hysterics. She couldn’t see her son anywhere. How were they going to find him now?
Had Julian managed to kill him? She couldn’t begin to think about that. She had to hold out hope that Theo was alive.
Then she saw a movement farther up the road. Two familiar figures in the distance, walking hand-in-hand toward the bridge. Even that far away, she could recognize her own son.
“It’s them,” she whispered. “We need to get to them.”
“We need to be careful, otherwise he might panic,” Cormac replied. “We don’t want to push him into doing something sooner than he should.”
“We can block him in,” Bea said, pointing at the nearest bridge. We can get to it on the other side of the river. If we can get him cornered, that might be enough to get him to give up.”
Rosalind didn’t think that would be the case, but they didn’t have time to argue it. Cormac seemed to be of the same mindset, nodding at what Bea said.
“All right. Hamish and I will go this side and try to get them off the bridge. You and Rosalind go on the other side.” His gaze caught Rosalind’s. “And be careful. Ellingham doesn’t care what he does now if he’s willing to go to these lengths.”
Rosalind didn’t need to be told twice. She kicked her horse into galloping, and she careered over the bridge, Bea just behind her.
Then they turned sharply off the path and through the woods.
Rosalind’s heart was pounding as she negotiated the tightly-packed trees; her horse seeming to be constantly changing direction.
She hadn’t done anything like this since she was a little girl and got away from her riding instructor to go on her own. That time, she’d fallen from her horse and broken her arm.
That wasn’t going to happen this time.
It felt like they were getting lost before they broke out onto another path.
Despite the time of day, it was incredibly dark, and Rosalind felt as if the shadows were closing in on her.
Dismounting, she ran toward the sliver of light in the distance, Bea just behind her and pulling along both horses.
She could just about make out some voices, and they got louder as she got closer.
“Let him go, Ellingham.”
“Get away from me!” Julian sounded panicked, his anger mixed in. “I’ll throw him in. He can’t swim, so he’ll sink like a stone.”
“And what then? Do you think you’ll be able to walk away from murdering a child?”
“Nobody’s going to believe that I did something like that.”
“Even with witnesses?” This was from Hamish. “Just because you want to get rid of him doesn’t mean that it absolves you from anything.”
Rosalind slowed as she got closer, and stepped around a tree.
The path opened up and onto the bridge, a little thinner than the one farther down but looking more precarious.
It was in disrepair, and the sound of the rushing river roared in her ears.
Julian was standing at the edge, the back of his heels almost over the side of the bridge.
Theo was beside him, and Julian had hold of him by the hair.
She could hear Theo crying, and that broke her heart.
She wanted to rush him. To go after Julian for what he was doing, but there was a chance Theo could end up going into the water regardless. She couldn’t let that happen, but what was she supposed to do?
“You think you can make it look like an accident?” Cormac was a safe distance away, Hamish spreading out to his left. They had their hands up, showing they were unarmed. Cormac looked far calmer than Rosalind felt. “Even with witnesses?”
“Nobody’s going to believe you!” Julian sounded like he was going mad, his eyes wide and his head jerking around. “I’ll get what I want.”
“Even though you’re going to hang for the murder of William Ellingham?” Cormac asked.
Julian stiffened. “No, I’m not.”
“Hale came forward. He’s told us everything, and he’s going to tell the magistrate what happened.” Cormac shook his head. “And Sir Crispin is going to testify that you tried to blackmail him into getting rid of his future stepson. You can’t walk away from this.”
Rosalind felt her breath lodge in her throat. Julian had wanted to use someone else to kill Theo? She almost let out a sob.
Then Theo caught sight of her. His eyes were wide and red, tears streaking his cheeks. Rosalind managed a comforting smile and held up her hands, urging him to remain calm. Then she held out her arms to him.
Theo reacted quickly, jamming his elbow into Julian’s stomach. That made Julian let out a yowl of pain, and he let go of Theo as he doubled over, grabbing onto his stomach. Theo ran away from him, charging right at Rosalind.
“Mama!”
Theo flung himself into Rosalind’s arms, and she sagged to the ground, clutching onto her son as she felt the tears building up.
Bea hurried to her side and crouched, putting her body between Rosalind and Julian.
Julian had now straightened up, looking horrified that he wasn’t going to get what he wanted. The mask was slipping.
“Come on, Ellingham.” Cormac stepped toward him slowly. “Come away from the edge.”
Julian turned his stony gaze onto Cormac and Hamish, who was even closer. He just needed to reach out, and Hamish could grab him. Then Julian gave them a mirthless smile, his eyes still cold.
A second later, he took a little jump back and he was off the bridge.
Bea screamed, which made Rosalind clutch more tightly onto her whimpering son.
Cormac and Hamish rushed to the edge, looking on both sides as they searched the water.
Rosalind didn’t think they were going to find anything.
From her memories, the river here was deep and the current fast. Julian would know that as well.
If he wanted to get away and hide, then he could use the river to his advantage. He was a strong swimmer, and Rosalind knew he would be desperate now. What if he drowned trying to…?
She doubted it. She wouldn’t believe it until she saw him again. Preferably alive so she could look him in the eye.
Cormac and Hamish edged away from the bridge, both of them looking grim.
Then they turned and looked at Rosalind and Bea.
A moment later, they were with the group, Bea hugging Hamish tightly while Cormac sagged to his knees and held both Rosalind and Theo.
Theo was crying even louder, his grip so tight that Rosalind was sure she was going to have a bruise on her arm.
It didn’t take long to get their horses and they headed back into London.
Cormac commandeered Julian’s coach, urging Rosalind, Bea, and Theo to ride inside while he and Hamish rode alongside.
Theo wouldn’t let go of Rosalind, shaking as he buried his face into her chest. Rosalind rocked him, stroking his hair.
She couldn’t begin to imagine how he was feeling, knowing that Theo had been so close to death, and he knew how lucky he was.
She wanted to take that memory away from him, to wipe that from her mind as well as his.
It was starting to get dark by the time they returned to Cormac’s lodgings. Rosalind wanted to point out that she should be going to her own home, but she was too tired to properly care. Theo was sleeping in her arms, slumped across her lap. She just wanted to get him inside, away from everyone.
Hamish and Cormac helped to carry Theo inside, Hamish going ahead and opening doors until they reached one of the bedchambers.
Rosalind hovered at Theo’s bedside once they had him tucked him, unsure of what to do.
She watched her son sleep, his hair tousled on the pillow, stark against his pale face.
She couldn’t believe how close she’d gotten to losing her son.
Julian had no qualms about what he was doing, and he didn’t care that he was about to harm a child.
Rosalind didn’t know how he could believe that was all right.
It was bad enough that he’d murder William without going after Theo as well.
And all because of a title. Rosalind was beginning to wish they didn’t have one at all. It just brought too much trouble.
She was exhausted, and it was hard to keep her eyes open, so she laid down on the bed beside her son, watching him as her eyes closed. Knowing he was there made her feel better.
When she opened her eyes again, he was gone. It took a moment to realize that Theo wasn’t there, and Rosalind sat up. There was no sign of him in the room, and she could feel the panic building again. Had he been taken again? Where was he?
Her heart pounded fiercely, and she forced herself to calm down.
This was not a time to panic. He was likely somewhere in the house.
Swinging her legs off the bed, Rosalind felt the world tilt a little, and she took a moment to wait until things weren’t swaying anymore.
She really needed to get some proper sleep.
She left the bedchamber and made her way downstairs. Theo wasn’t anywhere downstairs, but she could hear him. He sounded happy, playing as if he had no cares in the world. Rosalind followed the laughter and stepped out onto the terrace, the warm sunshine soothing as it washed over her.
Theo and Bea were on the lawn, running around as Bea chased Theo.
Hamish was there as well, crouching in the bushes and looking at if he was watching the pair.
Then Bea steered Theo near the bush and Hamish jumped out, tickling Theo as the little boy squealed and darted away.
Rosalind smiled at the sight. At least her son looked to not be too affected.
“Morning.”
She turned, and saw Cormac walking toward her. He looked freshly washed, dressed in new clothes, his hair damp and brushed off his forehead. Rosalind couldn’t help but stare, admiring how handsome he was like this. He gave her a smile and gave her a bow.
“I trust you managed to sleep?”
“Just about. I barely remember it.” Rosalind looked down at her dress. “I forgot to get changed, though.”
“Nobody’s going to care today. I think we can skip anything like that after what happened yesterday.”