Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

J onathan, Worsley, Rochester, and several footmen were on horseback, riding just behind a pack of experienced hunting dogs. Jonathan hoped Melanie could hear the dogs barking and find comfort in the knowledge that they were looking for her. They had also placed additional footmen at the entrance as well as the perimeter of Rochester’s estate. A group of riders were also patrolling both the main and side roads. Unfortunately, they had miles of forest to cover—the greatest challenge. But his instincts told him that Talbot was still on the estate, somewhere in the woods with Melanie.

“He has Melanie out there, somewhere,” Rochester growled as they rode toward the woods.

“Aye,” Worsley agreed. “Nightfall is fast approaching, and Talbot will need a place to hole up for the night. After night falls, the search will be even more challenging.”

“I don’t care how challenging or how long it takes,” Jonathan said grimly. “We have lanterns. And plenty of men. And the dogs have her scent.” Jonathan had used Melanie’s woolen hat that he’d remembered was in his pocket for the dogs to sniff. It had saved them time from running up to her room.

“The bastard planned carefully, I’ll give him that,” Rochester said. “He thought to throw us off by driving a wagon in several directions. He must have been disguised as a tinker or an old farmer so as not to arouse suspicion of the men guarding the estate.”

“There are hunting cabins miles downstream,” Rochester said. “They should be empty. The gamekeeper left to visit his family, so his cabin should be empty, as well.”

“Aye, I remember exactly where those three hunting cabins are,” Jonathan said. “Let’s send a small contingent of men and dogs to check the hunting cabins.”

“Good,” Rochester said.

Many of their boyhood adventures had taken place in these woods. Like Rochester, Jonathan and Worsley knew the land like the back of their hands.

“Jonathan—recall there’s also an older gamekeeper’s cabin—it’s the one further back in the woods, behind the newer one. Remember those?” Rochester asked.

“The older one is not far beyond. With a full moon, we should have some natural light, which is good. We’ll take ten of the dogs and three men. The rest of you men spread out but stay with a partner. As I said earlier, the man is dangerous. Stay alert,” Jonathan said.

The groups of men spread out, and Jonathan, Worsley, and Rochester headed with their group toward the empty gamekeeper’s cabins—old and new, which were in the back of the estate. The wagon tracks they followed continued that way long after they had turned away several other times. The bastard had certainly done his work to make this difficult.

Jonathan had felt a constant pressure in his chest since Melanie had been abducted. He knew what Talbot was capable of. The man was depraved; he didn’t care who he hurt. He sent up a silent petition that Shep would be wagging his tail in greeting when they brought Melanie home. They’d set out on their search before the doctor had arrived. But Shep was a sturdy dog with a warrior spirit.

“I hear the dogs barking, but it doesn’t sound like they are finding anything,” Rochester commented.

“That can only be good news, I suppose. He didn’t leave the wagon. My gut tells me we are heading in the right direction,” Jonathan said.

“Mine, too. I think we should go to the furthest cabin first. Talbot would have gone for that one, I think. Thinking the gamekeeper might be in residence—Talbot wouldn’t have chosen to fight for the cabin if he knew of an easier one,” Rochester said. “Although the furthest cabin is abandoned and is said to be haunted.”

Jonathan agreed. Rochester’s idea made sense. As the three men rode in the direction of the cabin, Jonathan recalled the stories about the old hunting cabin being haunted. It had certainly fueled their explorations when they were boys. But he didn’t put much stock in it.

The men fell silent as the gamekeeper’s cabin came into view. There was no sign of any activity there. And there were no signs of wagon tracks turning towards it, so they continued to the abandoned cabin. The abandoned cabin was tucked closer to the perimeter of the property, an acre or so behind the newer gamekeeper’s cabin.

“I smell smoke,” Jonathan said as they drew closer.

“Yes. Remember, the cabins all have wood stoves. And it’s damn cold outside.”

“He’s in the old cabin. That’s where he has to be,” Jonathan said in a low, tense voice. “He would have held off lighting the stove until night so it couldn’t be seen. But he would need it for warmth.”

“Aye,” Rochester said. “And none of my men would be out hunting here without my knowledge.” He ordered the remaining men with the dogs to cover the woods that surrounded the cabin.

They picked up the pace as they neared the cabin. Jonathan’s heart thundered in his chest as he thought about Melanie and all the things he’d wished he’d told her. He prayed he’d still have the chance. I’m coming, Melanie. I’ll be there soon. Stay strong, my love. Stay strong…

“I’ll take the back of the cabin…you two take the front,” Jonathan whispered as they looped their horses’ reins around a sturdy tree a few yards away. “He has a reputation for setting traps, so be wary of wires or thin ropes.”

“Got it,” Rochester said.

“There’s a very dim light in there—you can barely see it. But it means the stove is fired up. We’ve got the bloody bastard,” Worsley said.

Even though Talbot was most likely working alone, he was a formidable foe. He’d escaped many times, including his most recent daring escape from the Tower. Once the other men completed searching the other cabins, they would set out to join them, thus making it harder for Talbot to slither away.

Jonathan searched around the back of the cabin, and as he predicted, Talbot had rigged a very thin wire that would have triggered a pistol to fire. He carefully disarmed the trap and checked for more. When he could get close enough, he tried to see in, certain Melanie was inside. He could hear the dogs barking in the distance and momentarily wondered if this cabin had been set up as a decoy.

“Nothing at the windows,” Worsley said. “What about you, Jonathan?

“Yes. I disarmed a pistol that was primed and ready.” He handed the pistol to Rochester.

“He’s in there…and I saw Melanie,” Rochester said with a growl. “She’s passed out in a chair—tied and gagged. I saw something wired at the front, but it looked complicated.”

We should probably look at it together,” Jonathan suggested. “If he’s touched her…I’ll kill him,” he muttered, his jaw clenched.

“He’ll die,” Rochester agreed.

“I’ll signal to the men checking the other cabins. They should be here soon. I’ll ask them to hold up by the empty gamekeeper’s cabin,” Worsley said.

“When you return, signal me, and we’ll rush the entrances, front and back,” Jonathan said.

Worsley nodded as he left on silent feet.

“Let’s look at the front again.” After ten minutes, he and Rochester had disarmed the front traps that Rochester had seen. This almost seemed too easy , Jonathan thought. He glanced around for any other traps that might wound or kill as they approached. He found his attention drawn to a tree at the corner of the house and studied it. Another wire!

“Be careful, Rochester. I just spotted another wire,” he said, pointing it out to his friend.

It was hard to follow where the wire was threaded, but he finally saw it threaded around several branches where a rifle had been set up, again, readied to fire at the slightest tug of the wire. He swiftly and carefully disengaged it, slinging the rifle over his shoulder in case it might come in handy.

The two of them discovered several more traps as well.

“Let me take a look at the back once more,” Rochester said. “The man seems to have been very thorough.”

“Good idea. A second set of eyes won’t hurt.” Jonathan walked around the cabin and found a large enough crack in the wood to peer through. Talbot had his back to him and was staring at Melanie. He watched as Talbot seemed to say something to Melanie, who was clearly unconscious, and then reached out and caressed her face. Jonathan’s blood boiled. It infuriated him to see her at the mercy of that fiend. He wanted to storm in there right now.

But he had to wait for the other men.

There was no telling what Talbot would do to Melanie if Jonathan burst in by himself.

He heard footsteps and was relieved to see his two friends walking toward him.

“They cleared the other cabins,” Worsley said. “We secured the dogs. We can assign two men to go through the front door and one man to guard each window. I’ll go in the back with you. “Did you find any other traps?”

“We did. Several. Rochester and I have checked the entire perimeter of the cabin. I think we are clear to attack,” Jonathan whispered.

“Can this be so easy?” Rochester said.

“No. There are trip wires located at each entrance and on the two windows. We couldn’t disarm them without alerting Talbot, but we must assume they are tied to weapons. So, when we enter the cabin, we need to step over them and under them. We discovered a house of horrors like this when we captured some of his men in France. Talbot escaped us that time as well. Unfortunately, we hadn’t anticipated the wires. Several men were stabbed and shot.”

“Understood,” Worsley said. “I’ll get the men in formation and let them know to watch their step as they enter and guard the windows.”

When Worsley returned, Jonathan signaled to attack, and the men burst into the cabin. He and Rochester rushed in through the back, and Worsley and two men rushed the front. Jonathan got to Talbot first while Rochester checked on Melanie. Jonathan and Talbot struggled and fought as Talbot pulled out a knife and aimed for Jonathan’s jugular. Jonathan managed to get a grip on the knife and hurl it away, punching Talbot in the face and kneeing him in the gut. Talbot groaned as he fell to the floor.

“You surprise me, DeLacey,” Talbot grunted as he sat up. “I would welcome you with wine, but I’m afraid I just polished off the last glass. However, the fair Melanie helped me finish it off,” he taunted, pointing to an empty glass by her chair.

“If you’ve harmed her, I promise you won’t live to see prison,” Jonathan swore.

“Let us handle him, Jonathan,” Rochester suggested.

Jonathan found that the rope that had bound her wrists had been shredded through, and her hands and arms had several cuts and abrasions. But her arms were still behind her as if she were still bound. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he lifted her hands and kissed the cuts. Had Melanie managed to free herself but then had been drugged by Talbot before she could attempt an escape? His chest constricted as he realized how brave Melanie had been to try to free herself. He was certain Talbot hadn’t noticed, or he would have done something drastic.

Perhaps Rochester was right about the spirits. Maybe there had been some spirits watching over Melanie. He leaned down, untied the binding at her feet, and wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling from the chair.

“Kitten…wake up,” Jonathan said, smoothing her hair back from her face. He felt a sticky wetness on her scalp. Seeing the blood, his temper seethed, and he wanted to beat Talbot to a bloody pulp. Instead, he pulled her close. “Kitten, it’s me…Jonathan. We have you. You’re safe,” he murmured into her hair, his voice hoarse. “You’re safe, my sweet darling.”

She stirred and opened her eyes. “You came for me, just as Mama said you would.” She looked around. “Is anyone hurt?”

“Only you, darling,” Jonathan said. “You have a cut on the side of your head.”

“I think my head hit something when he threw me onto the wagon.”

Jonathan kissed her head and helped her stand. He turned to Talbot. “It’s over, Talbot. We found Diana. You will be arrested for murder, on top of everything else. Good luck evading the noose this time.”

“Like hell!” he spat. “Diana was useless. And a murderess. I did the government of England a favor. She killed her husband, you know. A peer. But I have connections I can galvanize—no matter where you put me. The cause will prevail,” he yelled. “And sweet Melanie, I’m sure I’ll see you again one day.”

“Not bloody likely…not where you’re going. Tie him up and gag him so he cannot move a muscle,” Jonathan ordered, lifting Melanie into his arms and carrying her from the cabin.

The footmen had tied Talbot to the wagon they found covered in brush behind the old cabin. Carefully, they made their way back to the manor house. They would hold Talbot in a guarded cell in the basement of the manor house until the King’s men could transport him to the Tower of London.

Jonathan tightened his hold around Melanie, who sat in front of him on his horse, and turned to his friends, who rode beside them. “Thank you both for helping me. I don’t know how we would have found Melanie so quickly without both of you.”

“How is Shep?” Melanie asked, her voice full of emotion.

“I cannot say for sure, but Doctor Jones is very good. I’m willing to bet the little fellow will recover nicely,” Jonathan said.

“I pray he’ll be all right,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I-I tried to get away from Talbot and would have fought until my last breath against him,” she said, her voice trembling. “He said horrible things to me—and he admitted to killing Diana. He said he did it because she tried to run me over with that carriage.”

Jonathan felt a fierce shudder run down her body, and he hugged her closer. “She did. We were going to arrest her but found her dead.” He kissed her tenderly on the lips. When he pulled away, he noticed Rochester and Worsley grinning. Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m afraid my intentions can no longer wait until we arrive back at the house. I’ve waited too long to express my feelings, as it is. Rochester, may I have the honor of asking Melanie to become my wife?”

Melanie looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with joy. “Really?” she said, leaning in for another quick kiss on Jonathan’s lips.

A rush of warmth rushed through him.

Her brother grinned and chimed in. “I believe that is my line, dear sister. I was curious how long it might take Jonathan to finally pop the question. If you wish to share your life with him…and since he won’t be taking those dangerous Crown assignments anymore, I have no reason to object. You deserve the best. And I don’t think Grandmama will mind sharing her birthday ball with the announcement of your engagement,” Rochester quipped.

Worsley chuckled. “You won’t regret joining the matrimonial club. Life becomes very pleasant and a little more predictable.”

Melanie raised an eyebrow playfully. “Does Maggie know you call her predictable?”

“She is predictably unpredictable,” Worsley replied with a smirk, earning a laugh.

Turning to Melanie, Jonathan said earnestly, “Kitten, will you honor me by becoming my wife?”

“I will if you will promise to always be my gallant knight,” she replied, her eyes shining.

Relief washed over him. “That’s an easy promise to make, especially considering how you often land in delightful mischief.” He leaned in, softly kissing the tip of her nose before drawing her into a tender embrace, their lips meeting once more in a warm, lingering kiss that felt like home.