Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“ W hat is that in the distance there?” Cecil asked, pointing toward a dark object in the middle of the road ahead.

Percy peered through the darkness, the only light being that of the waning moon. “It looks like an overturned carriage.” Percy’s heart sped up at the sight. The memory of what the carriage accident had done to Francis’ body flashed through Percy’s mind, and his heart threatened to stop at the thought that such a thing could happen to Madeleine. Please, God, do not let her be harmed.

The two men pushed their horses even harder towards the large black object, each praying that Madeleine was still alive and well. When they reached the carriage, Percy launched himself from his horse and ran to the side. There was a man on his knees beside a broken wheel. “Whose carriage is this?” Percy demanded to know.

“This carriage belongs to the Mowbray family,” the man answered looking up startled.

Percy took a threatening step towards the man. “Where is she?”

“She?” The man moved backwards a bit in response. It was clear that he was afraid.

Percy wanted to pick the man up by his shirt front and shake him, but he stayed his hand. “Where is the woman who was traveling with Herbert Mowbray?”

“I am just the driver, My Lord.” The man put his hands up, as if to absolve himself from any guilt in the matter.

“Where is she?!” Percy shouted at the man, his voice holding the promise of death if he was not given an answer.

The driver hesitated.

Percy, having had enough, grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and shook him hard. “Where is Lady Madeleine Gillett?!”

The driver scrambled to his feet, trying to get away from Percy, but Percy would not let go until he got an answer. “She is gone,” the driver gasped.

“Gone,” Percy whispered, staggering backwards and releasing the man so abruptly that he fell to the ground. Percy’s heart felt as if it were being ripped out of his chest. “She is gone?”

“Yes, Lord Mowbray took her to the nearest inn for help.”

At the realization that she was not dead, Percy breathed again, the cool night air rushing into his lungs. “Thank God. Which direction did they go?” The driver pointed north along the road. Percy wasted not a moment but turned and ran back to his horse.

“What did you find?” Cecil asked, handing him back his reins.

“Mowbray has taken her to a nearby inn for help,” Percy replied, stepping up into the saddle.

Cecil’s face lit up with hope. “So, we have a chance of stopping them?”

“If we hurry.” Percy nodded. He turned his horse’s head back north and maneuvered her back onto the road.

Cecil followed. “I had hoped that it was not true,” he murmured, shaking his head in disbelief and disappointment. “I cannot believe that my sister would be so foolish.”

Percy shot Cecil a reproachful look. “She is attempting to save your family from ruin. Do not judge her so harshly.” Urging his horse forward, they took off back down the road.

“She would not need to save our family from ruin if you had not compromised her,” Cecil shouted to Percy so that he could be heard over the pounding of the horse’s hooves as he rode alongside of him.

Percy gave Cecil a warning look. “I did not compromise her. She is still in possession of her virtue.”

Cecil was not one to give up his anger easily. “That may be so, but you should never have touched her.”

Percy knew that he was right, but he would not go back and change what he had done. “I know that what I did has placed her in a difficult situation, but I would do it again. I do not regret my time with her or anything that has happened between us. I love her.” His last words hung in the air between them unanswered, as if Cecil no longer knew what to say.

They fell silent, each with their own thoughts on what lay before them. Percy prayed that Herbert Mowbray had not done anything to harm Madeleine. He had believed Mowbray to be a man of some honor. Mowbray was a cowardly gambling drunkard, but Percy never would have thought him capable of compromising a young lady’s reputation or virtue by taking her to a place such as Gretna Green. He valued the opinions of society too much for that.

In spite of his many flaws, Mowbray had always been a stickler for the proprieties between men and women. Had Percy thought him capable of such a thing as running off with Madeleine, he would have punched Mowbray in the face instead of simply using a stern tone of voice with him to scare him away from Madeleine at the ball.

Perhaps I should have challenged him to a duel. Percy was fairly certain that Cecil, as Madeleine’s brother, intended to challenge Mowbray to a duel himself to restore the family honor. Percy was not entirely certain that Cecil did not intend to challenge him to a duel as well. Percy would never harm Cecil, but Cecil might kill him for his sister’s virtue. It would have been worth it. She is worth it.

When they arrived at the inn, Percy went to question the stablemaster while Cecil went in to speak with the innkeeper. When Percy entered the stables, a young lad met him at the door. He took in the quality of Percy’s clothes and signet ring with one glance and adopted a respectful stance. “How may I be of service, My Lord?”

“I am looking for a man by the name of Lord Herbert Mowbray and a young lady that is traveling with him. Have you seen them?”

The boy shook his head. “I have not seen any young ladies, My Lord. There was a gentleman here, but he did not give me his name.”

“Describe him to me.”

“There was a man who was in a carriage accident. He arrived with two horses, but no saddles. He traded the horses for new ones and asked that we send a man to aid his driver in repairing the carriage. We have not been able to spare a man as of yet, but we will send someone soon.”

“That is the man I am looking for. You are certain that there was not a lady with him?”

“I am as certain as I can be, My Lord. I never saw a lady with him,” the boy confirmed.

Percy was uncertain as to what that meant. “How long has it been since they left?”

The boy shrugged. “I could not say, My Lord. I do not own a fancy pocket watch like yours” he gestured towards Percy’s father’s watch on a chain in his vest pocket, “and it has been very busy this evening.”

“Thank you for your assistance.” He handed the boy a coin then left the stable to meet Cecil near where they had tied the horses.

“Anything?” Cecil asked, his face hopeful.

Percy nodded. “The stable hand said that a man fitting Mowbray’s description came and traded horses, but he claims that he never saw a woman with him. Did you find anything inside?”

Cecil shook his head. “The innkeeper said that no woman of Madeleine’s description has been seen this evening, but he did recognize Mowbray. He apparently bought some bread and cheese but did not stay long.”

“Did he buy enough food for two people?”

“He did,” Cecil confirmed.

Percy sighed, nodding. “Did the innkeeper happen to note how long ago that was?”

Cecil shook his head. “He did not. The inn has been busy this evening.”

Percy nodded, frowning. “The stable hand said that they have not yet been able to send a man back to help with the carriage. That means we cannot be too terribly far behind.”

Cecil nodded. “Then we should not waste a moment.”

Percy nodded in agreement, and they both mounted their horses. There was a chance, a slim chance, but a chance that they could stop Madeleine from making the worst mistake of her life. There was a chance that they could save her and return her to the family fold before anyone noticed that she was missing. There was a chance that she and Percy could truly be together.

“What is that?” Madeleine asked, slowing her horse so that she could hear better.

“What?” Mowbray looked at her in question, slowing his pace to match hers.

Madeleine strained to hear. The night was quiet, and she thought for a moment that she had imagined it, but then the sound came again. “There! Do you hear that?”

They both turned in the saddle to look behind them. There in the dim waning light of the moon they saw the outline of two riders swiftly moving towards them. “Brigands?” Mowbray asked aloud, fear in his voice. “The driver said that there were brigands on this road.”

“I do not know,” Madeleine shook her head. “Should we hide? Should we run?” She had never been in such a situation before and did not know what to do. Every instinct in her body told her to take some kind of action to protect herself. She was not about to be killed out there on the road in the middle of the night, leaving her family to mourn her loss in dishonor.

“They have clearly seen us. I do not believe that we have any other choice than to run.” Mowbray kicked his horse into action, simultaneously slapping Madeleine’s horse on the rump causing it to leap forward.

They raced north as fast as their horses would go, but no matter how fast that they rode, the riders following them were gaining ground. Madeleine could feel them behind her so strongly that the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and a shiver passed down her spine. She looked over her shoulder through the mass of hair that had come undone and was streaming in the wind behind her.

“No!” she cried out in alarm at how close they were behind them.

One of the dark figures reached out their hand towards her and her heart raced in panic. She attempted to move her horse off of the road to get away from them, but she was unsuccessful. Within the next moment, she found herself being swept from the back of her horse and into the arms of one of their pursuers. Lashing out, she punched and clawed at the man who had grabbed her.

“Unhand me!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. She plunged her elbow into her attacker’s ribs with all of her strength, knocking the air out of their lungs.

“Madeleine, stop!” Percy’s voice commanded, his arms tightening around her. “You are safe.”

A yelp from Mowbray drew Madeleine’s attention to her left. To her surprise, she found that her brother Cecil had yanked Mowbray out of the saddle and had dumped him on the ground at their horses’ feet. “Percy?” she breathed, looking up into his shadowed face for an answer. “I thought you were leaving England for the continent.”

“I was,” he answered, “but not now.”

“Why are you here?” She felt dazed and confused by all that had just happened.

“We are here to stop you from making the worst decision of your life.”

Madeleine shook her head. “I have no choice. Laura Knight has threatened to bring my family to ruin over what we did in the garden at the ball unless I marry Herbert Mowbray before the dawn. I am running out of time.”

Percy reached up to caress her face. “Lady Laura Knight will not be able to harm anyone ever again where she is going.”

“What do you mean?” Madeleine gazed up at him in wonder, still not entirely convinced that he was there and that he was real, not some figment of her terrified mind.

“Laura Knight murdered Francis and her carriage driver. Lady Laura will most assuredly be hanged or placed into an asylum for the mentally insane at the very least. She can cause you no harm.”

“I am free?” Madeleine breathed with a hopeful sigh.

“You are free,” he confirmed with a tender smile.

“As long as Mowbray here does not talk,” Cecil ground out angrily. “What were you thinking taking my sister?” Cecil kicked out his foot at Mowbray, who staggered to his feet to avoid the blow.

“I was trying to save her reputation!” Mowbray yelped in pain as Cecil’s foot made contact.

Percy set Madeleine on the front of his horse and stepped down onto the ground. He came over to where Mowbray had scrambled and took him up by his shirt. “You are the only one from which she needed to be saved. I should kill you now where you stand.”

“Percy, no,” Madeleine protested, in an effort to restrain his hand. “Lord Mowbray was doing his utmost to assist me. He did not mean me any harm.”

“He is working with Laura Knight,” Percy ground out, not taking his eyes from Mowbray’s face.

“I am not doing anything with Lady Laura Knight,” Mowbray stuttered in indignant protest. “She came to me with an ultimatum. She said that if I did not convince Lady Madeleine to marry me, that she would not only destroy Lady Madeleine’s reputation, but she would also destroy her family.”

“Why would you care about my family?” Cecil demanded to know. “What is in this for you?”

“He would be in your sister’s bed,” Percy answered on Mowbray’s behalf. “And I am certain that her dowry would pay for many of his gambling debts.”

Mowbray attempted to stand up straight, not an easy feat with Percy shaking him about like a child’s doll. “You are an uncouth man, Percival Hardy. I have genuine affection for Lady Madeleine and great respect for the Earl of Stonefield. I would not wish to see either brought to ruin.” The tone of his voice clearly relayed the message that he was insulted by Percy’s accusations.

“I do not believe you,” Percy angrily ground out between clenched teeth.

Mowbray gave him a look of defiance. “It matters not whether you believe me. I speak the truth.”

“Percy, I believe him,” Madeleine called out from atop his horse. “I do truly believe that he was trying to help me.”

“You trust this worm?” Percy asked, shaking Mowbray for emphasis.

“I do protest, Greyhall,” Mowbray complained. “There is no need for such dispersions.”

“I do,” Madeleine affirmed. “Mr. Mowbray may not be my choice of husband, but he is a man of some honor in this instance. Upon that I do trust.”

Percy raised his brow in doubt. “Are you certain?”

Madeleine nodded. “I am.”

Percy growled low in his throat threateningly at Mowbray. “A man of honor does not run away with an unwed lady in secret to Gretna Green.”

“There was no time to go about it properly,” Mowbray attempted to explain. “Lady Laura only gave me until dawn. Lady Laura…”

“Lady Laura would have killed her had you not agreed to this,” Percy finished the sentence for him. His anger was beginning to subside, being replaced by the relief that he had gotten to Madeleine in time.

Mowbray’s eyes shot up in surprise. “Killed her? I was left with the impression that she might harm Miss Madeleine, but to kill her?”

Percy gave him a scathing look, his anger returning.

“Laura Knight is a murderess. Had she discovered that you had not followed through with your instructions, she would have killed Madeleine. It is the only reason that you are not already dead by my hand for taking her.”

Mowbray gulped, fear turning his face an unhealthy pale hue. “I swear to you that I never meant her any harm.”

“I believe him,” Madeleine repeated. She was so relieved to be free from the fate that had awaited her but moments earlier that she was more than willing to be generous and put what had been a horrible night well into the past. “I am safe now.”

“Only if we get you home before everyone realizes that you are gone,” Cecil pointed out.

Percy released Mowbray. Mowbray stumbled back from the abrupt nature of it. “Get on your horse,” he commanded. “If we do not return in time, you will be needed to answer questions.”

“I only wished to help her,” Mowbray whined in protest.

Percy skewered him with a look. “Then you can help her with this.”

Mowbray mounted his horse, still eyeing Percy and Cecil as if they might change their minds and beat him senseless. “We will not make it in time to save her reputation. We have been on the road too long.”

“Ride,” Percy commanded. “Ride as if your very life depends upon it, Mowbray, because it does.”