Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
T he full moon was like a heavy pearl hanging amid low-lying clouds. Moonlight played with the shadows upon the open road. It was a perfect night to rob a coach.
Diana held the reins of her horse, the same one she’d stolen from Tyburn, and glanced at the men on either side of her who waited for her signal. Matthew and Luke, her two loyal footmen.
“Ready?” she asked them. Her heart swelled with a fierce, sisterly love. When she’d asked them to be a part of this scheme to save Foxglove, they’d agreed without a second thought.
“Oxford reporting for duty,” Matthew said with an Irish accent that honestly could use a bit of work. His smile shone white in the darkness of the trees where they lay in wait.
“Cambridge is ready to follow you to the gates of hell.” Luke, on the other hand, sounded quite perfectly Welsh. They would use the same names Tyburn and his crew used in the hopes the people they robbed would assume they were the same men.
“Then let’s move into position.” Diana pulled her domino down over her face and adjusted the wig she’d had made to help disguise herself. Her men put on their own masks, then moved their horses closer to the road and waited as the coach came around a distant bend, headed straight toward them.
Diana was quite certain this coach had three wealthy, very drunk men and one woman who was the mistress of one of the male passengers. Diana had waited two hours at the nearest coaching inn, listening, watching, choosing her first prey carefully. She’d spotted the men and their female companion dining and drinking to excess. That had helped make her choice. Drunken men were less likely to put up a decent fight if they chose to defend themselves. When she’d heard the men call for their coach to be brought around, she, Matthew, and Luke had raced to the stables, mounted up, and rode ahead to lie in wait.
Diana’s heart pounded like the drums of war as she gave the order to ride. She led the charge, pistol raised, as she stopped her horse in front of the coach, blocking its path on the road. The coach driver jerked at the reins and halted the coach.
“Stand and deliver!” she bellowed in her deepest voice, trying her best to imitate Tyburn’s Scottish accent. Even the blond wig was fashioned after Tyburn’s windswept style. It itched a little, but it did give her the look of Tyburn from a distance. Only her brown eyes and shorter height would give her away if anyone looked too closely. She’d decided she would stay on her horse whenever possible.
“Stay where ye are, driver, and stand up.” Matthew kept his gun aimed at the coach door. He nodded for Luke to join him. Luke slid out of his saddle and tapped the barrel of his pistol on the coach door, then flung it open, giving the occupants no time to resist.
“You four, out, now ,” Luke ordered.
Three very drunken, confused men stumbled out. Luke offered his hand to the sole female passenger. She stared wide-eyed at the trio of thieves and trembled, her face paling.
Was this how I looked? Diana wondered as she stared at the woman. Unlike her male companions, she seemed to realize the danger they were in.
“Remove yer money and valuables,” Luke instructed, holding up leather pouches in front of the men.
“I say!” one of the drunken gentlemen began. “You have no right to take our money.” He pointed a finger at Luke but wavered on his feet due to the influence of his drinking.
“The presence of our guns says otherwise,” Diana replied, moving her horse closer. The height and natural strength of the beast made the men reflexively take a step back.
With muttered grumblings, the men surrendered their money and pocket watches. The woman, a rather pretty creature perhaps in her early thirties, surrendered her jewels without a fuss. As Diana maneuvered her horse back a little, the woman suddenly spoke to Diana.
“Are you him? The one Lady Society writes about? The charming highwayman?” There was a hint of feminine interest in the woman’s voice.
Diana almost laughed. Her plan to pose as Tyburn was apparently working.
“My lady, I am simply a common scoundrel. I sincerely doubt anyone would bother to write about me.” She shot a glance at her men. Matthew and Luke were ready to leave. They’d split the two pouches between them and tied them to the saddles of their horses. That way, if one of them was captured, it would prevent all the loot from being lost.
“Coachman, ye shall wait a quarter of an hour before ye continue on yer way. Someone will be watching.” With a quick nod to her men, she angled her horse away from the coach. Each was to take a different route home.
Diana rode into the darkness, diving into the woods out of sight of the coach. She headed east, whereas the coach would go north. Matthew would go south, and Luke would head west. They would each ride straight for a mile or so before they arced back toward home. She prayed she’d thought of everything, but only time would tell. Once they were confident in their performance, she would feel more comfortable adjusting their strategy, but for now, she was nervous enough that her stomach kept pitching south.
Diana rode for the full mile, glancing over her shoulder again and again until her neck ached. No one was following her. She turned toward home and marveled at the beauty of the night, the clouds and the hint of stars that the moon swallowed up during their progression across the sky.
The pit of dread in Diana’s stomach eased into a nervous fluttering. Finally, she drew in sight of Foxglove. She did not take the main road, but instead cut across the fields. She knew the paths back to the house better than anyone. She had shed blood on these lands. She had wept tears into the soil as she worked beside her tenant farmers. She’d given all but her life for this place and the people who dwelled here. She refused to think about the fact that she’d just stolen money that didn’t belong to her. What was one more sin if it took care of these people and the home she loved? She couldn’t give up, she just couldn’t.
The stables were lit by a single lantern, which drew her in like a beacon. Nelson was there waiting for her.
“My lady,” the elderly groom said as she rode into the meager patch of light at the entrance of the stables.
“I’m here.” It was so very quiet outside that she dared only whisper her next question. “Did the others make it back safely?”
“Yes, both lads have gone inside for the night. They wanted to stay out here, but I wouldn’t let them. Too many chances to be seen dressed black as night as they were. Let me take this beauty.” He grasped the mare’s reins, and the horse nickered softly and nudged the old groom’s shoulder with clear affection. Every beast, even the pigs, loved Nelson.
“Thank you, Nelson.” She slid out of the saddle and kissed the old man’s cheek. “Did the grooms have any trouble tonight?”
Her other two grooms had split duties pretending to be footmen while she and the others were away. She didn’t want any visitors, like Caddington, dropping by unannounced and noticing that she had lacked footmen in the house. He seemed the sort of man to notice a detail like that.
“No, my lady. It was a quiet night.”
“Thank heavens.”
Nelson patted the horse’s neck affectionately. “I’ll put this lady in her stall.”
“Then you must go to bed yourself,” she reminded him before she left the stables.
Just inside the front door, Mr. Peele and Mrs. Ripley were waiting for her. The housekeeper squeezed her in a tight hug.
“You made it! The lads arrived before you, and we feared the worst.” Mrs. Ripley covered her mouth with a trembling hand. “I didn’t know you meant to come back separately. You mustn’t do that again.”
“We feared you had been captured,” Peele added.
“I took the longest route, the easiest one to follow. I didn’t want to risk Matthew and Luke more than I risked my own life.”
Her butler gave a huff of disapproval but didn’t argue with her.
“Where are Luke and Matthew?” she asked.
“In the sitting room waiting for you,” said Peele. “I now realize that, if we continue this, we shall need a proper place to hide you when you return, in case you are followed and discover that fact too late. Perhaps the wine cellar? It has an old priest hole that runs into the woods behind the stables.”
Diana nodded. “Yes, that is an excellent idea. We shall look into that tomorrow.” She pulled her mask, wig, and gloves off and gave them to Mrs. Ripley, who rushed away to hide them.
Diana retired to the sitting room and found her accomplices still dressed in their black trousers and black waistcoats as she was. Peele was right. They would need a place to change clothes and hide their highwayman disguises before returning to the house. Dark-haired Matthew was seated, while the fairer-haired Luke paced back and forth by the fire. They looked like young lords of light and dark. The two jolted to attention when she entered and closed the door behind her.
“Well? Did anyone try to follow you?” she asked.
“No,” Matthew replied. “I watched the coach. The woman seemed to insist the gentlemen stay put like we instructed.”
Luke chuckled. “We made an impression on her, no mistake. The lass looked both terrified and fascinated, especially by you, my lady.”
Diana snorted. “Put a woman in a wig and she’ll look as handsome as any man,” she retorted.
Matthew and Luke both laughed. “She did think you were that Tyburn fellow everyone is talking about. I suppose that means your plan worked out very well, my lady.”
In truth, she wasn’t proud, she was just... relieved. Relieved that no one had been hurt, captured, or killed.
Luke retrieved the pouches from by the fireplace and handed them to Diana.
“Shall we see how we fared?” She poured the contents onto a nearby reading table, then separated the jewels from the coins and banknotes.
“Here.” She gave the men each their agreed share of coins and banknotes. “I shall have Peele fence the other items and pay you your hazard fees once I receive the money for them. The rest goes to the estate.”
The two men gratefully accepted their payments.
“You must be sure to hide your money,” she warned in a low tone. “No one can know where it is. Do you understand? Do not hide it in the servants’ quarters.”
“My lady?” Luke’s brows rose. “Do you believe someone who works here will steal it?”
“No, of course not. Not anyone in this house. But if anyone suspects us, they will search this house, especially your quarters. Being found with too much money will bring you under suspicion.”
“Ah,” Matthew sighed in understanding. “Because we are servants . They will suspect us first.”
“Unfortunately, they will,” Diana agreed. “But my financial position won’t be hidden for much longer. I may face a similar level of scrutiny. No one would suspect me of riding out with you, but they may suspect that I have hired others to steal for me. I will be hiding my portion as well.”
A gleam of excitement filled Luke’s eyes. “When do we ride again?”
“We must wait and watch for a few days. I want to see how the authorities handle the situation. That will tell us how our next... acquisition will go. Now, ’tis late and you both need rest. Off to bed.”
She shooed the footmen out of the room, then retired to her own bedchamber and stripped out of her black clothing, which she would need to see carefully hidden away on the morrow. She was too exhausted after the anxiety of that first robbery to worry about it tonight.
Mrs. Ripley had thoughtfully left out a nightgown for her, for she had no lady’s maid. After her father had died, a number of the servants had sought employment elsewhere, and her maid had been one of those she’d had to bid a tearful farewell to. Once she’d donned the nightgown, she hastily brushed her hair out and collapsed into bed.
Diana lay there, unable to sleep, watching the moonlight move in slow patterns across the walls. It took several long moments for her fears and the tension of the night to finally bleed out of her. Perhaps this mad scheme would work after all.
A lady highwayman.
What a shocking notion indeed. She tried not to think about what her parents would have said had they still been alive. Instead, her thoughts drifted back to the mysterious Tyburn. Had he taken advantage of the moonlight to conduct his own nefarious robberies as well? Had he stopped another woman passenger and had he looked at her with desire as he had Diana? Would he kiss that other woman? Or was he lying alone in a bed, wondering about her and where she was? Could he be dreaming about her?
Three weeks had passed since her abduction, and in that time she’d had her monthly courses come and go, leaving her disappointed. No child was to come after all. That seemed only to heighten her secret longing to find Tyburn again, even knowing how impossible and dangerous such a thing would be. He’d probably want to strangle her for taking his money. But that didn’t stop her from missing his touch... his kiss.
Her fingertips touched her lips as she drew up that now-sacred memory of the highwayman’s kiss. How his lips had moved over hers, how his hands had roved over her body, and how it had felt to lie beneath his muscled form and feel the strength of him beneath her fingertips. His body had held the heat of the sun, and it had unfurled her deeper, sweeter dreams, the way flowers opened beneath sunlight.
She could still hear his shuddering breath in her ear as he came and remembered how her body had lit up as she’d scaled that beautiful mountain, and how a vast universe of pleasure had exploded through her.
With a sigh, Diana rolled onto her side and gazed at the empty spot in the bed beside her. Two words echoed bittersweetly in her chest.
If only . . .
Diana sat back on her heels at the edge of the back gardens, where she was pulling out weeds from the once-pristine tended lawns. The gardens would never be as perfect as her mother had once had them, but if she could keep them free of weeds, she would be satisfied enough. Of course, if they were ever able to afford a team of gardeners again, she might just manage to make them as beautiful as they once were. Lost in fanciful thoughts of what she’d do with all of the extra help she could hire, she didn’t hear her butler speak until he cleared his throat.
“There’s a rider coming down the road, my lady,” Peele announced as he approached her, stepping around a box of gardening tools she’d left on the path.
“Oh?” She wasn’t sure if this was something to worry about or not.
“It appears to be Miss Merton,” Peele added.
A delighted grin curved her lips as she removed her gardening gloves and straightened her soil-stained apron that protected her sensible lilac-colored day gown. “Rachel?”
“Yes, Miss Diana. Judging by her speed, it would seem she’s anxious to see you.” Peele collected her gloves and garden trowel from her as they returned to the house together.
She came in through the back terrace and heard Rachel’s voice echoing through the halls. It was a most welcome sound. She found her dear friend deep in conversation with Mrs. Ripley just inside the entryway.
Rachel Merton was a brilliantly beautiful dark-haired woman with stunning brown eyes that radiated the warmth of her very soul. They had known each other since they were six, and everyone who spoke to her felt they were welcomed into the woman’s confidence, and that extended to the servants as well. Mr. Peele and Mrs. Ripley both thought of Rachel Merton in the highest regard.
Rachel turned to see Diana and almost gasped. “Heavens, Di, is that dirt upon your cheeks? What on earth have you been up to?” There was delight rather than censure in the question.
Diana beamed at her friend. “Digging to China, what else?” It was an old joke between them. When they’d first met, Diana had been beneath the base of a large old cypress tree, carving a path around the vast system of roots. She’d been covered in dirt and completely forgotten by the adults watching her. Then along came Rachel in her perfect little dress, eyes bright, and she’d knelt right down beside Diana to join in the dig without a care in the world except aiding Diana in her goal to reach the Far East by way of a tunnel through the center of the earth.
“Truly? May I come with you?” Rachel swept the train of her dark-blue gown out of her way and came over to take Diana’s arm, unbothered by the bits of garden debris clinging to Diana’s sleeve.
“Of course you shall come! What would I do without my second-in-command?” Diana teased.
“Well then, what will my duties be in the depths of these tunnels?” Rachel giggled, a sound that always made Diana feel like dancing.
“You shall be chief of bucket emptying.” Diana said this with such a serious tone that Rachel burst out laughing. Diana’s heart leapt again with joy. She had deeply missed Rachel. Her friend had spent the last six months in London. Her mother and father were still trying to see her married off, even though she was three and twenty, just like Diana, and past the age when most men would take her as a serious candidate for courtship.
“Well, that sounds infinitely better than sitting in a stuffy drawing room waiting to see if some gentleman will come calling. I only had a few callers who held any real interest this season. Mama kept praying I would receive even just one posy before some of the balls we attended. But alas, I received none.”
Rachel did not sound terribly upset about this, but Diana knew that Mrs. Merton wished desperately for grandchildren. Rachel was an only child, a radiant beauty, and quite the wealthy heiress, which should have drawn any number of gentlemen to her. But Rachel had a cunning way of putting men off with her quick wit and brilliant mind. Few men were interested in a wife who could not only talk but think circles around them. And Rachel was adamant not to settle for someone who would feel threatened by her.
“Such fools, these so-called gentlemen,” Diana declared, and gave Rachel’s arm a squeeze.
Rachel sighed dramatically. “Indeed. Now catch me up on all of the adventures I’ve missed since I left for London.”
“Well, as you can see, my gardening skills have not improved much,” Diana said as they entered the library. Matthew brought in a tray of tea and some cucumber sandwiches before he quietly withdrew.
“Dear, are we that dull now? Have we nothing else to gossip about?” Rachel mused sorrowfully.
Diana almost told Rachel about her daring moonlight ride disguised as a highwayman, but the confession died upon her lips. Tyburn’s warning about hiding one’s identity came back to her, and it was echoed by Lord Caddington’s open threat. Rachel was her truest and dearest friend, but she could not endanger her life simply to have someone to talk to. There was no way she could risk telling her about her plans. But she could tell Rachel about her own robbery at Tyburn’s hands.
“Sadly, we must be that dull. I’ve done nothing but fret over money and work... and I was robbed by a highwayman.”
“What?” Rachel gasped. “When?” She took charge of the tea service and poured them each a cup as she waited for Diana to continue.
And just like that, she told her best friend everything that had happened, meeting Tyburn and even being abducted. She let out a deep breath and made her final confession.
“I . . . shared his bed, Rachel,” she whispered.
“You... you slept with this Tyburn gentleman?” Rachel’s cheeks pinkened and she leaned forward a little. “What was it like?”
“Wonderful,” Diana confessed. “It was as wickedly wonderful as you could imagine. No wonder they won’t let debutants run off into the gardens with men. I can understand the danger now. Once he kissed me... I quite lost my head.”
Rachel signed and smiled dreamily. “Now that is far better than digging to China. It’s a pity you likely won’t see him again.”
“Yes,” she agreed. Even though she could tell Rachel wanted to discuss it more, Diana had other things she wanted to speak to her friend about.
“I did go to London for a few days,” Diana added. “I paid a call on my father’s solicitor to see about the estate’s debts. What I want...” She halted and considered her words carefully before continuing. “What I wish is to invest some money in a few months, but I fear it would be a small amount. I would need a banker who would take me seriously.”
Rachel nodded in understanding. “And I assume no man will talk to you?”
Diana took a sip of her tea. “That is what I’m afraid of.” She had not visited with any bankers on this particular trip, but she knew well enough that they would not speak to her about investing if she had.
“Di, have you considered an idea that might be a bit... unconventional?” A gleam lit Rachel’s eyes and she leaned forward in her chair. “Like perhaps a female banker?”
Diana blinked. “A what?”
“A woman banker. They exist, you know.” Rachel grinned over the rim of her teacup. “And you happen to live not too far from one.”
“I do?” Diana set down her teacup as her hand began to tremble. She was thirsty, overworked, and now excited. That was not a very good combination if she wished to preserve the integrity of her teacup.
“Lady Lennox.”
Diana’s brows drew together. “Regina Lennox isn’t a banker.”
“You misunderstand. Not Regina, the dowager baroness, but Rosalind , Lord Lennox’s wife.”
“Oh...” Diana’s face flamed with mortification. “I’m afraid I have not attended any social events these last few years. I do remember hearing of a hasty wedding with Lord Lennox and a Scottish woman, but that is all.”
“Well then, you are in luck. That is one of the reasons I came over this evening. You are invited to our ball tomorrow. We would have sent an invitation sooner, but it’s been a bit chaotic returning from London. Mama sent all the invitations out from London, and when I reminded her about you, she was quite upset that she’d forgotten.”
“Your mother is a dear. It is easy to forget me. I have not been out since my father died. Tell her not to be distressed on my account.”
Rachel tapped Diana’s teacup with her own in a toast. “Drink up and have dear Mrs. Ripley ready your best dress. I will introduce you to Lady Lennox, and you can ask her about investing. I have a feeling she might be the answer you’ve been seeking.”
Buoyed by a wellspring of hope, Diana abandoned her teacup and got up to hug Rachel.
Rachel chuckled as she patted Diana’s back. “Goodness, you are glad about this, aren’t you?”
“You haven’t the faintest idea how much,” Diana confessed. “You are an angel, heaven-sent.”
At this, Rachel let out a devious giggle. “Do not call me an angel, for they have far less fun.”
Diana returned to her seat, finished drinking her tea, and listened to Rachel’s tales from London. For the first time in more than a year, the cold hearth in her heart once more held the burning embers of small sparks of hope.