Chapter Nineteen

Graceview Manor

Folkestone, Kent

"M y God! What do you mean they are gone? Gone where?" Sin asked, his eyes nearly bulging as he struggled to maintain his temper. Dammit. He would have never asked her to come if he knew he was putting her in danger. Lizzie could be anywhere by now. His Lizzie. He would find her—he had to. There was still so much left unsaid. He loved her and couldn't live without her. Sin rubbed his hand through his hair.

"Simon and Josie are missing too," Aunt Millie cried, twisting the hat that Armstrong found in the inn's yard. "The dear boy may have seen what happened to her. It would be like him to steal away…just like he did on our trip here."

"Wait! What happened on the way here? Simon stole away in the carriage to protect Lizzie? From what?" Sin looked in Armstrong's direction. "Do you think he's stolen away…again?"

"I think it's a possibility. The stick and the hat were placed there on purpose—I believe by Simon."

Sin crouched down in front of his aunt, looking up at her. "Aunt Millie. We will find all of them. But I need you to tell me everything you know."

She dabbed at her eyes and straightened her shoulders. "I'll do anything to find my Lizzie and that darling little boy. Shall I tell you everything that I know that has to do with Lord Blackwood?"

"Yes and no. I want to hear about anything unusual that has happened of late to Lizzie. And if it has to do with Blackwood, tell me anything you heard him say, anything that you saw, and anything that Lizzie said."

The older woman exhaled a shaky sigh and began. "The night of Celia's charity dinner was the first time I noticed anything. I saw Lord Blackwood following her, and he wouldn't leave Lizzie alone. But she seemed to manage his attentions well enough, so I didn't interfere…at first. But Lady Pemberly told me that Baron Percival Blackwood practically accosted Lizzie."

She continued to recount every odd encounter with the man, including the trip to town when he stared at her from across the street. Sin found it difficult to listen to, but he decided to ask questions when she'd finished, lest she forget something.

He would recall his questions. When she got to this morning, the hairs on the back of his neck stood.

"The man's been stalking her. He seems obsessed with her. Why?" Wright asked.

Sin thought back about any romantic interest Blackwood may have had but could think of no one. "I agree, but I cannot even recall his mentioning a romantic interest. Never—as far back as I've known him."

Wright placed his hand on Sin's shoulder. "We will find her."

"I blame myself for this. I should have anticipated this," Sin said. He looked at Armstrong. "William, you must take your time. And tell us everything you know."

"You can't be more upset with me than I am with myself," Armstrong replied. "We had outriders. I took every precaution, only to have them strike in the cover of darkness while we slept. This morning, Simon woke me because Josie needed to go out. I let him go but told him I'd be right down. I should have been there."

"Start over—but start from the beginning, including what happened before you left for the trip here," Sin said.

Sin listened to every word. When Armstrong finished, he nodded. "Perhaps Wright and I should lay out what we know. It might help to say it all out loud and put this whole thing together. Wright and I rode around the town, following a lead from Romney, and finally found the house that Blackwood inherited. It's in Folkestone, but we had to look down a drive to see it. It's set back from the road and is rather neglected. But from what we heard, he stays there when in town."

"There was a child there…a blond boy," Wright said, turning to Sin. "I feel like there's something I missed about the boy. Something I should have noticed—a familiarity…or something." He shook his head as if to clear it. "It's probably nothing."

"He was a handsome young boy—seemed to be about four years old, adequately fed, although his clothing seemed rather small for him," Sin added.

"He seemed sad," said Wright. "I don't know why that would have struck me. Young chaps get into trouble."

"If that is Blackwood's place, perhaps he is one of those children who misses his family," Bethany said. "I mentioned before that he's rumored to buy small children from families down on their luck."

"Despicable thing to do," Aunt Millie said, shaking her head. "How could someone blessed to have a child sell it? If that is, indeed, what happened." She swiped at tears that had continued to roll down her cheeks since her arrival.

Sin realized every parent who sold a child justified it to themselves, but in his mind, nothing could support that horrible abuse of a child. "I don't know how to answer that, Aunt Millie. But perhaps you should lie down. You've had a bad shock. We will find Lizzie and Simon—I promise."

"Nonsense! I would do nothing but think about it. There must be something I can do," his aunt said.

Armstrong leaned over and ran his hand through his hair. "Who are these blackguards? We questioned the innkeeper and his wife, and they knew nothing. We notified the local magistrate, and they promised to send word if they learned of anything."

"I know who's responsible for this," Sin said.

"Who?" William asked.

"Blackwood."

*

Once the carriage pulled off the road onto a gravel bed, Simon poked Josie. "Josie, girl, we have to be ready to hide when this carriage stops. They'll be getting Miss Lizzie out, and it's up to us to help her. But we have to be smart and do our best not to get caught by him, because he's mean, and I know what he'd do to us. And it wouldn't be good."

Josie whimpered her understanding.

"We have to be quiet."

The dog tucked her head in his lap. They were going to find Miss Lizzie. He knew the Man had her. Simon had worked in the chimneys or, when he got too big, on the streets in the East End picking pockets. He hated picking pockets and preferred to do things to earn his money. The toffs paid him to watch their horses. Some paid him to deliver things. But whatever he earned was never enough for the Man. He sneered at the effort and told Simon to stop wasting his time because he planned to send him back to the tunnels.

When the carriage stopped, Simon lifted the lid just enough to see. When he was sure the men had taken Lizzie away, he eased out and then lifted his puppy from the boot. The two of them hid behind some crates and barrels next to a shed. When the door to the shed opened, Simon peeked between the barrels and saw a young, blond-haired boy with a slight limp walk into the shed.

Immediately he came out of hiding and embraced his brother. "It's me, Simon, Bobby." Wiping away the tears, he introduced Josie. "I found her when I left. She's been my best friend."

"I love doggies. She's so pretty, Simon," Bobby said with his slight lisp as he petted the dog's head. "But you must hide. The Man just got here. And they brought a pretty lady in yellow."

"That's my Miss Lizzie. She rescued me from sleeping in the trash behind a building—me and Josie. We've got to rescue her."

"Follow me. I know a secret way," Bobby said.

Simon stopped his brother and hugged him. "Bobby, I love you and I've missed you. When we leave, you're coming with me. I know Lady Beadle would want you to live with us. And Lord Sinclair said he'd help me find you. And if they don't, we will go somewhere. But I'm not losing you again. Promise me that you'll stay close."

Bobby nodded, and for a moment he stayed quiet. "Nobody knows about my secret passageway except me. I've never showed anyone. I think we can hide there. But it's small. I don't know about the lady in yellow. She was rolled up in a large blanket when I saw her, so I don't know if she'll fit." He looked around. "We need to get out of here before he sees us. He's planning to take a bunch of us to work in the tunnels tonight."

Simon followed his brother, stepping back as he moved three pieces of wood in the floor of the cabin, uncovering a hole that led to a secret passage.

"Go ahead. We have to get in the hiding place and be fast," Bobby said. "There's a secret room I'll show you. If we get in trouble, meet me back there. I've been smuggling food and water down there."

The two boys and the dog stayed quiet in the opening beneath the floor as a large man opened the door and stood above them, looking around. "I saw the boy headed in here. I sure didn't see him leave. Damn! Maybe he took the potatoes inside to the cook," he muttered. Shrugging, the man left.

"If I show up without the potatoes, I'll be beaten," Bobby whispered.

Simon's heart squeezed. He wouldn't leave Bobby behind. Never again. Somehow, they would get out of here. He wasn't sure how, but he was going to get help. "Show me how to get to Miss Lizzie."

Bobby showed him through a very narrow passageway. It wound around and took them to the second floor of the house. Bobby listened at the wall before opening the cover for the passageway. After checking the hall, he stepped out and indicated Simon should follow. "She's in that room. Be quiet. Maybe I should keep Josie with me in here until you get in there."

*

Lizzie opened her eyes to darkness and found herself alone on a pallet on the floor. The blanket smelled musty. She groaned and lay there, thinking and staring up at a ceiling she didn't recognize. The taste of laudanum nearly overwhelmed her. Someone had poured an excessive amount of the drug down her throat. She raised her arm and could smell smoke on her clothing. Suddenly, the memories came flooding back.

She recalled being back in her room at the inn and hearing someone cough. It sounded close to her. Slowly, she roused herself from her sleep. It was still dark outside, and as she adjusted her eyes, she gaped at the faces of two men she'd never seen before. When she opened her mouth to scream, the shorter man shoved a cloth into her mouth.

"Don't be afraid, milady. The Man has weird ideas, but he doesn't plan to hurt you. But if ye scream, I'll be forced to knock ye out, because there won't be time for the laudanum to work," the taller one whispered.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she nodded, and the man had eased the cloth away and poured laudanum down her throat. She recalled almost choking on it. Her last thought had been of Edward. Somehow, he will find me , she remembered thinking.

Suddenly, she heard the scratching. At first it sounded like a mouse, but as it went on, she realized it was outside the door. Then she heard a voice she recognized.

"Miss Lizzie, can you hear me?" Simon whispered. "Are you awake?"

"Simon. Is that you?" Lizzie rasped. She sat up and did her best to stand on shaky legs. When she finally stood, she tried the knob, but the door wouldn't budge. "It's locked. Look around and see if you see a key."

"I will, Miss Lizzie."

*

Simon looked up and noticed the skeleton key hanging on a hook at the top of the doorframe. "I see it, but I can't reach it. Wait." He scooted back to the opening he had crawled out of, where Bobby waited with Josie. "Bobby, I need you to get on my shoulders and reach the key. It's too high for me."

"Will Jothie stay quiet?" Bobby asked.

"As a mouse." Simon got Josie's attention and put his finger in front of his lips. Josie immediately lay down and looked up at Simon. "Climb on my shoulder, Bobby."

After two tries, Bobby was finally sitting on top of his brother's shoulders.

"Reach as high as you can and see if you can grab that key," Simon said.

"Got it," Bobby said, passing the key to his brother.

Once Bobby was off his shoulders, Simon unlocked the door and then turned to close the entrance to the passageway. The three of them then scooted into Lizzie's room.

"Oh my God! He looks just like you," Lizzie whispered. "Just half your size and blond."

"And I limp and talk funny," Bobby said. "The men that tell me what to do make fun of me."

"You've always had that limp," Simon said. "Don't pay them no mind."

"I agree, Bobby. And there are ways to overcome a lisp. We can work on your ability to say the letter s ," Lizzie said, wrapping her arms around both boys. Josie squeezed her nose in between them. "Thank you both for risking everything for me. But boys, we've got to find a way to escape." She locked the room from the inside and dropped the key into her bodice.

"All the bad men are eating and drinking in the kitchen. They might go to their favorite place and drink after they eat," Bobby said.

"And where would that be?" Lizzie asked.

"It's a pub above the tunnels near the water," Bobby said with a shiver. "It's scary to work there."

"Do you think she could fit in the secret passage?" Simon asked.

"Secret passage?" Lizzie asked. "Out of here?"

"Kinda. We can hide in there until we can get away from here," Simon said.

"Me and Simon got here in the secret tunnel without being seen," Bobby said. He looked at Lizzie and then nodded. "I think she can."

"Who else knows about the secret passage?" Lizzie asked.

"Only me," Bobby said. "But we betta hurry. If they don't go to the pub, they could be up here."

Both boys put their ears to the door. When they heard nothing, Lizzie unlocked the door and Bobby opened the door to the passage. Just before she stepped into the passageway, she locked the door to the room. When Lizzie stepped into the passage, Bobby pulled the cover to the passageway closed.

The dark passageway lightened when they found their way to a small room. "We can have light in here," Bobby said, lighting a lamp that was hanging on the wall. "We should stay here until it gets dark. There's food and water," he said, pointing to a stack of vegetables and a jug of water. "And blankets." He nodded toward a stack. "It gets cold in here."

"I confess to being overwhelmed and confused by everything that's happened to me. I wonder if we can sit for a little while?" Lizzie asked.

Bobby nodded, and both boys made a pallet and placed it on the dirt floor.

Lizzie sat down and patted the pallet. Both boys sat, and Josie wedged her nose in between them. "The only thing I know is the little I remember. Can the two of you tell me what you know about how I got here?"