Page 82 of A Remarkable Rogue

He scowled at them, furious that the boy had interrupted his game. He slammed his fist onto the table. “Keep him quiet, goddammit!”

Sydney suggested innocently, “Maybe if I untie his hands, he won’t struggle so much and he’ll be quiet.”

“Fine,” he snapped out and turned back to his cards. “Just keep the brat’s mouth shut.”

Miss Jenner narrowed her eyes at Sydney. “I don’t think that’s such—”

“What’s he going to do?” the man interrupted and gestured a handful of cards in their direction. “He’s just a baby, for God’s sake.”

“He’s wrong,” Sydney whispered into Robbie’s ear. “You’re not a baby. You’re a young man. That’s why Captain Reed taught you to jump today. He would never have taught that to anyone who wasn’t a brave man.”

Her words seemed to mollify Robbie a bit because he stopped struggling enough that she could quickly remove the bindings from his wrists. His loud, terrified cries faded into sniffling sobs.

“And brave men donotcry,” Sydney lied, her voice quaking as she remembered Nate’s tears that morning when he finally let go of Sarah and the guilt he’d carried for the past three years. “So you cannot cry or shout, all right? You must keep quiet and do exactly as I tell you.”

He nodded but gave one final, long sniff of a sob.

She’d left the gag for last to make certain his cries were over. She couldn’t risk having the kidnapper order Miss Jenner to tie him up again. Or worse.

As soon as the cloth was pulled from his mouth, he threw his arms around her neck and pressed himself as tightly against her as he could. Yet her brave little boy did not cry. Not once.

“You’re safe with me, Robert. Iwillprotect you always, I promise,” she whispered into his ear, meaning every word with all her heart and soul. “Now do as I tell you, and we’ll soon be away from here and back home at Oakwood.”

He nodded against her neck, and he trembled as he drew a shaking breath. “I’m scared,” he whispered.

“So am I.”

Her confession seemed to settle him a bit, knowing they were in this together. “Is Captain Reed coming for us?”

Her stomach clenched in a tight knot, which made the sickening inside her belly churn even more. She had no idea where Nate was or if he was safe. He could very well be—

No.She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment against the thought. He’d promised that he wouldn’t leave her, and she would put her full faith in that.

“Yes, he is,” she lied with every ounce of resolve inside her. “So we have to be ready for him when he comes.”

“How?”

Biting her lip, she looked around the cottage. It was empty except for the bench where she sat with Robbie and the table and chairs where Miss Jenner joined the man to play cards. The cupboard doors in the little kitchen had been ripped from their hinges and now hung broken; the glass in the two windows was shattered. The dirt floor was bare except for broken shards of crockery scattered about, and a beam from the ceiling had split apart and fallen down onto the floor, nearly bringing down the roof with it. Even the large stone-and-mortar hearth had crumbled with disuse, and a large rock from its corner lay on the dirt floor.

“I don’t know,” she admitted honestly, “but I’ll think of something.”

Robbie nodded, as confident as the frightened little boy could be in a woman he barely knew, and rested his head on her lap. She placed a kiss to his temple and gently stroked his blond hair. The tender gesture comforted her as much as him.

Passing minutes turned into hours, and the slant of sunlight into the cottage through the broken shutter grew longer. Sydney had no idea how long she sat there on the bench trying to think up a plan while Miss Jenner and the kidnapper played at cards. But every passing minute made Sydney’s heart speed faster with fear and her hands shake harder.

Soon.She would have to act soon. But whatever she did, she was willing to sacrifice herself to save Robbie.

The stone by the fireplace kept drawing her attention.

It was the size of a large apple. God only knew how long it had lain there, how long the cottage had been abandoned. She had no idea how close the cottage sat to any of its neighbors, in what direction to run, or where to find someone who might be able to help them. All she knew was that shehadto get Robbie away from here.

It was time to act.

“Can you run fast?” she leaned over and whispered into his ear. “As fast as the wind?”

The boy nodded.

“Good. That’s what I need you to do.”