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“Lord Addison? Are you certain that was the name?”

“I am.”

Mr. Wilburn asked, “How did you manage to escape unharmed?”

One of the men had brought a blanket from the carriage to wrap around Lydia and she accepted it gratefully, wiping her face on the corner before answering. “He was about to shoot me when Lizzy dashed between us. She said she would not go willingly if he did not let me go. Lizzy reminded him that she would be worth nothing to him dead.”

The thought of his Elizabeth dying pierced William’s heart. Swiftly, he ordered, “Osborne, help Miss Lydia into the carriage and take her to Pemberley.”

Lydia tried to protest, but she was overruled, and soon she was on her way to safety. William then focused on the groom. “Marshall, fetch the physician in Lambton, and bring him to the boarding house. We may need him.”

William did not have to explain, but it was evident to the others that he feared finding Miss Bennet injured. Remounting his horse, he instructed, “The rest of you, follow me. We must stop that blackguard from escaping with Miss Elizabeth.”

In no time at all, those left were all riding at breakneck speed towards the boarding house, with Duke running alongside. Once they arrived, they found Miss Younge standing behind the desk as though unaware of the crimes committed under her roof.

“How may I help you gentlemen?” she asked nonchalantly.

“Where is that villain who has Miss Bennet?” William demanded.

“I do not know what—”

“Do not play innocent with me. If she is harmed in any fashion, I shall hold you accountable and you will hang. I shall see to that!”

Apparently convinced of the sincerity of his vow, Sarah Younge’s invented story evaporated. “Drago is no longer here. After he killed Wickham, he put a woman in his gig and left, going north towards the road to Sheffield. That was about half an hour ago.”

Still infuriated at her audacity, William declared, “Show Mr. Wilburn to the room where George Wickham was killed. I want every piece of paper, everything he or any of the other miscreants possessed gathered for the purpose of prosecuting those who are guilty. Whoever is responsible for dreaming up this crime and all those who participated will pay.”

Miss Younge swallowed hard whilst William turned to address the men with him. “Mr. Wilburn, if you will be so kind as to secure the rooms where Wickham and the others were killed, and then to collect all their possessions, the rest of us shall track down the blackguard who took Miss Elizabeth. Send Marshall after us as soon as he arrives with the physician.”

Mr. Wilburn nodded as William and the other men left the building. As they mounted their horses, William shouted, “Come on, Duke!”

William and Duke raced down the road with Decker and Harrigan hard on their heels.

Drago was losing a lot of blood from the wound to his leg and appeared to be drifting in and out of consciousness whilst Elizabeth eyed him carefully. She had already decided to attempt an escape the minute he was no longer able to keep his gun aimed at her.

Because of his injury, he was unable to focus on driving the horse, which began to slow. Suddenly, Drago thrust the reins into Elizabeth’s hands. “You drive and make him pick up his feet! Do not think of defying me, for I shall kill you rather than let you go.”

Elizabeth did as he ordered, but as soon as the horse realised the whip had ceased, he slowed again. Eventually, he came to a complete stop, and Elizabeth looked to see if Drago had noticed. He was slumped to the side of the seat with his eyes closed whilst the guns he had been holding now rested on the floor of the carriage.

Seeing her chance to escape, Elizabeth prepared to jump out of the carriage. Unfortunately, Drago suddenly rallied, reached for one of the guns and sat back up. Grabbing at Elizabeth to prevent her from jumping, he snagged only the shawl that she had wrapped around her shoulders when they left the boarding house. It came loose in his hands just as she escaped the vehicle and ran for the woods on that side.

“Come back here, wench!” he cried. “I will kill you, I swear!”

Elizabeth was determined not to stop and when a shot rang out, she zig-zagged in a bid to throw off his aim; however, a second shot managed to graze her upper arm. Though it was not as bad as it could have been, still the cut was deep and hurt tremendously, and it began to bleed copiously. Despite the pain, Elizabeth kept running.

Chapter 20

A steady drizzle of rain and sleet was falling by the time Duke ceased sniffing and began to growl at a horse and gig standing squarely in the middle of the road as though abandoned. Taking precautions lest it was an ambush, William motioned for the others to wait whilst he carefully approached the vehicle.

Slipping up beside the idle carriage, William peered inside, only to discover a man slumped over in the seat. Instantly aware that the man was gripping a shawl not unlike those Elizabeth wore, William became enraged.

Grasping the unsuspecting villain, he raised him to a sitting position by clasping the collar of his coat. Roused to consciousness, the man cried, “My leg! I have been shot!”

“Your injuries are of no concern to me! What have you done with Miss Bennet?”

The man motioned towards the woods. “She is somewhere out there and likely dead by now! I told her I would shoot her if she ran off, and I did!”

William reached for a double-barrelled pistol lying on the floor of the carriage. Recognising the expensive item as one he had seen in Lord Morgan’s office the last time they met, he sniffed the barrel. Convinced it had been fired, he clutched the man’s throat as though he meant to strangle him, crying, “If you have harmed a hair on Miss Bennet’s head, I shall kill you myself!”