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“We didn’t think she was connected,” another male pleaded. Caroline thought that she recognized the whining voice of one of her abductors, but it had been so long that she could not be sure. “She said he was just escorting her and that her father would pay a fine ransom.”
“A ransom?” the first shouted even louder. “So this is about a ransom, your greedy whelp! And you didn’t think to tell me? This could lead back to us. To me!” There was the sound of pacing and something shattering against the wall. “They were married. When that news came out about who was in that carriage you should have killed her then.”
“I didn’t know at first, honest,” the miscreant begged. “We were too busy smuggling the duke’s valuables out to India where they could be sold without identification. It wasn’t easy. All the ports were being watched.”
A voracious growl was all that came in response.
“Ames made a good point that if there were survivors then it would look more like an accident,” a third voice offered. “Too many deaths would be suspicious. A ransom will distract from all that. What with your brother on his deathbed.”
It was all that Caroline could do to smother her gasp. They did not know that she was awake, and she certainly did not want to draw attention toward her little room, but she had to get loose. She pulled on the bindings. The chair creaked, and she stilled.
“He should have died at sea.” Lord Edward growled. “I waited five years for him to die on that ship. It should have been easy, but the French just couldn’t do the job. I suppose that it would look too convenient for two deaths in the line above me, if I alone survived.” Again, Caroline heard him pace, and another glass shattered. “But damn you why didn’t you tell me she was in my own house.”
It is not your house, Caroline thought with spite.
“We thought we had it handled,” one began. “We didn’t think she had any connection there. You didn’t even recognize her. No one did, she hasn’t been seen in London in years.”
“When we killed the duke, your brother was supposed to already be dead, and you were supposed to be next in line,” one of the hired thugs argued. “It was supposed to be done and easy. We didn’t ask for all of this, and I don’t kill ladies. It’s bad luck.” The men had a long debate over who should have known that the late duke had married and how that might have changed their plan for the attack.
“She won’t talk,” one of the men informed Lord Edward. “They’ll pin Robert’s murder on her if she does. Reilly said so. We could probably even say she killed your father. Didn’t want to marry him and all. Took it out on the family.”
It was a solid argument, Caroline thought. With no evidence either way she would likely go down for the crimes.
“Damn it all,” Lord Edward groused. He took a deep breath. “You said the constable is there right now, that they have the whole house locked down.”
“Yeah,” came an annoyed grunt, “but we got her out first. She can’t talk.”
“Do you think that they suspect my connection?” he asked.
“No one will rat,” came the assured reply. “You said that once you are duke that you’ll take care of us and by God you better.”
“I told you I will,” Lord Edward snapped. He then asked if they thought that his brother might have his suspicions.
“No,” came the young voice of the servant Matthew. Caroline’s heart sank. He was so young that she had hoped that he hadn’t been involved, it was clear that the duke had wished as much as well. “He sent me to warn you to watch your back, tell you he’d been poisoned. That’s how I knew what was going down and Jack and I clocked her good and brought her here.” That seemed to settle Lord Edward’s rage for nothing else smashed for a few minutes.
“Sentimental fool,” the duke’s brother made a noise that indicated he had spat on the ground. “How did he get a letter out to the constable? I thought you were to monitor his letters?”
“I did,” Matthew whimpered. “I threw out all contacts to the baron until after they met. I couldn’t very well keep having post go missing before that. I don’t know who he sent it by but it wasn’t James or I.” Caroline’s heart sank. So he had sent the letter, but even the Duke’s own mail had been monitored to a certain extent. James, the duke’s part-time valet had to be involved as well. Was no one innocent?
“We’ll keep her with my birds for a week or so and then offer the ransom,” the Madam’s feminine voice chimed in. “That way we have another point of leverage. We can always say she’s been well had if she thinks anyone will believe her.”
“You should have known better than to put her in my home, Mildred,” Lord Edward growled again. A slap resounded, and the lady whimpered. “I expect you won’t make that mistake again.”
“We only knew her name,” the Madam hissed. “No one knew that she had wed your father. Not until it was too late.”
“Lud,” Matthew guffawed. “What if she’s with child?”
“She’s not,” Mildred snorted. “First, she’d be showing by now but the marriage wasn’t consummated.”
“How on earth would you know that?” Edward asked.
“When I heard the news that the Lady traveled with only her maid it didn’t take much to determine which was which. I beat her maid within an inch of her life until she admitted that your father never touched her. I suppose that’s one thing that’s gone right.”
Caroline’s eyes filled with tears and they ran freely down her face. Poor Marilee. In the darkness of the musty room, she cried as silently as possible. She must look a wreck but she did not care, could not even wipe at her nose or face with her hands bound behind her. Anger and indignation welled within her. She would make each and every person involved pay. She did not care if they threated to send her to the gallows for murder. She did not care if they ruined her reputation. Nothing would keep her silent. If she had to take every single one of them down with her, she would. Lord Edward most of all. If doing so freed Marilee from her torment or saved the duke from further attempts on his life, then it would be worth even her own downfall.
“Lady Lydia better not hear a word of any of this mess,” Lord Edward declared. In her fear Caroline had forgotten that the Lady Blackwell had entangled herself with this wretch of a man. She had thought that she had been betrothed to a monster when in reality she would have been far better off with Lord Robert. Instead, she had fallen in love with the real monster. A wolf, no, a devil in sheep’s clothing. Caroline felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of Lady Lydia perhaps returning her devotion to the elder if ever all came to light. Certainly, Lord Edward feared as much.
The door swung open without warning and Caroline was suddenly cast in light. She squinted against the shocking brightness.
