Never a Mistress, No Longer a Maid (23 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Jane didn’t know how long Cantwell had kept them bound and
gagged.  It was at least an hour.  Maybe two.  But when Vi began whimpering,
Cantwell knew it was time for a bathroom break.

“I warn you Jane,” he said as he cut the ties around her
legs, “don’t cross me.  There’s no help for you here.  The only reason I’m
letting you answer nature’s call is I don’t want the bastard pissing herself. 
But if you try anything, I’ll not hesitate to beat both of you.  Do I make
myself clear?”

Jane nodded, knowing that Vi’s very survival depended on Jane
keeping her head and doing what Cantwell said.  She’d kill him if given half a
chance.  She just had to look for a means of doing it. 

*                    *                    *               

Ned didn’t know how long they’d been on the road, but he’d been
worried for every single minute of it.  There’d been an accident that delayed
them getting out of town by an hour and he was out of his mind with worry.  He
couldn’t lose his family.  He couldn’t allow them to be taken from him.

They were finally on the northern road and making good time,
when the carriage began to slow. 

“Lord Edward,” called the coachman.  “You need to see this.”    

Ned jumped out of the carriage before it drew to a halt,
only to have his blood run cold.  It was Wills Overton, dead, on the side of
the road.

“My lord,” said Rigg.  Then, when he could get no response,
he said “Ned, let’s get back on the road.”

Numbly, Ned climbed back into the carriage and they were
once again on their way.

*                    *                    *

“Mama,” whispered Vi, as they walked toward the woods.  “Why
did the man take us?”

“Don’t worry about that, now, sweeting.  Everything will be
okay.”   Jane prayed her words would be true.

“I want to go home.  I want to be with Ned.”

“I want to be with him, too, sweeting.”

And she did.  She loved him.  She wanted to marry him.  She
was needed in Marston Vale, but she and Vi needed a life with Ned.  And Jane
would do whatever she could to make it happen.  She wouldn’t lose him, no
matter what.  If only they could get out of there alive.

“That’s far enough!” yelled Cantwell from the side of the
road.

“We don’t have shelter.  We need to go into the woods,” Jane
yelled back, hoping it would provide them the means of escape.

“Like hell you do,” he said.  “Stand in front of the little
bastard.  Because if you take one more step toward the woods, it’ll be the last
step she ever takes.”

Grimly, Jane stood in front of Vi, shielding her with her
skirts, as the girl relieved herself. 

“You’re being very brave, poppet,” said Jane.

“Thank you.  So are you, Mama.”

As Jane blocked Vi from the men’s view, she looked about to
see if there might be something she could use as a weapon.  A tree branch.  A
big rock.  They were on the edge of a forest, but there was a field between
them and any cover they might find in the trees.  There’s no way she could
outrun them while carrying Vi.  Running out of ideas, but not hope, she removed
several pins from her hair and put them in her pocket.  Perhaps they could be
of some use to her.

“You ain’t thinkin’ of tryin’ to escape?” asked one of the
brigands who was suddenly right beside them.

“My daughter needs privacy.  Will you kindly turn away?”

Much to Jane’s surprise the man did turn away, although he
remained close at hand.

“I had me a li’l girl, about the same age as yers.  Died of
a fever.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”  The man had obviously loved his
child.  Perhaps he would be sympathetic to their cause.

“Me, too.  She was the only person in me life who was ever
worth a damn.”

“Than you can understand how much I love my daughter and how
much I want to protect her.”

The man considered her words for a moment.  “I understand
that just fine.  But I can’t do nothin’ to help you.  I hears to tell that the
toff wants to marry you.  Go along with him and you won’t be hurt.”

“But we will be,” said Jane, hoping she could make him
understand and knowing she didn’t have long to convince him. 

He seemed to be softening, but then he said “Ain’t no
business of mine what happens to ye.”

Jane decided she’d need a different strategy. 

“I hope he’s paying you well.”

“He is at that.”

Damn. 

“How much?”

“None o’ yer business.”

“I expect it would be enough so you’d never have to work
again.”

“No one pays that much.”

“Then he’s cheating you.”

The man looked at her.  “Shut yer mouth.”

“I happen to know the Duke of Lynwood would pay five times
what you’re getting.  Ten times as much, as long as we make it out of here
unharmed.”

The man clearly wanted to believe, but frowned, thinking it
too good to be true.  “What’s some duke gots to do with this?”

“His brother…” Jane swallowed, looking at Vi, “His brother
is my little girl’s father.”

Vi turned to her mother, her beautiful, achingly familiar
green eyes wide.  “Is that true, Mama?  Is Ned really my father?”

“He is, sweeting,” said Jane.  Then she turned back to the
man.  “And he’ll pay anything for our safe return.”

“If he’s the sprite’s da, why hasn’t he married you?  I ain’t
never heard of a toff who’d pay money for his natural child.”

“This one will,” said Jane.  “I guarantee it.”

“What’s going on over there?” yelled Cantwell from near the
carriage.  “Sully, I’m not paying you to talk, you cretin.”

Sully didn’t look too happy about the insult, thought Jane. 
Mayhap he’d help them after all.  Or hold them for ransom.  Perhaps she’d just
created an even larger problem for herself.

“Mama,” said Vi, as she took her mother’s hand and they
began walking toward the carriage, “is Ned really my papa?”

“Yes, sweeting,” said Jane, her voice barely above a
whisper.

“Why didn’t he ever come to see me before?” asked Vi on the
verge of tears.

Jane kneeled in front of her.  “That was my fault, love.  I
made a very bad mistake.  I didn’t tell him we were going to have a baby.  He
didn’t know about you.  If he had, I know he would’ve come to see you the
moment you were born.”

“Do you think he’ll ever love me?”          

“Oh, Vi, he already does.”

“He’ll come for us, Mama,” said Vi.  “I know he will.”

Jane kissed her daughter, then rejoined Cantwell and the
others.

When they were almost to the carriage, Vi tripped and fell. 
As Jane knelt beside her daughter, she noticed one of the axles of the carriage
looked to be on the verge of splitting.  The wood was so decayed, that only a
slight amount of force would break it, buying them more time on the road.  Allowing
someone time to catch up to them.  Because Jane couldn’t stand it if Ned didn’t
come.  All she needed was a diversion to cover the sound.

“Sweeting,” Jane whispered in her daughter’s ear, “when I
say ‘go,’ I want you to start crying as loud as you can.  Scream and shout. 
Can you do that?”

Vi nodded solemnly.

Jane sidled just a bit closer to the underside of the
carriage, to within kicking distance of the listing axle.

“Go,” she whispered to her daughter.

Vi let out an ear-piercing shriek, then began crying at the
top of her lungs.  She was so convincing in her performance that Jane wondered
just how many times she’d fallen for one of the girl’s tantrums when she’d only
been faking.

Jane kicked back with her leg, hoping her skirts would hide
the motion.  She made contact with the axle, but it didn’t move.  She looked up
to see that the men were distracted by Vi, but understandably keeping their
distance.  She really was making quite a racket.

Jane kicked again and the axle creaked just a bit.  The men
were beginning to walk toward them.  She’d have only one more chance.  She
kicked a third time and felt the wood give way.  Cantwell and his men were
almost upon them.  Jane stood and pulled Vi to her protectively. 

There was a loud groan of wood as the axle broke.  The
carriage immediately listed to the side, with the right rear hitting the
ground. 

“What the devil?” said Cantwell as he looked at the damage
to the carriage. 

Jane held her breath, hoping he wouldn’t realize what she’d
done.

The coachman staggered toward them.  From the way he was
walking, as well as the fumes emanating from his breath, it was obvious he’d
been drinking.

“Looks to be a broken axle,” he said, as he pulled out his
flask.

“I know that, you imbecile,” said Cantwell, as he batted the
flask out of the other man’s hands.  “How did it happen?”

“Don’t rightly know,” said the coachman, as he shrugged and
walked back toward his station.  “But we ain’t going nowhere ‘til it’s fixed.”

“You, Sully!” yelled Cantwell.  “Unhitch a horse, then ride
back to that last town.  Rent a new carriage and be quick about it, or I’ll
have your hide.”

Sully grunted in Cantwell’s direction, then set off toward
the horses, passing Jane and Vi as he went.  Vi caught his eye and smiled at
him.

As Sully took off on one of the horses, Jane prayed the man
would send word back to London.  And if he did, she hoped it wouldn’t be too
late.

Cantwell walked up to her.

“Seems suspicious, that axle breaking all of the sudden.”

“The carriage isn’t exactly in good shape and that coachman
of yours is a drunkard,” said Jane in her frostiest tone.  “You can’t force me
to marry you, you know.  You can’t prevent me from telling what’s happened once
we get to Scotland.”

He laughed.  A grim sound.  “Don’t you know by now that
anyone can be bought?  Absolutely everyone has a price.  I can get someone to
marry us in Scotland despite any protest you’d make, and for less money than
I’d spend to get my boots blacked.”

“I’ll fight you every step of the way.”

“If you try anything funny, the bastard dies.”

“Stop calling her that,” Jane said, pulling Vi closer to her
body.

“Oh, Jane, you’re in no position to give me orders.  She
only lives as long as I want her to.  As long as I want to share your
inheritance with a child who’s not my get.”

“I’ll never marry you and I’ll certainly never bear your
child.”

“I could get you with child right now.  I guarantee it’ll
happen before we reach Scotland.  And while it certainly wouldn’t be the first
time you became pregnant without getting married, I assure you this time you
will become a bride.  Tell me, did Lord Edward know he’d fathered a bastard on
you?  And, by any chance, has he given you another one?”

Jane wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of an answer.  “Did
you kill my grandfather?”

“Your grandfather,” spat Cantwell, “was an angry, bitter old
man who thought he could control me.  Me!  Thought he owned me, that he could
make me sign over your inheritance to him when he already had more money then
he needed.  He said he’d leave us just enough to live on.  I wanted more than
that.  He was a mean bastard.  Kept my vowels hanging over my head.  Said he
could send me to debtor’s prison anytime he wanted.  Then he threatened me once
Kellington showed up.  Said there was a duke’s brother sniffing about and maybe
he’d change his mind and sell you to Kellington.  Lynwood is filthy rich.  The
old bastard probably figured he could cash in.”

“Is that why you killed him?” she asked again.

Cantwell was silent for a moment.  Jane could tell he was
torn between caution at his confession and the need to brag about what he’d
done.  Finally, his pride won out.  “Yes.  Although, it looked like Kellington
would’ve saved me the trouble after that second kidnapping attempt.  You
should’ve seen him as he barged into the old man’s study.  Luckily I’d heard
him coming and was able to duck behind a curtain.  Kellington looked like he
wanted to kill the bastard with his bare hands.  That’s the only reason I left
him alive.  Gave Bow Street a prime suspect.  Now shut up and leave me in
peace.”

There was a nearby boulder where Jane was able to sit.  She
held Vi in her lap and took the time to plan their escape.  Sooner or later,
the carriage would have to stop at a posting inn.  They had to run across
someone who would help.  Because regardless of what Evan Cantwell said, not
everyone had a price.           

It must’ve been half an hour later when they heard a
carriage coming up the road.  Jane hoped she could signal the driver to stop,
but as it neared, she saw it was Sully in the coachman’s seat.  Her heart
sank.  Help wouldn’t be coming after all. 

Sully pulled the carriage to a halt.  The horses had barely
settled when the doors swung open and Ned, Stapleton, Fisk and Rigg jumped out,
each with a gun in his hand.  After that, everything happened so fast.

Stapleton had his gun aimed point blank at one of the thugs,
while Fisk held the inebriated driver at gun point and Rigg made sure Sully
didn’t move.

Cantwell grabbed Jane and she only had time to tell Vi to
run before he put his knife to her throat.   But the little girl didn’t run
toward her father, as Jane had hoped, but in the opposite direction toward the
woods. 

“Put down your gun or she’s dead,” Cantwell said to Ned,
then pulled the knife taut against Jane’s neck.

Jane slid her hand in her pocket and grabbed three hairpins,
banding them together to make them stronger.

“The only way you’re walking away is if you let Jane go,”
said Ned as he took one step closer to them. 

“Put it down!” screamed Cantwell, cutting the skin on Jane’s
neck.

Ned stopped.  Then his blood froze as he saw Vi slowly
inching toward Cantwell from the rear, holding a tree branch.  He didn’t want
to say anything to bring attention to the girl, but prayed she’d be safe.