To Catch A Thief (Saved By Desire 2) (24 page)

“I know it is still early days, and there is a lot you have to learn about me, but I love you. I have never felt such despair as I did when I saw you in the garden. The moments afterward were the most fraught I can ever remember, and something I never want to experience ever again. I realised just how much I love you and how worthless my life would be without you in it. The last thing I can do is allow you to go back to Buckinghamshire, or anywhere else, without me. So, with your permission, I should like to move you into Briggleberry for your recovery. However, it is to become your permanent home because I fully intend to make you my wife while you are there.”

“Oh, Jeb. I love you so much. I never thought I could feel like this, and to be honest am not quite sure I believe it. I want to pinch myself to make sure it is real and not all some sort of dream.”

“You really love me?” He was starting to believe her declaration wasn’t just reaction to her fear.

There was something in his eyes that was intensely vulnerable. It called to something deep within her. While she knew it would be impossible to protect him, she had every intention of giving him a home to return to, and showing him each and every day how much he was loved. He was as essential to her now as the very air she breathed, and she had learned today just how precious
that
was. She couldn’t deny him anything, especially when he had just handed her the world.

“You are my very own knight in shining armour. You have saved me today. Not just from death, but from a miserable future without you. I need you in my life, not to provide me with comfort or protection, but because you make my life complete.”

Jeb’s smile was full of happiness. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find her quivering nonsensically in a heap after what she had endured. Instead, she was smiling and looking toward the future with such hope in her eyes he knew he would battle the world to give her whatever she wanted.

“I love you, Sophia Carney,” he murmured as he drew them both down onto the bed until they lay face to face. “I came back to Framley Meadow at the request of my father to catch a thief. What I found here instead has made
my
life complete, and that is something I promise you I shall never take for granted.”

“We both found more than we bargained for. Thankfully, on this occasion, our lives will be considerably happier and far, far richer than either of us could ever have imagined. For that, I can only thank you; for being you and for coming into my life.”

“Together forever,” he promised huskily.

Two days later, Jeb was struggling to keep his mind focused on why he was there. His darling Sophia was safely tucked away at Briggleberry and, as far as he was concerned, the sooner he could get back there to be with her the happier he would be.

At the moment, he was hidden deep in the shadows in the Squire’s bedchamber. He kept his breathing shallow and remained motionless while the minutes ticked by. Marcus had arrived not but twenty minutes ago to inform them that Bamber had been followed to the house, and was now skulking around outside being observed by Joe.

Inside, Jeb and Barnaby were watching the empty jewellery box Bamber was there to collect.

Although devastated by her husband’s death, the Squire’s wife had suggested using some less valuable items that looked similar to the ones the thief wanted. She had willingly provided them before she had left to stay with relatives for a while. Before she had departed, Jeb had asked her why the jewels were not kept in a safe.

“Well, I only wear those jewels at balls. They are the most expensive we own, and my husband does like to display them. He always removes the jewels I am supposed to wear before we go out. I was going to wear them to the ball here, and then we were due to attend the McAllister’s ball the night after that.”

Barnaby had frowned. “Who is likely to know that?”

“Well, nobody other than me. It is a private matter between my husband and me. My husband was always very careful about that particular set of jewels because they are so expensive.”

“Can you think of how someone from outside of the house would know where to find them?” Jeb’s mind raced but he couldn’t find any answers.

“Well, I am not sure.”

“Is he likely to have mentioned it to anyone at the local social occasions?”

The Squire’s wife suddenly shuddered quite theatrically.

“
Those
,” she spat disparagingly. “I don’t go to them because I can’t stand the people so I have no idea what was discussed.”

Jeb shared a look with Barnaby. “Tell me something. Did Tabitha ever work here?”

It was a random guess. To his surprise, the Squire’s wife nodded.

“Yes, but only when we entertained. She helped serve, but I cannot see what that has to do with anything.”

Jeb did. He rather suspected that Tabitha was rather nosy, and had provided Bamber with the information.

Barnaby stepped forward. “When was the last time you wore them to one of the
ton’s
occasions?”

“Well, we wore them to the Aldridge’s ball about four months ago. I haven’t worn them since.”

With that, she had turned the house over to the Star Elite, and left.

Jeb was going to remain in Framley Meadow to interrogate Myers and Delilah, and hopefully Bamber if they caught him. He intended to stay in the village for as long as it took. Hopefully, before he was needed in London again, he could make Sophia his wife. His father certainly hoped so in any case. Algernon had nearly fallen to his knees when Jeb had declared that he wished to not only make Briggleberry his home but Sophia, his wife. Even though theirs had been a very short courtship, he fully intended to make use of Hooky being in the area to help arrange the nuptials.

He was quickly snapped out of his musings by the dull sound of something being dragged. It was quiet but noticeable in the silence. Jeb tensed, and had to force all thoughts of Sophia out of his mind so he could focus on his job. Still, his attitude toward what he now faced was entirely different to what it had been before the attempt on Sophia’s life. Jeb now had a reason to fight, and a home to go back to, and that made him stronger and more determined than ever.

He watched one leg appear through the now open window, followed by a dark silhouette of a man Jeb immediately recognised as Bamber. Once in the room, the man crept stealthily toward the dresser by the door. It was imperative they catch Bamber with the box in his hand to have a theft charge that would hold up in front of a magistrate. At the moment, he could only be arrested for breaking into a house and trespassing, which wouldn’t be enough to keep him behind bars.

All Jeb could do was hope he didn’t take the time to look at the contents of the box before he left.

It quickly became apparent that Bamber was confident he wouldn’t get caught because he collected and pocketed the jewellery box without even bothering to look at it. Rather than leave the room immediately, he took a moment or two to steal a couple of smaller expensive items.

Jeb took advantage of the man’s distraction to launch his attack, and took Bamber down with a tackle.

The man went down with an ‘oomph’ of surprise. The dull thud of their bodies hitting the floor was followed by a flurry of motion as Bamber scrambled to his feet. Rather than run, he landed several hefty punches on Jeb. Barnaby raced across the room and launched himself at the thief, but Bamber was ahead of him and threw himself headfirst out of the window.

Jeb chased after him, across the vast expanse of lawns at the side of the house.

“Get him!” Jeb shouted to Joe, who had barrelled out of the trees and was racing toward them.

When he saw him, Bamber changed direction but ran straight toward Marcus, who was waiting, still hidden, in the bushes.

Suddenly, everything changed. To Jeb’s shock, a second man appeared not far away from Marcus, and waved at Bamber who then raced toward him. Still chasing, they all watched Bamber throw the jewellery box at his accomplice. It flew through the air and landed in the second man’s hands and immediately vanished into his pocket. The man then quickly spun around and disappeared into the trees, followed by Joe and Marcus.

“Get Bamber,” Barnaby shouted as he raced past Jeb and headed after Joe.

There was an advantage to being over six feet tall, and Jeb used his additional height to lengthen his stride. He quickly caught up with Bamber and took him down with a tackle that temporarily winded the thief. Bamber lay gasping on the floor while he battled the stars behind his eyes. When he did get his wind back, the resultant fight was swift and brutal.

Jeb still had lingering memories of what had happened to Sophia, and took his ferocious anger out on the man beneath him. It was only the arrival of a winded Barnaby, who hauled him off his target that stopped the rather unfair fight.

“Well, well, well, Bamber, it looks like you have failed – again,” Barnaby drawled once Jeb had backed off.

Together with Barnaby, Jeb yanked Bamber to his feet and held him steady. At first, the man tried to get away. Until he saw the jailer’s cart waiting for him just outside the stable block. He then turned defiant.

“I am telling you nothing.”

“You don’t need to,” Jeb warned him. “You have been seen by several people breaking into the Squire’s house, and stealing what you think are valuable jewels. Unfortunately for you, that box doesn’t contain what you want. Your friend will find that out soon enough.”

Bamber jerked and turned to stare at him. His eyes gleamed white in the darkness. Jeb knew he had just startled his opponent and grinned maliciously as he dragged Bamber unceremoniously toward the cart.

“I will be out by morning,” Bamber declared defiantly. “I know people in high places.”

“People don’t know you are here, though, do they? I mean, you are here, at the Squire’s house, in the middle of nowhere. Anything could happen to you, especially in your trade where the dangers are extremely high.”

“While you are in jail you will be held in solitary confinement and will not be allowed contact with the outside world so it is irrelevant who your contacts are. They will be of little use to you where you are going. As far as anyone is concerned, you will have just vanished off the face of the earth. Only the people who can be trusted will deal with you. Your name will be kept off the records until we decide when to put them on the register. At the moment, you are missing, presumed dead, and will remain that way until we say otherwise.”

It gave Jeb no small sense of satisfaction to be able to say that. To be able to get one scoundrel off the streets was one thing. Of late, they had taken several and that, as far as he was concerned, made not being with Sophia entirely worthwhile. There was now also the added satisfaction of having done what he needed to do. He was now free to head home to Briggleberry, and say goodnight to his future bride before she retired to bed.

She had made him promise to say goodnight to her whatever time he returned home. He suspected it was because she was going to worry about him until she knew he was safe. If he was honest, he quite liked the idea of that and didn’t mind appeasing her one bit. It felt wonderful to have someone pacing the floor and loving him enough to worry about his safety.

“You thought you would get away with killing Balgravia, Samson, and the Squire, didn’t you? Well, you hadn’t taken us into consideration. We don’t give up. We know who you are, and we
will
always get our man,” Barnaby warned.

Bamber glared at him. “I didn’t kill Samson. That wasn’t me. You can’t pin that on me. Balgravia was a buffoon, but I didn’t kill him either.”

“Myers did, I take it?” Jeb asked with a scowl.

Bamber snorted and glared dispassionately at him but didn’t bother to reply. Silent to the last, he climbed unprotestingly into the cart and sat still and motionless while the door was closed and the carriage rumbled into motion.

“Do you know something?” Barnaby murmured when he had gone. “I really don’t think he is going to be very easy to get information out of.”

“I have the time,” Jeb replied carefully.

He didn’t care how long it took. As far as he was concerned the longer it took to question all three of the convicts, the more time he got to spend with his darling Sophia. Speaking of which…..

Sensing the train of his colleague’s thoughts, Barnaby nodded. “You need to stay, reassure the locals, and deal with the people on Myer’s list. That’s your job. We will go after that accomplice. Hopefully, Joe and Marcus will be in touch soon about where they are. I will stay here for the time being and wait to hear from them. I need to sort out some correspondence, and bring Sir Hugo up to date.”

“Use Delilah’s house as a base for now,” Jeb suggested. “I have written to Hooky to inform him Sophia is now at Briggleberry, and will be remaining there for the foreseeable future.”

“It is that serious?” Barnaby’s brows lifted, but he was unsurprised really. He had witnessed first-hand just how distraught Jeb had been when he had seen Sophia’s near death.

Another man down,
he mused silently, not for the first time in recent months.

Once again, he had to wonder when he would be able to find a woman to go home to. Although his life had afforded him with opportunities many people never got the chance to experience, the one thing he truly wanted seemed to elude him.

“After what happened, I don’t intend to wait. I hope to make her my wife as soon as she is in good health again. Hopefully, once her father is here.”

“Good luck to you, my friend,” Barnaby said fervently, and shook his friend’s hand.

“Thank you. I will secure the house –”

Barnaby shook his head. “No. I will secure the house and, assuming our colleagues don’t reappear, will have a ride around to see if I can find them. If I don’t, I shall head over to Delilah’s house and get some sleep. I will meet you in the morning at the jail. We will get to work on Delilah first, I think.”

Jeb nodded around a yawn, eager to be on his way now that the excitement was over.

A short while later he let himself quietly into Briggleberry, with a sigh of relief. The sense of homecoming he felt was entirely new, but gave him a warm feeling deep inside that was wonderful.

Unsurprisingly, he saw the soft glow of candlelight beneath Sophia’s bedroom door but didn’t even get the chance to knock before it was wrenched open. He grinned in delight at the sheer joy on her face, and opened his arms as she raced out into the hallway and launched herself at him.

“I am back,” he murmured.

They were both trembling when he finally released her several moments later. Before he could say goodnight, Sophia tugged him impatiently into her room, eager to hear his news.

“What happened? Did you get him?” Her eyes were sparkling with contentment.

He eyed the lively glint in her eye and nodded happily, proud to be able to confirm his success. “Yes, we got him. He is on his way to jail as we speak. Tomorrow, I need to go to the prison with Barnaby to start to question all three of the convicts. For now, we can relax a little.”

Strangely, he found he didn’t even want to mention Delilah’s name for fear of it stealing the warmth from her beautiful features. As far as he was concerned, nothing was going to remove that sparkle of happiness.

“You clever man,” she enthused, and leaned up to kiss him tenderly.

“I am, aren’t I?” he teased, happy to comply with her demands to kiss her again.

Thankfully, the bruising around her throat had already started to fade, and there didn’t appear to be any other lingering problems from her ordeal. Some tender loving care and a happier environment had chased the shadows from her eyes and for that he would be eternally grateful.