What You Propose (Anything for Love #2) (23 page)

"But that was hours ago."

"
Oui
. I have been here, waiting for you to return."

"Did you not alert Andre? Ask him to come and find me?"

"I did not think you would want me to mention it until you knew what to do."

Marcus suppressed his frustration. In truth, he was annoyed with himself for staying out so long. "What happened then?"

Selene nodded. "I took her in the cart. She wanted to lie down, but found she could not stay awake, and so I covered her with a blanket. I … I left her for a minute while I ran to get help. But when I came back she had gone."

"Gone? Gone!" People did not just disappear. "Perhaps one of the villagers saw her and offered assistance. Perhaps she wandered to a house, and they took her in."

"
Non!
" Selene cried. "I could not wake her."

Marcus stood up. "She had lost consciousness?"

"Miss Sinclair felt sleepy. She closed her eyes, and I could not rouse her." Selene held her head in her hands and sniffed again. "What if she had lost her way and cannot remember where to go? What if I was wrong and she did speak to a man in the stables that night, and he has taken her somewhere far away?"

Guilt stabbed at his chest as a way of punishing him. He had made her ill. His unforgivable actions had brought her nothing but torment and distress.

"I'm sure all will be well," he lied, hoping Selene's dramatic account did not paint an accurate picture of events. What if Victor did have an accomplice staying in the village and he'd witnessed Anna's vulnerable state? Then another thought entered his mind. "I shall go down to the village and search for her. But before I go, I want to ask you something."

Her head shot up, her brown eyes growing wide. "What is it?"

"On the night Miss Sinclair spoke with the intruder, she said she saw you wandering the corridors. She said you ran out through the nave." It wasn't a lie, just a slight manipulation of the truth. "What were you doing?"

Selene gasped as her hand fluttered to her chest. "She … she was mistaken. Andre woke me when you asked him to search our rooms. If you ask him, he will tell you."

Marcus didn't know what the hell to believe anymore. He didn't want to believe any of his staff would conspire to deceive him.

"Very well," he sighed, brushing his hand through his hair. "Tell Andre I am going down to the village. Tell him to meet me there promptly, that I shall need his assistance."

Without another word Marcus strode out to the stables. He rode to the village in less than ten minutes, dismounting and tethering his horse before surveying the quiet street. One or two people were milling about, and he noticed Selene's father, Pierre Lessard, scurrying along towards him.

"
Pardon
, Monsieur Lessard." Marcus waved his hand to get the elderly man's attention, rushed over to block his path. "Have you seen Miss Sinclair today? She came down to the village a few hours ago with Selene. They were travelling in the cart."

Being petite in stature, Monsieur Lessard craned his neck, pushed his thinning hair from his brow as he shook his head. "
Non
. Not today. But Madame Lessard has been ill, and I've been occupied for most of the day."

"Is Samuel at home?"

"Samuel?" The man looked puzzled. "He is in Lyon though you are not the only person to mention him to me these last few days."

It occurred to Marcus that Antoine Tullier had made a mistake. Surely, Samuel's father would be the first to know of his return home. But then Marcus thought of his own father, of how he would sell his soul to avoid being in his company, and so it all seemed more plausible.

"Someone told me Samuel was in the inn last night."

"
Oui, oui.
So I hear. But why would he travel all the way from Lyon and not visit his mother?" Monsieur Lessard gave a decisive nod. "
Non
. There must be some mistake."

"Perhaps you're right," Marcus said with a sigh as he did not wish to worry the man. He pulled his watch from his pocket and checked the time before replacing it. "Lenard will be open for business. I'll go and speak to him."

Marcus inclined his head and stepped aside so Monsieur Lessard could continue on his journey. He was about to enter the inn when he saw Andre hurtling towards him in the cart. Marcus had expected the man to come alone but noticed both Selene and Justin perched on the wooden seat.

They jumped from the cart and rushed over to him.

"What do you need me to do?" Andre asked. Before Marcus could pass comment, Andre jerked his head to his companions. "They wanted to come. I thought we could search a larger area if there were more of us."

Marcus nodded. "I'll speak to Lenard. You check with the shopkeepers. Talk to anyone who might have been passing." He turned to Selene. "Is your brother still in Lyon?" He was deliberately abrupt to throw her off guard.

Selene appeared confused. "Samuel? Yes, I assume he is. My parents have not mentioned they're expecting him home."

"Very well," he said raising his chin in resignation. "We'll meet back here in ten minutes and then decide what to do once we've examined any new information."

They all went their separate ways, and Marcus marched into the inn. Lenard was standing behind the worn oak counter, wiping tankards with a cloth. Besides the minstrel sitting at the table next to the fire, the inn was empty.

"Monsieur Danbury," Lenard said as he continued to clean the vessel. "Is it not a little early for you?"

Marcus found it somewhat awkward being polite to a man involved in nefarious activities. Indeed, he had not dismissed the prospect that the smugglers had grown suspicious of his interest in their movements and so had sought to hold Miss Sinclair for ransom.

"I am looking for Miss Sinclair. She came down to the village a few hours ago with Selene and disappeared."

"Disappeared?" he repeated placing the tankard and cloth on the counter and giving Marcus his full attention. "But you said she came with Selene. Surely she knows of her whereabouts?"

"No. Selene left her for a moment and when she returned Miss Sinclair had gone. The lady is ill, and I fear she may not be capable of returning home without assistance." Marcus spoke casually, calmly, yet inside his heart raced so fast he feared it might burst from his chest.

Lenard untied the white apron hanging around his waist. "Then I shall come with you and help you look for her. If she's wandered into the woods, you'll struggle to find her on your own."

Marcus was surprised by the man's concern and offer of help. It raised doubts about the smugglers' involvement. Guilt flared once again. He would have to find a way to reveal what he knew awaited the smugglers should they set sail in the hope of reaching England.

"Jacob," Lenard shouted to the minstrel sitting by the fire. He threw the garment, and the man caught it. "Keep watch while I'm gone."

The minstrel looked a little baffled, but he nodded and set about putting on the apron before they'd opened the door.

They met Andre, Justin and Selene outside.

"No one has seen Miss Sinclair today," Andre said solemnly. "We have asked in every shop, stopped people walking by."

"Perhaps she wandered away, got lost and took shelter somewhere?" Lenard offered. "You said she was ill and so could not have gone far."

Marcus tried to think logically but with every passing minute the fear of never seeing Anna again, of living with the fact something tragic had happened to her, became increasingly unbearable.

Think, think, he told himself. Had he been alone he would have thumped his head to jostle his languid brain into action.

Logically, there were only two options. Anna, feeling delirious and disoriented as a result of her sudden illness, had made an attempt to walk back to the monastery. Or Victor's accomplice had followed the cart to the village and abducted her with the intention of doing her harm. Despite his experience with the depraved depths of the criminal mind, the thought of the comte having a mysterious partner, one prepared to loiter in a quiet village for three weeks in the hope of stealing Anna away, seemed too far-fetched.

"I think we should assume she has tried to make her way home," Marcus said with an air of confidence. "She could not have followed the lane back else one of us would have seen her on our way here."

"What about the woods?" Lenard said. "It seems a logical place to start."

"Agreed," Marcus said. "We'll stay together for a few minutes and let our instincts guide us." It was a method he had used before, a method that rarely failed him.

They headed out of the village, past the row of yellow stone buildings, past the old oak tree that had stood watch for more than two hundred years. There was only one path leading into the woods, and so they walked for a few minutes through the lush green vegetation, calling out to Anna, tapping at the undergrowth with a long stick they'd found discarded.

They all stopped when the track branched in opposite directions.

"There is an old cottage down there," Lenard said pointing to the right. "Perhaps she's taken shelter."

Marcus narrowed his gaze. Lenard was referring to the cottage used by the smugglers to store their goods. The same smugglers Marcus had seen behind Lenard's inn retrieving items from his cellar.

"We'll take the path to the right," Marcus said gesturing to Lenard. It would give him an ideal opportunity to advise the innkeeper against immoral pastimes. He nodded to Andre. "You and Justin go left. Holler if you find her."

"What about me?" Selene asked. "Can I come with you to search the cottage?"

As the last person to see Anna, Marcus wanted to keep Selene close. And this business with Samuel Lessard still bothered him. "Very well."

"How far do you want us to go?" Andre asked.

"Walk for a mile or so and then head back this way. When we've searched the cottage, we'll head to the shore. There are a few caves along the coastline that might be worth checking."

Marcus observed Lenard's reaction to his suggestion. The innkeeper's expression remained impassive. There were many logical reasons why one would not dare to climb slippery rocks and venture into a cave. But Lenard offered no such protest. It was all rather puzzling.

It took no more than five minutes to reach the cottage. Selene chose to wait outside while Marcus and Lenard searched the dilapidated building.

Everything was as Marcus had left it a few nights earlier. The memory roused images of Anna. That night he had stood in the cottage struggling to concentrate on his mission. Indeed, their clumsy coupling in the cave brought a smile to his lips, despite the feeling of anguish he was trying to keep at bay.

When he found her, he would ask for her forgiveness. It would take time for her to trust him again and so he would just have to be patient.

"The place is empty," Lenard sighed.

They stood together in the main living area.

"We'll walk down to the cliff edge and check around there." Marcus decided this was probably the best opportunity he'd have for a private discussion. "I hear your daughter is ill?"

For the first time in the last hour, Lenard's expression grew solemn. "The doctor says he needs more money. He says that she may never walk again."

Marcus felt a sudden burst of compassion. "I trust you do not have the funds to cover the doctor's expenses?"

Lenard appeared surprised by the impertinent comment. "I have not made my private affairs known to anyone," he said defensively. "What makes you think it would be a problem?"

Marcus put his hand on the man's shoulder. It was a gesture of friendship, a way to lessen the blow when he challenged him over his late night activities. "I heard you've been keeping bad company. That you're moving spirits from your cellar."

Lenard swallowed visibly. "Spirits? Why would I do such a thing?"

"Please don't lie to me," Marcus implored. "I am trying to help you. You have moved liquor from your cellar, have you not?"

There was a brief moment of silence.

"
Oui
." Panic flashed in Lenard's eyes. "But please do not tell anyone. Two men approached me and offered to buy bottles of liquor, wanted to store other items in my cellar." He threw his hands in the air. "What was I to do? I needed a large sum of money and could not wait the months it would take to sell the same quantity at the inn."

It crossed Marcus' mind to ask why he'd not sought help from his friends, but he understood Lenard was a proud man.

"You know the smugglers will not make it past Guernsey. The revenue ship will be waiting to intercept them. The men who approached you, were they French?"

"One French, one English, and they spoke of another man though I never met him." Lenard threw his hands up. "Please, I cannot say any more. If they knew I had said anything, well, …"

Marcus dropped his hand. "And that is the extent of your involvement?"

Lenard nodded frantically. "
Oui
. I should never have accepted their offer."