To Love and Protect (11 page)

“I thought I told you not to move.
 
What is it going to take for you to learn to do as I say?
 
I am sending you home at the next possible moment.”

“I had to,” she frantically interrupted, shushing him.
 
“Franklin and Lorraine are in that house with an old woman.
 
They are both wearing mourning.
 
What are we going to do?”

“You are going to stay right here while I go have a look.”

“But...”

“You
will
do as I say this time, or you
will
not like what I do.
 
Do
you
understand?” he asked.

“Yes,” she mumbled turning her back on him and watching the cottage through the undergrowth once more.
 
She felt him leave her presence and cursed herself for her attachment to him.
 
Clarissa watched as he disappeared around the far side of the cottage.
 
She saw Justin a few minutes later circling the backside of her father’s carriage.
 
He quickly made his way back to her side.

“Come with me,” he whispered and motioned for her to follow him away from the cottage.
 
She started to argue, but she saw the determined look in his eyes.
 
Clarissa followed him through the undergrowth as quietly as she could.
 
In order to make as little noise as possible, she pulled her skirts up and tucked them into the pantaloons she wore.

They reached the clearing where they had spent the afternoon.
 
Clarissa looked at him with a mixture of fear and hope in her eyes, unsure what she wanted to hear and even less sure as to what he would tell her.

“Your father is in that cottage.”

“Is he dead?” she forced herself to ask the question she dreaded most.

“No, but I don’t believe he is coherent either.”

“What should we do?”

“We need to think about this rationally.”

“Of course.”

“I can’t believe we were so close without knowing.
 
I don’t know why I didn’t check houses besides the vicar and the doctor.”

“We found him, that’s what’s important.
 
Besides that, she would not have admitted to us that Papa was in there.
 
Not if she is working with those two.
 
What are they up to?
 
I want to do something about them, but I’m too worried about Papa at this moment.
 
We’ll deal with them later, won’t we?”
 
Justin remained silent.
 
“Won’t we, Justin?”

“I don’t know.
 
I don’t know what exactly we’ve caught them in.”

“Oh,” her face fell.

“Clare, would you go get our horses ready?”
 
He watched as she walked towards the two horses.
 
Justin hadn’t quite told her the truth.
 
Her father looked emaciated, and he lay unconscious on a bed in the corner.
 
There were two men he assumed were paid guards, but had been taking their evening meal in the back allowing him a quick peek through a side window.
 
He did not know what ailed Hamilton, but he knew if he could get him to Scotland and grandmother, he would be hale and hearty in no time.

While Clarissa took care of the horses, he snuck back to the area of the cottage.
 
He arrived just as Franklin and Lorraine stepped out of the cottage.

“We’ll be staying at the estate should you need anything,” the sultry Lorraine called out as she stepped into the carriage.
 
Franklin followed behind her and shut the carriage door before it rolled off into the gathering darkness.
 

Justin arrived back at the clearing to see Clarissa standing with her hands on her hips.
 
“What do you think you were doing leaving me alone like that?”

“You had the horses for protection,” he replied cheekily, still not completely over their argument this afternoon.

“You’d better have a plan forming or else I might have to harm someone.”

“Then we’re both in luck.
 
I need you to focus for me a moment.
 
How far are we from your father’s estate?”
 
He watched as she blinked at him owlishly for a few moments.
 
She handed him the reins of the horses and began to pace.
 
Clarissa glanced at the brook and then walked to the road.
 
She paced along the side of the road several times.
 
“Well?”

“I’m thinking.”
 
She paced another five minutes working things out.
 
“If we pass through a small village called Raven Brooke, I know exactly where we are.
 
Otherwise, I have no idea.
 
I haven’t been to all of Papa’s properties.”

“All right, we’ll start there.”
 
He helped her up on the horse, and they headed in the same direction the carriage had taken.

“You believe they have went to one of Papa’s estates don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Did they take Papa with them?”

“No.”

“Then let’s go get him,” she tried to turn her horse, but he brought her up short by firmly grabbing her mare’s reins.

“No.”
 

The
 
single word felt like a verbal slap.
 
“What do you mean?
 
They’re not there, only that old woman.”

“No, there are two men there as well.
 
You didn’t see them because they were in the back supping.”

“Papa could help you.”

“I’m afraid he can’t.
 
I believe your father is ill.
 
Very ill.”

She straightened her back and looked ahead.
 
“Fine.
 
What shall we do?”

“First of all, we find the estate.
 
Then we solicit help.”
 
She nodded her head and led him in the direction she believed the village could be found.

***

After riding for thirty minutes and circling back twice, Justin suggested they stop.
 
Darkness had fallen on the landscape.
 
Tonight no moon shone to guide either them or the horses.

“Why are we stopping?” Agitation tinged Clarissa’s voice.

“I will not risk injuring the horses in the darkness.
 
Besides that, I think it is fairly evident that we are nowhere near the village of Raven Brooke.”
 
He watched Clarissa bow her head dejectedly.

“I had so hoped we were near there.
 
In fact I was almost certain.
 
Now what are we going to do?”

“We need to find something to eat and get some rest.
 
Are Franklin and Lorraine early risers?”

“Not usually.”

“Then we’ll find some place to bed down for the evening and try to find some food.
 
Let’s get down and lead the horses so that we know we will not be endangering them to hidden holes.”
 
Clarissa merely nodded her head and guided her horse behind his.
 
They walked in silence for a quarter hour before Clarissa whispered Justin’s name.
 
He stopped his horse and turned to her inquiringly.

“Do you see that light flickering, or am I imagining things?”

After a moment of contemplation he turned back to her.
 
“I believe you’re right.
 
Let’s stay to the road as much as possible but move in that direction.”
 
She nodded in agreement and followed Justin’s lead.
 
They worked their way towards the light.
 
The closer the got, the brighter it shone.
 
A large gate came into view and they moved the horses off the side of the road.
 
“Does this look familiar?”

“I’m sorry, Justin, but I just don’t know.
 
I don’t trust myself enough to say yes.”

“I understand.
 
Stay here and keep the horses as quiet as possible.
 
I want to look around.”
 

“Be careful,” she whispered, not happy with being left behind once more.
 
The minutes ticked by into what felt like hours when she heard the distant sound of a dog barking.
 
She heard several shouts and then silence.
 
“Southerby, what have you done?”
 
She made certain the horses were tied securely and began walking to the wall, staying to the shadows.
 
Clarissa stood less than ten feet away when Justin vaulted over the wall.
 
She stepped in front of him and hit him in the shoulder with her fist.
 
He grabbed her by the upper arm and frog-marched her towards the copse of trees where he had left her.

“What was that for?”

“I’m tired of your leaving me alone and expecting me to just wait for you like you’re some big strong hero and I’m some damsel waiting to be rescued.
 
Do you understand?”

“Why?
 
Don’t say you were worried about me?”

“What did you see?” she asked ignoring his teasing question.
 

He found himself wanting to reach for her and pull her close, but instead cleared his throat.
 

“Southerby, tell me at once.
 
What did you see?”
 
she spaced out each word of the last question allowing her aggravation to show.

“I really don’t know how to broach this with you, Clarissa.”

“For goodness sake, just say it.”

“All right.
 
I saw your step-mother and her brother in an extremely passionate embrace.”

“Your eyes must have been playing tricks on you.”

“No, I know what I saw.”

“You must have mistaken a brotherly hug.”

“Clarissa, they were not hugging.”

“A kiss then.
 
Perhaps he dropped a kiss on her cheek and your angle looked like more.”

“Clarissa, they were not kissing either.”
 
He stopped allowing his words to sink in.

“Do you mean they were...”
 
Her words faded into the night.

“Clarissa, they’re lovers.”

“I think I’m going to be sick,” she muttered, running for the bushes.
 
She emptied the meager contents of her stomach upon reaching them.

Justin’s stomach turned violently as he listened to Clarissa heaving.
 
He had never reacted well to other people’s sickness, so he made himself scarce.
 
Justin walked to his horse and poured some water from his water skin onto his handkerchief.
 
He walked back over to Clarissa and handed it to her so that she could wipe her face.

“Thank you,” she said weakly.
 
She walked over to a low boulder and sat down heavily.
 
Clarissa lowered her head into her handkerchief-covered hands and let the cool wetness revive her.
 
“Are they that morally corrupt?” she asked into her hands.

“What did you say?” Justin asked coming closer to her.

“Would a brother and sister truly fall to that level of moral corruption?”

“Clarissa, I am sad to be the one to inform you, but things like this happen all over.
 
However,” he raised his hand to stop her words, “perhaps there is another answer.”

“Oh?”

He heard the curiosity in her voice.
 
“What if they weren’t really brother and sister?
 
What if they were lovers posing as siblings?”

“Why in heavens name would they do that?”

“It would be the easiest way to part a man from his money.”

“Oh, no,” she shakily stood and began pacing.
 
“And Papa was their victim from the start.
 
They wanted his money didn’t they?”

“We don’t know anything for certain, Clare.
 
It is just one possible theory.”

“It’s all my fault, you know?”
 
She kept pacing back and forth, and Justin had trouble following her train of thought.

“How can any of this be your fault?
 
You didn’t know they would turn out to be villains.”

“I pushed Papa into this, when I told him I had no interest in marrying.
 
I told him I wanted to stay in the country and take care of him as he grew older,” she broke off when her voice turned shaky.
 
Once she had herself back under control she continued, “Don’t you see?
 
He married so that I would not be obligated to care for him in his dotage.
 
To stay at home.
 
It is my fault that viper came into our lives.
 
Now my father has been kidnapped and is possibly on his death bed while those two are romping around enjoying themselves.”

Clarissa stopped pacing when two strong hands grabbed her upper arms and spun her about.
 
Justin’s blue eyes pierced her own.
 
His hands tightened on her arms.

“Listen to me.
 
None of this is your fault.
 
Your father is a grown man and can make his own decisions.
 
Whatever happened is as much his fault as that man and woman in that house.
 
You are innocent.
 
Do you understand?”

“But,” Justin did not allow her to finish her thought.

“No.
 
I will not allow you to blame yourself for this, especially when we do not know the entire situation.
 
Do you understand?”
 
He waited for her to nod before continuing.
 
“Good.
 
Now we have plans to make.
 
We need to get your father away from here as soon as possible.”