Page 53 of Eloping With The Princess
The man himself had not left the building for more than two days, although he’d had a handful of visitors. His wife and daughter, however, were in and out as if the door spun on its hinges. The younger Lady Blakely had left not more than half an hour earlier.
He wondered if Somersby or Lynford were having more success with the houses they were watching. Eventually they’d uncover the man and money behind this entire traitorous operation, but so much rode on this being solved sooner rather than later. Namely, the safety of his wife.
One of Blakely’s carriages pulled to a stop and the daughter stepped down, followed by another woman. The second lady turned her head, glancing up and down the street, and Jason swore under his breath.
Isabel.
And then his world went black.
Jason winced against the pain pounding in his head. He didn’t know where he was and couldn’t manage to open his eyes. He tried to sit up, but a great force pressed onto his chest, pinning him down.
“Leave him alone!” Isabel said, and her voice sounded panicked.
Jason forced his eyes open but was met with only darkness. Fabric brushed against his eyelashes. But he could hear Isabel’s voice.
“The letter said that he would be unharmed if I agreed to come here,” she said. “I demand to see Lord Blakely.”
“We never promised nothing,” a man said, his voice thick with a cockney accent. “We’ll have to kill ’im eventually, since they want you to marry that other bloke.”
Pain radiated from the base of Jason’s skull—the point of impact, he’d guess. The last thing he remembered was seeing Isabel step down from Lord Blakely’s carriage, behind his daughter. They’d lured her here because they’d known he was there. Hiding outside. He’d been careful, but evidently not careful enough, and he’d put his wife in harm’s way.
“Now you two be quiet in here,” the man said. Then a great and heavy door slammed, and his footsteps retreated.
“Isabel,” he whispered.
“Jason!” She moved her hands to his blindfold and peeled it away. “I’m so sorry.”
The look of concern on her face was a knife to his gut. If he ever got them out of this, he’d make things right with her. Treat her as she deserved to be treated. He’d been such a fool.
He sat upright and glanced around the room. Judging by the cobbled stone, they were on the bottom level of the townhome. “On the contrary, I didn’t have any other plans for this evening, and this provides me with an opportunity for entertainment,” he said.
“Stop that. This is not the time for your charming deflections. This is quite serious.” She touched his forehead. “Are you hurt?”
“I’ve had worse.” He continued to scan the room. A heavy door closed them in the dimly lit space.
“He sent his daughter with a letter.”
“So that you could leave,” he said. “She wouldn’t create concern with my guards.”
“That is precisely what I was thinking,” she said. “I had no choice, Jason. I couldn’t allow them to hurt you. I’m sorry I made you marry me.”
“You did nothing wrong, love,” he said.
A chill breezed past them, and Jason caught sight of movement behind Isabel. He primed himself, ready to fight as best he could in his current position, but realized he had seen only a flapping piece of cloth, a window covering.
“A window,” he whispered.
She raced over to see if she could reach it. Her arm stretched up, and she could reach it standing on the tips of her toes. “It is already open,” she whispered.
He motioned her back to his side. “We are directly next door to Potterfield’s townhome. He’s the former leader of the Brotherhood, and his wife will know how to contact Lords Somersby and Lynford. Do you think you can climb out? Maybe you could reach it with that chair.”
She followed his gaze, then nodded. “Of course.” She bit down on her lip. “I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
He shook his head. “There is no need to worry about me, but we haven’t much time. You must get out and get word to the rest of the Brotherhood.”
She took a deep breath. “I suppose it is time for me to make use of all the training I did on the rope in your room,” she said with a smile.
“Isabel, when you get outside, I need you to make certain the house you go to has a number twelve and a red door. Do you understand?”
