“There … now … off we go.” Taffy said.
“Not so fast, tart, not so fast.” said a hard, familiar voice.
Taffy realized Bruton must have been riding behind the coach. He was already off his horse and grabbed at Taffeta. He had her by the arm.
His mistake, for she brought up her foot and gave him a resounding kick to his privates. He howled and bent over in pain, and she took Cathy’s hand and screamed, “Come on, Cath.”
However, Bruton seemed to recover as he took chase. Taffy heard him but kept up her pace, weaving through traffic. He was on her suddenly, this time taking hold of her hair and yanking hard, so hard she cried out, “Oww!” She then realized they needed help. She screamed out to her friend. “Run Cathy and get help. Tell them…”
Bruton hissed into her ear. “It won’t do you any good. By the time they find us, you will be my wife, and will have spent the night with me.”
Taffeta brought her heel down on his toes, and he screeched with anger and pain as she broke free and ran.
Once again, she tried dodging him by using the traffic of carriages and hacks to hide her as she darted in and out of traffic. She took a moment and pounded the door of one of the carriages, but then couldn’t wait for admittance.
Even as she cried out for help, Bruton was on her. She ran as fast as her heart and legs could take her, and as she thought she was getting away, the heel of her satin shoe broke, and she tripped on the curbing going down to her knees.
Her gown torn in several places, her slipper broken, and still she picked herself up and started off, only to be cornered by him at the opening of a dark long alley.
Bruton closed in on her and took her arm to drag her off screaming and kicking into the darkest part of the alley where he hauled off and slapped her.
“Now bitch, now…” he said, and she saw he was about to knock her unconscious.
~*~
Seth and Nigel tried to understand what the small lad was trying to tell them, but found it difficult to follow his message.
“Look here, lad. Who told you to give us this message? How did they know we would be here this evening?” Nigel asked.
“Oi don’t know ‘is name, oi don’t…” said the lad, shaking his small dirty hands nervously. “’ee gave me a coin and told me jest to tell the Duke of Grantham and Lord Nigel to meet ‘im at the Home Office … that’s all oi knows.”
Seth took out a few coins and handed them to the grubby street urchin. “There … go get something to eat.” He watched the boy rush off and turned to frown at Nigel. “What the devil is all … hold on…” He moved toward their coach just as it pulled away from the curbing.
“What the devil? I say, hold up Thomas!” called out Nigel.
“Wait a moment. That isn’t Thomas… Who the devil?”
“Taffy!” they both said in unison. Seth slapped his uncle’s shoulder. “Come on.” And led the chase of the coach at a run.
However, as the coach made its way down the avenue, and had not yet hit traffic, it gained quite a distance on them, and Seth stopped to catch his breath. They both bent over their knees as Seth sucked in air and grinned to see Nigel doing the same.
“What the deuce is going on here?” Nigel asked.
“We were diverted. Don’t you see? ’Tis Taffy’s vision. She is alone in the carriage with Catherine. They are being abducted!”
“But why?”
“Doesn’t matter why … come on,” said Seth, starting off again. However, a hackney came to a stop near them, and the driver nodded at them to ask, “Need a ride, do ye gents?”
Nigel looked at Seth who then climbed up and took the reins from the driver, and Nigel gave him a gold coin. “Don’t worry there, my good man, the duke is an excellent whip, and you’ll be well paid when we are done.”
The driver was pleased enough with the guinea he already found in his palm and nodded, “Right then, off we go.”
~*~
Tarrant and Fenmore had alighted their coach just in time to see Nigel and Seth’s behavior with the hack.
“What the deuce are those two doing now?” said James Fenmore with a shake of his head.