“South, sir … towards Blackburn Alley.”
“Did the hack have any discerning marks?”
“No … not a one, oh, sir, sir … ye have to save her!” Bean cried.
* * *
“Save her? Who …?” Scott had just arrived from the morning room and looked from the urchin to the duke with a fading smile. “Is it Flip? Egad, what the devil has she done now?”
“Come on, I’ll explain on the way,” the duke said and turned to the old retainer eyeing Bean with some misgiving. “Right then, Bean … go with him. You will be fine.”
Bean looked up at him and said, “Coo … I know all will be right with ye on it.”
“Depend on it, lad,” the duke said and nodded to the elderly retainer as he pushed Scott forward and said, “Do you know how to handle a pistol, Scott, my man?”
“Grew up with guns in m’hands.” Scott grinned. “But what the deuce is going on?”
“Right then,” the duke answered and led him outside, where his driver held his horses standing. As they got inside he said, “Blackburn Alley as fast as you can go.” He turned to Scott, and his voice was a low threat. “A man or two dies today.”
“What?” Scott was now beside himself.
“They took Felicia and Becky, and I have no doubt it was the two men that escaped us the day we found and rescued Becky from them at the cottage.”
“How?” Scott sat forward now, fear taking over his features.
“I am going to guess that this day’s work was a crime of chance.” He secured his pistol in his belt and handed a gun to Scott. “Are you up to it?”
“Someone took Flip and my Becky? By damn, I am up to it!”
~ Twenty-Three ~
FELICIA’S EYES OPENED with a snap.
She immediately choked on something and realized that a piece of wool was in her mouth. She tried spitting this out, but when that didn’t work, she found that rubbing it against the side of the hackney interior wall served very well. It was dislodged enough to spit the remainder of the way.
She then realized her wrists were tied at her back.
She looked across at Becky, who was slumped over, and she got up, sat beside her, and nudged her. “Becky … Becky, wake up, do … you must. Becky!” Realizing that Becky also had a gag in her mouth, she bent and pulled it out with her teeth. “There. That is better. Dear Becky, you must wake up.”
In response, Becky groaned. Felicia grimaced and said, “Oh, Becky, I am so sorry.” With these words, she nudged her again with her shoulder. “You must wake up. We have to find a way of untying each other.”
Becky frowned and tried to focus but said, “No … no.”
“Becky, you have to wake up,” Felicia insisted.
Becky did indeed open her eyes and made another sound, much like a groan, as she tried to sit up. “What? Where?” Becky asked as she looked around.
“We have been abducted by those two men who escaped when we freed you … they must have seen us and decided to finish the job here and now. Becky, they will kill us. They won’t leave witnesses. They will get your father and my … the duke to pay a ransom, and then they will kill us. We have to escape now. We don’t have a choice.”
“Oh, no … this is all my fault. They took you as well … oh …” Becky whimpered.
“Stop. Here,” Felicia said and turned her back and her tied wrists to her friend. “Try and undo my ties, then I will do yours.”
Becky worked the knots as best she could. Their position was awkward, her fingers though free were clumsy, and it took a great deal longer than Felicia had hoped.
Once free, however, Felicia made short work of Becky’s ties. “We are fortunate that our abductors are complete idiots.”
“They are swine,” Becky added.