Serena

“Of me?” Serena exclaimed, flabbergasted. “What of you? What about this?” She gestured behind her and down the steps.

Eustace grabbed her upper arm and shook her violently. Freddy jumped towards him and demanded, “Unhand Miss Moorely at once!”

For his efforts, Freddy found Joe Reed’s cold pistol at the back of his head. “Ye be forgettin’ this, young’un.”

Serena said quietly, “Eustace, how could you?” She hoped to distract him.

“Careful now, m’name is Joe Reed, and Oi’m known for taking m’man down without batting an eye, Oi am.”

Serena eyed him and moved towards him. He swung the gun in her direction, and she took another step in front of Freddy, giving Freddy a hurriedly meaningful glance, as she said, “Joe Reed, is it? Fine, Joe Reed … look at him,” she said, pointing at the reverend. “Don’t you think as soon as you dispose of me and Freddy, he will dispose of you and your partner? That’s why he hid the gold from you. Can you imagine the hours he spent dragging it in here by himself? Do you think he means to share it now?”

“He don’t have a choice, do he?” Joe Reed smirked.

“You are too smart not to have realized he means to cut you two men out. It would be safer for him if no one knew about this, about the gold, about his involvement. So, what do you think he means to do when you drag our dead bodies down into the tunnel and have your hands full?”

Joe Reed looked at his partner, Mack, and said, “The mort has a point.” He turned to Eustace. “Ye didn’t tell us ye were going to hide the gold here. Ye didn’t give us our fair share, and ye were quick to want Tall Tee dead, said there would be more for the three of us. If ye be thinking along those lines, think again.”

“Don’t listen to her. She just wants to cause trouble,” Eustace said.

The seed, however, had been planted.

Serena watched Joe Reed play with his stubbled beard. “Oi’m thinking we’ll take our share now, and the three of ye,” he said, nodding towards Eustace, “can go down in the tunnel until Oi’m ready to do whot Oi have to do. Go on, or Oi’ll kill ye where ye stands … all of ye.”

“Think you can do that?” Eustace raised the gun he had been holding. “Who ends up alive? I shoot you, you shoot me … and Mack there shoots whoever is left, and then he gets it all.”

Joe Reed appeared stymied for the moment.

Serena wanted to laugh, but instead she stepped aside because she had been blocking their view of Freddy, which had allowed him to aim the gun he had produced from his belt. He held it to Eustace’s head,

“Well, well,” Serena said. “Now what, gentlemen? Now what?”

Serena’s mind had worked quickly, and she had devised a plan.

~ Twenty-One ~

MOTHER NATURE IS perverse and a damned nuisance, the squire thought as he sat bolt upright to the crack of thunder. What the devil? He had not expected a storm, for the day had been beautiful.

He got up, shrugged on his brocade dressing gown, and slid his feet into his slippers. He then padded over to the window just in time to see what had been his large, grand old and noble oak as its roots tore from the ground and it creaked as it fell over, a victim to the storm.

The old oak had been there for as long as he could remember, and he sighed sadly. Serena had warned him that the tree appeared to be dying, and he should have been prepared for this, but … ah well.

He looked at his mantle clock and saw that it was just past midnight. As he stared through the darkness he suddenly realized the tree’s huge branches had hit Serena’s terraced balcony.

His hand went to his heart, and with a loud shout he hurried to his bedroom door, flung it open, and made his way down the hall to Serena’s bedroom.

He pounded with some force at her door and called out her name. “Serena! Are you all right …? Serena!”

He tried the latch, found it unlocked as was her habit, and opened it wide. By this time, both Davis and his valet were up and rushing towards him, asking what was amiss.

He stood and stared at the damage. A goodly part of the tree had crashed through her lovely French doors, and the hangings were covering a portion of its huge branches.

Davis lit some candles, and the three men stood staring for a moment before the squire said foolishly, “Serena?”

All three men stared at a bed that had not been slept in. “Where is she?” he turned and asked of Davis.

Davis cleared his throat. “I can’t say, squire, but I noticed her quietly leaving the house about two hours ago.”

“Did you by God! And why was I not told?”