‘And he has sent men after her with guns,’ Phillip said flatly, his gaze falling once again to the weapons the men were trying but failing to hide.
‘They aren’t for her,’ one of the thugs assured him.
‘So why carry them? Does the magistrate know you are carrying guns in his county? I am going to have to get him to come and have a word with you and relieve you of them. Where are you two staying?’
‘We just want the girl,’ the oldest thug snapped.
‘She isn’t here. I would warn you that kidnapping is illegal in this country. Try to snatch her against her will, to return her to her father or not, you will be arrested. Now where are you staying?’
‘The Dockside.’
‘Expect a visit from the magistrate,’ Phillip assured them. ‘For now, get off my land and don’t come back here.’
The thug eyed Phillip’s wound. Phillip expected questions but when their gazes met, the thug read the hidden warning in his gaze and didn’t bother to ask. Silently, the men turned and left. Phillip followed them to their horses and watched them mount.
‘If you see her tell her that her father wants her to return home. She has stolen some money and he wants it back.’
‘So, he has sent out armed thugs to get it back,’ Phillip snorted, not believing the story for a second. ‘How much has she stolen?’
‘Ten pounds.’
‘Twenty pounds,’ the thugs replied in unison.
Phillip threw them a sceptical look and shook his head. ‘Be sure of your facts before you try to lie about your supposed victim. If you are not sure what she has stolen you cannot prove that she has stolen anything, can you?’
He watched the thugs frown at each other. Despite giving them a moment or two to think that one through neither thug was intelligent enough to understand that he meant.
‘God, you are both brutal and stupid, aren’t you?’ he growled. ‘You don’t know how much she has stolen so you cannot accuse her of stealing anything, can you? What do you tell the magistrate that she has stolen, ten pounds or twenty? There is a big difference. If you don’t know, how would he know what to charge her with?’ Phillip braced his hands on his hips and glared at each man in turn. ‘But I don’t suppose that men like you would take her to the magistrate for theft. You are the kidnapping kind of thug. The ones who are inclined to force women to go somewhere they don’t want to go even at gunpoint. Before you go, both of you can tell me what you know about Claude Smidgley.’
The older thug scowled at him. ‘That’s the one who is all over the newspapers, isn’t it? I have heard them talking about him in the tavern. He is wanted for kidnapping people. We don’t have anything to do with him.’
‘Really?’ Phillip mused suspiciously. ‘So why are you trying to snatch young women off the street and lying about them supposedly stealing money?’
‘We probably have the wrong house,’ the other thug said with a searching look at the still and silent property behind him.
‘Yes, you do have the wrong house.’ Phillip waved the men toward the driveway. ‘Get off this property and don’t come back. You are not welcome here.’
He remained perfectly still and watched them leave. When they had gone, he too turned to look at the house but didn’t go back inside. Instead, disappeared into the trees to look for Claude Smidgley.
CHAPTER THREE
Carlotta cleared the work surfaces in the kitchen and put her precious supply of food back into her basket. Tucking it neatly back into the dresser, she closed the door with a quiet click and turned to study the room. It was very much like it had been the day she had arrived several weeks ago. At first glance it was difficult to believe that anybody had been living there but it was now occupied by two people.
‘I wonder where you have gone,’ she mused as she studied the tidy kitchen.
Rather than stay in the kitchen and worry, Carlotta went in search of the route Phillip had used to get into the house. She wanted to know how someone could get inside with all the windows locked and shutters drawn. Had he smashed a window? Would her father’s thugs be able to see the damage and use it get inside as well? The prospect of them coming into the house was enough to make her hurry as she checked every window, lock, door, and shutter.
Half an hour later, Carlotta returned to the kitchen, a little stymied by the fact that she hadn’t found anything amiss. Everything was as she had left it that morning when she had set off for the village. ‘So how have you gotten in?’ she whispered. ‘I haven’t imagined you.’
She huffed a laugh and tried to find some evidence that he had been in the property only to realise that there was none.
‘You cannot be a ghost.’
Curious, and becoming increasingly concerned that the house might not be as safe as she had though it was, Carlotta retraced her steps and checked everything once again.
‘How?’ she asked in consternation several long moments later.
It was annoying that he wasn’t there to ask. She had to wonder why he had gone into the woods when he knew there was a crazed man in them. What was he hoping to do? Was he the man’s friend?