“Then there is nothing to fear.” Nicole gestured to the burning candle in his hand. “Let me take that. It is not the heat from the flame that I want to feel burning my body.”
A low growl animated from the back of Baxter’s throat. He grinned before wetting his thumb and forefinger with his thick tongue. The wick sizzled between his fingers, and he bent down and placed the brass holder on the floor.
As soon as Baxter lowered his head, Nicole threw the heavy cloak over him, wrapped her arms around his body and gripped him tightly.
“Now,” she called to Rose who rushed from her hiding place in the shadows. Baxter writhed and wriggled in an attempt to break free from Nicole’s grasp. “Use your foot and take his legs from underneath him. Hurry.”
Rose kicked out at Baxter. Two swipes and he landed in a heap on the floor. “What should I do now?”
The man was stronger than Nicole expected. Not as strong as Jeremy, of course. “You must hit him, Rose, with your fist. As hard as you can.”
“Hit him?”
A lady of such gentle breeding rarely ever raised a cross word, let alone assaulted a person in anger. “This is your only chance of escaping,” Nicole said to rouse the lady’s ire. “Lord Cunningham may well have married someone else in your absence, and it is all Baxter’s fault.”
Not just Baxter. The Earl of Stanton was the first one in the queue when it came to apportioning blame.
With a growl like that of a newborn wolf cub, Rose thumped the shrouded figure on the floor. “That’s for keeping me a prisoner these last six months,” she said. “And that’s for trying to ruin any hope I have of marrying Lord Cunningham.” Rose delivered another blow.
Upon witnessing Baxter’s slow movements and hearing his gasps for air, Nicole decided he was weak enough for them to bind his legs.
“Where did you put the rope?” Nicole said. It was the one they’d stolen from the barn, spent an hour sawing into two pieces with a butter knife, and hidden on top of the armoire.
Rose scampered to the bed. She thrust her arm underneath, patted the boards and pulled out the length of rope.
“You must sit on him, Rose, while I tie his legs.” Nicole’s firm tone left no room for doubt. With Baxter’s head and face covered by the travelling cloak, the task would not seem as daunting. “Quickly.”
In spite of her small frame, Rose sat on Baxter’s stomach while Nicole sat on his legs and bound his ankles together. “Now we must bind his wrists. When I remove the cloak from his face, you must push the napkin into his mouth.”
Rose nodded and reached for the table napkin she’d dropped on the floor. “Where did you learn to tie such tight knots?”
An image of Jeremy’s cold black eyes and ugly sneer flashed into Nicole’s mind. She shivered. “It is not so much how I learned to tie them, more how I learned to undo them.”
Rose raised her head in acknowledgement. They had no secrets. During their months in captivity, they’d shared every hope, every fear.
“Are you ready?” Nicole clutched the second length of rope. “Remove the cloak.”
Rose did as she asked. Baxter’s enraged glare proved unnerving, but Nicole dismissed all feelings of anxiety. Despite Baxter nipping at Rose’s fingers like a rabid dog, she forced the linen cloth into his mouth.
Baxter fought them, lashed out and Nicole had no choice but to punch him on the nose.
The man wailed against the gag in his mouth. Blood trickled down over his lips, and Rose used the edge of the cloak to mop it up while Nicole set to work, strapping Baxter’s hands.
With the job done, they both stood and heaved in a breath. But there was no time to waste. No time to celebrate the small victory.
“Hurry. To linger only serves to tempt fate.” Nicole grabbed the travelling cloak and fastened it around Rose’s shoulders. “Do you have your provisions?”
“Yes.” She opened the door of the armoire and ferreted about inside. “There’s bread from breakfast this morning and fruit taken from the bowl in the dining room,” she said holding up the linen bag she’d sewn using remnants of fabric stolen from the box in the parlour.
“And you have the purse of coins I gave you?”
Rose nodded. “Promise me you’ve got money, too.”
“Please, do not worry about me.” Nicole couldn’t lie and so avoided answering directly. She grabbed the small bunch of keys from Baxter’s pocket, removed the black iron key and handed it to Rose. “Now go before someone notices Baxter is missing.”
They hugged.
“Be safe.”