Page 68 of Lady Charlotte and the Lending Library
His worst fear had been realized. “Are you injured?” he asked roughly.
“A man in a hooded cloak struck me with a club, and I went down.” William removed his hand from the side of his head. There was a dark patch on his palm, possibly blood.
Ashford nodded to Nathaniel. Both men reached down and hauled William up under his arms.
“Are you sure Lord Meers took Charlotte? Did he have others with him?”
William nodded and then winced at the movement. “The viscount and another man were carrying her. Lord Meers must have drugged her as she wasn’t struggling.”
Ashford dearly hoped Charlotte was only drugged. And not worse.
“Can you stand?” he asked William.
“I think so,” the man replied shakily.
Ashford released William, and Nathaniel did the same. The young man stood still for a moment. “I’m fine now.”
“What did you see, William?” He tamped down his fear. “Where did they go? Did Lord Meers have a coach waiting?”
“I just happened to pass the open French doors and caught a glimpse of two men carrying something off the terrace. A woman in a dress.” William passed a hand over his eyes. “I heard a voice, and I knew it was Lord Meers. The man with Meers said they would take her to the lake where their boss would be waiting. When her body was found the authorities would assume she was merely another suicide. I followed the two men as silently as I could, but evidently I wasn’t quiet enough.”
The boy paused and shuddered. “The man with Meers released the feet of the woman, turned, and pounced on me. As we struggled, I got a better glimpse of the lady Lord Meers was carrying. It was Charlotte.”
“The lake?” Nathaniel asked with a whistle. “That could be any lake.”
In times of great danger, Ashford had always been able to think clearly. He must do so now for Charlotte’s sake. “I don’t think so. It is well known that the poor too often commit suicide in the Serpentine. I think they took her to Hyde Park.”
“I didn’t hear anything else,” William replied. “After the man hit me with the club, everything went black.”
“We must get to the park.” Ashford turned to hurry back in the direction of the townhouse.
He heard William reply from behind him, “I’m going with you!”
“Go through the mews, William,” he answered. “Meet us in the front courtyard. You have blood on your face and hand. It would not do for you to walk through the duke’s ballroom in such a state.”
William didn’t respond as he strode away. Ashford didn’t care whether anyone went with him or not. All he knew was that he had to get to Charlotte.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Charlotte was cold. She must be lying somewhere outside. Where was her silk wrap shawl? The feeling of rough grass against her bare arms was most uncomfortable. Then she remembered: someone had accosted her on the terrace of Norfolk House. Her eyes flew open, and she lay still, her eyes adjusting to the near blackness surrounding her. She blinked at the night sky, noting a waxing gibbous moon covered by clouds.
“Lord Meers?” she asked softly. “Are you there, Lord Meers?”
“He won’t be helping ye,” a man replied with a menacing laugh. The raspy voice was the same one she’d heard in the garden at Norfolk House.
Her hands were bound in front of her. Thank goodness she still wore her gloves as the night air was bracing. She didn’t know if she was shivering merely from the cold or from the realization that her life might be in danger.
She must remain calm. Charlotte rolled to her side and struggled to sit up, registering the fact that her dancing slippers were gone. Her head felt full of wool. Had she been drugged? She must have been. Her pride wouldn’t let her believe she had fainted while being kidnapped.
“Now, you stay quiet, or I’ll have to keep you quiet.” A shape loomed over her. The cloaked figure was of average height and stocky.
She looked away from the man and spied a stretch of water nearby. Squinting in the gloom, she could make out the shape of a body at the edge of the water, lying face down. She averted her gaze, hoping she didn’t know who it was.
“Where am I?” she whispered.
The hooded figure reached down and forced a cloth into her mouth. She gagged and attempted to use her tongue and lips to push out the rag, to no avail.
“You’re in Hyde Park. Not long now. The boss will take care of you, missy.”
