Page 18 of Miss Flibbertigibbet and the Barbarian
Evenly, he added, “We need to act quickly, yes, but we also can’t afford to make assumptions and head off in the wrong direction.”
She wrinkled her nose; she was transparently impatient to get on the thief’s trail. Nevertheless, she nodded. “You’re right. We can’t risk racing off willy-nilly.”
Raising her head, she addressed the waiting men. Nicholas listened as, with Rogers’s input, she organized four groups to ride out immediately and search for sightings of thief and horse along all four lanes leading out of Aisby. “Search for as long as you need to find someone who can tell you that the horse passed that way or, alternatively, that it didn’t. If they’re sure The Barbarian didn’t pass them, ride back as fast as you can and report. For our purposes, a definite non-sighting will be as valuable as a sighting, at least in terms of determining the directions in which the thief didn’t go.”
The men nodded, and at her wave, they departed on their quest, eager and determined.
Hicks and his groundsmen, along with Rogers and the remaining stable hands, followed, leaving Nicholas and his unexpected hostess alone.
She looked down at the map and sighed. After a moment, she raised her gaze to his face. “Are you still intent on joining us on the search, or given it’s obviously going to take some time, have you thought better of that?”
He studied her for a moment, then simply stated, “I meant what I said earlier. The Barbarian—acquiring him for my family’s breeding stable—is important to me. Increasingly important, the more I learn about the horse. That someone has thought to steal him, more or less from under my nose… Not only does that confirm how important he might be to breeding stocks, but it also makes me even more determined to seize him back.” He met her gaze. “I’ll be pursuing the horse regardless of whether you and your men are with me.”
She read the truth in his face and huffed. “Is The Barbarian really that important to the breeding stocks of England?”
“Yes, he is.” He glanced at the framed map concealing the safe. “One thing puzzles me. No attempt has been made to steal the horse’s papers.”
When he cocked a brow at her, she confirmed, “There’s been no hint of any break-in or incursion of that kind. Merriweather would have reported anything of the sort to me immediately.”
So Nicholas had assumed. “In that case…” He frowned. “While I pointed to the illicit breeding trade, that no attempt has been made to lay hands on those papers—which any self-respecting thief acting on behalf of illicit breeders would know will add immense value to the horse—makes me wonder if, perhaps, whoever took the horse stole him not for breeding but to be someone’s good-looking mount.”
She laughed cynically. “If so, they’ll soon learn their mistake.”
“True. But if they think The Barbarian is just another horse and try to treat him accordingly—”
“They’ll very quickly be in all sorts of bother.” She tipped her head, a frown playing over her face. “Or not. One can never tell with that horse. Sometimes, he plays along, just to see what he might get or where he might get taken. He’s canny, for a horse.”
“Ultimately, however, his temper will out.” Nicholas caught her gaze. “And we know what will happen then.”
“Broken stalls. Terrified stable hands.”
“Hmm. But whether that will benefit us by helping us locate him or only be worse for him, who can say?”
She pondered that, then her chin set, and she waved him to draw up a nearby chair. She pulled up and sank into the chair behind the desk, her gaze returning to the map on the desktop. “While the men are out picking up the trail, perhaps we should think about what we’ll need to follow it and what strategy we should employ once we catch up with our thief.”
Nicholas settled in the indicated chair and joined her in working out who and what they would need to most effectively pursue The Barbarian.
* * *
The clock ticked inexorably on.
Addie fought not to stare at the small carriage clock perched on the corner of the desk as she and Nicholas discussed the likely next step and which people they should take with them. Given it was already after five o’clock and, consequently, their chase was likely to extend into the next day, the required supporters included her maid, Sally, in order to preserve the proprieties should they put up overnight at an inn.
Addie dispatched a footman to carry a message to the indomitable maid. “Luckily, Sally is accustomed to traveling with me.” She paused, then added, “Although, this time, we won’t be jaunting about in a carriage.”
“Can Sally ride?” Nicholas asked.
“Yes, thank goodness. As long as we don’t ask her to race anywhere, she’ll probably enjoy the outing.”
Nicholas requested the services of a stable lad and sent him to the Angel Inn in Grantham with a message for Nicholas’s groom, whom Addie had seen earlier in the day. Nicholas instructed Young Gillies to pack both Nicholas’s bag as well as his own and bring both to the Grange.
When she looked at Nicholas questioningly, he shrugged. “When we come up with the thief or thieves, the more men we have whom we can trust to handle a high-spirited, sometimes-difficult stallion, the better.”
She couldn’t argue with that.
And still the clock ticked on.
Nicholas’s gaze rested on her. “Your men have to get out there, find and question people, then ride back. It’ll probably be another hour before we hear from any of them.”
