Page 45 of The Artisan and the Duke
“I will not stay here while you journey with someone I do not know,” Fredrick said swiftly. “If you wish to proceed, then I will go with you. I had just thought that given you do not appreciate storms, you would wish to wait, Duchess.”
Jules said anxiously, “I do not adore storms, this is true. However, Mr Larkin is right. There is no telling what might befall my guild mates while we sit here waiting for the storm to pass.”
“As you wish,” Fredrick said with a bow of his head. “I’ll get the carriage ready.”
David agreed, “Yes, I’ll see to my horse then.”
As Fredrick and David got ready to leave, Jules went back inside to try and settle her nerves. Just the sight of the lightning was enough to get her out of sorts. Not even as a child could she stand storms. Their roof often leaked, and Jules found the old nervousness settle over her as she eyed the roof of the inn.
“Will you be staying with us, Your Grace?” The innkeeper asked with a warm smile as Jules settled on a cushioned bench inside the door. The woman and her neat bun reminded Jules of her old schoolmistress before her father had pulled her out of the school to go to work.
Jules shook her head and said apologetically, “I fear that my travelling companions have decided to ride on tonight. I would gladly have stayed on otherwise. Looks to be a storm coming.”
“Yes, the lads mentioned the storm when they came in this evening. I do wish you a safe journey,” the innkeeper said earnestly.
Jules wished that the woman’s well-wishing had made her feel better, but in truth, it had only made her more anxious. She took her mind away from the storm and innkeeper. She just closed her eyes and reminded herself to breathe. Jules was, after all, not a child anymore.
When the door opened next, Jules’ head came around, and she frowned. There was a look on David’s face. “Men came out of nowhere,” David said as he winced while stepping inside. “They set on us while we were rigging up the carriage.”
Jules then noticed the blood on David’s face. “Where is Fredrick?” Jules stood up anxiously as the innkeeper called for assistance. Within a matter of seconds, a couple of men were headed outside to see what was going on. “David, what is happening?” Jules asked anxiously.
“I don’t know,” David said as he put his palm against his forehead and winced. “I think I need to sit down.”
The innkeeper swiftly appeared with a bowl of water and several rags. “Let me take a look at that for you while you try to clear your head,” the woman said with concern as she sat the bowl down and rung out one of the cloths.
David did as the woman bade him while Jules stood up and looked anxiously at the door. “But Fredrick? And the carriage driver?”
“If your friends are out there, the boys will aid them,” the innkeeper insisted. “You should stay in here. Highwaymen do not care about title or laws, Your Grace.”
Jules fretted but stayed put. She had never been one to stand idly by when something needed doing, and it pained her to do so now. David winced and sucked in a breath as the innkeeper touched the cloth to his hair.
“He’s got a nasty gash,” the innkeeper said softly as she rinsed the rag.
One of the men that had left earlier came through the door, “The carriage is gone. The stable boy said that some men took Lord St Claire with them. The driver was knocked out, but the boys are bringing him inside.”
A few moments later, the door opened, and the driver was brought in hanging limply between two young men who at the instruction of the innkeeper took the driver upstairs so she could look at his wounds. “I’ll be right up,” the innkeeper said with a shake of her head.
“Oh no,” Jules mumbled. She felt faint. “What is happening?”
The man gave Jules a reassuring smile. “I’m guessing they were bandits, probably the same group that’s been plaguing the road for months now. Normally they ask for money from the family. They aren’t murderers, Your Grace. They are just desperate men.”
Jules nodded and sat down in a daze. The weight of what was transpiring was on her. She had dragged Fredrick here. They should not have even been here for Fredrick to get taken. “I don’t know what to do,” Jules said softly, and the helplessness that settled over her felt foreign. Had she really become so useless?
“The Jules that I know would ride right out after them and probably give them a black eye to boot,” David said with a smile at the distraught Duchess.
Jules took a breath and calmed her nerves. The man who had come in to tell them what was going on said, “Little Jake said they headed towards London. They are probably keeping camp somewhere in the woods north of here as they frequent the road looking for people to waylay.”
“Then we ride towards London,” Jules said, “either we will find them, or we’ll find the Duke, and he can sort this out.” She felt better just mentioning Gregory as if speaking his name somehow invoked the man to protect her.
Although the Duke probably was not feeling very generous towards her at the moment, Jules thought.
David nodded. “I will ride with you. I have to be in London at any rate. I feel awful that I couldn’t fight them off. I never even saw them. I got hit from the back, and everything went fuzzy.” David said the last part with shame.
“It isn’t your fault,” Jules said staunchly to David. “They were clearly waiting for their opportunity.” Jules turned to the innkeeper who had handed David a towel so he could finish cleaning himself. Jules asked the woman, “Do you have a horse I can borrow?”
The innkeeper nodded eagerly. “Of course, Your Grace,” the woman said, and she looked over at the man by the door. “Go get the mare for Her Grace, and if the gentleman needs one, he can ride my husband’s horse.”
“My horse should still be in the stable,” David said as he got to his feet. “Thank you for your kindness,” David said to the innkeeper as he handed her the towel back. “I’ll just go and help get the horses ready.”
