Page 94 of An Unwitting Alliance
Cassie waved him to hurry. “If you don’t get inside, I will unleash the Vail children on you. You haven’t seen anything yet. You’ll wake up with braided princess hair, rouged cheeks, and Robert’s collection of bugs in your bed... and his are not dead either.”
He wrinkled his nose. Real fear of her threats made him step back against the carriage. Cassie hurried to her aunt’s side, leaving him to act of his own accord. Instead of fighting her direction, he did the opposite of everything he thought right and hid himself inside the conveyance. Through the window he watched as the porter rushed out to speak with the ladies. A few words were said that he could not hear, and the women were abandoned once more. Cassie turned to him and held up her hand, silently urging him to stay where he was. He obeyed, but only because it was her and he would do almost anything for her.
This time, the porter returned with Mr. Longbottom. Horse hooves sounded in the distance, and Tom stuck his head out the door. Two riders were coming in fast.
Was one Ian?
Tom stepped out of the carriage on the side opposite the workhouse. Then Ian pulled his horse to a stop next to him, followed by the second man Tom guessed was the constable.
“We found him.” Ian’s face was one of pure relief.
Tom couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Where?”
“It was Mr. Miner who discovered him, actually. Alan was at the small cemetery behind the parish church. He was looking for his mother’s grave among the headstones.”
The poor lad must not have realized that the burial process took time. “And he is unharmed?”
“He was safely returned to the inn, where I have Nancy watching him and a guard monitoring the door until we return.”
A sinking feeling came over him. “Cassie is with Longbottom. I must intervene.”
“He won’t like the look of your face. We had better join you.” Ian and the constable swung down from their horses, and the three of them circled the carriage toward Cassie and her aunt.
The two ladies were arguing with Mr. Longbottom, who was pushing himself into their faces. This was why Tom did not make plans—plans changed and often for the worst. He made a mad dash toward them and caught Longbottom’s words.
“I don’t care how much you pay me to keep that boy here. I have bribes far more profitable and tempting than yours,” he growled. “I am through with that troublemaker forever.” With an angry yank, he attempted to slam the gate shut in the women’s faces. Tom reached them just in time to catch the iron in his hand before it clicked shut.
“Did you hear that, gentlemen?” Tom said, glaring at Longbottom and pushing the gate open again. “The overseer has been accepting bribes to imprison people in his workhouse.”
Aunt Evans stepped back to make room for Ian.
“We heard every word.” Ian lunged for Longbottom at the same time as Tom. They held his squirming arms tight as the overseer swore at them. The constable stepped in to assist them. In a matter of minutes, they had Longbottom’s hands tied to a rope connected to the constable’s horse.
“We’ll take it from here,” Ian said. “You can fetch Alan now.”
Tom whirled around to check on Cassie. When he reached her side, he set one hand on her arm and another on Auntie Evans’s. “Are you both well? He did not touch you, did he?” He searched their eyes and faces for any sign of harm.
“I almost wish he would have tried!” Auntie Evans said with a huff.
Cassie shook her head. “We are well, but what do we do about Alan?”
Tom motioned for them to move toward the carriage. “Alan has been found and is safe at the inn. I’ll explain everything on the way.”
“Thank the stars!” Cassie’s shoulders lowered, and she briefly squeezed her eyes shut.
Once they were seated inside, Tom relayed what he knew about Alan and apologized to the ladies. “I should not have let you face Longbottom alone, no matter how much you wished it.”
Cassie shook her head. “Nothing happened to us. We are perfectly well.”
Auntie Evans shivered. “I still cannot comprehend that wicked man and his horrid treatment of the misfortunate. Poor Alan. I plan to join the Bradford Ladies Society for the Well-being of Orphans and demand change. I insist on speaking to the magistrate first thing tomorrow morning.”
Cassandra touched her aunt’s arm. “Will he listen?”
“I have a little experience with my charity work, and I have learned enough that the magistrate will hear my complaint.”
Tom hoped her voice would cause a wave. They needed all the voices and witnesses they could get. “You were very brave tonight. Once we gather the record books, I am certain we will find further proof of Longbottom’s misuse of funds. There was already no doubt about the mismanagement of those within his care, but the bribes coming to light will mean an end for him. He never would have said those things to me. Your actions made all the difference. I have the both of you to thank for a new beginning for Airewell’s workhouse.”
They soon reached the inn and piled out of the carriage.
