Page 49 of The Noble Smuggler

“What does that mean?” Lady Langton said.

Jonas clenched his fists, attempting to curb his fury at what had happened to Miss Doyle on his own land. “It means that Miss Doyle has been kidnapped,” he said. “And if I were a betting man, I’d be willing to put money down that Cyrus Doyle was driving the cart.”

“But how would he know she was here?”

“I have no idea,” Jonas said.

“Oh!” Lady Langton put her hand to her mouth, the expression in her eyes a mixture of shock and sorrow. “Miss Berry. This is all my fault. I invited the seamstress from the village here to measure Miss Doyle.”

“You did what?” Somehow, Jonas managed to control his voice. But only just.

“Rosalind left her some of her older gowns, and I thought it would be such a fine thing to have the local seamstress come in to alter them so they fit Miss Doyle better.”

Jonas could not listen to more. They were wasting time. If Doyle had taken his daughter directly to the vicar and forced her to marry Mr. Cummings . . . the pit in his stomach yawned wider. It could not have happened. Even if the groom was the local magistrate, surely the vicar would have the integrity to wait until the bride could walk down the aisle on her own two feet.

“Saddle me a horse, James,” he said, already moving toward the door. “Not Roman. He’s traveled too far already today.”

“May I suggest you take Patriot, my lord? I had him out an hour ago so he’s already warmed up.” He paused only slightly. “And if your goal is to go after Miss Doyle, could I also offer myself as your assistant?”

Jonas’s steps slowed. “To ride with me?”

“Yes, my lord.” James lowered his voice. “I can ride fast, and should the need arise, I am well practiced at climbing ivy-covered walls.”

The corner of Jonas’s mouth tugged upward. “Thank you, James. I would be most grateful for your company.”

James gave a pleased nod. “I will be at the stables with the horses whenever you’re ready,” he said. Placing the bonnet on the closest table, he turned on his heel and hurried out of the room.

Jonas swung around to face his mother. She was on her feet again.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

He took a deep breath, an unexpected sense of surety filling him. “I’m going to bring her back,” he said.

Chapter 17

Twilight was falling by the time Jonas and James reached Little Tilbury. Most of the villagers were already home for the evening, and the road was quiet. They slowed their horses as they approached the church, but all was peaceful there, so they continued on toward the inn. The Fox and Hare sign swung gently in the evening breeze, the faint squeaking blending with the evening chorus of crows in the nearby pine tree. Lamps shone in the front room window, but the upper window was noticeably dark. There would be no smuggling on the beach tonight.

The yard was empty. Dismounting, the two men led their horses around the back of the inn. Jonas glanced at the stables, then veered the other way, past an untidy woodpile and a washing line to an oak tree that bordered the property.

“We’ll tie up the horses here,” he said. “It won’t be long before darkness hides them, and if we need to leave in a hurry, this location will be to our advantage over the stable.”

James nodded, already wrapping his reins around a lower branch. He tilted his head toward the inn. “If they brought Miss Doyle back here, where would she be?”

“There’s a cellar where they store the smuggled brandy,” Jonas said. “I haven’t seen it, but apparently it’s separate from the main cellar and likely accessed by a secret door.”

James raised his eyebrows. “The inn boasts secret rooms?”

Jonas’s gaze moved up to the bedchamber that looked out over the yard. “It does. And there’s another up there.” He pointed to the upper story. “My guess is that’s where Doyle’s keeping her.”

“There’s ivy goin’ up that wall,” James pointed out.

“Indeed,” Jonas said. “But the hidden room has no window, and unless there’s someone waiting on the inside of the neighboring room, we could not enter without breaking the glass.”

“Difficult to do quietly,” James said thoughtfully.

“That’s the back door.” Jonas pointed to the door across from them. “The passageway on the other side leads to the front room and the stairs. I know the way. If I had some uninterrupted time, I daresay I could find the door to the hidden room.”

“Uninterrupted time, eh?” James grinned. “Sounds like you need someone in the front room making a bit of a ruckus.”