Elizabeth woke as the carriage slowed to a stop. She wished to stretch her stiff limbs, but her position between two rather large male bodies and the ropes that bound her made it impossible. Due to the cloth covering her eyes, she could not see where she was. The voice of a young boy crying out the latest news, wagon wheels creaking and clattering over cobblestone, and the acrid stench of soot and smoke that stung her nostrils let her know she was in town.
The carriage sank to one side before springing back as the man to her left climbed out. Rough hands once again grabbed her and hoisted her out of the carriage. She had been moved thusly three times already tonight as they had changed conveyances in what she assumed was an attempt to avoid being followed. This time, however, she could hear the creak of a door’s hinges and knew she was being carried into a building.
Elizabeth’s captor shifted her on his shoulder and pressed her against the wall as he descended some steps. Elizabeth counted the number of steps.
“Open that door,” he shouted to someone who scurried past. Elizabeth heard the click of a key unlocking a door and the scraping of a wooden door against a stone floor. With a large exhale of air, the man carrying her tossed her onto a bed. Large hands grabbed her hands and yanked at the knots which bound them. Then, the same hands worked the ropes at her feet while Elizabeth pulled the gag from her mouth and tore the blindfold from her eyes. Finally unbound, she scooted across the bed as far from her captor as she could.
In the dark of the garden, she had not been able to see the men who had attacked her and Georgiana. Now, in the light which peeked through the window high up on the wall, she could finally make out the features of the man in front of her, the man that had carried her from the garden and shifted her between various forms of transportation throughout the night.
He was an enormous mountain of a man. His muscles showed clearly through his well-worn jacket and breeches. He wore a cap pulled low over his hair and had a scar above his left eye which seemed to form the number four. Elizabeth closed her eyes and tried to commit the image to memory. Then, she looked across to Georgiana. The girl was quivering in the corner, her eyes looking at the stone wall as if trying to hide from the images in front of her.
Elizabeth gasped as the man in front of her pulled out a knife and yanked her head forward. A sneer twisted his mouth. “I don’t get paid unless you’re alive.” Quickly he cut a lock of hair and then slashed off a piece of her hem. “Proof that I have you,” he explained. He motioned toward Georgiana and soon her hair and gown were cut in the same fashion by one of the other two men in the room.
He handed the lock of hair and the piece of Elizabeth’s gown to the man who had just cut Georgiana’s hair and dress. Then snatched a piece of paper and pen from the other man and shoved it in Elizabeth’s face. “Write, but only what I say, or we will all be going without pay.” He touched the tip of his knife to her chin.
Elizabeth forced a smile and accepted the paper and pen. “May I use the table?” Elizabeth looked toward the corner where a small wooden table and two chairs stood.
The man moved aside so that Elizabeth could climb off the bed. She stood and forced herself to calmly walk over to the table. She arranged her dress under her as she sat and then smoothed the skirt on her lap hoping the activity would help calm the trembling in her fingers. She did not wish to allow her captors the pleasure of seeing her fear. She did not, however, mind showing them her disdain. “Can you read?” she challenged.
The man who had cut her hair laughed. “You’re a cheeky one, now ain’t ya? Yes, I can read, so you best make sure you write only what I say.”
“Educated but having to resort to using brute strength instead of intellect, how sad,” Elizabeth took the pen in her hand as the man glowered at her. She dipped the tip in the small bottle of ink. “What am I to write?”
“Alive for now. Four thousand pounds to remain so. Tomorrow. Blue Thistle. Further instructions at that time. Then sign your name. You, too.” The man waved Georgiana toward the table with his knife. “And address it to your brother.”
Elizabeth wrote slowly and deliberately. She hoped as she signed her name that her father would recognize the small variants she added to her writing and understand their meaning. When the note had been signed and the directions to Netherfield written on the outside, the locks of hair and bits of gown were folded inside, and the men left the room, locking the door behind them.
Georgiana clung to Elizabeth. “You were so brave. I could not even look at them.”
“I was not brave, Georgiana. I was angry. I am angry. Come, we should try to get some rest.” She pulled the young girl onto the bed with her, wrapping her in her arms. “Your brother will find us.” Elizabeth ran her hand gently over Georgiana’s hair smoothing it away from her face with a soothing caress. Soon, she could hear the steady breathing of a sleeping child. It was only then that Elizabeth allowed her body to tremble and a tear to escape her eye before drifting off to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Eat.” The door to the room had been thrown open and a tray of what might be called food was dropped on the table. “We leave in an hour.”
“Some water and a chamber pot, please.” Elizabeth stood and folded her arms across her chest. Her toe tapped a rapid beat on the floor. The man grunted but returned shortly with the requested items.
“Thank you. I will rap on the door when we are refreshed and have eaten.” Elizabeth gave him a patronizing smile. He took a step towards her, and instead of backing away as her body demanded, she stepped forward, eyes blazing, hands clenched at her sides.
A second man entered carrying a bag. Seeing the first man’s hand drawn back as if ready to hit something, he stepped between Elizabeth and the first man.
“Here,” he said pressing the bag he carried into Elizabeth’s stomach forcing her to grab onto it. “Change.” Then he turned to the man who stood behind him and shoved him toward the door. “No touching includes no hitting.”
The first man sneered at Elizabeth. “Should I stay to make sure they change?” Again the second man gave the first a shove toward the door. But the first man stood his ground.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and glared at the man. She reached into the bag and pulled out two dresses which she placed on the bed. Reaching behind her back, she began to untie her dress.
“Lizzy, what are you doing?” Georgiana gasped.
“He said to change, so I am changing.” She stared directly into the first man’s eyes hoping he could read her anger. “It would be nice if you would, at least, close the door and turn around.”
The second man gave the first man’s chest a hard shove, causing him to stumble backward, but effectively evicting him from the room.
“Thank you, Jonathan,” Elizabeth said as she continued to work the fastenings on the back of her gown.
The man gave her a questioning look.
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. “You have not told me your name, so I have chosen to name you—Bible names, I thought it─ unexpected—the ungodly given godly names.” She smiled at his startled expression but continued. “I merely wish to thank you for removing Joshua.”
Jonathan shook his head and Elizabeth was sure she saw a spark of amusement in the man’s eyes.
“She’s got a mouth on her, she does,” muttered Joshua to Jonathan from the hall. “Shoulda let me hit ‘er.”
When the door clicked closed, Georgiana rounded on Elizabeth. “You were not really going to undress in front of…of…of…them?” She waved her hand toward the door.
Elizabeth slumped onto the bed, her body trembling. “It was my hope they would actually leave before I got too far. That beast, Joshua, wanted me to cower, and I will not.”
Georgiana turned her back toward Elizabeth. “But if they had not left? What would you have done?”
“I truly do not know what I would have done. Thankfully, I did not have to find out.” She began to unfasten Georgiana’s dress.
“Georgiana, you must never tell my mother I began to disrobe in front of two men. It will not matter to her that they are beasts. I would never be able to bear her disapprobation.”
Georgiana gave a startled giggle. “You stand up to men who have abducted you, yet you fear your mother?”
Elizabeth laughed. “You do not know her as I do, Georgie. This ordeal will soon be over, but my mother’s displeasure will last a lifetime.”
When she and Georgiana had finished changing and eating, Elizabeth rapped on the door and waited. A short time later, Jonathan entered.
Elizabeth held out her hand expectantly. “May I have my blindfold, Jonathan?” she asked. “However, you need not carry me. I assure you I can make it to the carriage unassisted.”
“You can make it from here to the carriage without assistance while wearing a blindfold?” He asked incredulously.
“Is that not what I just said?” asked Elizabeth. Then, seeing the raised brows of her captor, she decided it might be to her benefit if she could prove to him she was well aware of where she was being held. “Let’s see it is five long strides to the right, up twelve stairs, three more strides and through the door with the hinges that need oiling. The carriage should be standing about three more strides and a bit left of the door in the alleyway behind some sort of shop—I cannot quite place it, but we are in a trade district, are we not?”
Much to Elizabeth’s satisfaction, Georgiana and Jonathan stood gaping at her. “Sounds and smells,” she explained. “I cannot tell you for certain that we are in London, but it does smell as if we are and close to the river, possibly Cheapside? Now, the blindfold?”
“I will tie it,” said Jonathan coming to stand behind her.
Elizabeth continued to chatter, hoping it would further unnerve her captor. “It is very clever of you to keep moving us. Someone is bound to investigate the origins of that ransom letter. Better to move us to a new location. You do realize I am not nearly as intelligent as my father? And your brother seems rather clever too, Georgiana, not to mention Colonel Fitzwilliam with his military skills. Yes, it is far better for you to keep us moving.”
“Silence, your constant chatter is making my head hurt,” said Jonathan.
“Will you be binding or gagging us?” Elizabeth asked.
“Not if you can keep silent.”
“That I cannot promise, Jonathan, but I will try my best as long as Joshua, who just entered the room, does not taunt me.”
“How…” Joshua began to ask.
“How did I know? Sounds and smells.” Elizabeth could imagine the look of disgust on Joshua’s face.
“I want to see if you can do it,” said Jonathan.
“Can do what?” asked Joshua.
“Find her way out of here wearing that blindfold,” replied Jonathan.
Joshua snorted. “Said she could do that, did she? Like to see that myself.”
Elizabeth turned toward Jonathan. “I only require one bit of additional information. How many steps to the door? Two for you? And would you say your steps are longer or shorter than Moses’ steps.”
“Moses?” asked Jonathan.
“Your leader. The man who carried me in here last night. I thought to call him Goliath as he truly is as large as a giant, but things did not turn out well for Goliath, so I thought that might be insulting. And since I have named the fourth member of your group, David, I thought it might put him in a poor position since anyone who has been to church knows what David did to Goliath. Oh, but perhaps you have never…”
Jonathan held her lips closed with his fingers. “My steps are shorter than Moses’ steps, and it is two of my steps to the door. And, I am considering that gag.” Jonathan grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her toward the door.
“You cannot be upset with my talking if I am answering your question.” Elizabeth took two rather large steps toward the door. Extending a hand to her side, she felt the door jam. “Now, is that chair still in the hall on the right?”
“I am not going to ask how you know that there is a chair there. You cannot possibly have heard it or smelt it,” stated Jonathan.
“Ah, but I did hear it when Moses stubbed his toe on it and cursed.” She turned to the right as she entered the hall and stayed close to the wall on the left. Georgiana trailed behind with her hands on Elizabeth’s shoulders. Elizabeth slid a hand along the wall to steady herself as she climbed the stairs. Then, she crossed to the door, felt for the handle and walked out to the street.
She paused and briefly took in her surroundings.
“Flowers guv’ner. Only got one batch left.” She heard a young girl calling. Carts were still clattering over the cobblestone, but their pace was slower as if they were no longer rushing to get somewhere.
She heard the soft nickering of a horse and walked toward the source of the sound. A familiar large, rough hand grabbed her as she approached where she imagined the carriage stood.
“Good evening, Moses. Are you here to help me into the carriage?”
“Moses?” asked the startled man.
“She has named us,” said Jonathan. “According to her, you are the leader; therefore, you are Moses although she did consider Goliath since you are clearly a giant.”
“And you allowed her to walk out on her own?”
“I did,” replied Jonathan. “She said she could do it, and I wanted her to prove it.”
“And, I did,” stated Elizabeth. “I found my way without any help.”
“While wearing a blindfold?”
“Is that not obvious?” asked Elizabeth. “I am still wearing it. Now, you should get me in that carriage before someone sees that I am indeed blindfolded and can tell the colonel of it when he arrives.”
“The colonel?”
“My cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam,” said Georgiana. Elizabeth’s feigned bravery was beginning to spread. “Perhaps you have heard of him? He is quite well-known.”
Elizabeth felt Moses’ hand twitch upon her elbow gripping it more tightly. Perhaps he had heard of the colonel. “Are you leaving our gowns in the room so they have some sort of twisted reward for finding this place?” She hoped that it was true for she had found a scrap of paper beneath the bed—the remnants of a letter as it contained a partial signature. On the unused portion, she had scratched out a note using a small bit of coal she had found in a corner.
Moses laughed. “Do you suppose Peters knew they were this clever and annoying when he hired us?”
“Oh, are you using Bible names, too?” asked Georgiana. “Lizzy thought Bible names for such unholy men was unexpected.”
“Unholy men?”
Elizabeth felt the hand on her arm tighten once again. “What would you call men who abduct innocent young women? I am sure in the grand scheme of unholy men you are not too far down on the scale since we still have our lives and our virtue.” Elizabeth heard a groan behind her. “You are considering the gags again, are you not, Jonathan? I told you I could not promise to be silent. I have a wayward tongue under normal circumstances, but I am afraid stressful conditions only make it worse. Perhaps if I could just get in the carriage instead of standing about on the street behind a flower shop.”
“How…” began Moses as he helped Elizabeth into the carriage.
“Sounds and smells,” said Jonathan as took his seat beside her.