Suddenly, the door was yanked open and a hand reached in to yank both girls out of the carriage. Claire tumbled out with a surprised yelp and held Trixie close to her, refusing to let go of her sister.
The man who had unceremoniously dumped them onto the ground gave out a harsh laugh and Claire glared at him. In the moonlight, she could hardly make out his features. A dark cloth was tied around his head, obscuring the lower half of his face. His dark eyes gleamed maliciously at the Rowley sisters.
“Aye, ye will both catch a pretty sum for all the trouble we went for ye,” he said, his hoarse voice sparking fear in her heart. He turned to his companions. “Tie ‘em up and send ‘em to the boss. If everything goes well, we’ll be rich tonight!”
“What do you want with us?” Claire asked him. “We can pay you more than what your boss can!”
The leader of the bandits turned to her. “Ye got some fire in ye, missy. I wonder if ye will still have the courage to say that after tonight.”
Claire flinched but continued to glare at him as a dark cloth was tied over her eyes. She struggled but the men were too strong and rough.
“Claire!” she heard Trixie call out for her, before her cries were muffled by the gag that was placed over her mouth.
Blindfolded, tied, and gagged, she and her sister were loaded into a separate carriage that smelled horrendous. Her fear pounding in her heart, combined with their abysmal environment, made her feel the strong urge to retch but she held herself against it.
She briefly heard the cries of the footmen and the coachman who had driven their carriage, pleading with the bandits to at least spare their lives.
She heard the evil men laugh at them before gunshots rang out, silencing their pleas.
“There can be no witnesses,” the leader guffawed. “Now, milady, are ye willing to work with us?”
With a sinking feeling, Claire realized that these men were dangerous and killed so easily it was frightening. To ensure their safety until the constable figured everything out, she and Trixie needed to comply with them.
I need to buy us some time, she thought desperately.Hopefully, they will be able to rescue us soon!
Chapter 28
Claire’s shoulder was aching, confined by the rough ties that bound her wrists. Earlier, she had tried to wiggle her way out of her bonds but only ended up chafing her wrists.
Those bandits certainly did a good job of tying us up!
Eventually, Trixie quieted down and she only whimpered softly by Claire’s side. Lady Suzanna and His Grace were also in the same carriage with them and although they tried to get each other loose, it was close to impossible.
They had no choice but to wait for their fates to unfold.
A few hours later, the rickety carriage finally came to a stop and she briefly heard the horses neighing before the coarse laughter of the bandits filtered in through the thin walls of the carriage.
“We’re here!” their leader called out in a singsong voice before bursting into laughter once more at their predicament. He was joined in by his rowdy companions, who threw in some insults for good measure.
Claire could only suffer in silence as she was hauled out in a most undignified manner. She struggled a little but the men who held her were much too strong for her.
This might not be the best time to make my escape, she thought with great desperation.
She was unceremoniously dumped to the ground and she staggered for a bit before she found solid footing. The ground beneath her was surprisingly even and smooth but she had no time to discern more of her surroundings before she was yanked back and tied to a chair.
Father, please help us! I do not want to die! I do not want any harm to befall us!
Claire was certain she would go insane from the fear that pounded in her heart.
She was quite surprised when the blindfold was yanked off and she blinked her eyes blearily as her hazy vision fought to adjust to having toseeagain.
“A gift from the boss!” the leader of the bandits called cheerily, before they all trooped out of the room, laughing raucously on their way out.
Claire shook her head and blinked again as her vision started slowly to return after being kept in the dark for hours. As her eyes adjusted to the poor lighting, she realized with a sudden jolt that she knew all too well where they were held.
They were in Ranhold House. This was her home!
Claire frowned as she surveyed their surroundings. They appeared to be held in the drawing room, although it had been stripped of the luxurious carpets. In fact, the room was bare except for the larger pieces of furniture that were draped in white sheets.
