With a snort, Felix threw out one hand towards Stafford in dismissal, and, with a lift of his chin, walked towards the carriage door. It opened before he even had a chance to knock upon it, and to his astonishment, a pistol was pointed in his face.
“I’ve been warned about the likes of you.” A gentleman of an age with Felix brandished the weapon. “And you’d best get yourself away from here before you meet your end.” The man had a firm jaw, and his eyes glinted. “Although maybe I should just shoot you regardless and do all of society a great favor.”
Felix blinked.
“I would advise you to remove your pistol, sir.” With a shrug, he gestured behind him, still holding his own pistol in his hand. “You have one shot but I, I am afraid, have four. You may very well kill me, but are you truly willing to lose your own life, as well as the lives of your companions?” It was an idle threat, of course, for he had no intention of killing anyone, and certainly would not allow his men to do so either. It seemed to have an impact upon the gentleman, however, for after a moment he began to lower his pistol, albeit with a dark scowl and a grunt of frustration. “Very good.”
Stepping forward nimbly, Felix snatched the pistol from the man’s hand and then dropped it to the grass beside him.
“What is it that you want?” The man's eyes were spitting with anger, the words flung from his lips. “You come to steal from us, do you not?”
“I do believe that is what a highwayman does,” Felix replied with a smile, allowing the whisper of fear over being threatened so to drift away. “I quite understand that you do not wish me to take what is yours, of course.” Lowering his pistol just a little, he kept his hand ready, but dropped his shoulders and took a small step back. “Why do you not tell me a little bit about yourself and those within your carriage? What are your names?”
“What difference would such a thing make to the likes of you?”
Felix shrugged.
“I like to be indulged,” he responded, without giving any true explanation for his interest. “I might reconsider my thought of stealing from you if you were to tell me the truth of your situation.” The man shook his head, clearly disbelieving this. “You must.” Felix glanced at the other two occupants of the carriage. “Else I shall simply demand all you possess and leave you with nothing.”
“Then you give me no choice.” With a roll of his eyes, the man looked away as he spoke, as if he could not bear to even glance at Felix. “I am Baron Hereford, and this is my wife and her sister. We go to London.”
“To find your sister-in-law a husband, no doubt,” Felix responded, only for the Baron to shake his head.
“We take her to the Physician.” The man scowled, his chin lifted. “She has been most unwell since the loss of her husband. We have been unable to lift her spirits and thus, as we see her wasting away, we must try anything we can to improve her condition.”
There came a quieter voice from behind the gentleman, one softer and with tears coursing through it.
“The country Physicians and apothecaries have done nothing. A Physician in London is our last hope.”
A little uncertain whether or not he should believe this fellow – for the man might easily have been telling a tale to force Felix away from him – Felix gestured for him to move out of his way. Stepping forward, he looked into the carriage to see where the second voice had come from, only to see a gaunt young woman staring back at him. Her cheekbones were sharp, her eyes seeming a little too large for her pale white face. Another woman was sitting beside her, one who looked a good deal more robust and in much better health. She was grasping the hand of the other, and from the similarities in their features he could tell that they were sisters. This one was the one who had spoken, it seemed.
Felix’s heart filled with gentle sympathy.
“It seems as though you are in particular difficulty.” With a small nod to the ladies, he said nothing more but stepped back, seeing Lord Hereford glance down at the ground where his pistol now lay. With a chuckle, Felix went to stand beside it. “I should not like to give you an opportunity to take back your pistol,” he remarked as Lord Hereford’s eyebrows lowered, his jaw working furiously. “However, I can see that what you have told me about your sister-in-law is the truth. I do hope that you find some help for her in the city though the Physicians in London can cost a great deal.”
The gentleman shrugged.
“Gentlemen, such as myself, will do whatever we must for our family.”
Felix nodded slowly and tilted his head, appreciative of the man’s firm sense of duty.
“I have spoken to many, and stopped a multitude of carriages,” he began slowly, an idea coming into his mind. “There is a Physician by the name of Oswald whom I know of. He was stopped some time ago, but appeared to be a very capable Physician, for one of my men sustained an injury and he chose to assist, with a manner both capable and efficient. I advise you to search for the Physician Oswald. He will be able to care for your sister-in-law best.”
A good deal of what he had said had not been the truth, of course, but what else could Felix do? The truth was, he had heard of the Physician Oswald’s sterling reputation, knowing him to be one of the very best in all of London, and sought out by almost all those in theton. He was unsure as to whether Baron Hereford had heard of the Physician but hoped now that he would seek him out.
“And you think that I should accept the word of a highwayman?” Lord Hereford scoffed openly. “You say such a thing to garner something from me, no doubt.”
“No, indeed not.” Shrugging, Felix stepped back. “I say such a thing to be of aid to your sister-in-law.”
Lord Hereford blinked, some of the anger fading from his expression.
“Then what is it that you will demand from me now?”
Felix smiled.
“Nothing.” Picking up the pistol, he set it back into the carriage, careful to place it on the seat opposite the gentleman rather than hand it back to him directly. “Go to London. I hope that you find what you require there.”
Lord Hereford’s mouth fell open, but Felix did not wait. Instead, he mounted his horse and, signaling to the men, turned his horse to ride away. A glance behind him told him that Lord Hereford was still sitting there, staring after him, and it was the clearly written astonishment in the man’s wide eyes and mouth ajar that had Felix laugh aloud as he rode through the wind.
