Felix lifted his face to the wind. The sky was dark and the rain falling heavily but Felix did not care. His pursuit of the carriage was still something of a thrill, but he greatly enjoyed listening to the stories of those within. And seeing the astonishment on their faces when they realized that he was not about to steal from them, as he might have purported to do, was a thrill in itself. Certainly, he was not a highwayman like anyone had ever seen before, and that in itself was rather delightful. With a lift of his hand, he rode – and his men rode with him.
It took mere minutes for the coachman to stop.
“A wise decision!”
Laughing, his mask still fixed, Felix waved his pistol at the coachman. The man had stopped almost immediately and, given the heavy weariness on his face, it seemed that this was not the first time he had been stopped. Perhaps the man was already aware that such a thing might take place, and he had been prepared for it. Either that, or he had been driving for a little too long, and was weary to the bone.
“Wait there.” Jumping down from his horse, he walked to the door and, rapping on the window, waited for it to open. When it did so, Felix could not help but grin, seeing the wide eyes and expressions of fear. He was looking forward to removing such an emotion from their faces. “Good afternoon.”
The gentleman within scowled darkly at him.
“Be on your way.”
Felix laughed.
“No, I think not. Instead, why do you not tell me a little about yourselves?” He chuckled, looking first at the gentleman who sat beside his wife. The lady herself was gripping his hand with tight fingers, her face white. “I always like to know a little about those I have stopped.”
“I do not think that I am of any interest to you.”
“All the same….” Felix held his pistol in one hand, allowing his gaze to drop to it for a moment. “I am waiting.”
The gentleman’s eyes flared, and then grew dark with anger.
“Very well.” Sucking in a breath, he shook his head. “I am taking my wife and daughters to London in the hope of securing the younger a match.”
“As are many others.” Felix turned his attention to the two young women who were sitting on the other side of the carriage. They were clutching at each other, their faces equally white with fear. “I am sure that you will have no difficulty in securing a match for themboth,for they are very beautiful young ladies.”
“But certainly not suited to the proposal of a highwayman.”
The sharp answer came from the matriarch and, with a chuckle, Felix turned his attention to her. The woman’s face was white and as he looked at her, she closed her eyes tightly, her moment of courage seemingly gone.
“That is true.” Lifting his eyebrows, he looked back at the gentleman. “Might I ask as to your identity?”
With yet another sigh, the gentleman gave it quickly, as if wishing this ordeal to be over as quickly as possible.
“I am Lord Stanfield.”
Felix’s heart lurched, his smile falling from his features. This was a gentleman with whom he was acquainted, albeit someone he had not seen in some time. In the dim light of the carriage – and with his mask on – Felix had not recognized Lord Stanfield, and immediately felt the urge to make certain that the gentleman knew of his true intentions.
“Well, Lord Stanfield.” With a brief nod, he took a breath. “I do not mean to rob you. That is not my intention.”
Lord Stanfield snorted.
“I can hardly believe that.”
“And yet it is true - I have no intention of doing anything of the sort. You may find this a little hard to believe, but I am a fellow who is not in the least bit interested in stealing from you. Instead, I seek only to do some good, to see if I can offer aid in some way.”
“I find that very difficult to believe.”
The gentleman rolled his eyes, but Felix looked back at him with a broad smile on his face.
“All the same, it is true.” Felix remarked with a grin. “Tell me, do you have a townhouse in London?”
“Indeed, we do.” the lady remarked, sitting up more, although her eyes were still very wide, and she clearly believed that he was lying to them all. “What will you take from us? Please take whatever you wish and allow us to be on our way.”
Felix sighed loudly.
“I truly have no intention of taking anything from you, whatever you have. All I wish for is a little conversation.” How glad he was of his mask now! The last thing he wished for was to be identified by one of his acquaintances – a gentleman who had been acquainted with Felix’s own father. From what Felix recalled, the man was honest, steadfast, and wise in every decision he made. Not the sort of gentleman he would dare lift a finger against. “You say that you seek out a match for your daughters?”
