A Christmas Wedding Wager (33 page)

Jack opened the clasp with a click. Several sheets of yellowed letter paper greeted him. He instantly recognised his own youthful writing. When had these come into her possession? He took them out and put them into his breast pocket. She always seemed to want to preserve the past--first the castle, and now these letters. His hand stilled. He picked up the brass button, sent it spinning into the air. Dr Milburn had to have seen her drop these. He wanted to be found. Why? If he had harmed one hair on her head, Jack would not be held responsible.

'Where can Mrs Stanton be?' Mrs Newcomb's face creased. 'It is so unlike her.'

'Your Davy said he saw a light earlier in the keep,' Mrs Mudge said.

A surge of excitement went through Jack. He had him. 'Has anyone checked there?'

'No, it's haunted, like,' Mudge answered. 'No one goes there. Unsafe, like.'

'That's where he will have taken her. He wants us to find her.'

'Who?'

'Milburn. Milburn has kidnapped Emma for some reason,' Jack said through clenched teeth.

'She will be alive.'

'I am confused,' Harrison said. 'Dr Milburn is a trusted member of this community. He has been my doctor for years.'

'There is no time to explain.' Jack ran his hand through his hair. Everything could wait until he had found Emma. Without her, life was meaningless. 'You need to go and rouse the authorities. Milburn must be brought to justice.'

'What are you going to do?'

'Save my wife.'

'What exactly do you intend doing with me?' Emma brought her knees up to her chest as she tried to ease the pain in her wrists. 'Exactly how long do I have left to live?'

'My dear Emma, you do like a touch of the melodrama, don't you?' Dr Milburn's smile did not reassure her. He reached out a hand and lifted her hair away from her shoulder. 'I have no intention of harming you. I have every intention of marrying you. I told you that several days ago. Unfortunately you chose to ignore me.'

'I am already married,' Emma said carefully. She eyed the distance between where she was and the door. There was an outside possibility that she could run. The rose silk with its many petticoats would hamper her, but she might make it. Anything was better than being here, locked away with a madman. 'Married in a church before witnesses. There is no possibility of the marriage being set aside.'

'You were.' He reached over and lit his pipe from the lantern, pausing to take a long draw. 'It is such a shame that your first marriage was short and you will now have to wear widow's weeds.'

Short? Widow's weeds? Emma's mouth went dry. She fought against the ropes binding her wrists, twisting first one way and then the other. 'What have you done to Jack?'

'Such devotion is touching.' Dr Milburn's face became stern. 'I thought your marriage would be the end to my plans, but now I see it was divinely inspired. I am meant to have more--

more of everything.'

Emma swallowed hard. She had to keep him talking. She had to find out.

'What plans?'

'It came to me after your dear mother died. I needed finance for my projects. Henry Charlton had refused me more money and threatened to pull out. Your father was ill and not getting any better. I heard about the plans for the bridge and purchased the land near the castle. Once the bridge's line was chosen it would become valuable, as they would need the station there.

No one thought that they would tear down the keep, but I made sure your father saw otherwise.'

'How?' The cold seemed to creep into the very fibre of Emma's being. Dr Milburn had planned this. He had somehow changed the calculations.

'You father is very suggestible after he has had a fit. It was a simple matter. I knew no one would ever discover the errors. But the money from the sale of the land was not enough. Costs had gone up. The tonic was not selling as well as I had anticipated. I needed more money.'

'And...?' Emma breathed the word. The full horror was starting to creep over her.

'I came upon a way to truly finance my needs. You. You would marry me after your father met his end. I explained the delicate situation to Henry, and he was content to wait and see if I managed to find someone wealthier. He knew there was no other suitor for your hand.'

'I had no plans to marry you.'

'You would have done. That or faced imprisonment for your father's murder.' Dr Milburn shook his head in mock sorrow. 'Nasty, nasty business when one finds poison in medicine.

Particularly when it is more than in the other bottles.'

Emma gasped for air. She could see the future Milburn had mapped out

'You knew he had arsenic in his tonic. You were deliberately feeding him poison. First to control him and then to finish him off.' Emma bit her lip. 'But his bouts of recovery came when you were chasing that wealthy widow from Harrogate. Then she married a peer, and your attention once again fell on me.'

'Very clever of you to guess.' The light in Milburn's eyes burnt. He wiped his hand across his mouth. 'Who told you it was arsenic?'

'Jack had the bottle checked after my father's last fit.' Emma raised her chin and stared defiantly at Milburn. 'It had too much arsenic in it. He will ensure the truth comes out.'

'Stanton pays attention to too many details. It will be the death of him.'

'My father is going to get well again. His mind will be as clear as ever.'

'Your father is going to have an unfortunate relapse.' Dr Milburn's face became solemn. 'I shall weep.'

Emma stilled. Her ears strained. She was certain she had heard a noise. Whatever happened she had to keep Milburn talking, distracted. There was a slight chance that he hadn't heard.

'You are insane.'

'I assure you that I am quite sane, my dear.' He smiled. 'Once Stanton reappeared, I had to make sure my investment was safe. Otherwise Henry Charlton would have called in his loan.

As it is, I don't have much time. I have thought through my plan long and hard. It suits my needs.'

'But it doesn't suit mine.'

'Your needs are of no concern to me.' He put his hand under her chin. 'Yes, you will serve me well, until I don't need you or your money any longer. Just think--the very wealthy young widow, grief stricken at the loss of her husband and father, consoled by her doctor.'

She wrenched her face away. 'That is something I would never do.'

'But you will.' His leer increased. 'My knowledge of drugs is extensive--a pastime, you might say. That is how I was able to spirit you away from the party. There is a lovely new compound called chloroform, and what people will do after they have tried opium--well, you really don't want to know.'

Emma heard the thump of something falling. She swallowed and tried not to let her emotions run away with her. Was it someone trying to rescue her? How would they know she was here unless...unless Milburn meant her to be found. At a time of his choosing, with the way prepared for Jack. She closed her eyes and prayed it was not the case.

'How...how are you going to get rid of my husband?'

'You insisted on marrying him. If anything, his demise will be at your hands, not mine.' He gave a laugh that echoed eerily off the stone walls. 'He is just a jumped-up charity boy. A person of no importance.'

'You are wrong. Wrong, I tell you. He has done more for this country than anyone. And I for one am proud of him.'

'Such devotion is touching, but misguided. He cares for no one but his business.'

Emma closed her eyes and acknowledged the truth.

'You are wasting your time,' she said at last, watching Milburn move about the room. 'He won't come after me. Jack Stanton only married me for Harrison and Lowe. He is sure to stay away from here!'

'You underestimate the man's attraction to your charms,' the doctor said with a sneer. 'Such as they are.'

The door crashed inward with a splintering sound. Milburn was up, pulling her away from the door. His arm encircled her neck, squeezed, and then released her. She gasped for breath.

'That is one of her worst faults.' Jack's voice resounded in the room. 'Believe you me, Milburn, you would not enjoy being married to Emma. She is far too independent. Never stays where you think she will. Always follows her own path.'

Emma's heart gave a leap. Jack was here! He had come after her. But he had to realise that it was he who was in danger.

'Ah, Stanton.' Milburn lit a cigar from the lantern. 'You are a bit early. I was not expecting you until tomorrow.'

'Sorry to disappoint, but I happen to want to spend time with my wife at Christmas.' Jack shrugged. 'A little quirk of mine, shall we say? Paying attention to little details, particularly where my wife is concerned.'

'Jack, be careful. He's dangerous,' Emma called. She felt her body fly backwards as Milburn shoved her against the wall.

'You are right,' he sneered. 'The witch does speak too much.'

'You ought not to have done that, Milburn.' Jack's eyes were cold black lumps of stone.

'Nobody touches my wife like that and lives.'

'Jack, this is no joking matter.' Emma tasted the trickle of blood that was running down her mouth.

'Did I give the impression that it was?' Jack lifted an eyebrow. 'How very remiss of me.'

'Jack, he means to kill you,' Emma said urgently as she watched Milburn move about the room.

'I am certain that he means to try,' Jack remarked in a calm voice. 'Whether he succeeds or not is a moot point. Don't you agree, Milburn?'

'Exactly what do you intend, Stanton?'

'I intend to take my wife away from here unharmed, and to celebrate Christmas with her properly.' Jack permitted a smile to cross his face. Later he would think about punishing Milburn, but right now Emma had to be rescued. Milburn would not escape this time. Jack struggled to hang onto his temper. This was not like the time before, when they'd fought.

Milburn then had held the advantage. This time, he did. He was certain of it.

'I am afraid I can't allow that.' Milburn tossed the cigar onto the floor and ground it in with his foot.

'Then I shall have to fight for her. It will give me great pleasure to tear you limb from limb.'

'I had rather thought you would say that.' Milburn gave a yawn. 'In many ways, Stanton, you are predictable. Breeding will out. You will lose, as you have always done. Who was it that won the house cup? And the school prize? Not you, but me. There is a certain order to this country. Tradition. It will give me great pleasure to re-administer the lesson.'

Jack crouched, tensed his muscles and charged. His shoulder connected with Milburn's stomach. 'Fighting is what charity boys do well.'

Milburn reacted, landed a punch to Jack's jaw and sent him flying backwards.

'I forgot to warn you, Milburn,' Jack said, fingering his jaw. 'I don't intend to fight like a gentleman.'

He threw a knife over to Emma. The knife landed inches from her feet. Emma scooped it up, understanding what Jack meant. She was to cut herself loose and leave.

She worked feverishly and felt the rope begin to give, but her feet were rooted to the ground as the men sparred with each other, neither one gaining the advantage. How could she leave when Jack was in trouble? She had to stay. She rubbed her wrists, and tried to look for an opening.

'Emma! Be sensible!' he cried as she hesitated. 'Go now. Get help. Get to safety.'

She shook her head. 'Not without you. We go together.'

'How touching.' Milburn drew out a handkerchief and a tiny glass vial from his pocket. 'But you need to be ruthless to survive, Stanton, and you have gone soft.'

'Jack, be careful. He has chloroform.'

'Chloro--what?' Jack yelled over his shoulder as he sidestepped Milburn's charge.

'It made me go to sleep.' Emma watched as Jack and Milburn lined up again. Each circling the other. The sickly sweet smell filled the room. 'Be on your guard.'

Jack beckoned Milburn closer. Milburn advanced with the handkerchief, a broad grin on his face. Jack reached out and put Milburn's head into a lock.

'Get the handkerchief,' he said as Milburn tried unsuccessfully to put it in front of Jack's face.

Emma darted forward, snatched the handkerchief, and held it firmly in front of Milburn's face. He tried to move his head, but Jack increased the pressure. Emma watched as Milburn's eyes rolled back and he ceased to struggle.

'You can drop him now,' she said. 'He has gone to sleep.'

'Powerful stuff that,' Jack remarked.

'Aren't you going to tie him up? I have no idea how long it lasts.'

'It will last a while yet, but what you say makes sense.' Jack used the remains of the rope that had bound Emma to tie Milburn up. 'He won't be bothering anyone for a very long time.'

'I only wish I had seen through him earlier. Did you know that he convinced my father to change his calculations? He had bought the land around the keep and thought to sell it at a high price. Later he hit on the idea of marrying me.'

'It explains much.'

Jack reached and held up the lantern, signalling out of the narrow window.

'Why are you doing that?'

'Mudge had instructions to storm the keep if I hadn't emerged by midnight. I'm telling him to come up now.'

'How did you guess where I was?'

'Davy saw a light earlier. I decided that it was worth a shot.' Jack's face became grim.

'Luckily I was in time.'

'It was you he wanted to destroy.' Emma started to shake.

Jack reached out and gathered her into his arms. 'You are safe now, my love. Your poor wrists. I can never forgive myself.'

His love? Emma wanted to sigh and rest her head against his shoulder, but there was still too much between them. Did he want her, or the girl she had been? How could she ask? The room was suddenly full of men, shouting. Mudge arrived with a rope and took charge.

'We are not wanted here, Emma,' Jack said. 'Mudge is highly capable once he is given the right sort of direction. I want to get you away from here.'

They left the keep. The cloud had lifted and the starlight cast a soft glow over the snow-clad world. The bells of St Nicholas's Church began to toll, and a quiet hush filled the air.