'Get them in the coach and take them to the house,' said the leader. 'We need to write a letter to the Bishop of Beauvais.'
The house was less than a mile away. It turned out to be a derelict cottage on an abandoned farm. With a loaded pistol levelled at him by one of the men, Daniel drove the coach into a dilapidated barn and brought it to a halt. In defiance of the countless holes in the roof, the horse managed to find a dry spot. The passengers were ordered out and tied up in turn. Daniel, Janssen and Dopff were bound hand and foot. The two women simply had their hands tied behind their back. Gustave bent over to steal a kiss from Amalia. The leader grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.
'Show more respect,' he warned. 'If I learn that either of these women has been molested, you'll get nothing of the ransom.'
'That's unfair!' wailed Gustave.
'Waiting heightens the appetite.'
'I'm ready for her now!
'You'll get your turn in due course. Stay and guard them.'
'Where will you be?'
'Armand and I are going to the house to compose the letter. You can have the pleasure of delivering it to the Bishop of Beauvais.'
'I want another kind of pleasure first.'
'Later.'
'Yes,' said Armand, shooting a lascivious glance at Amalia, 'while you're riding to Beauvais, we'll be playing cards.'
The leader smiled. 'The winner has the pretty one and,' he went on, pointing to Beatrix, 'the loser gets the ugly one.'
'I want them both,' said Gustave.
'For the moment, you can simply look at them.'
After issuing another warning to Gustave, the leader ran across to the cottage with Armand, leaving the captives seated on the ground in a semicircle. Gustave walked around them to make sure that they were securely bound. When he reached Amalia, he leered at her.
'Don't you dare touch my daughter!' yelled Janssen.
'I'll do what I like when the time comes.'
'When you get your ransom,' Daniel told him, 'you'll have enough money to buy any woman you choose.'
Gustave leered again. 'I'll have this one free!'
Sitting down a few yards away, he rested his pistol on his thigh and ogled Amalia. She lowered her head in despair. Beatrix had already resorted to prayer, closing her eyes and sending urgent pleas up to heaven. Dopff was utterly distraught, fearing for the safety of the tapestry as much as for his own life. Janssen was grateful to Daniel, knowing that his intervention had saved two of them from being shot dead. All that Daniel had done, however, was to buy some time. When it was discovered that the Bishop of Beauvais had no knowledge of any tapestry woven by
Emanuel Janssen, the highwaymen would wreak their revenge. Amalia and Beatrix would be raped. In all likelihood, the men would be brutally killed. The beautiful tapestry woven at royal command would be in the hands of ruthless bandits. Turning a woeful face to Daniel, Janssen spoke to him in Dutch.
'Is there nothing we can do?'
Chapter Thirteen
Daniel Rawson was concentrating hard. All that he had gained so far was a temporary respite. Had he not distracted the highwaymen with the promise of ransom money, he, Dopff and Janssen would almost certainly be dead now, leaving the women at the mercy of their captors. As it was, there was only limited time before the other two men returned to the barn to take their pleasure with Amalia and Beatrix. That thought burnt inside his brain. The others were looking to him for salvation. Powerless themselves, their only hope was that Daniel could somehow come to their rescue. He could feel the intensity of their desperation. It spurred him on.
There was one small but significant advantage. Gustave had no interest in him. Through his single, glinting eye, the only person that their guard wished to look at was Amalia. Grinning inanely, he let his imagination roam, undressing, fondling, biting, abusing her at will, sucking all the sweetness out of her lips. Daniel had already been working to loosen the rope around his wrists. He and Dopff were farthest away from Gustave, sitting side by side. Daniel wriggled even closer so that he could reach behind Dopff's back. With his own bonds slackened, he had enough freedom of movement to untie the other man's rope, instructing him to return the favour. Dopff's hands were trembling as he plucked at the rope holding Daniel's arms together but he managed to release the knot eventually. Unseen by their captor, the two men shook hands behind their backs. It was a start.
Daniel's ankles were still tightly bound and it would be more difficult to untie them. Gustave was sure to see him out of the corner of his eye. Somehow he had to be distracted. The man's impatience came to Daniel's aid. Throbbing with lust and dazzled by the beauty of the defenceless young woman sitting only yards away, he hauled himself up to take a first kiss from Amalia. When she turned her head away in horror, he grabbed her hair and forced her to face him.
'Leave her alone!' yelled Janssen.
'Why?' taunted Gustave, hitting him across the cheek. 'What are you going to do to stop me?'
'I'll tell the others.'
Gustave laughed derisively and went back to Amalia.
'Wait!' shouted Daniel.
'Be quiet!' snarled Gustave, annoyed to be deprived of his kiss yet again. 'I'll deal with you in a minute.'
'But I've got some good news for you.'
The highwayman glowered at him. 'What do you mean?'
'I can tell you why these people didn't have much money with them,' said Daniel. 'They've hidden their valuables in the coach.'
Janssen was outraged. 'Why tell him that?'
'One of the seats lifts up,' Daniel continued. 'There's money and jewellery there along with some saddlebags.'
'Is this true?' demanded Gustave.
'See for yourself if you don't believe me.'
Spitting on the floor, Gustave wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and went to investigate. Janssen was appalled at what he saw as a betrayal and Amalia stared at Daniel in disbelief. He ignored both of them. As soon as Gustave opened the door of the coach to search inside, Daniel swiftly undid the rope around his ankles then kept it in his hands as he leapt to his feet. Gustave, meanwhile, had lifted the seat to discover the valuables. He held one of the purses in his hand and felt its weight. His cry of triumph became an instant gurgle of pain as Daniel slipped the rope over the man's head to use as a garrotte. Taken completely by surprise, the Frenchman was slow to react. Daniel was merciless. Using all of his considerable strength, he tightened the rope by degrees and gradually squeezed the last vestiges of life out of the highwayman. Gustave struggled, flailed his arms and even tried to kick his attacker's legs from under him but Daniel was far too powerful. With a final twist of the rope, he pulled Gustave's head backwards then released him. The dead body slumped to the floor.
Amalia was shocked, Beatrix horrified and Janssen ashamed that he'd misjudged Daniel. Thrilled to have helped in the escape, Dopff held up his hands to show that they were free then undid the rope around his ankles. The first person Daniel released was Amalia, lifting her up to hug her. When the others were untied, he retrieved Gustave's pistol from the floor and tucked it into his belt.
'We must go,' he said, ushering them into the coach. 'The Bishop of Beauvais will be waiting for his tapestry.'
