There was something familiar about the leader. Isabel suspected he may have been one of the many men she had seen at the manor house the night before, but she couldn’t be sure. Although terrified, Isabel told herself that if she did what they demanded, they wouldn’t harm her. They had mentioned a ransom, and Isabel was confident Chetwynd would pay whatever they asked.
No one said a word to her until they had reached a cave about halfway up the side of the canyon. It was clear they had reached their destination. There was a flat area at the mouth of the cave, and Isabel could see that the site was set back and unlikely to be spotted from below.
“Can you believe our good fortune?” one of the men said as he dismounted.
“Our waiting paid off. She was sitting there waiting to be plucked,” the leader answered, looking toward Isabel. “Hardy, help our guest from her horse.”
The leering young man who had laughed at Marianna’s words came to help Isabel. He raised his hands toward her, and she had all she could do to keep from cringing.
“I can get down,” she said with as much dignity as she could manage, but he leered at her and put his hands on her waist. Repelled by his dirty clothes and bad smell, Isabel pushed away his hands and got down quickly.
“We have a wild one here,” he said with an unpleasant laugh. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her roughly toward the shelter. “She should be fun to tame.”
He was not a large man, and Isabel managed to shake out of his hold on her. But her action made him angry, and without warning he swung at the side of her head with the flat of his hand. He hit her so hard that her head covering came off and she fell to the ground. She scraped the skin off her hands on the stones as she tried to break her fall, but she forced herself not to cry out.
“Hardy, leave her be.” The leader spoke sharply to the young outlaw, then turned to address Isabel for the first time. “If you want to rejoin your party, you’ll do as I say. Otherwise I’ll give you to my young friend here. I don’t think you’d like that.”
The leader grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, then pushed her toward the cave. Isabel had all she could do to keep from falling again. Then he barked an order: “Sit still or I’ll tie you up.”
BACK ON THE TRAIL, IT HAD TAKEN MARIANNA ONLY a few minutes to catch up with the rest of the party. The noise of the river had covered any sound the bandits made during their abduction. She knew time was important, and she rushed directly to Chetwynd at the head of the line, ignoring the stares of the other riders. When he turned to listen to her, she explained quickly what had happened.
The color drained from Chetwynd’s face, but that was the only outward sign of the fear that gripped him. Jerome and Ingram had moved close enough to hear Marianna’s words.
Before anyone else could reply, Jerome said, “Let me follow, my lord.” He was straining to get started and only waited for permission.
“They might spot you,” Chetwynd said, as he wondered if there was anything they could do.
“Not if I’m on foot. If I climb along the top of the canyon, I might see where they are camping.”
“They threatened to kill Lady Isabel if anyone follows them,” Marianna warned.
Chetwynd stared at the frightened woman for a second. He didn’t want to alarm her further, but he knew there was no reason to believe the men would free Isabel, even if a ransom were paid.
Ingram spoke up. “Jerome is small and skilled at remaining concealed. He’ll be careful. The bandits are not likely to go far. They probably have a hideaway prepared.”
Chetwynd knew he had to decide quickly, as valuable time was slipping away. Jerome had already jumped from his horse.
“Go, but make sure you’re not seen. We don’t want to put Lady Isabel in danger. If you find them, come to the convent and report to me. Don’t try to do anything on your own, Jerome. We will leave a horse and one man here to wait for your return.”
His squire had moved away as soon as he’d said go and was already scrambling up the side of the canyon as Chetwynd shouted the last words.
Although Chetwynd feared there was only a slight chance Jerome would spot the bandits, he knew that if anyone could find them, it was his squire. He was fleet of foot, and his young eyes were sharp.
From the worried look on Ingram’s face, Chetwynd knew they both shared the same fear for Isabel’s safety. If anything happened to her, he wasn’t sure how he could live with himself. He had brought her along on the journey and then tried his best to ignore her. It hadn’t worked for a minute, and now he might lose her.
“Perhaps we’ll learn something at the convent that will give us a clue as to who the bandits are.” Chetwynd spoke to encourage himself as much as to give hope to Ingram.
WRAPPING HER ARMS AROUND HER KNEES, ISABEL sat close to the entrance of the cave. Her cheek was throbbing from the blow she’d received from the young man they called Hardy, and the top of her head felt like it might explode. But she refused to feel sorry for herself because she knew her capture was her own doing. She shouldn’t have lagged behind the others. The bandits must have been following the caravan, waiting for an opportunity to snatch someone. As they said, she had made
