If he hurt Anne…
Waiting for the horses to be readied was agony. Rafe paced as the three other men stood stoically. When at last the horses were saddled, Rafe asked which was the fastest.
The head groom indicated a tall black one. “This one here.”
“Are you certain you wish to ride that horse?” North, of course, was aware firsthand of Rafe’s limited skill.
Rafe understood the man’s concern. “Yes.” Rafe pulled himself onto the beast’s back.
“Right behind you,” North said, climbing onto another horse.
They left the stable yard at a walk, and it was an interminable several minutes before they navigated past the dozens of vehicles that had made the trip from London. But once they reached the open lane, Rafe kicked the animal into a full gallop and hoped he possessed enough skill to catch his malevolent uncle before it was too late.
Chapter 18
The swaying of the coach turned Anne’s stomach as she fought her way to consciousness. Her head throbbed, and it took her a moment to recall what had happened. Actually, she didn’t know what had happened at all after one of her godfather’s accomplices had hit her.
Opening her eyes the tiniest amount, she saw the dim interior of the coach. She was on the rear-facing seat, lying down, with her feet dangling over the cushion. Her godfather sat on the opposite seat, his head cast back, eyes closed.
They hit a bump, and Anne groaned as pain exploded in her head. She lifted her hand to press against her skull.
“You’re awake,” Ludlow said. His voice actually held a tinge of concern, and for that Anne wanted to smack him. She wanted to smack him for many things.
“Where are we going?” she croaked.
“Ivy Grove.”
Brixton Park and, more importantly, Rafe were behind them. “You’re a horrible person,” she said, struggling to sit up. Collapsing back against the squab, she breathed heavily as the pain in her head hammered in time with her pulse. “You won’t be able to kill Rafe like you did his parents. He’s smarter than you. More capable too. You see his background unfavorably, but he is well-equipped to survive people worse than you.” She prayed he would be safe. It was one thing to know he was strong and skilled and another to keep faith that he would escape his uncle’s machinations whole when his parents had not.
“Think what you must,” Ludlow said coolly. “I am still your godfather, whom you have always loved. Nothing has changed.”
When he put it like that, she had to fight another wave of nausea. She had loved him. Respected him. In some ways, liked him more than her own father. And he’d always been a murderer. “Everything has changed.” She clenched her jaw as they hit another hole in the road. “I see you for who you truly are. I hope you hang.”
He blew out a breath. “That is, I pray, unlikely. My men will shortly dispatch my nephew, if they haven’t already.”
Anne wished she had a weapon. “There are many who are aware of your crimes, including Rafe’s brother-in-law, who is, if you recall, a Bow Street constable. You will hang.”
“There is no proof of anything I’ve done.” He sounded so calm, so utterly assured of himself. “I’ve been very careful.”
“I know you plotted to kill Rafe, and I will give testimony. That is evidence.”
He frowned at her, his eyes sad in the light from the lantern hanging on one side of the interior. “You don’t have to do that. I wish you wouldn’t. I don’t want you to become a liability.”
“You think I’ll turn my head the other way and simply continue on as if I didn’t know what you are, what you’ve done?” She blinked. “You’re mad.”
“You may think so, but I am not. I was driven to do what was best for the earldom, for my dear Alicia.”
Anne was fairly certain that had been Rafe’s mother’s name. “She wasn’t your dear. She was your sister-in-law.”
“Because she chose poorly. My wife was always frail. I knew she wouldn’t live into middle age. Alicia and I had a chance to be happy together.”
“Except she chose to stay with her husband, to die beside him. She chose love,” Anne said softly. “Love always wins.”
“One can hope,” he said with a faint smile. “Sometimes it just needs a little help. I do hope you’ll choose wisely, unlike Alicia. Just remember all the happy times we’ve shared and how much I love you. You’ve been a far greater daughter to me than Deborah.” He wrinkled his nose. “Such an embarrassment tonight.”
Now that Anne saw her godfather’s true nature, she began to understand perhaps why Deborah was so unpleasant. She might share some of whatever made her father morally deficient, or it might be that she’d suffered as a result of his deficit.
“I feel sorry for Deborah,” Anne said, putting her hands on either side of her head and exhaling. “I can only imagine what sort of negativity and malice you’ve fed into her mind.”
“Don’t pity her. She’ll come out all right, just as I have. Just as I will.”
“You won’t,” Anne promised, fixing him with a dark stare. “You won’t retain the title, and you will hang.” She simply couldn’t reiterate that enough. “I will expend every ounce of energy I possess to ensure both come to pass.”
His eyes narrowed. “Then you’ll give me no choice. That saddens me, dear.”
He sat forward in the seat and lifted his arm. Anne braced herself, uncertain what he meant to do. The sound of a gunshot rent the air, and the coach veered to the side. Ludlow fell back, and again Anne wished for a weapon so she could leap upon him and attack
