This is the second chapter I've posted tonight, so make sure you read the earlier one, called 'Ruse,' first!
xx Elise
~I~
Missing
"What do you mean, Bella is missing?" Edward broke away from greeting his cousin and strode towards his weeping sister.
"I'm sorry, Edward, so sorry. I shouldn't have left her alone, and all for a silly parasol, but I thought she was safe enough in a bookstore. A bookstore!"
Alice dissolved into hysterics, and Edward handed her over to Jasper before turning to his stepmother, who was standing just inside the door, tearless but ashen-faced.
"We only left her for a few minutes, and not completely alone." Esme wrung her hands together. "Young Seth was right beside her, but when we returned from visiting the haberdashery a few doors down, they were both gone."
"Gone where?"
Bella had promised him she would be careful, but he should have told her not to leave the house without her father or himself as escort. Shaking his head, he focused on Esme's words.
"The owner of the bookstore said she and Seth went with a young woman into the alleyway behind, something about rescuing an injured girl. But when we looked, the lane was empty."
"A trap," Jasper said, and Edward shuddered at the implication. A firm hand gripped his shoulder, and he looked into Emmett's determined gaze.
"Don't worry. We'll bring her home."
Edward nodded, his fear replaced by an icy resolve.
~I~
"Are you sure this is the place?"
Seth nodded, his eyes wide in his freckled face.
"See? Over there by the step."
Edward followed the line of the boy's finger, squinting to catch sight of the pearls the boy swore he had seen Bella drop before climbing down from the back of the carriage and retracing his steps to the bookstore.
The lad had made the right decision not travelling the extra distance to Cullen House. Within moments of hearing Alice and Esme's report, Edward, Jasper, and Emmett had called for their horses, riding straight to the last place where Bella and Seth were seen.
The shopkeeper had repeated his claim to have escorted Bella and her companion through to the alleyway where she'd told him there was a little girl in need, the perfect ruse for ensuring her compliance. If Seth hadn't trusted his instincts, choosing to follow his master's betrothed into the alleyway rather than delivering her instructions to Ben and the others, they would have had no way of knowing where she'd been taken. The boy hadn't been able to identify her captor, his vantage point providing only a view of the man's top hat and cloak, but it was enough.
A gentleman.
Edward's money was on Edgeley, and he cursed himself for provoking the coward. How the man believed he would achieve anything other than his own brutal demise was a testament to his arrogance.
"The lad is sure this is the place," Edward said as Jasper edged up beside him, Emmett close behind. They'd left their horses tethered out of sight and were huddled behind some crates in an alleyway.
"These old buildings are like rabbit warrens, with connecting doors and hidden corridors," Jasper whispered. "We'd do best to call for more support, but there's no time."
Edward nodded. They needed to get Bella out of the clutches of whoever had her before . . . Refusing to complete the thought, he squeezed his eyes shut for a second.
"What do you suggest?"
"Your father will have received word and alerted the authorities. Seth should go back to the shop and guide them here, or they'll end up driving around in circles. It's a wonder he found his way out or back again."
"I've always had a good sense of direction." The boy shrugged, and Edward patted his back.
"Take Sabre," he said, and Seth nodded before scurrying away.
"I'll go up on the roof and enter that way." Jasper pointed. "Emmett can go around the front to create a diversion, and you go in through this door. Use your pistol, but we should stick with swords once inside, if possible. A stray bullet could just as easily take out an innocent, so don't fire your weapons unless absolutely necessary."
"Remember to keep an eye out for any pearls Bella may have dropped," Edward added. "They might lead us to her."
Jasper clasped his arm. "Don't worry. We'll find her, and we'll make the bastard pay."
"Bloody oath, we will," Emmett added before disappearing into the shadows. Jasper soon followed, and Edward waited the agonising minutes his friend had stipulated before approaching the door through which Bella had been taken. The man who answered towered over him, but he granted Edward entry quickly enough when a pistol was shoved in his face.
"Hey, there's no need for that, gov." The thug raised his hands. "There're plenty of girls. If ye 'ead around to the front door, ye can take yer pick."
"I'm interested in a different sort of girl—a lady who was brought here against her will. Help me find her, and I shall let you live."
Fear filled the man's eyes before his gaze flitted to the nearby stairs. "I don't know nothin' about no lady."
Edward cocked the firing mechanism on the pistol, jamming it more tightly under the man's chin.
"All right, all right." Sweat broke out on his brow. "She's up the stairs, but yer too late. The master's wiv 'er, and 'e's got company. Better to forget 'er and find yerself another lass. She won't be no use to yer once they're done."
"Take me to her." Releasing some of his pent-up rage, Edward spun the man around and shoved him forward. Halfway up the stairs, a glimmer caught his eye.
That's my brave, resourceful girl, he reminded himself as he bent down to snatch up the pearl wedged against the wall. At the top of the stairs, he checked to make sure there was no one waiting for him, then took note of the hallway that stretched in both directions. Jasper was right, and the buildings were connected internally.
"Move," Edward ordered when his unwilling guide hesitated. "And don't even think about leading me astray, or I will gut you." He made sure the man could see his sword out of the corner of his eye.
"I'm a dead man either way for crossing the master," he muttered but turned decisively to the left, leading Edward along a winding path.
Faint noises drifted up from below, growing louder as they neared another stairwell. Edward paused for a moment, smiling when he heard Emmett's voice.
"There's a fire, I tell you," his cousin yelled. "I saw smoke billowing from an upstairs window. The building must be evacuated immediately."
The brothel madam argued there was no fire, but Emmett's lies took effect with panicked shouts echoing up the stairs. The hallway began to fill with scantily clad young women and half-dressed men, swearing and shoving one another as they ran for the stairs. Tucking his sword against his side so as not to draw attention, Edward kept a firm grip on his guide and urged him forward.
Rounding a corner, they came to a room guarded by a hulking brute.
"He's got a weapon!" His guide shouted, and Edward struck him in the head with the pistol, knocking him to the ground. The guard pulled a knife, and Edward tossed the pistol aside—the darned thing was not accurate enough to trust over any distance, and he was wary of the bullet piercing the wall and hitting Bella . . . if she was inside. He didn't have time for this, but with no other choice, he raised his sword, intent on dispensing the guard. The brute tossed his knife from hand to hand, like he knew what he was doing with it. Just when he raised it to throw, an attack against which Edward wasn't trained to defend himself, Jasper sneaked up from behind and felled the thug with a brutal blow.
"About time." Edward crossed to the door only to find it locked. A quick search of the unconscious guard's body produced a bunch of keys, and with shaking fingers, he tried them one by one until the lock turned. Steeling himself for what he would find, Edward raised his sword. Then with Jasper at his back, he opened the door and stepped inside. When his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he froze at the sight before him—a huddle of terrified girls whimpering with fear.
"Good Lord," Jasper said from the doorway. "They're just children . . . infants."
A few of the babes began to cry, and Edward crouched down. "Don't be afraid," he said, keeping his tone gentle. "We're not going to hurt you."
One of the older girls, a pretty lass with a mass of strawberry blond curls, inched forward.
"Are ye Lord Masen?"
"How do you know my name? Was a lady here, one with lovely red hair?"
"Yes. She told us ye'd be comin' and that she'd take us wiv 'er when ye rescued 'er. Will ye do that, sir? Will ye 'elp us?"
"Of course, we will." Edward tried to keep his tone nonthreatening despite the rage roiling within him.
"She gave us these." The girl opened her hand to reveal a single pearl, the other girls showing him more of the Same. "Do ye want them back?"
"No, you keep them. Do you know where she is now? The pretty lady?"
"The bad man came and took 'er. He said it was time for 'er to see the doctor. Ye need to go rescue 'er, sir, 'cos 'e's not a nice doctor."
Edward's stomach lurched, and he turned to Jasper. "Did you see anything?"
Jasper shook his head, and Edward's heart rose to lodge in his throat.
"The doctor looked at us in a room with a big bed," another girl piped up. "It 'ad a brown door with a little funny-looking tree in a pot in the hallway outside."
"I saw that on my way." Jasper ran for the door, almost colliding with Emmett in the hallway.
"Have you found her?" he asked.
"Not yet, but we think we know where she is. You stay and guard the girls," Edward shouted and ran after Jasper, dodging and weaving between panicked patrons of the hell-house, escaping the imaginary fire. Twice along the way, he spotted loose pearls gleaming against the faded carpet, but he didn't stop until he reached the room which was just as the observant young girl had described. Jasper held back, and Edward burst through the door first to be confronted with a scene out of a nightmare.
Bella was lying on the bed wearing only a thin shift, her arms tied to the bedhead above her. A man leaned over her, touching her—the so-called physician, Edward assumed—while both Hunter and Edgeley held her bare legs. Not hesitating, Edward barrelled straight into the doctor, sending him crashing against the far wall.
"Edward! Look out!" Bella cried, and he spun around to see Hunter lunge towards him, a sword in his hand. Raising his own sword, Edward parried the older man's blow just as Jasper knocked Edgeley to the floor. While his friend beat the weasel senseless—a task Edward would have relished if his hands weren't full—he focused on Edgeley's mentor, determined to end Hunter once and for all.
"I should have guessed you were behind this." Edward cursed the man responsible for almost ending Sir Charles's life. "Your protégé lacks the courage to attempt something so audacious."
"True." Hunter sneered as the two men slowly circled one another. "But he has other talents. It's a pity you didn't arrive a little later, as you could have watched the show."
Edward saw red and lunged wildly, his opponent taking advantage of his lapse in concentration. With a sudden parry, Hunter's blade cut close to Edward's side, slicing through his jacket and missing his skin by a hairsbreadth.
"You will have to do better than that, my boy," the disgraced baron taunted, his next swipe coming close to nicking Edward's cheek.
Bella cried out, but he dared not spare her more than a quick glance. Relieved to see that Jasper had subdued Edgeley and was standing guard over the bed, he returned his focus to Hunter. Parrying a series of rapid-fire blows, Edward recouped. The baron was strong and possessed of greater experience, but Edward had youth on his side. He just needed to keep his fury in check.
As they circled one another, he probed, trying to discover Hunter's weaknesses. The man was skilled, there was no denying, but he was also arrogant.
"My men will be here soon," Hunter boasted. "And then you and your friend will be outnumbered. But don't worry, I plan to let you live long enough to see me enjoy the delights your lovely lady has to offer . . . if you haven't already partaken? Edgeley swears you have behaved in a manner unbecoming of a gentleman. Did you have fun?"
Edward refused to be provoked. The bastard was in for a rude awakening, as his men were all running for their lives from an imaginary fire. Sweat broke out on both men's brows. But while Hunter wasted his breath, taunting Edward with his plans for Bella, Edward focused on warding off his blows and getting in a few of his own.
Licentious living had taken its toll on Hunter and, little by little, Edward gained the upper hand. His strikes came closer to their mark while the older man's began to go wide. After Edward delivered a series of punishing blows, his opponent left himself open, and Edward took instant advantage. A red line appeared on the baron's white breeches where Edward's sword had drawn blood, but he wasted no time congratulating himself. Striking again and again, he punished the coward, relishing the opportunity to make Hunter suffer for all the pain and misery he had caused. He was going to take his time and make the bastard pay, but Bella's whimpers reached him between the sounds of steel clashing against steel.
A change in priorities saw Edward press forward. His next two strokes sliced deeply—one the length of Hunter's arm, the other his side. Storing away the sound of Hunter's agonised cry to savour at a later date, Edward knew he would regret the man's swift demise. But Bella needed him.
No longer able to maintain his guard, Hunter lowered his weapon. Edward didn't hesitate. Thrusting his sword deep into the man's chest, he gave it a twist before pulling it free. The baron dropped to his knees, a look of surprise on his face. Not bothering to watch him fall, Edward crossed to the bed where Bella was sitting huddled in a ball, nursing the sore wrists Jasper had untied. Lifting her into his arms, he held her close.
"Oh, Edward." She buried her face against his neck. "Thank God you are all right."
"Thank God I'm all right?" Sitting on the edge of the bed, he met her tear-filled gaze.
"I was so afraid you'd be hurt." She glanced warily towards where Jasper was checking Hunter for a pulse, a quick shake of his head confirming the man was dead. Jasper then set about tying up both the unconscious doctor and severely beaten Edgeley with sheeting torn from the curtain, before dumping their bodies in the corridor.
"I'm fine," Edward said, directing Bella's gaze back to his face. "Hunter won't bother you again, or Edgeley, for that matter."
Bella flinched, and he wanted to ask what they'd done to her, if she was hurt anywhere other than her bruised wrists and glowing red cheek. But the questions were too personal to be posed with another man present.
"Jasper?" Edward gestured with his head, and his friend dragged Hunter's body into the hall.
"I'll go and see if your father has arrived with the carriage," he said from the doorway while keeping his eyes averted from Bella's barely clothed form.
Edward nodded and turned his attention back to Bella. She was trembling, but the blanket on the bed was stained with God knew what. After shrugging out of his now torn coat, he wrapped it around her, covering her legs as best he could.
"It's all right, sweetheart. You're safe now."
"I know . . . and thank you." She wiped away the tears that ran down her face. "I was certain you would come for me, but I didn't think it would be in time. They were too strong for me to fight, and that horrible doctor . . ." She ducked her head against his chest.
"Did they . . ." Edward took a deep breath. "Did they hurt you?"
"They were going to. Lord Hunter threatened awful things, and that horrible Lord Edgeley slapped my face. They said they were looking forward to making me scream. If Seth hadn't seen where I was taken, and if you hadn't gotten here when you did . . ." Her voice broke again, and Edward held her tightly while she sobbed against his shoulder.
His eyes stung with tears of outrage for what she had been put through and relief he had arrived in time to save her from any more brutality. Determined to let her cry for however long she needed, Edward rocked her in his arms. But Bella surprised him by sitting up after just a few minutes, her eyes wide with panic.
"What is it?" he asked as she clambered from his lap.
"There are girls being held prisoner—little girls. We have to save them. Hunter said he had accomplices, and they might come and take them away."
"It's all right." Edward stood and clasped her shoulders. "Emmett is watching the children."
Bella slumped against him before asking in a shaky voice, "Would you help me don my clothes?"
"Of course," he said, holding her steady and doing what he could when her trembling limbs made the task difficult. He was almost finished buttoning up her coat when a knock on the door announced his father's arrival.
"You take care of Isabella," the duke said, assuring Edward he would deal with both the authorities and the press that had gotten wind of the abduction. "I have sent word to Sir Charles. I'm sure he and Penelope will be waiting impatiently for her return."
"But the girls," Bella said as Edward lifted her into his arms. "I told them I would come back for them."
"We'll check on them on our way," he promised, unwilling to deny her anything, though her insistence she was too heavy for him to carry fell on deaf ears.
"Indulge me," he said. "I shall have to put you down soon enough."
"Not if I can help it," she muttered, and he smiled at his betrothed's indomitable spirit.
~I~
Phew . . . they got there just in time!
I have to admit, six years after I first wrote this story, I have no idea why they all had swords! I do recall a male reader (there were quite a lot of men reading this back in the Twilight Fanfic heydey) pleading with me to include a sword fight. I was happy to oblige, but it's a little odd, since they weren't soldiers. I'm just going to pretend all gentlemen rode out with swords when there was the threat of danger. ;
xx Elise
