Chapter Seven

Frank paced the room. It was the only thing he could think of to do at the moment. Jenny Powell wanted to make sure that they wouldn't be abducted the moment they left the building so he and Joe were stuck at the embassy waiting to be able to leave. The car that followed them from the airport drove away the moment the Hardy's SUV pulled into the embassy. That was an hour ago but Frank was still itching to leave to find Nancy.

"You know, you could find something to do, Frank," mumbled Joe. He was sprawled out on the couch, his arm draped over his eyes. "Like sleep, which is what I'm trying to do."

"I can't sleep, you know that," he said. Frank stopped pacing and plopped down into the chair opposite the couch. "As long as we're stuck here, I can't even think straight."

"Then stop pacing," his brother growled. "Have you called Charlie?"

"Yeah," Frank nodded looking towards the window. Across the way he could see the hotel they were to be staying at though didn't know which room Charlie was in. "He's working on the plate number for that car and also if there's been anything on Gidget. That woman has to be around here somewhere." He sighed bowing his head. "I'm wondering if we jumped the boat on this one, Joe."

"Why do you say that?" Joe leaned on his elbow and looked at him, his eyes red from lack of sleep.

"We have no idea where to look for Nancy. No clues, nothing. How are we supposed to find her if we don't know where to start?"

"And pacing the room is going to help?"

"Joe…"

"I get it, Frank. It's hard but this is what we do. We strive on needles in a haystack. We know she's here and we're bound and determined to find her."

"I know," Frank's shoulders slumped. "But I just want her back. Now. If only we had a magic wand or something to show us the way. That would be nice or even a genie in a bottle."

"Geesh, and I thought I was the delusional one. I never thought you would want the easy way out."

"You know what I mean, Joe."

"I do," Joe smiled. "We'll find her. There has to be a way and with Charlie here with us, it might make it a little easier."

Frank sighed. "You're right." He rubbed his temples in thought. There had to be a clue somewhere.

"There, I think we're done," replied Madam Bündchen proudly. She took a step back to admire her work then cocked her head. "How do you feel now, Nancy?"

"Like I want to kick your ass," Nancy spat, glaring at her. She stood with her chin up in defiance though she was very uncomfortable. The bodice of the dress she wore dug into her ribs while the strange looking choker around her neck felt out of place. "This is ridiculous. I look ridiculous. You have horrible taste in clothing, lady. No matter what you do, I'm not going to behave."

"Oh, dear, such manners," the woman tutted. She held up a small device and pressed the button. Nancy felt her airways constricted, her hands immediately reaching for the choker as she dropped to her knees. It was over in a matter of seconds as Bündchen pressed the button again. "Well, we will just have to work on that. We have so much to do in so little time. The good thing is we have all night tonight."

"What?" Nancy sputtered, rising slowly from the floor. She wondered what other tricks the woman had up her sleeve. "You can't be serious. I need sleep. Don't you?"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that right at the moment," Bündchen smiled sweetly. "It is more important that you learn to comply. Sleep will come later as a reward for your compliance. Now, let's get started."

Frank stared at the darkened ceiling, listening to the gentle snores of his brother in the next bed. They were finally allowed to leave the embassy after several hours of waiting. The only problem was that by the time they got into their hotel room it was after nine in the evening and the brothers were exhausted from the day.

After checking in with both Charlie and their father, Frank and Joe showered and got ready for bed. Charlie ordered room service and soon after the last bit of morsel was consumed, Joe was already snoozing. As much as Frank wanted to sleep though, he couldn't for his mind was reeling through not just the events of the day but the questions that were swirling around.

Who told British intelligence they were coming? Which led to the next question of how did they know about their guns? Who had followed them from the airport and why did they disappear? Who called Jenny right before they found out about the tail they had?

There were so many questions Frank couldn't think straight. The most important question though was what did all of it have to do with Nancy? They had no time to even search for clues or the possibility of locating Gidget who, they found out from Charlie, was seen in London not long before their arrival. Was Nancy with Gidget and would they finally be able to find her after months of not knowing a thing?

Frank shifted in his bed, fluffing his pillow in order to get more comfortable. As he closed his eyes, Nancy's face swam before him. Her smile that melted his heart; her blue eyes that were as deep as an ocean; everything about her made him want to find her more. He finally slipped into slumber though the dreams of her continued.

She stood a good ways away from him, her back towards him. She was stunning, her long strawberry-blonde tresses flowing down her back, curled tightly to match the occasion. The emerald green gown she wore was reminiscent of a by-gone era, the hem gently sweeping the floor. Chamber music rose, while a soft murmur of conversation echoed around them.

"Nancy!" Frank cried walking toward her though she didn't seem to respond.

Several men in tuxedos and suits encircled her, each one trying to get her attention and to best the others for her favor. She held out her hand and one of the men took it, sweeping her into a dance. It didn't last long as another man cut in, taking her hand. Frank picked up speed to reach her though she seemed to move further away from him as he moved.

"Nancy!" he called again only this time she turned toward him.

She stopped dancing, her blue eyes staring at Frank in relief. But she continued to move away from him, drawn by those around her. One of the men wrapped his arm around her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Nancy turned toward the man and looked longingly into his eyes, mesmerized by him.

Frank called out to her one last time, his voice barely a whisper but it was too late. She walked away with the man, their silhouettes soon disappearing into the shadows. Frank ran to where they were, crying out her name in the hopes that she would return but all he found was darkness.

"Arggh!" Frank cried bolting up from his pillow. He wiped the sweat from his brow, his breathing heavy. The dream was so vivid but showed what his heart was telling him. Something was wrong and they were running out of time.

"Frank?" Joe burst into the room. He looked around in search of what caused his brother to cry out but stopped when he realized Frank was the only one in the room. "What happened?"

"What?" Frank huffed then shook his head. "N-nothing, Joe. I'm fine. Just a dream."

"That's what I tell myself every time i have a nightmare, Frank," his brother said skeptically. "That was hardly nothing. You were screaming bloody murder."

"Joe, I'm fine," he repeated though even he didn't believe his lie. Frank rubbed his face then looked at the alarm clock to see that it was nearly nine in the morning. "What the hell? Why did you let me sleep in like that you know I wanted to get an early start!"

"I know you did," Joe stated, watching him rush around gathering clothes, "and I tried to wake you up hours ago. You were dead to the world, bro. Got a hell of a lot more sleep than I did. I've been up since four-thirty this morning no thanks to my own nightmares. Now we're both having them. What's next? We get a visit from our old pal Jonathan?"

Frank stopped and looked at his brother in alarm. The last thing he wanted was a visit from a ghost. Just one more thing to add to the growing stress around him. Frank shook his head then headed to the bathroom. "Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me with everything going on. The dream was almost reminiscent of what happened at Wyvern Manor and believe me, that is something I never want to revisit, especially with him in it."

"You never really told me what happened at Wyvern Manor," his brother said politely, watching him from the doorway.

"Now's not the time, Joe," he growled. "Besides, there's not much to tell anymore. I'll be out in a few minutes then we can go."

"Where?"

"Anywhere but here."

Mathias heard voices softly talking around him. He didn't really know where he was but he suddenly remembered what happened the night before. His eyes shot open in alarm.

"Katherine!" he cried looking around.

She came into his vision, a kind smile stretched across her face. It had been years since he'd seen her last but she looked nearly the same save for a few wrinkles.

"What…what are you doing here?"

"Well, that's not exactly the welcome I was expecting," she laughed. When she saw the seriousness in his face, Katherine's smile withered. "I…I came here for my daughter."

"What? I don't understand. How do you know she's here?"

"An old friend notified me through the channels," Katherine answered. "I'm not sure how they knew to contact me in that way but the information was good. This is the only place that I know he would come to in order to keep her a secret from the world until he was ready. Have you heard anything?"

"Nothing really," Mathias shrugged, "though I do know that he left for London not long ago. He's to return at the end of the week. And there's a dinner party Saturday evening. He's invited close friends and politicians to the gathering. Lots of young people as well. For what, I don't know. Katherine, you shouldn't be here. If he catches you…"

"I know the risks," she replied solemnly, "but he has Nancy and I cannot allow him to manipulate or use her for his will. This dinner party doesn't sound like him though. He's usually very quiet and doesn't draw much attention to himself. He has something up his sleeve. What that is, I don't know. At least he doesn't know about..."

Katherine paused, bowing her head. Mathias could tell that the subject of her other child saddened her greatly. As far as he knew, Katherine barely had enough time to love the child before giving it up.

Sniffling, Katherine quickly swiped at her face and returned her attention to Mathias. "He wants me. That's his goal."

"Then why didn't he ever use her against you before?" he asked raising himself from the bed. "Or even your husband?"

"I'm not really sure," she answered, "though I have a feeling that he was just waiting for the right moment to strike. He's always been a private man, never really going for the limelight…that is, until now. He wants more and I think it's something big that he's been waiting for."

"But are you sure you want to be here? Just call in Scotland Yard or Interpol. Someone who will arrest him."

"And say what exactly? This man is a highly respected nobleman. Look at what happens to those who speak out against certain people. It gets swept under the rug and the person is branded a conspiracy theorist. What doesn't help me is the fact that I'm considered dead. What do you think will happen to us? He's not going to go lightly and we have to have massive substantial evidence to prove his guilt."

"What about the fact that he has your daughter?" Mathias replied. "Isn't that evidence enough?"

"Yes, but he's not afraid of anything at the moment," Katherine shook her head. "That's why I think this party is the key to finding out what he's up to and to get Nancy out of there. We need to bring him down but for that we'll need help."

"And who's going to help?"

"Genevieve Carter."

Nancy made her way down the stairs, her body moving stiffly. It was early in the morning and with Bündchen keeping her up all night, she felt exhausted. Not only that, Nancy could barely breathe due to what that horrible woman had done to her and she knew it was only going to get worse as the day progressed. Though the choker was still around her neck, the tight-fitting corset caused even more issues for her, her ribs feeling bruised from the whole ordeal.

Holding tight to the banister, Nancy tried to move as fast as she could. She was only given a few minutes to change with the help of one of Madam Hilde's assistants and it took forever to change with the corset in place. If she didn't get to the ballroom quick enough, Nancy knew there would be consequences. Her eyes drooped and she stumbled a few steps from the bottom. Before hitting the floor, a pair of strong hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her to safety.

At first she thought maybe, just maybe Frank had finally come to her rescue. That was the only logical explanation for the strong arms around her. Nancy leaned in to him, her head resting against his broad chest. But those thoughts soon diminished when she heard the southern twang as the man who rescued her spoke.

"Woah, there, little lady," Austin cautioned her with a laugh. "I think having your eyes open while you walk might help."

Nancy looked up at the man, confused as to why he was there. She thought he was out hunting for Gidget but didn't inquire about. Nancy shrugged him off then stepped down the last few steps before entering the foyer without a word. He watched her move away, eyeing the movement of her body before shaking it off.

"Geez, what did I do?" he asked innocently, following close behind. "I was just trying to help."

Whirling around, Nancy glared at the man. "I don't want you help." She stopped, startled by his concern for her but more so by his rugged good looks. It was not what she expected since she didn't really get a good look at him the first time she met him.

"Oh, would you have rather me let you fall down the stairs instead?"

"At least I'd be out of my misery," she grumbled walking towards the ballroom.

Austin pulled Nancy back, bringing her around to face him. He stared into her eyes seeing the despair she felt. "You don't really mean that, do you?" he asked softly.

"Look around you," she hissed, pushing him away from her. "Do you honestly think I want to live like this? After that dreadful night of sitting in a chair then spending days with that awful woman? Now I have to wear this horrible choker and corset and you expect me to want to continue like this? I want to go home but if that means in a body bag, then at least I wouldn't be here!"

Austin took a step back shocked by not only her outburst but that she literally wanted to die just to get away. He didn't know anything about the choker or corset and he was determined to find out what they were. But the matter at hand was that Nancy wasn't the same woman who almost scratched his eyes out a few days before. No, this Nancy was bitter and hopeless. Definitely not what he expected when he was asked to return to the manor though he had a feeling that Bündchen had something to do with it.

"You can't mean that," Austin finally said, his voice cracking.

"I do," Nancy whispered her chin quivering. Her blue eyes began to water and his heart skipped a beat. She really meant it. "Please. Do something. I beg you."

His mouth dropped open in surprise at her request but he knew he couldn't agree to it. "I…I can't. I'm sorry."

Nancy suddenly cried out in pain, grabbing her chest. She dropped to her knees, her breaths becoming ragged. She could feel her ribs protesting from the compression almost to the point of breaking. Austin knelt down next to her, unsure of what to do. Nancy looked up at him, trying to draw a breath, her eyes bulging. Her body trembled in his arms as he cried out for help. He tried comforting the young woman though nothing seemed to work.

"Ah, you found her, Mr. Austin," Madam Bündchen replied as she entered the hall from the ballroom.

he angrily cried. "Help her, dammit!"

Nancy's lips turned blue and her once bright blue eyes rolled into her head. Bündchen scoffed and seconds later, Nancy gasped for breath, her body shaking.

"I told you not to be late, child!" the woman yelled pointing her finger at Nancy. Bündchen grabbed a hold of her arm and yanked her to her feet before Austin could stop her. "Now, get into that ballroom for your lesson!"

Nancy glared at the woman but said nothing.

"Go!" Bündchen ordered again giving her a scathing look. Nancy finally complied reluctantly and stomped off. Bündchen turned to Austin with a grateful smile. "I am so glad you found her. I was wondering if she had ran off again. Thank you."

"What the hell is this, lady?" Austin boomed, his voice echoing in the hall. "Are you trying to kill her?"

"No, sir," she shook her head innocently. "I am merely teaching her a lesson."

"With what?" he demanded. "Nancy said she's wearing a choker and a corset. What the hell kind of corset does that?"

Bündchen smiled proudly. "Both are my own designs. A friend of mine made them for me." She held up a small device. "This is the remote which clinches and retracts the corset when I want it to. There's one for the choker around her neck as well but I chose to use the corset this time. Nancy is the first to have to wear them both and I am happy to say that they're working. She's learning faster than before and I assure you, Nancy is perfectly fine."

"By practically suffocating her?" Austin cried incredulously. "Her lips were turning blue, you sadistic hag! I thought you were supposed to teach her to be a lady, not punish her into submission! Does he know what you're doing?"

The woman raised her chin, her lips pursed tight. "He agreed that I could do what needed to be done. This is what I had in mind."

The man glared at her and shook his head. "I highly doubt this is what he had in mind." He leaned in close to her. "You hurt her again, I'll kill you myself."

Austin stormed into the ballroom leaving Bündchen behind to sulk. Though she knew the man would do exactly as he said, she had no intention of letting Nancy off the hook easily. The girl would understand even if it was the last thing she ever did.

Author's Note:

Happy New Year, everyone! I trust that you are all doing well and that you are getting used to the new year. I'm getting there. Although my team lost in the playoffs, I'm still proud of how far they'd gone and look forward to next season. This is the time of year I hate since there's really no football and I hate the NFL. Oh, well. I'm sure there's something I can do. I have a birthday party today for my youngest (born Dec 24) so that's one thing that will keep me going. Thank you so much for reading the previous chapter and to those who left a review. For those of you who ask about Jenny, she is actually a new character. I never wrote her in previous stories but I needed a character that was an ally of the Hardys in order to help out. There were several people that were not given names in the first book so I just added her in now. She's a minor character though she does have a high respect for the Hardys and works directly with Senator Hawkley. And yes, Hawkley has a LOT of clout considering who he is. I hope that gives you a little insight into Jenny. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and, if you will, please leave a review to let me know what you think. Have a great weekend and God Bless!