The man and wife keeping her captive had finally begun to relax and last night he hadn’t walked around the outside of the manor after everyone should have retired. Therefore, it was likely he wouldn’t do so tonight, and she’d make her escape as soon as it was late enough.

  She didn’t need Peter. She didn’t need her father, grandfather or brother coming to her rescue. Johanna could rescue herself. All she needed to do was get over that blasted wall and she’d be free. She knew the general location of the estate and the distance to each town. Certainly, there were other homes in between. Maybe ones that she might recognize from having visited them.

  Johanna stormed into her chamber and searched her trunks for the darkest clothing and most sturdy boots.

  Tonight she would set her birds free and then climb the intricate iron and then she’d be escape.

  But first, she must rest, as she couldn’t leave until after the others had retired. As she would likely be walking most of the night, it was best that she slept now.

  Johanna was just drifting off to sleep when a key turned in the lock of her chamber door and it slowly opened.

  She sat up in her bed and then sucked in a breath. This wasn’t the housekeeper, nor any of her captors, but a man in a long dark coat, his face shielded by the shadow cast by his beaver hat.

  Her heart suddenly took on heavy beating as her pulse hitched. So as not to be at a disadvantage, Johanna quickly slid from the bed and back toward the terrace, even though it didn’t offer an escape. She simply wouldn’t feel as vulnerable.

  “Who are you?” Johanna wished her tone would have been stronger. Instead, it shook and sounded weak to her ears.

  “You don’t recognize me?” He laughed as he removed his hat.

  “Mr. Turnbell?” she gasped. Of her three potential suitors, he had been the least troublesome. “What do you want?”

  “Money,” he answered frankly.

  “I will not marry you.”

  He laughed again. “I never wanted to marry you. Then I realized, why settle for a dowry when I could get far more in ransom? I’d have funds in my coffers and not be saddled with you.”

  This time Johanna gasped. “You’ll never get away with this.”

  “Of course I will.” He offered a negligent shrug. “You are the only one who knows my identity. Further, anyone who assisted me will be silenced.” He looked up, black eyes cold and hard. “As you will be.” He stepped over the threshold and back out into the hall. “Enjoy what remains of your last day, and night, for tomorrow I will deliver your body and collect my reward.”

  “My grandfather will not pay unless I’m alive,” she argued as panic rose.

  “He’ll see you sitting all pretty in the carriage when he hands over the funds to my men, who will be long gone by the time your father realizes that it is only your corpse he will find.” He grinned. “I won’t kill you so quickly. We’ll first enjoy a pleasant drive tomorrow morning and when we arrive at the meeting place, I’ll simply strangle you and disappear.”

  Turnbell then shut the door and turned the lock once again.

  Johanna sank down into a chair and tried to calm her racing heart.

  He would make good on his threat to kill her. Of that, Johanna had no doubt.

  She had foolishly assumed that she’d remain unharmed if it was a simple matter of a ransom but she’d been so wrong. Thank goodness she had decided to escape tonight. However, before she did anything, she needed to send a final message in the event she was not successful.

  The first message was that her captor was Turnbell and that he intended to kill her and when. The second was that she was going to attempt an escape that night. The last, a message for Peter because he was the only one who would think to look for parchment in the tubes. It simply read, Peter, I love you.

  Johanna also realized that by the time these messages were read, it may be too late for her, but she had to send them anyway. Even if Peter never came for her, Marcus would realize that the birds had returned while she was held and look for messages to give to her father. At least with evidence, Turnbell wouldn’t get away with murder.

  Chapter Seven

  Peter traveled the road between Braintree and Halstead first quickly, looking along both sides for a property that matched the description of what Johanna had written. When he hadn’t seen it by the time he reached Halstead, he turned and rode back the way he came, though at a slower pace, exploring lanes and drives.

  It was just nearing dusk and Peter feared that he’d not find the location before it was too dark to see when he emerged from a lane and stared at what was once a white stone house, now in disarray. Parked before the entry was a nondescript carriage.

  As he was not certain what he would find inside, Peter tied his horse to a tree within the wood and made his way to the edge of the thicket to study the manor and a means to get inside without being noticed.

  He had wanted to rush forward to rescue Johanna but was forced to use patience so as not to endanger her or himself. Once it was dark enough not to be seen, Peter made his way toward the manor and kept out of sight. The carriage had not moved, and the team of horses had been left to stand there while the driver remained perched on his seat.

  Peter first glanced into each window before he tried to open them if he saw that a room was empty. None would give. Either they were locked, nailed shut, or perhaps the wood had swollen about the frame because this property looked as if nobody had lived here in years.

  Was it possible he had the wrong place?

  But how many houses sat along this stretch of road that could match the description provided by Johanna?

  He made his way back to the entrance, then had to duck behind an overgrown bush as a man wearing a dark coat and hat emerged from the manor. Peter strained to see who it was, but there was no light to illuminate his face and soon the man entered the carriage.

  Peter stayed hidden until it drove down the lane and disappeared.

  Before attempting to enter by the front door, Peter decided to continue around the manor and look for another way into the house that would not announce his arrival. He also needed to know if there were any guards about and plan how to render them powerless so that he could free Johanna.

  Except, he still wasn’t sure he was in the correct location, but he could not leave until he was certain.

  It was no different from when he sought to rescue an innocent from a brothel, so he settled into the ease of what he knew and proceeded with caution around the other side of the building, only stopping when he came to an open window and one that had light within the room.

  Just inside, sitting at a scarred table was an older woman and man sipping tea. Each face was drawn with worry and concern.

  Peter ducked so as not to be seen but leaned close enough to hear what was being said.

  “He means to kill us,” the man whispered.

  “You are certain that is what you heard?” the woman asked.

  “I was just around the corner. He didn’t know I was there, but I heard sure enough,” the man said. “He means to silence anyone who knows anything.”

  “Even her?” the woman asked.

  “He plans on doing it tomorrow before his men collect the ransom.”

  Johanna’s grandfather or father must have received a demand after Peter had left. They were also likely paying it and not searching for her.

  “There are to be no witnesses and she can identify him,” the man said. “We need to leave tonight, before he comes back.”

  “He said he won’t be back until tomorrow,” the woman said.

  “And I don’t want to be here when he does.”

  “Why did you wait to tell me this now?” she demanded.

  “I didn’t want you to know until he left. I was afraid you’d say something or let on that you knew.”

  “Aye, I might have,” the woman worried. “We’ve got to take her with us.”

  “No, she stays,” the man insisted. “We were hired on to make the manor ready for a guest. Nobody told us that the woman had been kidnapped and was being kept against her will.”

  “We can explain,” the woman insisted.

  “If we would have stopped this as soon as we realized the truth, we might not have been in trouble. But we kept her here for nearly a sennight. The courts won’t take too kindly to kidnapping and I don’t take too kindly to facing the gallows.”

  “He will kill her,” the woman reminded him.

  “If we take her, we’ll die by hanging. If we stay, he will likely slit our throats,” the man argued. “We are leaving and getting as far away as possible before it is too late.”

  “We should at least unlock her door so she can escape too,” the woman said.

  “She could get away too soon and identify us and I am not risking that. We are going now. Go pack your things.”

  Peter waited until the kitchen had been vacated and then lifted himself up to the window, except it was too narrow for him to slip through and he dropped to the ground and waited.

  It would be easier to enter and get Johanna after the two servants left. He really didn’t care what became of them, though he’d like to see them captured. However, what mattered was Johanna. The two servants were already skittish, and they may bury a blade in his belly if he came upon them.

  At least there didn’t seem to be any guards that he would have to fight, but he also hadn’t walked the full perimeter of the manor. Therefore, he continued to make his way along the wall, looking in windows and trying to get them open. Finally, he came across a walled terrace and looked through the decorative iron covering the opening to the inside.

  He was just about to climb the wall, using the iron as a foothold, when he saw Johanna standing within a chamber.

  His breath lodged in his throat when he realized she was only wearing her shift and he took in the sight of her nicely turned ankles, shapely calves and perfectly rounded proportions silhouetted by the thin linen.

  It was rude of him to watch and not call to her, but he was without words.

  This was wrong.

  She was in danger, and he was gawking at her like a schoolboy seeing a woman half dressed for the first time.

  “Johanna,” he whispered, but she didn’t hear him.

  “Johanna,” he called louder, and she yanked the dark dress against her body to shield it from being seen.

  “Over here.”

  She looked in his direction and rushed forward. “You came!”

  “Yes, and I need to get you out of here.”

  “As soon as I’m finished dressing.” Her eyes grew wide. “Turn your back and I’ll be with you in a moment.”

  Peter chuckled. He’d tell her later that he’d already seen her. Right now, he was simply relieved that he’d found her, and she was unharmed.

  JOHANNA SHOULD NEVER have doubted Peter. She knew that he would come for her. He had remembered the pigeons, or he would have never found this place.

  Certainly her grandfather would allow them to marry now. Peter had rescued her—from death!

  She pulled the dark dress over her head then settled to pull on her boots and withdrew the dark cloak from her trunk. Everything else would need to remain behind. She then returned to the terrace, confident that they would return home, and stepped before the opening.

  At the sound of a door, Peter ducked down.

  “Hide,” he hissed.

  She stepped behind the wall and listened as the housekeeper and the man made their way across the field.

  “I hate leaving her behind.”

  “I hate being killed,” the man grumbled. Before long, she couldn’t hear either of them.

  “I’m going to find the door and come get you,” Peter whispered.

  “I’ll be waiting.” Her heart pounded as she hurried back to the chamber and waited for him to walk in.

  She waited, and waited longer, then fear crept in again.

  What if there had been someone else in the manor? What if Peter had been harmed or worse, killed, trying to rescue her.

  She would never forgive herself if something happened to Peter.

  “Johanna,” he called to her. Not from the other side of the door, but from outside.

  She hurried back out of her chamber and to the opening.

  “All the doors are locked, and I can’t pick them or break them down.”

  At least he wasn’t harmed. “Then I will escape as I already planned to do tonight, except you will be here to help me.” With a deep breath, she put one foot into the carved iron and began to climb. When she reached the top of the opening, Johanna breathed out a sigh of relief. Then, with another breath, she slowly slipped over the side until she found another foothold, then began her descent as she made certain that her skirt didn’t catch. When Peter’s hands grasped her waist, Johanna knew that she’d reach the bottom without injury. His heat scalded her skin through her clothing as he lent her support until her feet touched the ground.

  “That was much easier than I thought it would be.” She grinned up at him.

  Except, Peter wasn’t smiling. His blue eyes were dark and intense and before she could comprehend what he was about, he drew her close and placed his lips against hers.

  Johanna had waited so long for him to kiss her and all it took was a kidnapping to bring him around.

  Her arms wound about his neck, and she returned his kiss. Before long, he had her pressed against the stone wall while he devoured her and mated his tongue with hers.

  Heat rose and all Johanna could do was clutch tight to his shoulders for fear her knees would give out.

  Peter finally broke the kiss and pulled away.

  “I’ve wanted to do that for so long but knew that it was unfair to both of us, as I wouldn’t court you.”

  “Why now?” Johanna asked, hoping that he would finally confess that he loved her.

  “When I feared that I’d lost you, or might never see you again, I knew that I would regret for the rest of my days not having kissed you.”

  It wasn’t the declaration of love that she’d hoped for, but it was close enough—for now. Peter had been so resolute in keeping them friends that she took his passionate kiss as a sign of hope for a future.

  “We need to go before it’s too late.” He then grasped her hand in his and led her across the field and into a thicket of trees where a horse had been tied to a branch.

  “I’m afraid that I don’t have a carriage. Traveling by horse was quicker,” he explained.

  “I do not mind.” She’d walk all the way home if necessary. What was important was that she was finally free.

  Peter placed his hands about her waist again then lifted her onto the horse. He then came up behind her, pulled her back and close to his body before he guided the horse back onto the lane.

  “Which direction?” he asked.

  “I’ve no idea. But it was Turnbell who arranged my kidnapping so whichever direction is the opposite of his would be my preference.”

  Chapter Eight

  Peter wasn’t certain which direction to travel. This manor was located equally between Braintree and Halstead, so Turnbell could have taken a room in either town. However, Braintree lay in the direction he would need to return Johanna to her home, therefore, he turned south. It was likely they would not reach Chelmsford before the sun rose, but they would be beyond Braintree, and Turnbell, if that was where he’d taken a room.

  The night was clear and quiet, and not overly cool. Peter enjoyed having his arms around Johanna and her body snuggled against his chest and between his thighs.

  He shouldn’t have kissed her as he had. But in an instant the need had overcome him and had been so strong that he hadn’t had the will to deny himself. It hadn’t helped that as he watched her climb the other side of the ironwork that he’d viewed not only her ankles, but knees and thighs as well because she’d kept her skirts out of the way so as not to snag them and fall. He’d also taken a step back as he didn’t trust himself not to try and glimpse further up her skirts. It had not been the time for lust and desire, but once her feet had touched the ground before him, Peter had held back no longer.

  Her kisses and the way her body had molded to his were even better than Peter ever imagined. She was perfect for him, just as Peter always knew she would be.

  Was it so important that he be rich before he married her?

  If he purchased an estate from Danby, at least he would have more to offer than his family home in London. An estate would allow him to live with her privately instead of having to endure his family under the same roof whenever they came to Town.

  But he couldn’t give her a new wardrobe each year, or the jewels, or everything a lady wished and required to be in Society.

  Was it fair to ask her to go without?

  “If I weren’t afraid of being caught by Turnbell, I’d enjoy riding with you this evening.”

  Peter chuckled. “I’m enjoying having you with me even though there is a danger,” he admitted.

  “What will become of Turnbell?” she asked.

  “As soon as you are safe, I will inform the authorities. You may need to testify at his trial, but he will be arrested and dealt with.”

  She shivered in his arms.

  “Why did you wait so long to attempt an escape?” he asked.

  She quickly explained how she had to wait for the opportunity, and that she had hoped that Peter would look for a message.

  There really wasn’t much along this road and she could have been found by Turnbell, or anyone just as dangerous, before Peter found her. “I’m glad you had faith in me.”

  She then told him how she had released the rest of her birds early in the evening, after Turnbell had told her of his plans, and that each carried different parts of the message of who her captor was and what he planned to do.

  “You are safe now and that is all that matters,” he assured her.

  “I am safe unless we are caught,” she countered.

  Johanna may have relaxed back against him, but she still watched, turning her head from side to side as if she expected someone to emerge from the darkness on either side of the road.