Alexander and James went back to where the Thompsons still stood on the side of the empty ballroom with MacAvoy. Servants carried full dishes, quickly discarded when the lights went out, righted chairs, and carried platters from the buffet table.
“She’s gone,” James said abruptly. “She’s been taken.”
Kirsty burst into tears. Aunt Murdoch held her hand and quieted her.
“What happened? Do you know?” Muireall asked.
“My Aunt Isadora was with her. A man lured them down the hallway of the family part of the house. He said someone was not breathing or something to that effect. They followed him into a sitting room that is rarely used any longer and knocked out my aunt. The doctor is stitching her now. The outside doors to a small patio were standing open. I could smell chloroform,” James said. “They must have gassed her.”
“She would have fought otherwise,” Kirsty said on a shaky breath.
Graham walked into the ballroom and made directly for them. “I’d like to speak to you all privately. And quickly.” Everyone followed him into a small room off the foyer. He closed the door and checked the windows. “You’ve told me much of this danger revolves around this young man. If this is a kidnap for ransom, then there’ll be a note,” he said, nodding at Payden. “I suggest we take the Thompson family home, make a to-do at the entrance, I imagine someone is already watching the house. You go with them, Alexander.”
“I am not sitting—”
Graham held up a hand. “MacAvoy will stay with them, and we will sneak at least one more man in the back entrance, if there is one.” He looked at James.
“There’s a back entrance to the kitchens, down a set of stone steps.”
“We’ve sent a man to hide across the street from the house and watch for others. He should be in place already. Once everyone is inside and most of the lights extinguished, James and Alexander will sneak out the back entrance and make their way on foot two streets over to Madison. There’ll be horses for you there.”
“I’m going,” Payden said. “Have a horse there for me.”
James shook his head as Muireall said, “No. Absolutely not.”
“I’m going,” he said, glaring at Muireall.
Graham stepped forward and put a hand on Payden’s neck. “You may be going to them in order to get your sister freed at some point. Let us find where they’ve taken her. Let us make a plan.”
Payden looked at James and Muireall. “I’m going after Elspeth, one way or another. I’ll wait until you’ve found a trail, but not a minute longer, or I’ll go on my own.”
“There’ll be a note coming soon. We want you to be in place when it arrives,” Graham said. “Let’s—”
“There will be no ransom paid,” Muireall said.
Graham turned to her, incredulous. “Do you know that very well may get your sister . . . abused, maybe killed? We may have to send the boy—”
Muireall straightened. “The boy is the Earl of Taviston and rightful heir to all the MacTavish holdings and the chief of the clan. We will not turn him over.”
“You realize they will kill her if they know that you will not send him or money or whatever they are after,” Graham said quietly and looked at each of them.
Kirsty wiped her hand across her eyes. “Elspeth knows her duty.”
“No!” Alexander shouted, bringing every head around in the small room. “No! She will not be sacrificed!”
“We are not sending Payden to them. We will not,” James said again as Alexander began to protest, “but that does not mean that we will not rescue Elspeth. We will get her.”
“We know the direction they went,” Graham said. “Toward the harbor. Found a copper who was looking into a robbery several blocks from here and had just mounted his horse. Saw a carriage come by, horses at the run, about the time we believe this happened, and coming from the direction of this neighborhood. He followed them on horseback for a few blocks and then went back to his station.”
“The harbor?” Aunt Murdoch said. “Would they be putting her on a ship?”
“I think they’ve got her in one of the warehouses near there. I’ve got men searching,” Graham said. “Let’s see what the ransom note says.”
Elspeth worked the knot of the rope holding her hands with her teeth and pulled on a board above the slit of light when she was too frustrated with her progress on her bindings. The board was almost out now that the moonlight filtered through and she could see hands. Her wrists bled where the rough rope chafed her, but she would not think about that pain. She pulled the board a little more until it came off in her hands. She fit it back to its nail holes, leaving it away from the window and lighting the room enough for her to see.
There were definitely rats in the room. One large one had been bold enough to creep over and smell her feet. She kicked it viciously and heard a thud and squeaks from its brethren as it hit the corner of the room. She crept around the room, looking for anything she could use as a weapon other than her knife, but there was nothing, and even if there was, what would happen if she hit one of them over the head? He would shout and bring the others. She must kill one of them. She must kill them and do it quickly. She had no choice if she was to gain a few moments. Her hands quivered, and she touched her knife through her dress and petticoats, checking the thin pocket that held the dagger in its sheath.
The door opened, and light spilled into the room from behind the rough-voiced man. She flattened herself against the wall and wondered if this was the time to kill him. He took a quick look over his shoulder and must have liked what he saw. He pushed the door closed behind him.
“It’ll go easier for you if you’re nice to me, you know,” he said.
“Why would I be nice to you?” she whispered and was glad that her voice shook. Let him think she was fragile.
He touched her hair, running his fingers through it, leaned closed, and smelled it in his hand. “Ah. That’s the perfume of a nice young lady, it is.” He wound his fingers through the curls at the back of her head, holding her still.
Elspeth closed her eyes. She would go somewhere else in her mind, she thought, somewhere with Alexander, somewhere clean and new, somewhere away from the physical reality of what was going to happen to her body. He pressed his mouth to hers and grabbed her breast, twisting and pulling. She winced but could not pull away. She put her hand on his chest, feeling the fabric, and thankful there was no leather or heavy vest or coat. It would make killing him easier.
“Go ahead. Fight a bit. I like that,” he growled and kissed her neck and the tops of her breasts.
The door opened wide and lit the room. “Hands off the merchandise,” the giggly man said.
The rough-voiced man groaned in her ear and grabbed her bound hands, pushing them against his crotch and rubbing them over his erection. “Who’s to know?” he said. “She ain’t going to tell anybody.”
“Wait till we have the boy and have him on the ship. Then you and the others can fuck her all you want.”
He dragged a finger over her chin. “I’m sorry to disappoint you,” he whispered in her ear. “I’ve got a big cock, and you’ll come to like it, darling.”