Savage Spring (28 page)

“I can’t see how you are going to be able to hang on to this house much longer, Claudia. The time will come when Taggart James will come out in the open, and you, my dear, will be in a lot of trouble.”

“Is there nothing I can do?”

“Oh, yes, there is quite a lot you can do. I suggest you start accumulating all the cash you can—discreetly, of course. There are three ships in drydock at the James Shipyard that are ready to launch. I believe I can find a buyer for them, and they should bring a tidy sum. There are some very expensive pieces of furniture and paintings in this house that you could sell. If we are careful, we could come out of this in good condition.”

“What do you mean
we
…Melvin?”

“Just what I implied, Claudia.
We
are in this together all the way. I am the only one who understands you. I know you have been panting after that Falcon Knight, but you don’t really think he will marry you, do you?”

Claudia’s eyes blazed. “He cares about me—I know he does. Did he not come to me when he heard about Howard’s death? That is more than I can say for any of my other so-called friends. They are all like a bunch of rats deserting a sinking ship.”

“You and I are the rats, Claudia. We are two of a kind. I’m afraid you are stuck with me whether you like it or not. I’m your only true friend.”

“You’re only sticking around because you smell money! You would leave me like all the rest of them if you thought I was penniless.”

“Just as long as we understand one another, my dear,” he said, removing a cheroot from his vest pocket and lighting it.

Mrs. Dodson came into the room and leaned close to Claudia’s ear. “There’s a gentleman at the front door who says his name is Rodney Wilson. Do you want to see him or shall I send him away? He says it’s urgent.”

“Tell him to go away,” Claudia said, not wanting to speak to the man.

“I told him you were in mourning, but he insists you’ll want to hear what happened to Alexandria.”

“Oh, very well, show him in,” Claudia said ungraciously.

“Who is this Rodney Wilson?” Melvin asked with interest.

“No one—just a nuisance.”

Rodney entered the room, nervously twisting his cap in his hand. The scar on his face seemed redder than it had the night before. “Mrs. Landon, thank you for seeing me. I knew you would want to know what’s happened to Alexandria.”

“What’s the matter—did the chit run away again?” she asked, with little interest. “Don’t expect me to help you find her again.”

“No, ma’am, she didn’t run away. Three men came bursting into my aunt’s house just as I was about to marry her. They held a gun on me, while one of the gentlemen forced the parson to marry him to Alexandria.”

“What’s this?” Claudia said, her interest piqued at last. “What man?”

“I never saw him before in my life. He told the parson his name was Taggart James!”

Claudia gasped, and her eyes became wild with fear. “What are you saying?” she cried. “Why would Tag want to marry Alexandria? It makes no sense!”

“I don’t know if that’s his real name. My aunt told us he once came to the house using another name.”

Melvin spoke up. “What name?”

“I can’t recall; something like a bird, I think.”

“Was the name Falcon Knight?” Melvin asked, with a sneer on his face.

“Yes, that’s it…Falcon Knight!” Rodney said, nodding his head in agreement.

A loud, piercing scream issued from Claudia’s lips, and she flew across the room and threw herself at Rodney. Before Melvin could drag her away, she was pounding against the man’s chest.

“You lie! You lie! Falcon Knight could
never
be Taggart James! Falcon cares about me. Why are you saying these lies to me?”

It took all Melvin’s strength to keep Claudia away from Rodney Wilson. “I think you had better leave now,” Melvin told the badly shaken Rodney, who was only too happy to make a speedy retreat.

When Claudia and Melvin were alone, he shook her hard, trying to calm her down. When that didn’t bring the desired results, he slapped her several times, and she collapsed against him. Helping her to the couch, he sat down beside her.

“Well, one thing has come from all this, Claudia. We now know who the enemy is!”

“No, it can’t be true—I don’t want to believe it. Not Falcon!” she cried.

“I’m afraid your Falcon Knight was only using you to gain information. You know he’s Taggart James!”

“But I loved him,” she cried, trying to associate the handsome, golden-haired man with the twelve-year-old boy she had hated so avidly!

“If you will stop and think, Claudia, you will see the advantage we now have. Taggart James doesn’t know we are on to him. The possibilities are limitless, if we put our heads together and plan.”

Suddenly, Claudia started laughing hysterically. Once again, she had come up the loser, just as she always had with Joanna. Alexandria had ended up with the man Claudia loved, and she would make them both pay! Falcon had made a fool of her, and she intended to see him dead. She hadn’t even been aware that Falcon…no, Tag…
knew
Alexandria.

“Tell me what we should do, Melvin,” she said, as her eyes sparkled with renewed life. Claudia always seemed to thrive on hatred.

Her eyes clouded as she remembered the day Alexandria had wheeled Howard into the garden and Falcon had been there. The two of them must have contrived the meeting. Her mouth flew open and a strangled cry issued from her throat. Howard had known who Falcon was all the time! That was why he invited him to come to his bedroom that night.

“They were all in this together!” she screamed. “I will see Tag and Alexandria in their graves! He deceived me by making me love him. You will pay, Taggart James—you will pay with your life!” Claudia screamed.

A week had passed since the night Tag and Alexandria had been married. The house was silent, and Alexandria found that time lay heavily on her hands. She had spent the morning in the garden weeding the flower beds, and later in the day she ate a solitary lunch.

Tag was very rarely at home, and Farley was still at Meadowlake. Since Mrs. Green was also at the farm, and the two
remaining servants were busy trying to keep the big house running smoothly, there was no one for Alexandria to talk to, and she was feeling neglected.

Alexandria made her way to the stable, thinking she would take a ride on one of Tag’s horses. Perhaps it would help her clear her mind and give her a fresh outlook. After Tom, the man who tended the stables, had saddled a gray mare, Alexandria mounted and rode away at a steady pace. The estate wasn’t very extensive, and she soon felt the longing to ride in open country. Tag had cautioned her about leaving the grounds, but she saw no harm in riding past the gate. She would just ride a ways down the hill and then return to the house.

As the hooves of the big gray beat out a rhythmic sound on the road and the wind ruffled Alexandria’s hair, she began to feel more lighthearted. She was from the country and was becoming stifled by living in town.

She had been married to the man she loved for over a week, but not once in that time had he came near her bedroom, nor had he given the slightest hint that she would be welcome in his. Knowing he had married her only to protect her, Alexandria realized theirs would always be a marriage in name only. She couldn’t understand why Tag had wanted to make love to her before they had been married, but didn’t come near her now that she was his wife.

Even though Tag hadn’t confided in Alexandria, she knew he was spending his days planning how to recover his estates and shipyards from Claudia. It was as though they were all waiting for the final chapter in a book. No one knew how the book would read between now and the end.

Alexandria couldn’t help feeling sad over the death of Mr. Landon. No matter what he had done in the past, she would always remember him for his kindness to her. She doubted that anyone besides herself would mourn his passing.

Alexandria knew that she should be feeling relieved now that the threat of Barbara and Rodney was no longer hanging over her head, but she wasn’t. She was frightened for Tag.
Soon he would reveal his true identity to Claudia. When that day came, he would be in real danger. She wished Farley would return—she felt better with the old trapper around to keep an eye on Tag.

Alexandria hadn’t seen Russell James since that night in the garden, but she knew he would be around somewhere, watching over his son. She was grateful to him for the part he had played in her daring rescue, and she wished she could see him to tell him so.

Alexandria could see a coach approaching from the opposite direction and she moved out of the road to allow it to pass. She paid little attention to the people who occupied the coach as the flying dust from its wheels stung her face.

She often wondered what Tag would do when he found out his father was alive. Surely he would be overjoyed, and perhaps it would erase some of the bitterness he carried around in his heart. She tried to imagine what he must have been like before Morning Song had been killed. Had he laughed a lot? Had his days been filled with happiness? Her mind shied away from thinking what his nights had been like.

Alexandria had been so deep in thought that she hadn’t realized she had ridden so far from the house. Turning the gray homeward, she allowed the animal to gallop at top speed.

As Alexandria rode along, she wondered about Tag’s baby daughter. He never mentioned the child, and she had never even heard him call her by name. She wished with all her heart that he would give her a chance to raise his daughter. Legally, she was the child’s stepmother. She made herself a promise that if she were ever allowed to care for the child, she would love her as if she were her very own. But Alexandria doubted she would ever get that chance. Tag hadn’t actually said anything, but she suspected that when this ordeal was over he would be returning to the Blackfoot tribe, and she doubted that he would ask her to accompany him.

Just ahead of her, Alexandria saw the coach that had
passed her earlier. It had pulled over to the side of the road. Thinking they might be having trouble, she halted the horse to see if she could offer them some assistance. Seeing no one about, she started to ride on when she heard a woman’s voice call out for help from the other side of the coach. Without thinking, Alexandria dismounted and ran around the coach. She had no time to react as a hand reached from behind her and clamped over her mouth. She kicked and struggled, trying to get loose, but the man who held her was much too strong. When she saw a woman come from behind the bushes that grew beside the road, Alexandria recognized Claudia.

“Hurry up and put her in the coach, Melvin, before we’re seen,” Claudia said, watching the roadway nervously.

Alexandria renewed her struggle, but she soon found it was useless to fight. What a fool she had been to disobey Tag when he told her not to leave the grounds. She didn’t have the slightest notion what Claudia and Melvin wanted with her, but she knew that whatever it was, it wouldn’t be anything pleasant. As Melvin tossed her into the coach, she could see the house only a short distance away. She realized that if she hadn’t been so foolish, she would have been safely back at the stables by now.

Claudia climbed into the seat opposite her while Melvin seated himself beside Alexandria, keeping a firm grip on her arm so she wouldn’t try to escape. A coachman seemed to appear from out of nowhere, and the coach lurched forward.

“Why are you doing this, Claudia?” Alexandria demanded to know. “What right have you got to force me into this coach? You had better let me out right now!”

“Shut up!” Claudia hissed, swinging her hand wide and catching Alexandria a stunning blow across the face.

Alexandria’s temper flared, and she struggled to get at Claudia but Melvin Garner held her firm.

“You shouldn’t strike such a lovely flower, Claudia,” Melvin said in a silky voice. The man looked at Alexandria with appreciation in his eyes. “I had no idea that she was such a comely young lady.”

“I won’t hear this from you, Melvin. Is beauty all you men ever have on your mind? I see nothing unusual about Alexandria.”

His eyes drifted across Alexandria’s face, and he looked into her golden eyes, eyes that at the moment were hostile and defiant. “If you were a man, Claudia, you would appreciate what a rare jewel our little captive is,” he said in a caressing voice. His hand slid up Alexandria’s arm, and she shuddered.

“Take your hands off me!” Alexandria demanded. “I insist you stop this coach right now and let me out!”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, my dear. You see, you will be the lovely bait Claudia and I will use to snare your husband, Taggart James!”

Alexandria looked quickly at Claudia and saw the satisfied smile on her face. “I…don’t know what you are talking about. I know no one by the name of Taggart James.”

“How prettily she lies to protect her husband,” Melvin taunted. “Would you do as much for me, Claudia?”

“If you were standing on the gallows, Melvin, I would be the one to pull the platform from under you,” Claudia said spitefully.

“Tut, tut, do you want our guest to think we don’t hold each other in high regard?”

Claudia turned her attention to Alexandria. The hatred she had once directed at Joanna had been transferred to the small, golden-eyed girl. She saw the red handprint on the girl’s white cheek where she had struck her, and she wished she could scratch her eyes out.

“Why are you doing this, Claudia?” Alexandria asked, fearing that through her these two might find a way to harm Tag.

“Melvin already told you—we are going to use you to lure Tag into a trap. How will you like being the cause of his death, Alexandria?”

“I told you I don’t know anyone by the name of Tag. Why don’t you just admit you made a mistake, and let me go?”

Claudia turned her gaze out the window of the coach, and Melvin chuckled to himself. Alexandria wondered how
Claudia had found out about Tag. She struggled, trying to reach the door, but was pulled back, only to land hard against Melvin.

“Do that again, Alexandria. I like to feel you in my arms,” Melvin said caressingly.

Alexandria moved as far away as she could from the odious Melvin. She closed her eyes and prayed for Tag’s safety. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if anything should happen to him because of her carelessness!

They had been traveling for some time, and it was now almost sundown. Alexandria looked out the coach window and saw that they were at some kind of shipping yard. She assumed it would be the shipbuilding firm that belonged to Tag and the James family.

When the coach came to a halt, Melvin opened the door and pulled Alexandria out of the coach. She saw the shipyard was deserted. It was late in the day; all the workers had gone home for the day. For the first time since she had been captured, Alexandria began to feel fear for herself. She was being led toward the water’s edge to a big ship that was riding high in the water. As she was led up the gangplank, she tried to pull back, but Melvin lifted her into his arms and carried her on board.

He carried her down the companionway and into the deep hold of the ship. The only light they had was a lantern that Claudia carried to light their path. When they reached what Alexandria was sure was the very bowels of the ship, Melvin placed her on her feet.

“Surely you aren’t going to leave me here,” she said in a shaky voice.

“Alas, I fear we must, pretty lady, but have no fear—there is water to drink, and you will have this lantern until it runs out of fuel.”

Claudia looked about the dank, dark hull and shivered. “Never fear, your husband will soon be joining you, Alexandria. This is the last sight you and Tag will ever see before you die.”

Claudia set the lantern down, and then she and Melvin left, bolting the door behind them.

Alexandria clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. Terror such as she had never known encased her mind. Her legs were shaking so badly she sank down to her knees. She was in a circle of light, and the rest of the big ship was in total darkness.

“Dear God,” she prayed aloud, “don’t let me die like this.” She thought of Tag and how much she loved him. As much as she hated being here alone, she prayed that Tag wouldn’t suffer the same fate. “Oh, Tag, don’t do anything foolish!” she cried, and her voice echoed and reechoed throughout the darkened hull of the ship.

Alexandria was overcome by a feeling of utter desertion. She knew that the next day was Sunday and the men who worked at the shipyard wouldn’t be coming to work. As the ship swayed up and down with the restless motion of the water, she reached over and turned down the wick of the lantern, wanting to conserve the fuel as long as possible. She had a horror of the lantern’s going out, of being left in total darkness. As the flame became smaller, so did the circle of light that surrounded her.

Alexandria’s body trembled with pent-up emotion, and loud sobs broke from her lips.

“Tag, Tag, my dearest love!” she cried, pounding against the unyielding door with her fists. “I don’t want you to be here with me, but I do wish I could see you just once more if I’m going to die!”

Tag ran through the house, calling Alexandria’s name even though he knew she wouldn’t answer. Tom, the stableman, had told him that the gray Alexandria had been riding earlier had returned over two hours ago. Tom and two of the stableboys had searched for Alexandria until dark without finding any trace of her.

It was Tag’s hope that she had been thrown and had made
her way back to the house on foot, but there was no answer from Alexandria, and none of the servants had seen her.

After riding out himself without finding any trace of her, Tag returned to the house, not knowing what to do next. His first thought had been that her stepmother was somehow involved in Alexandria’s disappearance. Before returning to the house, he had ridden by Annabelle Norris’s house, only to find that the place was boarded up. On inquiring about Barbara’s whereabouts from the neighbors, Tag had been told that she and her family had left several days earlier.

Tag paced back and forth, waiting for any news of Alexandria. He felt helpless, not knowing where to look. He had visions of her lying injured somewhere, even though every inch of the surrounding countryside had been searched thoroughly.

When a knock sounded on the front door, he rushed forward to answer it, hoping there would be some news of Alexandria. The small boy who stood outside handed Tag a letter and darted off into the night without saying a word.

Tag rushed back inside, broke open the letter, and began to read:

Tag, it is known who you are. That which you hold most dear is in my hands. If you want her back unharmed, you must come to the James shipyard on the stroke of midnight and we will talk over the terms of her release. You are being watched, so tell no one where you are going, and come alone if you want your wife back unharmed.

The letter was unsigned, but Tag knew it would be from Melvin Garner. Since Claudia could neither read nor write, he knew Mr. Garner was in on Alexandria’s abduction with Claudia.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, he saw it was now ten-thirty. He raced to the study to get his guns and made sure they were loaded before pushing them down into his belt.

He bounded onto his horse and quickly galloped off into the night. He wished that Farley were with him. What he must do now, he would do alone. He would trust to his instincts and his Indian training to get Alexandria back.

His mind was tortured about Alexandria’s safety. What if they had already harmed her? He knew what Claudia was capable of when she was crossed, and he could only imagine her anger now, since she obviously knew he had posed as Falcon Knight to get close to her.

Even though Tag was anxious to reach the shipyard, he chose the longer route, which skirted the town. His Indian training alerted him to the fact that he was being followed. In the dim light of the crescent moon, Tag planned how he would outsmart whoever was closing in behind him.