moment. It was likely the last hug she would ever receive from him.
“Ah, that’s so precious, Somerton,” Cochran said. “Weren’t you supposed to protect the Ashcroft ladies, rather than seduce them?”
The muscles in Sebastian’s arm rippled against her waist, and she heard Helsford order Cochran to be quiet right before the prisoner grunted in pain.
***
Sebastian ignored the ice raking down his spine long enough to finish his conversation with Sophie. “No, sprite. Your brownie friend must take all the credit for your rescue.”
Pushing off his shoulders, Sophie said, “But Teddy’s dead.” Tears leaked from her eyes.
Sebastian glanced over to where a small group had formed around the boy. The cloaked savior had disappeared, as had the two young men who were approaching the carriage before Sebastian stormed into the fray. From here, he could not see if the boy was coming to, or if Cochran had managed to do the unthinkable.
“Miss Sophie,” Declan McCarthy said.
She peered over her shoulder at the carpenter.
“I believe this belongs to your brave knight.” He held out a carved figure of a man holding a bow and arrow.
Sophie accepted the piece. “I gave this to him.” She glanced up at McCarthy, her pride evident. “Did you see Teddy jab the arrow into the bad man’s neck?”
“Yes, miss,” McCarthy said. “He’s a courageous lad. You must be a very good friend.”
“Mama,” Sophie said. “I must go see Teddy.”
Catherine glanced at Sebastian, and that’s when he realized he still held them close. Stepping away, he said, “Get them both out of here, Catherine. Please.”
She nodded. “Be careful.”
“You may depend upon it.”
She strode away, toward the fallen boy, glancing back when she set Sophie down. The incredible pressure around his chest did not relent until he saw Teddy wobble into a sitting position.
The carpenter’s normally wary eyes burned with purpose. “I’ll take care of that mewling coward who killed my Meghan.”
“You know?”
“Aye, m’lord,” McCarthy said. “I received a note that the men who killed my girl were fleeing tonight. The murdering bastard admitted his crime right before you arrived.” His hand balled into a fist. “Time to make him suffer.”
Understanding the man’s pain, Sebastian gentled his voice. “I can’t let you do that.”
McCarthy’s jaw stiffened. “Don’t try to stop me, m’lord.”
Sophie’s kidnapper laughed. “Get in line, Irish. Somerton’s not going to let a dead girl stand in the way of protecting his precious Nexus.”
“Quiet.” Helsford ground the heel of his boot into the traitor’s back.
“Danforth. Mr. Foster,” Sebastian called.
The agent and vicar were at his side in an instant. “Yes, sir?”
“How’s our intrepid hero?”
“He’ll be fine,” the vicar said. “The lump on his head will cause him some pain for a while.”
“Danforth, we need that carriage for Catherine and the children. And we need the men from the village out of here. Now.” To the vicar, he said, “Make sure the men have everything they need when they get back to Showbury.”
“Will do, sir.” The vicar strode off.
Sebastian faced the angry carpenter.
McCarthy’s green eyes burned with a mixture of grief and hatred. “I’ll have justice for my Meghan and her wee babe.”
“Yes, you will,” Sebastian said. “But not until after I extract some information.”
“For this Nexus.” McCarthy’s lip curled in disgust.
“No.” The lie fell smoothly from Sebastian’s lips. “Cochran speaks only to confuse you. His one hope of surviving this situation is to pit us against each other and only then might he have a chance at escaping.”
The carpenter’s hands balled into massive fists.
“McCarthy, I need the carriage free and operable. Can you and the other men make that happen? I want to get Mrs. Ashcroft and the children away from this place.” And he wanted to give the man something else to focus on.
The men spent the next ten minutes readying the carriage, then Catherine bundled the two children inside. Sebastian frowned when he noticed Catherine and Danforth engaged in a heated exchange. Then the viscount threw his arms up and grumbled something about stubborn women.
Mr. Foster climbed into the driver’s box, ushering Cochran’s coachman into the hands of two of the villagers. The carriage lurched forward, escorted by an unhappy McCarthy, the rest of the villagers, and Jack riding at the back. Catherine stood at the side of the road, watching the conveyance lumber out of sight.
“Mr. Foster, wait.” Sebastian rushed forward, but the vicar ignored his command and continued on toward Showbury. “What are you doing, Catherine?”
“What does it look like?” she asked in a calm voice. “I’m staying.”
Warmth seeped into Sebastian’s heart, followed quickly