EMMA’S EYES POPPED open at four-thirty, her internal clock obviously working overtime. Clayton wasn’t in their bed, so she got up and got dressed. She walked quietly out of her bedroom and into their sitting room. Clayton was asleep in the chaise by the window.
How am I going to do this without waking him?
She sneaked past him and made it to the door. The key was back in it, she was relieved to see. She turned the knob slowly and opened the door.
Thank goodness for well-oiled doors and a husband who sleeps like the dead.
Emma stepped further into the hall. She waited a few seconds to see if Clayton came after her, but as soon as she realized she was safe she took off to the carriage house. She shivered as she slunk into the darkness of the stables. “Sophie?” she whispered.
“Over here,” Sophie whispered back.
Emma made her way to Samson’s stall. Sophie poked her head out of the door. “Hi.”
“Are you really going through with this?”
Sophie nodded. “Yes. I have to prove to Jamie that whatever he’s hiding from me is not a real threat. We’ll come back before they even wake up, and I’ll be able to show him how ridiculous he’s being.”
“Well, I’m mad enough to spit right now, so I’m in even if it’s for all the wrong reasons.”
Sophie slid the bridle over Samson’s head. “What happened?”
“At some point after you left me last night, my husband locked me in.”
Sophie gasped. “He didn’t!”
Emma sighed. “He did.”
Sophie giggled. “Look who’s met her match.”
Emma narrowed her eyes and jabbed a finger toward her sister. “Don’t start with me. Did you tack up the mare?”
“Yes. I had to get Jack to help me, but then sent him back to bed.”
Emma grimaced. “I hope we won’t regret this.”
Sophie led Samson from his stall and Emma helped her mount. Once Emma was mounted, she followed her sister towards the White House. “It’s so dark, Sophie.”
“Emma, there are street lamps, we’re good. What are you so jittery about?”
“I don’t know.” Emma gripped her reins a little tighter. “I just have a bad feeling.”
“You’re a rule follower. It goes against the grain to be sneaky.”
Emma giggled nervously. “You’re probably right. I hate the thought of lying to Clayton, but I’m still mad at him.”
Sophie sent her a wicked smile. “You’re not lying, you’re just omitting.”
The girls dug their heels in and the horses took off. They made it to the open area near the White House and pulled the horses to a walk.
“That was incredible!” Sophie whispered.
“Yes.” A chill made its way up Emma’s spine. “Maybe we should go back now. It’s darker over here near the trees and it’s creeping me out.”
Sophie sighed. “Okay, Em, if you’re uncomfortable, we’ll go back.”
They turned, but didn’t get far.
“Good morning, ladies,” came a voice out of the dark.
“Sophie?” Emma whispered nervously.
“Who’s there?” Sophie pulled Samson to a standstill. “Show yourself.”
A man moved out of the shadow and Emma gasped. “You were at the ball.”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s nice to see you again.” Gregory Payne smiled. “Emma, isn’t it?”
Another man came out of the shadows and Sophie’s sharp intake of breath echoed in the quiet morning. Even Emma knew who she was looking at. Sitting on the horse across from her was Lewis Payne…one of the men who would be implicated in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Emma gathered her reins and shifted her seat. “We should take our leave now.”
“So fast?” Gregory crowded her horse. “Why are you always trying to run away from me?”
Emma dragged her lower lip between her teeth. “My husband is expecting us.”
He chuckled evilly. “I have a feeling your husbands have no idea you’re out here. Otherwise, what would be the point of riding this early in the morning? Did you decide to sneak out so that they wouldn’t stop you?”
Samson sidestepped and snorted in agitation, and Emma’s heart raced as she watched Sophie desperately try to calm him down. Before the girls could make a move, the men had jumped to the ground. Gregory pulled Emma off her horse and held a gun to her head as Lewis pulled Sophie off Samson.
Lewis snickered into the dark. “I’ll kill her if you try anything.”
The men slapped the horses’ rumps and they took off, leaving the girls without any hope of escape. “What are you doing?” Emma squealed.
Gregory smacked her across the face, drawing blood. “Make another sound, Mrs. Madden, and I will hit you hard enough to shut you up. Permanently.”
Sophie let out a quiet whistle and got her hair pulled for the effort.
“Shut yer mouth!” Lewis hissed.
They forced the girls’ hands behind their backs and bound them with rope, and then led them to an alleyway, where a carriage waited for them. In the close distance, they heard hooves.
“What is that?” Gregory whipped around.
“That damn animal is following us,” Lewis growled.
“Just leave him. We’ll lose him and he’ll make his way home. If he doesn’t, we’ll shoot him.”
They threw the girls into the coach and climbed in after them. Gregory tapped the ceiling and the coach took off. They hadn’t driven for very long when Sophie and Emma once again found themselves in an alleyway, being forced out of the carriage and into a side door of some type of row house.
The odors that hit them made Emma gag. She couldn’t imagine what the smell was doing to her sister and raised an eyebrow in concern. “Did you take a pill?”
“No,” Sophie grumbled.
The girls were dragged to a basement and tied to two chairs in a virtually empty room. A small round table sat in the corner with a lit candle on it, but there was no heat and no other furniture. There was a tiny window that looked like it was slightly ajar, but there would be no way anyone could fit through the opening, especially Sophie with her rounded belly.
The men left and closed the door behind them, chuckling to each other at their cleverness. The girls heard footsteps and the door opened again. In walked Rose. Emma gasped behind her gag.
“Surprised to see me, Emma?” Rose bent down to eye level and sneered. “Y’all thought I was just a simple-minded ninny, didn’t you?” Rose grasped Emma’s chin and turned her face up. “Did Gregory do this to you? It’s too bad he marred your face.”
Emma thrust forward and swore… not that it mattered, it came out as a mumble.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Rose removed Sophie’s gag, but Sophie kept quiet. “You’re apparently the smart sister. And just to show you that I have your comfort in mind, I have brought you a bowl. I know how sick you’ve been.”
“What are you planning on doing with us?” Sophie asked.
Rose pulled Emma’s gag from her mouth. “We aren’t planning on doing anything with you, provided your husbands cooperate.”
Emma hissed. “What exactly do you want?”
“Just information.”
Emma frowned. “What kind of information?”
Rose gave a quiet cackle. “Nothing that concerns you, dear. Besides, Clayton will have no problem filling me in on everything. Especially when I arrive to comfort him with the disappearance of his wife.” Rose laid her hands on her chest. “Where could she be, Clayton? Has she left you so soon? We must give those nasty men everything they need in order to get your beautiful Emma back safely. If there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to call on me. I’m here for you.”
Emma virtually jumped in her chair. “You stay away from him, you whore!”
“Emma,” Sophie whispered.
“Yes, Emma, listen to your sister.” Rose dragged a finger down her cheek. “I’d hate to do anything worse to that face.”
Emma turned her face to bite Rose’s finger… not fast enough.
“Now, ladies, I’m going to leave you, but don’t you fear. Gregory and Lewis are right upstairs, you have no escape.” She flounced out the door and they heard her disappearing footsteps.
“Emma, who was the man who grabbed us?”
“He’s that soldier I danced with at Stephen’s ball. The one who gave me the creeps.”
Sophie hummed. “I wonder what he wants. And why he’s working with one of the men who gets hung for assassinating Lincoln.”
“Isn’t that guy’s name Lewis?” Emma asked. “The Lewis Payne.”
“Yes. Lewis Payne is what he goes by, but his real name was Powell.”
“Seriously, Sophie?”
“What?”
Emma rolled her eyes. “You’re pulling Scarlett at a time like this?”
“History makes me feel safe,” Sophie whispered frantically. “If I know what’s coming, maybe I can change it.”
Emma frowned. “Do you think Rose is part of the assassination plot?”
“I don’t know. She’s not mentioned in any of the history books… neither is Gregory for that matter.” Sophie narrowed her eyes. “How’s your lip?”
“I’m fine. It hurts, but it’ll mend.” Emma fought with the ropes binding her hands. “What have we gotten ourselves into?”
Sophie shifted in her chair. “You mean, what have I gotten us into?”
“You didn’t force me to go with you, Sophie.”
Sophie squeezed her eyes shut. “Jamie’s going to kill me.”
“Yeah, I have a feeling Clayton will do the same.”
Sophie whistled quietly toward the window.
“Shush!” Emma whispered. “What are you doing?”
Sophie raised her eyebrow at Emma and whistled again. The sound of heavy breathing wafted through the window.
Emma gasped. “No? Is that Samson?”
Sophie nodded. “He followed us. I just hope I haven’t led him into the sight of the Payne’s. If this room is tucked away from the alley, perhaps they won’t see him.”
“He isn’t Black Beauty, Sophie, and this isn’t some romantic television movie.”
“He’s a great horse, Emma. You underestimate him.”
“Maybe he could bring in Lassie and Flipper as reinforcements. What’s that, Samson? Sophie and Emma have been kidnapped by psycho confederates?” Emma whispered sarcastically. “No, wait. Sophie and Emma have fallen down the well.”
Sophie rolled her eyes.
“Come on, Sophie, what’s he going to do? Ride in with Shaggy and the gang in the Mystery Machine?”
“You’re funny.”
“Oh, I know, maybe he’ll do it for a Scooby Snack?” Emma whispered frantically as she tried to pull her hands out of her bindings.
“Don’t fight with them,” Sophie admonished. “You’ll burn your skin.”
* * *
“Jamie!” Clayton yelled and pounded on the bedroom door.
“What’s going on?” Jamie called from the other side of the door.
“Emma’s gone.”
Jamie opened the door. “What do you mean, she’s gone, Clayton?”
“She’s not in bed and not in the house. Where’s Sophie?”
“I thought she’d gone downstairs for something to drink.”
“Well, she’s not there now.”
“Shit!” Jamie grabbed his clothes and boots.
They ran for the carriage house. Finding Samson out of his stall, Clayton roused a confused stable boy from his slumber. “Jack, where are the girls?”
“They went for a ride, boss.”
“What do you mean they went for a ride?”
Jack shrunk away from his angry tone. “They said you knew they was going. I’s sorry, suh.”
Hearing hooves, Clayton stepped outside. “It’s one of the carriage horses. Where the hell is Samson? Jack, go and find Walter. I’ll saddle two more horses and the three of us will go and look for them.”
Jack ran for the house to find the so-called butler.
“This is all my fault.” Jamie paced in obvious agitation. “I should have told her what was going on.”
Walter ran out of the house, partially dressed. “What happened?”
“The girls are gone.” Clayton handed Walter a bridle. “One horse has come back, but we don’t know where Samson is. I can only assume he’s with Sophie.”
Jamie jabbed a finger at Clayton. “This was about you and Christopher to begin with. Sophie should have never been involved. They should have stayed in Harrisburg where they’re safe.”
“I had to be here, Jamie. And had the women listened to us, they wouldn’t be in danger right now.” Clayton swore. “This isn’t even about them.”
“What do you mean, Clay? You said they were in danger.”
“Christopher and I have been sifting through information about possible plots against the President. It would appear we got too close, so they’re using Emma to get to me.”
“Was it Payne?” Walter asked.
Jamie’s head whipped up. “Excuse me?”
Clayton sighed. “We’re somewhat certain about who took them and where they may have taken them. The tricky part will be getting them out safely. Their crew is generally pretty heavily armed.” Walter took off to get reinforcements and Clayton and Jamie mounted their horses and grabbed pistols.
Jamie glared at Clayton. “Are you talking about Lewis Payne?”
“Yes.” He narrowed his eyes. “How do you know that name?”
Jamie groaned. “We’ll discuss that after you find my wife.”
They took off toward the White House and headed west once they reached the strip where they would run the horses.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had suspects?” Jamie accused.
“Confidential information, Jamie.”
“Screw your confidential information, Clayton. You put my wife and my sister in danger. For that alone, I should kill you.”
Walter met them halfway to their destination with an update. “They’re not at Nineteenth.”
“That means it has to be South B.” Clayton shifted his weight in his saddle and then dug his heels into his horse. “Let’s go.”
They rode as fast as they could. Clayton pulled up less than a block from the house and dismounted. He ran toward the residence, Jamie in tow. Clayton gave a sign that he was going to move to the back of the house. There was only one alleyway for every three row houses—they would have to move quietly.
He noticed a couple of his men across the street from the entranceway and they signaled that they had the front exits covered. Clayton and Jamie moved to the back.
“I can’t believe it,” Jamie whispered and Clayton turned.
Samson stood next to the building, his head down as though he was trying to smell something. “Easy, boy,” Jamie whispered as they approached the horse.
Clayton noticed a slit that could possibly pass for a small window and knelt down beside to look in. He saw the girls tied to chairs, but otherwise they appeared to be all right. “Emma?” he whispered.
Her head shot up toward the window and she gave him a very guilty smile. “Hi.”
Sophie leaned her head back. “Is Jamie with you?”
“No, I’m at home sleeping like a baby.” Jamie peeked through the window.
“Thank God.”
Jamie removed his hat and lay flat on his stomach. “How many?”
Sophie shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. Rose is involved and there are at least two others.”
Clayton and Jamie moved quietly back down the alleyway. Clayton gave a silent signal to his men. They broke the front door down, while Clayton and Jamie went through the side.
They located the basement stairs in the back of the house, so while Payne’s men were distracted, Clayton and Jamie slipped unnoticed down them.
Clayton let out a sigh of relief as they let themselves in quietly and closed it quickly behind them. Clayton put his finger to his lips when he saw his wife open her mouth. They still had to get out of here without getting shot. Jamie untied Sophie and she threw herself into his arms.
* * *
Clayton untied Emma and then noticed her lip. “Who hit you?”
“It was that man I danced with at the ball.” Emma rubbed her wrists. “The one I said creeped me out, remember?”
“Gregory Payne?”
“Yes. Apparently, I was making too much noise.”
He held her close and gave her a quick squeeze. “All right, sweet, we need to get you out of here. I have work to do.”
Emma grasped his arm. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to deliver some justice, and then I’m going to destroy the son of a bitch.”
“Or, we could just go,” Emma pleaded. “You’ll get hurt.”
Jamie turned with a scowl. “You should have thought about that before you took off this morning. Now we’re in a mess, and you two are the reason.”
Emma’s hackles rose, but Sophie put her hand on her arm. They heard Samson paw the ground outside and Sophie pulled her skirt from her hips so that she was left with just her breeches on. She motioned for Emma to do the same.
“If you help me get up on Samson, Emma can jump up behind me. You know he’ll get us home safely.”
Jamie nodded. They hugged the wall as they sneaked back up the stairs. It appeared that Clayton’s men had Payne’s men in hand, but Clayton wouldn’t relax until the girls were on their way to safety. The group exited the building and Sophie whistled for Samson, who came running. “You are such a good boy,” she whispered as she patted his neck. “I believe your Aunty Em owes you an apology… and a Scooby Snack.”
Emma glared at her, but had to admit this was one pretty unusual horse. Jamie gave Sophie a leg up and then Clayton virtually threw Emma up behind her. She shot him a scowl. Sophie gathered the reins and maneuvered the horse down the alleyway. She dug her heels in and they took off toward home.
Emma gave her a gentle squeeze. “Sophie, remember what Rose said?”
Sophie glanced behind her. “Which part?”
“The part about her comforting Clayton. We can’t go home, she might be there. What if she brought backup, and we run into another trap?”
“Good point.” Sophie slowed Samson down to a walk and continued to move away from the row houses. “Let me think.”
Emma pointed in front of them. “Look, there’s Walter.”
“Yes.” Sophie guided Samson to him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “Your husbands will not be pleased.”
Emma filled Walter in on everything that had happened so far, and Rose’s threats.
“Rose said she was going back to the house,” Emma relayed.
Sophie nodded. “It’s possible she could be there now. I’m not sure it would be the smartest place for us to go right now.”
Walter agreed that they should stay with him, so Emma and Sophie slipped off Samson’s back.