only one saying it.”
That was doubtful, but Katey had expected to have to make the charges. She hadn’t expected the woman to insist on it and be the one to lead them eagerly to the constable’s office. And a good thing she did, since Katey spotted the boy she’d sent off for the constable playing at the end of the square with a dog. A coin might have got him to do as she’d asked, but without one, he’d simply ignored her request!
She was still suspicious of the Scotswoman’s motives. Could she really prefer a jail cell to facing her husband’s anger? Apparently so. But what she should have been suspicious of instead was why Mrs. Cameron insisted that she go along with her.
Chapter Fourteen
K ATEY SAT ON THE COT with her legs scrunched up, her chin resting on her knees, her lips twisted sourly. She was creating one of her tales in her mind, of Boyd Anderson being walked up to a gallows. His hands weren’t tied, but his mouth was gagged. He was being asked if he had any last words to say, but he couldn’t answer because of the gag. But he could remove it easily enough, couldn’t he? Very well, she was going to have to tie his hands, since she had no interest in hearing what he might have to say.
She delayed opening the trapdoor under him. She was savoring the moment. He didn’t look frightened, though. Looked damned stubborn, actually, just as he did when she’d last seen him. Maybe because he was confident that he wouldn’t be hung for stupidity, which was what he’d been convicted of. So if she put herself in the scene, let him see her, then he’d know he had something to worry about…
“Ah, so here you are,” Grace said drily. “I should have known. I looked everywhere else. Why didn’t I think to look in—jail?”
Katey glanced up as the cell door was closed behind her maid. Grace had a highly developed sarcastic sense of humor.
“I’m glad you’re seeing some humor in this,” Katey said with a sigh.
“Did I sound amused? Really? I assure you I’m not. I assure you I’m quite angry. Good deeds are not supposed to end this way.”
And that was exactly how Katey had felt, until she’d started hanging Boyd Anderson in her mind. Dispensing a just punishment to him, even if it was only in her imagination, had got rid of, or at least calmed down, some of her anger. She knew very well that she and Grace would have been in London by now if not for his stubbornness. She certainly wouldn’t still have been in Northampton and run into Maisie Cameron again and ended up in jail herself because of it.
But Grace was here now, and surely her identical version of events had convinced the constable that she was innocent. “Now that you’ve arrived, we can be on our way, so let’s just put this—”
“Whatever made you think that?” Grace cut in curtly. “No, I’m joining you. Apparently, I’m a member of your gang of abductors.”
That certainly wasn’t what Katey had been hoping to hear. “This is so silly. You’d think with us both telling them exactly the same thing—”
“Did we?” Grace cut in suspiciously. “Or did you get creative?”
“I did not!” Katey said indignantly.
“Well, the constable didn’t ask me much, but why haven’t you talked your way out of here yet?”
“I did,” Katey replied with a small degree of triumph. “Mr. Calderson, our jailor, even believed me.”
“I should have guessed,” Grace said, and rattled the door that prevented them from leaving.
Katey glowered. It was an impressive glower for a change. Grace even looked contrite over that last bit of sarcasm—but only briefly.
While the maid was momentarily silenced, Katey explained, “I haven’t been released yet because of who Judith’s family is. They’re apparently very well known in this country. Mr. Calderson recognized their name immediately and said he doesn’t dare let me go until he hears from a representative of the family.”
“So you’ve been in here all
That was doubtful, but Katey had expected to have to make the charges. She hadn’t expected the woman to insist on it and be the one to lead them eagerly to the constable’s office. And a good thing she did, since Katey spotted the boy she’d sent off for the constable playing at the end of the square with a dog. A coin might have got him to do as she’d asked, but without one, he’d simply ignored her request!
She was still suspicious of the Scotswoman’s motives. Could she really prefer a jail cell to facing her husband’s anger? Apparently so. But what she should have been suspicious of instead was why Mrs. Cameron insisted that she go along with her.
Chapter Fourteen
K ATEY SAT ON THE COT with her legs scrunched up, her chin resting on her knees, her lips twisted sourly. She was creating one of her tales in her mind, of Boyd Anderson being walked up to a gallows. His hands weren’t tied, but his mouth was gagged. He was being asked if he had any last words to say, but he couldn’t answer because of the gag. But he could remove it easily enough, couldn’t he? Very well, she was going to have to tie his hands, since she had no interest in hearing what he might have to say.
She delayed opening the trapdoor under him. She was savoring the moment. He didn’t look frightened, though. Looked damned stubborn, actually, just as he did when she’d last seen him. Maybe because he was confident that he wouldn’t be hung for stupidity, which was what he’d been convicted of. So if she put herself in the scene, let him see her, then he’d know he had something to worry about…
“Ah, so here you are,” Grace said drily. “I should have known. I looked everywhere else. Why didn’t I think to look in—jail?”
Katey glanced up as the cell door was closed behind her maid. Grace had a highly developed sarcastic sense of humor.
“I’m glad you’re seeing some humor in this,” Katey said with a sigh.
“Did I sound amused? Really? I assure you I’m not. I assure you I’m quite angry. Good deeds are not supposed to end this way.”
And that was exactly how Katey had felt, until she’d started hanging Boyd Anderson in her mind. Dispensing a just punishment to him, even if it was only in her imagination, had got rid of, or at least calmed down, some of her anger. She knew very well that she and Grace would have been in London by now if not for his stubbornness. She certainly wouldn’t still have been in Northampton and run into Maisie Cameron again and ended up in jail herself because of it.
But Grace was here now, and surely her identical version of events had convinced the constable that she was innocent. “Now that you’ve arrived, we can be on our way, so let’s just put this—”
“Whatever made you think that?” Grace cut in curtly. “No, I’m joining you. Apparently, I’m a member of your gang of abductors.”
That certainly wasn’t what Katey had been hoping to hear. “This is so silly. You’d think with us both telling them exactly the same thing—”
“Did we?” Grace cut in suspiciously. “Or did you get creative?”
“I did not!” Katey said indignantly.
“Well, the constable didn’t ask me much, but why haven’t you talked your way out of here yet?”
“I did,” Katey replied with a small degree of triumph. “Mr. Calderson, our jailor, even believed me.”
“I should have guessed,” Grace said, and rattled the door that prevented them from leaving.
Katey glowered. It was an impressive glower for a change. Grace even looked contrite over that last bit of sarcasm—but only briefly.
While the maid was momentarily silenced, Katey explained, “I haven’t been released yet because of who Judith’s family is. They’re apparently very well known in this country. Mr. Calderson recognized their name immediately and said he doesn’t dare let me go until he hears from a representative of the family.”
“So you’ve been in here all
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