the underbrush beside the trail. Lafayette grabbed for the ornamental sword with which the duke’s servants had provided him.
“Not another move, or I’ll punch a hole through your treacherous weasand,” a voice rasped behind him. He spun, looked into a scowling, mustachioed face, and the tip of a bared blade inches from his throat. Other men were emerging from concealment, swords in hand. Lafayette was just realizing that they wore the yellow livery of the Lady Andragorre’s household, when rough hands seized his arms from behind.
“Came back to gloat, did you? Or was it loot you had in mind?” The captain poked the sword at Lafayette’s midriff. “Where is she, miserable wretch!”
“I w-was just going to ask you that question!”
“Speak—or I may not be able to restrain my lads from ripping your carcass limb from limb!”
“You were escorting her.” Lafayette found his voice. “Why ask me where she is? What did you do, run off and leave her?”
“Ah-hah, so that’s the game, is it? Next I suppose you’ll demand ransom for her return!” Lafayette yipped as the point pinked him again. “I’ll ransom you, you sneaking snake in the underbrush! Talk! What have you done with the finest little mistress a squadron of cavalry ever had!”
“I’m on official business,” Lafayette panted. “Take a look at the signet on my left hand.”
Hard hands fumbled with the massive ring.
“It won’t come off,” a corporal reported. “Want me to cut it off?”
“You think to bribe us with this bauble?” the captain barked.
“Of course not! It belongs to Duke Rodolpho! But the finger’s mine. Do you mind leaving it where it is?”
“Boy, what a nerve, to swipe the duke’s ring and then have the gall to brag about it,” the troop sergeant growled.
“I didn’t steal it, he gave it to me!”
“Let’s run the bum through, Cap’n,” a trooper spoke up. “I got no use for guys which they’re such lousy liars. Everybody knows his Grace is tighter than a thumbscrew.”
“Can’t you get it through your thick heads I’m not a kidnapper? I’m on an important mission, and—”
“What mission?”
“To catch up with the Lady Andragorre, and bring her back—”
“So you admit it!”
“But I had no intention of doing it,” O’Leary amplified, struggling to force his throbbing head to function effectively. “I intended to head in the opposite direction, and—”
“And lingered a bit too long about the scene of your dastardly abduction!” the captain snarled. “Very well, fetch rope, men! His dangling corpse will serve as a warning to others!”
“Wait!” Lafayette shouted. “I give up, you’re too smart for me. I’ll ... I’ll talk!”
“Very well.” The captain jabbed him. “Talk!”
“Well, let’s see ... where shall I begin,” O’Leary stalled.
“Start with when Lou had to step into the bushes,” the sergeant suggested.
“Yes, well, as soon as Lou stepped into the bushes, I, ah ...”
“You hit him over the head, right?” a trooper contributed.
“Right. And then, er ...”
“Then when we held up and sent a couple guys back to see what was taking Lou so long, you bopped them on the knob too, right?”
“That’s it—”
“And then, while the rest of us was beating the brush for the boys which they hadn’t come back, you nips in and whisks her Ladyship away from under the nose of Les, which he was holding the nags, right?”
“Who’s telling this, you or me?” O’Leary inquired tartly.
“So where is she now?”
“How do I know? I was busy hitting Lou over the head and whisking around under Les’s nose, remember?”
“How come you know the boys’ names? You been casing this job a long time, hey?”
“Never mind that, Quackwell,” the captain barked. “We’re wasting time. The lady’s whereabouts, you, or I’ll stretch your neck i’ the instant!”
“She’s—she’s at the hunting lodge of Lorenzo the Lanky!”
“Lorenzo the
“Not another move, or I’ll punch a hole through your treacherous weasand,” a voice rasped behind him. He spun, looked into a scowling, mustachioed face, and the tip of a bared blade inches from his throat. Other men were emerging from concealment, swords in hand. Lafayette was just realizing that they wore the yellow livery of the Lady Andragorre’s household, when rough hands seized his arms from behind.
“Came back to gloat, did you? Or was it loot you had in mind?” The captain poked the sword at Lafayette’s midriff. “Where is she, miserable wretch!”
“I w-was just going to ask you that question!”
“Speak—or I may not be able to restrain my lads from ripping your carcass limb from limb!”
“You were escorting her.” Lafayette found his voice. “Why ask me where she is? What did you do, run off and leave her?”
“Ah-hah, so that’s the game, is it? Next I suppose you’ll demand ransom for her return!” Lafayette yipped as the point pinked him again. “I’ll ransom you, you sneaking snake in the underbrush! Talk! What have you done with the finest little mistress a squadron of cavalry ever had!”
“I’m on official business,” Lafayette panted. “Take a look at the signet on my left hand.”
Hard hands fumbled with the massive ring.
“It won’t come off,” a corporal reported. “Want me to cut it off?”
“You think to bribe us with this bauble?” the captain barked.
“Of course not! It belongs to Duke Rodolpho! But the finger’s mine. Do you mind leaving it where it is?”
“Boy, what a nerve, to swipe the duke’s ring and then have the gall to brag about it,” the troop sergeant growled.
“I didn’t steal it, he gave it to me!”
“Let’s run the bum through, Cap’n,” a trooper spoke up. “I got no use for guys which they’re such lousy liars. Everybody knows his Grace is tighter than a thumbscrew.”
“Can’t you get it through your thick heads I’m not a kidnapper? I’m on an important mission, and—”
“What mission?”
“To catch up with the Lady Andragorre, and bring her back—”
“So you admit it!”
“But I had no intention of doing it,” O’Leary amplified, struggling to force his throbbing head to function effectively. “I intended to head in the opposite direction, and—”
“And lingered a bit too long about the scene of your dastardly abduction!” the captain snarled. “Very well, fetch rope, men! His dangling corpse will serve as a warning to others!”
“Wait!” Lafayette shouted. “I give up, you’re too smart for me. I’ll ... I’ll talk!”
“Very well.” The captain jabbed him. “Talk!”
“Well, let’s see ... where shall I begin,” O’Leary stalled.
“Start with when Lou had to step into the bushes,” the sergeant suggested.
“Yes, well, as soon as Lou stepped into the bushes, I, ah ...”
“You hit him over the head, right?” a trooper contributed.
“Right. And then, er ...”
“Then when we held up and sent a couple guys back to see what was taking Lou so long, you bopped them on the knob too, right?”
“That’s it—”
“And then, while the rest of us was beating the brush for the boys which they hadn’t come back, you nips in and whisks her Ladyship away from under the nose of Les, which he was holding the nags, right?”
“Who’s telling this, you or me?” O’Leary inquired tartly.
“So where is she now?”
“How do I know? I was busy hitting Lou over the head and whisking around under Les’s nose, remember?”
“How come you know the boys’ names? You been casing this job a long time, hey?”
“Never mind that, Quackwell,” the captain barked. “We’re wasting time. The lady’s whereabouts, you, or I’ll stretch your neck i’ the instant!”
“She’s—she’s at the hunting lodge of Lorenzo the Lanky!”
“Lorenzo the
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