Benjamin wondered at the concerned and long faces that emerged from Lily's house. Now that they had Lily, they had what they needed and were making good time. He gave the young girl a hand up on to his saddle and rode off with her. Once they were in the clear of the village, Richard rode up next to them.

"I am sorry, Lily. I had hoped your Mother could be moved to our Manor but keep in mind, my promise to take care of you and your family still stands, no matter whose land you are living on."

Lily sniffed and nodded but did not seem very much consoled. Richard looked to Juliana and shrugged. He felt inept in handling the situation.

Juliana slowed her horse and asked if she and Lily could have a moment. McAllister looked bristled by this delay but as they needed to have the young woman's cooperation he did as requested and stopped the horse, helping her down.

"Walk with me, Lily," Juliana said, and she complied.

"Why was your mother so vehement about not leaving? What is she so afraid of, Lily?"

Lily shook her head. She felt cornered and did not believe she could say. Juliana could sense her reservation. "I let Lady Bentley control my life for years. I felt I had no say, no other choice but you do, Lily."

Lily looked up at her with a lost expression. "My mother will always be subject to them."

"Them?"

Lily nodded. "A group that has taken many actions into their own hands. Have destroyed factories, broken machines caused physical harm. My father was a guard at the Bentley Textile Mill. When Lord Bentley had tried to install new machinery. This group had broken the machines."

Juliana had remembered this, as it was a huge financial blow to Lord Bentley to replace the looms. Her Father had been talking him into going completely mechanized but Lord Bentley just wanted to upgrade his Mill to be more efficient, so he could use the funds to promote his farming tenants.

"What happened to your father?"

"He guarded the factory at night. They came, and they killed him to get into the factory to damage the machinery. He was found by the workers in the morning," Lily said looking away, feeling the heat of her tears travel down her face.

Juliana grabbed the girl in her embrace, knowing the pain of losing a parent and wanting to comfort her in some way.

"My apologies, Mistress," Lily said breaking away and swiping at her tears. "My mother has been left at the mercy of the Chase family to care for us all. She has done her best but once she fell ill, things had gone from bad to worse. She is very loyal to them but I fear her loyalty is misplaced."

This grabbed Juliana's attention immediately. "Why?"

"I worked in the Chase home before I came to Bentley Manor. I have seen strange comings and goings. I feared for my Mother's involvement, as Mr. Chase would manipulate her the same way he had me. The day I was sent to your household, I was told that I needed to report all that I had seen and heard back to Mr. Chase. I believe Lady Bentley had caught on to this, which is why she left me behind when she went to Bath."

"Lily, Clara may be in that house. Do you think you could find out or help us get in, so we may find her?"

Lily lifted her chin, "I will do whatever you ask of me. I know who the enemy is, even if my Mother refuses to see."

Juliana hugged the girl again. So brave for someone so young. "Thank you, Lily. We could never succeed without you." Lily smiled for the first time since leaving her home.

Upon seeing two smiling faces emerge from the woods, both Benjamin and Richard sighed in relief. Juliana had done it. She had gotten Lily to agree.

Benjamin strode over to her. "I am so grateful for you, Lily. I am Benjamin McAllister. Clara is my wife."

"Oh, sir. If she is in that house, I will discover the truth of it for you," Lily told him valiantly.

Benjamin touched the young girl's cheek. "So much to ride on someone so young, but I place my faith in you."

"We are not far from the house, there are several structures outside the main house that I have seen used for other purposes. I will try and be as thorough as possible to learn if Mistress Clara is being held there. I must ask that you all wait here. I will return to you soon."

Richard did not like this plan. "Lily that is too much to ask. You are putting yourself in danger. One of us should be with you."

"I will go," said Benjamin, if his informants were correct this area is home to a Luddite faction but the leader has remained unidentified. Benjamin felt that the answer to both questions, 'Where is Clara?' and 'Who is holding her hostage?' was the same as that of 'Who is the leader of the Luddites here in the province?'

"You both are too recognizable," Benjamin said, but Lily put him in check.

"I can cover more area and would appear far less suspicious if you stay here. It will not take me long. I will be back as soon as I know anything, definitely within the hour," Lily told him.

The three of them looked at one another. No one liked this plan but conceded to the sense of it.

"Lily, you must take care. If you believe you are in the slightest danger, forget what we have asked and come back to us. We will find another way," Richard told her.

Lily felt the thrill of taking her life in her own hands for the first time. "I will be back soon," and she left them standing, waiting in the woods just outside the Chase Estate.

Clara could hear a knock on a door. There were muffled whispers, and she could have sworn she heard someone cuss. The door slammed closed. She waited and nothing. Silence. Her ears strained to hear the slightest sound. Still nothing. She must be alone.

Clara struggled again against her bonds. She could feel the rope chaffing her skin, she could not find a way to get free. She moved her feet and found they were not as tightly bound and started working at them. Clara did not know how much time she had before her captor returned, but she knew she wanted to be free as soon as possible.

If she could just manage to get a foot loose it may slacken her binds enough to extract the rest of her. Again, she thought of Benjamin. Why had she been so foolish? He feared this happening to her. Feared it so greatly, he had tucked her away in the country, under the watchful eyes of servants. She did not believe she could suffer a sniffle without Benjamin becoming privy of it.

She felt suffocated and oppressed. Her only escape was her writing. She used it to keep her mind fresh, to keep the melancholy away. Now however she understood he had just cause. She wondered if her abductors worked for the group that Benjamin had been rooting out. There has been much civil unrest. The King acts unaware but his country is becoming divided within.

Benjamin had been part of the Royal Dragoons, the light guard, responsible for reconnaissance, skirmish, and in rare cases espionage. A brilliant information officer he had caught the special attention of the King. He traveled in some dark circles, a world he did not want her to be a part of, and here she was tied to a chair, smack dab in the middle of it.

Clara began working more furiously at her bonds. The more she thought of Benjamin the more determined she became to escape. Then she heard the click of a doorknob and a slight gasp of breath. The door shut quietly and footsteps raced quickly to her side.

"Oh, Mistress Clara! I knew they would have you here!"

Clara's head turned to the voice, "Who are you?"

Lily lowered Clara's blindfold.

"Lily!" Clara exclaimed and the girl put her hand over Clara's mouth, waiting with bated breath to see if the exclamation had been heard. When she felt confident that it was not she removed her hand.

"Yes, Mistress. Lord and Lady Bentley are trying to find you, and your husband is here as well."

"Benjamin?" Clara exhaled in whispered wonderment. He had come. He did love her.

"Help me get loose. I have to get back to them," Clara said, pulling against her restraints more frantically now knowing Benjamin was so close.

Lily nodded and immediately got to work trying to untie Clara's hands but the rope was so tight she knew she would need something to cut them. She went to Clara's feet instead, having made the same assumption that Clara did, that perhaps if she could get her feet free it would loosen Clara's hands.

Lily made quick work of the knot around one leg of the chair and Clara could feel the binds ease. She pulled out a foot, and then they heard what sounded like people arguing not far from the door.

Clara looked frightened at Lily. Lily bit her lip and said, "Sorry, Mistress." And put the blindfold back into place.

Clara thrashed against the chair, "Do not leave me here!"

Lily's voice came to her clear beside her ear. "I must Mistress. It will not serve either of us if I am caught here with you. I will return. I promise. With your husband and Lord and Lady Bentley."

She heard the quick movements to another part of the room, a door open and close. Then the arguing became louder and louder and the door on the other side of the room burst open. Clara winced at the sound.

"What the bloody hell have you done! I did not authorize this! This was not the plan!" She heard someone yell.

"We needed insurance."

"You have taken this too far, and it is not even necessary! I have the letters here!"

"You are a FOOL! You always have been! You really think those are the REAL letters?"

Clara heard some scuffling movements, and another swear.

"You have compromised me, because of your arrogance, and I have outgrown you."

"Emmaline! No!"

The blast from a gun rang in Clara's ears; the putrid smell of smoke burned her nostrils.

Then she heard close to her ear she heard the menacing whisper, "Now, what to do with you?"