Lords of Honor by K. R. Richards

lips.
    Now s miling, Libby allowed him to lead her into the sitting room , e ven though butterflies danced in her stomach . The men who kidnapped her were somewhere near . She wou ld soon have to face Owen . Lord Elveston arrived , and that made her a little sad , b ecause she truly she enjoyed the time she spent alone with Micah . Yet at the same time , she was thankful Elveston joined their party because of the danger it appeared they might now be in .
    “Lord Elveston,” Libby greeted him with a smile .
    “Lady Elizabeth . I trust you are feeling better.”
    “I am feeling much better . Thank you, my Lord.”
    Micah pulled out a chair at the table for Libby and seated her . He grabbed the foolscap, ink, blotter and quill from the small desk . He returned to the table and sat next to Libby . They faced Jack.
    “Jack, Libby was taken from Roseland Abbey be cause someone wanted to hold her for ransom . Her ransom was to be one of the scrolls we found in Glastonbury . They wanted Owen to obtain it for them . ”
    “What ? Could it be Davitt?”
    “ I’m not certain . The men who kidnapped Libby and kept her drugged referred to their superior as a Mr. Crow .” Micah shook his head in bewilderment .
    He added, “ Jack, I plann ed on taking Lady Elizabeth to Templecombe today . Mr. Banfield the innkeep just informed me you were not the only one asking for us this morning . You said you felt we were being watched . So, I think I must send word to Owen and Harry . We need to have them send to some of the o thers to hopefully meet us here in Salisbury. ”
    Jack nodded .
    “ I personally have three scrolls, ” Micah began, “ and Tr evan has the others . I shall sen d a message to him as well . I will t ell Harry it would be good to have Lady Glaston as chaperone for Lady Elizabeth once we reach Horethorne Hall . If Owen is still at Roseland Abbey, it wo uld take him a full day or more to get to Templecombe , longer to reach Salisbury . ” Micah guessed that Owen already left Roseland Abbey days ago to search for his sister.
    “ I only saw one fellow outside who appeared to be watching the inn , ” Jack offered.
    “Was he wearing a brown coat and hat?”
    “Yes . But if there’s just one in front , we could perhaps go out the back and try to make it to Templecombe today . Sitting here longer and allowing more Brown Coats to arrive- ” Jack stopped as he saw Lady Elizabeth’s eyes grow wide. “Well, we need to find out how many are here, I suppose .”
    “ Yes, we must find out how many are watching the Rose and Crown . ” Micah glanced at Libby and offered her an encouraging s mile before continuing . “ I’ll have Harry send for some of the others . If the se men are still following us even after their attempt to kidnap Lady Elizabeth failed, there is something more they want , though I’m uncertain what it could be .” Micah gave Jack a meaningful look as he queried , “You did get my messag e at the White Hart? ”
    Jack nodded . “Yes I got your message from the innkeep er . He told me you were attacked by the same two men who brought Lady Elizabeth in to the White Hart plus four more .”
    Jack conversed with Libby while Micah wrote four short letters ; o ne to Owen, Libby’s brother and o ne to Harry Bellingham, the head of the Avalon Society and their friend in Glastonbury . The next was to Micah’s Butler , Simmonds and his housekeeper Mrs. Clarke , at his home, Horethorne Hall , to warn them there may be intruders and to have th e house readied for his wife to be and his visitors . The last was to Trevan Chynoweth whom Micah believed possessed the scroll the men who kidnapped Libby were truly after.
    When Mr. Banfield knocked and identified himself, Micah picked up the letters and answered the door .
    “My Lord, I must warn you the gentleman asking after you earlier is standing out side at the edge of the yard . He is with another man . I believe if you have a look out the window, you shall