She hadn't realized she'd whispered the plea out loud until Lucas agreed with her.
"We'll get them back, Taylor."
He sounded so certain that she took heart. She said a prayer that the little ones weren't being mistreated. Keep them safe, she silently chanted to God. Please keep them safe.
She suddenly realized Lucas was talking to her and tried to concentrate on what he was saying. Wire his friend? Why? She leaned forward and implored him to start over.
"The little girls were being taken to Cincinnati," he explained a second time. "There's a buyer there." Waiting, he silently added.
"How long ago?"
"Two days past."
"Oh, God, they could be anywhere by now."
He shook his head. "It takes forty hours by train to reach Cincinnati, Taylor. If we're lucky, my friend will meet the train."
"But if they didn't go by train?"
"Then it's going to take them longer to get there," he reasoned.
"Yes."
"As soon as we get back to our hotel, I'll wire Hunter."
"Is he in Cincinnati?"
"No, but he's close enough."
"Are you certain you can find him?"
He nodded. "If your nieces aren't on the train, we'll need Hunter more than ever. He's the second-best tracker in the states and the territories combined."
"Who is the first best?" she asked, thinking she wanted Lucas to hire that gentleman as well. The more experts they had looking, the better their chances were of finding the little ones before anything more happened to them.
"I am."
She sighed with relief. "While you wire your friend, I'll get the train schedule and have the concierge purchase the tickets for us. We should leave as soon as possible."
He knew better than to try to talk her into waiting in Boston. Cincinnati could well have been only a stopping-off point and nothing more. There was the real possibility the little girls were already there. Westley said two days ago… forty-eight hours. Yes, they could have already reached Cincinnati and be on their way in any number of directions. If they were headed into the hills of Kentucky or the wilderness beyond the Ohio valley, Lucas would insist Taylor stay in Cincinnati and wait there. The city was safer and more civilized. If there was time, he would hire someone to look after her.
"You shouldn't be left on your own."
"Excuse me?"
"Never mind."
"Lucas, I'm going with you. We're going to find them together. I won't slow you down."
"I haven't argued," he countered. "You can go with me."
"Thank you."
She closed her eyes. She was suddenly racked with tremors. "Why is there such evil in the world?"
He stared at her a long while before answering. "Because there's such goodness."
She opened her eyes and looked at him. "I don't understand," she admitted. "Are you saying that if there's one, there must be the other?"
"Seems so," he replied.
She shook her head. "I'm not seeing any goodness now."
"I am," he replied gruffly. "I'm looking at it."
She didn't understand what he meant. Lucas became uncomfortable with the compliment he'd given her the second the words were out of his mouth. They sat in silence for a long moment.
"What are you going to do about Victoria?" Lucas asked finally.
"I'll go to her room tonight and explain everything to her."
Neither spoke again for a long while. Lucas was busy plotting his course of action and listing the items he would need for the journey. Taylor was occupied praying for the babies.
"Lucas?"
"Yes?"
"I know this isn't your battle. The babies are my responsibility, not yours. I want you to know how thankful I am to have your assistance." Before he could respond, she continued. "I'm so sorry this was forced on you. You got more than you bargained for when you married me, didn't you? You should be compensated at the very least, and just as soon as…"
He interrupted her. "If you offer to pay me for my services, I'll throttle you."
She was pleased by his anger. She needed a champion now, and Lucas was proving to be just that.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to be insulting. I'm grateful," she said again. She could tell from his expression he didn't want to hear about her gratitude, and so she changed the topic. "Children aren't simply property."
"No, they aren't."
"Most adults believe they are. Most certainly don't believe children have any rights, but they do have rights, don't they?"
He nodded. "They should have the right to loving, protective parents."
"Yes," she whispered.
Her mind jumped to another topic then. "Will the Westleys go to the authorities and bring charges against us?"
"What would they charge?"
"Injury," she answered. "We both shot Henry Westley."
He scoffed at the notion. "They'd have to do some fancy explaining if they talked to anyone," he reasoned. "Do you want to call in the authorities?"
"No," she answered. "It wouldn't do us any good to involve them. Georgie and Allie have already been taken. There would be too much of a delay explaining and filling out forms and… unless you think we should, Lucas."
His natural inclination was to distrust anyone with a badge. The symbol gave the man too much power, and power, he'd learned through experience, was like ocean water to a thirsty man. One drink made a man hungry for more and more and more until it became an insatiable craving. Power rarely elevated a man and most often corrupted him.
"It could get complicated and I don't particularly want the law breathing down my neck while I'm looking for your nieces. Answer a question for me."
"What is it?"
"Does Victoria know about your nieces?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you mention the girls to me?"
She didn't answer him. "Do you trust me?" he asked her then.
She hesitated a full minute before speaking. "I believe I do," she said. "Yes, I do," she added in a more forceful tone of voice. "Madam said I should."
"And if Madam hadn't given you that instruction?"
"You're a man, Lucas."
"What does that mean?"
"Men usually can't be trusted. Victoria and I both have learned that important lesson. Still, you aren't like other men. You're certainly nothing like your half brother. William, I now realize, is a weakling. You're the complete opposite. You'll find them, won't you? Tell me again. I'll believe you."
The jump in topics didn't jar him. He once again gave her his promise.
"Do you think they've been harmed?"
The bleakness in her voice tore at his heart. He was more abrupt than he wanted to be when he answered her. "Don't allow yourself to think about such things. Concentrate only on getting them back. You'll go out of your mind otherwise."
She tried to take his advice. Each time a horrid thought popped into her head, she forced it aside. She made a mental list of all the things she would need to take with her on the trip.
When they finally reached the hotel, Taylor rushed through the lobby in search of the hotel's concierge. She was given a train schedule, and when she read that a train had only just left, she wanted to scream. The next one wouldn't be leaving Boston until ten o'clock in the morning. A messenger was duly dispatched to the station with enough funds to purchase two tickets. The manager suggested he wire their sister hotel in Cincinnati for reservations, and when she agreed, he hurried to do just that. She asked him to be certain to secure a second room for her friend.
Making these plans helped Taylor stay calm. She hurried up to her room, packed her bags, then located the tickets for her trunks and took them with her down to Victoria's room. It was almost two o'clock in the morning when she knocked on her door.