The Guardian

Episode 8 Part 3 - Fire!

"Miss Heywood? Do not hurt her!" Came the voice of Mr Lambe from somewhere upstairs.

"Let go of me!" Charlotte shouted, but the person behind her, pulled her arms back harder, causing her to wince in pain.

"Quiet now! How does it feel to have the table's reversed, Miss Heywood?" Said a voice in her ear as she felt a hard object against her back and knew at once what it was.

Charlotte felt like she had been plunged into cold water, for she recognised the voice as Mr Howard's manservant. "You!"

The man chuckled behind her. "This way." He said pushing her towards the staircase. "You too, Mister." He said to Mr Moorland who went in front of them.

Charlotte was pushed upstairs to Mr Lambe's bedchamber which was at the back of the house and therefore no-one could see into the windows from the street below. When they entered the room, she saw Mr Lambe sat in the corner with a cut on his head which was still bleeding, his arm around Georgiana. Next to Georgiana was Crocket and another servant, presumably their cook. Sitting on the bed, a gun pointed at them all was a gentlemen she vaguely recognised, but could not remember where from. Another man, incredibly large and odious was stood at the opposite end of the room. It was he who spoke to her.

"Ah, Miss Heywood I believe. Well, well, this is my lucky day." He said in a sickening voice as he rubbed his hands together.

Charlotte was sure she had just walked into some sort of nightmare. "Mr Howard, I presume?" She said, her voice surprisingly steady.

Mr Howard smirked at her. "Indeed. I must say, I am rather delighted to make your acquaintance, Miss Heywood, particularly after you demonstrated to my man how proficiently you can handle a pistol. It is not everyday you come across a woman with such talents." He said. Charlotte just glared at him in response. "Sit her down with the others, Bates."

Howard's man roughly tugged Charlotte and more or less threw her to sit along the wall. Once she was released, she took off her gloves and examined and rubbed her wrists. There was already had a red mark forming on them from the tightness of the man's (whose name she now knew was Bates) grip. Bates' injuries from his with Sidney and Mr Lambe could still be seen. His nose was off centre and there were still dark bruises around his eyes, the result of his broken nose.

"What are you going to do?" Georgiana asked him, her voice trembling.

Howard sneered at her. "I am here to claim what is mine."

"If that was the case, then I believe that to be a mere £1,800. I am sure we can arrange for that to be deposited into your account by tomorrow morning. There is no need for this to escalate any further." Charlotte said, trying to sound braver than she felt.

Mr Howard laughed at her. "Nice try, Miss Heywood, but £1,800 was not the prize I was after."

"Then it is a shame that you are going to be left so disappointed." Charlotte said, her eyes narrowing in contempt.

"My, my! You appear to be even more of a handful than Miss Lambe here. Yes... I going to enjoy breaking you in." He said licking his lips.

Charlotte looked at him in horror and disgust. They needed a plan to get out of here. Thank goodness Mrs Griffiths knew where they were! Hopefully she would report it to Sidney before Mr Howard took them away from here.

"She came here with three others. We won't have long until their absence in noticed." Said Bates.

"Then we cannot stay here. Ladies, my carriage awaits." Mr Howard said nodding to the men

"No. You are not taking them!" Mr Lambe shouted as the two men started to get closer, and then yelled out in pain as he tried to get up as if to challenge them.