Free Redemption by Rebecca King Page A

she had shared with him in the
Potterton’s garden had been profound. That had been a pivotal
moment in her life when everything changed and she knew that
nothing would ever be the same again. She certainly knew that no
man would ever have the capacity to stir her the same way Ben had.
In those few precious moments they had shared in the folly
something deep within her had unfolded, and left her yearning for
something she knew instinctively that only Ben could give
her.
    She
shifted and rolled over to stare blankly up at the ceiling. She
didn’t want to admit it, not even to herself but, while she had
been wrapped in Ben’s loving arms, she had lost something of
herself to him. It was something she knew she would never get back.
Deep inside, she couldn’t help but feel that it might very well be
her heart.
    The
solitary hoot of an owl suddenly shattered the silence and made her
jump. She could hear absolutely nothing yet every creek, moan, pop,
and crackle of the fireplace, and rustle of twigs and leaves
outside of the window was shockingly loud. She hated it, mainly
because it was a total contrast to the constant cacophony that was
London, and everything she was familiar with. Still, it was too
late to go back now. She had spent a lot of her money getting to
Derbyshire. First thing in the morning she was going to have to
discuss with Patty just how she could go about earning herself some
money while she was there because, without any funds to support
herself she was well and truly stuck in Derbyshire, having to live
off Patty’s grace and favour. That was something that worried
Lizzie so much that she struggled to relax enough to
sleep.
    Eventually, when her tears resurfaced, she gave into them
until exhaustion took over and she fell into a restless
slumber.
     
    Many,
many, miles away, Ben trotted down the winding driveway toward the
huge mansion nestled in the valley below. It sat like a jewel of
light in the dark desolation that had settled over him over the
past few weeks. They had been the very worst in his entire life and
he was now desperate to hear some news of Lizzie before he went
quietly out of his mind.
    His
inability to uncover the truth about what had happened to his
darling Lizzie had driven him to call upon his good friend Barnaby
Stevenson. Barnaby was a member of the Star Elite; the government’s
elite band of fighting men who worked predominantly undercover
capturing criminals and bringing them to justice. Ben knew that if
anyone could help him find Lizzie now, it would be
Barnaby.
    “Good to
see you, my friend,” Barnaby growled amid much back slapping and
handshaking. “Come in, come in. I received your letter. I hope you
don’t mind but asked my colleague, Marcus, to join us.”
    “That’s
fine. Any light you can shed on my problem would be greatly
appreciated right now, Barnaby. I am going out of my mind with
worry.”
    “Then
let’s see what we can do to help you,” Barnaby replied ushering him
into a comfortable library.
    Once
seated, and with a liberal dose of brandy clutched tightly in his
fingers, Ben explained about Lizzie’s disappearance. As soon as he
mentioned Julian Pendlebury, he watched Barnaby share a somewhat
knowing look with Marcus, but both men remained quiet until Ben
finished recounting his explanation of events.
    “Well,
we have recently been investigating a murder. Joshua Samson. Do you
know of him?”
    Ben
nodded. “He died a while back, didn’t he?”
    Barnaby
nodded slowly. “I am on my way back to London tomorrow to re-join
the investigation. I cannot say much right now, mainly because the
investigation is still at a very early stage, but we are aware that
Pendlebury is – was - Samson’s friend; colleague; acquaintance.
Call it what you like.”
    “I read
in the broadsheets that he was found dead in a park somewhere.” Ben
struggled to get the words out past the lump in his throat at the
thought that they were going to tell him that the same fate