by Candace Camp
“I don’t mind.” Bellard smiled. “I quite enjoy reading about history, even when I don’t know the people. There are so many interesting things that crop up. I just need to find the right books.” He waved his hand vaguely toward the shelves he had been perusing when they entered.
“What about Bath?”
“Bath. Oh, well, yes, there’s quite a bit of history there, all the way back to the Romans. But what does Bath have to do with it?”
“I’m not sure,” Alex admitted. “It appears she bought a ticket to Bath as well as one to London. We believe it was probably done to confuse her pursuers.”
“Someone is pursuing you? Oh, my.” Uncle Bellard frowned. “Do you know why? No, of course you don’t, silly of me. My dear girl, it’s a very good thing you came here. We have a bit of experience with these sorts of things.”
Since this was the last thing Sabrina had expected him to say about her situation, she could only stare at him.
“It’s possible,” Alex went on, “that there was no reason to buy a ticket for Bath other than that it lay in the opposite direction from London.” He turned toward Sabrina. “But I thought that perhaps it had some significance, some reason why your pursuer would think you were more likely to go there than London.”
“If there is, I don’t know it. I don’t know much of anything about the place, really, aside from the waters. And there’s a cathedral there, isn’t there?”
“Yes, indeed, a lovely cathedral. It’s a very charming town, not as fashionable as it once was, of course. The Romans called it Aquae Sulis, as the Celts had called the sacred spring Sulis after one of their goddesses. Easy for the Romans to change the goddess to their Minerva. There were... But, no, I’m wandering afield.” Uncle Bellard gave Sabrina a shy smile that won her heart. “I fear history will not be much aid in this situation. The thing is, Alexander, Bath wouldn’t necessarily be the destination. From Bath, one can travel to several different places. Anyone pursuing Miss, um, Sabrina would have to know that she could go north into the Cotswalds or down to Taunton or Exeter, even into Cornwall. One could continue west to Bristol, and from there, to Wales or, well, almost anywhere, if one took a ship. So someone who knew her might have a reason for thinking she was traveling to any one of those other places. Bath might be enough to send him haring off there.”
“You’re right. It’s a clever place to choose, especially if, as Sabrina thinks, she doesn’t know London well.”
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell us anything about who I might be,” Sabrina said.
“Mmm. That’s true. Well, I shall see what I can find out about Baddesly Commons in my books. Perhaps that will give you somewhere to start.” Bellard nodded to them and shuffled off toward the opposite wall, lined with bookcases.
Sabrina looked after the old man in concern. “Isn’t this too hard for him? Should he do all that standing?”
“Uncle Bellard isn’t nearly as fragile as he looks—just as he’s not really so vague, either. I think they’re both a bit of protective coloring, like a chameleon, so that people will leave him alone to putter about, doing what he likes. I’ve seen him stand in here for hours, placing his replicas just so.”
Sabrina glanced around at the numerous tables. “They’re really remarkable. It’s all so painstaking and meticulous. It must take a great deal of research.”
“It does. But as he said, delving into history is what he loves.”
“What are we to do while he is searching?” Sabrina asked. “It’s all very well that your uncle and Megan and your employee are looking for information, but I cannot bear to just sit about waiting. I should be doing something.” She frowned. “Perhaps I should simply go back to Baddesly Commons. Maybe I would remember everything if I saw it again, and if not, at least someone might recognize me.”
“No!” Alex looked alarmed. “We’ve no idea who might be pursuing you or why. You’d likely walk right back into whatever you escaped from. If you want to see if anyone recognizes you, you should do it here in London, where you have my family and the safety of this house.”
“But—” Sabrina began.
“Yes, yes, I know, it’s unlikely you live here in London, and obviously, you ran away from whoever it is in another town. But you came to London for a reason. Maybe you don’t live here, but you might visit sometimes. You might have a relative or friend who lives here who you believe would help you. The person who wrote you the letter, perhaps.”
Sabrina considered the idea. “That does make some sense. But walking all around hoping someone will spot me seems a bit...haphazard.”
“I was thinking more of accompanying Kyria to some parties or the theater, something like that.”
“But your sister didn’t recognize me.”
“No. But Kyria doesn’t know everyone in Society. And if you haven’t been here before or only infrequently visited, then she wouldn’t know you. But that doesn’t mean she might not know your friend or relative.”
“There’s really no reason to think my friend or relative, even if they exist, would move in the same circles as an aristocrat.”
“She might not. That’s why we would go to the theater or opera as well, get an ice at Gunter’s, visit some of Kyria’s favorite stores. It would cast a wider net. It is haphazard. I’ll admit that. I am flailing about a bit, hoping to hit something. But the thing is, those would all be enjoyable things to do. Wouldn’t you like to go to a ball or to see a play? Spend some of that large amount of money you carried? If no one recognizes you, it’s not a complete loss—you will still have an enjoyable time.” He smiled. “And so will I. I would very much like to show you the city.” He held out his hand to her.
Sabrina hesitated, then slipped her hand into his. “That is what I would like, too.”
Chapter Ten
ALEX SAT AT his drafting table, staring out the window. He had come to his office to work, but so far he’d spent most of the day brooding. For the past two weeks, they had followed his plan to see and be seen around London. They went to a play with Megan and Theo. They attended the opera, visited museums, went to a small soiree. When Alex had to work at his office, Kyria took Sabrina shopping for a hat and gloves and all the sundry little things one needed when all of one’s possessions consisted of a brush-and-comb set and some underthings.
Alex and Sabrina volunteered to accompany the youngest members of the household to Hyde Park, since their nanny was still hobbled by her sprained ankle—frankly, after they’d chased the two little girls about all afternoon, Alex wondered how in the world their nanny managed to do it by herself normally. They took Kyria’s brood to Gunter’s one day for ice creams and wound up back at Kyria’s house playing games, where “the Littles” and their older sister Emily invented more and more outlandish histories for Sabrina and her arrival on a train in London, until they all dissolved into laughter.
Sabrina had clearly enjoyed the time, but they had discovered nothing regarding her identity. What Alex had learned was how very much he hoped Sabrina was not married. He went to bed every night thinking about her, and every morning he woke up eager to see her. Even his nightmare of being locked in a room, which had visited him again twice, did not linger, for thoughts of Sabrina soon filled his mind.
It was dangerous being around her so much. It would be sheer folly to fall in love with a woman in her situation—even Theo, the least likely member of his family to warn against danger, had taken him aside yesterday and reminded him of all the reasons Alex should guard against losing his heart to Sabrina.
Yet he could not seem to be reasonable. Every time he saw her, he wanted her more. Last night, when she had come to dinner in that lavender gown with the wide, off-the-shoulder neckline, it had been all he could do not to take her in his arms and kiss her. It was worse, he thought, having kissed her that one night. If he had not, he wouldn’t have known how she tasted, how she felt in his arms, how her
soft body fitted against his.
Her hair enticed him; her wide blue eyes entranced him. Her voice, her quick light laugh and her smile all teased at his nerves. He had to remind himself several times a day that it would be the act of a cad to take advantage of her. Perhaps if it had just been lust he felt, he could have managed to stay away from the house, spend less time with her. But the truth was, he simply enjoyed her company. He liked to talk to her, to make her laugh, to watch her enjoyment of every new thing she found. The time he spent away from her, the minutes seemed to crawl by. He would imagine what she was doing and envy whoever was with her, and he could not keep to any task for longer than a few minutes.
He wished Con were here. He wanted to talk with him about all the crazy new feelings that tumbled around in his chest. And for some reason he could not define, he wanted Con to meet her. He wanted the two of them to get along. He wanted—
His unconstructive thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Tom Quick whistling as he walked up the stairs. Seizing on the opportunity to leave his worktable, Alex sprang to his feet and went to the door.
Tom grinned. “Hello, guv. You must have read my mind. I was just coming to see you.”
Excitement rose in Alex. “What is it? You’ve found out something, haven’t you?”
“No word anywhere on any young lady missing,” Quick told him, coming inside and shutting the door. “But I think I’ve found your house. There’s the address.” He set a piece of paper on the drafting table, then flopped down in a chair as if exhausted. “I tell you straight, it was a piece of work, that. I’ve walked up and down every swanky street in London. There were a couple of others that looked close, but this one fit down to the knocker on the door.”
Alex studied the address. It wasn’t far. “Did you discover anything about it?”
“Haven’t looked at any records. I asked next door, and the servants said nobody lives there. That’s all they knew. T’other side said the chap that lived there died some years ago—six or seven or more, they thought. They agreed it’s been empty these past few months, but before that, it was leased out for the Season every year.”
Alex nodded. It was the custom of many who lived on their estates to rent a home in the city for the months of the social season. A house in this area would have been easy to market. It gave him a bit of a pause; perhaps the watch was connected to someone who had lived in the house for only a few months. In that case, it probably wouldn’t provide them with any clues.
But no, the feeling in the watch had been deep and fond. It was much more likely to have belonged to someone who owned the house for at least a few years—perhaps the man who the neighbors said had died a few years ago. It could have been Sabrina’s father or grandfather. If he had died some time ago, that would explain Sabrina’s finding London unfamiliar.
“What about across the street?”
“The servants there were too proud to talk to some passing stranger. Big place, went all the way to the corner—not as grand as Broughton House, but still... I decided to give up and not ask any farther down the street. I was hoping to catch you before you went home.”
“Yes, that’s good. Tom, I want you to find out whatever you can about the place—who it belongs to now and so on. I’m especially interested in this chap who died. What was his name? Did he leave it to someone? Sold it?”
“Will do, guv.”
“Would you stop calling me that?” Alex said in exasperation. “I’m five years younger than you.”
“Ooh, I can’t do that, sir. Wouldn’t be respectful.” Tom grinned cheekily.
“Wouldn’t be irritating, you mean.”
Tom’s chuckle as he went out the door was agreement enough. Alex, shaking his head, began to put away his materials. He’d done enough on the plans for the moment. He needed to let it settle in his mind before he made any changes. Besides, he was too eager to go by this address.
He had the hansom drop him off a block before they reached the house, then walked past it. His heart picked up its beat when he saw it. Tom was right. This was the place he’d seen. There were some low bushes missing along the foundation, and the shutters and front door were black. Changes, he thought, since the man who owned the watch had seen it last. Somehow, seeing it, he felt even more sure the home had belonged to the owner of that watch.
It was a graceful house. Alex would have liked to linger for a moment in front of the house and examine it, but he didn’t want to draw any attention to his interest. One set of the neighbors, at least, were a gossipy lot. He contented himself with a quick glance that encompassed the area, including the narrow walkway along the house to the less elegant side door.
He walked the rest of the way home. It served to eat up some of his energy. He was eager to tell her his news. Eager to finally get to do something for Sabrina.
Alex’s vision of a dramatic announcement was rather diminished by the fact that Sabrina was not in the cozy sitting room upstairs, nor even the sultan room, so that he had to prosaically hunt through the house for her, finally stopping one of the footmen to ask where she was. Denby told him she had gone for a walk in the back, so he headed into the garden.
He spotted her on the other side of the formal flower beds, strolling across the grass toward the high back wall. She was wearing one of Megan’s dresses, striped in white and a deep vivid blue, with a practical narrow skirt, devoid of ornamentation except for a wide sash that turned Sabrina’s waist into nothing. The sash tied in the back in a huge, saucy bow that made a man’s hands fairly itch to reach out and untie it.
She must have heard his footsteps on the gravel path of the garden, for she turned and saw him, her mouth widening into a smile. Her pace quickened as she came forward to meet him, and he thought she must have seen something in his face, for she called out, “What is it? Have you found something?”
“That I have. Or, rather, Tom did. It’s the house that—” He paused, realizing he was suddenly on shaky ground. “Uh, it’s a house that I think may be connected to you.”
“A house! But how did he know? How did he find it? Is it my home?”
Why hadn’t he thought to have a story prepared? He needed a plausible reason why Tom had been searching for a certain house, one that did not involve himself getting “emanations” from some inanimate object. But at the moment he could not come up with one, so Alex sidestepped the issue and said, “No, I’m sure you don’t reside there, at least not recently. It has no one living in it right now, but for the past few years it has been let to various people.”
“It’s a rental house? But what does it have to do with me?”
“I’m not really sure. That’s why I thought I’d go there this evening.”
“But how can you find out anything? You said there was no one living there.”
“That’s the best time to search a house.”
“Alex!” Her eyes widened. “Do you mean you intend to...to break into the place?”
“I’m not going to break a window or anything.” Alex grinned, inwardly congratulating himself on successfully diverting her attention.
“But you haven’t a key,” she pointed out. Her eyes narrowed. “Are you going to pick the lock? Where did a duke’s son learn how to pick a lock?”
“From Tom Quick. Con and I often hung around him when we were young. He was actually more a pickpocket when he was a lad, but he’d also learned a number of other useful ways of availing himself of money.”
“Your employee is a thief?” She stared.
“Not any longer. The last wallet he took belonged to my brother Reed.”
“He stole your brother’s money? Then Reed hired him?”
“Well, first he sent him to school. He saw better qualities in Tom than a number of others had.”
“Clearly.” She came closer. “Alex, I insist on going with you. It is my future—well, my past, really�
��and I should be there, too.”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t you?”
“Because...well, I thought you’d object. I thought you’d say it wasn’t the sort of thing for a lady, that it was too dangerous or ‘just not done’ or something of that sort.”
“Oh.” Alex paused. “I suppose it could be dangerous. I hadn’t thought about that. It’s just that Kyria would probably have boxed my ears if I’d said something like that to her. Olivia and Thisbe, too. And I shudder to think what Megan would do to me.” He frowned. “But perhaps you shouldn’t go. I don’t think anything untoward will happen, but it is breaking and entering.”
“Don’t you dare have second thoughts about it,” Sabrina warned, fixing him with as stubborn a look as any of his sisters. “I’ll do worse to you than they would.”
Alex laughed. “I know better than to forbid you, believe me.”
“When do we go? Now?”
“No, it’s still daylight, and this is something better performed under the cover of darkness. Tonight after supper—and wear something dark.”
Sabrina’s eyes sparkled. “Megan lent me a cloak the other day. It’s midnight blue and has a hood.”
“Perfect. And the most sensible shoes and skirt you have—just in case we need to run.”
It was his own wardrobe that was the most difficult to blend in with the darkness, given his plethora of starched white shirts. He solved the problem by raiding Con’s closet. Con was bound to have something for the occasional breaking and entering. In fact, Con turned out to have an astonishing array of disguises; deep down, Alex suspected, Con would have liked to be on the stage.
Under the curious gazes of both his dog and the parrot, Alex dressed in a dark, collarless workingman’s shirt and rough coat, adding a pair of his own supple black leather gloves. There was nothing he could do to hide the paleness of his face, but the flat black corduroy cap pulled low on his forehead helped somewhat.
Rufus padded after Alex as he went down the hall and knocked softly on Sabrina’s door. She popped out as if she had been waiting. He saw, approvingly, that she wore a simple dark blue bodice and skirt with no bustle and few petticoats beneath, as well as serviceable black leather half boots. Over her arm she carried a cloak.