by Rose Pearson
Lord Northfell rose to his feet, stepped forward and took her hands, ignoring Luke and Harmonia completely.
“You are very good to help me after all I have done, Lady Amelia,” he said, softly.
Amelia felt heat rush through her, going from her fingers right to her very core. She nodded, her throat constricting with emotion. “I am quite sure we will find her, Lord Northfell,” she managed to say, in a voice barely loud enough to hear. “Thank you for coming to us.”
He gave her a sad smile. “I could think of no-one better to turn to. I knew you would be willing to help me, given that you already know about Elouise.”
Amelia wanted to say something more, wanted to cry out to him that she had not meant to rush into a hasty engagement – but then Luke cleared his throat and Lord Northfell dropped her hands
“Shall we go, then?” Luke asked, a little gruffly.
Harmonia rose to her feet and linked arms with Amelia, who appreciated the gesture immediately.
“I think it might be best, Lord Northfell, if you went back to your townhouse and waited there,” Harmonia began, gently, seeing the frustration on his face. “If you remain there, then you will be at home to receive any note Mr. Ridlington might send.”
“If he intends to use Elouise for his own financial gains, then I would guess he would send a note to you very soon,” Amelia continued, her eyes fixed on his as though, just by a look, she might ease some of the pain she saw there.
Lord Northfell sighed but inclined his head. “Yes, you are quite right. I see the sense in your suggestions.”
“You might want to organize your servants to search the nearby streets,” Luke continued, clearing his throat. “I shall visit Ridlington’s house, shall I? Just to ensure he is not there.”
Amelia nodded, wishing she could spend just a moment alone with Lord Northfell, her heart swirling with so many emotions that she could not even begin to unravel them.
“We’ll meet back here this evening – say 9 o clock?” Luke finished, walking briskly towards the door. “That should give us a good few hours of searching. Do not look so worried, Northfell. I’m quite sure we shall have your little girl back by then.”
Chapter 21
Amelia and Harmonia had to wait until their sisters had returned from shopping before they were able to leave the townhouse, for they did not want to leave their father alone and nor did they want to tell him what was going on for he would be most distressed. At the moment, he was resting, claiming that he still felt a little tired from their recent travels, and Amelia, having checked on him, was relieved that he was sound asleep and would not be aware of them even leaving the house.
The moment Jessica and Jacintha returned, Harmonia and Amelia made their excuses, telling them they would not return until the evening, before stepping outside and hailing a hackney. Amelia had very little idea of what they could do, other than either walk or ride up and down the streets of London, hoping that they might spot Ridlington somewhere – but she knew she could not sit at home and do nothing!
“Do you think we will see him?”
Amelia bit back a sigh and shook her head. “I would be very surprised if we did so,” she murmured, sitting back in her seat as the hackney rattled over the cobbles. “But I cannot think what else to do.”
Harmonia studied her for a moment. “I thought I saw something akin to regret in your expression when you saw Lord Northfell.”
“Am I that transparent?” Amelia sighed, keeping her gaze fixed out of the window. “Yes, I realize that I thought he was the one who had cheated our cousin and it was the last straw for me. That was the impetus that made me say I would marry Luke and, now realizing that I was mistaken there, I felt a twinge of regret over my hasty actions.”
“For goodness sake, Amelia!” Harmonia exclaimed, sounding more than a little frustrated. “You love Lord Northfell, do you not?”
Amelia swallowed, her unwilling lips forming the words. “I think I do,” she mumbled, heat burning all through her.
“And I am quite sure he loves you, given how tormented he appeared when you left his house party early,” Harmonia continued, with a wave of her hand. “I know he has done you a great deal of ill but he clearly loves his daughter and regrets what he has done. Is there not any way that you can try and find a way forward, together?”
“You forget that I am to be married to Luke,” Amelia reminded her, with a lift of her eyebrow. “And I cannot think he will let me go easily.”
“Tosh!” Harmonia exclaimed, shaking her head. “Luke can be easily convinced of anything. You need just say the word and I can persuade him that your engagement is not a wise idea. In fact, I will be so convincing that he will believe the whole idea to be his own!”
Amelia chuckled. “Luke has always been quite determined, has he not? I do not think you would be able to change his mind so easily.”
Harmonia’s eyes glittered with a sudden, surprising fire. “Oh, I think I would. You need just say the word, Amelia. I would not have you unhappy.”
“And you think wedding Northfell would make me happy?”
“I do not think it, Amelia, I know it,” Harmonia replied, her words spoken firmly and with determination. “You are so busy always trying to care for us, your sisters, that you forget to think about yourself. Let me advise you in the way you have advised me. Lord Northfell is a man who would make you happy, if you could only forgive his past mistakes and see the earnest devotion in his eyes when he looks at you. The way he spoke of Elouise today makes me quite convinced that he is not ashamed of her any longer and does not wish to hide her away. I believe that he wants to do what is best for her but simply does not know how to do it.”
Amelia regarded her sister steadily. “You think that I can advise him, then? Harmonia, I know nothing of children!”
Harmonia smiled gently. “Amelia, you have a loving and compassionate heart and that is all that a child needs. If you were to marry Northfell, then you could raise Elouise together and she could have no better upbringing than that.”
Amelia sat quietly, her gaze drifting out of the window again. She was in such a state of confusion and worry that she could not sort out her thoughts and did not even want to attempt such a task.
“We have to find Elouise first,” she murmured to herself, as Harmonia moved a little closer to the window on the opposite side of the hackney. “That blasted Ridlington! I wish to goodness I had never allowed myself to be so taken in by him.”
“One of us will find him,” Harmonia said, with a little more confidence than Amelia felt. “Have faith, Amelia. It will all come right in the end.”
However, four hours later and Harmonia no longer had the same confidence. They had hailed hackney after hackney, had walked the streets until their feet ached and still they had not seen any sign of Mr. Ridlington.
“Perhaps we should return home now,” Harmonia suggested, aware that it was drawing close to 9 o clock. “What do you think, Amelia?”
“I suppose we must,” Amelia sighed, just as a few droplets of rain began to fall from the sky. “How far away are we from home?”
Harmonia glanced all around her until she managed to find the street sign. “We should call another hackney,” she murmured, aware of the red and yellow streaks spreading across the sky. “My feet are terribly sore.”
Thankfully, within minutes, Amelia and Harmonia were sitting within, ready to move away – when a sudden movement caught Amelia’s eye. With a gasp, she grasped Harmonia’s arm, and, dragging her towards the window of the hackney, pointed at the man she thought was Mr. Ridlington.
“Wait a moment, if you please!” Amelia called to the driver, as the hackney began to move. It came to a standstill almost at once, and Amelia continued to look out across the street, seeing Mr. Ridlington shout something at what appeared to be a servant of his, who scurried up the stone steps into a house she did not recognize. This was not his townhouse, of course, but he must have somehow procured the use o
f another one to hide both himself and Elouise.
The sound of a child crying met her ears, sending fire into her veins. Mr. Ridlington practically dragged Elouise from his hackney before hurrying up the steps into the house, pulling the door shut tight behind him. The hackney rolled away and Amelia and Harmonia were left staring at the house in shock.
“We must go home at once!” Harmonia breathed, sitting up straight. “Hurry, Amelia!”
“No, no!” Opening the door, Amelia scrambled out, turning to close the door behind her. “What if Ridlington leaves again, whilst we go to fetch Lord Northfell? You must go, Harmonia, and bring them back here. If they leave, then I shall follow.”
“But then how will we know where you have gone?”
Frustrated with Harmonia’s constant questions, Amelia resisted the urge to stamp her foot. “I will find someone to stand here with instructions for you, Harmonia, if that is the case. Now hurry, please!”
Seeing the hackney roll away, Amelia let out a sigh of relief and hurried across the road onto the opposite side of the street. She did not want to be standing directly on the pavement in front of Ridlington’s steps, for if he saw her then the game would be up. The best thing would be the element of surprise, surely. Therefore, Amelia sank down on some steps on the opposite side, her feet sore from all the walking she had done today.
“We are coming for you, Elouise,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving the door. “Just wait a little longer.”
It seemed an age before Lord Northfell arrived in his carriage, with both Harmonia and Luke with him. As Amelia hurried towards him, he caught her hands and held them tightly, his eyes filled with anxiety.
“Ridlington has not left,” Amelia said, breathlessly. “Nothing has happened. He must still be in there with Elouise.”
“Was she quite all right?” he asked, anxiously, his eyes looking at the front door. “Is she hurt?”
“She seemed quite well,” Amelia replied, pressing his hands. “She was crying, I will admit, but I think it is only because of what he did in taking her from you.”
Lord Northfell’s jaw clenched, his anger evident.
“We’ll all just go straight in,” he said, letting go of her hands and hurrying towards the house. “Come now, quickly.”
Amelia did not even look towards Luke, falling into step alongside Lord Northfell. Her heart began to beat frantically in her chest, her fingernails biting into the soft skin of her palm as they climbed the steps. Would Elouise be all right? She had to hope that Ridlington would return the child without doing anything foolish.
Lord Northfell turned to her, his eyes lingering on hers for just a moment as he put his hand around the door handle. Amelia could not look away, her hand resting gently on his arm. He had come to her for help and she had been more than willing to help him, the love she still carried burning ever brighter.
“You’d better stay back,” he said, softly. “I do not want Mr. Ridlington to hurt you.”
Amelia nodded, moving a little away from him and, as she did so, Lord Northfell opened the door and stepped inside, with Luke following straight after.
Harmonia caught Amelia’s arm and they moved inside together, already hearing Lord Northfell’s raised voice.
“That is my daughter, Ridlington!”
As she stepped into the first room to her left, the one where Lord Northfell had gone, Amelia saw, to her shock, that Mr. Ridlington held a long, thin blade in one hand. It caught the candlelight and send beams of light shooting across the room. His other hand was wrapped around Elouise’s shoulders, his fingers wrapping around the collar of her dress so that she could not leave him. The child was staring up at Arthur with fear in her little eyes, her hands reaching for him whilst big, shimmering tears ran down her soft cheeks.
Amelia’s heart broke for her.
“Let her go, Ridlington!” she heard Luke say, his face slowly growing red with anger. “You have nothing to gain by doing this.”
Ridlington laughed harshly. “I have everything to gain, you fool. With this child by my side, Lord Northfell will have no choice but to give me anything I ask!”
The men continued to glare at one another but Amelia refused to allow herself to be distracted by the anger that seeped from Mr. Ridlington. Instead, she looked carefully at the room they were standing in, wondering if there was another way to get in. Quite often, rooms such as these had two separate doors which meant that, if she could open the second door, then there was a chance she might be able to get Elouise to safety.
“Don’t hurt my daughter,” she heard Lord Northfell say, her gaze lingering on the back of the room. “You have no need for that knife.”
A shiver ran over Amelia’s skin as Mr. Ridlington laughed harshly. Without waiting to hear more, she hurried out of the door, dragging Harmonia with her. Mr. Ridlington’s sharp and angry conversation with Luke and Lord Northfell followed them out of the room but Amelia tried to block it out as best she could. A plan was forming in her mind and she had every intention of trying to get Elouise to safety without anyone getting hurt.
Chapter 22
“What are you thinking of?” Harmonia whispered, as they began to hurry through the house. “There could be servants about!”
Amelia shrugged. She did not think there would be a great many of those about, given that Ridlington would want to keep Elouise’s abduction a secret. “I doubt they will dare stop us, even if they are present,” she whispered, as she began to explore the rest of the house. “All we need to do is to find the room that has a door into the drawing room.”
“You saw another one?”
Amelia nodded, turning the handle of another door and stepping inside. It looked to be a library of sorts and, hurrying inside, she pressed her ear against the door on the opposite side of the room.
“This is it!” she hissed, as Harmonia came in after her. “This door.”
Harmonia pressed her ear to the door for a moment before looking at Amelia. “And what are we going to do, Amelia? Just walk in and grab her?”
Amelia thought for a moment, her heart beating so loudly she was quite sure Harmonia could hear it. She could not think of anything other than doing exactly what Harmonia had suggested.
“I think we must,” she replied, in a hoarse whisper. “We have the element of surprise, do we not?” Thinking quickly, she grasped Harmonia’s hand, ensuring she had her sister’s entire attention. “You must get Elouise and run to the other end of the room, where Lord Northfell and Luke are.”
Harmonia’s eyes widened. “What are you going to do?”
Amelia gave her a slight smile. “I intend to keep Mr. Ridlington away from Elouise.”
“How?”
Amelia lifted one shoulder. “In any way I can.”
Her sister looked uneasy, but now was not the time to start questioning things. Amelia grasped the door handle, her hand slick with sweat.
“Ready?” she whispered and, on seeing Harmonia’s sharp nod, turned the door handle, pushed the door open and practically ran inside.
Mr. Ridlington’s reaction was immediate. he turned to face them, his hand still gripping Elouise’s dress and Amelia could do the only thing she could think of. She threw herself at him, knocking him bodily to the ground. A little dazed, she tried to sit up, only to be lifted up by a strong pair of hands. A child was crying and, desperately, she looked around the room in search of Elouise, only to see Harmonia trying to comfort her in the corner of the room. Luke was standing almost directly in front of them and Lord Northfell was pushing her, a little ungently, away from Mr. Ridlington, who was slowly getting to his feet.
The only thing she hadn’t manage to do was knock the knife from his hand. He held it still as he stood in front of Lord Northfell, his face angrier than Amelia had ever seen before.
Mr. Ridlington’s eyes were dark and filled with malice. His brows furrowed together with such strength that his entire face was drawn together, fury practically emanating from him.<
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“Drop the knife, Ridlington,” Lord Northfell said, clearly. “This is over. You have nothing.”
Ridlington’s mouth drew into a sneer. “You’ve always thought yourself better than me.”
Lord Northfell shook his head. “No, that is not the case, Ridlington. We were friends once. Close friends – and you chose to use my status as leverage to get wealth of your own. Bearing a title does not come without its fair share of responsibilities yet you think you need do nothing to earn your life of comfort.” He indicated Elouise with a tilt of his head, his gaze never leaving Ridlington. “You even tried to use my daughter to get what you want. Just look at the depths you’ve fallen to, Ridlington!”
His words appeared to make no difference to Mr. Ridlington who simply let out a loud, mocking laugh as he pointed the knife directly at Lord Northfell’s chest.
“You have no need to try and take my life,” Lord Northfell said, steadily. “Stop this now, Ridlington, and I’ll make sure you don’t hang.”
A flash of fear ran through Ridlington’s features at Lord Northfell’s words, and Amelia realized, for the first time, that Mr. Ridlington was in danger of losing his life. What he had done was beyond the pale and had, in threatening the life of a titled man, put himself in a rather dangerous position.
“Put it down, Ridlington,” she said, quietly, stepping a little closer to him – although Lord Northfell put out one hand towards her so as to stop her. “Whatever your reasons are for wanting such wealth, it is not worth this.”
“And what would you know?” he spat, his eyes filled with venom. “I tried to push you away from him and towards me, but you would not have it. It was only when I told you about Elouise that you thought him as much of a scoundrel as I.”
Amelia lifted her chin. “I did not leave Lord Northfell because of his family connections, Mr. Ridlington. In fact, I left the house party because I do not like being kept unawares of important facts such as Elouise in the man I am to marry. However, now I realize that Lord Northfell had struggles of his own. I was rash in my view of him, frustrated with him without his knowledge. All in all, Mr. Ridlington, you have failed in your endeavors, I am sorry to say.”