by Lucy Adams
Lord Millerton rubbed his chin, clearly a little upset to hear that his friend had been so injured. “I thank you,” he said, gruffly. “I will go at once.” He made to say more, his mouth open and his eyes fixing to hers, only for a low groan of pain to come from the man on the floor.
Bending down, Lord Millerton quickly began to tie the man’s hands behind his back, using intricate loops that Bridgette could not help but marvel at. The way his fingers moved was quite extraordinary, relief flooding her as she realized that the man in question certainly would not be able to move.
“I will finish the rest once I take him to whatever room you think best,” Lord Millerton said, gruffly. “His legs will need to be bound.”
Bridgette nodded quickly, then gestured to the door. “There is a room beyond the library that is entirely unoccupied, save for a table and chair,” she said, slowly. “It does not have a bed, however.”
Lord Millerton said nothing but rather hauled the semi-conscious man to his feet. For the first time, Bridgette was able to look into the man’s face, taking in his stubbled chin, the dark smudges below his eyes, the way his large arms hung uselessly by his sides. She did not think that this was a gentleman, given the cut of his clothes, but then again, he might very well have donned something that would not bring him a good deal of suspicion should he be discovered walking along the pavement in the late hours of the night.
“I do not know him,” she said, a little disappointed. “Do you?”
Lord Millerton shook his head, a strain on his face as he held the man upright. “I do not,” he answered, quietly. With a deep breath, he moved towards the door. “I will not be long.”
“I will come with you,” she said, only for Lord Millerton to shake his head. “Go to Lord Windsor,” he told her, grimacing. “I shall join you in a short time.” A tiny smile caught the corner of his mouth. “I believe that he needs you more than I at present.”
Bridgette glanced back over her shoulder but the nurse only nodded, looking a good deal more reassured and certain than she had been before.
“Very well,” Bridgette murmured, as the nurse let go of Miss Sarah’s hands and rose to her feet. “You will be quite all right here, I hope?”
The nurse nodded, coming closer and bobbing a rather untidy curtsy in front of Lord Millerton and Bridgette. “I will,” she said, quietly. “I do not think I could sleep, even if were to try to do so.”
Bridgette, who felt quite weary but not at all tired, accepted the lady’s remarks with as warm a smile as she could muster and handed her the door key. Without even another word given just how tired she was, Bridgette hurried out after Lord Millerton, closing the door tightly behind her. She waited until she heard the key in the door lock before making her way back down the staircase and into the servants kitchen, where Lord Pilkington now lay.
“Lord Pilkington,” she said, having never once been introduced to the gentleman but looking down at him with sympathy blossoming in her heart. “He has not awoken as yet?”
“No,” Lord Windsor replied, heavily. “Not as yet.”
Bridgette let out a small sigh, put one hand on Lord Pilkington and silently prayed that he would recover. She did not like having one person in her house without any particular signs of life, and certainly did not want to add other to it.
“Who was it that came into this house?” Lord Windsor asked, sounding quite frustrated. “What is his name?”
Bridgette shrugged heavily. “I do not know,” she said, quietly. “I could not say. Lord Millerton might know him.”
Lord Windsor let out a long breath, shaking his head and looking back at Lord Pilkington. “Things are becoming a good deal more confusing,” he said, softly. “Are they not, Lady Callander?”
There was nothing for her to do other than agree. Lord Windsor was quite correct to state that there a good deal more confusing than before. With someone attempting to come to remove Miss Sarah’s life from her, Bridgette knew she would have to speak to Lady Madeline at her earliest convenience. Bridgette silently determined that she would write to her friend the very first moment she had, and if she received no reply, then she would go to Lady Madeline’s father’s house, so that she might be able to discover just whom she had spoken to.
“I am sure we will see a little more clearly in the light of day,” she said, feeling a little helpless. “And Lord Pilkington will recover?”
As though he had somehow heard her speak his name, a groan came from the lips of Lord Pilkington. Bridgette was beside him in a moment, with Lord Windsor at the other side.
“Can you sit up, sir?” she asked, as Lord Windsor wrapped one arm around the gentleman’s shoulders. “You have been injured, sir.”
Lord Pilkington’s eyes were fluttering, the candle now placed just a short distance from his head. As she held it to his face, she saw the red blood trickling down into his ears. A compress was needed, she determined, remembering what had worked for Miss Sarah’s wound. Leaving the candle where it was, she went in search of a cold cloth, finding one and rinsing it in a bowl of water.
“Nothing is to be spared,” she said quietly, as the cloth was pressed against Lord Pilkington’s head. “We must try to help him awaken.”
Lord Windsor let out a long breath and nodded, his hand over hers so that she might pull her hand away and step back, allowing him to do what was required.
“How is he?”
She jerked back , hearing Lord Millerton’s voice but having not heard anyone approaching.
“I apologize, Lady Callander.” His hand was on the small of her back, his presence beside her now entirely reassuring.
“He will regain consciousness soon, I am sure,” Lord Windsor replied grimacing. “It appears that he was struck hard from behind.”
Lord Millerton nodded. “Then he was waiting near the back of the house and you the front?”
“indeed,” Lord Windsor confirmed, “and we would meet to ensure that the other was quite well every hour or so. “When I could not find him, I feared the worse.”
Lord Millerton let out a long breath and Bridgette felt herself leaning back into him, drawing from his strength. When his lips brushed her forehead, she did not jerk back in embarrassment but rather allowed herself to close her eyes and simply rest in the warmth that rushed through her. It was just what she required at this moment.
“You should rest, Lady Callander,” Lord Millerton said, softly. “The perpetrator will not be able to escape and Lord Windsor will assist me with conversing with the gentleman we have just captured.” When she pushed away from him just a little, his smile was gentle. “I will speak to you the moment you awaken in the morning.”
“I thank you,” she answered, already missing his nearness. “I should be glad to sleep for a short time.”
“Then do so,” Lord Millerton smiled, clearly relieved that she and Miss Sarah were quite safe. “Thank you, Lady Callander, for all you have done.”
She wanted to protest, to state that she had done nothing particularly noteworthy, only for Lord Millerton to reach out for her hand and bend over it. Heat swirled in her stomach as he kissed her hand, making her blush furiously. When he looked up at her, there was such a tenderness in his eyes that she could not find the words to speak. Instead, she simply smiled at him, turned on her heel and hurried from the room, finding herself wrapped in a fresh warmth that chased all the lingering fears and doubts far away from her heart, and it was all thanks to Lord Millerton’s gentle touch, his sweet kiss and the warm affection in his eyes.
Chapter Ten
Sebastian cleared his throat as he waited for Lady Callander to attend the drawing room. He had asked a maid to awaken her an hour ago and, in that time, had been writing various notes to different gentlemen of the League, begging them to come to Lady Callander’s home at once.
So far, none had arrived but he expected them to attend him very soon. He wanted to speak to Lady Callander before such an event, however, to prepare her for what was t
o come.
The door opened and he turned at once, seeing the gentle smile on Lady Callander’s face as she walked into the room.
“Lord Millerton,” she said, softly, holding out both hands to him, which he took at once. “How are you this morning? How is Lord Pilkington?”
Sebastian smiled at her, grateful for her compassion and consideration. “You are very kind to ask, Lady Callander,” he told her. “Lord Pilkington awoke shortly after you retired. He has a very sore head indeed but I do not think there will be any lasting damage.”
“And the man you captured?” Lady Callander asked, her hands still in his. “What of him?”
Sebastian let out a long breath, clearing his throat. It had been a difficult few hours, for he and Lord Windsor had found it very trying indeed to find out anything truthful from the man, given that he had first been recovering from his unconsciousness and then because he had steadfastly refused to say a single word. It had taken a good many threats and a little pain at the hands of Lord Windsor for him to finally reveal something of the truth.
“We have discovered something, yes,” he said. “A gentleman approached this fellow last evening and gave him a task to complete.”
Lady Callander’s eyes widened. “What sort of task?” she asked, her voice a little tremulous. “Did it involve Miss Sarah?”
He nodded, not wanting to tell her the truth but knowing he could not hide it from her. “He was to take her life,” he said, quietly, as Lady Callander gasped in horror. “The gentleman was quite clear about his task, apparently.”
“But how would he know it was Miss Sarah?” Lady Callander asked, hoarsely. “Or was he just to take the life of whoever it was that was unwell in the house?”
Squeezing her hands lightly, Sebastian tried to recall precisely what the fellow had told him. “He stated that if it was a young lady, with dark hair and a mark on the top of her arm, then that was his objective.”
“A mark on the top of her arm?” Lady Callander queried, looking at him in surprise. “I have not seen anything of the sort.”
“Nor I,” Sebastian admitted, “but I have not been looking for anything such as that.”
Lady Callander nodded. “That is true enough,” she admitted. “Thank goodness that you managed to prevent him from doing so.”
Sebastian gave her a wry smile. “I believe you had a good deal to do with it also, Lady Callander,” he told her, as she looked away. Recalling suddenly that the rest of the League was to attend soon, he pressed her hands. “I have asked some of the League to call,” he continued, quickly. “They are going to be here very soon.”
She nodded, dropping her hands and smoothing her skirts. “I see,” she said, quickly, moving away from him and seating herself down beside the fireplace. “Might you ring the bell for tea?”
Doing so, Sebastian came to sit beside her. “If you would prefer to rest, then there is no need for you to sit with the League,” he told her, only for her eyes to snap to his, a frown pulling at her brow.
“I do not think that will be necessary,” she said, a little too forcefully. “I am quite all right, Lord Millerton.”
“I did not mean to suggest that you were not strong enough to do so,” he answered quickly, a little surprised at how severely she had spoken. “Forgive me, Lady Callander, I —”
She held up one hand, her eyes searching his. “I did not mean to speak harshly,” she said, her voice now gentle. “I am very tired indeed but I do not want to be absent from this discussion. After all, it still involves Lord Hazelton’s death and what it was he had to say about my late husband.”
Sebastian nodded slowly, his brow furrowing. In all that had been happening lately, he had quite forgotten that what Lord Hazelton had said to Lady Callander was the reason that he had become involved in this mystery in the first place. “Your late husband being of a very different description according to Lord Hazelton,” he said, slowly. “Of course.”
“I cannot help but feel as though the further this goes on, the more convoluted it becomes,” she said, lowering her eyes to the floor, her expression becoming a little distressed. “Lord Hazelton was to tell me something about my late husband, only for him to pass away. You spoke to Madame Bereford about the young lady that Lord Hazelton often spent time with, only for her to then be shot. In addition, the League has asked me to encourage Lady Madeline to keep in company with Lord Chesterfield, believing him to be involved in something to do with shipping and trading,” she said, rubbing the line that had formed between her brows as she frowned. “I confess, it has all become quite confusing and deeply upsetting,” she said, softly. “I want to discover the truth, of course, but….”
“But you wish for it to be at an end,” she said softly. “I quite understand.”
Her eyes lit with a gentleness that made him smile. “I thank you,” she said, the hardness gone from her expression now. “I do hope that Miss Sarah awakens soon so that we might find out the truth from her.”
“And might I hope that you have had a chance to write to Lady Madeline?” he asked, somewhat tentatively given that she had been very busy indeed in caring for Miss Sarah last evening. “It is quite all right if you have not, but —”
“I wrote to her yesterday afternoon and begged her not to say anything to Lord Chesterfield until I had the opportunity to speak to her again,” Lady Callander said, surprising him. “She has not sent me a note as yet, however.” She bit her lip, looking at him with a little concern. “I am not certain that she will have received my note in time, for I am sure that she had a ball last evening.”
Sebastian opened his mouth to tell her that she did not need to concern herself, only for there to come a gentle rap at the door. When Lady Callander called for them to enter, rather than a gentleman from the League coming into the room, in strode Lady Madeline, a maid trailing behind her.
“Good morning, Lady Madeline,” Lady Callander exclaimed, as Sebastian cleared his throat and rose, taking a small step back from Lady Callander. “I did not expect you to —”
“Your note last evening was most confusing,” Lady Madeline declared, looking pointedly at Sebastian. “I do not understand your reason for saying such a thing and thus, I decided to come to speak to you just as soon as I was able.” Her eyes drifted back towards Lady Callander, whose cheeks were now a deep scarlet. “Although I see you have company?”
It was a question rather than a statement, and Sebastian dropped his head, his hands behind his back as he felt a flush of embarrassment climb up his neck.
“There is a good deal that I must inform you of,” Lady Callander said, a firmness to her voice that surprised Sebastian. “Lady Madeline, please sit down and take tea with me.” She looked towards Sebastian, just as he lifted his head, her eyes sharp. “And might you ask the gentlemen who are to arrive soon to meet in the library? We will join you shortly.”
Sebastian, a little taken aback, nodded slowly, then turned to Lady Madeline.
“Do excuse me,” he said, snapping his heels together and bowing at the waist. Then, with one final glance back towards Lady Callander, he made his way to the door and closed it tightly after him.
“And the intruder did not know the name of the gentleman who approached him?”
Sebastian shook his head, as Lord Windsor spoke up.
“I believe Roberts — for that is evidently his name — is speaking the truth when he says he does not know the name of the gentleman who paid him,” he said, slowly. “He was given a handsome amount of money, but the mysterious gentleman seemed to know both his name, where he lived and where he might find him should Roberts fail.”
Lord Monteforte chewed his lip for a moment, his brow furrowed. “Then it must have been a little out of fear that Roberts did as he was told,” he said, slowly. “Although it begs the question as to how this gentleman supposedly knew who Roberts was.”
Sebastian held up one hand. “It would not be too difficult to find such a person,” he said, quickly. �
�All one would need to do would be to speak to some of those of the lower class, paying them whatever they asked for until such information was discovered.”
Shrugging one shoulder, Lord Monteforte silently agreed with what Sebastian had to say.
“So what are we now to do?” Lord Watt asked, leaving the question open to everyone to answer. “Lady Callander is speaking to Lady Madeline, from what I understand, but —”
Sebastian looked to the door as it opened to reveal both Lady Callander and Lady Madeline. Lady Madeline looked a little pale and certainly did not have the same spark of self confidence in either her gaze or her stance, looking about the room in an evident state of astonishment.
“Do excuse us,” Lady Callander said, quickly. “Lady Madeline is evidently to meet with Lord Chesterfield this afternoon for a short afternoon stroll about Hyde Park and I have informed her as to the suspicions that are laid against him.” She smiled tightly at Lord Watt. “In addition, I have been to visit Miss Sarah.”
“Oh?” Sebastian rose to his feet, finding himself moving towards Lady Callander without having any intention of doing so. “Has she awoken?”
“She has,” Lady Callander told him, as a sense of tension began to fill the room. “She was very confused as to where she was and who I was, but soon was reassured by both myself and the nurse.”
Sebastian held his breath, looking directly at Lady Callander and waiting for her to say something more.