by Candace Camp
Gabriel nodded. “That is what Peter said, as well.”
“I was only gone for an hour or so,” Thea said, thinking back. “I went to my room right before I left, and I would swear the note was not in the room then. But it was there when I went upstairs after I came home. Lolly, did you see it when you took the box up there?”
“Box? What box?” Gabriel asked.
Thea could not keep from smiling a little to herself. “Nothing important. Just something I brought back from Damaris’s house.”
“I didn’t see any note, miss. It was on the floor?”
Thea nodded. “It was between my bed and the window; you wouldn’t necessarily have noticed it unless you walked around the side of the bed.” She frowned and let out a sigh. “Perhaps it could have been there before I left. I cannot remember whether I was in that side of the room. But I know it was not there when I awoke this morning. It has to have been left there sometime today. Perhaps it was earlier when I was at the church.”
“Well, let’s see what it says.” Gabriel glanced toward the table. “Is that it?” He started forward.
“Do you think it’s that man, miss?” Lolly asked. “The one everybody’s talking about?”
“Man? What man?” Gabriel stopped and turned to look at the girl. “Why is everyone talking about him?”
Between them, Lolly and Thea related the various stories of the stranger seen by the residents of Chesley the past few days. Lolly’s version was somewhat more dramatic. Gabriel looked toward Thea, his brow raised, and she nodded.
“I know it sounds a bit … fanciful, perhaps, but Damaris said that her housekeeper had seen him, too, and that she is a most unfanciful person. Damaris has no doubt that the woman was telling the truth.”
“The devil!” Gabriel scowled. “Do you think it’s the kidnapper?”
“That is what I thought, as well. I don’t know. But it certainly seems suspicious.”
Gabriel picked up the square of paper from the table and examined the front. “It looks like a child wrote this. And it is in pencil, not ink.”
“Not a lettered person, I’d say,” Thea offered.
He broke open the seal and looked down at the signature, letting out a soft oath. “It’s from Hannah! Jocelyn’s maid.”
“That woman is like a ghost! She seems to appear and disappear at will.”
Gabriel nodded as he scanned the letter. “She wants me to come to Mrs. Howard’s party tomorrow evening.”
“What? How does she know about that?”
“I have no idea—no more so than how she manages to be everywhere and yet no one sees her.”
“Why would she sneak in here to urge you to come to the party?”
“There’s a bit more. She says that she must see me and ‘explain all,’ whatever that may mean. She says she is frightened and she begs my help. Then she asks me to come to the party, and she says she will meet me there.”
“Nothing about your sister? Or the baby?”
Gabriel shook his head and held out the letter to Thea. “See for yourself.”
She took the proffered note and read it. It was as disappointingly brief as Gabriel had said. “What will you do?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Go to the party and hope that she contacts me. I know of nothing else. Do you?”
Thea shook her head. “No. I fear not.”
“I hate that someone was able to get into your room unnoticed,” Gabriel went on. “I am going to send another servant over, in addition to Peter.”
“Gabriel, no, that isn’t necessary. I will make sure the doors remain locked during the day as well. We had been locking them only at night. I did not dream anyone would be bold enough to come in during the daylight hours, with several people in the house.”
“But someone was.”
“I know, but I will keep the doors locked now.”
“Good. I still want the men here. They can take shifts, so that one is awake at all times.” Gabriel stepped forward and placed his hands on Thea’s arms. “Please, Thea. Allow me to do this. I cannot take you and Matthew home where I can guard the two of you myself, so let me do what I can.”
Thea looked up at him, seeing the warmth and concern in his eyes. “Very well. Although what Daniel will say, I cannot imagine.”
“I am sure he will be happy to know his sister is protected.” Gabriel smiled, and she knew that he was thinking about kissing her.
Giving him a warning look, she stepped back, though she could not keep from smiling back at him. She cast a glance over at Lolly, who was watching them as though she were the audience at a play. Thea turned back to Gabriel, assuming a more formal role. “Thank you for your help, my lord.”
“You are most welcome.” Gabriel winked at her, but swept her an elegant bow. “Miss Bainbridge, may I have the pleasure of escorting you to Mrs. Howard’s party tomorrow evening?”
Thea gave him a regal nod. “You may.”
“You are as kind as you are lovely.” He took her hand and lightly kissed it. “I must leave. I have business to attend to. But I will look forward to tomorrow evening with great anticipation.”
Thea walked Gabriel to the door and locked it behind him. She turned back to Lolly, who grinned at her unabashedly. Thea had the feeling that their little charade of formality had not fooled the girl one bit.
The girl heaved a romantic sigh and said, “Your man’s a grand gentleman, miss.”
Thea started to point out that Gabriel was not her man, but she did not. She could allow herself to dream for a day or two, couldn’t she? “Yes. He is a very grand gentleman.”
Gabriel strode into the inn a few minutes later. The proprietor hastened forward to greet him. “My lord. Good evening, good evening. Would you care for something to eat? A glass of brandy, perhaps?”
“Is Lord Rawdon in?”
The innkeeper stiffened apprehensively. “My lord, my inn is a very quiet establishment …”
“Don’t worry. I am not here to start a row. I want only a moment’s conversation.”
“Of course. Of course.” Hornsby did not look entirely certain, but he led Gabriel down the hall to a private sitting area. Opening the door, he spoke to someone inside, then stepped back and bowed to Gabriel, ushering him inside.
As the innkeeper backed out of the room, closing the door behind him, Rawdon rose from a chair by the fire. “Morecombe.”
Gabriel nodded. “Good of you to see me.” He paused, but could think of no easy way to broach the subject. “I am here to ask a favor of you.” Rawdon’s brows rose slightly, but Gabriel pressed on. “I realize I have no reason to expect such from you.” Gabriel smiled faintly. “I must pin my hopes on your good nature. Or perhaps upon your sense of curiosity.”
Rawdon did not smile, but something softened at the corners of his eyes. “Indeed. Well, you have already piqued that. What is the favor?”
“My sister had a maid named Hannah.”
“Yes, I recall. She accompanied Jocelyn when she went for a walk.”
“Do you remember how she looked?”
“Yes. Short, light brown hair, a bit rabbity.” Rawdon frowned slightly. “Why do you ask?”
“Apparently she is in Chesley.”
“The maid? Have you seen her? Talked to her?”
“I have seen her.” Briefly Gabriel described spotting Hannah on the street and giving chase, only to find she had disappeared. “And today, Miss Bainbridge found this letter in her house, addressed to me.” Gabriel pulled the note from his pocket and handed it to the other man.
Rawdon read the letter and looked up at Gabriel. “What is this about? Why is she here?”
“You know as much, or more accurately, as little as I do.” Gabriel refolded the note and stuck it in his pocket.
“Do you think Jocelyn is with her?”
“I don’t know. I still have not seen nor heard from her. This note is as close as I have come to her. I hope that if I can find Hannah and talk to her, I can at least fin
d out where Jocelyn is.”
“What do you want from me?”
“To come to the Twelfth Night party tomorrow night at Mrs. Howard’s house. I believe she invited you.”
“She did.” One corner of Rawdon’s mouth curled up in wry amusement. “Not perhaps an entirely enthusiastic invitation, but she did indeed ask.”
“It’s a masque ball, so everyone’s face will be partly concealed. I would like an extra pair of eyes—and, perhaps, an extra pair of fists. She is frightened of someone. There have been rumors of a stranger loitering about the village.”
“The man who took the child?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Perhaps. I am walking into this whole affair blind.”
“Very well.”
If Gabriel was surprised by Rawdon’s easy agreement, he did not show it. He simply nodded. “Thank you. I will see you there tomorrow evening.”
“Tell me one thing,” Rawdon said as Gabriel turned to go, and Gabriel swung back to face him. “Why did you ask me? Why not one of your friends?”
“Because right now, you are the only man I am certain of.”
“Oh, miss!” Lolly let out a long sigh as she stepped back from buttoning Thea’s gown. “You look beautiful, you do.”
Thea smiled as she took a slow turn around, examining herself in the mirror. With Lolly’s help, she had done her hair in an artful arrangement of curls, and her dress glowed against her skin in the candlelight.
Matthew, crawling on the floor, headed for the hem of Thea’s dress, and Lolly swooped down on him. “Oh, no, you don’t, Master Matthew.” She swung him up to a burst of giggles.
Thea turned and leaned forward to kiss the baby on the cheek and run her hand over his soft curls. “Promise you will watch him closely tonight, Lolly.”
“I won’t take my eyes off him, miss. Peter will check my room before bed, and after that, he promised to make his bed in the hall across the doorway. The new man is going to stand watch downstairs in the hall.”
“Good.” Thea smiled and murmured a good-bye to Matthew, giving him a final light kiss.
Lolly carried the baby out of the room and Thea returned for a last look in the mirror. It was perfect … well, almost perfect. She could not help but think how well the earrings Gabriel had given her would suit the dress. Opening the top drawer of her dresser, she pulled out the box. The golden earrings glowed against the black velvet background, the garnets twinkling in the candlelight. She pulled one out and held it up to her ear. And her internal argument was over.
She slipped the earrings into her earlobes and turned her head from side to side, studying the effect. They were the finishing touch, the last little bit of perfection. And, really, what did it matter if it was improper to accept them from Gabriel? She had done things with Gabriel that were a great deal more improper. The thought of the look in Gabriel’s eyes when he saw her wearing his gift was simply more than she could refuse.
No one need know, anyway, where the earrings had come from. She did not plan to volunteer the information, and hopefully no one would be rude enough to ask outright. If someone did, she would … well, she would simply lie. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t lied hundreds of times to the parishioners. After all, she had assured Mrs. Templeton that her singing voice was beautiful, and Thea had sworn that the Thompson baby was handsome; it would be hard to find two more egregious bouncers than those.
She heard the knock on the front door, and a moment later the deep timbre of Gabriel’s voice as he greeted Mrs. Brewster. Thea took a deep breath, picked up her mask, fan, and gloves, and started down the stairs. Gabriel was standing in the entry, chatting with Daniel, as Thea came down the stairs. He turned at the sound of her footsteps and looked up.
The expression on his face was everything she had hoped it would be.
“Thea.” The word was little more than a breath as he came to the bottom of the steps, gazing up at her.
Thea beamed, unaware of how her face lit up. Gabriel reached up his hand as she came to the last few steps, and Thea took it. His fingers tightened on hers, telling her, as did his eyes, the things he could not say in front of her brother.
“You are a vision,” he told her, bowing over her hand and lightly brushing his lips across it.
Thea caught sight of Daniel, behind Gabriel, goggling at her in amazement, and she let out a giggle of sheer happiness. “Thank you, Lord Morecombe.”
“Only one thing could make you even lovelier.” Gabriel held out a box. Nestled inside was a delicate corsage of mingled white and red rosebuds.
Thea took it with a gasp of delight. “But how—where—it is the middle of winter!”
“I had it brought from a florist in Cheltenham.” He chuckled at her expression. “Surely you did not think I would let you go to a ball without flowers. What sort of an admirer would I be?”
“Is that what you are? An admirer?”
“Of course.” He bent closer, murmuring, “Among other things that it is perhaps better not to mention here.”
“Well, my dear, you look most lovely,” Daniel said, coming up and surprising Thea by kissing her on the cheek. “I am quite looking forward to seeing everyone’s expression at the ball tonight.” He patted her shoulder. “Now, if you will excuse me, I must run up and change. Save me a dance. I suspect your card may be crowded this evening.” With a chuckle, he trotted up the stairs.
“Your brother is right,” Gabriel said, taking the corsage from her and reaching down to pin it in place. “I shall have to write in my name on your dance card before we leave, or I shan’t have a hope of getting on the floor with you.”
“Don’t be absurd.” Thea’s heart fluttered as he bent over her, his fingers lightly brushing the bare skin above her dress as he pinned the flowers. “It is just the absence of my spectacles. You may have to lead me about, I fear.” She held up her mask by the strings. “Glasses simply don’t work with a mask.”
“It is far more than that, I assure you. But it will be my pleasure to ‘lead you about.’” He reached up to touch one of her earrings with the tip of his finger, and he smiled. “They look just as I thought they would on you. Beautiful.”
Thea felt her throat close up, and she knew she was perilously close to tears.
“Here, let me tie on your mask.” Gabriel took it from her hand and reached around her to tie it on. “There, look.” He stepped aside, turning her toward the mirror on the wall.
Thea had bought the mask on her shopping expedition to Cheltenham with Damaris last week. It was far dearer than anything she would normally have purchased, but she could not resist the temptation. Sprinkled lightly with tiny glittering rhinestones, the corners arching up into saucy points, the black velvet was a sensual contrast to her milky skin, and it gave her face a hint of exotic mystery. Her gray eyes were luminous and large, outlined by the intense black, and the mask’s concealment of her upper face seemed to emphasize her mouth below it.
She met Gabriel’s eyes in the mirror, and the sensual softening of his mouth, the heat in his eyes as he gazed at her, confirmed the allure. He moved closer behind her, his arms sliding around her waist.
“I am not sure I can keep my hands off you tonight,” he murmured in her ear, his breath on her skin sending flickers of desire down through her.
“Perhaps we should leave, then.”
“Mm. But first.” He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to kiss her. His kiss was long and slow, an establishment of possession as much as it was a promise of delights to come. When at last he released her, Thea took a shaky step backward, her eyes wide and slightly dazed.
“If you keep looking at me like that, I think we will have to stay here,” he growled, reaching out to take her in his arms again.
But Thea skipped out of his reach laughingly and took her cloak from the rack by the door. “Oh, no, not after promising me a dance. I intend to collect on that.”
“You may have every one. Thea … I wanted to ask you …”
> She turned to look at him. A dark look that she could not read was in his eyes. “What?” she asked somewhat apprehensively, unconsciously taking a step backward.
“No, not now.” He shook his head. “Later, after this party is over.” He smiled and swept her a bow. “After you, Miss Bainbridge.”
It would have taken a more saintly person than Thea not to have been pleased by the reaction from the other guests when they entered the party. Damaris, smiling broadly, kissed her on both cheeks and assured her that she would outshine all the other women in attendance. On all sides, Thea saw the amazed stares of the people who had known her all her life. She was gratified to see that even Lady Wofford was gaping at her.
“Cousin, you are looking lovely tonight.” Ian recovered more quickly than his wife and stepped forward to claim the right of a cousinly kiss on Thea’s cheek. He cast a thoughtful glance over at Gabriel beside her. “Morecombe. Once again you surprise me.”
“Miss Bainbridge.” Lady Wofford’s nod and brief smile were more reserved, but Thea could see the same quick calculation in her eyes as she looked from Thea to Gabriel.
Sir Myles, who had been standing with Ian and Emily, took Thea’s hand, his bright golden-brown eyes laughing down into hers. “I have been suspecting for some time that Gabriel was hiding you from us, and now I understand why. You are far too lovely for us mere mortal men.”
“You, sir, are a shameless flirt.”
“I am,” he replied with no apparent regret. “And I intend to flirt with you a great deal tonight. I confess, I enjoy it twice as much when Gabriel is shooting jealous daggers at me with his eyes.”
“Now, Myles,” Gabriel drawled. “You know I have no objection if you only look …”
“What character did you draw?” Lady Wofford apparently decided that it was time for a change of subject. “I am Mrs. Melody; Ian says I shall have to go about singing all evening.”
Thea unfolded the card she had been handed by Damaris as they had entered. “Miss Pinchpenny.” She laughed. “That should be an easy one.”