Slave to the Night (The Brotherhood Series, Book 2) (20 page)

Before Alexander could protest, the door flew open, and Leo climbed in. He settled down next to Evelyn and, despite appearing a little breathless, there were no telltale signs to suggest the reason for his delay.

"I swear, I have never met a man as stubborn as Lord Barrington." Leo exhaled loudly. "He is so obsessed with securing a mistress it took an age to persuade him otherwise. I was beginning to think I had lost my touch."

Elliot sat forward. "You are certain there will be no more trouble from him?"

"Yes. I've convinced him he needs a wife and sent him off in the direction of the wallflowers." Leo's playful expression turned to one of concern as he focused his attention on Elliot. "Are you fully recovered from your ordeal? I must say it is the first time I have ever seen you lose control like that. Normally, I'm the one raging from the rooftops."

Was he fully recovered?

Never in his life had he felt so close to murdering another. Pure, hot molten rage had coursed through his veins until all he could do was unleash the devil's own fury. It hadn't subsided completely. He still wanted to wring Barrington's neck. But he had recovered sufficiently to proceed with the night's planned event.

"I did not lose control," Elliot corrected. He had always been the one to offer advice, always the voice of reason. Though in truth, he scarce knew what to think anymore. When Grace had placed a tender kiss on his hideous features, all logical thought abandoned him. "Barrington deserved to be taught a lesson, and I was happy to oblige."

Leo cast him a smug grin. "If you say so. Although I'm relieved Mrs. Denton knew how to calm your volatile spirit."

I love you.

Grace's words invaded his thoughts — obliterating his barricade to demand his surrender.

Had she made the declaration just to calm him?

Was it simply her intention to cause a distraction?

"You said you knew where Mr. Henshaw resided," Elliot said in a bid to steer Leo away from revealing what he had heard. "Jump out and relay the instructions to Gibbs."

Leo gave a polite nod. "I've already told him. He's just waiting for your signal to depart."

Elliot thumped the carriage roof and braced himself as it lurched forward.

"Well?" Alexander said as the conveyance settled into a steadier pace.

"Well, what?" Leo shrugged.

The force from Alexander's exasperated sigh could have blown out fifty candles. "Where does this Mr. Henshaw live?"

"Oh. He lives on Hanover Street. Lord Sudley did not take much persuading to reveal the information. Though I suspect he's still wandering the ballroom feeling somewhat dazed."

Alexander folded his arms across his chest. "And what will we do when we get there?"

All heads turned to face Elliot.

"First, we must observe the property," Elliot replied. "Enter by whatever means necessary. Search until we find something to lead us to Caroline Rosemond's whereabouts."

Grace cleared her throat. "Then I pray we are successful, my lord." She turned her attention to the other occupants. "You have all done more than I could ever have hoped. Indeed, after tonight, I shall ask no more of you. Whether our search proves successful or not, I must consider returning home to Cobham without her, without ever knowing what has happened."

The gravity of her words hit him like a vicious blow to the stomach. The force robbed him of his breath, and he resisted the need to gasp.

In Cobham, she would be safe. She would be far away from the malicious tongues determined to cause her pain. She would not be such an easy target for every scoundrel looking to tup a courtesan.

An image of her wandering the idyllic countryside flooded his vision. He saw her clutching the arm of some other gentleman as they navigated the muddy lane, laughing as they dodged the rain when caught in an unexpected shower. He saw her face alight with pleasure as the fictitious beau smothered her in kisses. He saw the look of adoration in her eyes when she held her child in her arms for the first time.

The pain grew more intense, like a blunt blade twisting in his gut.

"Then let us hope the night proves fruitful," Evelyn said, and he had to grit his teeth for fear of throwing them all out onto the pavement, riding off with Grace as his prisoner and never letting her go.

Leo wiped the window with his glove. "We're here. I instructed Gibbs to pull up on the opposite side of the street. It's that one." He pointed to a townhouse in the middle of the terrace.

They all leaned forward, almost bumping heads in their eagerness to observe the building.

"The house looks cold and empty," Alexander said. "I see no light, no sign anyone's home."

"What of Henshaw's staff?" Elliot asked.

Leo shrugged. "I assume they've either been deployed elsewhere, or they're still tending to the property in Henshaw's absence."

"Well, there is only one way to find out." Elliot tugged at the lapels of his coat and the ends of his sleeves. "I'll simply knock the door and persuade whoever answers to let me in."

"Perhaps I should come with you," Grace said. "It is my fault we're all here."

"It's not your fault, Grace." Elliot gave her a reassuring smile as he edged forward. "And it damn well better not be Caroline's fault, either."

"Wait!" Alexander put his arm out to stop him from moving. "Someone is leaving."

Grace shuffled forward and gasped. "Is that … is that Lady Sudley? I thought she was supposed to be ill."

"It is Lady Sudley," Elliot confirmed as he watched the lady scurry down the street, glancing nervously over her shoulder as she headed towards Hanover Square. "But why is she out on her own, walking the streets at this time of night?"

Leo turned to face him. "As she only lives in the square, I assume she did not want to trouble her coachman."

It was Evelyn's turn to gasp. "I've just realised something. In Caroline's diary, perhaps it wasn't Markham. The letters 'm' and 'n' look so similar and are often mistaken."

Logic told him Evelyn's theory was correct. "You mean she met with Mark in Hanover Street."

"Precisely."

Grace cleared her throat. "If Caroline was meeting him here, then she could have left to go abroad with Mr. Henshaw. She could be touring the Continent while I've been darting about like a March hare."

If that were true, Caroline Rosemond was as cold and as heartless as he imagined. God, he hoped there'd been a mistake and some other explanation could be found.

"Right," he said with an element of determination. "I'm going inside. Wait here until I give a signal to follow."

"I'm coming with you." Grace grabbed his arm and their gazes locked.

How could he refuse her anything when she looked at him with such sorrow in her eyes? All he could think of was seeing her happy and untroubled. "Very well. You may come," he said dismissing the strange sense of foreboding writhing through his body.

Grace trotted along beside him, trying to keep up with his long strides. Did his eagerness stem from a desire to bring an end to her worries or a determination to send her back to Cobham?

If only he would give her a small clue, a tiny indication of his true feelings.

Mentally chastising herself for being far too absorbed with her own problems, Grace shook the thoughts from her mind, intent on focusing on the task at hand.

Elliot rapped on Henshaw's front door, and Grace shuffled a little to the left to widen the gap between them to a more respectable distance. Due to the intimacy they'd shared, she felt more at ease when she could feel his touch. Even if it was only the sleeve of his coat brushing against her cape.

How would she fare when they were separated by miles, not mere inches?

Failing to rouse a response, Elliot knocked again and after a brief silence, she heard the faint sound of shuffling feet.

"Sorry, my lady," came the woman's voice as the door creaked open. "I wasn't expecting you back so—"

The woman's gaze shot up from the floor, and she jerked her head back as though reeling from an invisible punch.

"Mrs. Jones?" Grace narrowed her gaze as her mind attempted to confirm what her eyes were seeing. The presence of Caroline's housekeeper caused a mixture of relief and curiosity to course through her. "What are you doing here?"

"You know this woman?" Elliot asked in a sombre tone.

"Mrs. Denton, I … I thought …" Mrs. Jones shuffled on the spot. Her chubby lips moved up and down rapidly, but no words escaped.

Grace turned to Elliot. "Mrs. Jones is Caroline's cook. The one I've not seen for days."

"I c-can explain," she stuttered.

"Stand aside," Elliot commanded, his tone stern, unyielding. "You will let us in."

Mrs. Jones struggled to obey, but Elliot put his hand on the door to open it fully. "Perhaps I did not make myself clear. You will let us in."

The woman nodded as she stepped back to usher them inside.

"Is Mr. Henshaw at home?" Elliot did not look at the woman but glanced at the doors off the hallway.

"He … he's away. Gone abroad. I'm … I'm keeping house during his absence."

"Where are the servants?" he said opening the first door and peering inside.

"Norfolk. They've all gone to Lord Henshaw's house near Hunstanton."

"Why?" he demanded.

"The tapestries needed cleaning. There's dust everywhere since they've had the roof fixed. My lady sent them to help, thought they would like the opportunity to take some country air."

Grace could not contain herself and blurted, "Have you seen Caroline? Is she here?"

Elliot swung around and stared at Mrs. Jones.

The woman's gaze darted everywhere except at them. "Yes. Yes, I've seen her. There's no need for concern."

"She's here," Elliot cried racing to the stairs and climbing them two at a time. "Caroline is here."

Grace followed him while Mrs. Jones plodded behind shouting, "Wait. You can't go up there. Wait. It's not what you think."

Elliot stopped on the landing and scanned the closed doors.

"What is it?" Grace struggled to suppress her anxiety. "You're certain she's here?"

He nodded as he gazed up at the ceiling. "Up here," he said charging up the next flight to the upper floor.

They moved along the landing, trying doors and peering inside. Only one door was locked.

Mrs. Jones joined them on the upper floor, the effort taken to climb the stairs robbing her of breath. "She … she's fine," Mrs. Jones gasped. "She's just resting that's all."

"Open it." Elliot stabbed his finger at the door while Grace held her breath.

Could they have finally found what they'd spent days searching for?

Could Caroline be just a few feet away?

"Open it," Elliot demanded. "Else I'll break down the door."

Mrs. Jones picked up her chatelaine and flicked through the keys. Elliot and Grace crowded around her as the lock clicked, barging into the room as soon as she opened the door.

A candle burnt low on a dresser in the far corner of the room. The figure of a woman could be clearly seen lying beneath the coverlet on the narrow bed.

Grace rushed forward, recognising her sister instantly despite her pale complexion. "Caroline. Caroline." She took her sister's hand in her own and tapped it gently. "Can you hear me?"

Elliot came to stand on the opposite side of the bed. He studied Caroline's gaunt face, put his hand to her head, lifted her lids and examined her eyes.

"Is she asleep?" Grace asked.

"In a manner of speaking," he replied cryptically but then turned to Mrs. Jones. "Have you administered any medicine? A tincture or tonic?"

Mrs. Jones gave a curt nod. "Only what my lady told me to. It's just a tincture of laudanum."

"What are you administering it for?"

Mrs. Jones stepped further into the room. "When Miss Rosemond came here she tripped, fell and hurt her head. My lady sent for Anne and for me as she was worried and thought it would be best if we took care of her."

Grace gasped. "Why didn't you send for me? You left me alone, without so much as a word. I have been frantic with worry."

Mrs. Jones had the decency to look ashamed. "Lady Sudley said Miss Rosemond would be better in a day or two. She said it would be best to keep it quiet, so as not to cause any more trouble for my master."

"But Caroline has been here for almost a week," Grace countered.

Mrs. Jones shook her head. "Every day I have hoped she would be a bit better, so we could return home. But Lady Sudley said I must do what serves Mr. Henshaw best, what with me being in his employ. She said we must take care of Miss Rosemond in his absence. She said we must not move the patient until she's well."

"Something's amiss here," Elliot said ignoring Mrs. Jones and coming to stand in front of her. "I suggest we take her home in my carriage. That we remove her as quickly as possible. But ultimately the decision is yours."

Grace glanced at the listless body in the bed. Elliot was right. None of it made any sense. She saw no sign of a head injury though that didn't mean there wasn't one.