Page 86 of Sacrificing the Untamed Lady Henrietta
Henrietta shook her head. “No, it was only my wish to become a physician. He mocked me for it and was severely punished. I am sorry for how it has affected you. However, I did not expect my father to react with such volatility. You see, trying to stop my father is like trying to stop a stampede of spooked horses.”
“I suppose my husband wished his dismissal to look more unfortunate than it truly was,” Isobel mused, with a touch of sadness. “I ought to have known. He has lied enough to me in the past. Even with our arrival in Scarborough, he told me we would live in grand apartments that he had secured for us. Instead, I found myself in a hovel with two screaming children, and him gone for much of the day, if not all.”
“Isobel, I truly am sorry for you.”
The girl smiled. “Although I feel some sympathy for you, also, I will not spy on my husband for you. I cannot. It would not be worth the repercussions, if he were to discover what I was doing.”
“Then, you are not working for him? You are not his accomplice?”
“I suppose I am, in many ways, but he does not tell me why I am to do things—he simply orders me to do this and that, and gives me little detail,” she explained.
“What kinds of orders?”
She shrugged. “Retrieving letters from the postal office, purchasing objects, following people.”
“People like me?”
“Sometimes. He has not asked me of late, but last week he instructed me to trail you for a while. He told me to tell him who you were with, and what you were doing. He would not say why.”
“If he asks you to do so again, will you at least inform me?”
She nodded. “I will do that, at least.”
“Does he ever get you tosendletters?”
“No, he does that himself. I cannot be trusted, apparently.”
Hm, so he must have someone else to do that for him. Perhaps, he did not think it was safe, as I had discovered the existence of his wife.
“Well, I have taken up enough of your time. I thank you for your promise,” Henrietta said, casting a glance back at the entrance of the alley. Ewan was waiting for her there.
As she turned to go, Isobel lunged forward and grabbed Henrietta by the arm. “I must tell you one more thing, before you go,” she said, in a frightened voice. “You must not ask me why I’m telling you this, but simply heed my advice. Can you do that?”
Henrietta nodded uncertainly.
Isobel’s huge eyes widened with earnestness. “Do not go to the Autumn Ball.”
“What did you say?” Henrietta gasped.
“You must not attend, under any circumstances.” Without another word, she darted past Henrietta, leaving her to stand in the alley in a state of abject terror.
Chapter 32
The day of the ball arrived, and everyone was in full swing with preparations. Aaron Oliver sat in the smoking room of the Old Bell, with a small team of his former soldiers, who had come up to Scarborough at his request: Ronscales, Davids, Fletcher, Clutterbuck, and Wright. They made a rather motley crew, sitting stony-faced in the corner of the room.
“And we are to cover all of the exits, General?” Ronscales asked, making notations on a hand-drawn map of Scampston Hall’s extensive gardens.
“Yes, you are to ensure that my daughter cannot be taken from the parkland of Scampston Hall,” the General replied. “There are four pathways that could be taken, as you can see. Davids, you should be present amongst the main attendees. Ronscales, you will take the Northern exit, Fletcher to the South, Clutterbuck to the East, and Wright to the West.”
“Understood, General,” came the murmured consensus.
“Have you seen your target?”
Clutterbuck nodded. “We visited with Lord Averson yesterday afternoon. We have seen this Mr. Booth fellow and will be sure to look out for him this evening.”
“Excellent, then it looks as though all we have left to do is capture the villain,” Aaron said grimly. His nerves were on edge, though he was doing his best to hide it. He had yet to see his daughter that morning, but she had been out of sorts for the entirety of the previous two days. She would not say why, but he knew her well enough to decipher when something was the matter.
Glimpsing Ewan in the hallway, he excused himself from his band of soldiers and strode out into the corridor. Ewan appeared to be collecting letters, the sight of the notes turning Aaron’s stomach. He had not been able to look at a letter in quite the same way after the arrival of the warnings. Each message might contain something he did not wish to see, even though no further notes had come to any of them.
