Page 76 of Her Daring Earl
“I believe it’s the second door on the right,” Levi said, pointing to a short corridor. “Archibald is hiding within the room.”
“Is there another entrance?” Eliza asked, and Levi furrowed his brow.
“Not that I am aware of.”
“We best check,” she said, glancing furtively around. “There is a detective guarding this door. I am sure the man at the end of the hall is one of them. We should go around to the other side.”
She could tell Levi wanted to argue but she was grateful that he allowed her to do as she wished while he followed alongbehind. They turned the corner and Eliza stopped so suddenly that Henrietta ran into the back of her.
“What is it?” Henrietta hissed.
“There she is,” Eliza whispered over her shoulder as she gestured behind her so that they could hide around the corner. She peered around the wall. “The woman that I noticed earlier. She’s entering another room.”
Levi looked around. “It appears to be the room beside the one Fitz is in.”
“Could there be a connecting door between them?”
“Why would the detectives not know about that?”
“Who gave them the layout?” she asked pointedly before rolling her eyes. Men. This was why she’d had to come.
“I think she is going to enter from the other side.”
Sure enough, the woman stepped forward, knocking softly on the door, and moments later it was opened. The woman pushed through the door, entering almost silently, and every hair on Eliza’s body seemed to be standing on end as she was certain that all was not well here.
It was then she noted that the door had been left open a touch.
“That’s it,” she said, lifting her heavy skirts in both hands. “I’ve had enough.”
“Eliza, you could ruin the plan,” Henrietta said, but her words were not about to stop Eliza.
Nothing could.
Except for the man who reached out to grab her the moment her fingers touched the doorknob.
CHAPTER 26
Something didn’t feel right.
Fitz had hoped to avoid this night in the first place. He had been certain that Madeline would come forward and tell them of any plans she had been approached with.
But unfortunately, nothing had come to fruition and here they were.
His skin crawled just from being here, as if his body knew that it should be at home with Eliza instead of within such an establishment, even if his mind knew his true purpose, which was to bring this to a finish in order to protect her.
He had noted that all of the suspects were here – Baxter, Brighton, and even Mandrake, who he still considered as the person who would have most reason to want to do away with him.
He recognized all of the detectives situated around the gaming hell and had been sure to place his drink in opportune positions to invite poisoning multiple times.
When nothing occurred, Archibald’s second man, Pip, signalled him to enter the private room. Fitz had leaned over to Madeline to tell her that it was time to move to the next step in their plan. She had nodded in apparent delight beforeleading him down the corridor to the agreed-upon room where Archibald was waiting, hidden behind a heavy curtain in the corner.
Fitz stepped in, surprised that the room which at one time in his life had seemed a haven away from the rest of the world now caused him nothing but discomfort. Archibald was so well hidden that even Fitz, who knew he was there, couldn’t see him.
“What do we do now?” he asked the room itself. “Wait?”
“I believe that is the plan,” Madeline answered him, even though she had not been the one to whom he was directing his question.
“No one reached out to you, Madeline?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied her, recalling Eliza’s words.
