Page 35 of A Lady's Past
With a sigh, Honoria lay back on the bed. “I suppose you’re right. We had better get what rest we can. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
Diana knew she was right, but it would be impossible to sleep. She left the candle burning and rested beside Honoria. “I appreciate you risking yourself to protect me. I don’t think I’ve ever had such good friends as I’ve made these last few weeks.”
“I am lucky to call you friend, my dear. I could not let anything terrible happen to you, if there is a chance I can prevent it.”
Snuggling against Honoria the way she used to with her mother, Diana sighed. “While I wish you were safe, I’m glad you are here with me, my lady.”
“As am I, Diana.” Honoria relaxed, and a moment later a low snore sounded as she drifted to sleep.
Diana watched the candle until it burned out.
ChapterNine
Head pounding, Jacques struggled to focus on the voices in the room.
“Wake up, Jacques.” Preston’s order cut through the din.
Jacques blinked. Several candles lit the room along with a blazing fire in the hearth. Preston’s study at the Middleton town house came into focus. How had he gotten there?
The dinner party.
Diana looking stunning in a blue gown.
The carriage ride to Everton House.
Victor Caron!
“Diana!” Jacques sat up. “Where is Diana?” If a spike had shot through his skull, he’d not have been surprised. The pain nearly sent him to the floor.
Preston put a hand on his shoulder and firmly kept him seated and steady. “Good. You remember. Don’t get up too fast. We’re already looking for them.”
Michael stepped out of the shadows. “Do you remember anything that might help?”
Rubbing the back of his head, Jacques irritated a rather large knot covered by a bloody mat of hair. “Only that Victor Caron pointed a pistol into the carriage. I think he rode in an all-black Clarence.” He pushed his aching mind to remember more. “There were no markings. I saw one other man, and someone must have hit me from behind, so he had at least two with him.”
With a nod, Michael left the room and spoke to someone in the hallway.
A maid ran in. “We packed some snow. It won’t last long, but should help with that bump on your head, sir.” She handed him a damp towel.
He eased it onto the back of his head. “Thank you.”
Preston sat next to him and raked his fingers through his hair.
“Did the footmen from Everton’s survive?”
“Yes. It was lucky no one was killed. One is shot, but he will live. The rest were knocked unconscious in a similar fashion to you. Victor knows a bloodbath in the streets of London would attract too much attention. He was smart to keep the damage to a minimum. He probably thinks we’ll not care about the fate of one untitled woman. They took Lady Chervil, though. That puzzles me. It would have been wiser to leave her behind. Certainly, he knows we’ll search for her.”
“Perhaps she refused to be left behind. She can be persuasive and is very fond of Diana.” Jacques was still struggling to focus his mind. “What about Bertram? He’s the large footman who guards Diana daily.”
“He woke first and stumbled after the carriage for about a block before he lost them. He ran back here, badly beaten and his head bleeding. Michael was just climbing in his carriage. He’s called the Horsemen. Alexander is in town and came immediately. Sebastian is a day’s ride and we’ve sent a messenger to fetch him. Oliver and Nathaniel are at the castle, and while we’ve sent a note, they will not likely be here before this has concluded.”
Not even when his own life balanced on the edge of a guillotine had Jacques experienced the wave of pure rage that filled him at the thought of Diana left in the hands of a monster. He’d failed her. “If he so much as scratches her, I will tear him to pieces with my bare hands.”
“I know.” Preston patted his back then stood. “Rest a while. I doubt they will pick up a trail until daylight. I called Thomas Wheel, as he has a knack for such things, and Michael and he are close friends. He is trying to pick up a trail or find someone who knows Caron’s movements in England. Prepare yourself. I’m going to let Millie in before she breaks down the door.”
As soon as Preston opened the door, Millicent ran in and threw herself into Jacques’s arms. “I was so worried. When they brought you back and you were unconscious, I thought the worst. Poor Diana and Honoria. I can’t imagine the horror of being dragged off in the night.”
His snow-filled towel was just a wet mess with a bloodstain from his head wound. He dropped it on the tea tray he’d just noticed on the table and hugged Millicent. “I’m fine, Millie. Just a bump on the head, and you know how hard my head is.”
