Page 107 of One Wicked Secret
Mr Daventry frowned. “Can I ask why you chose to remain here?”
“Daniel feared it was a trap. There was something peculiar about the wording of the note. It was too insistent, too focused on provoking a reaction. We agreed it was safer if I stayed here and waited for Clara. Lord Rothley went along.”
“Do you have the note?”
“Daniel took it with him.”
Mr Daventry nodded, the urgency in his manner unmistakable as he made to leave. “I’ll return with answers soon.”
“Please bring my husband home, sir,” Elsa pleaded, her voice trembling. “He was under no obligation to marry me. In doing so, he brought trouble to his door. I pray I have a lifetime to prove he made the right decision.”
He paused, offering a reassuring smile. “All will be well. One cannot stand in the way of true love any more than one can stop the sands of time.” Then he turned, bowing to Signora Conti, who let out a breathy sigh, clearly charmed despite herself.
From the study window, Elsa watched Mr Daventry write something in his notebook. He handed the note to his coachman, who took up the reins and left Bedford Square without him. Then the agent crossed the square on foot.
How odd.
Five minutes passed, though it felt like five hours.
Every thirty seconds, Elsa returned to the window, praying for Clara’s return. Signora Conti brought tea and almond cake, but Elsa had barely taken a bite when a sharp knock shattered the silence. The caller was determined to rouse the entire street; their insistent hammering echoed through the house.
Signora Conti hurried to the door, calling, “Calma,calma. Do not make so much noise.”
Elsa rushed to the hall, her heart racing.
As the door swung open, Miss Denby stood before them, her face streaked with tears, her bonnet askew. She was sobbing so hard that each breath seemed to tear at her throat. “Mrs Dalton, thank heavens you’re home. You must come quickly!”
Dread filled Elsa’s heart. “What is it? What’s happened? Tell me!”
“M-Mother sent me.” She choked on her words. “They’re to fight the duel tonight, not at dawn. Oh, you must talk some sense into your husband. I fear he means to shoot my dear brother. Mr Dalton has already bloodied his nose.”
Elsa wasn’t surprised. Daniel had reached the end of his tether.
“Wait. Let me fetch my pelisse, and I’ll accompany you to Denby House.” Elsa hesitated for just a moment, tension tightening in her gut, knowing this matter wouldn’t be resolved until one man lay dead on the common.
Miss Denby grabbed Elsa’s arm with such force she nearly stumbled. “It’s too late. The duel is to take place south of Greenwich Park, beyond the observatory. If we leave now, we might still stop them.”
Elsa froze, her pulse thudding in her ears. How had things escalated so quickly? Lord Rothley was meant to be the voice of reason. He had gone to calm tempers, not inflame them.
She glanced at the plush carriage parked on the street, the driver dressed for the evening in a tricorn and heavy greatcoat. A fine mist had begun to settle, curling through the streets and drifting beneath the lamplight like ghostly fingers.
“Is my husband alone?” she said, a small test to settle her unease.
“I think there were two men with him,” Miss Denby said, “but with Foofoo’s constant yapping and mother’s terrified cries, I scarce paid them any attention.”
Knowing Lord Rothley, he would avoid Miss Denby’s gaze.
“Mr Dalton, he insisted you wait here,” Signora Conti said, folding her arms under her ample bosom, her chin raised in defiance. “I gave him my word you would not leave the house tonight.”
“What if Lord Denby shoots him?” She shivered, the thought freezing the blood in her veins. “How will I live with myself, knowing I might have prevented a tragedy?”
Signora Conti drew Elsa aside and whispered, “Nonnina always said, ‘When trouble comes, it wears slippers, not boots’.”
Elsa glanced at the distraught Miss Denby, a slip of a woman who had never had to fight for anything her entire life. While only a fool would ignore the warning, the prospect of saving Daniel outweighed the risk.
“Signora, I’m sorry for putting you in this position,” Elsa said gently. “But tell me, if you could save the man you loved, would you sit here and do nothing?”
Signora Conti’s brown eyes softened. “I would cross mountains and seas to save someone I loved.”
