Page 87 of A Most Unlikely Lady
‘I assume you will return that later?’ Killian asked.
Philippa raised a brow and smiled. ‘I’ve found assumptions to be rather dangerous things. Rarely do they come out the way we wish.’
Ivy cleared her throat. ‘Has anyone heard anything suspicious? Any whispers when I gave my speech?’
The group took turns recounting information they’d gleaned while dancing and mingling, but outside of a countess embarking on an affair with her footman, an earl marrying an American heiress with bad teeth and a large bank account, and a certain young debutante who might be in an interesting condition with a man lacking a title but flush with money from his work in shipping, there were no rumblings of the Devil’s Sons.
‘Well, we may not have flushed out our prey, but we’ve certainly done some wonderful work for the orphans.’ Ivy tried to put a favourable light on their efforts.
‘We aren’t done yet. Not by half. Focusing on orphanages is a great way to put pressure on the Devil’s Sons.’ Edward’s hand found its way back to Ivy’s waist. ‘Eventually, they’ll slip up. We need to increase our watch on the docks. If we can catch them moving the children?—’
‘But capturing the laymen won’t stop the leaders. We need to find the Wolf. I thought tonight would be the catalyst.’ Philippa thwacked her fan, then narrowed her gaze. ‘Your friend is coming to join us.’ She turned away as Olivia approached.
‘Lady Winterbourne, I never got the chance to thank you for hosting our ball. You’ve helped make this a wild success.’ Olivia’s smile looked strained, her eyes straying from Philippa to Ivy. Something was wrong. Ivy could see it in the fine lines bracketing Olivia’s lips.
‘I did it for Ivy. And the children, of course.’
‘Of course. Heaven knows you wouldn’t trouble yourself to help me. I would wager you wouldn’t deign to spill your wine on me if my dress were alight.’
‘I don’t drink wine.’ Philippa stretched her mouth. ‘And I certainly wouldn’t waste good whiskey as it would likely only intensify the conflagration.’
Olivia narrowed her eyes. ‘Indeed.’ She turned to Ivy. ‘May I speak with you privately? There’s a small issue.’
‘Can we assist?’ Millie’s voluptuous figure and wild red curls were set off in a gown the colour of burned caramel. Drake’s eyes kept wandering to her neckline every few moments, and Ivy was certain she’d heard him growl something indecent in Millie’s ear not moments before.
‘Thank you, but no. It’s just a small issue brought up by some ladies from the Committee.’ Olivia linked her arm through Ivy’s and tugged. ‘We shan’t be long.’
Ivy felt Edward’s fingers dragging across the silk of her dress as she walked away. She gave him what she hoped was a smouldering look. Based on the flush crawling from his neck to his cheeks, it worked.
Now, if only I could get him to growl naughty things in my ear.
She hid a secret smile as Olivia swept them out of the ballroom and down a corridor toward the library. Instead of entering the large room replete with floor-to-ceiling shelves, a rolling staircase, and a collection of first-edition books many said rivalled that of the Queen herself, Olivia kept walking.
‘Where are we going? What is amiss, Olivia?’
Olivia paused. Tears shone in her green eyes. ‘Oh, Ivy, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault.’
A thrill of alarm washed through her.
‘Tell me at once.’
‘It’s the children. They’ve gone missing. I took them to the kitchen for a treat and told them I’d be back once I checked on the chest. I asked Percival to take it to the study to count out our donations. I thought we could announce it at the end, a grand cap to our successful evening, but when I returned to collect the children from the kitchen, they were gone. Cook had no idea where they went.’
They were so upset about me leaving. Dear God. What if they ran away?
Visions of Henry running into street toughs or Sarah begging for scraps of food on a dirty street corner in Whitechapel filled Ivy with a familiar feeling. Fear. But this was not the freezing, cover-your-head-and-hide-in-the-shadows kind of fear. This had sharp edges and claws. This had teeth and strength and rage. This was feral, a fierce, demanding action.
‘Where have you looked? We can start in the kitchen and search every room. I’ll get the others. We’ll split up and comb the gardens as well.’
Olivia shook her head. Looping a loose strand of hair around her finger, she coiled it and tugged. ‘I already checked the kitchen. Why don’t we try some of the closer rooms together? If we don’t find them, we’ll get help. This is the last thing we need the guests to discover.’
Because she had no time to argue, Ivy agreed.
They made quick work of the servants’ hall, pantry, and scullery.
‘They aren’t here.’ Panic was making Ivy ill. What if they weren’t on the property? What if they were walking the streets together in the dark? All alone.
‘What about the stables? When I left the kitchen, Cook was talking about some kittens that had just been born in the stables.’ Olivia looked a little wild-eyed. Her pale skin was almost white. She fidgeted with a button on her gown until the thing popped off, but Olivia didn’t seem to notice. ‘I’m so sorry I let this happen.’
