Page 34 of An Unbending Lady for the Desperate Earl
Victoria looked at him, as though she had only just remembered he was there. “The only thing is, Lady Jane does not fit the description of the other ladies who were taken. Yes, she may be of slight build, but the other ladies were… well, for lack of a more polite term; they were beauties.”
“Perhaps they are looking for something different now,” Christian suggested. “Or, perhaps, the beauty of the previous captives was simply accidental. They were all sole daughters of their parents. Lady Jane is the sole child of this household. That continues in the same vein as the prior captives.”
“You may be right.”
At that moment, the door opened, and the butler answered. He immediately recognized Christian, as most households in this part of London were wont to do.
“My Lord, this is rather unexpected. Are you here to speak with His Grace?”
Christian took the lead. “Actually, I wanted to speak with Her Grace. I heard the awful news, and desired to offer my condolences, and see if I could lend any solace to Her Grace. As you know, I have recently endured the same pain, and I know how severely the Duchess of Pelsley suffered upon the initial shock of discovering Lady Helena’s disappearance. I may be the only one in Mayfair who can bring Her Grace comfort, in this dire time.”
The butler hesitated. “Then… I suppose you ought to come in. I shall place you in the front parlor and see if Her Grace has the strength to speak with you, though I cannot make any assurances.”
“Thank you. If she is unable to meet with us, I shall wholeheartedly understand, but it will not serve her well to be alone at this present moment. Please, try to convince her of that,” Christian implored. He meant it, too. Yes, he was here to gain information about what had happened between Lady Jane’s departure from the ball and being taken, but he truly did desire to help the Duchess of Sopworth however he could.
Turning, he cast one look back at the furious audience of investigators. Countless pairs of eyes glowered at him from the icy morning, followed by a susurration of aggravated grumbles, mostly directed at the receding figure of Victoria. Their chagrin could not have been more palpable, adding an extra chill to the air, but he could not spare an ounce of sympathy for them. Victoria was his hope. He believed in her. And if that meant putting her ahead of everyone else, then so be it.
After all, they had become a team. What sort of partner would he be if he spared a thought for their rivals?
* * *
“Do you think she will join us?” Victoria scuffed the toe of her shoe on the varnished floor of the front parlor, where the butler had duly installed them.
Christian leaned on the armrest of the settee. “I do not know. I hope so.”
“As do I.” Victoria observed Christian, who seemed to be struggling to stay awake. The poor fellow looked truly exhausted, with purpled crescents making themselves known beneath his usually bright eyes. Yet, he had not complained once.
You are made of sterner stuff than I would have thought.Singlehandedly, Christian continued to change her perspective of high society. Or, of his exception to the rule, at least.
At that moment, the door opened and the Duchess of Sopworth entered. She shuffled slowly, her shoulders stooped, a handkerchief perpetually pressed to reddened eyes that had no doubt shed a veritable flood of tears that morning.
“Lord Galbury…” the Duchess sniffled. “And… oh, forgive me, I cannot recall your name, dear girl.”
“Victoria.” She rose abruptly and went to help the older woman. True, she may have held a healthy amount of disdain for this harridan last night, upon seeing the way she had tried to throw her daughter in Christian’s path—despite him already being betrothed with his fiancée missing—but all that had gone now. Victoria saw only a bereft mother, tormented with the intangible pain of a broken heart, whose daughter had been stolen away. The slate had been wiped clean of former distaste.
The Duchess blinked in confusion. “Victoria? I didn’t think that was your name. Did it not begin with an ‘L’? Liza, perhaps?”
“Come and sit by me. There is much we ought to speak about.” Victoria took the Duchess by the arm, and carefully led her to the settee, not pausing in her care until the poor woman was comfortably seated.
“Your Grace, this may come as something as a surprise, but Miss McCarthy here is not my cousin,” Christian chimed in, after a subtle nod from Victoria. She knew it would be better received, coming from him. “She is an investigator, whom I have been working with, in order to rescue my… betrothed, Lady Helena.”
Victoria heard the hesitation in his voice and felt her chest clench. Had he paused on purpose? Did he no longer feel comfortable, referring to Lady Helena in such terms? Victoria’s mind had been so befuddled by Miss Longacre’s words, that she supposed she was making much out of nothing. He had likely been looking for the correct word, that was all.
“An… investigator?” The Duchess gaped at Victoria.
“I know this will be hard to take in, Your Grace,” Victoria said softly. “But it is my solemn promise that I will recover Lady Jane for you, as well as the other ladies who have been taken. I made that promise to Lord Galbury, and I make it to you now. However, in order to do that, we must speak with you about last night’s events. Do you feel able to talk to us? Might I send for some tea, to put you at ease?”
The Duchess frowned. “I do not understand. Why were you at the ball if you are investigating these kidnappings?” She paused, her eyes widening. “Did you know that someone else was in danger last night? Did you know my daughter would be taken?”
“We suspected another target, Your Grace, that much is true.” Guilt churned in Victoria’s stomach, for she knew how awfully she had been mistaken. “But we thought it would be Miss Longacre, as she seemed to be the obvious candidate. That was my failing, but I will not fail again.”
The Duchess began to sob. “I-I-I insisted that we l-leave. If I h-had allowed her to s-stay, then this m-might not have happened. You w-would have been there to p-protect her. Y-you might have s-seen the person who t-took her, and you m-might have realized that m-my daughter was the target instead.”
Victoria boldly took the Duchess’ hand in hers. “This is not your fault, Your Grace.Imade the wrong judgment. Had I not been so certain of myself, and so confident of my ideas, then your daughter might be safe now. I should have been watching everyone. I failed, and that is my fault, not yours. But I will remedy it, and I will find your daughter, with your help.”
“How can I h-help?” the Duchess stammered.
“I have some questions. All you have to do is answer them,” Victoria replied.
