Page 30 of A Duke in Pursuit of Passion
She continued to read the words in front of her, over and over, quite unable to believe what they were telling her.
“What news?” Alice asked, though it was clear that the same question was on the lips of the viscount.
“They have received a letter from someone claiming to have kidnapped Louisa. They are demanding a ransom be paid or they will … they will …”
Ella could not bring herself to finish the rest of the telegram out loud, so she shoved it back into Lord Rolfe’s hands, barely making it to the edge of her bed before collapsing onto the mattress.
“This is dreadful!” Alice commented, hurrying to Ella’s side.
“What about the marriage?” Lord Rolfe asked, his eyes skimming over the telegram as though he hoped to find something that Ella might have missed. She shook her head.
“There was no mention of it. I doubt if it has even taken place,” Ella stated, staring into space because all she could see flashing before her eyes were images of all the terrible things her sister must be experiencing at that very moment. She barely felt Alice clutching hold of her hand comfortingly.
Looking as though he was just as shocked as Ella felt, Lord Rolfe stumbled across the room into the nearest armchair that just so happened to be a few metres away from the bed. He dropped into it, still looking at the telegram as though he too was having difficulty allowing the information to sink in.
For several minutes, they all sat there in absolute stunned shock until Ella found she could not take it anymore. The silence was deafening, and she straightened up, finding a new resolve.
“This doesn’t change anything,” she insisted. “Either way, we still have to find Louisa or Mr Giles. He could very well lead us right to her and whoever her captors are.”
How Lord Rolfe looked at her suggested he knew very well what she was thinking, that Mr Giles and her captors might be one and the same. It didn’t bear thinking about. Though Ella had never agreed with her sister’s affection for the baron’s son, she had never imagined he could possibly be such a man.
“You’re right, but if we search today, we searchtogether,” he stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. And in truth, Ella did not want to argue with him for once. In fact, the thought of his being close made her feel a whole lot better than she ever would have imagined.
The night before she had spent hours awake in bed, concerning herself with her feelings for the nobleman, unable to stop from thinking of how their encounter in the library had made her feel. She had been gobsmacked with herself for allowing things to go so far and yet, deep down, a part of her had wanted to go so much further.
Now was not the time to think about such things, yet it did help in reassuring her that Lord Rolfe was entirely on her side; whether he had ulterior motives for such a thing didn’t really matter to her much now. All that mattered was that it was more imperative than ever that they find Louisa.
*
For the entire day they searched, and to Lord Rolfe’s credit, he did not so much as mention their encounter in the library, nor did he treat her with anything but the utmost respect. But it mattered little. By the time they returned to Lady McGilligan’s that evening, they had found nothing, not even a sniff of her sister or Mr Giles to be spoken of.
And as she stood in the entryway, Alice helping her remove her coat, she felt the last of her hope slipping away. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and it took every ounce of strength she had in her to stop them from falling in front of Lord Rolfe and the butler helping him remove his coat.
“Good, the two of you are home!” Lady McGilligan stated as she came down the hallway towards them from the drawing room. “I was beginning to believe I would be dining alone tonight.”
“Forgive us, Aunt, it has been a long day,” Lord Rolfe said, stepping forward to give his aunt a greeting peck upon her cheek. Ella stepped up behind him to greet the woman with an embrace as though she were her aunt also.
Ella was actually relieved at how welcoming the woman had been. Though she had a heavy Scottish accent and the true grit of a Scotswoman, she was also warm and welcoming to them both, and her smile was almost motherly, as was the way she rubbed Ella’s back as though she needed a little comfort.
“I take it your search did not go as planned?” Lady McGilligan asked, looking between them as though she could read the fact plainly on both faces. They both shook their heads, clearly in agreement as to the fact that their failure was too harsh for words. And before either could say anything, Lady McGilligan announced, “I am to attend a ball tomorrow evening. The two of you should join me.”
Bile rose in the back of Ella’s throat immediately. The last thing she could think of doing right then was attending a ball where she would be forced to smile, dance, and act politely with everyone around her having a merry time while all she could do was think of her sister in danger.
“I am not certain that is such a good idea, Aunt,” Lord Rolfe protested, shaking his head and looking as though his thoughts aligned well with Ella’s own.
“Nonsense! It is exactly what you both need! Besides, it is a masquerade ball, and you know what they are good for!” Lady McGilligan exclaimed, throwing her arms wide as though she had bestowed them both a wonderful and awe-inspiring gift.
Ella and Lord Rolfe glanced at each other, their clueless expressions mirrored upon each other’s faces.
Lady McGilligan clucked her tongue against her teeth and shook her head. “For two such young and beautiful people, you are quite stubbornly stupid at times.”
Coming from someone else, Ella might have taken offense, and yet even in her current exhausted and grief-stricken state, she smiled a little with amusement.
“A masquerade ball is the perfect opportunity to anonymously listen to all the gossip going about!” Lady McGilligan pointed out with great frustration as though her meaning had been entirely obvious. “You never know the kind of information you might be able to pick up about your sister and Mr Giles.”
The lady gripped hold of Ella’s hands tightly as though she was trying to force the idea right into her, squeezing as though she was hopeful that her information would be helpful. And in truth, it was. She was right, entirely so. There was just one problem.
“I have nothing to wear and no mask to speak of.”
