Page 85 of Let Me Be Your Hero
Just then, the Trevissick carriage entered the far end of the square. Traffic was not light, but the horses were moving at a steady canter.
It pulled up to the curb, and the Duke and Duchess of Trevissick sprang out. “We came as soon as we heard,” the dukesaid, offering a hand to his great-aunt, who descended with grave dignity.
“Oh, Lady Griselda,” Lucy sobbed. “They’ve taken Izzie! We found a rope over there,” she said, gesturing to the alley. “That must be how they got her out.”
Lady Griselda peered into the alley. “You have discovered where she exited the house? Good. This is good!”
Hope flared in Lucy’s eyes. “Can you really find her?”
“I cannot.” Lady Griselda gave a command in German, and one of her brown and white speckled dogs leaped from the carriage and came to stand obediently by her side.
Lady Griselda’s eyes held nothing but confidence as she turned to face Archibald. “But Inge can.”
CHAPTER 38
Izzie’s maid ran and fetched the chemise her mistress had worn yesterday.
While Archibald, the Astleys, and a dozen of his men from Nettlethorpe Iron looked on, Lady Griselda led Inge to the very base of the rope, then gave her the garment to sniff.
Archibald scarcely dared to let himself hope. He knew hunting dogs were good trackers. But if the kidnappers had stuffed Izzie into a carriage, it seemed unlikely that she would’ve left much of a trail for the pointer to follow.
Holding his breath, he watched as Lady Griselda instructed the dog to “Such.” Inge immediately put her nose to the ground, sniffing the pavement. Archibald was terrified that she would track Izzie to the edge of the curb, and the trail would immediately go cold.
But instead, Inge started confidently down the pavement, heading away from the Nettlethorpe-Ogilvy mansion.
As one, the group gave a gasp of relief and began trailing the dog down the street.
At the corner, Inge made a sharp left turn, crossing the street and taking them south toward Mayfair. She kept her head downthe whole time, her mind on her business, paying no mind to the carriages flying past her in the street.
“By jove,” Harrington Astley said, coming up next to Lady Griselda, “that’s remarkable.”
Lady Griselda waved this off. “Inge is the best tracker I’ve ever trained. This is child’s play for her.”
Inge made another turn, leading them to the opposite side of the square. She marched up to number twenty-seven and would’ve gone right in were it not for the shiny black door barring her way. Inge seemed momentarily affronted but shook herself, then raised a front paw and pointed her muzzle directly at the door.
They retreated around the corner to formulate a plan.
“Sehr gut, Inge,” Lady Griselda said, feeding the dog a treat from her pocket. “Braver Hund. You will be having steak tonight, yes, you will.”
Lord Fauconbridge’s face was creased in confusion. “But… is that not Andrew Milner’s house?”
“Andrew Milner?” Lady Morsley asked. “You don’t mean the politician? What could he, of all people, have to do with Izzie’s disappearance?”
Lady Diana and Lady Lucy were jumping up and down.
“She saw him!” Lady Lucy hissed. “In the dark walks!”
“He solicited the services of a”—Lady Diana dropped her voice low—“a woman of easy virtue.”
Lady Lucy turned to her friend. “I had all but forgotten that she mentioned it!”
“Me too!” Lady Diana exclaimed. “It never occurred to me thatAndrew Milnermight try to have herkilledover such a thing!”
“To be sure,” Fauconbridge mused, “he wouldn’t stand a chance of becoming Prime Minister if word of it got out. Not after all the careers he’s ruined on similar accusations.”
“And I suppose that’s all he cared about,” Lady Cheltenham snapped.
Archibald only cared about one thing. “How do we get her out?”
