Page 56 of Snowbound with the Scoundrel
Rupert collected Claire from the middle of the ballroom, where Higginbotham had left her standing after their waltz concluded.Which wasn’t very gallant of him, but the poor fellow looked to be in something of a state.
“Learn anything?”Rupert whispered as he looped his arm through Claire’s, whisking her away from three approaching suitors.This earned him another scowl from Percival Ponsonby, which Rupert returned with a bland smile.
“Possibly,” Claire murmured.“Mr.Higginbotham advised me that he now resides in York and has not visited his hometown of Thirsk for several years.Thirsk, of course, being the borough that voted him out in favor of Mr.Baxter.”
“Perhaps his work keeps him busy,” Rupert said, snagging them each a glass of warm negus.
Claire sipped from her glass.“Perhaps, but he advised me very firmly that he would not be stopping in Thirsk on his way back to York, as there is ‘nothing there but bad memories.’Additionally, a scowl settled over his face when he spied Mr.Baxter in the dance.”
Rupert wasn’t sure how much to read into that.Baxter madehimwant to scowl, and he wasn’t the scowling sort.“I suppose there could be something there.”
“It’s not much,” Claire agreed.“But it’s better than any lead we… Wait, where is he going?”
Rupert glanced over his shoulder.As sure as death and taxes, Higginbotham was making for the ballroom’s doors.
“It’s probably nothing,” Rupert noted.“He could be on his way to use the…” He cleared his throat.“You know.”
Claire had snagged his arm and was already towing him across the ballroom.“Let’s see.”
Rupert couldn’t resist nudging her in the ribs with his elbow.“I’ll bet when you agreed to work for the Home Office that you never dreamed your job would be so glamorous.Tracking a man to the gentleman’s retiring… ho, now, what do we have here?”
Higginbotham had gone not toward the necessary but the front door.Ducking into an alcove, they watched as he quietly conferred with a footman.The footman left but returned quickly bearing a cloak and hat.Higginbotham donned them and stepped out into the snowy night.
Claire dug her fingers into his forearm.“Where could he be headed?”
“At this time of night?Not a clue.It’s dark out there, and deuced c-cold.”Rupert stumbled, both over his feet and over his words, as Claire dragged him out of the alcove.She surprised him by heading not after Higginbotham but toward the back of the castle.
A blast of cold air hit him in the face as she opened the door leading into the gardens.Up until this point, he’d been allowing Claire to lead him around because goodness knew any suggestion she had was bound to be better than what he came up with.
But going outside in their evening kit didn’t seem like the absolute best idea she’d ever had.
“Claire,” he hissed, “what are you doing?”
She looked up at him, brown eyes bright with excitement, and she looked so pretty, it scrambled what few wits he had.“We have to follow him.Why would he be heading out at this time of night if not for some nefarious purpose?”
“That, I don’t know.But I’m fairly certain that if we go out there, we’re going to freeze to death.Especially you!At least I have a jacket on.”
She pulled on his arm, undeterred.“Come on.We can’t let him get away!”
Rupert shook his head, hoping to clear it.He knew this was a bad idea, but it was difficult to deny Claire anything when she sported that eager-hopeful sort of expression.“At least let me go and fetch our cloaks.”
“No!If we do that, whatever servant we ask will know we went outside.”
“At least let me run up to my room.I’ll find something warm in my trunks we can throw on.”
“There’s no time for that.Please, Rupert!We have to hurry!”
Claire’s lip quivered, and her eyes were full of anguish.It was the sort of thing no man wanted to see, but it was a thousand times worse when it was your girl who was making that face.Not that Claire was his girl, not really.But the point was, she held that position in his heart, even if she never would in any official sense of the word.
He sighed.How could he possibly deny her?“Fine, but only if you take my coat.”
She peered up at him uncertainly as he shrugged out of the garment.“What about you?”
He waved this off.“Don’t worry about old Rupert.As I said a few days ago, I just came from Switzerland and spent the previous winter in Norway.I’m acclimated to the cold.”
Claire bit her lip as he draped it around her shoulders.At least it was a sturdy, winter-weight wool.“You’re quite certain you’ll be warm enough?”
No.But he said, “’Course I will.”He could see it was time to lay down his trump card, so he gestured across the back gardens.“We’d better hurry, or he’s going to get away!”
