Page 45 of The Hidden Lord
Mama’s expression remained impartial as she ushered them into the drawing room without the customary curtsy due a viscount. “Indeed. Perhaps you would care to explain thosecircumstances more fully? Henri’s uncle and I have been quite at a loss to understand her sudden departure from London, more so since the rather cryptic nature of your communication.”
Henri watched Gabriel navigate her mother’s pointed questions with the same charm she had observed him use with officials and innkeepers. He spoke of an urgent matter requiring Henri’s expertise, of the necessity for immediate travel, of his deep respect for her abilities and his commitment to her safety and reputation. All perfectly reasonable explanations that somehow managed to reveal absolutely nothing of substance.
“I am afraid I must tell you,” Mama continued, her tone growing more serious, “that Signor di Bianchi has been quite distraught about Henri’s disappearance. He and the young gentlemen from next door have been searching for her across the countryside, trying to trace where she went after visiting Sir Alpheus. The poor man feels responsible for her vanishing, for he was the one who had left her alone to examine that manuscript. Miss Dulwich was not able to tell us very much beyond your scheme to view it, the sound of a pistol discharging, and they found your bonnet on the table, so they feared you had not left on your own determination …” Mama broke off, her jaw tightening and clearly unwilling to relive her distress.
Henri felt a pang of guilt at the thought of Lorenzo di Bianchi’s distress, not to mention what her mother and great-uncle had gone through. “He does not know we are married?”
“Married?” Mama’s voice rose slightly, the first crack in her composure. “When exactly did this marriage take place?”
“Yesterday morning, in Calais,” Henri replied. “We were wed at the consulate there.”
Mama was quiet for a long moment, clearly processing this information and its implications. “I see. And this was … a planned elopement?”
Gabriel stepped in smoothly. “The circumstances required immediate action, Mrs. Bigsby. I assure you that my intentions toward your daughter have been entirely honorable from the beginning.”
Henri flushed at the recollection of their lovemaking, a fact which did not escape Mama’s watchful gaze. Fortunately, the sound of the front door opening interrupted any further interrogation, and Henri heard the familiar sound of Uncle Reggie calling out to the butler. Within moments, her great-uncle appeared in the doorway, his usually amiable expression clouded with concern. Tall with stooped shoulders, in his early seventies, Reginald Wells was a welcome sight after the travails of the past week.
“Henri, my dear!” Uncle Reggie embraced her, his relief evident. “When I learned of your disappearance, I returned from the country immediately. With no word of your whereabouts … well, I feared the worst.” He turned to Gabriel with a brief bow. “Lord Trenwith. What brings you into this affair?”
Gabriel rose and extended his hand. “Mr. Wells, a pleasure to see you again. I am afraid the circumstances have been rather extraordinary.”
“You two are acquainted?” Eleanor asked, her eyebrows rising with interest.
“Indeed,” Uncle Reggie replied, settling into his favorite chair. “Lord Trenwith and I have had occasion to correspond on various parliamentary matters. His diplomatic work has been quite valuable to the Foreign Office.” He studied Gabriel’s face with the shrewd attention of a seasoned politician. “Though I must say, I was surprised to learn of your involvement in my niece’s sudden disappearance.”
Henri immediately launched into her account, her natural inclination to share taking over, only hurried along by her nerves regarding this awkward encounter. “Oh, Uncle Reggie, it wasthe most terrifying experience! I was in Sir Alpheus’s library examining the Malory manuscript when this dreadful man appeared with a pistol. He demanded I hand over the book and was clearly prepared to use violence to get it!”
Mama’s face went pale, and Henri felt terrible to impart such terrifying news when her own twin had been poisoned just months earlier. Fortunately, Maddy had had Lady Trafford at hand who was a gifted healer, or else Henri would be a twin no longer.
“A pistol? Henrietta!”
“Yes, Mama, and he was absolutely menacing about it,” Henri continued, gesticulating as she spoke. “He wanted the manuscript and Signor di Bianchi’s sketch, but then Gabriel appeared through the terrace doors like a hero from a novel and seized the man by the throat!”
Gabriel inclined his head politely. “I was fortunate to arrive when I did.”
“Fortunate!” Henri exclaimed. “Uncle Reggie, you should have seen him. One moment this villain was threatening to shoot me, and the next Gabriel had rendered him completely unconscious. It was quite the most impressive thing I have ever witnessed.”
“By George,” Uncle Reggie breathed, his customary composure momentarily shaken. “You mean to say there was an actual attempt on your life?”
“Oh yes, absolutely,” Henri said earnestly. “The scoundrel was clearly prepared to kill for what I was carrying. And then, of course, there was the matter of my reputation being quite thoroughly compromised by the whole affair.”
Gabriel nodded gravely. “Given the circumstances, and the likelihood that this individual might have accomplices, I felt it necessary to remove Henri from immediate danger.”
Eleanor’s sharp eyes moved between Gabriel and Henri. “And this danger required taking her out of the country?”
Gabriel’s jaw tightened slightly. “The man’s identity and motives were unknown to me at the time. I could not be certain that leaving Henri in England would guarantee her continued safety. My primary concern was ensuring she remained out of harm’s way until I could better assess the threat.”
Uncle Reggie leaned forward in his chair. “This manuscript must have considerable value to provoke such violence. What exactly was Henri examining that would inspire murder?”
Henri glanced at Gabriel, uncertain how much he wanted revealed. “It was the Malory manuscript. Sir Thomas Malory’s original work on King Arthur. Signor di Bianchi believed it might contain clues to his ancestor’s lost artwork.”
“Ah, the art historian,” Uncle Reggie nodded. “Yes, he’s been quite beside himself with worry. Called on me twice, and I understand from Lord Blackwood next door that Signor di Bianchi and the Scott brothers have been searching for information about your whereabouts.”
Her mother’s expression had grown increasingly grave during this exchange. “Let me understand this correctly. You are telling me that my daughter was threatened with violence, possibly death, over some medieval manuscript? And your solution was to take her to France and marry her?”
The bluntness of the question hung in the air like a challenge. Henri watched Gabriel’s face, seeing the careful calculation behind his eyes as he formulated his response.
“Mrs. Bigsby,” Gabriel said finally, “I will not pretend that this is ideal. But I found myself in an impossible situation. Henri had been compromised by events that could endanger her life. Subsequently, she had been in my company, unchaperoned, for an extended period. Her reputation was at risk, and her safety remained uncertain.”
