Time for Love (29 page)

And he definitely did not like the way she looked at their new acquaintance. As soon as the door closed behind Lord Downing, Nicholas pulled himself up straight to maximize the few inches he had on the other gentleman and rounded on him. “Who, pray tell, are you and what do you know of Charlotte Creswell?”

“Creswell?” the man replied. “Nothing. I thought for a moment the young lady was my daughter’s governess, but I realize I was mistaken.” He bowed in Alex’s direction. “I beg your pardon if I startled you. It was not my intention.” His brow knitted in confusion. “The resemblance is uncanny.”

“Is your governess’s last name Evans?” she asked.

“Yes, it is.”

Before he could say any more, Lord Downing chimed in, “I believe introductions are in order.” He bowed slightly to the young man. “You are Lord Tyndale, I believe.” At the young man’s nod, he continued, “May I present to you, Lord Oakleigh.” He gestured to Nicholas, who nodded. “And my daughter, Lady Alexandra Creswell.”

Lord Tyndale’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened as he glanced toward Alex.

“It sounds as though you know my other daughter, Lady Charlotte—Alexandra’s twin. We have been searching for her for quite some time.” Lord Downing continued to give a few details of their history and their search.

Nicholas watched Lord Tyndale as he listened to the story. He appeared to take in everything fairly well, though he looked a bit taken aback. “Miss Evans said she had family in London, but she refused to tell me your name. I had gathered from some of her comments you had parted on less than amicable terms.” He glanced at Lord Downing, before looking at Alex with a huge grin on his face. “She worried she would never see you again. She will be thrilled when she discovers you are in London.”

“Not on good terms?” Lord Downing asked, confusion evident in his voice, before he shook his head. “It is unimportant. Where is she now?”

“At my country estate. I asked her to accompany me to London, but she refused. I had an urgent letter from my younger brother requiring my presence in town. I expected to find him awaiting my arrival at our townhouse and was surprised to find he intended to attend your ball. I arrived at your home and was further shocked to see Charlotte, or so I thought, talking to Lord Oakleigh, when I had left her safe at my home.”

“Safe?” Nicholas asked.

“Yes.” Lord Tyndale frowned. “I am afraid there have been several attempts on her life since the moment she entered into my employ. I did not wish to leave, yet I had little choice. I left several men to guard her in my absence.” He moved toward the door. “If you will pardon me, I would like to find my brother. His missive sounded quite urgent.”

Nicholas moved to block his way. “You can find your brother in a moment. I want to know more about these attempts on Alex’s sister.” The danger to Alex appeared even greater than he had suspected.

“Why don’t I have a footman escort your brother here?” Alex chimed in. Her gaze darted between him, Lord Tyndale, and the clock behind him.

“No, I think—”

Before he could stop her, Alex slipped out the door. Nicholas watched as her skirt swirled around the corner. Something certainly bothered her, other than the news they had just received. She appeared shaken, and it concerned him. What could have happened in the few minutes he had left her side for the champagne? Had someone contacted her, threatened her?

His blood boiled at the thought, and his hands clenched into fists. Whatever it was, she was scared, and he was going to find out why.

****

Alex rushed down the stairs. She only had ten minutes to meet Lord Stone, and she needed to figure out how to let Nicholas know what she was doing. She sent a footman to fetch Lord Tyndale’s brother as she made her way to the door.

She paused. Perhaps she could send a message through Tyndale’s brother? She couldn’t use a footman. None of them would let her leave if she told them of her intent. Nicholas had given them strict instructions regarding her, and even now a footman stood a few feet away, keeping a careful eye on her.

A young man came out of the ballroom, following the footman Alex had sent. She took a deep breath and walked up to him, pasting a smile on her face. “Good evening. Are you Lord Tyndale’s brother?”

He was younger than she, maybe twenty or so. His smile widened as he looked her up and down. “Yes, I am. Sebastian Tyndale. I don’t believe we have been introduced. I would surely remember a lady as lovely as you.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “How may I be of service, Lady…?”

Alex tugged her hand out of his grasp and ignoring his question, turned to the footman. “Thank you. Could you excuse us, please?” When he was gone, she turned back to Mr. Tyndale. She spoke quietly so the other footman wouldn’t overhear. “Could you please do me a huge favor?”

“Of course. It would be my pleasure to assist you in anything you desire.” He reached for her hand again, but Alex stepped back.

“Thank you. Your brother is upstairs with Lords Oakleigh and Downing. Please let them know that Alex has gone to find Charlotte at the cave. Lord Stone has been kind enough to provide his hospitality and a carriage for the journey.”

Being so vague was a risk since she had never discussed the cave with Nicholas. She hadn’t even remembered it until this evening. She could only hope Charlotte had told Lord Tyndale. She got the impression he cared about Charlotte a great deal, perhaps was even in love with her. If Charlotte returned his affection, she may have put her trust in him and told the truth about herself and the location of the time portal in a cave. Alex couldn’t be more specific since she didn’t even know where the cave was located.

“A cave?” His mouth angled down in a slight frown and his tone was hesitant.

Alex could only imagine what he thought of her strange behavior. “Yes, the cave. It’s important you tell him exactly what I said. Can you do that?” She needed to hurry; she didn’t want to take the chance of Lord Stone seeing her and getting suspicious. He should be getting ready to meet her at his carriage any moment now.

Mr. Tyndale nodded his assent. “Of course my lady, I would be happy to oblige. Are you sure there is nothing else I can do for you?”

“I’m quite sure, thanks. If you could just deliver that message, exactly as I stated it.” She motioned for the footman guarding her. “Please show Mr. Tyndale to the drawing room. Lord Downing has requested his presence.”

The footman looked unsure. “Perhaps we should summon another footman. I have instructions not to leave you alone at any time.”

“Oh don’t worry about that. I’m going back into the ballroom.” She smiled and headed that way, pausing in the door when she saw the footman leading Tyndale upstairs. As soon as they were out of sight, she headed to the door and let herself out, grabbing a jacket, or a spencer as they called it, on the way.

Chapter Twenty-Two

May 29 (Midnight—Day of the Murder)

Alex rushed down the street, shrugging into the spencer as she went. The chilly night air was nothing compared to the ice that encased her heart. What if Nicholas and Lord Tyndale couldn’t figure out where she was? She didn’t know where the portal was, how could they? She stopped dead for a moment before re-gathering her nerve and hurrying on.

Am I being a complete idiot?

She had no guarantee Lord Stone even had Charlotte. He could have stolen the necklace without actually having her. What if it had all been a bluff and she had fallen right into his trap?

No. He had Charlotte somewhere. According to that article, tonight was the night of her murder. Unless Alex could manage to find her in time. Or was she already too late?

She turned the corner and saw the carriage a few yards away. A coachman stood next to the horses’ heads. He must have been on the lookout because he moved to open the door the second he spotted her. Shadows hid the interior, and her skin crawled at the thought of being stuck in the dark with the evil Lord Stone. But she was determined to see this through. She could see no other way to find Charlotte.

At least she had one thing going for her. This guy probably thought she was some silly high society innocent who would just do whatever she was told. He was in for quite a surprise.

****

Alex sighed with relief after the coachman handed her up into the surprisingly empty coach. Some of her tension left as she saw she was to have time to herself during the journey to join Charlotte. She would be able to think more clearly without that horrible man looming over her.

As the carriage jolted to a start, Alex frantically tried to figure out her next move as she watched the houses speed past. Once she found Charlotte, hopefully unharmed, they would need an escape plan. The ugly leer on the coachman’s face as he helped her into the carriage told her there would be no help from that quarter.

Stealing the carriage was pretty much out of the question. She certainly had no idea how to control the horses, and she doubted Charlotte would either.

She also had no idea what condition Charlotte would be in. This Lord Stone character probably hadn’t had her for very long since Lord Tyndale had only left her yesterday. Lord Stone claimed she was safe, but he wasn’t exactly an unimpeachable source now was he?

She pushed those horrible thoughts aside. She would have to go under the assumption Charlotte was okay. She wouldn’t be able to do much if she wasn’t, so she would worry about that if the time came.

Assuming Charlotte was physically fit, what could she do to help the situation?

She tried to keep track of their route but quickly lost track of all the turns they took through relatively quiet London streets.

She gave up and searched the carriage, looking for something to use as a weapon. Her hands scraped against rough warming bricks partially wrapped in a blanket under the seat. She unwrapped them all the way and picked one up, judging its weight in her hand.

It could be useful. Unwieldy, though. It needed to be smaller to fit in her reticule so she could keep it hidden. The element of surprise was her greatest asset.

She bashed the stone against the hard edge of her seat a few times until it broke into smaller chunks. She tucked some of these into her reticule and slid the cord around her wrist so she wouldn’t forget and leave it in the coach.

That would be a nice surprise for Lord Stone. She pulled some of the decorative pins out of her hair and tucked them into her left sleeve where she could reach them in a pinch. If it came to a fight, she would have something up her sleeve—literally.

Winning their way free would be their first order of business. Then they would have to find someone willing to help two lost ladies. If chivalry were dead, bribery was always an option. Her jewelry was worth a pretty penny. She could easily trade it for a ride home.

Lord Stone had said Charlotte was at the cave, but she was only guessing he was bringing her straight there. For all she knew, he could be sending her to his house first. Maybe she’d be able to bribe Lord Stone’s servants into helping her. The coachman was a lost cause, but surely all of Lord Stone’s servants weren’t so creepy. They might be afraid of losing their jobs, but she could promise them lifetime employment or enough of a reward they would never have to work again.

She hoped she would have the chance to try bribery. She could handle herself pretty well in a fight, but this dress was not meant for any activity more strenuous than a waltz. She stretched her arms out to get a good idea of her range of motion and found she had full motion back and forth but could only move them up as high as her shoulders. She’d have to keep that in mind, or she might try to overreach.

Her skirt clung to her legs, but she could move fairly well provided she didn’t get the hem stuck on anything. A good knee shot to the groin was probably the best move she had. It wasn’t much. She hoped lady luck was with her. She needed Nicholas to figure out her message and find her or track down Lord Stone.

Since Lord Stone wasn’t with her, she assumed he had stayed at the party to avoid being implicated in her disappearance.

If Nicholas figured out what she had tried to tell him, he would be able to find a way to get Lord Stone to talk. He could be very convincing. No way anyone, let alone a weakling like Lord Stone, would be able to stand against him.

She couldn’t count on it though. Too many things could go wrong in that scenario. Lord Stone could have gone into hiding rather than stay at the party, and she had no idea whether Charlotte would have told Lord Tyndale about the cave or their sorry history.

In fact, she didn’t know anything about the adult Charlotte, though memories of their childhood were resurfacing. Charlotte had been a real adventurer when they were children. Was she the same or had the tragedy of their youth changed her irrevocably?

She could only hope her sister was still a fighter and would be a help rather than a hindrance. So the question of the day was, would Charlotte fight or faint?

****

“Where is she?” Nicholas demanded of the cowering footman.

“I don’t know, my lord. She instructed me to escort Mr. Tyndale here.”

“I gave strict instructions she was not to be left alone, even for a moment. Was I not clear?” He struggled to keep his voice even, though he felt like choking the man. They had all spent the last half hour combing the crowded ballroom for any sight of Alex, but she was nowhere to be found. She had gone off on her own, just as they had known she had as soon as Sebastian Tyndale relayed her message.

Bloody hell. He had known something was terribly wrong this evening, he should have trusted his instincts and not allowed her to leave his side. Lord Stone must have convinced her the only way to save Charlotte was to do it on her own.

“Yes, my lord. She was headed into the ballroom when I left her. She must have doubled back when I weren’t lookin’. I’m right sorry, I am.” He ducked his head, a look of remorse overtaking his fear. “She’s real nice. I sure would hate to see anything happen to her.”

Fear squeezed Nicholas’s heart at the thought. “Find Lord Stone. Alert all the servants. If he is still here, he is not to leave under any circumstances. Bring him to me.” When the footman left, Nicholas turned to face the room.