“They’ll turn up soon. Octavian is a bull, no one’s going to stop him. Julius may appear cheerful and easygoing, but he can also be fierce when the occasion calls for it.” He hoped his words calmed her.
However, he was now worried on her behalf.
They should have arrived by now.
He set the thought aside as Lady Eloise’s grandsons, Alexander and Gabriel, and their wives approached. The wives, Viola and Daisy, broke with polite formality and rushed to hug Adela, something noted by all in attendance since he, as a duke, was usually the one fussed over to the exclusion of others.
Alexander Dayne, known as Lord Ardley, was the Earl of Trent’s eldest son and heir. His wife, Viola, considered Adela one of her best friends. “Adela, we heard you were hurt!” Viola said with obvious concern. “You must tell me and Daisy what happened.”
After affectionately greeting Eloise, who was grandmother to their husbands, and also gushing about Adela to her parents, who were obviously awed by the attention lavished on their daughter and themselves, Trent’s daughters-in-law then took Adela from Ambrose’s side and paid rapt attention as she regaled them with the tale of her last encounter with Runyon.
Ambrose had no idea what Adela was saying to them, for they were too far away for him to overhear. But he could tell by the alarmed arch of their eyebrows and the occasional drop of their jaws that his bluestocking betrothed was recounting the incident in minutest detail and perhaps embellishing a little along the way.
Not that the story required much embellishment, for she had been remarkably brave and he ought to have been more appreciative. He would have been, had he not been crazed with worry that she might have been seriously injured or killed.
Even now, the mere thought of her encounter with Runyon had his heart in a painful twist. They had come too close to disaster and it still haunted him. Not only might that foul relic hunter have shot her, but he and his own Bow Street runners might have accidentally done the same while trying to shoot Runyon.
Gabriel Dayne patted him on the back. “Be proud of her, Huntsford. My Daisy rode through the night and got herself stabbed while trying to save me. I would not be here today if not for her determination. Any man should want their daughters to be as valiant as those ladies.”
Eloise heartily agreed. “They may be soft and little compared to you big men, but their strength of heart is more than equal to your own.”
Adela’s parents listened in awe as Gabriel related his story about Daisy. When he finished, Alexander laughed. “But my wife has something better. Viola is a master chef and you will never have a meal finer than the one you shall eat tonight. She supervised my father’s kitchen staff, probably did most of the work herself, although she will never admit it to me since she is a viscountess now and not supposed to be seen in the kitchen. But this is her passion and her love, so I shall never deny her the pleasure.”
Adela’s mother shook her head. “My goodness, they are such accomplished young ladies.”
“Accomplished in the ways that count,” Lady Eloise interjected.
As Alexander and Gabriel moved on, taking Adela’s parents with them so they may be introduced to their other guests, Eloise took Ambrose aside. “All right, even I am worried now. Your brothers are late. Not that I fear for them since they know how to take care of themselves. But it must mean something is wrong with one of Adela’s friends.”
He nodded. “I’ll wager it is Syd. How could any of us overlook her distress the other night? I should have put Mr. Barrow onto her immediately.”
“And I ought to have insisted she stay with me,” Eloise added. “Oh, thank goodness! Here comes Phoebe. They were to pick her up along the way to serve as chaperone. But I don’t see the others.”
Everyone in the grand room suddenly stopped talking when the little termagant marched in. As she scanned the crowded gathering, several people looked away, trying to hide their guilty expressions. Of course, this meant Phoebe would immediately single them out.
Ambrose liked Phoebe, but she was a predator on the prowl when it came to learning secrets others were desperate to hide. She was a tiny thing, needing a cane to assist her in walking, but one would think she was Attila the Hun, the way those guilty souls feared her.
Of course, she also had many friends who knew and trusted her.
But thetonwas rife with secrets and Phoebe seemed to know every last one of them, particularly where infidelity, theft, or betrayal was involved. He would not be surprised if she had been recruited as an agent of the Crown at one point in her life. Perhaps she was still an active agent, he thought with some amusement. “Where are the others?”
“Unfortunately, I do not know. Your brothers never came by to pick me up. Something foul is obviously afoot and I do not like it one bit. I understand Syd was behaving quite oddly last night.”
Eloise nodded. “Yes, I was just remarking to Huntsford upon it.”
Phoebe pursed her lips. “I have yet to discover what she is trying to hide from us all. Quite frustrating, I should have begun my investigation sooner. She is a good girl and has courage, but is obviously scared about something.”
“Oh, dear.” Eloise now fanned herself to calm her obvious distress.
Phoebe placed a hand on her friend’s arm. “However, I could be wrong and it is nothing but a silly, logistical misunderstanding. Your fretting won’t help poor Syd right now. Nor should Ambrose go rushing off to track them down.” She turned toward him. “You are getting married tomorrow. You have to think of Adela.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “I am thinking of her. Do you believe she will stay calm or even show up to our wedding if she fears something has happened to her friend? And what of my brothers?”
“What about us?” Octavian said, walking in just then.
Julius and Adela’s two friends were beside him.
Ambrose breathed a sigh of relief. “Blast it, Octavian. You gave us a scare. What delayed you? And why did you not pick up Phoebe first?”
