“Oh, Edward…” Emily moaned, shaking her head.
“I drove her away,” he murmured. “She is gone, and it is all my fault.”
Emily gazed up at him sympathetically and then sighed before saying, “Edward, do not worry. We will find her.”
Edward furrowed his brow at her, confused. “What? Find her? You mean…?”
Emily nodded. “There is a dinner tonight that we have to go to. We can ask around to see if anyone saw her at the ball. Perhaps they will have some information about her.”
Edward frowned, thinking carefully for a moment. “What type of information might they have?”
“Someone gave her that dress and an invitation to the ball,” Emily pointed out. “Someone has to know who she is and where she has gone.”
The idea made sense. Edward could not find fault in it.
At length, he said, “All right. We will do that. We will attend this dinner tonight, and, God willing, we will find out where Victoria has gone…and bring her back to us.”
***
That night, Edward, Emily, and James made their way to a dinner party hosted by the Earl and Countess of Lansbury. Before they had planned to use the evening as a means to find out where Victoria had gone, Edward had had no intention of going. The last thing he wanted was to rub elbows with members of the Ton, who he knew would turn their noses down at Victoria, but if it meant finding her, he was willing to put up with the torment.
When they arrived, however, he was taken aback to find Cressida in attendance, chatting with a group of ladies who all fawned over her. Edward tensed at the sight of her.
“Stay calm,” Emily murmured, gripping his arm and squeezing it. “Do not cause a scene. She would enjoy that far too much.”
He knew she was right, so he maintained his composure. At least it did not appear as though Alvin were there, which was a small relief. Edward did not think he could avoid a confrontation with that villain if he saw him so soon after his attack on Victoria.
Cressida suddenly caught Edward’s gaze, and her face lit up with immediate interest. She moved as if she were going to walk toward him. Before she could reach him, though, Emily dragged him to the other side of the room toward a group of older ladies, James trailing behind them. Edward recognized a few as friends of his mother.
“Good evening, ladies,” Emily said with a wide smile. “How are you all doing this evening?”
“Oh, Mrs Radcliffe, Lord Harford,” the hostess herself, Countess Lansbury, replied with a smile. “It is so good to see you. And Mr Radcliffe! What a delight!”
“We are very happy to see you, my lady,” Emily said with a curtsy. “Thank you for inviting us this evening.”
“Well, of course,” Lady Lansbury nodded. She glanced toward Edward and continued, “Did I not see you at the ball last night? You were there and then just seemed to disappear all of a sudden.”
Edward cleared his throat and replied, “Ah, yes. I had to go and take care of a personal matter that arose. I apologize for departing early.”
“Speaking of the ball,” Emily cut in. “I noticed there was a lovely young woman in a blue dress and mask. I did not recognize her. Do you know who she was?”
Lady Lansbury appeared thoughtful for a moment and then answered, “Oh, yes, I know who you are talking about. I do not know the girl personally, but she arrived with Lady Henrietta Longmore. I do not know if she is Lady Longmore’s ward or a relative…she has not been introduced in society, I do not believe.”
Edward and Emily exchanged a glance. Before either of them could say anything, though, there was a commotion out in the hallway beyond the dining room. Everyone turned just as Alvin came strolling through the doorway. He stopped and looked around, his expression thunderous. He had a visible black eye, which was causing murmurs as the partygoers took him in.
Alvin’s eyes found Edward’s, and he raised his finger to point at him.
“Harford!” he snapped. “You have taken liberties with my sister. You are honour bound to marry her as you have ruined her.”
The whole room went completely silent, and Edward felt as though his stomach had dropped down to the floor.
“What are you saying?” he demanded to know. “I have done no such thing. This is a lie, and I will not be forced into marriage with your sister because of a falsehood.”
Gasps rose up from the onlookers.
Alvin bared his teeth and growled, “If you do not marry Cressida, then honour demands that you meet me on the field to settle this matter in a duel!”
There were more gasps and the sound of tittering as the crowd grew excited and shocked at the challenge.
