*
Thomas couldn’t believewhat he was hearing. Fury and frustration surged through him. A mad woman had Alice and Jeremy.
Lord Towson said, “Seven years ago, my niece Georgina—she went by her middle name then, Cadence—developed a tendré for a young man who didn’t reciprocate her feelings. We assumed she would eventually move on, but she started writing him angry letters about marriage. One night, she snuck into his house and stabbed him. Thank goodness, the young man lived, but we promised his family we would get her the help she needed.”
“Why did you let her leave the asylum?”
“All the doctors said she was completely cured.”
They’d been wrong, Thomas thought.
“My brother died shortly after she was sent there. He made me promise to look after Georgina. I didn’t want to let him down. Everything seemed fine until recently. She’d always loved your serials, Mr. Easton, but she started talking as if the two of you knew each other.”
Lady Chloe sniffled. “She was the one who wanted us to seek you out.”
Lisbeth couldn’t believe what was happening. She couldn’t bear the thought of Alice and Jeremy being harmed. “Why do you think she took my children?”
Lady Chloe quietly said, “She told me today that we had to collect them. That you’d asked us to, but I knew that was a lie. I’d already told Papa that I suspected something was wrong with Georgina. I went to fetch a parasol, and she locked me in my room. By the time the staff heard me, she was gone.”
Towson said, “We were searching the gardens when you arrived. Georgina has always had a very vivid imagination. I hoped to find her out there, playing make-believe.”
“Do you think she will harm my children?”
“I don’t, but I’m not sure why she kidnapped them,” Towson provided.
Lady Chloe said, “Recently, she kept saying that Her Grace should be focusing on her children, not Mr. Easton.”
Lisbeth shook her head, still in shock about the woman’s actions.
Thomas said, “I’ve never even written to her and only spoke to her once at Lisbeth’s home.”
Lady Chloe explained, “It doesn’t matter what you’ve actually done. In her mind, she has built a whole fantasy. It is what she did before.”
Benson asked, “Do you know where she might have taken them?”
Towson shook his head, but Lady Chloe said, “There is a wooded area in Hyde Park with some ruins that Georgina likes to spend time at. Maybe there?”
They all looked to the front door as Morrison burst through it. He rushed to Thomas. “Sir, this was on the desk in the study.”
It was a floral envelope with the same strong perfume smell. Thomas ripped it open and read aloud.
Your Grace,
I insist you speak with me! Meet me at the ruins in the trees west of the Serpentine.
C
Lady Chloe nodded. “That is the area. Georgina likes to pretend she is some grand lady there.”
Towson looked gutted. “I’m sorry. I thought she was better. We assumed the letters she wrote to you, Mr. Easton, were questions about antiquities.”
Thomas wanted to scream that the man should have watched his niece closer, but he wasn’t sure if it mattered. Truly, all that mattered right now was making sure Alice and Jeremy were safe.
Lisbeth spoke first. “We can’t dwell on that. We must go to Hyde Park now. I need to find my children.”
They rushed out, and two carriages were already prepared. Lisbeth climbed into the carriage with Thomas, Benson, and Miss Ashby. The carriage quickly made its way over the cobblestone streets. To reach that side of Hyde Park, it was a twenty-minute ride.
Thomas squeezed her hand. “We will find them and bring them back safely.”
