“Good Lord.” She saw the words that had formed on Lord Dunham’s lips as he looked towards the front door.
Following his gaze, she realized that the entrance to the house was completely engulfed in flames.
Lord Dunham sprinted down the street in search of help.
Shutting her eyes from the fear that had taken hold of her body, Charlotte drew herself back into her room, her mind feeling strangely calm as she thought of the things that mattered most to her in all the world. Walking over to her dresser, she opened the door and retrieved the music sheets along with the note that her father had written to her mother, holding them against her chest protectively.
She had purposefully hidden all her music when she’d spotted her uncle burning the papers that night in the drawing room.
Making her way back to the window, she made herself comfortable on the floor as smoke billowed around her. All she could do now was wait, and if help didn’t come in time, she would at least take the music with her. Her only regret at that moment was that she never told the duke that she’d loved him with all her heart.
Chapter 22
Jameson’s heart raced in his chest as he sped his horse into London. A thick cloud of smoke had begun to form on the horizon, and he was beginning to fear the worst. People were screaming and shouting, calling for help as men raced down the street with buckets of water.
His worst fears were realized when he turned his horse down the street and spotted the flames nearly as tall as the surrounding mansions.
No!
His heart stopped for a split second as he reigned his horse to a stop. The house that was on fire was Charlotte’s.
A window burst amid the screams of help on the street, flinging shattered glass over the heads of those who were trying to help. The heat from the flames could be felt even from a distance as Jameson jumped from his horse, leaving the beast a safe distance from the flames.
Running towards the house, he tried to stop a few of the onlookers and ask if the lady of the house had been inside. One man looked at him with fear and confusion in his eyes as Jameson gripped his shirt and pulled him closer.
“Did everyone get out of the fire!” he demanded, growling increasingly impatient as more of the windows shattered from the heat of the roaring fire.
“Please, My Lord, I only just got here. I don’t know anything other than the fact that everyone is trying to help!” The man gripped his hands and pushed him off before hurrying away.
“My Lord!” a hurried voice called to him as he turned to spot Lord Dunham on the opposite side of the street.
What is he doing here?
Jealousy instantly flared in his chest but was quickly replaced with panic again as the fire blazed, pushing back the onlookers on the street.
“Where is Lady Charlotte?” Jameson hurried towards Lord Dunham.
“Calm yourself, My Lord, she is still inside. We are doing all that we can to get her out.” Lord Dunham raised his voice above the commotion, shouting as several men came forward with a large ladder long enough to reach the roof.
Jameson’s heart froze as the man’s words reached his ears.
She is still inside.
Turning towards the house, he felt himself being held back by strong hands as Lord Dunham wheeled him around, turning back to face him.
“I know that you love her, My Lord, but we are already doing all we can to get her out. You can’t do anything until we’ve placed the ladder!”
Several people cried out and ran for cover as the ladder was engulfed by flames as soon as it touched the smouldering windowsill.
“I have to get her!” He tried to pull free in an attempt to reach Charlotte.
“Listen to me and see reason! I’m not who you think I am. I’m an undercover agent who has been after Lord Reginald Grey for months. Trust me when I say that I have just as much as you do at stake.” He shook Jameson gently in an attempt to make him see reason.
The revelation shocked Jameson as he looked into the wild eyes of the man he had thought was no more than a rival suitor. “That may be the truth, but I can’t risk waiting for a miracle!” Jameson yelled above the growing noise of panic and pulled himself free from the man’s grip.
“You will be killed! It’s too dangerous!” Lord Dunham yelled after him, but Jameson had already broken through the crowd of people and made his way up the front steps of the house.
The flames pushed him back, but Jameson gritted his teeth, using his arm as a shield, and burst through the crumbling front door. Heat instantly engulfed Jameson as he stood in the middle of the inferno that used to be the entrance hall.
