“Perhaps she is already downstairs?” Daniel said from the doorway.
Mr. Marlow came up behind him. “I fear not. She’s gone.”
“What do you mean she’s gone?” Miles swiveled around.
Mr. Marlow stepped past Daniel to enter the room. “She left me a note,” he said. “It thanks me for my hospitality, encourages me to go visit Diana, with her direction included,” he smiled ruefully. “And she apologizes for borrowing my horse, saying she will leave him at the stables in Weymouth.”
Miles ran a hand over his chin rubbing at his beard.Damn it Susanna, why do you always run away from me?
“Do you think she is heading home?” Daniel asked.
“By herself? She would be a fool.” She was a fool. How many times had she just hightailed off just because she had concocted some plan?
“Perhaps she plans to catch the coach from Weymouth?” Daniel replied.
“Well, let’s get going and find out. I don’t want her out traveling alone.”
Miles strode across to his room and grabbed his travel bag, which he had already packed that morning. Then he headed downstairs. His brother came down moments later with his own bags. Miles stretched out his hand to Mr. Marlow. “I cannot express enough my thanks at your help and kind hospitality this past week. You literally saved my life. I owe you a large debt.”
Marlow shook his hand. “It was my pleasure. I enjoyed the company of you and your wife—er, Lady Susanna.”
Miles had briefly told Marlow and his brother over dinner the escapades of the past couple of weeks, including how they had masqueraded as husband and wife a few times. “I do hope that you will consider Susanna’s advice and go see Diana. I could not think of a better man to love our aunt.” He tipped his hat and then he and Daniel strode out to the stable to saddle up.
Daniel glanced over at him. “You know Charlotte will be green with jealousy that I got to meet Mr. Marlow before her. When your letter came and said you were escorting Susanna to Weymouth yourself, it was Charlotte that insisted I come help you find the elusive Marlow. She was quite concerned about what sort of trouble Susanna might have gotten you into. When I arrived in Weymouth yesterday morning, I asked about Mr. Marlow at the local pub and easily found out his direction. I did not however expect to find you sipping lemonade in his back garden.”
Miles laughed. “I thought Susanna’s goal to track down Marlow and try to reunite the pair of them so far-fetched. And after all the pitfalls on our journey, she fell ass backward into finding him.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how she does it.”
A half hour later, he and Daniel rode into town. He turned to his brother. “I have an idea of who may know her plans. Maddox and his traveling troupe are set up down by the water. Let’s see if she stopped to talk to her friends this morning.”
Daniel nodded and they rode through the small town. The maze of stalls was gone and the cobblestone streets were quiet. Seagulls cried out overhead as they circled the bay. When he and Daniel reached the end of the street, they found the great wooden ring gone. A handful of men and a half dozen horses were all that was left of Maddox’s circus. Miles dismounted and approached one of the men.
“Hullo there. I am looking for Colonel Hadley or Mr. Maddox.”
“They left about an hour ago. All the performers went on the first boat.”
“Oh.” Disappointment coursed through him. “Thank you.”
The man tucked a toothpick between his teeth. “You looking for your lady, Lord Hawksridge?”
Surprised, Miles took another look at the man. He was vaguely familiar but he didn’t think he knew him. But then again, he hadn’t ever really paid attention to the many stable hands that traveled with the circus. He nodded. “Yes, I am. Have you seen her?”
“Yup, she got on the first boat with the rest. She seemed right upset. Her face was all red and splotchy. That your fault?” The man’s eyes narrowed.
Miles tugged at his cravat. The accoutrement that he used to wear like a second skin now felt tight and itchy. “Yes, I suppose it is. But I’m trying to find her in order to apologize. I’ll make it up to her I promise.”
This seemed to satisfy the man for he nodded. “They’re headed to Brighton. They perform for the king tonight.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
The next boatwhich the rest of Maddox’s troupe traveled to Brighton on hadn’t left until early afternoon. Miles and his brother had bartered passage on it by buying all the remaining stable hands a hearty luncheon from a local inn. By the time they arrived and found lodgings in Brighton it was already six o’clock. Luckily Daniel had packed plenty of clothing and Miles had been able to change into proper evening clothes borrowed from his brother. With both of them washed and dressed they rushed to the Royal Pavilion to search for Susanna.
They strode across the great lawn toward the extravagant seaside palace with its Indo-Saracenic domes and minarets. Based on the sheer number of carriages lined up in front, the king had invited the whole of society for the performance tonight. They joined the throng of well-dressed guests streaming through the Long Gallery.
“Keep an eye out for her, she must be here somewhere,” Miles murmured to his brother. The guests were ushered through to the back gardens, which were lit by hundreds of lanterns. Farther down the great lawns a makeshift stage had been set up with rich red velvet curtains hung from a large iron work frame. In front of the stage area was the great wooden ring where he knew that the riders would execute their tricks. And above it, at least twenty feet in the air, a tightrope stretched across the ring. The entire stage area was lit with torches attached to the tall poles.
Miles glanced around searching for her fiery hair among the guests that congregated around the ring vying for the best place to view the show. He nodded to several men that he knew as people mingled while they waited for the show to start. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw a coiffured head in a striking shade of red. He grabbed Daniel’s sleeve. “Over there.” But when he weaved his way around a small clutch of ladies chatting, he realized his mistake. Relief poured through him.
“Lady Dearborn, Lord Dearborn, good evening.” He crossed to greet them.
