Adeline looked over at her mother, who had been very quiet. “Father sent three thugs after me. I was attacked in one of the villages we stopped at along the way. They wanted me to return with them, and they wanted the artifacts.”
“Did they hurt you?” her mother asked quietly.
Adeline shook her head. “A stranger intervened, and Kingsbury also came to my rescue. He decided to change our destination. We headed south to his estate in Dorset. That is where I have been for the last week.”
“Are you ruined?”
“Mother?!” George exclaimed.
“No, Mother.” Adeline met her mother’s gaze. “I am revealed. I am seen. I am loved. Kingsbury is the man for me.”
“As long as he marries you.”
George looked askance at their mother. Then he turned back to Adeline. “When I asked him to escort you to Millstone, he told me he intended to make you his. I’m sure he plans to marry you. He is a good man.”
“I know. But at the moment, he is in trouble. We returned because news reached us that Malcolm’s superior had been murdered. Shot through the heart. When Malcolm went to Whitehall to brief the new admiral, he was accused of stealing the artifacts, and he is currently being detained in a cell at the Admiralty.”
Adeline worried as she looked at her mother, who sat glassy-eyed and staring off at a point in the distance. Was she so shocked by the turn of events so far that she had already begun to retreat mentally? “Mother, are you all right?”
Her mother’s gaze snapped back to Adeline. “Yes, I can tell there is more. Tell us the worst of it.”
“Bellamy wanted the shipment of artifacts because within it was a statue that held a secret. A list of names we think might be British operatives working inside the Ottoman Empire. Bellamy was playing both sides of this war. I don’t know whether Father was aware of the treason or simply in it for the money; regardless, this will cause a huge scandal when it breaks. I plan to go to the king with what I know to exonerate Kingsbury. I won’t allow him to stand trial for something Father did.”
Both George and her mother were silent for several long moments. Adeline exchanged a look with Lucy, who had sat silently this whole time.
But now Lucy spoke. “There is more.”
“More?” George’s eyebrows rose.
Lucy nodded. “Lord Rawlings was the one who hired the men that attacked my husband and Lord Galey last year. He is responsible for Lord Galey’s death and Hartwick’s injuries.”
Adeline met her brother’s shocked gaze. “It’s true. I overheard the conversation between him and the men he hired several weeks ago. I believe these are the same men who beat you as a warning for Father to pay up.”
George leaned forward and laid his head in his hands. “Dear Lord,” he muttered.
Adeline’s mother stood. She reached out and grasped George’s chin and lifted his head. Then she took Adeline’s chin in the other hand. “Unlike you so succinctly described Lord Kingsbury, your father has never been a good man. Repercussions for his actions will be demanded.” She glanced over at Lucy, who nodded. “Scandal will be inevitable, but we will weather it because the three of us have each other. My babies, don’t worry about me, do what you must. I love you both.”
*
Adeline followed LieutenantTrent down the stairs. She wrung her gloves between her hands, her impatience to see Malcolm making her nerves jangle. Next to her, Lord Hartwick’s walking stick clicked on each stair as they descended to the basement level.
At the next landing, he put a hand on hers. “Almost there,” he murmured.
It couldn’t be soon enough. It had taken four long days to get an audience with the king. There had been no way to get information about Malcolm during those days. Lieutenant Trent had tried but was blocked from seeing him. Today, everything had moved quickly. It was amazing how fast things could get done at an order from his majesty. Her father and Bellamy had both been taken into custody. Her father had to be pulled forcefully from the house, shouting and struggling, by soldiers. It had made a horrible scene on the square. Both men had been taken to the Tower of London. At the order of the king, Bellamy would be hanged for treason. Her father was to stand trial for the murder of Lord Galey and the attempted murder of Lord Hartwick.
But she couldn’t think about that now. Now, she needed to make it down these endless stairs and into Malcolm’s arms. They finally descended to the bottom. A long hallway stretched out in front of them. Iron sconces barely lit the dim corridor. Lieutenant Trent handed a piece of paper to the guard on duty.
The guard scanned it and handed it back. “This way. He is the second door on the right.”
She bounced on her toes as the door was unlocked. The door opened, and bright afternoon sunshine streamed into her eyes from a small, barred window on the opposite wall. Adeline blinked, searching for Malcolm. She looked around anxiously and then spotted him lying on the floor. He was still as death.Oh God.
Adeline rushed to him. Falling to her knees, she stroked his cheek. “Malcolm, wake up, love.”
His eyes cracked open. He blinked, but there was no recognition in his gaze. She ran her hand over his forehead, temples, and down his throat. He didn’t feel overly warm to the touch.
“Has he been sick?” she demanded to know.
“No, I don’t think so. He’s been refusing to eat or drink,” the guard replied.
