I inclined my head, grateful for his discretion. ‘I am sorry that I lied to you all about Freddie being mine, but I am not sorry for being his mama. He has brought a lot of joy into our lives.’And I hope he will continue to do so if Dorian doesn’t abscond with him to London.
I glanced at the small clock on the side table; it read half past eight. Oh, where was Max? Had Dorian managed to evade him?
The parlour door opened, and Harriet slipped into the room. She gave me a nod and went to perch on the arm of Evan’s chair and rest a hand on his shoulder.
‘Do you know everything, Harriet?’ I wasn’t sure I could repeat it all again.
‘Yes, Rosalind told me what she overheard in the kitchen. She is very upset, as you can imagine. Oh, Fliss, you could have told us.’
I looked away, blinking back tears. ‘I wish I could have, but we didn’t want to burden you all with keeping the secret. We thought the fewer people who knew, the better.’
‘I assume Dorian not knowing has something to do with why he, Max, and Freddie are missing now?’ asked Papa. ‘Surely you didn’t invite Dorian to the ball? That was asking for trouble.’
My face heated as I recalled what kind of trouble had occurred with Dorian right here in this parlour. I thought I should leave that part out for expediency!
‘Of course we didn’t. It is a strange coincidence that he turned up and happened to be engaged to Rosalind. Doriansaw Freddie by accident when he woke up and came into the ballroom to find me. And well, to cut a long story short’—I bit my lip—‘Dorian has kidnapped Freddie and taken him off in his carriage.’
‘Kidnapped him!’ cried Aunt. ‘But that is outrageous, the poor child! Is anything being done about it?’
‘Max has gone after them on Apollo. I am praying that he manages to bring Freddie back safely without anything happening to either of them. Dorian is ... unpredictable.’
Remembering him chopping down the pantry door with the sharp axe, I couldn’t help a sob of fear escaping. Harriet leapt up and put her arm around me, guiding me to a stool.
Evan was muttering darkly, Aunt leaned back against the sofa and fanned herself, Papa was frowning, and Cassie was staring white-faced into the fire. Jane was the only one who had stayed calm throughout my speech and had been writing something on a piece of paper. In truth, it made me a touch nervous. I really hoped she was writing a letter to her mother, not recording the evening’s events.
Perhaps now would be a good time for the hot tea with rum!
***
A short while later, everyone had calmed downconsiderably, especially since Maurice’s arrival with a tray of tea and a bottle of rum under his arm.
‘So you can add as much or as little as you like,’ he said with a twinkle in his eye.
‘He really is a lovely man,’ remarked Aunt, pouring a generous measure of rum into her tea. ‘Interesting posture. But lovely.’
Tea with rum helped to take the edge off my worry, but not entirely. Some kind of showdown must have occurred between Max and Dorian for it to be taking so long. I was convinced Max had been shot in a duel and was lying bleeding in a snowy field while Freddie watched from the carriage window with his little nose pressed up against the glass.
Then again, my rational brain kept telling me that Max did not even own a pistol. And why would Dorian have brought one to a ball?
Just I had abandoned all hope of ever seeing my husband alive again, Max strolled through the parlour door, Freddie in his arms. He was wrapped in a blanket and sucking his thumb dozily but looked perfectly well.
I let out a cry and ran over to them. Everyone crowded around as Max deposited a sleepy Freddie into my arms.
‘Oh, thank the Lord!’ exclaimed Aunt, peering down at him.
‘His little toes are like ice,’ commented Cassie, touching his bare feet. ‘Let’s get him next to the fire.’
I managed to get in a kiss on his cheek and a brief cuddle before Freddie was enveloped in womanly fussing, but I let him go. It was enough to know he was safe and well.
Clasping Max’s hands in mine, which were also freezing cold, I kissed them repeatedly and murmured my thanks and expressed joy at his return. He did not respond. Finally, I stopped, noting that his demeanour was as frosty as his hands.
Max had not said a word from when he had entered the parlour, but he did so now gruffly. ‘I need to speak with you in my study, Felicity.’
I did not want to let Freddie out of my sight, but Harriet said she would put him to bed in our room and stay with him.
‘I’ll go too,’ said Evan. ‘In case the little chap needs a double layer of protection from rogues.’
He gave Max a knowing nod. Smiling tightly, Max inclined his head to the door.
