Anthony winced. “What?”
She raced in, on open letter extended in her trembling hand.
He took it. Read it.
“We must go there. Now,” she demanded, her every movement hectic and frantic. She reached for his coat, which was slung over the chair, and thrust it toward him.
“Wait, slow down.” He shifted his feet and reread the letter, blinking to make sure he was fully comprehending the words before him. “Where did this come from?”
“It was in Henry’s cradle, and he’s gone. We must go now. Every moment, every minute, is—”
“You must stay calm.”
“Stay calm! How can you say such a thing? He could be hurt! He could be scared, he could be—”
He stepped closer and put his hands on her shoulders, guiding her attention back to him. “We’ll find him, but we must keep our wits about us.”
She jerked his hand away, and her tone sharpened. “We’re wasting time. Quickly, I—”
“Charlotte.”This time, his more forceful inflection silenced her.
She blinked, and a tear dropped from her dark lashes. And then another trailed down her pallid cheek. “I can’t lose him, Anthony. Please. I can’t.”
The sense of failure rushed him as his mind raced to connect the few facts he knew.
How could this have happened?
A guard had been by the bedchamber door all night. Another guard walked the perimeter. He himself had been awake until just before dawn, patrolling the road in front of the house. A mental list of every precaution they’d taken formed—all of which should have prevented this.
But here, just inches before him, Charlotte stood trembling. Her chin quivered. Her hands shook.
The pleading and fear in her eyes lit a fire in his chest. He wanted—needed—to fix everything in that moment. He wanted to stop her tears. He wanted to run to get Henry. He would find whoever was responsible for this madness to bring them to justice.
Then another tear slid down her face. Panic radiated from her, hot and fiery, and he could think of nothing other than alleviating her pain.
So he folded her into his embrace.
At first she pushed against his chest in adamant resistance.
He held her more closely.
Anxiety tightened her every muscle, making her stiff and rigid.
But he did not let go. He whispered, steady and low, “I swear to you, we will get him. But you must stay calm.Wemust be smart and rational.”
A sob shook her body, and then the tension in her released, and she melted against him. He tightened his arms around her as shewept against his chest, as if by doing so he could shield her from the terror he knew seized her.
When she eventually pushed away from him, she wiped her eyes impatiently with the backs of her forefingers, shook her head, and drew a deep breath, as if to dislodge fear and replace it with determination. “What now?”
“Who else knows of this note?”
“No one. I came straight to find you.”
He snatched his coat that she’d attempted to give him a few moments earlier, pushed his arm through the sleeve, and reached for his boots. “Gather the house servants, and I’ll find the watchmen. Then we’ll meet in the kitchen and figure out a plan.”
Chapter35
As Charlotte raced from Anthony’s chamber to the room where Sutcliffe slept, his call for calmness echoed. He was right, of course. Now more than ever she needed to keep her wits about her and pay close attention. A clue could be found anywhere, and there was no margin for error.
