She hesitated. Considering all that had happened, she should do as he said. The men around were fully capable of wrapping up all the loose ends, but she didn’t want to leave. She needed to see this through to the end. She’d regret it if she did not. “No. I’ll go with you.”
“It could still be dangerous. There’s no way to tell if—”
“No,” she interrupted. “I need to go, Gabriel. I’ll show you right where they are.”
In the next few seconds time slowed. Gabriel looked at Ella. Really looked at her. “All right. But if I say you need to come back here, you must do it.”
“It’s up these stairs.” Confidence replaced her fear as she retraced her steps and led the men to the chamber where she’d last encountered Miss Grenshaw.
Ella paused at the door to wait for Gabriel and the watchmen to gather. Even though she was determined to see justice done, a battle raged within her. Miss Grenshaw needed to be apprehended. She’d deceived many people and was an accomplice to a crime. But Ella had seen the sadness and regret in Miss Grenshaw’s eyes. It already haunted her.
Once Gabriel was at the closed chamber door, he looked back to the other men, held up his fingers to count down their entry, and then in a sudden burst, he kicked in the door.
The men rushed in. Shouts and shuffling, cries and curses, echoed in the space. Ella could only watch as the men seized not only Miss Grenshaw but also Mr. Gutt.
Ella drew a shuddery breath. It really was over.
The people who had deceived her family and friends were no longer roaming free—they were going to face justice.
Chapter 48
THE REST OFthe night passed in a sickening, overwhelming blur for Ella. Mr. Clancy, Mr. Grenshaw, Miss Grenshaw, and Mr. Gutt had been secured in the gaol at the justice of the peace office, and they would be held there until charges were officially filed. Ella had given her testimony to several constables. She repeated her testimony over and over, recounting every detail she could recall.
Her arms ached, her head throbbed, and despite the warmth of Gabriel’s coat, which he’d given her to guard against the night’s chill, her shivering did not cease. She detested women who were weak, and yet on more than one occasion she felt the room spin and wondered if she might faint.
Gabriel, on the other hand, thrived in this environment. His assurance, his confidence in dealing with the aftermath of this bizarre nightmare, impressed her. This was, no doubt, what he was born to do. He never questioned his memory; his composure never wavered. He possessed a strength of mind and a dedication to justice she’d never witnessed in another.
After what seemed like hours the commotion finally lulled. Little by little the watchmen and constables dispersed until onlya few remained. Calm gradually replaced havoc, and silence replaced the mishmash of voices.
She sat on a bench just inside the door of the office, waiting for Gabriel to complete his tasks. Extreme fatigue pulled at her, and more than once she had to jerk herself awake. At length Gabriel joined her and sat next to her on the bench.
He took her hand in his. “You must be exhausted. The justice of the peace has called his personal carriage to take us home. It will be here any moment.”
Home.
Where was home at the moment? She was almost too tired to consider the answer. “Where are we going?”
He leaned close. “We’ll go to my house. My sister is there, and before you protest, consider that it’s four in the morning. I can’t take you to Hawthorne House at this hour.”
He was right, of course. What other option did she have?
The carriage arrived, and they stepped out from the justice of the peace office into the inky night. Damp fog covered London’s empty streets, and an unusual tranquility hovered. Gabriel assisted her into the carriage, spoke with the driver briefly, and joined her inside.
He settled next to her on the tufted carriage seat, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her close.
Ella inhaled the scent of the outdoors and even the pungent scent of gunpowder that still clung to him. She closed her eyes and melted against the safety of him—the stability of him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she leaned wordlessly against his chest.
The night had been the most terrifying of her life. Never had she felt so vulnerable, so in danger. She’d also never felt so protected and cared for. She never wanted to be in that situation again,but in it she learned where her heart really belonged—it did not belong in a building; it belonged to a person. All thoughts of Keatley Hall floated to the back of her mind, and nothing was before her except Gabriel.
Ella awoke as the carriage jerked to a halt. She lifted her head from Gabriel’s shoulder.
“We’re here,” he whispered close to her ear.
Pulling herself from her sleepy state, Ella straightened to look out the window at a brick row house.
Gabriel’s home.
After he assisted her from the vehicle and talked briefly with the driver, he tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and escorted her up the stairs. He unlocked the door, they stepped inside, and he closed the door behind them.
