Chapter Twenty-Eight
The knocking on his door roused him from sleep and dreams of the woman he loved. Opening his eyes, Nathan struggled onto his elbows.
“What?” he bellowed. If it was Zach coming home from a night of revelry, he’d make him pay.
“Mr. Deville, Lady Carlow and her footman are asking to see you. She says it’s most urgent and concerning Miss Carlow,” Fairfax said through the wood paneling of his door.
“I’m coming!” Nathan threw back the curtains and saw the gray fingers of dawn were beginning to creep over London. He dressed quickly, then stomped his feet into boots.
Is Beth in danger?What other reason could there be for her mother and footman calling here?
Wrenching open the door he found Fairfax stood outside.
“They are in the front parlor, Mr. Deville. I will have tea brought.”
“Thank you.” He ran down the hall, then took the stairs down two at a time. His heart was thudding hard by the time he reached the parlor. Beth was in danger; he felt it.
Entering the room, he found Lady Carlow seated, pale and red-eyed, and a tall, broad-shouldered man standing behind her. Something about him was familiar, but as yet he could not place him.
“Oh, Mr. Deville, you must find my daughter!” Lady Carlow cried, getting to her feet. She hurried to where he stood. Nathan took her hands and squeezed them gently.
“Where is she?”
Tears began to fall, and the man who had stood silently watching came forward.
“If you’ll allow me to tell him, my lady.”
“Y-yes.” She wept, as he led her back to the seat she’d just left, then lowered her gently into it.
“Who are you?”
“I am a footman to the Carlow family,” the man said, facing Nathan.
He recognized the accent, and something clicked into place. “That night at Spitalfields, you were there with that woman.”
The man nodded.
“Was Miss Carlow that woman?”
He nodded again.
No wonder he’d felt unsettled after their kiss. Something she’d said slipped into his head.“Using your feet that way, I’ve never seen that before.”So that’s when she’d seen him fight.
“Where is Miss Carlow?”
“What is going on?”
Nathan looked over his shoulder and saw Gabe had entered the room. He wore a shirt and breeches, and his feet were bare.
“I’m just about to ascertain that, brother.”
“Excellent.” He waved a hand at Nathan, yawning.
“I want the truth,” Nathan said softly. “All of it.”
The man nodded. “I have only now been apprised of all the facts.”
Lady Carlow sniffed.
