CHAPTER 26
Stephen had sent a footman to track Tristan through the house and explain what had transpired. Perhaps he should have waited for his friend to arrive, but that would involvewaiting.
So here he was, striding through the dark trees, heart pounding, head spinning. There was no movement around him, except for the rustle of birds in the treetops and the skitter of some animal in the undergrowth.
The butler had told him that Amelia had crossed the gravel courtyard, heading for the stone bench on the lawn. She was not there, but there was a mess of footprints in the dewy grass. He tracked them through the trees. The trail led through the grounds and past a gap in the outer wall, and from there onto a quiet street.
Where did she go from here? I don’t understand.
Stephen glanced up and down the road, desperate for a clue. Movement caught his eye, and he spotted a man slumped against a wall, his legs splayed out comically in front of him. He was clearly drunk, but hopefully nottoodrunk.
“Good sir,” Stephen called, stepping toward him. “Did you see a red-headed woman pass by here?”
The man sucked on his lower lip, staring up at him with bleary eyes. “What will you give me if I tell you the truth?”
“Half a crown.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Just like that?”
He scrambled to his feet, revealing a tall, stocky build. He was not as tall as Stephen, of course, but he obviously fancied himself as such, standing on his tiptoes.
“And what if I were to inquire how much more money you’re carrying on your person,Your Majesty?”
“I imagine that you would regret such an impertinent question. Immediately.”
The man held his gaze for a few seconds, then swallowed and glanced away.
“A woman did come by here,” he muttered. “Pretty, she was. Red-headed, like you said, in a yellow dress. She didn’t look at me as I went by, but the fellow she was with kicked my leg out of the way. She told him not to be so rough.”
A shiver skittered down Stephen’s spine, a knot of unease unfurling in his gut.
“What fellow?” he pressed.
“Well, the fellow she was with. It’s not sensible for women to walk these streets alone after dark. I remember thinking that she was wise to choose that man. Angry, he looked, walking a little ahead of her.”
“And she followed him of her own accord?”
“Looked like it. Tall, he was, and had red hair too. I recall thinking that they looked like brother and sister.”
Stephen briefly closed his eyes.
Brother and sister.
This was immediately followed by another thought.
I know where Amelia has gone.
“Thank you,” he said, opening his eyes and sticking his hand into his pocket.
He withdrew the promised half-crown and threw it at the fellow, who accepted it with delight.
“If a man comes here asking if I’ve passed by you, I’d be obliged if you tell him that I’ve gone to the Viscount’s house. He’ll know what that means,” he added, tossing another crown.
The man caught it, beaming wide enough to reveal blackened teeth at the back of his mouth. “Right you are, sir. Right you are!”
Striding off, Stephen broke into a run. At least now he knew where he was going.
The road was familiar. How many times had he and Harry stumbled or walked along these roads, drunk or foolish or otherwise, talking and laughing, discussing everything and nothing?
