Barton stood tall. “We will be praying for your safe return, Your Grace.”
* * *
Alister’s horse kicked up the ground beneath him as he returned to Eversleigh House in record time. If there was anyone who might have a clue to where Elise and Lyra might have gone, it would be Mara.
He didn’t wait for the butler to speak but brushed past him as he shouted for Mara. He didn’t care if he was being proper or not at this point. He just wanted to find his wife.
“Alister! What on earth…” Mara rushed into the foyer, followed by her husband, but her words trailed off when she realized Alister was alone. “How come Lyra isn’t with you?”
With a deep breath, he calmly explained what had occurred at Weston House, careful to omit the part about the stable hand. It wouldn’t do to add insult to injury and upset his hostess even further.
“I can’t imagine what—” Abruptly, she broke off and her eyes widened.
“What is it?” It was all Alister could do to not take her by the shoulders and shake the rest of the sentence from her, his fear growing steadily by degrees.
It was fortuitous that the timely arrival of Lord Sussex diverted him. Drayven strode forward as soon as he spotted Alister. “What’s going on? The footman from Weston House said it was urgent.”
“My wife is missing,” Alister said grimly. With a meaningful look, he added, “She was last seen with Elise Coventry.”
Drayven frowned. “Indeed.”
“Does someone want to explain what the hell is going on?” Roarke thundered. “What does Lady Weston have to do with my sister’s disappearance?”
Alister hated to waste further time talking, but he knew that if Roarke didn’t comprehend the severity of the situation, he would never fully understand the danger. He explained about“The Cause”and how Roger and Richard were involved, along with the recent arrest of Lord Winthorp and his tie to Elise. “Until recently, we didn’t know exactly how far this conspiracy actually went, but we have good reason to believe she may be at the heart of the rebellion.”
“Not only is Lyra in possible danger,” Drayven tacked on, “But the Prince Regent is still in peril as long as Elise is running free and causing trouble.”
“So what is the plan?” Roarke asked.
Alister clenched his jaw. “Without any idea of where they might be headed, I have no idea.”
“I think I know.”
All three men turned to Mara.
“I didn’t think anything of it earlier when you were here,” she said to Alister. “I was so involved with the tree, and I thought Lyra would tell you…” She let her statement trail off. “Lyra and I stopped by my old haberdashery today to see Celeste. While we were there, she told us about a radical group looking to reform England. She mentioned the name of the Bellerophon in Sheerness.”
Alister stilled. “The Bellerophon? But what would a ship full of prisoners—” He felt the blood recede from his face. “Damnation! Elise plans to raise an army full of convicts.”
Alister was already halfway to the door with Drayven on his heels when Roarke spoke up. “Wait.” He turned to his wife, who looked rather ashen at this point. “Everything will be fine, my love, but I fear you’re going to have to decorate the tree with Mother and Bentley this year. Rest assured, there will be many more trees for us to trim in years to come, with little ones underfoot to help, but right now, I have to go.”
“I know you do.” Mara reached up and pressed her lips against his. “Be careful.” Stepping back, she addressed Alister and Drayven with tears in her eyes. “All of you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
It was dark by the time Elise and Lyra pulled into the town of Sheerness, located near the mouth of the River Medway on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.
Lyra wondered if this quaint, seaside village, which housed a Royal Navy dockyard, might be her final destination. She feared how Elise might react once she’d learned of her perfidy, but she would have said anything to delay the pull of that trigger.
Now, as her possible end grew near, all she could think of was Alister and how she wished she’d had the courage to tell him how much she loved him and that she was sorry for being such a coward for ever doubting him. She yearned to see his handsome face one last time and explain how he’d changed her life, to thank him for bringing her back from the edge of a terrifying, personal abyss when she thought all hope was lost.
He was her rock, her steady foundation, and he might never know it.
Abruptly, she clenched her fists.
She might very well die today, but she wasn’t going down without a fight.
“Stop here,” Elise instructed, and her driver instantly came to a halt.
