“Mia cara. I’mhere; it’s your Stella. Wake up.”
Annabel opened her eyes, and Stella’s blurry face hovered over her. It was a lovely dream. The same one she’d had every night. Reaching up, she touched Stella’s face.How lovely and lifelike this dream is.
“Oh, thank the blessed Lord.” Stella took Annabel’s hand from her cheek and clutched it in hers. “You’re alive.”
Annabel blinked Stella’s face into focus. “Stella? Am I dreaming? Have you truly come for me?” She struggled to sit up, and Stella bent to help her.
“I’m here, my darling. All your troubles are over.”
The room came into focus, and Annabel saw the doctor, Mr. and Mrs. Bastin, and a stranger all standing together, watching her.
Where is Henry?Fear seized hold of her chest.Why are they all here? Have they come to tell me that it’s too late?
“Henry?” she managed to whisper. Her throat felt incredibly dry.
“Spared the gallows, thanks to Stella.” Mrs. Bastin came forward and placed a newspaper on Annabel’s lap.
Is Annabel Leonard Alive?the headline read, and then,“The Lord High Steward suspends gallows for Lord Hudsyn in light of lady’s maid’s claims,”appeared in the subtitle.
Relief flooded Annabel. “How? When did you come from Italy?”
“I was never in Italy, my dear. I went to my cousin’s in Portugal. I was heartbroken when I read Nate’s testimony in the newspapers, but I knew he was only acting in the best way he could to protect all three of us. Still, I couldn’t leave an innocent man’s death on my conscience, so I boarded a ship the very next day.”
“Nate kept me prisoner in his hut at Whitstable, and I almost died in the fire.” Annabel shook her head. “I cannot believe he almost sent Henry to his death. I trusted him.”
“I could wring his neck for that,” Stella said. “But I try to remember that he acted out of fear. He’s not a bad man, but he deeply distrusts the upper class. I imagine he saw Henry as a threat—someone who wanted to take advantage of a young, trusting girl without a family—and saw him as a member of the class who would be more loyal to Lord Craventhorp than you.”
“Where is he now?” Anne asked. “Have the police arrested him?”
“It appears he’s fled the country.” Stella retrieved her handkerchief and pressed it to her eyes. “And to tell you the truth, I’m glad. I don’t want to see any harm come to him.”
Annabel sighed. “Yes, terrible though his actions were, I agree that he probably thought he was doing what was necessary to protect himself and me. Still, if Henry had hanged—” The thought made Annabel choke on her words.
“But he didn’t hang. He’s alive and well. And now that we have found you, he’ll be released from prison.”
“Do you think anyone will believe me? Will Papa care to recognize me as his daughter? I think he’d prefer it if people thought I was dead rather than ruined.”
“That’s why I’m here.” The stranger, a tall man with dark brown bushy mutton chops and piercing dark eyes, stepped forward. “Detective Regis.” He gave a slight bow. “I’m in charge of investigating this case. What I witnessed today just now proves that you are Annabel Leonard. You recognized your lady’s maid immediately, and the bond between you two is plainly evident to all in this room. It is genuine, I am certain. As for your papa, he has expressed remorse for trying to force you into a marriage with Craventhorp. The press has maligned him for his actions—calling them mercenary, ancient, and even barbaric.”
Annabel bit her lip.She was sorry for her papa. Angry as she had been, she never wanted him to be publicly shamed.
“I spoke with him, and he is desperate to see you and welcome you back home again.
Annabel gasped. “But he was furious with me—burnt all my books. She shook her head. “He didn’t believe me.”
“According to him, your stepmother told him that you refused to marry until you found your Heathcliff so you concocted a wild story about Lord Craventhorp attacking you at Lady Dawley’s ball. That is what led him to burn your books. She convinced him that obsessive novel reading had made you irrational.”
“It’s my fault for trusting Mrs. Leonard,” Stella said. “I thought that, as a woman, she would want to protect you from marrying a man who enjoyed hurting women, but I was wrong.”
“Only because you have a kind heart yourself.” Annabel leaned forward and embraced Stella.
“And now we must get you in front of the Lord High Steward as soon as possible so we can release Henry from that horrible prison.” Mrs. Bastin said. “The doctor is here to examine you, and he’ll let us know if you’re well enough to make the journey. Stella can remain here with you, and we’ll be outside.”
They started to leave when a thought occurred to Annabel. “Wait! Who was the unfortunate young lady they found in the Thames? I am afraid someone—a woman—may have died in my stead,” Anne told the detective as her stomach clenched. It was a horrifying thought.
“We believe she was a lady of the night. Craventhorp is known to frequent brothels, and we have accounts of him injuring some of the women during his—encounters with them.”
“So you think Lord Craventhorp murdered her? But how did he get my pendant? I wonder if it fell from my neck in Lady Dawley’s garden and he picked it up there.
