He stepped between a couple of men who were likely servants from neighboring houses, judging from their appearances: well-dressed, albeit in understated outfits.Beyond them, several people were shouting now, pushing and shoving at Mr.Croft who was clearly hell-bent on getting past them, while being pulled back by a man who was equally set on restraining him.
Marsdale.
Peter recognized him by his build and brownish blond hair, which was highlighted in the bright glow from the fire, even as another disturbance distracted him briefly.Two horse-drawn fire wagons had managed to enter the square, no doubt thanks to Lewis directing the vehicles blocking the streets, forcing them to turn back.
He made a mental note to commend the Runner’s efforts later, then stepped directly in front of Croft.A mixture of rage and terror filled his vision, making Peter wonder if he would be able to find the words required to dissuade the man from rushing toward what would surely be his demise at this point.
“Unhand me,” Croft seethed when Peter grabbed him by his shoulders.“Both of you.”
“Not.Happening.”Marsdale sounded equally angry.“You’ll die if you go in there.”
“I just need to know Samantha and Alexandra are safe.”He attempted to wrestle himself out of Peter’s and Marsdale’s grasps.Together, however, they were stronger than he and were able to keep him firmly in place.“Everyone in that house is my responsibility.I have to know if they managed to get out of there.If…if…”
“I’ve spoken to Elks,” Peter said, hoping some positive news would appease Croft a little.“He and Emma are both out of the building.So is Stewart.He has your daughter and is keeping her safe.”
A brief hint of relief loosened some of the tension in Croft’s face.But then he looked directly into Peter’s eyes and said, “You haven’t mentioned Samantha.Where is she, Kendrick?”
Peter swallowed, stalling, he realized, since what he said next would make the ground vanish beneath Croft’s feet.“According to Stewart, she ordered him to protect Alexandra while she went to check the servants’ quarters for—”
“Are you saying she’s in there?”Croft’s eyes glistened with raw emotion, his face a mask of indescribable anguish as he looked toward the blazing building.
“As far as I know,” Peter confirmed, his words flooding Marsdale’s expression with a degree of helplessness that he himself felt to the core of his very existence.
“Then you must let me go,” Adrian murmured, his voice no longer angry but rather pleading in a way that ripped Peter’s heart wide open.“I beg you, Kendrick.Let me do whatever I can to save her.Or die trying.”
“If you go in there, you surely will perish,” Marsdale muttered, his hold on Croft slacker than earlier — more comforting now than anything else.
“Then so be it,” Croft said.“To suppose I could go on without her is absurd.I need her, Edward.I’m nothing without Samantha.”
“You’re a father,” Peter said, deliberately reminding Croft that there was much more at stake than the possibility of him becoming a widower tonight.“Alexandra is safe.One of your servants has her, but she’s going to need you.Don’t put her at risk of losing both parents.”
Hopelessness filled Croft’s gaze.“If I’d only returned home sooner, then…”
He shook his head, the tension from earlier seeping out of his body, giving way to something far worse.Acceptance.
“Your wife is a capable woman,” Marsdale said, releasing his hold on Croft completely.
Peter agreed.“If anyone can help those who might still be trapped in there and survive, it is she.”
“I don’t see h—” Croft’s comment hung unfinished in the night air, his attention suddenly fixed on something that made him go rigid.“Look there.On the roof.”
Peter turned and looked up, following Croft’s line of vision until he glimpsed movement.
He took a sharp breath.
Someone was on the roof.A man.And now a woman too.
A glimmer of hope erupted inside him.
He prepared to tell Croft to check on his child while Peter entered the neighboring house.Only Croft was no longer at his side, and neither was Marsdale.
* * *
The gentleman stared at the raging flames devouring the prominent Portman Square home.Plumes of smoke blocked the night sky, which was lit by an orange glow.An eerie stillness had long since settled over the crowd of onlookers, as though the devastation unfolding before them had caught them all in a trance.
The only thing the gentleman knew was the simmering anger burning its way through his veins.Whatever the reason behind this disaster, it did not align with his plans.All it would lead to was another distraction from the crucial issues he wanted Croft to deal with.
As it was, his wife and child had already stopped him from looking into the men behind Lady Edwina’s disappearance.According to Miss Hastings, her husband had gotten nowhere with that.Worse, Wrengate’s sister was once again missing, with Mr.Henshaw and a man identified as Mr.Grover both dead.
