Page 93 of An Affair at Stonecliffe

“Joined! Hah! Who do you think organized it? This lot was completely useless, running to tell us instead of going after you. It was obvious I couldn’t send them off without someone competent along to advise them.”

Noelle hid a smile. From the look on Grisham’s face, it was clear that Adeline’s mother had “advised” them all along the way.

“Who else was there?” Lady Lockwood went on. “My daughter would have been of no help, and Annabeth was occupied hovering over the boy.”

“Nathan?” Carlisle seized on her words. “How is he? Is he—”

“Still alive when we left.” Lady Lockwood turned her gaze to Noelle and then to the pony cart, where Gil was gazing at her with his usual fascination. “Well, boy, I’m glad to see that you are all right.” She nodded at him and turned her mount. “Come, come. No point in standing about here. Grisham, get out in front with the torches. What are you thinking? It’s dark as Hades out here.”

The groom scurried out in front, and the other men fell in meekly behind her.

Carlisle shook his head and, taking Noelle’s hand, he followed, as well. “Only Lady Lockwood could make one regret seeing a rescue party.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

BY THE TIME they reached Stonecliffe, it was approaching dawn. Adeline met them with cries of joy, and Annabeth, hearing the noise, came rushing out, all smiles. For the next few moments, it was a pandemonium of exclamations, hugs, and kisses.

“Tell us everything,” Adeline said. “I’ll have Cook make up a midnight supper. You must be starving after your ordeal.”

“Yes, what the devil happened?” Lady Lockwood demanded, apparently none the worse for wear after a sleepless night and a horseback ride. “First Nathan’s shot, then Noelle disappears, and Carlisle takes off like a scalded cat, and no one seems to know anything at all.”

“I beg your pardon, Lady Lockwood. We’ll explain everything,” Carlisle said, then turned and took Annabeth’s arm, looking intently down at her. “But first, I have to know, how is Nathan?”

A smile broke across Annabeth’s tired face. “He’s better. He hasn’t developed a fever, and the doctor says that’s a good sign. He even woke up once and asked for you. He was agitated, though I assured him that you were here and everything was all right. So the doctor gave him a little laudanum, and he’s been asleep ever since. The doctor’s still here, but he’s sleeping, too. Do you want to talk to him?”

Carlisle shook his head. “Later. I’ll look in on Nathan in a bit.”

Carlisle sent some of the men to get Thompkins at the cottage, then joined the others at the dining table, where he and Noelle tried to explain the entire story as everyone dug into the array of cold meats, bread, and cheeses the cook had laid out. Unsurprisingly, it took some time, as people kept interrupting with questions.

“One might have known Penrose and Dunbridge would set up a trust with a criminally inclined lawyer,” Lady Lockwood said when they reached the end of the tale.

“To be fair, Mother, it was his son who was of a criminal bent,” Adeline pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter,” Lady Lockwood said, pushing back her chair with a screech and rising to her feet. “All of this nonsense has kept me from my bed far too long. It’ll be a wonder if I don’t fall ill.” She cast an accusatory eye all around the table before turning and walking to the door. There she paused and looked back at the table. “Well, Adeline?” She jerked her head toward the corridor. “Someone must carry my things. Annabeth is no doubt going to continue her vigil, though I must say, I can’t see the point. The doctor is here, and the boy is asleep anyway.”

With a sigh, Adeline followed her. Annabeth also excused herself, returning to Nathan’s bedside. Noelle, too, stood up. “I should put Gil down for a rest.”

“Mama!” Gil protested. “I’ve been asleep forever.”

“I’m sure his governess can take care of Gil now,” Carlisle said, coming around the table. “I want to talk to you, Noelle.”

“I—um—I’m very tired. I think I shall lie down. If you’ll excuse me...” She was certain Carlisle still wanted to talk to her about her revelation that she loved him; he was like a dog with a bone once he got hold of a subject. But she couldn’t face dealing with him right now. She was drained, her brain muzzy, and she was all too likely to say something else she’d want to have back.

Carlisle looked as if he might protest, but at that moment, the butler appeared in the door, saying, “Mr. Thorne. They’ve brought Mr. Thompkins here, sir. I’ve sent for the constable, but I thought you might wish to speak with him.”

“I certainly would,” Carlisle replied grimly, and followed him out of the room, turning around to say, “I still want to talk to you.”

At least she had a reprieve. She didn’t understand why Carlisle was so insistent about this. She couldn’t imagine that he didn’t already know she loved him, and she would have thought that he would be as glad as she to pretend she hadn’t told him so. Perhaps he thought she might have expectations that he would marry her or that she would be weepy and whining about it. Or maybe that she might leave, taking Gil with her, so that she wouldn’t have to face the heartache of being around Carlisle. She would have to make it clear she would not do any of those things, and right now, given how exhausted she was, she was afraid she would start to cry, which would put the lie to all her assurances.

She handed Gil off to his governess, relieved that he seemed to have no qualms about leaving Noelle and was instead happy to relate to someone else all the things that had happened to him. Going back to her room, she fell on the bed, too tired to even unlace her half boots, and fell asleep.

A knock on the door woke her up, and she sat up groggily. Without waiting for an answer, Carlisle opened the door and came inside. Closing the door behind him, he strode across to the bed and sat down beside her.

“Carlisle! What are you doing? You shouldn’t be in here. Everyone will talk.”

“I don’t give a damn. You keep slipping away, and I want to talk to you.”

“Well, I don’t want to talk to you,” Noelle replied crossly. “You might have noticed by the fact that I keep slipping away.”