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Alexander had lost track of how many times he had paced back and forth along the passageway. Every time he passed the door to the bedchamber where Mrs. Hunt and the maids were assisting Jane, he paused. But other than the murmur of female voices, he heard nothing that gave him any indication of how she was faring.

The house was quiet now. With the search for Asher over, most of the servants had gone to bed, and the candles that had illuminated Bloxley Hall’s windows had been doused. Mr. Hadford had returned to Charwell Park some time ago, and although Alexander expected some of Jane’s family members to arrive first thing in the morning, he alone was still walking the halls. Or so he thought.

From the far end of the passageway, a flickering light appeared, growing steadily brighter as it drew nearer. Alexander stopped his pacing and watched as the candlestick took shape and Lady Bloxley materialized within its light.

“Mother? What are you doing up at this hour?”

“The same thing as you, I imagine.” She glanced at the door of the yellow bedchamber. “Mrs. Hunt told me of the search for the boy staying with the Hadfords earlier this evening. I waited all night for an update on the situation, and when no one came, I determined to discover for myself what had happened.”

Guilt washed over him. He had been so consumed with Jane and Asher that he had neglected to inform his own mother of the current situation. “Forgive me, Mother. I should have sent word when I arrived back at the house. I could blame my negligence on severe sleep deprivation and my overriding concern for Miss Hadford and Asher, but that would still not excuse such rudeness.”

“Miss Hadford? How is she involved in this? I thought the search was for the young boy.”

“Miss Hadford took it upon herself to join the search. It was she who found Asher in the south meadow gully.”

“Good heavens!” His mother was understandably shocked.

“She sustained her own injuries whilst attempting to reach the child,” Alexander continued. “Mrs. Hunt is currently attending to her, and I have sent for Dr. Thorndike to come from London.”

“I am glad to hear that Miss Hadford and the boy are being well cared for,” Lady Bloxley said. “But that does not explain why you are still standing vigil outside their door.”

He gazed at the closed door and heaved a heavy sigh. He could not continue much longer without rest, and yet he could not go to his room until he had spoken with Jane—until he had put things right between them.

“Alexander?” His mother raised her candlestick to see him better. “There is more to this than you are sharing.”

Alexander rubbed a hand across his face. He was too tired to play games with his mother. If his upcoming discussion with Jane went as he hoped it would go, his mother would know soon enough. “I intend to ask Miss Hadford to marry me,” he said.

His mother took an instinctive step back. “Miss Jane Hadford? Why ever would you do that?”

He stared at her. “Why ever not?”

“She is crippled.”

Alexander took a deep breath. “Miss Jane Hadford may not have full use of her legs, but I have yet to meet a young lady with a brighter mind, a braver heart, or a more charitable disposition. She is, in fact, the most remarkable young lady of my acquaintance and—”

“And you have fallen in love with her,” his mother finished for him.

“Yes. Completely.” He looked at her curiously. “How did you know?”

“I didn’t,” she said. “Until this very moment.” He thought he imagined sadness in her eyes, but with the flicker of the candle, the impression was gone. “As you know, not many within the nobility are fortunate enough to marry for love,” she said. “Your father and I enjoyed a mutual understanding that I like to believe blossomed into something more as the years passed. But the look in your eyes as you speak of Miss Hadford is something I have only ever seen once before.” She gazed down the darkened passageway. “And it occurred in this very house.

“When your late Uncle Frederick announced that he was going to marry Isabella Brossard, your grandfather was shocked speechless. She was a foreigner, and her family, although affluent and notable enough in France, was unknown amongst the English elite. There had been so many young ladies trying to attract your uncle’s attention, you understand. But once he met Isabella, everyone else paled in comparison, and he would have no one but her.”

“And they were happy,” Alexander said.

His mother offered him a thin smile. “Blissfully so, and I confess I envied them a little.”

Alexander pondered this new insight into his uncle and aunt, wishing he had a better memory of them.

His mother lowered the candlestick. “Miss Hadford may not be whom I would have chosen for you, but if you have that kind of love for her, I will not stand in your way.”

Stunned, Alexander could only stare at her. He had anticipated a difficult battle with his mother—one in which Jane’s virtues were pitted against her lack of mobility. Never, in all his musings, had he considered that his mother would agree to his choice so easily. “Thank you, Mother.”

She sniffed. “Yes, well, you have kept your promise to find a wife, and I am certainly not going to turn down the opportunity to plan your wedding. I shall begin this very night.”

“Absolutely not.” He could not keep the horror from his voice. If his mother embraced wedding planning with the same ostentatious enthusiasm that she gave to redecorating, neither he nor Jane would survive. “Quite apart from the fact that Miss Hadford has every right to plan her own wedding, the lady has not yet accepted my hand.”

“Well, what on earth are you waiting for? It’s not like you to dillydally when your mind is made up. Go in there and get the job done.”