“How did you know we were here?” Ally asked.
“We received an anonymous message that someone might need help here.”
“Who on earth? Sophie, it must’ve been your kidnappers.” Ally widened her eyes. “Kidnappers with a conscience. That’s a new one.”
“You were kidnapped, madam?”
Sophie nodded. “Yes, I was taken from the Brighton estate in Wiltshire. I’m not sure how long ago—maybe two days? Three? They kept me in a dark room and I lost track of time.”
“We received a note telling us to come here at midnight last night,” Ally said. “This is Lord Evan Xavier, second son of the Earl of Brighton.”
“My God. Well, with any luck, the doctor will be here soon. You ladies have obviously taken very good care of him. If I had to wager a guess, I would say he will recover. Of course, I am no medical professional.”
Ally let out a sigh of relief. The constable might not be a doctor, but hearing someone—anyone—say those words helped.
“And who might you ladies be?” the constable asked.
“I am Lady Sophie MacIntyre,” Sophie said, “and this is my sister, Lady Alexandra. We are Lord Brighton’s stepdaughters.”
Ally’s heart nearly stopped. This man was a constable, sworn to uphold the law. Whoever had kidnapped Sophie had done so because of Alexandra’s involvement with The Ruby. Though she was not involved in the publication and distribution of the paper, she did write stories for it. Was that against the law? Would Evan somehow get in trouble for this?
She could not risk that happening. Once Evan got the help he needed, she and Sophie would have to decline to speak to the constables any more about the matter. If only she hadn’t mentioned Sophie’s kidnappers.
Nothing to be done now.
What seemed like hours later, the other constable arrived with the doctor. “I’m sorry it took so long,” he said. “I had to go several blocks over. I also had to promise that he would be paid double for coming into this area.”
Double? Triple, quadruple, Ally didn’t care, as long as the man helped Evan. “Of course. This man is Lord Brighton’s son. You will be paid adequately, Doctor.”
The doctor, a stout man with gray hair and spectacles, set down his black bag and knelt to examine Evan.
“It’s very good that you got the bleeding stopped. I would like to be able to remove the bullet, but at this point I cannot tell exactly where it is lodged. We will need to transfer him to my office. Let’s get him into your coach, Constables.”
* * *
Ally wrung her hands as she sat in the waiting area at the doctor’s office. Evan had been taken into the back for surgery.
“Ally,” Sophie said, taking her hand, “we have a lot to talk about. I know you must be worried sick about Evan, as am I, so we will save our talk for later.”
Ally nodded. “I am so sorry that you got dragged into this. If anything had happened to you…” Ally’s heart wrenched.
Sophie’s touch soothed her.
“I am fine, and Evan will be fine too, God willing.”
“Oh, Sophie, he just has to be.”
A few moments later, a nurse joined them.
“My ladies, Lord Evan is out of surgery. The doctor wishes to speak to you. Please follow me.”
Ally sucked in a breath. “How is Evan? Will he be all right?”
The nurse smiled. “The doctor will explain everything.”
The nurse wouldn’t have smiled if anything had gone wrong, right? At least that’s what Ally hoped. They followed the nurse to a small office. Dr. Stanton sat behind a desk.
“My ladies, do come in and have a seat.”