“But they have not.”
Her hand pulled from his as he opened his eyes, but it was not so that she could draw away. Rather, her fingers brushed down his cheek, her eyes fixing themselves to his as she spoke with a confidence that chased away his fear. William said nothing for some moments, looking back into her face, seeing her searching eyes, and finding his heart beginning to beat all the more quickly - although it was not for the same reason as before. His shuddering breath warned him that he was losing his devotion to the task at hand and becoming distracted by something entirely unexpected. With an effort, he pulled his remaining fingers from hers, nodded, and then turned away. Fire burned across his cheek, where she had run her fingers over his skin, and when it began to diminish, disappointment filled William’s heart. The urge to draw close to her again was an almost impossible desire to deny but he strode through the servants’ quarters with determination, unwilling to allow himself to become preoccupied. Miss Lawrence had come here of her own behest, but he still had a responsibility, as a gentleman, to make certain that no harm came to her. He would not do anything that would be considered untoward, despite the strange urgency in his heart for him to do so. Her footsteps clattered behind him as he claimed the staircase which led them from the servants’ quarters to the main rooms.
“What if there is someone within? What shall we say?”
“I do not know.” Glancing over his shoulder, William gave her a grim smile. “There is very little excuse one can give for being found in the home of a dead man.” When he caught her eyes, he saw her smile at him, and his emotions tore themselves into a thousand pieces and rearranged themselves again. “Are you quite certain you wish to be here, Miss Lawrence?”
“Yes, of course. My determination is as strong as yours.” Letting out a huff of breath, she set her shoulders. “We are to make our way to his study now, yes? Do you know which room it is?” William nodded as a shudder ran through his frame - a shudder that Miss Lawrence saw for she grasped his hand with hers. “Lord Foster?”
“It is where I found him.” Taking in a deep breath, he remained holding her fingers. “Come, it is this way.”
The house did not appear at all welcoming. It was dark with air that smelled of dust and silence. No candles were lit, and the growing darkness spread its hold over the house. Ignoring his rolling stomach, William opened the study door and pushed his way inside, half expecting to see Lord Gillespie still slumped over his desk. He let out a ragged breath as he took in the room, and Miss Lawrence came to stand next to him, her presence a comfort. There was, of course, no one there. The blood had been cleaned but there was still a metallic smell that bit the back of William’s throat.
“We are to search for some documents relating to that Viscount, are we not?” Miss Lawrence released his hand. “His correspondence?”
Her practical remarks pulled William from his despondency.
“Yes.” Taking in a deep breath, he strode towards the desk, pushing out any images which remained there of what he had seen before. “Any documents or letters which pertain toanyViscount must be taken with us. We might read them and then leave them here I suppose, but I have no wish to linger any longer than is necessary. If required, I can return and replace them at a later time.”
“Very well.” Miss Lawrence stepped closer to the desk and began to open the drawers. William himself turned to another chest of drawers and began to search through them carefully, wincing at every sound. He did not think that there would be anyone within the house, but all the same he felt himself a little nervous that they could be discovered. It would be one thing to be found with Miss Lawrence entirely unchaperoned, but quite another to be discovered in the late Lord Gillespie’s rooms, searching through his things.
“I think I have found something.”
Miss Lawrence’s voice caught William’s attention and he turned to her
“What is it?”
Miss Lawrence did not look at him but continued to read the paper in her hand.
“I believe this is in reference to the scheme in East London,” she murmured, her eyes filled with shadows as she frowned. “Look, it speaks of the gentlemen whom he will send there.”
She did not hand him the letter, but held it still, leaning towards him as she spoke, her other hand pointing out the reference she had just made. William found himself leaning into her he tried to concentrate on the letter. She was so close to him, and given that he was still confused over his strange reaction to the thought of losing her, he found himself struggling with his lack of concentration. Miss Lawrence glanced at him.
“What do you think?”
Tilting his head, William shrugged, nodded, and opened his mouth to speak only for a sudden clanging sound to ripple up through the silence of the house towards him. In the next second, Miss Lawrence had stuffed the letter into her pocket and William was scurrying towards the other side of the room, tidying away what he had been looking through. The noise came again as though someone were opening and closing doors and William’s heart began to pound furiously as he looked around the room for somewhere for them to hide.
Miss Lawrence’s wide eyes met his and they stared at each other for a long moment. Her eyes were huge, her face pale, and William could only shake his head, wordlessly, struggling to think of where they might go. The sound came again, and Miss Lawrence jerked visibly, closing her eyes before she turned around and moved to the left of the room. The large curtains which hung from the windows gave her an adequate hiding space. Every sense was alive with panic as William threw himself towards a large chest in the corner of the room. Flinging open the lid, he was relieved to see that it was entirely empty and hurried to climb inside, letting the lid close on him just as the door to the study opened. His heart was pounding so furiously that he could barely hear anything else. Muffled voices reached him, but he could make nothing out. Whoever it was in the house was looking for something, just as he and Miss Lawrence had been. Could this be the Viscount? Could this be the man who had stolen so much from him? A sudden wish to fling black the lid came over him, but he resisted the urge. It was not until silence had filled the room again that he dared to crack the lid a little. Nobody was there. He could hear no other noises and prayed silently that whoever had been present was now quite gone from the house.
“Miss Lawrence.” Whispering her name, he removed himself from the chest. “Miss Lawrence, you may come out now. They are gone.”
She did not reply. Making his way slowly across the room so that he would not accidentally make any floorboards creak, William pulled back the curtain. No doubt Miss Lawrence was a little afraid and perhaps she was curled up in a ball on the floor, using the curtains as a flimsy shield.
Horror tore through him as he realized she was no longer there.
Whirling around, William stared from one object in the room to the next, as if he thought she might somehow just be standing there. Had she changed her hiding place? No, that could not be. There had not been enough time for her to do so, and besides, where exactly would she have gone? Panic began to build as he pushed one hand through his hair, his hands going to his hips as he stared around the room. Closing his eyes, he blew out a long breath, realizing with even more dread that she was the one who held the letter. He had not even had the opportunity to read the name of the Viscount involved, but if that letter had any significance whatsoever, then perhaps that was why Miss Lawrence was no longer present with him. She had been taken. Whoever had been in this room and found her, had taken the letter and her with them.
Then I cannot simply leave her to her fate.
Yes, there were still more letters to be searched, more correspondence to go through, but none of that mattered at the present moment. The only thing in William’s thoughts was Miss Lawrence. Hurtling from the study, his feet pounded across the floor as he ran the length of the hallway and down the servants’ staircase. The evening air cooled his hot face but did nothing to calm him.
Frantic, he looked to his left and his right as he searched desperately for even a hint of where Miss Lawrence might now be. He could see nothing. The shadows of dusk were beginning to capture London already and only added to the darkness beginning to swirl through his heart.
I ought to have been stronger. I ought to have demanded that she remain at home rather than join me here.
Guilt pierced him, but William held willingly onto the pain. He had done this. By his foolishness, he had allowed this to happen and now, it seemed, Miss Lawrence was gone and there was nothing he could do to protect her from whatever evil fate now befell her.
Chapter Ten