“Lily,” she whispered.
And something struck her hard between her shoulder blades.She staggered forward into the shed and it slammed shut behind her.The bolt shot home and footsteps receded, not toward the house, but in the direction of the stables.And there was only one set.No one spoke.
The darkness of the shed was absolute.So was its silence.She was alone.Stunned, her heart hammering with fright, it took her a moment to be clear what had happened.
Ralph.Ralph had done this, using one of his thuggish grooms who probably didn’t even know it was the dowager countess he had been ordered to lock in the shed.Why?
Whatever the reason, it could not be good.She needed to get out and prevent whatever it was.What on earth could she prevent?She had no say in the adjudication between himself and Hunter as earl, and no evidence that would help either of them.
But shecouldprevent Lily’s marriage.
Hazlett.The chaplain.If Ralph had a special license...
Jack will not do it.He will not marry Lily, and certainly not like this!In the middle of someone else’s ball.
Then Ralph will make him.Somehow, he will find a way to force him, hurt him.She had to get out of here!In desperation, she tried pushing and kicking at the door, but both it and the bolt were solid, and she wore the flimsiest of shoes.She was more likely to break her own toes.
If she shouted, would anyone hear?And if they did, what kind of a scandal would that cause, to be discovered out here alone in the dark?Ralph would at last have the ammunition to challenge her guardianship of Lily.No, she must get out on her own.
She moved around the shed and by means of touch raked through the various garden tools, pots, and bottles, looking for something, anything that might help to weaken the bolt.She could try hitting the door with a mallet...
A saw!Unfortunately she found it by cutting her finger on it, but she lifted it with considerable triumph and felt her way back to the door.It slid easily into the crack at the side of the door, and she brought it downward until it struck the steel bolt.
She drew it back and began to saw.
It was hard work, and she had the feeling she was not getting very far.Panting, she paused for breath.
A voice beyond the door said warily, “Lily?”
***
JACK WAS WORRIED.
Despite the gaiety of the ball and the success of his efforts so far to negotiate the social maze of strangers, flatterers, fun-pokers, importuners, and matchmakers, something was wrong.The presence of Hunter Lisle and his embarrassing efforts to paint Jack as a hero made him uncomfortable, particularly when they were believed.He also did not like the intimacy he noticed between Uncle Hazlett and Ralph.And he particularly did not like the change in Tabitha.
He had looked forward to more of her company, to dancing with her, perhaps stealing a more intimate moment on the terrace.But she seemed to be avoiding him, concentrating on her duties to Lily, as was only right, while still managing to hold court in a manner that somehow froze him out.
He could have coped with that—a man as sheltered as he could surely not hope to hold the interest of a woman like Tabitha for very long—but her aloofness was too tense, somehow.Worse, the glow of happiness had faded from her eyes, from her smile, from her very person.And he could find no reason for it.
He looked around for her friend Lady Hawthorn, who, as hostess, no doubt had enough on her mind, flitting hither and thither in her bright jewels and beautiful gown like a butterfly in a wildly blooming garden.Lily, however, might have some clue as to what was upsetting her.Except he could not see her on the dance floor, or...
“Your grace.”
Jack turned his head to find Lord Carily, of all people, standing in front of him.“My lord.”
Carily gave a faint, uncertain smile.There was a new diffidence, almost humility in his manner.
“I have been thinking a great deal,” he said seriously, “about our recent conversation.”
Jack inclined his head.
Carily glanced about him.“Might I ask—beg—five minutes of your time in private?Your grace has made something of an impression and I think I need...that is, I would like...a little more clarity.Someone to clear my head with, if you see what I mean.”
Jack, used to figuring things out for himself, did not, quite.But Carily had known Tabitha considerably longer and might well provide insight into her sudden change.
“Of course,” he said politely.
“It is somewhat crowded here for a private conversation...Perhaps the library...?”
