He must only think of a way.
For now, he would pawn the silver and whatever else of value Nancy Manton had left behind. He’d find lodging in some low and out of the way place.
Then, he would think. The hangman’s noose and the dark and mysterious Thames could wait. He would purchase a supply of laudanum to have on hand. If he were cornered, he would drink it, rather than be taken.
Just now, though, he had no intention of succumbing to defeat.
*
Lily had imaginedthe lord would set her down on the pavement, but instead he raced down the street with her in his arms. She did not struggle against it. She was not certain her legs would hold her up and she felt encased in a blanket of safety in his arms.
He turned a corner and put her gently back on her feet.
“There is my carriage, let us go quickly,” he said.
Lord Ashworth’s coachman appeared expressionless upon viewing this sight, as if his master were in the usual habit of running down the street with a lady in his arms.
Lord Ashbridge waved the footman off and opened the carriage door himself. He helped Lily inside and said, “Cork Street,” to the coachman. He then had words with the footman, though Lily could not hear what was said.
Once inside the carriage, Lily felt relief wash over her. They were out of danger. The tingling in her arms and legs, as if they had all fallen asleep, receded.
The carriage set off and Lord Ashworth said, “We must plan quickly. On no account can your servants understand the true nature of what has occurred here.”
“Why should they not?” Lily asked, surprised. “Certainly, Mr. Shine will be prosecuted and all will know of his villainy and what we have suffered at his hands.”
“Miss Farnsworth,” Lord Ashbridge said sternly, “if anybody were to know that you were locked in a room with a gentleman, you would be ruined. Tell your aunt what has happened, I will trust her to keep the secret and she must understand she is never to go near this house again. For the purpose of servant’s gossip, you will say Lady Marchelan took you to a late-night rout and then home to account for the missing time. Use Carlton House, the routs go on until dawn. You will say Mr. Shine was mistaken about a country party.”
The enormity of what had happened to her seemed to crash upon Lily all at once. Of course, shewouldbe ruined if the truth were known. A young lady just out was known to be gambling late into the night, her family member gone home, and then circumstances lead to her being alone with a lord and nobody could say what occurred? Whatever Mr. Shine’s crimes, a female could never overcome such talk.
“I do not know what tomorrow will bring,” Lord Ashworth said, “or whether Mr. Shine and Lady Carradine work together, I must see how that unfolds. I will make it my business to dissuade people from going there if she dares to remain open. Beyond that, I cannot determine what should be done, except nobody is to know you were ever alone with me. Mr. Shine and Lady Carradine must be dealt with, but they must be dealt with discreetly.”
The lord noticed her hands shaking in her lap. He covered them with his own and stilled them.
“You must act the part,” he said urgently. “The footman who opens Mrs. Hemming’s door to you will not pay the least attention to my coat of arms on the carriage door if you distract him properly. My own footman has been directed to open the door for you as soon as we have stopped and place himself in front of the arms. I will stay back in the shadows. Leap out of the carriage and be gay, as if you have had too much champagne. Say something of Lady Marchelan being so kind to take you to a party. It will cement the talk in the servant’s hall—they will only think you inconsiderate for keeping your own carriage out late without cause. Then, see your aunt in the morning.”
Lily was not certain if her heart beat so rapidly because of the part she knew she must play, or that the lord had so far not removed his hands from her own.
*
Lily found herselfstill shaken as the sun came through her windows. She had played her part on arriving to her aunt’s house. She thought she’d played it well, as she was certain there had been a look of irritation on the footman’s face. He would think her careless and spoiled, and that was perfectly fine.
She had been enormously grateful that it had not been Ranier who had been standing by to let her in. The butler knew her too well and might see through her playacting. He was also far more observant than the footmen and might have noticed Lord Ashworth’s coat of arms, however quickly it had been hidden.
She did not think for a moment that Ranier, if he had known the truth, would ever expose her secret. But it was just as well there was no secret for him to keep.
The house had been nearly dark with only a few candles lit and one handed to her to make her way above stairs. Her aunt had long since retired, having full faith in Lady Carradine as a chaperone.
It was only upon closing the door to her bedchamber behind her that Lily felt she was truly safe. That was, until a hundred crowding thoughts came upon her.
Where had Lady Carradine been? Why had she not stopped Mr. Shine from sending her carriage away with a story about a lady who did not exist? Had she known of the marked cards? Had she known that Mr. Shine had taken them prisoner?
Now that Lily had time to think, she thought it must be so. Lady Carradine had been charged to put her in her carriage. It was too unlikely that the lady had simply forgotten about her and gone to bed. Further, when they had made their escape, it seemed as if there were not any servants left in the house. Surely, it had been Lady Carradine who had sent them away.
To think, a lady who had been so trusted by her aunt had engaged in such a scheme!
She must tell her aunt all of it, and she feared the shock would be great.
As she willed the tremors to leave her hands, Lily’s thoughts turned to Lord Ashworth. She would be still locked in that attic if it were not for him. No, she would most likely be dead, they both would, if it had not been for his quick actions.
