Page 76 of Lady Arabella’s Reluctant Hero

It took him a moment to register all that—along with the fact that the duchess had so willingly provided the information. He supposed he'd expected at least some pushback.

But a second later, he asked, "When?"

"An hour ago. Miss Evermore escorted her in the carriage." The duchess frowned. "She should have returned by now."

She should have. But clearly, she had not. The duchess and Estella shared a worried look.

"I'm going," John said.

"I assumed as much." The duchess crossed to her writing desk and scribbled something on a card. "Give this to Lord Blackwood. He will know what it means."

John was at the door when Estella called after him. "Lord Alderton. Bring them both home."

He gave a sharp nod and set off.

Vauxhall was ablaze with light when he arrived. Oil lamps were strung along the walks, music came from the Grove, and the crowd was thick with masked partygoers and laughter.

John pushed through the entrance without a ticket or a mask, drawing stares he ignored.

He found Blackwood and Gage near the supper boxes on the Grand Walk. They were standing close together, and neither of them looked like men who were enjoying a pleasant evening out.

"Alderton." Blackwood's eyes widened. "What are you⁠—"

"The duchess sent me." He thrust the card at Blackwood. "What's happened?"

Blackwood read the card, pocketed it, and met his eyes. "Arabella didn't arrive. The supper box is empty. Pierce hasn't shown either."

John's stomach dropped. "What do you mean she didn't arrive? She left the duchess's house an hour ago."

Blackwood scowled. "I'm telling you she's not here. We've been watching the box for forty minutes. No one has approached it."

Gage spoke up. "Either Pierce changed the location, or he got to her before she reached us."

John looked between them. His mind was racing through possibilities, none of them good.

"What about Thea?" he asked.

Blackwood exchanged a quick look with Gage. "Miss Evermore? She should be at the duchess's house. She insisted on escorting Arabella here, but then was meant to go straight back."

John shook his head. "She hasn't gone back. The duchess is worried."

Something shifted in Gage's expression. It was subtle. A tightening around the eyes, a change in his posture from alert to something harder. "Thea is here?"

John frowned, trying to focus when everything in him screamed at him to continue his search for Arabella. "All I know is she left with Arabella and hasn't returned."

"If Pierce intercepted Arabella, Thea may have been taken with her," Blackwood said.

"Did she agree to go back?" Gage interrupted.

John frowned. "What?"

"The order to return to the duchess's after dropping Arabella," Gage said. "Did Miss Evermore actually agree to it?"

John opened his mouth, then realized he didn't know. He'd not been there. But Blackwood went still, which was answer enough.

"She doesn't strike me as the sort to take an order she disagrees with," Gage said. "My bet is she never intended to leave. She stayed to keep an eye on Arabella, somewhere she could watch without being marked." He was already moving. "Which means if anyone saw where Pierce took her, it's Thea. You find Arabella. I'll find Miss Evermore."

Blackwood signaled to two men John hadn't noticed, positioned at the edges of the Grand Walk, dressed like revelers but watching the crowd with sharp eyes. They appeared beside him.