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“Margaret,” she whispered, going white as she pressed one hand to her fluttering heart. “Goodness, please let it not be so.”
Lady Watt stepped forward at once and caught Olivia’s hand, whilst Betty took her other arm in order to steady her.
“Margaret?” Lady Watt asked, looking into Olivia’s eyes with deep concern. “What do you mean, Lady Olivia?”
Olivia drew in a steadying breath, forcing herself to remain as calm as she could despite the quaking of her heart. “My cousin has been stricken with a grave malady,” she told Lady Watt, seeing how the lady watched her with calm, steady eyes. “It took her all of a sudden, without any warning. She is still abed, unconscious, and now I fear that…” She could not bring herself to say it, her mouth working but no sound coming out.
“You fear that Lord Monteforte has been stricken with the same malady,” Lady Watt finished gently, patting Olivia’s hand. “Well then, Lord Watt and I shall go to Lord Monteforte’s home at once and search for him there. If he is unwell, I shall inform you immediately.”
“I-I must come with you,” Olivia answered hurriedly, seeing the slight flare in Lady Watt’s eyes. “If he is there, then I must be permitted to see him.”
Betty squeezed her arm gently. “I do not think that is wise, Lady Olivia,” she said quietly, forcing Olivia to look down at her. “We cannot remain away from the house for too long for fear of what your uncle will say.”
“And I do not want you to find yourself in difficulty because of me,” Lady Watt agreed, letting go of Olivia’s hand. “But you can be assured that I will send a note to you almost as soon as I have discovered whether or not Lord Monteforte is at home.”
Olivia nodded, feeling as though she could not bear to stay away from Lord Monteforte’s home but knowing that both Betty and Lady Watt were quite right in their suggestions. “Very well,” she whispered weakly, feeling a ball of anxiety pushing through her, shaking her from within. “But I must know just as soon as you are able, Lady Watt. I…I care deeply for Lord Monteforte.”
Lady Watt smiled in understanding. “I can see that,” she said. “Have no fear, Lady Olivia. I shall write to you from his house so that you will not be held in suspense.”
Olivia tried to smile. “I thank you,” she said, pressing Lady Watt’s hand and feeling as though she had made a friend after what was only a very short acquaintance. “I will return home and await your note.”
It seemed an eternity for Olivia to wait for Lady Watt’s note to arrive. Betty had insisted that they go to the shops as Olivia had first intended, although Olivia had barely looked at anything on the shelves and had only purchased a new ribbon when Betty had reminded her of Olivia’s spoken intention to give it to Lady Margaret when she recovered. The bookshop had been quite forgotten as Olivia had turned home, hurrying along the street with such hasty footsteps that, by the time she reached her un
cle’s townhouse, she was gasping for breath.
Betty had been red cheeked with exertion as she had followed Olivia up the stairs to her bedchamber, only for Olivia to be disappointed to hear that there was no note waiting for her. Since then, she had paced back and forth, her hands tightening together as she waited for news.
“I am sure that Lord Monteforte will write to you himself very soon,” Betty said, as she took a tea tray from another maid and brought it into Olivia’s bedchamber.
“But what if he does not?” Olivia asked anxiously, wringing her hands. “What if he is unwell…near death? What if I shall never again be able to speak to him as I have done so many times before?” A sudden fear made her throat close. “What if I shall never be able to give him the answer he has been seeking?” She stared desperately at her maid, as though Betty would somehow be able to give her an answer but knowing full well she could not. The fear that she would never be able to tell Lord Monteforte that she had decided she would accept his courtship, no matter what her uncle thought, began to well up within her, binding her tightly in shadow and making her visibly tremble. She opened her mouth to speak yet again, only for a small scratch at the door to catch her attention.
“Yes?” Half running to the door, Olivia practically snatched the note from the footman’s fingers, pulling it open and turning her back on him. She did not hear Betty dismiss the man, nor hear the door being shut tight. Instead, all she could focus on was the note in her hand. The note that told her there was no sign of Lord Monteforte at his townhouse and that the staff had not seen him since last evening. They had presumed he had come home during the early hours of the morning and, as such, had not roused him, but when Lord Watt had insisted, they found that Lord Monteforte’s bed was quite empty.
Lady Watt begged Olivia not to worry and promised that Lord Watt would take matters further. She assured Olivia that any news would be sent to her directly and tried to reassure her that Lord Monteforte would soon be found safe and well – but Olivia did not believe it. There was something wrong. Something deeply wrong, and even though Olivia did not know what it was, she could feel it within her very soul.
“You must not worry, Lady Olivia,” Betty said as kindly as she could, as Olivia sank down into a chair. She had not read the note, of course, but could tell from Olivia’s reaction that all was not well. “Lord Monteforte will return soon, I am sure.”
Olivia shook her head, feeling herself trembling. “The way Lord and Lady Watt looked at each other…” she said quietly, staring blankly across the room. “That said more to me than anything they said aloud.”
Betty sat down opposite Olivia, her expression greatly troubled. “What do you mean, my dear?” she asked, with all the tenderness that came from a long-established friendship with her mistress. “What can you be thinking of?”
“I…I do not know precisely,” Olivia answered, feeling a deep certainty sinking into her heart, “but I know that Lord Monteforte is not merely drunk in some card room somewhere or the like. Something is wrong. He is in some sort of danger or trouble, even though I cannot imagine what such a thing might be.”
Betty’s lips twisted, but she said nothing for some moments, looking into Olivia’s face and evidently seeing some evidence of the strength of feeling Olivia had. “I don’t know what you mean precisely, my lady, but if you believe there is something wrong, then might it not be best to speak to someone about your worries? Even your uncle might—”
Olivia held up her hand at once, a streak of fear racing through her. “No,” she said bluntly, suddenly recalling how Lord Monteforte had been taken by Lady Margaret to meet with her uncle as well as some other gentlemen. Was there any possibility that her uncle knew where Lord Monteforte was? She suddenly recalled the strange sense of anger she had felt coming from her uncle and her aunt when they had asked her, with a good deal of firmness, whether or not she had overheard anything that had been said on the night she had accompanied Margaret and Lord Monteforte to the library. “No,” she said again, as Betty looked at her in confusion. “I am not at all convinced that my uncle would be the best person to turn to.” Her eyes lifted to Betty’s face, her heart suddenly resolute. “I shall speak to no one—save for Lord and Lady Watt. I must write to Lady Watt at once and beg to speak to her when she has a few minutes to spare. I am sure my uncle would not mind me calling upon her.”
“I am sure he would not,” Betty agreed, knowing that Lord Dayton would be glad for anyone of high title to be acquainted with Olivia. “I only hope that you get the answers you need from her, Lady Olivia. It pains me to see you so distressed.”
Olivia managed to smile despite the fear curling in her heart. “I must hope that I am wrong about my fears,” she said softly, putting out one hand to rest it lightly on Betty’s shoulder. “But I thank you for your continuing consideration and care of me, Betty. I do not think I could live this life without you.”
Despite her intentions to remain as free from worry as she could, given that she had now written to Lady Watt, Olivia spent the rest of the day in a state of distress. She had barely eaten anything at dinner and even now did not feel like letting a single morsel pass her lips. There had been some good news however, for it seemed that Lady Margaret had recovered consciousness and was now sleeping. Lady Dayton had been relieved of her post almost forcibly by her husband, who had insisted that Lady Dayton spend an evening away from the house now that it seemed Margaret was to recover. He himself was to meet with a Lord Waterston with some other gentlemen, and he now encouraged Lady Dayton to be present with both Lady Louisa and Lady Olivia. Lady Waterston would host a musical evening whilst her husband dealt with whatever it was that the gentlemen were to do.
However, given that Olivia was not feeling at all inclined to go to any sort of soiree or the like, an idea had come to her almost at once. She had suggested that she remain at home by Margaret’s side, so that Lady Dayton could go out without worry. She had thought it an excellent idea, but neither Lord Dayton nor Lady Dayton had appeared as convinced as she. However, in due course, they had both decided to attend, although Olivia had been told not to go into Lady Margaret’s room for fear that she might then succumb to whatever it was that had held Lady Margaret so ill for so long, but only to stay near to the room so that if the maids who attended Lady Margaret required anything, or felt there was a significant change, Olivia would be able to take charge.
Thus, Olivia found herself wandering through the hallways of the townhouse, hearing barely any sound whatsoever. Her aunt had begged her to keep to the room next to Lady Margaret’s so that she might hear if Lady Margaret awoke, and whilst Olivia had promised to do so, she had not managed to keep such a promise, given that her mind was still so uneasy. Telling herself that the maids would be able to find her should Lady Margaret require anything, Olivia continued to meander slowly through the house, her brow furrowed and her lip caught between her teeth.
The ballroom opened up to her as she walked inside, her feet barely making any sound as she walked. Lord Monteforte filled her mind, for she practically felt his presence with her even as she walked. The fact that Lady Watt had not written to her in reply to Olivia’s letter only made her anxiety worse, fearing that there was still more that she herself did not understand. Her head began to ache as she walked through the house, almost feeling the growing darkness press in on every side, capturing her and holding her fast.
