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It had come to her in a sudden thrill of awareness, realizing that Lord Huckleby had set his hair to the opposite side of his head than usual. It had flopped over his left temple instead of his right, which meant that, most likely, he was hiding something beneath it. She did not have to guess what it was, believing that he was hiding a bruise that would prove him to be Ravel, the one who had attacked Lord Carroway and had sent men to steal the vial from her.
“I hardly think that you are going to be able to escape, Miss Wells.”
A gasp of fright escaped from her lips as she turned around to see Lord Huckleby advancing towards her as she hurried to the ballroom door, forgetting completely where Lord Carroway had hidden himself.
“I do not know what you mean, Lord Huckleby,” she lied, knowing that she had to find some excuse as to why she had been leaving the ballroom. “I am simply going to the powder room.” She did not run but remained standing, turning around to face him as he drew near. “Why are you following me in such a manner?”
Lord Huckleby glared at her, his expression dark. “I am not an idiot, Miss Wells,” he grated angrily. “I saw something in your eyes. An awareness, I think. If you are being courted by Lord Carroway, then it is most likely that he has told you the truth about his endeavors. Besides which, he was recovering at your mother’s house, was he not?”
Titania forced a look of surprise to her face, feeling her heart sink inwardly as she did so. Lord Huckleby had a sharp mind. It should not come as a surprise to her that he had surmised that she knew more than she had said, but still, she had to pretend otherwise.
“You will say nothing,” Lord Huckleby grated, reaching out and grasping her arm, making her gasp with fright. “I will not allow myself to be captured, Titania. Therefore, you must come with me.”
“I shall do no such thing,” Titania hissed, trying to wrench her arm away from him but finding his grip much too strong. There were only one or two guests near to them and, as the music began to play for the first dance, the guests hurried to the floor, giving Lord Huckleby his chance to force Titania out of the ballroom door.
“I should have had you killed the moment I first became aware of what you had seen,” Lord Huckleby muttered darkly, as he pushed her into a small, dark room that was not lit by even a single candle. “Foolishly, I did not.” He shoved her, hard, and Titania fell back onto a couch, her hands grasping tightly to it as though it might protect her in some way. “Your beauty was something I wished to have for myself. I thought you could be the decoration on my arm, but it seems you were determined to do otherwise. That vial you had in your possession was of the greatest importance to me, and yet you decided to show it to Lord Carroway.” He gritted his teeth, his anger evident as the moonlight streamed through the window, making him a shadowy, threatening figure that loomed over her. “Because of you, Titania, all of my plans are at an end.”
“Ravel,” she whispered, her mouth going dry as he laughed harshly.
“That is the name they gave me, yes,” he admitted, taking a step back to find a candle so that he could light it. “Working for the French has been much more profitable than simply remaining an English gentleman.”
Titania’s stomach turned over. “You did all of this for wealth?”
He shrugged, setting the now-lit candle on the table between them, his features lit up in a rather ominous fashion. “They have paid me well. When England falls, I shall have the prestige and the gratitude I deserve.”
“From the French.”
He shrugged again, looking down at her. “You shall have to learn to like it, Miss Wells, for it is there that you shall spend the rest of your days.”
Swallowing hard, Titania pushed herself up into a straighter seated position, her hands trembling as she forced them to settle in her lap. “I shall do no such thing.”
“Yes, you shall,” Lord Huckleby countered quickly. “Else I shall kill both you and Lord Carroway and leave your bodies here in England to rot.”
Fear crashed over her, but Titania drew in three long breaths, pushing away the buzzing in her head and trying to think clearly. “I will not go with you, Lord Huckleby,” she replied in as firm a voice as she could muster. “I would rather die than be a traitor.”
Lord Huckleby snorted. “Then I shall kill Lord Carroway.”
A silent scream lodged in Titania’s throat, and she found herself looking down helplessly at her hands, not at all certain what she ought to say.
“Although I confess that I fear it may take a few attempts before he succumbs completely, given how well he fought the last time,” Lord Huckleby continued airily, as though he were talking about something entirely benign. “Now, Miss Wells, if you do not wish for that to occur, then you will tell me how to remove both yourself and I from this house without being seen. If you make a sound, then I shall stab you, hard, and you will have no means to escape then.” He took a step forward and leaned over her. “Your life blood will drain from you and soak into your mother’s fine rugs.” He chuckled darkly, and Titania shuddered.
“You are trying to fill me with fear, but I will not allow it to take hold of me,” Titania told him, aware that she was lying but determined not to allow Lord Huckleby to see the true effect his words were having upon her. “I shall not leave this house without making as many people as I can aware of what your intentions are and the truth of your identity, for it is not only my life at stake but a good many others.” Holding his gaze, Titania squeezed her fingers together, forcing herself to take in a steadying breath. “You work for the enemy. Your plan was to bring down the royal family, and if I allow you to force me to leave this place without making so much as a sound, then what good am I to my King and to my country? You may be willing to betray them, Lord Huckleby, but I am not.”
Lord Huckleby leaned forward, the very air in the room seeming to fill with his presence. Titania felt herself tremble with fright as he did so, finding that she could not look away from him even if she wished to.
“Then your body shall be discovered here, in this very room, with the button left beside you,” he said, referring to the button that Lord Carroway had so often found in his attempts to chase and capture Ravel. “Lord Carroway will know that he has failed again, and that, this time, he has lost more than ever before.”
Before Titania could answer, the door behind Lord Huckleby flew open and slammed against the wall. She jumped, scrambling back against the cushions as Lord Huckleby turned around.
“I have not lost anything yet,” came the voice of Lord Carroway, standing framed in the doorway. “Now step away from Miss Wells and face me alone, Ravel. The time for your reckoning has come.”
Chapter Sixteen
Edward had been watching Titania closely, hidden in the shadows of the alcove Lady Whitehaven had led him to. Lady Whitehaven had informed him, quite succinctly, that she now knew everything about the very difficult situation which both he and her daughter found themselves in, but instead of losing her temper or hurrying Titania back to the estate as he thought she might do, she had surprised him by doing all she could to help.
Edward suspected that Lady Whitehaven might be aware of the growing affection between himself and Titania and had, in her own mind, decided that her daughter’s happiness would be worth going through the trouble of aiding him with the capture of Ravel. Either that or she knew that Titania was rather stubborn and would fight against any edict to remove herself from Edward’s company. In that way, Edward found himself both appreciative
for Lady Whitehaven’s decision and Titania’s determination.
