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Mrs. Foster bobbed her head, but he could see the fear in her eyes. She didn’t seem to believe his words.
“May I escort you home?” Baldwin asked.
“I thank you for the offer, but I would prefer it if your time was spent trying to find Miss Dowding,” Mrs. Foster said.
Baldwin met her gaze and promised, “I won’t rest until we have found her.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Mrs. Foster said, turning to leave.
After she left the room, Corbyn and Oliver turned their gaze towards him.
“We need to start making inquiries from the other agents to see if anyone has heard from or seen Miss Dowding,” Baldwin ordered.
Corbyn tipped his head. “I will see to that.”
“Good,” Baldwin said, striding towards the door. “I will be searching for her, as well.”
Oliver’s voice stopped him from exiting. “Where, exactly, are you going to start searching?”
“I will start at the orphanage,” Baldwin shared, “and then I will search every blasted building in the rookeries if I have to.”
Oliver frowned. “You are letting your emotions cloud your judgment,” he said. “Wandering around the rookeries is a good way for you to end up dead.”
“Then what would you have me do?” Baldwin exclaimed. “Sit here and do nothing?”
“No,” Oliver replied. “We need a plan.”
“A plan?” Baldwin repeated back incredulously.
Oliver nodded. “Yes, we need to carefully think this through.”
“How about this for a plan?” Baldwin mocked. “We find Miss Dowding and bring her back home.”
Corbyn approached him. “I agree with Oliver,” he said. “You are entirely too invested in this, and you need to take a step back.”
“I will not!” Baldwin exclaimed, pointing at the door. “Miss Dowding is somewhere out there, alone and afraid, and I will not abandon her.”
“We have agents in the field who can search for her, but we need you to prepare for tomorrow’s mission,” Corbyn asserted. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent lives at stake if you screw it up. You must think about them, as well.”
Baldwin reared back. “Are you truly asking me to stay home and do nothing?”
“No,” Corbyn replied, crossing his arms over his chest, “I am ordering you to stay home and prepare for tomorrow.”
For a long moment, Baldwin stared at Corbyn, his mind reeling with all the horrible tragedies that could have befallen Miss Dowding. No. He wasn’t about to stand by and do nothing. In a collected voice, he said, “Then I quit.”
Dropping his arms to his sides, Corbyn questioned, “You don’t truly mean that, do you?”
“I do,” Baldwin declared. “If you are making me choose between Miss Dowding and being an agent, I have made my choice.”
“What about tomorrow?” Oliver asked.
Baldwin shifted his gaze towards his brother. “I know my duty,” he replied. “I will be at the Blue Boar per the plan, and I will stop the bomb from ever reaching its destination. You have my word.”
Without waiting for their response, Baldwin turned and headed towards the entry hall. He hadn’t even reached the main door when his brother caught up to him, matching his stride.
“Don’t even try to stop me,” Baldwin growled.
Oliver glanced over at him. “I won’t,” he said. “I’m going with you.”
