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“Then I must have done something to upset you,” he prodded gently. “Whatever it is, I am truly sorry.”
Baldwin could see the indecisiveness in Miss Dowding’s expression as she watched him. Finally, she spoke in a timid voice. “I thought you had deceived me.”
“Pardon?”
Miss Dowding remained stiff as she explained, “You informed me that the Bow Street Runners were going to rescue us right away, but it was hours before they finally saved us.”
“I am not entirely sure why the Runners were delayed, but—”
She spoke over him. “My hands were bound tightly, and my wrists are still reddened. I had to put powder on them this morning to hide the marks.”
“Again, I am sorry—”
“You did not prepare me adequately for being abducted.”
He let out a disbelieving laugh. “That is generally what happens when someone is abducted.”
Coming around the settee, she declared, “This is no laughing matter.”
Baldwin saw the seriousness on her face, and he realized that he was being rather unfair to discount her feelings. “I’m sorry for being insensitive,” he attempted.
Miss Dowding stopped in front of him, her eyes searching his. “And I watched as your eyes grew cold.”
He furrowed his brows. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“When you spoke to that man in the pub, I watched your demeanor change,” she explained. “It was as if you became a whole different person.”
Baldwin sighed. “I must apologize for that—”
She cut him off. “No more apologizing,” she declared. “I was in that room for hours and I began to lose hope that I would ever be saved. I saw the other girls give me looks of pity as I tried to convince them that the Runners were coming to save us.”
“The Runners were late, but you were in no real danger,” he assured her.
Her eyes grew fiery. “It certainly felt like I was.”
Baldwin put his hand up, and Miss Dowding flinched. He stared at her in bewilderment. “Did you think I was going to hit you?” he asked.
“I don’t know what to think,” she replied, and he could hear the sincerity in her voice. “I can’t seem to determine who you truly are anymore.”
“I am the same man that you knew before the abduction.”
“You aren’t,” she said with a shake of her head. “I became frightened of you in that room in the pub.”
“Please don’t say that,” he murmured.
“How is it that you can be such vastly different versions of yourself?”
“I’m afraid I cannot say.”
“You can’t or you won’t?” she asked defiantly.
Baldwin ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t even know what you are asking me to confess,” he said.
“That may be true, but I can’t seem to come to terms with what I saw in that room,” she said. “Your cold eyes haunted me every time I closed my eyes last night.”
“I know what you saw in that room was confusing, but that is not a reflection of who I truly am,” he attempted.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she asked, “Why are you even associating with those types of people?”
