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She let out a sigh of relief. “That is wonderful news.”
The butler lifted his brow. “Miss?”
Realizing her blunder, Madalene turned and headed towards the drawing room. She stepped into the room, then closed the door behind her.
Jane gave her a curious look as she sat at the writing desk. “Is everything all right?”
“No,” Madalene replied honestly.
Placing the quill down, Jane shifted in her chair to face Madalene. “Then you must tell me what is going on.”
Madalene started pacing the small room. “Your brother is…” Her voice trailed off.
“Vexing!” Jane exclaimed. “Irritating!”
“Yes, to both of those things, but he is also…” Her voice stopped. Why couldn’t she think of the right word to describe Lord Hawthorne?
“Bothersome?” Jane attempted.
“Yes, that, too. But I am thinking of a specific word.”
Jane smiled mischievously. “I like this game,” she said. “What about devil’s spawn?”
“No, nothing that harsh.”
“I know,” Jane declared, her voice rising in excitement. “My brother is a nincompoop!”
Madalene giggled, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. “You are terrible, but that is a good way to describe him.”
“It feels good to call him names,” Jane said, rising.
“I must admit that it does.”
Jane walked over to the settee and sat down. She patted the seat next to her and asked, “Now, will you tell me what is going on with you and my brother?”
“Nothing is going on between us,” Madalene replied.
“Heavens, you don’t truly expect me to believe that, do you?”
“It is not what you are thinking.”
“Good,” Jane replied. “Why don’t you start with why my brother called on you a few days ago?”
Madalene walked over and sat down on the seat next to her friend. “He had a lead on some missing girls, and he thought one of them might be Edith. Furthermore, he needed to ask a favor of me.”
“Which was?”
“He needed to abduct me,” she replied, holding her breath, “and use me as bait.”
Jane jumped up from her seat. “And you allowed him to do this—willingly?”
“I did,” Madalene said. “He took me to where the other missing girls were being held and a man tied my wrists together. Then, we were to wait for Bow Street Runners to rescue us.”
“And?”
“The Bow Street Runners didn’t raid the pub until much later, but they did rescue five girls that were about to be sold into slavery,” she admitted.
“Was Edith among the missing girls?”
