AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Arabella was seated at her bedroom window, which overlooked the back of the house. She could see the garden through the frost on the glass. She thought of Charles’s hand, on the small of her back.
She then got the strangest feeling—as though something were wrong. She got up, feeling almost ill.
“Annette!” she called out.
“Yes, My Lady?” Annette replied. She was just coming in with Arabella’s dress for dinner.
“Something’s wrong,” she said.
“What is it, My Lady?” Annette enquired; her forehead was creased with concern.
“I don’t know,” she replied, shaking her head. “I just feel it.”
“What do you want to do, My Lady?” she asked. “We can’t go out at this hour—it’s too dangerous.”
Arabella let out a deep breath. Annette was right—she couldn’t go racing off across town. Not at this hour. Not unaccompanied. Her father had taken the footmen with him when he went out.
For another, she had promised Charles that she wouldn’t stir from the house without proper accompaniment.
She hadn’t questioned her father’s leaving, earlier. Now, she was curious. She stood up, then went downstairs. She found Mr. Blankley with the other servants, in the kitchen.
They all stood up, at once.
“My Lady?” Mr. Blankley asked, confused to find her there. She usually just rang the bell.
“Mr. Blankley, where did my father say that he was going?” she asked.
“The Millgate Club, My Lady,” Mr. Blankley said.
Arabella knew that her face drained of color. She suddenly knew—although she couldn’t say how—that they needed to call the constable. Her father had gone, right to where the murderer was likely waiting for him.
“You need to call the constable,” she said. “Tell them that my father is in danger.”
“How do you know, My Lady?”
“Just do it, Mr. Blankley,” she said. “Something bad is going to happen if we don’t.”
Mr. Blankley glanced over at the cook, who shrugged. She was a stout woman, with frizzy hair that peeked out from underneath her cap.
“I’ll go, right away, My Lady,” he assured her, walking out.
“Can I get you some tea, My Lady?” the cook asked. “You should sit down. You look like you’re about to faint.”
Arabella sank down into the chair that was pulled out for her. She had never been so afraid before. Annette patted her soothingly on the shoulder.
“You’ve set things in motion,” she pointed out. “You’ve done what you can.”
“Yes,” Arabella agreed. “Hopefully, it’s not too late.”
* * *
Charles had the hansom cab drop him off down the road from the Millgate Club. He made his way, quickly, through the alley, and onto the street where the Millgate was located.
Despite the lateness of the hour, there was a crowd. People in all manner of dress were out, many of them clearly inebriated. There were large crowds around the entrances to both the Millgate and the Stanhope Clubs, as well as the pubs.
Charles walked toward the brothel. When he reached it, he could hear the sounds of an out of tune piano playing inside. It was busy.
