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“He’s quite something, that’s for certain. Anyway, he’ll not bother us anymore. Won’t you have a sherry? You, too, Delphine. Sit down,” Jackson said, smiling, and they pulled their chairs up to the hearth.
Dinner had already been called, but none of them were hungry. Their minds were focused on the day to come, and Jackson was nervous at the thought of what they were about to do. Eloise was to be married the following day, and they had agreed to go together to the church of Saint Martin’s in the Fields to put a stop to the wedding before it was enacted. Two possibilities existed: either Lord Crawford would call everything off, or he would have them all ejected forcibly and continue with the ceremony, regardless of the scandal it would cause. This was a gamble, but one Jackson was willing to take in a last ditch attempt to save Eloise.
“I don’t think I could drink anything. I just keep thinking… what if he pays no heed to us,” Delphine murmured, voicing each of their thoughts.
Jackson had thought long and hard about this. Lord Crawford was a rake and a womanizer, but he would not take kindly to the scandal that lay in his future father-in-law’s past. The fact of Alice’s existence and the story she had to tell – of being sent to an orphanage to avoid the truth of her birth being revealed – would surely be enough for Lord Crawford to break off the betrothal and want nothing more to do with the Snowdens.
“I think he will. My father won’t be able to deny it. He’ll be too shocked to do so,” Alice said, and Jackson nodded.
“Even Lord Crawford won’t wish to be confronted by such a scandal. He is already taking a risk in marrying Eloise. I’ve heard rumors of his making her out to be mad. No, I’m certain it’ll work.” Jackson tried to reassure himself as much as the others.
They talked at length about their plans. They would arrive at the church early and secrete themselves in some quiet corner, waiting for the ceremony to take place. There would be the call for cause and just impediment, and at that moment, Alice would step forward and make herself known. The risks were obvious, but Alice, too, was determined to help her sister, and each of their resolves was strong.
“I can’t bear to think of her without anyone at her side,” Alice sighed, shaking her head.
“She spoke of you every day, My Lady,” Delphine said, and Alice looked up and gave a weak smile.
“And I thought of her, too. But I was forbidden from having any contact with her, and when I got married… well, our lives were so different. I thought I’d only be raking up the past if I sought to contact her. I imagined her to be happy, just as I was happy. But now I know she wasn’t happy at all.” Alice shook her head sadly.
“It’s what happens now that matters,” Jackson said, just as his uncle’s butler entered the room.
“A gentleman to see you, Your Grace, accompanied by a woman,” he announced.
Jackson looked up in surprise. The hour was later, and he was not expecting any callers.
“Did he give his name, Giles?” Jackson asked, and the butler nodded.
“Mr. Arthur Dobson, Your Grace, but the woman isn’t his wife.” Giles raised his eyebrows.
Jackson was surprised. He had not expected to hear anything more from the investigator, to whom he had communicated the fortunate find of Alice some days earlier.
“You can show them in,” Jackson said, curious to know who the mysterious woman who accompanied his visitor could be.
A moment later, the investigator appeared. He was smartly dressed, as though he had just been to a ball or soiree, wearing a long silk cloak and carrying a masque in his hand. An older, elegant-looking woman accompanied him, also dressed as though she had just come from a ball. She, too, was carrying an elaborate masque in her hand, and she glanced around the room, her eyes falling on Alice as she did so. Jackson rose to greet them and was astonished to see the likeness of the woman and Eloise’s sister. Each had the same red hair and dark hazel-green eyes. It was an extraordinary resemblance, and the woman gasped.
“It is!” she cried, and rushing forward, she clasped Alice in her arms, as Jackson and Delphine looked at one another in disbelief.
CHAPTER30
Eloise was wide awake. She had gone to bed early at her father’s insistence but was lying on her back, gazing up at the canopy above her bed. She thought back to waking up in this very same room on the day of Alice’s disappearance. On that night, she had been having a dream about the two of them riding across the parkland on horseback. She had felt so full of hope and expectation, but since that day…
“I’ve never felt the same,” she said to herself, sighing and rolling onto her side.
Alice had not come back, and now, despite the promise of the piece of paper which was tucked under her pillow, it seemed she was never going to. Eloise had imagined a rescue, a dramatic entrance, or even just the gentle tap of gravel thrown at the window, and her sister standing below in the moonlight. But no such arrival had come. And with only a matter of hours before the wedding, Eloise was beginning to think it never would.
I’m going to marry him, and then what? There’s nothing I can do about it. Oh. It’s too awful.
Tears filled her eyes.
She got up and went to the window, pulling back the curtain to look out across the gardens. Escape was futile. The doors were locked, the windows bolted, and it would not have surprised Eloise if Lord Crawford was having the house watched. Society thought her mad and that her betrothed was showing only loving kindness in taking care of her. It was wicked, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was trapped. A prisoner in her own home. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Perhaps I am mad. Perhaps I made it all up. Did I really see Jackson? But there’s the note, too. Perhaps I wrote it myself. Perhaps I don’t remember anything. Oh, it’s too awful.
The first rays of dawn were breaking, and Eloise climbed back into bed, pulling the blankets over her, trying with all her might to wake from this dreadful nightmare. But there was no escape. This was not a dream, this was the truth, and despite her previous hopes, Eloise felt more alone than ever.
* * *
“Arthur, what’s the meaning of this?” Jackson demanded as the mysterious woman wept.
