by Joyce Alec
Lord Stephen frowned deeply. “What is the meaning of this?” he asked, his voice ringing out over the room. “I—”
Julia watched as the footman leaned closer to Lord Stephen, putting one hand against her heart and allowing her eyes to widen as Lord Stephen gasped in evident shock.
“It is my brother,” he said, leaning closer to her and taking her hand as a few whispers began to run around him. “You must excuse me, Miss Hawkins.”
She swallowed hard and nodded, pressing his hand and murmuring something that no one else would possibly be able to hear. He returned this with a murmur of his own, making her press her hand over her mouth for a moment, the whispers fading away at her reaction.
He did not so much as bow as the entire room turned to watch him rush from the room, their eyes then falling on Julia as she stood there, her eyes fixed on the door as though she was waiting for him to return.
“Oh, my dear Miss Hawkins,” Miss Seymour, who was also in attendance, broke the silence and hurried over toward her, just as Lady Ann did the same. The rest of the guests began to speak in earnest, clearly trying to surmise what had just occurred whilst Miss Seymour put a gentle hand on Julia’s arm.
“He is watching you intently,” Lady Ann whispered, and Julia nodded, trying her best to look distraught. “No doubt he will come to speak to you very soon.”
Julia tried her best to keep her expression fixed. “I must hope he does,” she answered as Lady Ann shook her head in evident shock, her eyes closing tightly for a moment. “Else we shall have nothing else to try.”
She did not have to wait for long, however. As Miss Seymour moved away with the promise of finding her a glass of champagne and Lady Ann began to lead her across the room to where she might find a place to sit—given that she was, evidently, quite shocked—Lord Forrester stepped nearer to her.
“My dear Miss Hawkins!” he exclaimed, looking down at her with an expression of great concern on his face. “Whatever has occurred? You look to be quite done in.”
“I—I am just a little overcome,” she told him, glad that her voice was quivering just a little. “Lord Stephen has just received a great shock and I…” She shook her head, her eyes downcast. “My heart aches for him.”
Lord Forrester clapped one hand over his heart. “You do not mean to say that his brother has…” He did not say anything more, seemingly looking to her for confirmation, but Julia simply shook her head, lowering it a little more. She wanted him to ask, wanted him to be so eager to find out whether or not his plans had come to rights that he would not let her go without finding out the truth.
“Miss Hawkins needs to sit down for a few minutes,” Lady Ann said, breaking into the conversation. “If you would excuse us, Lord Forrester.”
“No, please,” Lord Forrester replied at once, looking down at Julia with an expression of great concern. “Allow me to help you to a chair, Miss Hawkins. And is there a drink being brought for you?”
Allowing a tiny smile to pull at her lips, Julia accepted his arm without hesitation, even though her skin crawled with disdain as she settled her hand over his arm. “You are very kind, Lord Forrester.”
“Not at all,” he said quietly. “You are closely acquainted with Lord Stephen, I think.” His eyes grew a little brighter as she glanced up at him, clearly waiting for her to confirm that yes, she was rather fond of the gentleman.
“I—I am well acquainted with him, yes,” she stammered, feeling a genuine flush of awkwardness rip through her. “We are rather fond of each other’s company.”
“Then you must know just how sorrowful he has been over his brother’s ill health,” Lord Forrester continued as they came to a vacant chair, which he helped her to sit down onto. “If that sorrow has become all the greater, then I am very sorry for him.” Again, there came that questioning look in his eyes, but Julia only let out a long, heavy sigh and looked away.
“Lord Atherton is dead, then,” Lord Forrester muttered, and Julia closed her eyes tightly, feeling such a swell of delight that she had to concentrate solely on keeping such an emotion from her expression. “Did he succumb to his injuries?”
“I believe so,” Julia answered, keeping her eyes closed for fear that Lord Forrester would see something within her gaze if she looked at him. “Only half an hour ago.” Her hands clenched into fists as she held them tightly in her lap. “And with no knowledge of who inflicted such an injury on him before, Lord Stephen is quite lost.”
“How truly terrible,” Lord Forrester declared, rubbing at his forehead and giving every appearance of being quite distressed. “I shall write to him at once, of course.”
“The funeral will have to be very soon indeed,” she continued heavily, as though she had not heard him. “And he will then have to take his year of mourning.” Her head twisted suddenly as though fearing that this was truly about to occur. Her voice faded away and Lord Forrester reached across to pat her hand.
“A year is not a very long time,” he said with evident kindness in his voice. “Not if you truly care for each other.” Giving her a warm smile, he pulled his hand away as Miss Seymour appeared with a glass of champagne held out toward Julia. “I shall leave you now. I hope you recover quickly, Miss Hawkins.”
“Thank you for your kind words, Lord Forrester,” she told him, knowing that she would have to keep up this appearance of a white-faced, shocked, and horrified young lady for some time longer, until either Lord Forrester left the soiree or she herself pretended to recover just a little.
“You did very well,” Miss Seymour breathed, being careful to keep her expression as one of sympathy. “I am quite sure he is thoroughly convinced.”
“Which is precisely what we want,” Lady Ann agreed with a small smile. “Now, all we need to do is wait.”
It was not until the following morning that Julia received a note from Lord Stephen. Having already been dressed and prepared in expectation of his note, she had hurriedly called for the carriage and told the butler to tell her brother that she was gone to call upon Lady Haddington. Her brother, who was still abed by the time she had left, would not awaken for some time, she was quite sure, and would not think anything of her being absent from the house for a good many hours if she was in the company of Lady Haddington.
“Lord Stephen.”
Just as she entered Lord Atherton’s house, she saw Lord Stephen in the hallway. He turned to look at her for a moment, before reaching out both his hands and grasping her own, pulling her toward him and wrapping his arm about her waist as her head rested on his shoulder.
“Julia,” she heard him breathe, feeling a tight band of tension loosen around her chest as she stayed in his embrace, holding fast to him. “It is almost at an end.”
She looked up, seeing his eyes fix to hers and accepting the brief kiss that set her heart alight. They could not spend another moment in such an embrace for fear that someone might see them, and so it was with reluctance that she pulled away.
“How is your brother?”
A small look of relief passed over his face. “He is awake,” he said quietly, “but not yet speaking. He is still very tired, but I believe he will make a complete recovery.” A rueful glance was sent in her direction. “I have found a new doctor who informed me that my brother should never have been given so much laudanum.”
“I am glad that he is improving,” Julia answered, wondering if this experience would make any difference to Lord Atherton’s manner or character. “I look forward to the day when I can greet him again.”
“As do I.” He held her gaze for a moment, before letting out a long breath. “The others are already present,” he told her. “Come, we must go to them at once. The note has arrived this morning, with a single word inscribed upon it.”
“Oh?”
His smile was tight. “It merely said, ‘Today’.” Grimly, he took her hand. “The money will be waiting for Thompson within the hour. We must go. That time is coming and we must be ready.”
&nb
sp; Julia nodded, swallowing hard, and, her hand around Lord Stephen’s arm, she walked quickly along with him toward the library, where the others were waiting. The plan with Thompson had gone very well indeed. He had told Lord Stephen everything that he had asked for, informing him that the money had always been handed over by Lord Forrester himself in an old garden arbor that was within Hyde Park. A note would arrive on the morning of the delivery of his payment, and he would know to go to Hyde Park at the height of the fashionable hour, when no one would pay him any particular attention. He had not given Lord Stephen the specifics of where the arbor was, refusing to give him such an important detail, but had told him that this was all the information required. How much Julia wished she had been present to see the look on the footman’s face when Lord Haddington had stepped out from the carriage, grasped his arm, and, according to Lady Catherine, had simply swung the fellow back into the carriage without even a momentary hesitation. Quite how the two ladies and Lord Haddington had ensured that the footman remained compliant, Julia did not know, although she suspected that Lord Haddington had threatened to remove the man’s breath from his body should he move.
Now with Thompson safely held back in the room he had only just escaped, the very last thing to do was to confront Lord Forrester.
“What will you do when you see him?” Julia asked, suddenly realizing that they had not made any plan as to what they would do if Lord Forrester confessed. “What will happen when he admits to his guilt, as we hope he will?”
There was a grim look on Lord Stephen’s face as he led her into the library. “I do not know,” he said truthfully. “There will be consequences for him, of that I am certain, but as yet, I cannot state what my reaction will be.”
She wanted to cling to him, to force him to turn around and promise he would do nothing that would bring the weight of justice down upon his own head, but there was no time for her to do so. As she and Lord Stephen walked into the room, she saw the others already there, waiting for them both… including Lord Bentham.
“Lord Bentham,” she said, a little surprised to see him with the rest of the group. “Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon.” He bowed, but Miss Seymour was the one to explain.
“I was conversing with Lord Bentham last evening,” she said, rising from her chair and coming toward Julia, her eyes holding a certainty that gave Julia pause. Whatever the reason for Lord Bentham’s company at this present moment, it was clearly important. She remembered that Lord Bentham had been present when Thompson had been revealed as the man who had attacked her, but since then, they had seen very little of him, for it had not been in anyone’s mind to continue to involve him in any way.
“I was enquiring as to your health, Miss Hawkins,” Lord Bentham interrupted, coming a little closer to them both. “And as to Lord Atherton’s condition.”
“It was then that I mentioned that we now knew who was behind the attack on Lord Atherton,” Miss Seymour continued, her chin lifted. “But I did not give a name, of course.”
Julia nodded, seeing the darkness inside Lord Bentham’s eyes and wondering at it.
“I mentioned, in the course of our conversation, how blessed Lord Atherton was to have so many good friends,” Lord Bentham continued with a small shake of his head. “I also mentioned Lord Forrester, telling Miss Seymour that it had been he who had encouraged Lord Atherton to buy the house from me.”
“Goodness,” Julia breathed, one hand pressed against her heart, looking up at Lord Stephen, whose mouth was pulled into a long, thin line.
“Lord Forrester told his friend that it would be just the thing to encourage society to take notice of him again, just as Lord Atherton wanted,” Lord Bentham explained, spreading his hands. “He told Atherton that the curse was nothing more than foolishness and suggested that he be the one to prove that there was nothing to it. In proving that he could throw a ball and remain quite alive, he could be the talking point of this year’s Season.”
“And then Lord Forrester used this in order to take Lord Atherton’s life—or at least, attempt to,” Miss Seymour murmured, looking at Lord Bentham with a quiet compassion in her voice. “We do not know why as yet, but we shall.”
“I want to help,” Lord Bentham said urgently, taking a step forward. “In a way, I feel responsible, even though Miss Seymour has informed me time and again that I am not to have any such guilt.”
“No,” Lord Stephen agreed as Julia let go of his arm. “You are not to take any responsibility for this, Lord Bentham. Although we would be glad of your help.” He spread his arm out toward the rest of the group, including all of The Shadows, who were present and waiting for his direction. Julia felt her chest swell with a sense of pride, a sense of belonging. They were doing some good, it seemed, in helping Lord Stephen with this difficult circumstance, and she prayed silently that everything would soon be brought to a close.
“Now,” Lord Stephen continued, “the fashionable hour will soon be upon us. We do not know which of the arbors within Hyde Park it might be, but obviously, Lord Forrester is using the time when most of society is out in order to hide his actions.”
“So that he does not garner any attention,” Julia murmured, understanding Lord Forrester’s motivations. “And can we be certain that he would bring the money himself?”
Lord Haddington nodded. “I am suspicious that he would do so, yes,” he said unequivocally. “He is a gentleman who has been working at this on his own, with only one other person involved. I do not think he would trust anyone to deliver the money on his behalf, especially if it might lead to someone asking questions about his intentions.”
“He wants to keep everything within his control,” Lady Catherine added as Lord Haddington nodded his agreement. “He will be the one to deliver the money.”
“Then we should go at once,” Lord Stephen said, clearing his throat and lifting his chin just a notch. “Since we do not know which arbor Lord Forrester will use, we will have to split ourselves up into three distinct groups.”
Julia bit her lip, looking across the room and feeling her stomach twist with a sudden flurry of nerves. “Who will go with whom?” she asked, seeing Lady Haddington instantly look toward her husband. “I presume Lord and Lady Haddington will work together?”
“And I have my carriage ready and waiting,” Lord Bentham added, looking toward Lord Stephen. “Perhaps Miss Seymour might attend with me?” He glanced toward the lady hopefully and Julia allowed herself a small smile in this tiny moment of levity, seeing her friend’s warm face. There might be something between Miss Seymour and Lord Bentham, she considered, which would be all the more wonderful.
“Miss Seymour and Lady Catherine,” Lord Stephen suggested. “Then Lady Ann shall attend with myself and Miss Hawkins.”
“Excellent.” For a few minutes, there was a discussion about which part of Hyde Park each carriage should go to, with the gentlemen knowing where they were to take their carriages. Julia’s heart was quickening with nerves, looking to her friends and seeing the same, serious expression that she was sure was written on her own face. This was an important moment and she could not help but feel a ripple of tension.
“And what should we do, Lord Stephen, if we discover Lord Forrester?”
The whole room dropped to a silence that made her skin prickle as everyone turned toward Lord Stephen, waiting for him to respond. This had to be his decision, his guiding, given that it was his brother that had been attacked.
“The truth is,” Lord Stephen said heavily, “I am not certain what ought to be done. If I see Lord Forrester, I fear that I will lose my composure.” Speaking with even more vulnerability, he glanced down at Julia and then looked at each member of the group in turn. “But my hope is that I will be able to keep a hold of all that I feel and bring Lord Forrester to justice.” He pressed his lips together for a moment, his eyes darkening. “If you discover him, if you see him with the money that Thompson has told us of, then you must return him to this
house without delay… and in any way possible.”
A shiver ran down Julia’s spine, but she did not utter a word. She did not want to imagine what sort of justice would be meted out to Lord Forrester for what he had done. She had heard of gentlemen being sent from England’s shores, never allowed to return, as well as those who had been challenged to a duel and had then lost their lives because of it, but could not say what Lord Stephen would demand from Lord Forrester. She had to trust him. She had to trust that he would be able to keep a hold of his emotions and, when the time came, do what was required.
“Very good,” Lord Haddington said with a firmness about his jaw. “Then let us depart at once, so we do not miss him.”
The carriage ride to Hyde Park was very quiet indeed. There was very little for anyone to say and the look in Lord Stephen’s eyes told Julia that he was silently tormented by all that he currently thought and felt. She wanted to help him, wanted to say something that would encourage him, but could think of nothing that would be appropriate. Lady Ann remained silent also, looking steadfastly out of the window as they turned into Hyde Park. The carriage immediately slowed, driving along the path with great care. There were already a good few carriages within the park and plenty of the ton were out walking, conversing, and laughing with each other as they did so. The day was warm, the sun high in a clear, cloudless sky, but Julia did not notice any of that. Her mind was entirely focused on trying to spy Lord Forrester, just in case he should be amongst the clusters of gentlemen and ladies already out in the park.
“I do not think he will make himself apparent until after he has given the money to Thompson,” Lord Stephen muttered, although his eyes were also fixed on the scene out of the window. “We are to turn off this path soon.”
Julia exchanged a look with Lady Ann, who was a little paler than usual, worrying her lip as the carriage turned to the left and began to trundle along a little faster than before. They drove for some minutes, until finally the driver pulled the carriage slowly to a stop.
