Slave to the Night (The Brotherhood 2)

"Well?" Alexander said as the conveyance settled into a steadier pace.

"Well, what?" Leo shrugged.

The force from Alexander's exasperated sigh could have blown out fifty candles. "Where does this Mr. Henshaw live?"

"Oh. He lives on Hanover Street. Lord Sudley did not take much persuading to reveal the information. Though I suspect he's still wandering the ballroom feeling somewhat dazed."

Alexander folded his arms across his chest. "And what will we do when we get there?"

All heads turned to face Elliot.

"First, we must observe the property," Elliot replied. "Enter by whatever means necessary. Search until we find something to lead us to Caroline Rosemond's whereabouts."

Grace cleared her throat. "Then I pray we are successful, my lord." She turned her attention to the other occupants. "You have all done more than I could ever have hoped. Indeed, after tonight, I shall ask no more of you. Whether our search proves successful or not, I must consider returning home to Cobham without her, without ever knowing what has happened."

The gravity of her words hit him like a vicious blow to the stomach. The force robbed him of his breath, and he resisted the need to gasp.

In Cobham, she would be safe. She would be far away from the malicious tongues determined to cause her pain. She would not be such an easy target for every scoundrel looking to tup a courtesan.

An image of her wandering the idyllic countryside flooded his vision. He saw her clutching the arm of some other gentleman as they navigated the muddy lane, laughing as they dodged the rain when caught in an unexpected shower. He saw her face alight with pleasure as the fictitious beau smothered her in kisses. He saw the look of adoration in her eyes when she held her child in her arms for the first time.

The pain grew more intense, like a blunt blade twisting in his gut.

"Then let us hope the night proves fruitful," Evelyn said, and he had to grit his teeth for fear of throwing them all out onto the pavement, riding off with Grace as his prisoner and never letting her go.

Leo wiped the window with his glove. "We're here. I instructed Gibbs to pull up on the opposite side of the street. It's that one." He pointed to a townhouse in the middle of the terrace.

They all leaned forward, almost bumping heads in their eagerness to observe the building.

"The house looks cold and empty," Alexander said. "I see no light, no sign anyone's home."

"What of Henshaw's staff?" Elliot asked.

Leo shrugged. "I assume they've either been deployed elsewhere, or they're still tending to the property in Henshaw's absence."

"Well, there is only one way to find out." Elliot tugged at the lapels of his coat and the ends of his sleeves. "I'll simply knock the door and persuade whoever answers to let me in."

"Perhaps I should come with you," Grace said. "It is my fault we're all here."

"It's not your fault, Grace." Elliot gave her a reassuring smile as he edged forward. "And it damn well better not be Caroline's fault, either."

"Wait!" Alexander put his arm out to stop him from moving. "Someone is leaving."

Grace shuffled forward and gasped. "Is that … is that Lady Sudley? I thought she was supposed to be ill."

"It is Lady Sudley," Elliot confirmed as he watched the lady scurry down the street, glancing nervously over her shoulder as she headed towards Hanover Square. "But why is she out on her own, walking the streets at this time of night?"

Leo turned to face him. "As she only lives in the square, I assume she did not want to trouble her coachman."

It was Evelyn's turn to gasp. "I've just realised something. In Caroline's diary, perhaps it wasn't Markham. The letters 'm' and 'n' look so similar and are often mistaken."

Logic told him Evelyn's theory was correct. "You mean she met with Mark in Hanover Street."

"Precisely."

Grace cleared her throat. "If Caroline was meeting him here, then she could have left to go abroad with Mr. Henshaw. She could be touring the Continent while I've been darting about like a March hare."

If that were true, Caroline Rosemond was as cold and as heartless as he imagined. God, he hoped there'd been a mistake and some other explanation