Slave to the Night (The Brotherhood 2)

Grace followed him while Mrs. Jones plodded behind shouting, "Wait. You can't go up there. Wait. It's not what you think."

Elliot stopped on the landing and scanned the closed doors.

"What is it?" Grace struggled to suppress her anxiety. "You're certain she's here?"

He nodded as he gazed up at the ceiling. "Up here," he said charging up the next flight to the upper floor.

They moved along the landing, trying doors and peering inside. Only one door was locked.

Mrs. Jones joined them on the upper floor, the effort taken to climb the stairs robbing her of breath. "She … she's fine," Mrs. Jones gasped. "She's just resting that's all."

"Open it." Elliot stabbed his finger at the door while Grace held her breath.

Could they have finally found what they'd spent days searching for?

Could Caroline be just a few feet away?

"Open it," Elliot demanded. "Else I'll break down the door."

Mrs. Jones picked up her chatelaine and flicked through the keys. Elliot and Grace crowded around her as the lock clicked, barging into the room as soon as she opened the door.

A candle burnt low on a dresser in the far corner of the room. The figure of a woman could be clearly seen lying beneath the coverlet on the narrow bed.

Grace rushed forward, recognising her sister instantly despite her pale complexion. "Caroline. Caroline." She took her sister's hand in her own and tapped it gently. "Can you hear me?"

Elliot came to stand on the opposite side of the bed. He studied Caroline's gaunt face, put his hand to her head, lifted her lids and examined her eyes.

"Is she asleep?" Grace asked.

"In a manner of speaking," he replied cryptically but then turned to Mrs. Jones. "Have you administered any medicine? A tincture or tonic?"

Mrs. Jones gave a curt nod. "Only what my lady told me to. It's just a tincture of laudanum."

"What are you administering it for?"

Mrs. Jones stepped further into the room. "When Miss Rosemond came here she tripped, fell and hurt her head. My lady sent for Anne and for me as she was worried and thought it would be best if we took care of her."

Grace gasped. "Why didn't you send for me? You left me alone, without so much as a word. I have been frantic with worry."

Mrs. Jones had the decency to look ashamed. "Lady Sudley said Miss Rosemond would be better in a day or two. She said it would be best to keep it quiet, so as not to cause any more trouble for my master."

"But Caroline has been here for almost a week," Grace countered.

Mrs. Jones shook her head. "Every day I have hoped she would be a bit better, so we could return home. But Lady Sudley said I must do what serves Mr. Henshaw best, what with me being in his employ. She said we must take care of Miss Rosemond in his absence. She said we must not move the patient until she's well."

"Something's amiss here," Elliot said ignoring Mrs. Jones and coming to stand in front of her. "I suggest we take her home in my carriage. That we remove her as quickly as possible. But ultimately the decision is yours."

Grace glanced at the listless body in the bed. Elliot was right. None of it made any sense. She saw no sign of a head injury though that didn't mean there wasn't one.

"I agree. I want to take her home. I'll call on a physician to come and examine her." Grace stepped closer, touched his arm, dismissing the warm feeling that raced through her body at the close contact. "We need to know if she's with child."

Elliot cupped her cheek, his thumb moving back and forth in tender strokes. Grace closed her eyes briefly, savouring the moment as she had no idea if she'd ever feel his touch again. "Trust me. She'll be right in no time. Come, we'll go and get help to move her."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

The feminine voice sliced through the air. They turned to see Lady Sudley standing in the doorway, brandishing a pistol.

Chapter 18