“I do hope there is going to be some explanation for the way you have just handled me, Lord Westbrook!”
His eyes flew open to see Lady Esther staring at him with wide eyes, her brow puckered and one hand rubbing at her arm where he had grasped it. His mouth went dry as he realized that he must have hurt her, reaching for her only for Lady Esther to step back, clearly confused.
“I did not mean to hurt you,” he rasped, one hand pressed against his heart as though this would convince her to believe him. “I do apologize, Lady Esther, but I feared for your safety.”
Lady Esther went sheet white in a moment, blinking rapidly as she stared at him in horror.
“I-I… D-do allow me to explain,” he stammered, reaching for her again and thankful that, this time, she allowed him to take her hand. “Come, Lady Esther. This bookshop is quiet, and we should have a few minutes before your aunt appears.” With an apologetic smile to the shopkeeper for coming into his premises in such a blustering fashion, Charles held Lady Esther’s hand tightly and then carefully led her towards the other end of the shop, although keeping her away from the windows. His eyes scanned the scene outside as best he could, not seeing anyone or anything out of the ordinary. Something truly dreadful had occurred and had Lady Esther taken even a small step to her left, then things might have now been all the worse. He could not even imagine it. The vision of Lady Esther lying in a pool of blood at his feet haunted him.
“Lord Westbrook?”
He turned to her, leading her a little way further down, right into the shadows and praying that Lady Ware would take a few minutes longer before deciding to follow after them.
“You believed that there was a bee, did you not?” he asked her, seeing her give a tiny nod. “It was not so, Lady Esther.”
She let out a shuddering breath, closing her eyes as though to fortify herself. “Then what was it, Lord Westbrook?”
“It was a bullet,” he said softly, not wanting to frighten her but knowing he had to tell her the truth. “I saw it embedded in the door of the bookshop.” He held her hand tightly, fearing that she might faint, but instead Lady Esther simply opened her eyes and held his gaze, her chest rising and falling with quick breaths. Holding her gaze, he looked deeply into her eyes and saw her color begin to return to her cheeks, as though now that she knew the threat was past, she could begin to quieten herself again.
“I cannot think that anyone save yourself was the target,” he said softly. “I believe this must be connected to your father, Lady Esther.”
Lady Esther nodded at once, taking in a long, deep breath and lifting her chin just a little. “I see.”
“Perhaps someone wants to injure you so as to force your father to reveal himself, or to reveal the location of the item he possesses,” Charles continued quickly. “They may be using your life as forfeit…to force his hand.”
A slight paleness crept back into Lady Esther’s expression as she considered this, pressing her lips together hard. “Then they have not succeeded,” she said softly, her voice betraying no sense of fear. “They have failed entirely.”
“But you must be on your guard,” he replied. “If someone is willing to shoot at you in the middle of a London street, then I have no doubt that they will continue to pursue you at any opportunity.” He squeezed her hand, wanting her to realize the severity of their situation. “I cannot be away from you, Lady Esther. You must always be on your guard.”
Taking in a long breath, Lady Esther closed her eyes for a moment and then placed her free hand atop their joined ones. “I am not your responsibility, Lord Westbrook,” she said quietly. “I would not want you to feel obliged.”
He shook his head at once, fully aware that there was more than just a slight fondness for the lady before him. He admired her tenacity, her courage, and her determination. He found her conversation enjoyable, her intelligence challenging, and her laughter lifting his spirits. She was extraordinarily beautiful, but she did not use her beauty to flirt with gentlemen or to toy with their hearts. All in all, Lady Esther was quite perfect and his affection for her was growing steadily. “I do not feel obliged,” he told her. “I find myself eager to be by your side, Lady Esther. I find that I want to protect you, for I am in great admiration of your spirit despite your difficult circumstances. You are truly wonderful, Lady Esther, and therefore I would be glad to speak to your aunt. It is the only way that I can be almost permanently by your side, although you shall have to promise not to remove yourself from the house without my presence.”
Thankfully, Lady Esther nodded at once, clearly willing to do whatever he asked of her.
“There are others I must speak to, in order to inform them of our changed circumstances,” he continued calmly. “There is a good deal more I must tell you, Lady Esther, but I cannot do so now. I shall, first, have to ensure that you are returned to your aunt and to her carriage in safety.” He was about to lead Lady Esther back towards the door when the sound of Lady Ware’s voice was heard coming from the door, making his heart sink. He was too late to return Lady Esther, which meant that they would now have to pretend that everything was quite all right until Lady Ware decided it was time for them to return.
“Ah, there you are Esther. Have you found anything that you might wish to purchase?” Lady Ware’s voice was warm and friendly, but Charles did not feel anything but worry. Thankfully, Lady Esther appeared to have recovered herself significantly, smiling at her aunt and gesturing towards a book that she had only just seen herself! Lady Ware seemed to think nothing of this and showed a good deal of interest in the book itself, smiling politely at Charles when he cleared his throat.
“If you will excuse me for just a moment,” he said, inclining his head. “There is something that I have just seen that I must attend to.” He did not explain more, seeing Lady Esther’s eyes flare and giving her a brief nod of encouragement. Then, without hesitation, he walked towards the door and stepped outside.
He did not pause at the door nor turn to look significantly at the gouge where the bullet would be. Whoever had fired the shot would not still be about, surely, but it was best not to draw attention to himself. Whilst he worked for The King’s League, Charles had made very careful to ensure that he did not give himself away so that his enemies would not know him to be anything other than the Earl of Westbrook. Therefore, he could not tarry, and he could not turn to look at the door and study it for fear of who might be watching. Instead, he hurried towards Lady Ware’s carriage, seeing the driver snap to attention almost at once.
“You there,” he said firmly. “Bring the carriage a little closer to the bookshop, if you please.” He shot a quick glance up to the sky, relieved to see a cloud going over the sun. “It may rain, and it is best that you are close at hand to save the ladies within the shop from becoming drenched.”
The driver glanced doubtfully at the white clouds in the sky but nodded without a single word of complaint. He flicked the reins and the horses began to move slowly forward, allowing Charles to take in a breath of relief. Lady Esther would be quite safe, for he would ensure that she hurried to the carriage and did not linger, not even for a moment. Then, it would simply be a matter of returning them to the house.
Frowning again as he thought of what had just occurred Charles shook his head to himself and then moved forward quickly, keeping in line with the carriage. Once it had reached the place in the road just in front of the bookshop, Charles gave a nod to the driver and then turned back towards the door.
“Lord Hogarth!”
The gentleman, his head low and his brow furrowed, glanced up, coming to a complete stop as he turned towards Charles, a smile on his face.
“Westbrook!” he exclaimed, looking pleased. “I was just on my way to Whites. Heard that Lord Autry is gone there early today, to avoid some afternoon tea with some great-aunt or other.” He chuckled and gestured towards the pavement. “I should be getting along.”
“If I might have a moment,” Charles murmured, lowering his voice as Lord Hogarth’s face grew suddenly serious. “There is a matter I must share with you.” Briefly, h
e told Lord Hogarth what had occurred, and as he did, he saw the shock etch itself into the gentleman’s features. “And now I must bring Lady Esther and Lady Ware out to the carriage in safety.”