Protecting Lady Esther (The King's League)

Swallowing hard, Charles allowed a little relief to creep into his heart, only to feel it chased away by the realization that Lord Leighton might not be long for this world. “I must speak to Lady Esther.”

“You must come to Lord Leighton’s side at once,” Lord Watt interrupted. “You and I run The King’s League. We must, therefore, do our duty and seek to discover anything we can from Lord Leighton.”

Charles hesitated, wanting to argue but knowing that he could not. His duty to the king came first. Besides which, he could entrust Lady Esther to someone else’s care. There were plenty of gentlemen here he could trust.

“If he is to die, then we must speak to him before such a tragedy occurs,” Lord Watt continued, a little more gently. “You know that is what we must do.”

“I do,” Charles admitted sorrowfully. “I pray that he will survive, however, for Lady Esther’s sake, as well as for his own. We owe him a great debt.” Taking in a deep breath, he set his shoulders and steadied his resolve. “Allow me to inform Lady Esther of what has been discovered and then entrust her to someone else’s care. Then we shall go together.”

Lord Watt nodded gravely. “Time is off the essence,” he said. “I shall be in the carriage.”

Without waiting for another moment, Charles left Lord Watt and hurried back through the crowd of guests, seeking out Lady Esther. She was still dancing, he realized, gritting his teeth hard as he forced himself to wait. Thoughts began racing through his mind. If Lord Leighton was alive, if he had been kept by the French, then what had they managed to pull from him? Had he told them about the cipher’s location? Had he had it with him, and so now was it back in the French’s possession? Gritting his teeth, he clasped his hands tightly together, shifting uncomfortably on his feet.

“She will return to you in a few moments, Lord Westbrook.”

He turned to see Lady Ware smiling at him, her eyes warm.

“I have not seen such devotion in a long time, I confess,” she continued, quietly, “but I am glad to see it now. My niece is a lovely young lady, and I would not have wished for anything less for her.”

Charles cleared his throat, knowing that he would have to ensure that Lady Ware now knew the truth. “My dear lady,” he said, coming closer to her and lowering his voice. “I must ask you to remove Lady Esther from this ball at once and take her home.” He saw Lady Ware’s startled look and knew he would have to explain a little further. “Lord Leighton has been found and is not in a good way.”

Lady Ware’s eyes widened, her lips trembling and one hand reaching out to him, clearly needing to steady herself.

“I did not think all was well,” she whispered, as he grasped her hand. “He has not written at all, which is unlike him. I did not know where he was and did not want to frighten Lady Esther by telling her of my concerns.”

Charles smiled grimly. “It is concerns that she herself has shared with me, Lady Ware,” he told her, patting her hand and seeing how she collected herself. “I must go to Lord Leighton and do what I can to aid him. Might I have your townhouse prepared for his return? I will make the arrangements to transport him there just as soon as I am able.”

Lady Ware nodded furiously, her chin lifting and a steadiness coming back into her eyes that reminded him a good deal of Lady Esther. “But of course,” she said firmly. “We will do so at once.”

“And I shall bring him to you as soon as I can,” he said, reaffirming his words to her. “And one or two of my close acquaintances will accompany you.” Looking about him, he caught sight of Lord Hogarth, whom he beckoned over at once. Lord Hogarth made his way quickly to Charles’s side, looking at Charles with concern.

“Lord Leighton has been found, and I must go to his side at once,” Charles said, seeing Lord Hogarth’s expression turn to one of utter astonishment. “Might you accompany Lady Ware and Lady Esther back to their townhouse? T

ake my carriage. I am to go with Lord Watt.”

Lord Hogarth seemed dumbstruck for a moment before he collected himself and began to nod fervently, turning towards Lady Ware and doing his utmost to reassure her. Grateful that his friend had stepped into the breach, Charles turned to find Lady Esther coming towards him, her face lit with smiles.

It soon dissipated when he reached for her, clearly seeing the expression on his face.

“My dear,” he murmured, taking her hands and leading her to a quieter spot in the ballroom. “I must go from your side. Lord Hogarth will take both you and Lady Ware home.” He took a breath and pressed her hands again. “Your father has been found.”

Lady Esther’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes blinking furiously as they swam with tears.

“He is in a rather bad way,” he continued, not wanting to keep the truth from her. “Lord Watt and I are to go to him at once. We will return him to you as soon as we can, but you must go home and prepare a room for him.” He swallowed hard, wishing he could bring her more comfort in her current state of distress, but knowing that there was nothing he could do. “I would stay with you, my love, but I must go to your father.”

“Go.” Lady Esther nodded, sniffed, and tugged her hands from his, once more displaying the strength that he had come to see in her. “Of course, you must go. We will await your return.” She swallowed hard and pressed her lips together, trembling slightly. “Thank you.”

“Pray for him,” he murmured, wishing he could hold her close, kiss her gently, and reassure her that all would be well. “Your prayers may make all the difference, my dear.” Reaching out, he brushed away the single tear that had fallen from her eye. “Lord Hogarth will stay with you. There is nothing to fear.”

She nodded, lifted her chin, and gave him a watery smile. “I trust you completely, Westbrook,” she said softly, as Lady Ware came to join them. “I trust that you will return to me safely.”

He could not say anything to her one way or the other, knowing that he was about to step into a dangerous situation. The French might have become alerted to the capture of Leadsom, one of their spies, and might rally around in order to free him or in an attempt to get ahold of Lord Leighton again.

“Come,” Lady Ware murmured, taking Lady Esther’s arm. “We must go.” She glanced at Charles, trust evident in her expression. “I thank you, Lord Westbrook.”

“I will see you again very soon,” he said, his eyes on Lady Esther. “Thank you, Hogarth.”

Lord Hogarth said nothing but gave a small, jerky nod before leading the way through the crowd of guests, with Lady Ware and Lady Esther following after. His stomach tight and his body rippling with tension, Charles hurried after them, knowing that Lord Watt would already be waiting in the carriage. It was time, it seemed, to bring this matter to a close.