Sebastian smiled at her, grateful for her compassion and consideration. “You are very kind to ask, Lady Callander,” he told her. “Lord Pilkington awoke shortly after you retired. He has a very sore head indeed but I do not think there will be any lasting damage.”
“And the man you captured?” Lady Callander asked, her hands still in his. “What of him?”
Sebastian let out a long breath, clearing his throat. It had been a difficult few hours, for he and Lord Windsor had found it very trying indeed to find out anything truthful from the man, given that he had first been recovering from his unconsciousness and then because he had steadfastly refused to say a single word. It had taken a good many threats and a little pain at the hands of Lord Windsor for him to finally reveal something of the truth.
“We have discovered something, yes,” he said. “A gentleman approached this fellow last evening and gave him a task to complete.”
Lady Callander’s eyes widened. “What sort of task?” she asked, her voice a little tremulous. “Did it involve Miss Sarah?”
He nodded, not wanting to tell her the truth but knowing he could not hide it from her. “He was to take her life,” he said, quietly, as Lady Callander gasped in horror. “The gentleman was quite clear about his task, apparently.”
“But how would he know it was Miss Sarah?” Lady Callander asked, hoarsely. “Or was he just to take the life of whoever it was that was unwell in the house?”
Squeezing her hands lightly, Sebastian tried to recall precisely what the fellow had told him. “He stated that if it was a young lady, with dark hair and a mark on the top of her arm, then that was his objective.”
“A mark on the top of her arm?” Lady Callander queried, looking at him in surprise. “I have not seen anything of the sort.”
“Nor I,” Sebastian admitted, “but I have not been looking for anything such as that.”
Lady Callander nodded. “That is true enough,” she admitted. “Thank goodness that you managed to prevent him from doing so.”
Sebastian gave her a wry smile. “I believe you had a good deal to do with it also, Lady Callander,” he told her, as she looked away. Recalling suddenly that the rest of the League was to attend soon, he pressed her hands. “I have asked some of the League to call,” he continued, quickly. “They are going to be here very soon.”
She nodded, dropping her hands and smoothing her skirts. “I see,” she said, quickly, moving away from him and seating herself down beside the fireplace. “Might you ring the bell for tea?”
Doing so, Sebastian came to sit beside her. “If you would prefer to rest, then there is no need for you to sit with the League,” he told her, only for her eyes to snap to his, a frown pulling at her brow.
“I do not think that will be necessary,” she said, a little too forcefully. “I am quite all right, Lord Millerton.”
“I did not mean to suggest that you were not strong enough to do so,” he answered quickly, a little surprised at how severely she had spoken. “Forgive me, Lady Callander, I —”
She held up one hand, her eyes searching his. “I did not mean to speak harshly,” she said, her voice now gentle. “I am very tired indeed but I do not want to be absent from this discussion. After all, it still involves Lord Hazelton’s death and what it was he had to say about my late husband.”
Sebastian nodded slowly, his brow furrowing. In all that had been happening lately, he had quite forgotten that what Lord Hazelton had said to Lady Callander was the reason that he had become involved in this mystery in the first place. “Your late husband being of a very different description according to Lord Hazelton,” he said, slowly. “Of course.”
“I cannot help but feel as though the further this goes on, the more convoluted it becomes,” she said, lowering her eyes to the floor, her expression becoming a little distressed. “Lord Hazelton was to tell me something about my late husband, only for him to pass away. You spoke to Madame Bereford about the young lady that Lord Hazelton often spent time with, only for her to then be shot. In addition, the League has asked me to encourage Lady Madeline to keep in company with Lord Chesterfield, believing him to be involved in something to do with shipping and trading,” she said, rubbing the line that had formed between her brows as she frowned. “I confess, it has all become quite confusing and deeply upsetting,” she said, softly. “I want to discover the truth, of course, but….”
“But you wish for it to be at an end,” she said softly. “I quite understand.”
Her eyes lit with a gentleness that made him smile. “I thank you,” she said, the hardness gone from her expression now. “I do hope that Miss Sarah awakens soon so that we might find out the truth from her.”
“And might I hope that you have had a chance to write to Lady Madeline?” he asked, somewhat tentatively given that she had been very busy indeed in caring for Miss Sarah last evening. “It is quite all right if you have not, but —”
“I wrote to her yesterday afternoon and begged her not to say anything to Lord Chesterfield until I had the opportunity to speak to her again,” Lady Callander said, surprising him. “She has not sent me a note as yet, however.” She bit her lip, looking at him with a little concern. “I am not certain that she will have received my note in time, for I am sure that she had a ball last evening.”
Sebastian opened his mouth to tell her that she did not need to concern herself, only for there to come a gentle rap at the door. When Lady Callander called for them to enter, rather than a gentleman from the League coming into the room, in strode Lady Madeline, a maid trailing behind her.
“Good morning, Lady Madeline,” Lady Callander exclaimed, as Sebastian cleared his throat and rose, taking a small step back from Lady Callander. “I did not expect you to —”
“Your note last evening was most confusing,” Lady Madeline declared, looking pointedly at Sebastian. “I do not understand your reason for saying such a thing and thus, I decided to come to speak to you just as soon as I was able.” Her eyes drifted back towards Lady Callander, whose cheeks were now a deep scarlet. “Although I see you have company?”
It was a question rather than a statement, and Sebastian dropped his head, his hands behind his back as he felt a flush of embarrassment climb up his neck.
“There is a good deal that I must inform you of,” Lady Callander said, a firmness to her voice that surprised Sebastian. “Lady Madeline, please sit down and take tea with me.” She looked towards Sebastian, just as he lifted his head, her eyes sharp. “And might you ask the gentlemen who are to arrive soon to meet in the library? We will join you shortly.”
Sebastian, a little taken aback, nodded slowly, then turned to Lady Madeline.
“Do excuse me,” he said, snapping his heels together and bowing at the waist. Then, with one final glance back towards Lady Callander, he made his way to the door and closed it tightly after him.