Lord Watt stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Miss Hemmingway’s and a sternness about his expression. “But there are serious matters here at present that must be dealt with first.”
Miss Hemmingway allowed a glimmer of a smile to catch her lips, although her eyes remained swirling with hints of frustration and anger. “That would be more than suitable,” she told Lord Watt, turning her gaze back towards Robert. “I will expect you tomorrow then, Lord Franks.”
He could say nothing other than to nod and accept that he would do as she asked. Lord Watt had clearly seen the determination of spirit in Miss Hemmingway and thus had decided simply to remove her from the house by giving her precisely what she wanted. Watching Miss Hemmingway and Lady Callander walk to the door, Robert let out a long, slow breath of both frustration and embarrassment. “I am sorry,” he muttered, as the door closed behind them. “I did not mean for such a thing to occur.”
Lord Watt let his breath hiss out from between his teeth, his jaw tight and his eyes a little narrowed. “You will have to speak to her directly,” he said, turning to Robert. “I am aware that you have an interest in Lord Hamilton, her brother, but mayhap being honest with the lady will give you more success than you have had at present.”
Robert was not quite certain he agreed with Lord Watt on this matter, but there was no more time to argue. Another gentleman of the League rushed into the room just as Lord Watt turned back to Lord Millerton, who was now sitting up straight and appeared to have a little more color. Rubbing at his forehead for a moment, Robert went to the counter and poured himself a large brandy. He did not offer any other gentleman a drink, knowing that they would serve themselves, and feeling as though he needed something like this to help him recover from what had been a very trying day.
A day that was only going to get all the worse, he was sure, once Lord Millerton began to speak. They would soon know that he himself had been the one at fault, that he had acted foolishly and without careful thought, and what shame would be his when that occurred. Throwing back his brandy, he drank in four big gulps, letting the warmth spread through his body and sending a little more courage into his heart for what was now to come. There was nothing for him to do but to be honest, to accept his guilt for what it was and to shoulder the responsibility thereafter. He just had to hope that they would not prevent him from continuing with what he had discovered so far.
“Lord Franks went to hail a hackney,” Lord Millerton said, as Robert buried his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees. “The gentleman who had come to help was sitting by the dr
iver, clearly eager to help him in some way—at least, that was what I thought.” Shaking his head, Lord Millerton coughed hard before he was able to continue. “The moment Lord Franks turned the corner, the gentleman struck the driver hard with his cane, across the head, so that he lapsed into full unconsciousness.” He winced, clearly recalling exactly what had happened. “And then he turned to me.”
“I should not have left you with that gentleman,” Robert muttered, passing a hand over his eyes before sitting up. “I was not thinking clearly.”
Lord Millerton waved his hand, clearly dismissing Robert’s apology. “What else could you have done?” he asked, quietly. “The carriage had been thrown from one side of the road to the other, the driver had been injured by a bullet—although I hear it is not a grave injury.”
Robert nodded. “He has the grazing of a bullet to his side but was also knocked rather heavily when he fell from his seat,” he told the group. “He will soon recover, according to the doctor.”
Lord Monteforte, who had been among the last to arrive, murmured something grave under his breath, and Robert lowered his head again, fearing that Lord Monteforte was pronouncing judgment on him already.
“This thin gentleman,” Lord Watt said, clearly trying to encourage Lord Millerton to speak of what had occurred. “What did he say to you?”
“He said nothing other than to demand the box that I held in my hands,” Lord Millerton answered, with a heavy shake of his head. “I could not understand it. The man, I thought, had come to offer his aid, but in the blink of an eye, turned around to demand the box from me.” Sighing heavily, Lord Millerton rubbed one hand over his forehead, looking a little ashamed. “I did not give it to him immediately, of course, but wrenched the box open.”
Robert’s head shot up and he looked into Lord Millerton’s face, seeing the regret there and already fearing that nothing had come of it.
“The gentleman let out a roar of rage and made to strike at me with his cane,” Lord Millerton continued, his voice a little hoarse. “We did fight, I confess it, but my shoulder injury being what it was, I found myself very poorly matched indeed.” Lord Millerton winced, reaching up to rub at the red mark that ran down his cheek—evidently where the thin man had struck him with his cane. “I saw that the box contained the very same emblem as the one we saw before,” he said, quietly, looking directly back at Robert. “It was on a handkerchief of some kind. I could not tell you what else was present, save for some notes tied with a string.”
Robert’s heart began to quicken. “Then Lord Hamilton must be involved in this whole, sorry mess,” he said, his voice echoing about the room as the other gentlemen turned to each other to murmur their thoughts quietly. “This handkerchief proves it.”
“It does not prove much, however,” Lord Huddington said, shaking his head. “A handkerchief in a box? It might have been placed there by someone. It might be a memento from another. It might mean nothing to Lord Hamilton at all.”
“I saw him using it,” Robert said, bristling a little at the suggestion that the handkerchief meant nothing in itself. “I saw the emblem.”
“But what can we do with such knowledge?” Lord Watt asked gravely, his presence, as always, filling the room. “We do not know what the emblem means. We do not know why Lord Hamilton has it. We presume that the emblem might refer to a group of gentlemen seeking to destroy The King’s League, but we have no proof.” He spread his hands and shook his head. “As yet, we can do nothing other than continue our investigations, particularly into this gentleman who treated you all so very poorly.”
Robert shook his head. “Lord Hamilton is certainly involved in this,” he stated, with absolute certainty. “How else would he know that the box had been taken from the house?”
“But he was not at home,” Lord Millerton added, as the air in the room began to grow thick. “So therefore….”
“Therefore, he could not have known that the box was gone,” Robert finished, staring down at the floor, his hands twisted together, fingers tight. He suddenly went cold all over, realizing that with Lord Hamilton absent from the house, the only other person who might have assumed that he had taken something would have been Miss Hemmingway.
But surely, she could not have sent out a horse and rider after them with such determination? Surely she would not have told the man in question, whoever he was, to beat Lord Millerton until he gave up the box and all that it contained? She did not seem to have a cruel nature but, he had to admit to himself that he did not know the lady very well at all.
“I can see that the same thought that has come to me has also come to you,” Lord Watt told him, as Robert nodded heavily, closing his eyes. “Then when it comes to speaking to her tomorrow, you must be on your guard.”
“I will be,” Robert answered, hoarsely, suddenly afraid that he was about to see Miss Hemmingway in a new light—a light that might make him realize that she was, in fact, clothed in a bit more darkness than he thought. “And for what it is worth, gentlemen, I am sorry for my failings in this matter.”
There was a moment or two of silence, which was only broken by Lord Millerton’s voice.
“You did not fail me, nor the League,” he said, firmly. “You acted in the way you thought best, in order to find what was most desperately needed at the time. And I am sure that the driver particularly will be grateful for your actions.”
“And these situations give us time to pause and to reflect on what we might choose to do the next time such a situation appears,” another gentleman added, letting Robert know that it was not seen as a fault, but a learning opportunity. “It gives us a chance to consider our actions so that we might learn from them. That is all.”
“I understand,” Robert answered, still feeling guilt pulling him down, his heart filled with remorse. “I am glad that you are recovering, Lord Millerton. Let us hope that you will not find yourself in any further danger, else you might change your mind and leave the League entirely!”