An Earl Out of Time (Time Into Time)

‘We will attend, both of us, and be very visible before we don our masks and vanish into the throng – and straight out again.’

‘Thus establishing your alibis. Where will I be?’ I was hoping for a domino and an evening gown, if only to experience a Regency masked ball for a few moments.

‘In the carriage outside with Garrick.’ I couldn’t fault Lucian for practicality. I tried not to sigh audibly.

‘You are coming too?’ James looked from his brother to me and then back.

‘Of course I am.’

‘If you can work out how to stop Cassie doing what she wants, when she wants, how she wants, then I suggest you try. I have given up.’ Had he? I wasn’t so certain and I rather suspected that Lucian knew how to pick his battles.

We went in a town coach with Lucian’s coat of arms on the doors. Garrick, who was driving, dropped the brothers off, jostling for position with the mass of other vehicles all delivering their passengers. I could hear laughter and music and see the glow of lights, but that was as close as I got. I stayed inside in the darkest corner, a black cloak over my own clothes which were fortunately dark grey. I wasn’t prepared to offer up the cashmere outfit for dying and I could imagine Lucian’s response if I suggested Garrick alter some of his clothes to fit me. I was wearing my black trainers too.

James had boggled at the sight of me in trousers. ‘Is that normal when you come from?’ he asked, prowling round for a good look.

‘Oh yes, perfectly. The Prime Minister, who is a woman, wears them, although not casual ones like these.’ That silenced him.

Garrick drove off and round a corner into a deserted street and I was still smiling about James’s reaction when the two of them reappeared, sinister and dashing in black velvet masks. Garrick fixed blank panels over the coats of arms and opened the door to hand me a mask. ‘I thought it best if we all had them in case someone gets a glimpse while we’re inside, Miss Lawrence.’

‘You are staying outside,’ Lucian told him. ‘Unmasked. If the worst happens at least you are only acting under orders, driving me around and waiting for me while I visit a friend.’

‘Isn’t it rather peculiar to use your valet as a coachman?’ I asked. ‘And wouldn’t Garrick be under suspicion anyway – surely you don’t often take out an unmarked carriage like this?’

‘There’s no end to the strange starts of the Quality,’ Lucian remarked.

‘Quite, my lord.’ Garrick’s tone verged on the satirical. ‘I suggest you walk from here.’ The men dropped their quizzing glasses, rings and stickpins into a bag and peeled off their close-fitting evening tailcoats before shrugging into looser riding coats.

‘What is the plan?’ James asked as we walked down the street. It was almost deserted, although candles illuminated many of the windows and lamps at the doorways threw pools of light that only made the darkness more intense.

‘We will wait until the servants are all comfortable in the kitchen, let ourselves in through the service door and upstairs to the attics and main bedchamber floor – search those before they start to turn in,’ Lucian said as we turned into the alleyway leading to the mews at the back. ‘Then downstairs and search that and the cellars.’

When we reached the garden door there was a whispered argument about who was to climb over. I wasn’t sure whether the disagreement was a man-thing or a brother-thing, but eventually Lucian gave James a leg up and he swarmed over the wall. There was a faint thump, then the scrape of the bar being lifted and the gate swung open. ‘I have propped it up here. When we leave I will drop it into place and climb back.’

There was a faint glow of light from the basement windows, but the rest of the house was in darkness, I suppose from a mixture of economy and the fire risk. We padded along the garden path and down into the sunken area.

There was a yowl and a black blur erupted under Lucian’s feet sending him backwards into James who grabbed at me. The three of us ended up in a tangle on the steps with me underneath, adding to the bruises I’d already got from my arrival that first night. No-one moved, we were all holding our breath, I suspect.

‘Ow,’ I muttered when it was clear that no-one inside had heard anything. The men picked themselves up and pulled me to my feet and we crept up to the door.

James leaned in close to Lucian. ‘I have the most appalling urge to laugh.’ I knew how he felt, this was a hideous combination of farce and nightmare.

The key slid into the lock and turned with a click that sounded like a hammer-blow. Still there was no reaction from inside and when we got the door open we could hear why – with the master away the staff were enjoying themselves. Someone had a tin whistle, they were singing and, from the general sound level, I guessed they’d already made some inroads into Lord Cottingham’s wine cellar.

Lucian led the way in and I closed the door behind us. The stairs up were to our right and we didn’t have to pass the kitchen door to reach them. ‘Wait on the stairs,’ he whispered. ‘I will try the cellar now, it will save hanging about later.’

James and I climbed three steps up while Lucian moved silently to the cellar door, opened it and went inside, taking one of the tallow candles from the spikes on the wall.

The door had hardly closed behind him when the volume of noise suddenly increased and light spilled across the passageway. James grabbed me, yanked me hard against his body, and flattened himself against the stair wall.

‘I’ll get another bottle and some porter while I’m about it.’ It was one of the footmen, Foxy, I thought, but with one ear pressed against James’s chest and his hand clamped around my head, I couldn’t hear a great deal except for the admirably even beat of his heart.

The door opened, then there were the sounds of footsteps descending. The man had not noticed the missing candle, it seemed.

‘What can we do?’ I whispered.

‘Nothing.’ James’s lips were right by my ear. ‘Luc must have heard and doused the light before the door was properly open. We will just have to pray there is somewhere to hide down there.’

Foxy had obviously found what he wanted quickly enough, because he was back and through to the kitchen within a few minutes.