“I will come with you, then”, he said softly. “You know your way in the dark?”
She nodded, a small smile on her lips despite the tense situation. “I do,” she said, reminded of when they had practically fallen into each other in the darkness. “You must be wary, however, Lord Rutherford.” Holding his gaze as he held the final candle in his hand, she felt her worry rising. “This person, whoever they are, might well be coming to find you.”
The glint in his eyes and the firmness of his jaw told her that he already considered such a thing. With a nod, he walked toward the door, her hand tightly in his, and looked out into the darkness.
Catherine breathed slowly as she stepped out of the bedroom. She knew her way in the dark very well indeed and managed to make her way along the hallway without too much difficulty. Lord Rutherford kept close to her, no faltering in his steps as he walked beside her, their hands still joined. Catherine occasionally had to whisper if there was something ahead of them that he would have to be careful about, but aside from that, they walked in silence.
Coming to the staircase, Catherine looked cautiously down, knowing that there was only a single candle burning by the front door, casting only the tiniest slivers of light toward the bottom of the staircase. She squeezed Lord Rutherford’s hand, silently telling him to wait for a little longer, her breathing quick and fast.
And then, another sound ran along the hallway and up the staircase, slamming into her and making her gasp. A door had opened somewhere and, as she watched, a wraith-like figure came out from one door, a murky shadow floating along the hallway. Then, another door opened under its hand and it moved inside, leaving her staring at the open door, somewhere between curiosity and terror.
“We should go after them,” Lord Rutherford said, his voice low in her ear. “Take them by surprise.”
Catherine nodded and allowed Lord Rutherford to lead her slowly down the staircase, her other hand on the banister as they walked together. The stairs did not creak under their feet, as if the house knew that it had to remain silent for them. Her heart in her throat, Catherine and Lord Rutherford approached the door—only for the wraith to walk out of the room just as they were about to enter.
Lord Rutherford shouted, and Catherine exclaimed aloud in fright—but the wraith let out a scream of terror. A scream that told Catherine that this intruder, this shadowy figure, was not a gentleman as she had first feared, but a lady.
“Who are you?” she asked, more breathlessly than she had intended. “What are you doing here?”
“Lady Catherine?” said a familiar voice. “Is that you?”
11
Stephen caught his breath as he heard the tremulous sound of Lady Serena’s voice. Having been very well acquainted with her, he recognized her at once, while Lady Catherine staggered back, clearly struggling to believe that this wraith was, in fact, her acquaintance.
“Lady Serena?” Lady Catherine queried, just as a footman hurried into the room, a candlestick in his hand, swiftly followed by Lady Ann. She did not turn to look at them but rather continued to speak to Lady Serena. “Good gracious, whatever are you doing here?”
“I—I have been looking for you,” Lady Serena cried, collapsing into Lady Catherine’s arms and breaking into sobs. “I had only one chance and I…” She broke off, too overcome to speak.
Stephen cleared his throat and Lady Catherine looked up at him, something settling in her eyes as she gathered herself. With a small nod in his direction, she let out a long breath and then spread out her hands.
“Please,” she said, “sit down.” Turning to the footman, she thanked him quickly and, taking the candlestick, went about the room, using it to light the other candles. Stephen chose to sit down opposite Lady Serena, his heart thundering like a galloping horse, his nerves beginning to fray as he took in her pale face and drawn expression. Something was very wrong and, given that it was Lady Serena, he feared that it might well be to do with their prior acquaintance. He had never once told Lady Catherine about such a thing, but it appeared that, very soon, he would have no other choice but to do so.
“I heard a noise and came to investigate,” Lady Ann said, sinking down into a chair and looking at Lady Serena with wide eyes. “Lady Serena? Whatever are you doing here?”
There was silence for a moment with Lady Serena’s mouth opening and closing for a few moments, before she put her head in her hands and began to sob furiously. Lady Catherine was momentarily frozen in place, the shock of seeing Lady Serena in their house evidently still washing over her.
“If you could fetch us some tea, I would be very grateful,” Lady Catherine said to the footman, who was clearly rather astonished with all that was going on. “I am aware of the hour but—”
“At once, my lady.” The footman bowed and, having taken the candlestick back from her, hurried from the room, leaving the four of them to sit together. Stephen held his breath as Lady Catherine sat down, quite certain that what would be said would involve him heavily, although he did not have any idea as to what it would be.
“Forgive me.” Lady Serena’s voice was muffled, her hands shaking as she accepted the tissue from Lady Ann. Wiping her eyes, she sniffed indelicately before turning glassy eyes upon Catherine. “Forgive me, Lady Catherine.”
“Forgive you, Lady Serena?” Lady Catherine asked, her tone gentle as she glanced toward Stephen, who quickly became aware that he was frowning deeply. “For what, might I ask?”
Lady Serena dabbed at her eyes. “For intruding in your house in such a fashion,” she said, hiccupping back a sob. “My brother… my brother is well in his cups and I saw your father still wandering back toward the card room as I took my leave. I knew this was my only opportunity to come to you, for my brother would not have allowed me to do so come the morrow, now that he knows that I am fully aware of his behavior.” She sniffed. “I am sure he did not mean to be as open with me as he was, but once I accused him of it, he could not stop talking to me, justifying all that he has done.”
Lady Catherine frowned. “All that he has done?” she repeated, sending a concerned look toward Stephen. For his part, Stephen felt nothing other than his unease deepening all the more, sending a cold chill running all over his skin.
Lady Serena sniffed again and then slowly turned toward Stephen, her eyes glassy. “Lord Rutherford,” she whispered. “Please believe me when I tell you that I have only just discovered the truth, else I would never have allowed such a thing to continue. I would have found a way to put an end to it, to warn you of it.”
Stephen leaned forward in his chair, his eyes holding hers but a tight line about his mouth as he looked into her face. He did not want the lady to upset herself even more, even if it would bring him a good deal of shame. “Please, Lady Serena, do not distress yourself,” he said gently. “What is it that you need to say?”
Lady Serena pressed her lips together tightly and then, closing her eyes, began to speak. “It seems that my brother has known for some time about your interest in me.”
The shock was immediate. Stephen’s mouth dropped open, a jolt rippling through his features as he stared at her, his eyes tied to Lady Serena’s as though he expected her to retract what she had just said. Lady Catherine frowned and Stephen found that he could not look at her, his face burning hot with the embarrassment that came with it. To be reminded of how he had once behaved was more than a little embarrassing—it was mortifying.