The man growled but pushed the older children forward, and Henrietta took one by the hand.
Once they had the children, Mrs. Perriman tossed a sack of coins toward the villain who’d spoken. Suddenly, Bart pulled a knife and lunged at Henrietta. Before she could react, Nate shot the blackguard.
“Telled ye I’d find ye,” a man carrying a stout cudgel shouted. “Jest took longer than I thought. What’d ye do with my woman and the kid?”
Bloody hell-hounds!
“Back off now or I’ll shoot you,” she said, her tone as cold as ice.
The rogue’s eyes bulged, and she nodded. “In that case, we will leave.”
Henrietta took his arm, but as Nate turned, a searing pain hit his head. A shot sounded, and all hell broke loose. Someone half dragged, half carried him to the carriage and shoved him in.
“Oh my God! He’s bleeding,” Henrietta said from somewhere above him.
That must be the warm liquid he felt dripping down his face. Damn, his head hurt.
“We need something to bind the wound,” Mrs. Perriman said, and a cloth was pressed to his head.
The coachman took a corner and Nate heard a groan from somewhere. He’d never been in this much pain before.
“He’s passed out, miss,” one of the footmen said.
No, I haven’t.
“That’s for the best,” Henrietta said. “We need to get him home and fetch the doctor. Why is there so much blood?”
“Head wounds bleed a lot,” Mrs. Perriman responded tightly.
“Where’s he live, miss?”
“Grosvenor Street. We will have to move him to my town coach. Once we arrive I’ll send for Dr. Daintree.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Before the door had closed on Henrietta, tears were leaving trails down Dotty’s cheeks. From the door to the dressing room, she heard a sniff, indicating that her maid disapproved of something or someone. “What is it?”
“Not my place to say, is it?” Polly commented.
“That never stopped you before,” Dotty said under her breath. The maid had been with her since before she was old enough to put up her hair.
“Seems to me I know exactly what your papa would say about you not giving a man a chance at redemption.” Polly had stopped talking. Just when Dotty thought the maid had finished, she started up again. “And what he’d say about you trying to make Miss Henrietta choose between you and the gentleman she wants to marry.” Polly shook her head mournfully. “He’d be that disappointed in you, he would, my lady.”
No. Dotty did not believe her father would blame her for her stance. Papa would understand. He had been furious about what Fotherby had done to her. It was hard to even think of the man without feeling like a snake was crawling up her leg. She had never had such a visceral dislike of anyone but him.
“And if your mother and grandmother—”
“You have made your point. I will think about it.” The look on her sister’s face had been as hard as stone. Why could Henrietta not understand how Dotty felt about him? How could she have allowed herself to fall in love with the blackguard?
She wanted to talk with someone. Someone who would agree with her. Someone who would help her stop this wedding. Dotty rubbed her forehead. She supposed she could discuss it with Dom, but would he want to get in the middle of this contretemps with her sister? Then again, he was her husband. Even if he had made his peace with Fotherby, he knew she had not.
She glanced at the clock. It was past time she visited with her daughter. Visit. That was all she had been doing lately. It was time to spend more time with Vivi. “Send word to Nurse that I wish to take my daughter for a walk, then help me change into my blue walking gown.”
“Yes, my lady.” Polly stepped into the corridor, then came back and went into the dressing room.
Several minutes later Dotty climbed the stairs to the nursery and was glad to see Nurse already had Vivi ready. “Will you come with us?”
“Only if you are certain you need me.” She held up a tiny gown with a tear in it. “There are several things I need to get done.”
“We will be fine.”
Vivi lifted up her arms, and Dotty picked up the little girl and hugged. “Come, sweetheart, let us go to the park in the square. You are going to have to walk until we get downstairs to your chariot. Mama cannot carry you.” Dom had had a large, leather basket attached to wheels with a bar that could be pushed or pulled. A mattress covered the bottom and cushions were fixed on the sides and back. Lacking another word for it, they called it a chariot.
Vivi gave Dotty a wet kiss and scrambled down. “I walk, Mama.”
“Thank you.” She took her daughter’s hand. Whatever happened, she had to spend more time with Vivi.
When they reached the hall the chariot was at the bottom of the steps, and Smith and Conners, Dotty’s two personal footmen, stood beside it. She fixed a smile on her face. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, my lady,” the men said in unison.
“We will just go around the square a few times.”
“Very good, my lady.” Jones took the bar that had been swiveled to the back so that he could pull the device, and Smith dropped behind them as they set off with Dotty walking beside the chariot.
Vivi chattered and pointed to flowers, birds, other people, and everything else she saw. They were on their way back to the house when Merton’s unmarked town coach flew by the entrance to the square. What in the name of God was going on?
Dotty increased her pace and reached the front door a second before it opened. “Parkin, do you know where the town coach is going?”
“Miss Henrietta took it a while ago to go rescue a child.”
There must be an injured child in the house. “Where is the child?”
“There is no child.” Parkin shook his head, as if he did not understand. “Miss Henrietta has not returned.”
None of this was making any sense at all. “But where was the town coach going in such a hurry?”
“I have no idea, my lady. Would you like me to send a messenger to Phoenix House?”
“Yes. That would be the best thing to do.” Dotty hoped nothing had happened to her sister. But if it had, surely she would have been brought here. “Thank you for thinking of it.”
Parkin bowed. “You are welcome, my lady.”
* * *
Dotty was finishing the luncheon tray she had had brought to her in the parlor when Dom strolled in and fixed her with a hard look. “You have been weeping.”
“I did for a while. However, I will be fine.” She wondered what he knew about the contretemps. “Henrietta and I spoke.”
“Loudly, from what I hear.” He lifted a blond brow.
“I believe we became quite loud at times.” Dotty bit her lip. “After that Henrietta left to rescue a child, but she has not returned home.”
“The messenger was reporting to Parkin when I arrived,” Dom commented calmly.
She hated when she had to pull information from him. It was always when he did not wish to upset her. “What is wrong? Where is Henrietta?”
“She is at Fotherby House with him,” Dom said.
Dotty could not believe what he had said. “She would not go there. It is not proper.” Pushing herself back from the table, she rose. “I am going to get her. She must come home now.”