Eloping with the Princess (Brotherhood of the Sword #3)(9)

“Ellis,” the man said.

Neither of their hosts seemed alarmed to have been awakened in the middle of the night.

“We need a place for the evening,” Jason said.

“Of course,” the gentleman said.

Jason took the man’s outstretched hand and shook it, but then stilled. “I’ll chastise you later for dishonoring my cousin.”

“We are to be married in but a handful of weeks,” the lady said. Then, as if she’d only just realized Isabel was standing there, she came forward and clasped her hands. “My apologies for not introducing myself sooner. I am Evelyn Marrington”—she tossed a wide grin to the man next to Jason—“soon to be Lady Somersby.”

“Isabel Crisp,” she said quietly. Frustration and fear mingled inside her, brewing a storm within. Her life had dissolved into turmoil in the last forty-eight hours, and she couldn’t make sense of any of it. She wanted to scream. Yell at everyone to stop. Stop talking. Stop moving. Stop everything until she understood the world again. But she knew no such thing would happen.

At least at St. Bart’s she knew where she had fit into the picture. Out here, she’d been dropped off at a strange man’s house, then kidnapped, then rescued, and now brought to yet another location. Her body and mind were fatigued, and she was filthy. For whatever reason, she was in danger, and these people, who were all but strangers to her, had held out a hand to assist, to protect. She was no ninny and not accustomed to the whims of emotion, but in this moment she felt helpless in the turmoil.

Unwillingly, her eyes filled with tears, and she just wanted to be anywhere else than standing in a stranger’s study crying.

Miss Marrington stepped forward. “I know precisely what you need.” She wrapped an arm around Isabel’s shoulder and led her out of the room.

…

Jason watched the ladies leave the room and felt a twinge of…what? Guilt? Protectiveness? He wasn’t precisely certain what the feeling was, but he couldn’t afford to feel protective of this girl he didn’t even know. At least not more than duty demanded.

“So, who is she?” Somersby asked from behind him.

Jason turned. “Lord Thornton’s niece.”

Somersby’s expression shifted in confusion.

“That is all I was told,” Jason said with a shrug. “Lynford brought her and Thornton’s wife to my house to hide. He said it was possible the girl was in danger, but no one knows why.”

“Do you want a drink?” Somersby asked.

“Desperately.”

“Where is Lynford now?” Somersby moved to the sidebar and poured them each two fingers worth of brandy.

“He and Lady Thornton left Isabel in my care to investigate the root of Isabel’s danger. That and Thornton’s involvement in the recent attacks on Her Majesty.”

Somersby’s brows rose. “Thornton.” He handed Jason a glass. “Isn’t he the man who killed Lynford’s brother in a duel?”

“The very same.” Jason relished the brandy as it burned his throat. This had been a hell of a night.

“So Lynford believes Thornton is somehow involved in all of this? And he swept in and rescued all the women in Thornton’s life?” Somersby chuckled. “That sounds precisely like something Lynford would do.”

Jason exhaled and dropped onto one of the leather chairs.

Somersby followed suit and sat in an adjacent chair.

“Not merely involved, he suspects Thornton of being the would-be assassin.”

Now Somersby leaned forward, primed to jump into motion. “You mean he’s the bastard who tried to kill Evie?”

Several weeks before, Jason’s cousin, Evelyn, had been brought in to pose as Queen Victoria since she bore an uncanny likeness to the young monarch. Her presence had brought to light an assassination plot that they’d initially believed was merely a one-man attack, but had demonstrated it likely went beyond that. And during all that, Somersby and his great burly self had managed to persuade Jason’s cousin, Evie, to fall in love with him. They stood to marry in a few short weeks and, while Jason was pleased that one of his closest friends had seemingly met the one woman who could keep him in line, Jason worried about his favorite cousin being in the midst of their potentially dangerous life.

She’d certainly taken it all in stride, though, as only Evie could. Masquerading as the queen had brought her face-to-face with extreme danger, and she’d scarcely blinked, it seemed.

“Lynford believes there’s a chance that Lady Thornton knows something that could assist in the investigation, but I don’t think that’s it.”

“You believe there is more there?” Somersby asked.

“Yes. She’s a very attractive woman, Lady Thornton, and they have a past.” Jason swallowed the rest of his brandy. “I think the timing of all this rather conveniently lines up with the danger that Isabel suddenly finds herself in.”

“Too many coincidences,” Somersby said.

“Precisely.”

“Lynford will put all the pieces together. This is what he does.”

Jason exhaled slowly. “I don’t suppose you saw Evie’s attacker’s face that night when you fought with him?”

Somersby shook his head. “You know I’m not one to be that careful. I tend to hit first and ask questions later. I think I would have recognized another peer of the realm, but I can’t be certain about that.” He swore. “That could mean this whole conspiracy to kill Victoria goes much deeper than we first thought.”