A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting(80)

Kitty waited the full fifteen minutes before following Hinsley up the drive. Well, surely ten minutes had passed, which amounted to the same thing. Hinsley would not thank her for interfering, she knew … But what if he really did need her help? She would not hear a shout over the wind – she might not even hear a shot, if it came to that. She stared through the gate into the dark, torn. Kitty knew she could not wait upon the sidelines any longer. She left the safety of the carriage and dashed after him.

The drive was shorter than she would have expected, and Kitty navigated it as best she could in the darkness, soon coming upon the house, a once grand manor that was now slightly faded. The door was standing ajar, with a sliver of light spilling out onto the darkness. She took a deep breath and slipped inside.

She saw Hinsley first. He was in the hallway, standing chest to chest with Selbourne, a snarl upon his face.

‘This is all very well, Hinsley,’ Selbourne was saying in an infuriating drawl, ‘but I am afraid Archie is … ah, indisposed and does not want to see you.’

‘Let me pass,’ Hinsley said with dark emphasis. ‘Or I shall make you.’

In Kitty’s view, this was just the sort of nonsense men started issuing whenever they were left alone too long. No subtlety whatsoever – and no efficiency, either. Why, if Hinsley could not go up to Archie, Archie could just as well come down to them.

Kitty let out a high-pitched wail of despair. Both men jumped, twisting around to stare at her in shock.

‘What the devil!’ Selbourne expostulated.

‘Miss Talbot!’ Hinsley did not look pleased at all.

‘Oh, I am quite beside myself!’ Kitty cried, producing enough noise to wake the dead – or at least, the dead drunk. ‘Help! Help! I must have help!’

She stomped clumsily into the room, crashing into a suit of armour standing guard in the doorway, which let out a great clang of displeasure in response and fell heavily to the ground with an almighty racket. She heard footsteps above her, and a door crashed open at the top of the stairs, plumes of smoke escaping ahead of a group of very dishevelled men, who hurried down to the source of the noise. Their waistcoats were unbuttoned, their cravats were untied, and one of them had an unmistakable smudge of rouge on his cheek. Amongst them, like a cherub that had wandered into a devil’s tea party, was Archie, blinking into the gloom.

‘Miss Talbot?’ Archie said disbelievingly, looking utterly floored. ‘Hinsley? What on earth are you doing here?’

‘It appears,’ Selbourne was looking a little harried, ‘that both Captain Hinsley and Miss Talbot have seen fit to trespass upon my property and our evening both. They seem to deem you in need of rescuing, my boy.’

‘Rescuing?’ Archie looked from Kitty to Hinsley. ‘Is that true? Do you really think me s-so pathetic as needing to be rescued from a party?’

‘Not pathetic,’ Hinsley said calmly. ‘Just misled. Let us go now, Archie.’

‘No, I shan’t,’ Archie insisted. ‘I’m having a nice time, and I’m not some sort of – some sort of child that needs bringing home. I’m not going anywhere.’

‘Just so,’ Selbourne said, recollecting his usual smug demeanour. ‘Let us go back upstairs. Hinsley – Miss Talbot – leave my property before I have you thrown out.’

‘Archie, he’s trying to cheat you out of your money,’ Kitty said urgently. ‘He’s not your friend.’

‘And you are?’ Archie let out a derisive bark of laughter.

‘We are not going anywhere until you come with us,’ Hinsley affirmed, reaching for Archie again.

‘Very well.’ Selbourne had had enough. ‘Lionel?’ he called loudly.

Another door opened, this time from a ground-floor antechamber, and three hulking figures trooped out. Archie stared at them uncertainly – as did the other guests, backing away in befuddlement. Captain Hinsley stepped in front of Kitty.

‘I should very much not like to force you out,’ Selbourne said conciliatorily. ‘Don’t make me, Hinsley.’

‘Selby, I say,’ Archie said, a little shocked. ‘Not sure that sort of thing is needed – how terribly rude. In fact, do you know, I think I’ll be off. Yes, I think I ought to go – this is not the thing, at all.’

‘Archie, I’m afraid I cannot allow you to leave in the middle of a game. It would be very impolite,’ Selbourne said it quite mildly, but Kitty felt a chill run down her spine.

Archie stared at his friend, aghast. ‘Selby, why did you bring me here?’ he asked at last. ‘Was it really to cheat me?’

‘Go back to the table, Archie,’ Selbourne snapped. ‘You stupid boy, you don’t understand – I need you to go back to the table. Don’t make me ask again.’

Lord Selbourne no longer looked urbane, his eyes darting restlessly from Archie to Hinsley to Kitty and back again. In fact, Archie thought he was looking downright squirrelly.

‘Lionel,’ Selbourne called again, and one of the hulking men began to move forward. ‘Take Archie back to his seat, would you?’

‘I say – get your hands off me!’ Archie squawked, as they began to tug at his arms.

‘That is enough,’ Kitty said firmly. She sidestepped Hinsley, pulled the pistol out from under her cloak and pointed it directly at Selbourne. The men stilled.