Her sister’s shoulders dropped as beside her, Pugsley jumped up on his hind legs and pawed at her gown.
Victoria bent down and picked up the little dog as he yelped. She cradled him in her arms, and the dog proceeded to lick her face, eliciting a smile.
Suddenly, Winnifred felt a tickling sensation around her ankles, and when she looked down, she saw that her cat, Bell, had joined the dog out on the front steps. The cat purred and looked up at her. Winnie squatted down and scratched Bell’s neck as the purring got louder and louder.
“It seems both of our pets know that we are at sixes and sevens,” said Victoria.
Winnie glanced up at her sister, and somehow, she realized there had been a shift between them.
“It seems so. Vicky, I am sorry for my unforgiving tone earlier. I was so distraught at what occurred at Vauxhall Gardens I could not control my emotions.”
“I know it. And I cannot blame you. I should have listened to you. I had a bad feeling when I spoke to the investigator, Henderson, but I dismissed it because I was so convinced I was doing the right thing. You must believe me. All I ever wanted was to bring Leo home safe.”
The cat, having received the attention she craved, turned and rushed back into the house. Winnifred stood across from her sister and reached for her free hand, squeezing it.
“And I am sorry that I did not involve you more. I know that you and I have never been close, and I fear that we never will be. But you are still my sister, and Leo is still your brother. I was wrong to keep you so far removed from the search. So let us make a vow to not keep each other in the dark anymore.”
Her sister smiled at her weakly. “I can agree to that. It seems that you and His Grace have been very thorough in your investigation. Unfortunately, even if I wanted to, I do not have the strength to continue to make further inquiries. Thus, I shall leave it to you and him and… Is that him? Sprinting down the street?”
Winnifred turned in the direction her sister indicated and, indeed, hurrying down the road was none other than Seth. His blonde hair flew behind him as he ran down the street.
Winnifred’s mouth dropped open as he stopped before them, for his eyes were so wide and so full of fear she knew something terrible happened. Winnifred took a step back and instinctively grabbed Victoria’s hand, who clutched it in return.
“What is it, Seth? What has happened?
“You must come at once. Mr. Markham and Mr. Weston called on me just now. We have news.”
Winnifred’s heart dropped to her knees as she stood trembling. Mr. Markham was to make inquiries and they were not to see him until morning. Why had he come back so soon? Shaking, she grabbed the railing to steady herself as she stared at Seth and waited to received whatever tidings he’d come bearing.
Chapter 23
“What happened?” Winnifred asked when Seth came to a halt in front of her house. He grabbed onto the wrought iron railing and bent forward, panting as he attempted to catch his breath.
“Mr. Markham… He came back from meeting with the leader of the Bow Street Runners. He says…” Suddenly he realized just how exposed they were, standing outside, the sisters on the stairs and he on the pavement. Anyone could hear their conversation.
“Let us go inside.”
The three rushed in, and he took note that Winnifred and Victoria appeared almost supportive in each other’s presence. What a difference compared to a few hours earlier. Did this have something to do with their uncle suddenly calling on them?
“What did Mr. Henderson say?” Victoria asked the moment the door shut behind them.
“Mr. Markham was rather upset by Mr. Henderson and his lack of consideration for Rose and Leo. It seems the man’s only regret is that he failed to catch Elton or any member of his gang. Now that they have lost their chance, there’s not much interest in doing anything to retrieve our kidnapped siblings. It seems Mr. Henderson wishes to wait for further communication. He has asked Mr. Markham to relay to us that should we receive a message from the kidnappers, we are to let them know so they can take another try at catching them.”
“It is disgusting—we are to do nothing but wait?” Victoria gasped.
“It is an out-and-out scandal. We must do something. We ought to let all of society know how little the Bow Street Runners care about our safety. I will have all of Almack’s talking about it on Wednesday. That ought to inspire them to act,” Victoria argued while Seth raised his hands.
“I approve that we should teach them a lesson. However, I do not think we will have until Wednesday. This is why I am here. Mr. Markham came straight to me from the magistrate’s office to give me the news. His former colleague, Mr. Weston, whom you met at Vauxhall Gardens, has agreed to be of assistance. Not all members of the Bow Street Runners are as useless as today’s proceedings indicate. Mr. Weston has a contact within Elton’s gang, and he can deliver a message to him.”
Victoria raised one finger to her mouth and chewed. Seth could not deny the resemblance between the sisters, especially when it came to this rather unfortunate habit.
“Mr. Weston assured me his contact would be able to deliver a reply today, perhaps within the hour. They departed my home nearly half an hour ago, they will have arrived in St. Giles. As long as the contact can be located right away, we will have an answer soon. It will be delivered here to your home. I hope that does not cause you any distress.”
Winnifred placed a pillow on her lap and pressed it against her body as she considered this. “I think it is for the best. I only hope that it will not take too long, for I do not know that my nerves will be able to take a lengthy wait.”
“Mine cannot! I am already fatigued from the events of today. Indeed, I declare I am at sixes and sevens. I do not know how I can stand it.”
Winnifred looked at her sister, and to Seth’s surprise, she smiled at her. “I know it will be a frustrating wait, but it cannot be helped. If Fortune is kind to us, we will know our brother’s fate within a few hours. So why not take a rest?”
