Across the ballroom, by the stage, a fire was raging. The curtain, once a symbol of luxury, was aflame.
Haunted by memories he had long tried to suppress, Kenneth felt a shiver crawl up his spine. The flickering flames cast eerie shadows, playing tricks on his senses. Around him, he saw figures moving, pressing forward toward the doors, while some even climbed out of the windows. The flame spread from the curtain to the padded piano bench.
His throat closed up from panic as much as from the rising thick smoke.
“Kenny!” a familiar voice shouted, and he felt a hand gripping his elbow. “We need to get out. Now!”
Leonard. It was Leonard. Kenneth heard his voice as if through a distant, dense fog. He blinked and took in his friend’s panicked face. His eyes were wide, and his hair was disheveled.
“Kenneth!” Leonard shouted and shook him.
This time, his voice pierced the disorienting panic.
“Yes, yes,” Kenneth said, and at last, his feet became unglued from their spot.
With Leonard’s persistent grip on his elbow, he tore his eyes away from the spreading inferno. However, as they made their way toward the front door, a thought gripped Kenneth.
Joanna.
He looked over his shoulder at the flames and gasped. Where was she? Had she gotten out?
“Kenneth!” Leonard called again as he yanked him out into the cool night air.
On the street, dozens upon dozens, if not hundreds, of people had gathered. Voices rose among the crowd, some panicked, some crying, while in the distance, Kenneth saw the fire brigadecoming. The old patronesses rushed about, directing people here and there, although Kenneth had a feeling nobody knew what they were doing.
His heart pounded as he looked around for Joanna, but his eyes grew wide when he turned to the building, and his jaw went slack.
Through the windows, he could see inside Almack’s ballroom, the formerly inviting space now tainted by a raging inferno. A cold shiver ran down his spine despite the heat emanating from the fire. The cutting scent of burning wood poisoned the air around them, but he could not move.
It was just as it had been years ago, the night he’d lost Edward. He always saw himself as a young boy standing outside the manor that had claimed Edward’s life.
Dread seized Kenneth as haunting memories of that tragic night resurfaced, momentarily blurring the line between reality and illusion.
“What a disaster,” Leonard said beside him. He was panting, and when Kenneth looked at him, he saw his brow shimmer with sweat.
Kenneth’s mind felt as though it were buried underneath an avalanche, although somewhere inside, a faint voice called to him. It was as though despite the fog, he was not entirely lost as thoughts of Joanna resurfaced, grounding him.
“Joanna? Have you seen her?”
Leonard looked at him and shook his head. “I saw her younger sister—the feisty one. She was with an older woman. A chaperone, I suppose.”
“But Joanna?” Kenneth pressed, grabbing his friend by the collar.
Leonard wrapped his hands around Kenneth’s wrists and drew closer. “By Jove, old chap. Calm yourself. I haven’t seen her, but I’m sure she is here, somewhere. Come, let us look,” he said, dropping his hands, opting to pull Kenneth by the elbow instead.
The two made their way through the crowd, which seemed to have doubled since their exit. Where had all these people come from? The patronesses were still trying to create a semblance of order, arranging the crowd in smaller groups.
Kenneth rushed through them alongside his friend, desperate to find Joanna. Alas, he did not see her. Behind him, the flames leaped out of the open windows when suddenly he spotted a familiar face.
Sally was being carried out of the building by one of the musicians, and another young woman beside her was being supported by another gentleman.
Kenneth rushed to Sally, waving anxiously. “Lady Sally, where’s Joanna?” he demanded, his voice edged with urgency.
The musician stopped and put Sally down. She staggered back, and he grabbed her arms, holding her upright. Tears were streaming down her soot-stained face, like black rivers.
“I do not know,” she stammered, her head lolling back and forth. “She was right with us, but then… the smoke became so thick, and I lost hold of her hand. Someone picked me up and carried me outside. I thought she was behind me, but I do not see her now.”
Kenneth turned to the musician. “You, was there another young woman?”
