She knew it was hopeless, but she had to try, for her sisters’ sake: “Please don’t tell anyone how you found out the truth, I beg you. Let Sir John think you spotted the physician’s carriage yourself, or heard the servants gossiping. Please.”
Lady Hathergill’s eyes narrowed. Confusion crept across her face as she leaned forward. “There’s something about your voice…for a moment, you sounded exactly like…”
Elinor let go of her aunt’s arm as if she’d been burned. But it was too late. Her aunt seized her hand, and their bare arms brushed against each other.
Lady Hathergill’s jaw dropped. “Elinor?!”
Elinor jerked away so quickly that Sir Jessamyn almost slipped off her shoulder. Her mind whirled. She opened her mouth to speak. There had to be a solution, if she could only think fast enough to find one.
Then she met her aunt’s gaze and realized the truth: there was no escape. No matter what Lady Hathergill might think or want, she couldn’t keep a secret anymore—not even to save her own life. After a week of illusions and reprieve, Elinor’s time had run out.
She looked into her aunt’s shocked face and said the only thing she could: “Forgive me.”
Then she turned and hurried away through the crowd without waiting for a response.
Sir Jessamyn’s claws burned into her shoulder as she ducked and slid through openings to avoid any more telltale brushes of bare skin. Guests’ voices roared in her ears, but she couldn’t take them in. Her vision narrowed to a tunnel before her. She had to find Benedict. She could not run without saying farewell to him first. She might have failed her sisters and her aunt, but she had promised not to abandon him.
She’dpromised.
She had almost reached the center of the room before it hit her: the music of the quadrille had stopped. It must have stopped a few minutes ago, in fact—the dancers had abandoned the patterns and were forming a new set.Good. Penelope would be busy with Mr. Armitage, and Elinor could safely draw Benedict aside.
Perhaps he could even convince Mr. Aubrey to drive her away in his carriage, to escape. That would give her an hour or two’s head start before Sir John could leave the ball and come after her. But no—that would require abandoning all of Mr. Aubrey’s books and papers. He would never agree to it.
WherewasBenedict? She drew to a halt, panting, and stood on her tiptoes to peer around. People were looking at her wonderingly, but she didn’t care anymore. All she wanted…
Mr. Armitage’s voice spoke in her ear, as sharp as a blade, and as sudden. “Devil take you, where has she gone?”
Elinor fell back, gasping. “What do you mean? Who?”
Then she saw his furious face, and her heart sank.
“Penelope,” snarled Gavin Armitage. “She’s supposed to be dancing this set with me…but she and your precious Mr. Hawkins have disappeared.”
Chapter 31
Elinor stumbled back. She almost fell. Gavin Armitage’s hand swung out to catch her, but she caught herself just in time to wave him back.
“Wait here,” she said urgently. “I’ll go and find them.”
“Oh, will you?” He sneered at her, his handsome face twisting. “How much of a fool do you take me for, Mrs. De Lacey? You’ve been manoeuvering on Hawkins’s behalf all along. I should have guessed that you two would hatch this scheme in the end. He’s compromising her right now, isn’t he?”
“No!” Elinor gritted her teeth as Sir Jessamyn hunched on her shoulder, glaring at Mr. Armitage with slitted golden eyes. “But if I don’t hurry—”
“If you don’t hurry up and publicly discover them, then it won’t work, will it?” Gavin Armitage stepped closer to loom over her, fists clenched at his sides. “Do you think I can’t see for myself how you’ve planned it? You’ll beshockedandhorrifiedto discover the two of them alone together. Then Sir John won’t have a choice in the matter. He’ll be forced to let them marry—toinsistthat they marry—no matter what Hawkins’s fortune might be!”
“Mr. Armitage—”
“I should have revealed everything days ago. Hawkins would have been tossed out on his ear, as he should have been from the beginning. He may be pretending to fortune and respectability, but if Sir John had any idea what his father had done—”
“Well, then, why didn’t you simply tell him?” Elinor tilted her neck back to glare up at him. “I am growing weary of your theatrics, Mr. Armitage. Don’t bother pretending that you were motivated by kindness or generosity to hold your silence until now.”
His face worked. He didn’t answer.
“We haven’t time to waste in arguing. I’ll be back as soon as I can. If you’re wise—”
"What is going on here?” Miss Armitage’s voice was lowered, but irritation snapped through it as she stepped between them. Her dragon looked down his snout at Sir Jessamyn with open disdain; Miss Armitage’s own expression mirrored his as she looked at Elinor. “The two of you are drawing far too much attention with your argument. What can you be thinking?”
“Blame your brother,” Elinor snapped, “and keep him under control. I’m going to find Penelope before she can cause any more damage.”
