It did not take long for Lucy to change, having found a maid on her way to her rooms. Her fingers shook as she pulled the pearls from her hair, her hands trembling as she placed them down on the dressing table.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, miss?”

Shaking her head, Lucy dismissed the maid, drawing in one long breath before settling her shoulders and trying to think clearly.

“Edward, where are you?” she whispered under her breath, wandering to the window in an attempt to calm herself before she returned to the drawing room.

Lord Hutton had disappeared through the French doors, but that did not mean that he had remained in the gardens. He could be anywhere by now, but Lucy had not the faintest idea of where to start.

As she looked out of the window, her eyes caught a sudden flicker of movement in the moonlight. Her room overlooked the cobbled paths leading out of the large estate and back towards town, and there appeared to be a carriage approaching. Of course, that was not particularly unusual, although it was a little surprising to see that one of the guests was leaving so soon after the ball had begun. That would be considered quite rude, a slight towards the Marchioness. Lucy’s brows rose. That was unthinkable. Surely none of the guests assembled here tonight would do such a thing, which meant…

Lucy’s hand was on her bedroom doorknob in a minute, pulling the door open and rushing headlong along the corridor and down the stairs. She had no time to return to the drawing room to explain what she had seen, knowing that every second counted were she to get her dear Edward back safe and sound. That carriage had to be for Lord Hutton, for there was no conceivable way that any of the guests would leave the ball that Lady Blackinstore herself had organized, not without jeopardizing their own reputations.

The front door was opened for her, although the footman gave her something of a bemused look as she passed.

“Find her ladyship. Tell her there is a carriage outside,” she said breathlessly, seeing the confusion on his face. “She will know what I mean. Go! Now!”

Without waiting to see whether or not the footman had obeyed her order, Lucy rushed outside, the cool night air hitting her cheeks at once. Glad that she was no longer encumbered by her beautiful yet heavy gown, Lucy lifted her skirts and ran towards the side of the house, where she was sure she had seen the carriage. Her feet crunched on the gravel as she ran, forcing her to slow her steps as she approached. Her heart was hammering so loudly in her chest that Lucy was sure someone would hear it and know of her approach.

Pressing herself against the side of the house, she crept forward, hoping that the shadows would hide her. To her surprise, she found herself gazing at some horses, the carriage closer to her than she had first realized. One of the horses blew out a noisy breath, apparently aware of her presence.

“Hurry,” she heard a low voice say, coming from the back of the carriage. “We need to move him before his absence is noticed.”

There were some grunts and shuffling steps, followed by a thud that had Lucy wincing. That could not be Edward, could it?

“Do we have everything we need?” came the voice again, now sounding very impatient. “This is to be entirely secret, you understand. I can have nothing traced back to me.”

“You won’t be involved,” came a second voice, more gravely than the first. “You’ve been at White’s all evening. By this stage, the other gentlemen there will be so deeply in their cups that they will not be able to say otherwise. Just ensure you are found there in the morning. I will have his body in the Thames in less than half an hour after you arrive at White’s.”

Lucy did not need to hear more. Her mind screamed at her to act, to find a way to save Edward from Lord Hutton’s clutches, but she simply could not think of what to do. Should she make them aware of her presence, they would most likely overpower her too. It was obvious that Lord Hutton was not working alone, which did not surprise her given both his age and his corpulence, but she also did not think she stood much of a chance against those that he was working with, at least not on her own. At the same time, Lucy could not simply sit and wait for the footman to deliver her message to Lady Blackinstore, for by that time, the carriage would be long gone.

Slowly moving forward, Lucy prayed silently that the horses would not start with surprise when she approached them. Thankfully, although one let out a quiet sound, they soon allowed her to stroke their velvety noses.

“There we go,” Lucy whispered, listening hard to the conversation going on at the back of the carriage. “I just have to try and slow them down.”

At least Lucy knew about the intricacies of a horse and carriage. Even in the darkness, it still proved difficult for her to find the buckles that lay just behind the horse’s front leg. She did not want to injure the animals in any way, but simply to cause enough of a distraction to allow her time to go in search of Edward, although she was not exactly sure what she would do when she got to him. Slowly, the buckle began to loosen, the horse shifting only a little as she relieved the harness on one side. It did not take her long to do the other side, her confidence growing as her fingers became surer. The second buckle was easier to undo than the first, and relief flooded her as the horses remained silent.

“Hurry up, man!”

Lucy sprang back into the shadows, her hands pressed against her chest, her heart pounding. She managed to see the outline of a man climbing into his seat and lifting the reins, only for a curse to leave his lips.

“Whatever is the matter?” came Hutton’s hiss as he leaned out of the carriage window. “We do not have time for this!”

“The harness has come loose,” the man replied, jumping down from the step. “If you want to help…”

Lucy waited until Hutton stepped out from the carriage, huffing and puffing as he did so. She did not know what else to do other than to wait for him to go to the front of the carriage. Then she could quietly step over to the open carriage door.

“It won’t take long,” she heard the first man say. “The buckles have just become slack.”

Peering into the gloom of the carriage, Lucy lifted her skirts and pulled herself inside, desperately hoping that she would not be seen. It appeared that Lord Hutton and his man were too busy frantically getting the horses ready for them to notice her and, for once, she was grateful for her soft slippers.

“Edward?” she whispered, her hands reaching across to the form she saw lying across the seats. “Edward, is that you?”

Her fingers reached out and tentatively brushed his brow, feeling his skin cool and clammy. Fear wrapped itself around her heart, and she desperately felt for a pulse, praying that he still lived.

Thankfully, a small warm breath puffed across her hand while she ran her fingers over his face, sagging with relief as she realized he was still alive. Apparently unconscious, however.

What am I to do? Lucy thought to herself, growing a little frantic with worry. She could hear Lord Hutton’s voice growing closer, the horses’ harness apparently fixed.

“Edward,” she hissed, patting his face with her hand. “Edward!” There was no response, and with a sudden lurch of fear, Lucy realized that Lord Hutton was almost upon them.