Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The passing days were the most boring of Isabella ' s life. All she had done was wait for word from Mr. Alton and it had never arrived. Eliza had asked her to tell her parents about the plan to investigate the case with Mr. Alton, but she hadn't done so yet.

She couldn't shake the feeling that if they knew about it, they would do something to put a stop to it. That was the last thing she wanted. She was going to go through with it if it was the last thing she ever did.

But as the time passed, so did her patience. Soon enough, she was fuming, and the longer she waited the more she struggled to keep her anger contained.

Until, eventually, she rushed into her room and pressed a pillow to her face. Into her pillow, she screamed, allowing her fury to escape her and provide some relief.

" Everything all right, miss?" Eliza ' s voice asked from the dressing room.

Isabella didn't know she was in there. She felt a little foolish then, knowing that she ' d been seen in such a bad moment.

" I ' m frustrated," Isabella explained, realizing that she ' d already given herself away. " And I don ' t want my mother and father to pick up on it."

" Screaming into the pillow is a good option." Eliza popped her head out and smiled. " Let me get you some tea, and you can tell me all about it. You tell me everything anyway."

" That ' s true."

Isabella waited for the tea. She did feel better after letting her anger out on the pillow. Her heart had slowed, and she was able to process her thoughts and emotions about it until Eliza came back.

Eliza placed the tray down on the table and ushered Isabella over, pouring her a hot cup of tea.

" Now, start talking," Eliza said kindly.

" I ' m tired of waiting," Isabella said. " I ' m convinced that he has started without me and that he might never call for me at all."

" I told you. He can ' t be trusted."

Isabella gave Eliza a warning look not to push that subject with her again. They had already argued about it once, and Isabella was in no mood to be challenged. This time, she would not be so lenient about it.

" He'll reach out," Eliza assured her.

" When?" Isabella snapped. " In the meantime, a dangerous man lurks in the streets. It ' s irresponsible."

Eliza chuckled a little. " Is this what has you so angry that you need to scream into your pillow?"

Isabella didn't have to answer that question. Eliza knew it to be true; that's why they were talking about it. Isabella sipped her tea and tried to calm down.

" You don ' t understand," Isabella said. " This is my adventure. The one I keep talking to you about. The one I've been waiting for my entire life. He ' s making me wait for it. Keeping me on a line!"

" I don ' t think he means to," Eliza said. " He doesn't understand what this means to you."

Isabella sighed. She knew Eliza was right, but it didn't make her feel any better. The thing she wanted was at the tips of her fingers, and she couldn't touch it. It felt torturous, as if she was thirsty for a drink of water, but her mouth had been glued shut.

" Find your patience, Miss," Eliza advised her. " Your adventure will come soon enough."

" What if he ' s changed his mind?"

" Then you'll find another adventure," Eliza said. " I've known you long enough to know that ' s true."

She was right, but Isabella still didn't want to hear it. It wasn't only about the adventure, after all. It was about Mr. Alton, too. She wanted to share it with him. He seemed like the perfect person to be adventurous with. As if she would be in good hands.

Eliza left her then and Isabella stayed there with her tea. Her seat faced the window and she stared out of it and into the garden. There she daydreamed about sailing ships and running away from her family to see the world.

Since she was a child, she had often considered finding a way to store some money away so that she could see the world. Isabella would disappear without a trace. The only problem was that she had no idea how much any of it would cost. Or where to begin planning something like that. So, she ' d abandoned the thought.

Much time had passed. Lunchtime had come and gone, and Isabella still stared out of the window. She hardly noticed Eliza standing beside her, until she spoke.

" A letter came for you, Miss," Eliza announced proudly.

Isabella took the letter and knew who it was from. She didn't recognize the handwriting, which meant it had to be from Mr. Alton. She looked at Eliza with surprise as she ripped the envelope open.

Dear Miss Owen,

I am sorry to have kept you waiting. Please meet with me tomorrow.

You and Miss Harper are invited to have tea at my home tomorrow morning. Tell no one what we will discuss.

After much thought, I think it best that nobody knows of your involvement in this case. This is for your safety. I request that your parents are told you ' re having tea at a lady friend ' s house this evening. It is for the best.

I hope to see you later.

Regards, Mr. Alton.

It had finally arrived. She couldn't believe it. Her stomach knotted with excitement.

" Well? " Eliza asked her.

" You and I will be going for tea at Mr. Alton ' s home tomorrow," Isabella explained. " My parents must think we ' re going to Miss Drisby's home."

" You and Miss Drisby haven ' t spoken for years," Eliza said.

" Precisely," Isabella answered. " My parents don ' t know that."

" You ' d be lying to your parents," Eliza warned. " I ' m not sure I like the idea of that."

" Mr. Alton says it is for my own safety," Isabella explained. " This is my first task in all of this and I will not mess it up."

Eliza nodded. " Very well then," she said with a clenched jaw.

***

Mason sat at his desk, going through some letters. Many of them had come from abroad, from friends he ' d met on his travels. Some of them came from people he no longer remembered. Others carried news from the war.

Those he always put aside. He had to be in the right state of mind to read them. Otherwise, they sent him into a spiral, a bad place that he often struggled to drag himself out of.

" I have to ask you something," Ethan said as he sipped his tea.

Ethan often kept him company on quiet days. He would hang about while Mason carried on with his day. Mason didn't mind; he liked the company. On that day, in particular, Ethan was there to join him at tea with Miss Owen and Miss Harper.

" Go ahead," Mason answered.

Ethan leaned back in his chair. " Why are you allowing Miss Owen to assist you on this?"

" Shouldn't I have?"

Ethan grimaced. " It ' s just that she's a woman. A delicate flower, and you've invited her into a world that is far from delicate. I don ' t understand it."

Mason should have known that question was coming. Ethan was always wise and so well-mannered. To Mason, it seemed old-fashioned. If it were up to Ethan, women would be tucked away in their homes, never doing anything too exciting. He felt they simply couldn't handle it.

" I've done so many things," Mason explained. " I've traveled and fought in the war. I've been to school and learned about anything that has ever interested me."

" This we all know," Ethan added.

" This seems new to me," Mason continued. " I don ' t know if I didn't understand. I need something exciting, something I haven ' t done before in a way that is strange to me. This serves that purpose."

" She ' s at risk, Mason," Ethan pressed. " You don ' t think that ' s a little reckless just to fuel your lust for new experiences?"

Mason rubbed his eyes. He ' d been staring at letters too long, and the light in the room was already growing darker.

" She persisted," he said. " You saw her that night. I had told her not to get involved, and she insisted that she should. This was her choice, not mine."

Ethan grew quiet. That was a sign that Mason had won the argument. That often happened. He and Ethan had vastly different outlooks on the world and life in general. That was why they got along so well, but it also caused a few arguments.

They never stayed angry with each other for long, though.

" How will you make sure she ' s safe?" Ethan asked. " Someone who is willing to shoot at a duke will not think twice about hurting a woman who gets in their way."

" You ' re right," Mason said. " And it has been on my mind since we made our agreement. Trust me. I think it comes down to managing her role in all of this."

" I can ' t imagine her parents are too impressed."

Mason smiled. " I've asked her not to tell them about it. Another thing I've considered. I ' d like to remain in a good position in their eyes. I don ' t think they'll be too pleased about her running around chasing murderers."

" You've taken that pleasant young woman and turned her into a liar now," Ethan said. " You ' re a terrible influence."

" Oh, now that ' s not true. If I were a bad influence, then you ' d be a lot more fun," Mason teased.

Ethan responded with a sarcastic, "Ha ha."

Mason shrugged him off and stepped out from behind his desk, joining Ethan in the sitting area, on the sofa across from him.

" I won ' t let anything happen to her," Mason assured him. " And Miss Harper will naturally be along for it all. It ' s only polite."

Something in Ethan ' s face changed. His eyes darkened, and his skin paled. He shifted in his seat and leaned forward.

" Now I know for certain that she is far too much a lady for this sort of thing," he said seriously.

" I can ' t have Miss Owen doing this all unchaperoned, can I?" Mason asked. " That would be pushing things way too far. You have to admit that."

Ethan shook his head. " I don ' t like this."

" Well, come to terms with it," Mason responded. " They'll be here within the hour, and we'll get started. If you ' re so worried about their safety then make sure you hang around. Two of us is always better than one."

" Oh, I knew you were going to find a way to drag me into this!" Ethan argued. " You always do. I have no interest in getting involved in murder plots and sinister conspiracies. You should know that about me."

Mason smiled. " Where ' s your sense of adventure?"

" I have none, which might just be a blessing if you ask me."

The two men couldn't be more opposite. Mason liked that about Ethan, though. They complemented each other in a strange way.

" I hope you know what you ' re doing," Ethan said. " If I get shot at, I swear I'll give you a black eye."

" I'll let you do it," Mason offered. " We'll be all right. As long as we take careful steps."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. " You never do anything carefully."

Mason laughed so loudly then that his head rolled back against the back of the sofa.

" There's a first time for everything," he said between chuckles. " I need you to trust me now."

Ethan shook his head and took another sip of his tea. He thought about it a moment, making Mason wait.

" All right," Ethan eventually relented. " I ' m trusting you in this. I hope you prove me wrong and that we ' re all safe through it all."

Mason lifted his cup of tea as a sign of promise to Ethan. The responsibility weighed on him quite heavily. He was aware of the safety risks and the uncommon manner in which a woman would be involved.

But it excited him. And he would do anything for a touch of excitement in his life.