Smitten by the Spinster (23 page)

The lad squeaked and nodded. “She’s sitting with her mother over there. She’s wearing a yellow dress.”

Quinn dropped him and stalked to the row of chairs, trying to make himself look smaller and less intimidating as he got closer. He bowed to the girl’s mother and introduced himself, thanking her for chaperoning his sister.

“And where is Catie?” he asked pleasantly.

Her mother looked all around. “Wasn’t she just here, darling?”

He looked pointedly at Dahlia, who stuttered an incoherent reply. He continued to stare at her until she huffed and moved down a few seats from her mother. Quinn sat down next to her and looked off in the opposite direction.

“I know what her plans are. Ye must tell me where they are to meet.”

“I’m sure she’s about, sir. Perhaps she needed some air.”

He turned to look at her. “I dinna know what she’s told ye, but the lad is only after her inheritance.” He thought about appealing to her love of gossip and lowered his voice. “Do ye know he’s badly in debt?”

“No,” she gasped and he continued to reel her in.

“Cards and horses,” he said. “He canna win a bet to save his life. And now he wants to ruin Catie’s.”

“We can’t let him!” Dahlia clapped her hand over her mouth when she realized how loudly she’d exclaimed. Then she proceeded to tell him the meeting place and time.

“Ye’re a true friend, lass,” he said, getting out of there as fast as he could without causing a scene.

If he knew anything about the likes of Catie’s true friend, the story of the elopement was about to spread across London like a rash. Even if he caught up with her in time to keep her from riding off with that lordly reprobate, Catie’s reputation was well on the way to being ruined, and she’d have to leave London.

He couldn’t help but be a bit pleased about that, despite his growing fear of being too late. It was going to be difficult not to throttle her, but he’d promised Lizzie he’d be understanding. He hadn’t made any such promise about Hollingsborn, though, and the prospect of smashing his face cheered him considerably.

As he left the house he noticed the time and realized he might actually get to the meeting place before the lovebirds. It was a remarkable stroke of luck that he’d found the note when he did, and got the information so easily from Dahlia. He couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces. This would be over soon and he could get back to Lizzie and begin planning their future together.

Lizzie made her way out the back door, flying through the streets and alleys to get to Belmary House on time. Her bag bounced against her side and the heel of her modern shoe poked her relentlessly. She didn’t stop to change the bag’s position on her arm, just pounded over the cobblestones, dodging the few people who were out at that hour and praying she made it on time.

At Belmary House, she skirted around to the back and knocked, trying to catch her breath and smooth her skirts so she didn’t look too frightful. It was too dark out to see the tiny numbers of her pocket watch and she paced back and forth with growing unease when no one answered right away. Past caring what they thought of her, she pounded desperately at the door until a maid opened it, bleary eyed and disgruntled.

“What is it?” she asked rudely.

“I need Lew,” she said, pushing into the kitchen, done with propriety.

“He’s just left.” The maid stood there and blinked at her.

“What?” Lizzie shrieked. Lew knew very well what evening this was. Where could he have possibly gone, and why? The girl turned and walked away.

“I’ll take you somewhere to wait for him,” she said.

Okay, she could work with that. She’d just wait for the maid to leave her alone and she could sneak upstairs by herself. Something awful must have happened to tear Lew away on this night, and the maid refused to answer any of her questions.

“I dunno, miss. He got called away.”

The maid abandoned her in a small room, and she saw she was already past the allotted time. How long was the portal open? Panic overwhelmed her worry about Lew and her heartache that she might not get to say goodbye to him. She stood gripping her bag before shaking off the fear and sprinting out of the room. She made her way to the back stairs, only to be stopped by a different, much sterner looking servant than the apathetic girl who’d let her in the house.

“Miss Burnet?” she asked.

Lizzie’s mind went blank. She couldn’t think of a cover story or even call up Lew’s name to her lips. About to shove the woman as hard as she could and continue running, she slumped with relief to hear Lew’s breathless voice behind them.

“It’s all right, Adelaide, Miss Burnet’s here for me.”

It took forever for Adelaide to shuffle away, and as soon as she rounded the end of the hall, Lew took her hand and they raced up the stairs.

“Where were you?” she asked.

He’d already been out of breath, he could barely puff out an answer as they climbed. “I got a message you sent for me,” he said. “I started for the Amberly’s but turned around.”

At the top, they headed for the fateful bedroom. “A message? That’s madness.”

“It was from your young charge,” Lew said, having to stop and catch his breath. “A moment, please. I ran all the way.”

This news made her head spin, and wondered if Lew was confused. “Catriona Ferguson?” she asked, to which he nodded.

“She said you asked for me. Something seemed not quite right, so I came back. Even if you weren’t here, I thought I should stay and get information from Lord Ashford.”

Could it have been to do with the elopement? Catie knew she would be visiting Lew that evening, perhaps the message had been meant for her, to send her off on an errand and distract her from Catie’s running away with Edwin? It still made no sense, and why would Catie have delivered the message herself, unless she was already on her way out of town with Edwin. Lizzie hoped Quinn caught up with them in time— Time! It had to be several minutes past now and she pulled Lew the rest of the way down the hall.

Outside the door, she stopped and grabbed Lew by the shoulders. Already overwhelmed with the heartbreak from knowing she’d never see Quinn again, the thought of saying goodbye to her only friend in this time nearly doubled her over. She blinked back the burning tears and swallowed the hard lump in her throat.

“I’m going to miss you most of all, Scarecrow,” she said, trying to memorize his kindly face.

He blinked slowly and shook his head. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said, ever patient with her.

She laughed, the tears spilling over. “I know,” she said, dropping her chin to her chest, then looking him in the eye. “You saved my life, and I don’t think I ever once acted grateful.” Her voice broke. “I’m sorry for that.”

“My dear, I cannot begin to imagine what you went through. I’m glad I could be of service.” Lew patted her arm and she struggled to regain her composure so she wouldn’t make him feel any more awkward. “I shall miss you, too,” he said, turning to open the door.

Taking long, slow breaths to prepare herself for the journey home at last, she stepped in after him, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. She looked around while Lew nervously approached the chest of drawers in the corner.

“The rug has been disturbed,” he said, nudging the bunched up corner with his toe. “The dresser has been moved as well.”

“Is he already here, do you think?” she asked, whirling around as if he might be hiding in another corner. “Did he come early?” She didn’t want to say what she knew they both thought. They were too late.

He took her arm and pushed her into the corner, jumping back with a look of mixed terror and hope. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited to feel the sensation of passing out. Nothing happened and she opened her eyes to find Lew taking out his timepiece and shaking his head.

“Perhaps his message was his departure time, not his arrival. Though, it’s never been so before. Let us wait.”

They waited. Lizzie paced to keep her heart from exploding while Lew stood like a sentinel watching the corner. Several minutes passed and she sat on the edge of the bed, feeling like she might faint from nerves.

“It’s well past the time, Lizzie,” Lew said gently a few minutes later.

His voice told her everything she needed to know. Lord Ashford hadn’t come, or they were too late. Even if he’d given the time as his departure, he’d never be late and risk missing the window to leave.

She slid off the edge of the bed and hunched on the floor, pressing her palms against the scratchy wool of the rug, trying to catch a thought from the swirling mass of chaos that churned in her head.

“We’ll try again next year,” Lew said.

She nodded, and maybe she was in shock, but oddly enough, she felt fine. In fact, she felt better than fine, and realized during the last couple of days, she’d been dreading the return to her own time. She’d been late in getting here because she couldn’t bear to say goodbye to the best thing that ever happened to her, and had clung to him too long.

How stupid she’d been to think she couldn’t stay here just because she was used to different technology, had different ideas about some things. Love was the same in every century, and she’d never felt anything near what she felt for Quinn in the twenty-first. She loved him, and she was lucky enough that he loved her back.

It didn’t matter what style of clothes she wore, or if she’d have to learn to milk a cow. Even the thought of never being on a stage again didn’t cause her to waver in her surety. If she knew Quinn at all, he’d build her a stage and she could put on shows for his people. She’d teach all the children of his clan to dance. What struck her as shocking was that she was here at all, had even for a second thought she could leave him.

The thought of being able to see Quinn again swept away any last shred of disappointment that she wasn’t going home, replacing it with anticipation. It seemed like hours since she’d seen him last, but it hadn’t been long at all. She couldn’t wait to tell him that all she wanted was to be with him. More than that, she couldn’t wait to show him. Her jumbled thoughts finally fell into place and she remembered where Quinn had been off to, what awful thing Catie planned.

It would be the icing on the cake if the match she’d originally pushed for, then worked so hard to dissolve, ended up taking place anyway, without anyone’s consent or benefit. And Quinn would most likely end up in the hangman’s noose for beating Lord Hollingsborn to death.

Lizzie pressed her fingertips to her eyes, wondering if this was how her life was going to be now. She smiled to realize how excited she was to find out.

“I have to go, Lew,” she said.

“You’re upset. Stay and have some tea. Where do you have to be off to in such a hurry?”

She turned and shook her head at him, heaving a sigh. “I have to keep one idiot from killing another idiot.”

It didn’t take Lizzie long, and only the payment of a pair of gloves, to find out from a maid at Catie’s friend’s house where the meeting was to take place. Unsurprised that the gossip had spread that quickly, she hired the first hackney carriage she could find, promising extra payment if the driver hurried. She had him stop a block away from the secluded park and ran as stealthily as she could, sneaking up behind a hedge to where she could see Quinn pacing. One of the Amberly’s carriage horses was tethered a few feet away, looking uncomfortable in its saddle and disgruntled to be out at such an hour.

Quinn was alone and she called softly to him before stepping out from behind the hedge, drinking him in as he turned. He gave her a delighted smile when he recognized her and her heart beat faster. She grabbed his hand and squeezed.

“Any sign of them?” she asked.

He shook his head, dropped her hand and resumed pacing. She pulled him from the grassy clearing to shield him with the tall hedge.

“If they arrive and see you, they may be spooked,” she explained, pulling the horse out of sight and tying it to a branch of the shrub. It seemed so unhappy to be out of its cozy stall, she doubted it would do anything rash like try to bolt away.

“Aye, that’s clever,” he said, heading for a small marble bench. She followed him and they sat down, peering through the shrubbery at the clearing. “Thank ye for coming,” he said a bit shyly and she nodded, feeling suddenly shy as well. “How did ye find the place?”

“Bribed a maid. I’m afraid the gossip’s gone wide. It may be best just to let them be done with it.” When he scowled, she tried to explain. “Once they’re married, it won’t matter how they came to be.”

“It matters to me,” he said darkly. “And it may matter to the wee lord as well. She has to be married
properly
 to gain her inheritance.”

Lizzie’s stomach rolled over. If there was no money to save the Hollingsborn properties, Catie would be ruined as well, and stuck in a miserable marriage. She didn’t think Edwin would be so kind and loving once he realized there was no money coming to him.

Before she could answer, they both noticed movement from behind a copse of stubby trees that grew along a brick wall on the far side of the clearing. A man made his way around the wall into the park.