Major Wyclyff's Campaign (A Lady's Lessons, Book 2) (31 page)

"I do not like this," he said darkly.

She gave him a nervous smile that in no way reassured him. "I believe the stairs are to the left."

Anthony sighed. It was clear she had no desire to speak with him about anything of consequence. He could feel the tension in her body. Her movements were stiff as they climbed the stairs. He supposed she would explain when she chose, and not before. Sophia had always been stubborn.

They reached the second floor landing in moments, only to view two rather long expanses of drab hallway—one to each side. They had no adornment at all. No tables. No famous art. Nothing except the occasional unlit wall sconce and the faded remains of stained and dirty wallpaper.

"Do you know," whispered Sophia, "there used to be an enormous art collection here. Aunt Agatha told me it was the pride of the county. Now, look," she said as she waved at a particularly telling square stain on the wall. "It has all been removed."

Anthony nodded grimly, already guessing what had occurred. "Come, let us begin this ridiculous search."

He turned her down one hallway, but was stopped when she paused to address him. "Are you angry that we are here, Anthony? Can't you see that something dastardly is going on in this horrible place?"

"Of course I can see that," he snapped. "Young Lord Blakesly has probably imprisoned his father, sold all the man's art for his expensive London lifestyles and is likely gleefully running through the rest of his inheritance."

She nodded, as if they were agreed in their suspicions. "Then why do you object?"

"I cannot see the sense of bringing females upon a rescue mission."

"We are not all frail flowers," Sophia returned sternly. "Even Lydia shows uncommon sense at times. Besides," she reluctantly admitted, "Reginald would never truly endanger us. Lord Blakesly is likely on the third floor where he has gone with Aunt Agatha. They have the dangerous task. All we have to do is—" Suddenly, she cut off her words, a fiery blush heating her face.

He studied her, his suspicions growing by the second, but she would not say anything. Even as he watched her, Sophia appeared to grab hold of herself, perhaps even steeling herself to some task.

"Sophia?" he asked softly, a note of warning in his voice.

"Come, Major," she said briskly. "We must search these rooms." She started off with obvious determination, leaving him no choice but to follow.

They met no servants as they moved. They simply wandered down the second-floor hall, opening one door after another. Each room was a bedroom with covers over what few furnishings were inside. There was dust everywhere and, occasionally, the unmistakable signs of rodents.

Anthony would have thought it a complete waste of time if not for Sophia's odd actions. At first, it was she who opened the doors with a force that belied her shaky hands. It was as though she steeled herself to thrust open each door. But as each room was revealed, she hesitated, then pulled back, suddenly unsure.

"No one here," she would say quite unnecessarily. Then she would hastily pull the door shut and move on.

After some five rooms, she could not manage it any longer and allowed him to perform the necessary task of opening doors while she hovered awkwardly behind him. The whole situation was bizarre, to say the least. He might have been amused, taking time to admire the way she filled out her gown, if not for her clear agitation.

"Sophia—"

"One last door on this side," she said, her voice unnaturally high.

"Of course," he responded, mentally bowing to the inevitable. He had no doubt that everything would become clear if he could but wait patiently for it. But patience was hard to come by. Why would she pick now, of all times, when they were in search of a reputed madman, to act out some bizarre scheme? It was foolhardy. And yet, part of him relished it. Part of him was beginning to smile every time she started, becoming more skittish by the second.

It was not gentlemanly of him to be so amused. But that was part of what he adored about her. She constantly surprised him. For a man who had thought he would never see anything new in life, Sophia was a joy he could never fully appreciate.

And yet she was not his.

With a groan, he turned to face the last door. "Shall I open it?" he asked. "Or would you care to?"

"No. No, thank you. You go ahead." Then she shifted behind him, poised as if to either push him in or run for her life. He could not tell which.

It did not matter. He was prepared for either eventuality. He leaned forward and turned the doorknob, though his attention was focused more on the woman behind him. To his complete surprise, the door did not open.

Frowning, he twisted the doorknob with more force, only to have his initial thought confirmed. "It is locked."

Behind him, he felt Sophia start with surprise. "Locked? Are you sure?"

"Hello?" interrupted a soft, muffled voice from the other side of the door. "Is someone there?"

Anthony looked at Sophia, wondering if she could have heard what he had.

"Please, can you hear me?" it continued.

"Yes," answered Sophia as she bent down to look through the keyhole. Her entire body went rigid with shock. "Oh, no," she gasped, pulling back to let Anthony see as well.

Peering inside, he saw a petite brunette coming to the door. He caught a glimpse of a beautiful elfin face spoiled by an ugly bruise across her cheek. Then she was leaning into the door, speaking urgently.

"I am a prisoner here," said the woman. "You must help me escape."

Anthony thought to say a number of things. The soldier within him had dozens of questions for the woman, not the least of which was, why was she incarcerated in the first place? He had met madmen who appeared perfectly normal. Though he doubted it was true, he could not dismiss the possibility that this woman was imprisoned for entirely appropriate reasons.

Sophia, apparently, had no such qualms. She pushed him aside as before, kneeling again at the keyhole.

"The door is locked," Sophia called through the door. "Where is the key?"

"Mr. Sween has it."

An entirely different thought entered Anthony's mind. Could the search for Lord Blakesly be a ruse? Could it be that Kyle actually searched for this woman? That would explain a great deal. After all, the man could not openly admit that he was looking for a woman he had no relation to whatsoever, he would have to invent some other story.

Whatever the truth, it was clear this lady had a good deal of the answers. So, with sudden resolve, he slipped a slim wire out of his pocket. "Let us see what we can do without a key."

"Major!" Sophia exclaimed as he gently set her aside and began working on the lock. "I had not thought this part of the standard military education."

He merely shrugged as he concentrated on his task. "You would be surprised at what one learns in the army."

"Do not open that door!" boomed a voice from behind them.

Anthony spun around, hiding the wire while cursing himself for letting his thoughts become distracted. He had been thinking so much of Sophia, he had let his guard slip. Now they were caught by Mr. Sween, and the man suddenly seemed to have grown a foot. Gone was his obsequious smile. He seemed taller, firmer, and a great deal more dangerous, especially since he was flanked by two large footmen.

Anthony tensed, confident of his abilities to handle the two, plus the annoying Mr. Sween. Unfortunately, the last thing he wanted to do was fight three men in front of Sophia before knowing exactly what was going on. He first had to understand the precise nature of the situation. But before he could begin speaking, Sophia rounded on the butler.

"Whatever can you mean in locking up this poor woman?"

"She is Lord Blakesly's niece, and she is subject to the same fits as his lordship. I will ask you again to leave her alone. She is quite dangerous."

"No, I am not!" cried the woman from within.

"Nonsense," sputtered Sophia as Anthony gripped her arm, trying to quiet her through his touch alone. "I demand an explanation at once!"

Clearly, she was not willing to be quieted. He tried a more direct approach with her, making sure his voice carried a note of warning that he hoped she would understand. "Perhaps he is right, Sophia," Anthony suggested smoothly. "She did seem a bit distraught to me."

Sophia spun toward him "What?"

"I think we had best leave the young lady to Mr. Sween's care," he continued calmly. "Really, Sophia, you cannot let madwomen run around. They may seem lucid, but in my experience, they can turn violent without a moment's notice."

"But—"

He pressed his fingers to her lips, stopping her words even as he began to move her away from the locked doorway. "Come along, Sophia," he said, as if she had not spoken. "Your tender emotions have quite overwhelmed you. Trust me in this. I am sure Mr. Sween would not have locked that door without a good reason. We must rely on his judgment." He turned to the man, doing his best to appear sincere. "You are caring properly for the woman, are you not?"

"Of course, Major. The younger Lord Blakesly cares deeply for Melissa. We are doing our absolute best to keep her from harming herself or others."

Beside him, he felt Sophia stiffen. "Melissa!" she cried, already turning toward the door, but Anthony tightened his grip, preventing her movement.

"You see, Sophia," Anthony began before she could say more. "There is nothing to worry about. And now we must return to the gardens. Getting lost as we did, I fear we have left the others for too long."

"Major—"

"I believe the stairs are this way."

"Anthony—" There was a note of desperation in Sophia's voice.

"Trust me, my dear. Please."

At last, miracle of miracles, he felt her relax. Turning, he saw that though clearly upset, she was willing to accept his leadership for now. With a pleased nod, he pulled her down the hallway, heading toward the opposite wing. She went willingly, and Anthony experienced a moment of euphoria at the sensation.

He glanced behind him to see if they were being followed, but Sween had apparently lost interest in them. The man unlocked the woman's door; then he and his footmen disappeared inside.

"Anthony," Sophia began, her voice soft.

"Wait a moment until we are outside, please," he returned, a plan already forming in his mind. He did not intend to abandon the poor woman in the room, but he could not act until he was sure Sophia was out of danger. He began to consider his options. "We must find Percy," he finally said. "You should be safe with him."

He felt her begin to stiffen, and he sighed. He should have known her compliance would be short-lived. They got as far as the stairs before she dug in her heels.

"Sophia." The word was a low warning, but she was having none of it. Before he could do more than draw breath, she lowered her shoulder and shoved him into a door right behind them. He stumbled backward, catching himself painfully on the wood as the door shuddered beneath his weight.

He heard her curse. A most unladylike word that had him smiling despite their awkward circumstances. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Oh, just get in the room!"

"What?"

She twisted out of his grip, then quickly reached behind him and turned the doorknob. "In!" she snapped, giving his chest a quick shove for good measure.

Anthony blinked, shocked to his toes by this new, demanding side of Sophia. It was a moment later when he realized he actually liked it. In moderation. "Whatever you wish," he said mockingly as he ducked inside the nondescript bedchamber. "You had only to ask."

Sophia followed a moment later, looking harried and perhaps a bit devious. It was that last part that bothered him. It was exactly how she had appeared before she went off to rescue those damned fighting cocks.

Suddenly, he decided waiting for her to explain all their reasons for coming here was no longer going to work. The situation had changed, and it was time he knew everything. Lord Kyle and Sophia had different reasons for coming on this trip, and Anthony was tired of being kept in the dark. Folding his arms across his chest, he regarded her with a firm expression.

"Enough foolishness, Sophia. It is time you told me what is going on."

She hesitated, clearly startled by his commanding tone. "Foolishness?" she practically squeaked. "We need to—"

He did not give her time to finish. "Tell me, Sophia. Now. And then, I promise you, I shall deal with the young lady."
After I am assured of your safety
, he added silently to himself.

Chapter 15