Augusta flew toward the staircase. She was halfway down when she glanced over the railing and saw a crack of light under the library door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she hurried on down the stairs.
When she opened the library door, Augusta spotted Meredith instantly. The child was curled up in her father's big chair. She looked very tiny and fragile there. She had lit a lamp and there was a book in her lap. She glanced up when Augusta came into the room.
"Hello, Augusta. Did you have trouble sleeping, too?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, I did." Augusta smiled to hide her enormous relief at finding the girl safe. "What are you reading?"
"I am trying to read the The Antiquary. It is rather difficult. There are a great many words."
"So there are." Augusta put her taper down on the desk. "Shall I read it to you?"
"Yes, please. I should like that very much."
"Let's go over to the settee. That way we can both sit together and you can follow along as I read."
"All right." Meredith slid out of Harry's massive leather chair and followed Augusta to the settee.
"First," Augusta said as she knelt briefly in front of the hearth, "I shall light the fire. It is rather chilly in here."
A few minutes later they were both comfortably settled in front of a roaring blaze. Augusta picked up the new novel that was being attributed to Walter Scott and began to read softly of missing heirs, treasure hunts, and perilous adventures.
After a while Meredith yawned and nestled her head on Augusta's shoulder. Several moments went past. Augusta eventually looked down and saw that her stepdaughter was asleep.
For a long time Augusta sat there watching the fire and thinking that she felt almost like Meredith's real mother tonight. She certainly felt as protective as a real mother.
She also felt very much like a real wife tonight, Augusta reflected. Surely only a wife could know this dreadful sense of uncertainty while she waited for her husband to return to her.
The library door opened softly and Claudia, dressed in a chintz wrapper, came into the room. She smiled when she saw Augusta curled up on the settee with Meredith asleep beside her.
"It seems we all had a problem getting to sleep tonight," Claudia whispered as she sat down near the settee.
"It appears so. Are you worried about Peter?"
"Yes. I fear he is inclined to be somewhat reckless. I pray he will not take any chances. He was terribly angry because of Sally's death."
"There was a great rage in Harry, too. He tried to conceal it, but I saw it burning in his eyes. He is really a very emotional man under that calm, controlled facade he shows to the world."
Claudia smiled. "I must take your word for that. Peter, on the other hand, conceals his emotions behind a cheerful, teasing mask. But he, too, feels deeply. I wonder why it took me so long to see the underlying seriousness of his nature."
"Probably because he is skilled at concealing his true feelings. Just as Harry is. Each, in his own way, has learned to be cautious about exposing his deepest thoughts and emotions. I suppose they both had far too much practice doing so during the war." And Harry had learned a great deal about self-control even before he had faced the dangers of intelligence work, Augusta thought, remembering the faithless women in the picture gallery.
"It must have been a terrible ordeal for them."
"The war?" Augusta nodded, her heart aching for Harry and Peter both. "They are good men and good men must suffer enormously in war."
"Oh, Augusta, I love Peter so." Claudia rested her chin in her hand and gazed into the fire. "I am so dreadfully worried about him."
"I know, Claudia." Augusta realized that she felt closer to her cousin tonight than she ever had in the past. It was a good feeling. "Do you ever think about the fact that even though we both descend from different branches of the Ballinger family, we do share a common ancestry, Claudia?"
"I have thought about it frequently in recent days," Claudia admitted wryly.
Augusta laughed softly.
The two women sat quietly in front of the flames for a long time. Meredith slept peacefully beside them.
The following night Augusta's sense of uneasiness grew steadily into a great anxiety that threatened to overwhelm her. She eventually managed to get to sleep only to fall into a vague nightmare.
She woke with a start. Her palms were damp and her heart was pounding. She felt as though she were being buried alive under the bedding.
Fighting panic, she shoved the covers aside and leaped out of the bed. Then she stood breathing quickly, trying to calm the strange fear that still held her in its grip. When she could tolerate it no longer, she gave in to it.
Snatching up her wrapper, she hurried out of the bedchamber and rushed down the hall to Meredith's room. Augusta told herself she would be able to calm down after she had seen that Meredith was safe.
But Meredith was not tucked up safely in her bed. Once again she was gone and this time the window stood wide. The night breeze stirred the curtains and chilled the bedchamber.
There was just enough moonlight to see the stout rope that had been secured to the windowsill. It hung all the way to the ground.
Meredith had been kidnapped.
20
Augusta had the entire household assembled before her in the front hall within ten minutes. She paced up and down in front of them as the last straggling chambermaid stumbled from a warm bed and took up her position at the end of the line. Even the dogs were in attendance. Aroused by the commotion, they had padded out of the kitchens to see what was happening. No one had thought to lock them up or put them outside.
Claudia stood tensely nearby, her gaze riveted on Augusta. Steeples, the butler, and Mrs. Gibbons, the housekeeper, waited anxiously for instructions. The servants were still in shock, as was Clarissa Fleming. Everyone had instinctively turned to Augusta for leadership in the crisis.
Foremost in Augusta's mind was the crushing knowledge that she had failed to keep Meredith safe. I will guard her with my life, Harry.
She had failed to keep her vow. She must not fail to get Meredith safely back. For once in her life she must be cool and logical and she must act swiftly. She told herself firmly she must put aside emotion and think as clearly as Hairy would think if he were here.
"If I may have your attention, please," she said to the assembled crowd. An instant silence descended. "You all know what has happened. Lady Meredith has been stolen from her bed."
Some of the maids started to weep.
"Quiet, please," Augusta snapped. "There is no time for emotion. Now, I have been thinking about what has happened. The window was not forced. It was obviously opened from the inside. The dogs were not alerted. Steeples and I and Mrs. Gibbons have been through the house and there is absolutely no sign of forced entry. There is, I believe, only one conclusion."
Everyone drew in a breath and stared at Augusta.
Augusta searched the faces of the staff. "My daughter has been kidnapped by someone from inside Graystone. You are a large group. Who is missing among you?"
A collective gasp greeted this observation. Instantly everyone was looking at everyone else. And then a shriek went up from the back row.
"Robbie's gone," the cook yelled loudly. "Robbie, the new footman."
At this news, the young chambermaid at the end of the row burst into fresh tears.
Augusta eyed the girl while she spoke quietly to Steeples. "When was this Robbie taken on?"
"I believe it was a couple of weeks after his lordship's marriage, madam. About the time we were taking on extra staff for the house party. Decided to keep Robbie on after the affair. Said he had relatives in the village. Said he'd been working until recently at an important house in London and now wanted to find a permanent post in the country." Steeples looked distraught. "He had an excellent reference, madam."