Once Verity had returned to school, after her meeting with Mr Huntley, she had begun to make the necessary preparations for visiting her sister. Mr Huntley's reaction to her suggested disguise as a maid had been lukewarm. However, she had managed to persuade him into thinking that it might just work. All Verity had to do, over the next few days, was find a suitable outfit and wait for his instruction. He had been insistent that they wait until Sunday because that was the club's least busy evening.
When Verity had spoken with Mr Huntley, earlier that afternoon, she had been full of excitement. Now, in the middle of the night, as she lay awake unable to sleep, the initial excitement of finding her sister had vanished, and she was beginning to have second thoughts about whether or not her plan would work. Mr Huntley had made it abundantly clear that he would leave her as soon as he got her into the building. He had warned her that no amount of money could persuade him to stay. She would be well and truly on her own. But, once inside, how difficult could it be to find her sister? Mr Huntley had managed to find her with only the help of a small miniature.
Early the next morning, with that thought in her mind, the usually cautious Verity went in search of a maid's dress. It never occurred to Verity that taking a dress would cause such a commotion. After all, she was only going to borrow it for a few days. Once she had finished with it, she would return it, as good as new, to its rightful owner. However, taking the dress was easier said than done. The staff, in charge of the laundry, were always on their guard against theft. It was well known that any unattended uniform was in danger of being taken by an opportunist looking for a newer and better replacement. Most of the pupils, as well as staff, had embroidered their names on the inside of their clothing, hoping to stop this particular crime. This universal policy did indeed have the desired effect, by reducing the number of uniforms that disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
It was just before dawn when Verity managed to sneak into the laundry room and take a plain black dress that belonged to one of the maids. She had recognised the name, embroidered on the back, and thought that the dress would fit, even though the maid was a little shorter than herself. Verity hid the dress under her bed and went about her everyday business, hoping that its loss would not be noticed for a few days. However, in an institution that prides itself on organisation, the loss of a dress was, of course, seen before the day had even begun.
After a day of searching every nook and cranny, the dress was no closer to being found. That evening, at supper, the main topic of conversation had been the disappearance of the dress. Madame Dupont, as her role as headmistress, had used her usual after supper address as a warning about theft and the consequences of being caught. Everyone, who had listened to the formidable grand dame, was under no illusions about how she viewed the incident and the punishment that it would bring the perpetrator. Only the thought of seeing her sister once more stopped her from returning it immediately to its rightful owner.
As soon as supper was over, Verity returned to her room only to find Maisie sitting on her bed, with the stolen dress on her lap. Maisie did not look happy. Verity sheepishly came into the room and sat next to her. 'So, you have found it,' Verity said, at last, breaking the silence that had descended upon them.
'I am lost for words, Verity,' Maisie eventually replied, 'this is not like you at all. Why have you taken it?' Verity sat quietly, looking at her hands that were resting on her lap. 'Please, Verity, I am your friend. You can trust me.'
Verity sighed and cupped her face with her hands. 'I do not know if I can trust you,' she eventually said. 'I have seen so little of you over the past two weeks. And I know you have been leaving this room in the middle of the night when you think I am asleep.'
'It is none of your business where I go,' Maisie said, angrily through gritted teeth.
'Then, it is none of your business why I took the dress,' Verity replied, pointing at it.
Maisie went quiet. After the events of the past two weeks, both women were exhausted, and they both were finding it difficult not to bicker.
'Maisie,' Verity eventually said, 'I am not trying to keep anything from you. It is just that recently, you have seemed so preoccupied.'
'I know,' Maisie said, as she sat next to Verity, 'I am sorry for being tetchy.'
'Have you been meeting with Captain Richardson?' Verity asked, as she gently put her hand on her friend's arm.
Maisie nodded. 'Yes,' she said, with a sigh, 'I have met him several times over the past week.'
'Why did you not tell me?' Verity asked, putting her arm around her shoulder, 'as you have just pointed out, I am your friend, and you can trust me.'
Maisie looked at Verity and smiled. 'Touché,' she said, 'we have recently been far too secretive. Since we are going, to be honest with each other, I will go first.' Maisie put the stolen dress that she was still holding, to one side and leant back against the wall.
'I fell in love with Arthur, Captain Richardson, the day we first met. He asked me if I would agree to meet him again. I knew I should not, but...' Maisie stopped and began to twist her hands together. 'He wrote me a lovely letter explaining how he felt. We then exchanged a few more messages before we started to meet.'
'What about his betrothal?' Verity asked, taking Maisie's hand in hers.
'He has always been honest with me. On that first day, he explained to me that both their families had arranged his forthcoming marriage. You see, Verity, his family, are in financial trouble, and they will lose their ancestral home if he does not marry a woman with a fortune. Once the war is over, he will marry his heiress, and there is nothing either of us can do about that. It is a fait accompli.'
'What about you? Verity said, squeezing her friend's hand a little harder. 'If he will not break his betrothal. Do you have a future together?'
'I do not know. All I know is that I love him more than my own life.' A tear fell down her cheek as she spoke. 'I am afraid, that I would follow him to the ends of the earth; married or not.'
'Oh Maisie,' Verity said, in a whisper, 'have you done something you may regret later. Have you...' Verity found it difficult to find the words. 'Have you been intimate with him?'
Maisie went quiet and nodded. 'I know I should not, but...'
'Oh Maisie,' she said, with a sigh, 'you could ruin yourself. What if you were with child?'
'The odd thing is, Verity, I do not care. We are on the brink of war. Anytime now, Arthur could be called to the battlefield, and there is every chance he could die. If I did not take advantage of every precious moment we have together, I know I would regret it forever. I can only live for the moment.' Maisie touched her heart, with her hand, as she spoke. 'As the parson always says, "for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."' Maisie dabbed the corner of her eyes with her handkerchief and blinked several times to stop the tears. 'Anyway,' she said, as she composed herself, 'I have been honest with you, now you must be honest with me.'
Verity nodded, 'yes, it is only fair that I tell you everything,' she said, as she sat up straight and tucked her feet under her legs, still holding her hands in her lap. 'Yesterday afternoon, I met Mr Huntley.'
'By yourself?' Maisie said surprised.
'Yes, by myself,' Verity said smiling, 'in a dingy inn, in the centre of Brussels.'
'What did he tell you?' Maisie asked curiously.
'He told me that he had seen Cassie,' Verity replied.
'Where?' Maisie said, also sitting up, 'here, in Brussels? I thought your brother was lying to you.'
'She is here,' Verity replied.
Maisie smiled and took Verity's hands in hers. 'This is excellent news. When can we visit her?'
'It is not a simple as that,' Verity whispered, 'we cannot just go and see her.'
'Why ever not?' Maisie said puzzled.
Verity explained to Maisie what Mr Huntley had found out about her sister. 'Now do you understand why we cannot just walk in and visit her?' Verity said once she had finished her explanation.
There was a look of shock on Maisie's face. Then, after a few minutes, where nothing was said, the look of shock was replaced by worry. 'Oh, Verity, you were not thinking of...' She stopped in the middle of her sentence and stood up, still holding the maid's dress in her hands. Maisie turned around and held out the dress towards Verity. 'Try to rescue your sister wearing this?'
Verity nodded. 'With Mr Huntley's help,' she said nonchalantly.
'And how do the pair of you intend to do that? Walk in through the front door and ask for Miss Cassandra Stanford.'
'No, of course not,' Verity replied defensively, 'Mr Huntley will smuggle me into the building, and then I will go and find Cassie.'
'And that is your plan?' Maisie said incredulously. 'You will go into that awful place, dressed as a maid and rescue your sister.'
'Yes,' Verity said forcefully, 'that is my plan. What is so wrong with it?'
'It is a terrible idea,' Maisie said, in a loud voice.
Their dispute was interrupted by a knock on the door. 'Is everything alright in there?' Came the familiar voice of another member of staff. Maisie quickly stuffed the dress under the bed, before their inquisitive colleague entered the room.
'All is well,' Maisie said, as the young teacher poked her head around the door. 'Verity and I were practising a part for a play, nothing more.'
The intruder shrugged her shoulders and said, 'please, could you keep the noise down, I am trying to sleep.'
'Yes, yes, of course, we will.' Maisie replied impatiently. As the door closed, she pulled a face of disgust.
'Why is it a terrible plan?' Verity said, in a fierce whisper, resuming their conversation after the interruption.
Maisie sat back down on the bed and sighed. 'And what is Mr Huntley's role in all this?'
'He is just there to help me enter the club, via the back door,' Verity said coolly. 'I do not require his assistance once I'm inside.'
'What!' Maisie whispered, in despair, 'you are going to find her all by yourself?'
'Yes! I am,' Verity replied, trying to sound confident. 'I will find her.'
'And how are you going to do that? A maid would not be wandering around in a place like that late at night. And if they were, they would not be wandering around looking for lost sisters.' As she spoke, Maisie's voice escalated into a sharp whisper. 'What if the maids have a different uniform to the one you are proposing to wear? You will get caught, and Mr Huntley will abandon you to your fate.'
'I am not planning on "wandering around." All I intend to do is find Cassie and talk to her.'
'Oh really, Verity,' she said, her hands on her hip, 'and do you suppose your sister will be tucked up in bed waiting for you to come to her. I do not wish to be cruel, but since your sister's disappearance, she has never attempted to make contact with you. Have you ever thought that she might not want to be found?'
'Yes,' Verity answered bluntly, 'many times. I think about those last weeks we were together at Hadlands, and I relive all those conversations we had. Looking back, with the benefit of hindsight, I believe that Cassie was in love. I tried to warn her like I tried to warn you, but she would not listen. She was blind to all my advice, and I was too busy, sorting out my own affairs, to realise the danger she was in.'
'Did you know the name of the man she fell in love with?' Maisie asked as she sat back on the bed.
'Yes,' Verity said, 'his name was Major Ellington. I met him the same time as I met Colonel Mitford. On the night of the storm, I foolishly left him alone with her. I am now confident that he met with her and somehow persuaded her to go with him.' Verity stopped and looked at Maisie. 'He is also here in Brussels, and Mr Huntley has seen him with Cassie. Maisie, I do not like it one bit. After all, he is also Reggie's guardian. If he has so little regard for my sister's welfare, then how much regard will he have for my brother's?'
'If he is acquainted with Colonel Mitford, why do you not let him talk to Major Ellington. He may be able to persuade Major Ellington to let you talk to Cassie.'
'Let me assure you; there was no love lost between Colonel Mitford and Major Ellington. It was the Major's cousin, Lord Melrose, who tried to trap me into the life of a courtesan. I need to find out why they have Cassie, and why they are now Reggie's guardians. Controlling both my brother's and sister's future is too much of a coincidence.' Verity now spoke with authority, 'they are my family, and it is about time that I started to take responsibility for them.'
'You cannot do this alone. Even with Mr Huntley's insufficient help, it is far too dangerous,' Maisie said. Verity could hear that Maisie had now lost all the anger in her voice. 'I will help you, and I will not take no for an answer.'
Verity smiled and took her hand, 'even if I wanted to, I could not stop you from helping me?'
'No,' Maisie answered, 'there is nothing you could to do to stop me. But, we do need to come up with a better scheme than yours. I am afraid it will not do at all.'
Verity nodded, 'I am willing to take suggestions.'
'Good,' Maisie said, 'for I think we could adapt your scheme and make it work.'
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