"I wouldn't be a nuisance if I were unimportant so I see no need for me to apologize." I tried to wrench out of his grip, but he was too strong for me. "Where do you think you're taking me?"
"I believe Herr Meyer would be interested in meeting the impertinent girl who came uninvited to his party. Which of the other guests did you sneak in with?"
He didn't know Mr. Holmes was there. I would be sure to keep that information to myself for as long as I could. "Sneaking is beneath a lady," I said, raising my nose. "Are you going to be plain with me or shall you continue to dissemble?"
"I warn you, if you try to scream, no one will hear you," he said as if I hadn't spoken.
"I haven't screamed yet. I trust you won't do anything to make it necessary," I said patiently. If he thought he could frighten me, he seemed to have forgotten everything I had endured up to this point.
The muscle in his jaw flexed as though he were gritting his teeth in frustration. "What are you doing here?" he asked, glaring at me. "After all your running, and the trouble we have been to chasing you through this city, why did you come here?"
"If I want to know where my parents are, where else would I go to get my answers?"
He let out a laugh. "So you waltz into this house expecting to demand answers?"
"There was no waltzing until you invited me to do so," I said flippantly. I raised my chin. "Now, I would like the truth, if you please. Where is my mother?"
Mr. Ware let out a laugh. "Did you think she would be here?"
This time it was I who gritted my teeth. "I didn't say that," I said through my teeth. "I could hardly expect you to keep my parents in the heart of fashionable society, bold though it may be. But you do have them nearby, do you not?"
"Do you want to see them?"
The question caught me off guard. My first instinct was Yes. I did want to see my parents, to see that they were safe and unharmed. But what would happen if we were all together? We would be in the power of this man and Herr Meyer. What would they do to us then?
"I would prefer to meet them in a neutral place," I said carefully. "Where we might be allowed to go on our way with no interference."
The man shook his head. "Do you intend to make this difficult, then?"
"Making things difficult seems to be my purpose in life," I said, bracing my feet on the ground. "But I think you are the one who has made things difficult. I don't take kindly to being kidnapped, and this would make the third time you have attempted to do so."
"Am I to apologize for inconveniencing a teenage girl?"
"A gentleman might do so."
The door behind me opened. Mr. Ware went still, surprise registering in his eyes. "Ah, there you are my dear," Mr. Holmes's voice said jovially. "I was wondering where you had gotten. You found Mr. Ware. Good, good. Thank you for seeing to my niece. Was she feeling faint?"
"Niece? Sir, are we acquainted?" Mr. Ware asked. "This matter does not concern you."
"Uncle," I said, looking over my shoulder. "I didn't see you in the ballroom when I spoke to Lady Trestle."
"A friend of your mother, if I am not mistaken," Mr. Holmes said without pause. "I hope she was well. I'd hoped to see Herr Meyer before we departed, but I believe it is time for us to take our leave, dear niece."
For a moment, I was sure Mr. Ware was not going to let me go. But he did and I took a step back. I gave a pert curtsy. "Good evening, sir. Thank you for the conversation. And the dance."
I turned my back on him, holding in a sigh of relief. I looped my arm around Mr. Holmes and followed him out of the room. "I hope you learned something more interesting than I did," I said in a low voice.
"Was that an attempt to learn information? It seemed like you were about to be carried off."
"Oh, he was considering it, but he was also complaining about how much of a nuisance I've been to him." I paused and then continued, "He offered to take me to my parents, but I did not think it wise for me to take him up on that invitation."
"I hardly think he intended to give you a choice in the matter. But, you would not have left unseen. Perhaps it would have brought this little matter to a swift conclusion."
"Are the Baker Street Irregulars on the street, then?" I asked. I hadn't even thought to wonder if Mr. Holmes had arranged to have the house watched.
Instead of answering, Mr. Holmes guided us around the ballroom towards the front door. "I'm sorry we have to leave so soon," I said in a low voice. Guilt plagued me that his investigation was cut short because of me.
"I've learned all I can at the moment."
He said it as if it were the most natural conclusion to have. Curious, I glanced up at him. What could he have learned? Where? When would he tell me? Would he tell me or would he keep it to himself?
"Sir!" A footman approached quickly. "Herr Meyer would like to see you in his office. I'm to take you and the lady there immediately."
"No, no," Mr. Holmes answered, shaking his head. "That is not convenient at all. He will have to send me a note and request an appointment. I must return my niece home before her mother worries."
Before the footmen could stop us, we were out the door. Other guests who were just arriving glanced at us curiously. "Ware moves fast," Mr. Holmes said as he hurried us along the pavement. "I am not surprised. He wants to keep himself important to his master."
"Will we find my parents soon?"
"We are closer than before," Mr. Holmes said. He hailed a passing hansom cab. "Herr Meyer was not in his library, but he kept some interesting correspondence there. Including the rental of a certain warehouse near the Thames."
A warehouse would be an inconspicuous place to hide someone.
I stepped into the cab. Mr. Holmes gave the address of the hotel as he settled beside me. "Was there a reason for me to come this evening?" I asked. "Surely you could have come alone and learned this without me in the room."
"Did you notice how closely Ware was watching the room?"
Puzzled, I thought back. "Yes. But you can't have me believe you brought me merely to be a distraction."
"That would have been an interesting strategy on my part. But no. I did not."
And that seemed to be all Mr. Holmes planned to say on the matter. If he was withholding some information, he must have a reason and I would simply have to trust him. "Lady Trestle and I had an interesting conversation before Mr. Ware approached me," I said, to break the silence. "She mistook me for my mother and then excused herself by saying she hadn't seen Mum in years."
"Indeed? I believe she was on stage about the time your mother rose through fame."
"And then, not ten minutes later, she said that she had seen Mum in the last year."
That earned me Mr. Holmes' full attention. "Did she?"
"She's clearly holding onto some jealousy for Mum, even after so many years." I told him everything I could remember from the conversation I'd had with the woman. "Is it possible the king learned about where my mother was from her?"
It was only the light of the gas lamps that I could see the frown on Mr. Holmes' face. "I detest guessing but the facts do seem to point in that direction. Lord Trestle does have some influence in parliament, if I'm not mistaken. I will have to check my notes."
"Could that mean something?"
"It is too soon to tell. More data is needed before I can make a deduction."
While I understood that, I didn't know what I could do to help find more information. There had to be something I could do, besides dressing in a pretty dress to distract people.
But what?
****
I was mentally exhausted by the time I was returned to my room. We changed hansom cabs three times, and walked two blocks at one point. My feet and head ached. Safely locked inside, with Mr. Holmes off to continue his investigation, I undressed and pulled on my nightgown. Tired though I was, I didn't think I would be able to sleep just yet.
Heaving a sigh, I collapsed into an armchair in front of the fireplace. The low burning fire cast a comforting glow around me.
I'd hoped that Mr. Holmes would find my parents quickly and I could return home with them. He always seemed to solve the cases quickly in the stories, but perhaps that was literary license to condense the facts into a short, easily told tale. But it would seem life was not like that.
How long would I have to remain in hiding? How long would I have to dress up as someone else to just step outside? It had been fun at first, but not anymore. Now it was tedious and annoying.
It was astonishing how much I missed school and my friends there. I missed Maestro and his strict lessons. I missed being home at Lynbrook Manor and Mrs. Leigh's meals and sweet treats.
Closing my eyes, I rested my head against the back of the chair. I missed Papa's hugs and Mum's laughter.
The King and his suspicions were being very inconvenient. If I were ever to meet him, I would make a point of telling him. He probably wasn't aware of how much trouble he caused to get his own way. Or he simply didn't care.
The only sound in my room was the low crackly of the fire. And then, I heard the slight scrap of metal against metal. Sitting up straight, I turned towards the door. The handle moved slightly. Was someone trying to pick the lock and get in?
My heart in my throat, I stood up. From the small table,I picked up my hat pin and then tiptoed to the door. I pressed my ear against the wood and the sound of something in the lock could be clearly heard.
Well. This was an unexpected turn of events. What was I supposed to do? Hope someone entered the hallway and caught the man? Wait until whoever it was to come in and scream for help? Hide in the shadows and slip out behind them? Scream now and scare them away?
Annoyed, I slammed my fist against the door as hard as I could. It went silent. Then, I heard the sound of footsteps moving quickly away from my door.
Though the threat had gone, any feeling of safety I'd had left with it.
How had Mr. Ware been able to have us followed? It was impossible to think that someone else in London who was far too interested in me.
"There has to be more to this than just avoiding a scandal because this is simply ridiculous," I said aloud.
The only clear thing was that I couldn't stay where I was. And the only place I could think to go was back to Baker street. I just had to get there.
Fatigue slowed my movements as I repacked my carpetbag. I dressed in my school outfit. It was dark enough that it would help me blend into the shadows and help hide me from sight. Within ten minutes, I was ready to set forth.
Cautiously, I unlocked the door and peered out. No one was in the hallway and all seemed quiet. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out and strode swiftly to the stairs.
I may have spent the entire flights to the ground floor second guessing my decision. What if they expected me to run and were lying in wait for me to leave the safety of the hotel? What if I had made a mistake and misconstrued what had happened? What if I was being incredibly foolish?
By the time I reached the front door, I had firmly told myself that once I decided something, there was no use thinking why I shouldn't do it. The fog had grown even thicker since I had last been outside. Shivering, I began walking and tried to remember the route I would have to take back to Baker Street. I think the fog was already out earlier
"Need a ride, miss?" The driver of a hansom cab on the street called out. "Fanny and I will be happy to take you wherever you need to go."
Ducking my head, I quickened my steps and ignored the invitation. At this time of night, a respectable lady would not be out alone and a cabbie would not offer a disrespectable lady a ride.
Was it a ploy to get me away without drawing too much attention to the fact? If anyone were to see, all they would be able to report was that I had entered the cab of my own free will.
My heart pounded in my ears as I moved quickly. Did I dare try to summon a cab? Or would it be better to disappear into the fog and hope I didn't get lost?
Footsteps seemed to echo behind me, but when I looked over my shoulder, there was nothing there. My heart skipped a beat. Was I hearing my own steps or was there someone else out on this damp, cold night?
The back of my neck prickled and I had the intense feeling that I was being watched. It was difficult to tell how many blocks I had gone before I admitted that I had little idea where I actually was.
"Stupid, stupid," I whispered, pausing to reorient myself.
A thick hand came over my face and mouth. "Good evening, Miss Norton."
A scream rose up in my throat but had nowhere to go. I tried to duck down to twist out of the man's grasp, but to no avail. An arm wrapped around my waist and held me against a muscled chest. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing out here?"
It wasn't Keene or Braxton or Ware. But that didn't seem important right then. I couldn't breath and fresh air was all I wanted. All of my father's advice about self defense ran through my mind, but it was something my mother had taught me that came to the forefront. I went limp against the man who was slowly suffocating me.
His grip loosened slightly as he uttered a word I'd never heard before. When I jabbed my elbow back, I connected with his stomach. He grunted and I was able to jerk away. I sucked in a full breath of putrid air as I spun around.
He was tall, dressed as a street worker, but I didn't recognize him. "Who are you?" I demanded, backing away. If I ran, would I get away? If I screamed, would there be anyone who would hear?
"It don't matter who I am, girlie," he said, his accent a Cockney one. "I've a job to do."
A job that I doubted left me alive and well.