Page 33 of Murder in Disguise (Mary and Bright #5)

Midnight

Gabriel was beside himself with worry. Once word went through the guests that Mary and Adelaide had gone missing and that he’d gone after them, the ball had lost much of its shine and frivolity.

Thankfully, Collins and the housekeeper had taken charge.

They’d sent everyone home early with assurances that all would soon be well.

At least they’d come home to a relatively quiet house a couple of hours after the whole debacle had begun.

Yes, he was ecstatic they’d managed to find and reach Adelaide and Mary in time before the madwoman could kill either of them, and if he’d arrived a moment later, Mary’s niece would have been yet another dead body.

But by some miracle, that had been thwarted, and the more he heard from Adelaide’s frantic and tearful babbles, the more impressed he was with her courage and fortitude.

As both he and Adelaide stood at Mary’s bedside while the physician—the man who’d attended to Major Kourier’s prosthetic leg a few years ago—examined her, he could hardly breathe, his chest was so tight with worry.

“Will she survive?” he couldn’t help but ask in a hushed tone. If he were to lose Mary, the one true love of his life, how would he go on? In fact, how would he explain that to his young children, his second family?

“I believe she will,” the doctor said with a nod.

“Honestly, her pulse is strong and steady. I rather think she didn’t ingest nearly as much laudanum as that young woman meant for her to take.

No doubt she received a small dose, and she’ll probably sleep until dawn, but when she wakes, she’ll be right as rain in London.

” He shrugged. “I didn’t find any broken bones, lacerations or contusions that should cause her undo pain when she does awaken. ”

“I appreciate your efforts, Doctor.” As a wave of cool relief swept over him, he sighed.

“You are most welcome. From what I heard, it’s been a devilish night, hmm?”

“Quite.” And he still couldn’t comprehend much of it. The stories had been shocking as had Miss Madison’s callous disregard for human life. “Shall I show you out?” he asked as the doctor closed his black bag with a snap.

“No, I can manage. You attend to your girl, there. She looks dead on her feet.” As the doctor passed them on the way to the door he paused. “I can give you a cursory exam if you’d like.”

Adelaide shook her head. Tears stained her dirty face, and though she drooped from reaction and exhaustion, she still maintained a bit of integrity in her straightened spine. “I’m well enough. Thank you, Doctor.”

He nodded. “Then I prescribe copious amounts of rest for all of you. Terrible business, murder. Simply terrible.” With a glance at Gabriel, he said, “I’ll call over at Bow Street in the morning, help the coroner finish the paperwork on the dead girls now that we know what happened.”

“I appreciate that.” He ushered Adelaide from the room, but though he was loath to leave Mary by herself, there was nothing for it.

Once the doctor moved down the stairs, Gabriel led the girl to the door of her room.

“From all accounts, it was your quick thinking that saved both you and Mary tonight.” So much pride for her welled in his chest that he patted her cheek.

“Perhaps you have the makings to be Bow Street’s first female agent. ”

As if that would be allowed any time soon.

Adelaide snorted, but her blue eyes shone with satisfaction. “If that is to be my fate, I would rather work privately like you.” Then her expression fell and she shook her head. “How could I have been so blind about seeing Theresa’s true nature, Inspector?”

“Because you have the knack of seeing the good in everyone, even the rotten ones. There is no shame in that, my dear. Don’t change because you are second guessing yourself in this moment. What you went through tonight is something no one should ever need worry about.”

With a soft cry, she burrowed into his arms, and he hugged her because he was so damned grateful. The night could have ended in tragedy. “Will I ever be able to trust anyone after this? Will I always assume people are lying to me?”

Damn, that was a difficult question to answer, so he stuck to the truth the best he could. “Trust will be hard won, I daresay, through the immediate future, but it will come. As will the ability to discern people’s intentions. I promise.”

“How do you do it, Uncle Gabriel?” Her inquiry was muffled, for she pressed her cheek to his shoulder. “How do you not suspect everyone you meet of having a rotten soul, of hiding something?”

Ah, it was sad when the innocence of youth was ripped asunder and life’s truth lay stark ahead.

He patted her back. “You must exercise it like any muscle, I suppose. Thinking critically doesn’t make you hard, it makes you more aware.

The world is a big place, Adelaide, and not everyone in it will have good in their hearts, but as long as you know yourself and you live for your highest purpose, you will come out right in the end. ”

The poor thing would have much to work out in her own head in the months to come, but he had every faith in her.

“Thank you.” She pulled out of his arms. “Will you teach me how to do that? How to assess people, how to compartmentalize them? I don’t want to feel hurt again.”

“I’m afraid that is also part of life. We all have emotions, which means we will be hurt over and over, but you’ll also meet wonderful people along the way who will give you back a piece of yourself and help you to trust.” He playfully tugged at one of her escaped locks of hair.

“But yes, I would be happy to teach you some tricks of the trade that will insulate you a bit better.” Then he winked.

“As well as the art of deduction if you wish.”

She nodded. “I think I might, but for now, I’m exhausted. I want tea and then sleep.”

“You’ve earned the rest.” He leaned around her, pressed the door latch, and pushed open the wooden panel. “I’ll check on you tomorrow.”

“And you’ll tell me if Auntie takes a turn for the worse?” Concern reflected in her eyes.

“I will, but I rather suspect your aunt will make a full recovery. She’s a fighter, like you, apparently.”

A blush went through Adelaide’s cheeks. “I only did what I thought you might in the situation. No one threatens my family, Inspector.” Then she popped into her room and softly closed the door behind her.

Though exhaustion dogged his steps, he went up to the schoolroom.

The sound of voices stopped when he came into the large room.

Both Cassandra and Charlie stood in the middle of the room, chatting with Miss Alexander.

All three were clad in nightclothes and resembled ghosts in the dim illumination of one candle.

“Papa!” With a cry of joy, Cassandra ran over and threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“Me too!” Charlie said as he did much the same as his sister. “Miss Alexander said the ball was over because Mama and Cousin Abigail were kidnapped.”

He glanced at the governess, who shrugged and frowned in apology. Oddly, he was glad she’d told the truth. “That did happen, but your mama and cousin are back now, and they will be happy to see you tomorrow, probably for tea so they can rest.”

It wouldn’t do to have the children creep into their rooms at the crack of dawn.

Charlie pulled away. “Did you have to fight, Papa? A bad guy?”

“I did not, but Adelaide did. She saved your mama.” And he would be forever grateful for that.

Cassandra’s eyes rounded. “Was Adelaide frightened?”

“I’ll wager she was, but she was brave. Remember how you had to be brave before?”

The girl nodded. “Can we see her? I want to give her a hug. That always makes me feel better.”

Oh, God.

“Adeliade is resting now.” Gabriel put a hand over his heart. What had he done right in his life that had given him such a lovely family? “Perhaps at tea tomorrow you can hug her. She might want to keep family close for a while.”

“Well, I have a wooden sword,” Charlie said, clearly not wishing to be upstaged. “I’ll fight off anyone else if you want.”

He couldn’t hold back a grin. “That’s not necessary, but I appreciate your willingness, my boy.” After ruffling Charlie’s brown hair, he led the lad back to his narrow bed. “Now, you and your sister need to sleep. It’s been a long night.”

Cassandra climbed into her own bed that was near Charlie’s. “Can we have another story?”

“Not tonight. It’s quite late.” But he smiled at her as he tucked Charlie in. “How about we all stay abed tomorrow, cancel lessons and everything else, and after luncheon, we go out to Hyde Park if it’s not raining to sail boats one last time before winter arrives?”

Both children offered shouts of joy. Even Miss Alexander grinned.

“Good.”

After they were both tucked into their beds and he’d kissed their foreheads, he told the governess goodnight, and as he left the schoolroom, exhaustion pressed in on him.

By the time he was safely ensconced into his own suite once more, he allowed himself a moment to silently feel his emotions from both reaction and gratitude.

Why were people so horrid toward each other? As he shed his clothes and moved to the wash basin, he was brought to tears with how close they’d come to losing yet another young woman, and this one part of his family.

God, did his work in solving cases even make a difference in the face of so much crime?

Later that morning

Dawn broke not with sun shining through the windows—because he’d been so tired last night he’d forgotten to close the drapes—but with very gray skies and moderate rain beating against the glass.