Chapter Fourteen
A s soon as Sara stepped into the parlor, her friends surrounded her and wrapped her in their warm embrace. As they wiped the tears from their eyes, they muttered their apologies. Each lady pleaded for forgiveness, while Sara offered her own before they pulled apart. Once they separated, Ian wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She rested her head on his arm as she smiled at her friends.
“You are well?” Vivian asked.
Sara met Ian’s gaze. “Yes.”
Lost in the love flowing from Ian’s eyes, Sara almost forgot they were no longer alone. A few amused chuckles from across the room shook Sara from Ian’s hypnotic trance. She didn’t need a mirror to know her face was aflame from the warmth spreading throughout her.
Flora hooked her arm through Sara’s and led her to the settee. “Aye, I can see you are well indeed. Do you not agree, Grace?”
“Indeed,” Grace teased while sliding into a chair.
Vivian slid next to Sara and took pity on her. “Ladies, behave.”
Ian strode across the parlor. “Gentlemen, would you care to join me for a stronger beverage?”
Ian directed the gentlemen to the corner, where he poured them each a tumbler of whiskey. They stayed away, so the ladies could visit with a modicum of privacy. While they needed to share their plans for remaining in London, he knew Sara would wish to mend her disagreement with the ladies without an audience.
“I see Sara has returned with no harm,” Courtland commented.
Ian kept his gaze focused on Sara. “Yes.”
“Did she ever explain where she went?” Lockhart asked.
Ian shook his head.
Hepburn patted him on the shoulder. “The only important matter is the lass is safe.”
If only she were, Ian wanted to mutter. However, he kept his fear to himself. Sara would never remain safe until they revealed the culprit behind the threats. But he didn’t need to voice his worry. The other gentlemen understood very well the need of ensuring their wives’ safety. Sara’s determination to remain in London left him powerless to prevent the villain from terrorizing her.
But not powerless to protect her.
SARA TRIED TO FOCUS on her friends, but her gaze kept straying toward Ian. He stared at her with a secret message only she understood. Who knew confessing their love for one another held such intensity? It was as if they shared the same thoughts. Did Ian wish for them to rush through their friends’ visit so they could continue their intimate encounter?
“Then an elephant stampeded through Hyde Park, picking up children with his trunk and setting them on his back. The crowd grew horrified, to say the least,” Flora said.
Elephant? Children? Hyde Park? Sara shook herself from her daydream. “What happened in Hyde Park?”
Grace’s sparkling laughter echoed around them. “Now we have her attention.”
Flora’s lips twisted to the side in a teasing nature. “But for how long?”
Vivian poured the tea and attempted to redirect their conversation. “We wish to apologize for our role of keeping your husband’s secrets.”
“’Tis I who must apologize for my reaction. The fault lies with Ian and me for not communicating with one another on what we expect from our marriage.”
“Have you now?” Vivian inquired.
Sara blushed. “Yes, we have.”
Flora wrapped her arm around Sara’s shoulders and squeezed. “Excellent.”
“Has he confessed his love?” Grace whispered.
A secretive smile graced Sara’s face, and she lost herself in Ian’s stare. “Mmm.”
Her friends sighed at her newfound happiness. She tore her gaze away from Ian to see their joy at her finding love too. Not only Ian’s love but theirs too. She was the luckiest girl ever.
“Thank you for being the best friends a girl has.”
Flora lifted her teacup. “Hear! Hear!”
They all laughed at Flora’s exclamation. No other words needed to be said between them. The bond of their friendship had flourished since they met and would continue to do so. Meeting these ladies at her loneliest filled Sara’s heart with much joy. Even though they had endured heartache and tribulations, their friendship had remained strong.
Soon, the gentlemen joined them to discuss their next step in luring the villain into their trap. Sara refused to disappear to Scotland without taking a stance that she deserved to marry a duke. Until the culprit received their message and they confronted him, there would be no peace in their lives.
“We do not mean to pry, but where did you disappear to yesterday?” Vivian asked.
Sara rested the teacup on the table. “A bookstore I visited when we used to live in London. The Hardys were kind enough to allow me to stay with them when I lost my position with the Baldridges. I wanted to escape where no prying eyes watched my every move and waited for me to fail.”
Ian rested his hand on Sara’s shoulder in a comforting gesture to show his support. Sara angled her head to brush her lips across his knuckles in appreciation. The relief of sharing her insecurities with him had lightened her heavy heart. Also, confessing her secrets to her friends without judgment allowed her the freedom to be herself.
“Did you have contact with anyone other than the Hardys?” Courtland inquired.
Sara nodded. “Lord Roselli was visiting the bookstore, and he escorted me to my carriage.”
“Lord Roselli?” Ian inquired.
“Marian’s friend, Lady Roselli’s husband,” Sara explained.
“Anyone else?” Lockhart asked.
“No,” Sara answered. “Why do you ask?”
Ian pressed a kiss against her cheek before striding across the parlor to retrieve the letters for Sara. “Because I received a letter yesterday before you returned home stating how you conversed with the villain.”
Sara’s complexion paled as she read the letter. “Do you believe Lord Roselli is the villain behind the letters?”
“No one is innocent at this point,” Hepburn declared.
Flora reached out to squeeze Sara’s hand. “Have you had any other contact with Lord Roselli?”
“At the Darlington Ball before Ian surprised me with your visit.”
Ian shared a secret glance with the other gentleman at what Sara’s confession revealed. The connection felt significant, not coincidental. Had they unraveled the mystery that had plagued them for the past year?
The gentlemen shared a look between them, and Sara understood what she implied. An eerie sensation crawled along her spine, causing her to shake with the horror of how she had interacted with the villain himself. Not only the villain but possibly her father.
“Is Lord Roselli my father? And also the man who terrorized us this past year?”
Grace gasped. “Your father? I thought you were an orphan.”
Sara clasped her hands in her lap to control their shaking. The enormity of the pieces connecting overwhelmed her. “Ian has discovered a connection between the letters and my family’s secrets.”
Knowing the person who tormented them shook Sara to her core. Also, understanding their connection to one another brought back memories of her youth, of wondering who her parents were. Her grandmother would never speak about them, which left Sara feeling insecure and unworthy. Now to confront how her abandonment was about her father’s status in society only furthered her harsh opinion about the aristocracy.
Ian rushed over to Sara at her distress and pulled her into his arms as he explained what he’d discovered. “Through my investigation, I learned Sara’s father’s initials and the reason for Sara’s abandonment. It is my belief that her father attempts to frighten Sara away before anyone discovers she is his child. Those implications would ruin him once everyone learns the truth.”
Courtland strode to close the door. “How do you plan to use this information to draw the villain out?”
“Sara wants to remain in London. However, it would be in our family’s best interest if we were to return to Scotland. Perhaps if we stay at my estate in the Highlands for a few months, it will send a message that we will keep his secret if he stops his vengeance.”
“No,” Sara said with firm determination. “I will not allow us to close ourselves off because of his sadistic games. He will not be the victor with his terror. We must show him a united front and destroy him as he has set to destroy us.”
“Sara, it is not worth it. You do not know what evil he is capable of in his attempt to destroy you,” Ian attempted to reason with her.
Sara cupped Ian’s cheek. “As long as you remain by my side, he can never destroy me.”
“Forever,” Ian murmured before brushing a kiss across Sara’s lips.
“Then we shall develop a plan to ruin this bastard once and for all,” Hepburn swore.
Ian and Sara gazed into each other’s eyes with a rush of emotions consuming them. Their love shined brightly with a determination to destroy their tormentor so they could pursue their happily ever after in each other’s arms for an eternity.
No matter what obstacles they endured, they would do so together.