Chapter 11
Eleven
Esther was starting to despair.
She and Alexander had walked along the seaside back and forth and found nothing aside from seagulls, promenading people, and romping children. All lovely and pretty, but where was the blasted foil?
He didn’t complain or make comments, but she could sense his rising tension in the way he straightened his shoulders, and she had no solution to offer.
“We should try that shortcut through Preston Park to your house,” she said.
“Of course.” His voice didn’t hold any trace of reproach.
“Alex.”
His black eyes ignited at such intimacy.
“May I call you Alex?” she asked although the damage had already been done.
“By all means. I like it.”
“You can tell me the truth. You must be fuming and angry with me.”
“I’m sorry my foil is lost, but I’m not angry with you. You’re here with me when you could have left me on my own. That makes all the difference.”
She couldn’t resist and kissed his cheek quickly. “You make all the difference, too.”
Arm in arm, they ventured through a new set of alleys.
The cobbled streets, red-brick townhouses, and narrow passageways didn’t trigger any memories, not to mention they were similar to some parts of London, making everything more confusing.
If she pictured herself running with a sword through a busy town, laughing like a maniac, she wanted to hide somewhere and come out when everybody forgot her name.
The walk through Preston Park was wonderful with its bushes of English roses, the pond, and the tall poplar trees.
But she didn’t find any clues of her nocturnal escapade.
Empty handed, she sighed in despair when Alexander’s majestic house swept into view.
They’d closed the circle, searched every route, and found nothing.
She climbed the stairs to his front door with heavy feet.
She didn’t smile even when Mrs. Wilson assured her the cloak would be returned free of stains, or when she sat in the sunroom with Alexander for a quick repast. The table was set with plates of grapes, cheese, and slices of thick bread, but she couldn’t summon the enthusiasm to eat anything.
“Don’t be discouraged.” He offered her the salted meat, cheese, and grapes. “There are other places to search.”
“I can’t help feeling discouraged about everything.
Myself included. What kind of person loses control like that, hurts a man, and steals from another?
On top of everything else, my reputation will never recover from this situation, and I know your foil and competition are more important than that, but I can’t stop thinking of being at the centre of a huge scandal and gossip. My parents will be so disappointed.”
He sipped his black tea. “No, you won’t be at the centre of any scandal because I’m going to marry you, if you agree, of course.”
From his tone, she didn’t understand if he was joking or not, and her emotions were scattered and scrambled like mushy, gooey eggs.
She laughed. “Of course.”
He stared at her with a determination that sent a shiver down her neck. He had to look like that when he faced an adversary in fencing.
“I mean it. After this misadventure is over, I’ll be your suitor.” This time, there was no mistaking his serious tone.
Of all the odd events that had happened to her in the past two days, a marriage proposal was the last thing she would have imagined. Many times, she’d pictured her reaction to a proposal, and in those visions, she’d seen herself pleased but composed, elegant but not cold.
But Alexander was another matter. He wasn’t one of those gentlemen who left her uninterested or bored. His hungry gaze made her feel beautiful; his gentle touch warmed her body; his words and the way he treated her made her feel happy to be herself. She was more than enough when she was with him.
She swallowed past the lump of emotion in her throat. “You mean it.”
He took her hand and kissed it. “We can have a long engagement if you want, but yes, I mean every word.”
Mother had always told her never to say yes immediately to anything, except to a silk hat at a reduced price. But she couldn’t contain her honesty.
“I would love to marry you,” she whispered. “Not because my mother hopes I will marry a duke. Not because I’m expected to marry soon. But because I’ve never felt as free as when I’m with you.”
He laced his fingers through hers. “I feel the same.”
They burst out laughing for no reason. His shy smile called up the same shyness in her, but instead of making the moment odd, it drew them closer, spiritually and physically.
He inched closer and kissed her. The kiss wasn’t the strong, passionate one he’d given her earlier. Like his smile, it was delicate and shy, but it awoke a desire within her she’d never experienced…at least not that she remembered.
He caressed her cheek and pulled back. “Just so you know, I’m grumpy in the morning, work a lot, and I’m unbearable when I lose a competition.”
“I’m slow to forgive, oftentimes I enjoy being alone, and I’m very energetic in the morning.”
“It promises to be a lovely marriage.”
“But first, I want to find your foil.” She racked her brain for an idea. “We need a map.”
Esther studied the map of Brighton spread over the table. She didn’t know the town well, but the centre was tiny compared to London. Yet a sword had disappeared. If someone had stolen it from her, she would never find it.
“The New Club is here.” She put a finger on King’s Road. “Your house is here.” She circled Alexander's house with a red pencil. “So the area to search is this.” She drew another circle around the club, the centre, and his house.
“We tried these routes.” He traced the streets they’d walked earlier. “You left Benedict’s house at around one o’clock, and I found you in my garden at fifteen to two.”
“I walked then. A cab would have delivered me here in a few minutes.”
“But where did you lose your clothes and swapped them for that worn gown?”
She rested her forehead on the table. “I would like to know that, too. Or maybe not.”
He straightened to study the map. “You could have taken this route through these alleyways.” He pointed at a little maze of intricate back streets.
“A convoluted, nonsensical choice. It’s certainly me.”
“Let’s go.”
When they arrived at the secluded quarter, people stared at them as if waiting for the right moment to slit their throats and take their wallets.
She must have been out of her mind to walk alone on those streets at night while wielding a sword.
Whispers and sideways glances followed them, and she could bet that, had it not been for Alexander’s menacing presence, a footpad would have attacked her.
Which begged the question, how on Earth had she walked there and returned in one piece?
She gripped his arm and moved closer to him. “I think we should go.”
“If you feel uncomfortable, I’ll return here alone.”
She tensed as the people’s whispers increased.
“Good gracious.” She skidded to a stop.
A woman wearing Esther’s gown walked down the alleyway.
“Look, that’s my gown.”
Holding her hand, he ran towards the woman. “Madam? A word?”
The woman held her basket filled with produce against her chest. “What do you want?”
“Where did you get that gown?” Esther asked.
“I didn’t steal it. It was a…” The woman studied Esther’s face. “It was you!”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Did I give you my gown and walk away naked?”
“Well, we played a quick cricket game in the yard behind that building. You against me. Because you bragged about being the greatest batswoman of all time.” She used a mocking, high-pitched voice.
Esther smiled. She might have exaggerated, but she wasn’t that terrible at cricket. “And I won.”
“No.” The woman jutted out her chin. “You missed the ball three times in a row and gave me your gown as payment. I won fair and square and gave you my old gown not to let you walk about in the buff.”
“Oh.” That was a blow. Served her right. At least she hadn’t walked the streets naked.
“Did the lady have a sword?” he asked.
“Indeed she had. I wanted that, but she refused to give it to me. She said it belonged to a wonderful man.”
“That’s true,” she said.
“So she agreed to give me the gown,” the woman continued. “Completely barmy.”
He smiled at her. “Yes, barmy.”