Lord Franks sighed heavily, shaking his head for a moment. “Miss Hemmingway, I have to be on my guard,” he said, his voice quieting her anger somewhat. “It is only right. The League, as you are aware given what w
as said yesterday, is under attack, by someone unknown.”
“But how can that be?” she asked, questions rushing through her mind as she tried to make sense of what he was saying. “If you are meant to be an organization that, for the most part, keeps its actions entirely out of the view of the rest of society, then how can someone be attempting to bring you to your knees?”
“That is the very question I have been asking myself,” he muttered, his hand passing over his eyes for a moment. “And I sought to find a specific item from within your brother’s house, one that I saw him use at the ball some days ago.”
Her interest piqued, Carolyn waited for him to say more, but he did not. She twisted her lips and looked at him with narrowed eyes, seeing how his gaze darted towards her and then away again.
“What is it, Lord Franks?” she asked, pointedly. “Surely you must know that I cannot have such a statement without knowing what the item is.”
His expression was still rather blank but she could tell from the look in his eyes that he did not want to inform her of the truth.
“Please,” she said, her hand tightening on his arm. “I might be able to help you and, in doing so, might be able to help my brother. I am sure that, whatever he is involved in, it is not out of willingness on his part. He would never betray his King.”
Lord Franks shot her a rueful smile. “You would be greatly surprised to know just how many people believe that of their siblings, their parents or their friends,” he said, heavily. “As much as I should like your help, Miss Hemmingway, I fear that it would be unwise for me to speak to you of it.”
“I am sure of it,” she said, firmly. “My brother would not do such a thing. I know him well enough to be certain of that, Lord Franks. Whatever he is involved in—if he is involved in something, then I am quite sure it is not of his own persuasion.” She frowned, recalling the mark on her brother’s face this morning. “In fact, given the beating he appears to have endured, I would suggest that he is entirely unwilling at present.” A sudden fear clutched at her heart. “What if someone is threatening Lady Hamilton, and we know nothing of it, since she remains at the estate?”
“You may be correct,” Lord Franks said, slowly, turning his head to look at her carefully. “Very well, Miss Hemmingway, we shall attempt to trust each other at this present juncture.” He sighed and let go of her hand, and it fell back to her side. “I am seeking an emblem,” he said, firmly. “I saw it on one of your brother’s handkerchiefs. This emblem was also torn from the man who shot through Lord Watt’s windows and injured Lord Millerton.”
Carolyn let out her breath slowly, looking away from Lord Franks as the enormity of what he had told her hit her square in the chest.
“If you can find that emblem, then that would be a confirmation of what I fear,” Lord Franks continued, his tone quieter now as though he realized just what he was asking of her. “Although I fear it was in that box.”
“Box?” Turning her head, she looked at him sharply, seeing him wince slightly.
“I took a box from your brother’s study—long and quite thin in appearance. It was locked and I did not have time to look within. Lord Millerton had it in his hands when I went to find help after the carriage accident, but when I returned, Lord Millerton had been beaten and the box taken.”
She closed her eyes, an icy hand grasping her heart. “My brother could not have…..” No other words came for she knew precisely what Lord Franks meant but did not want to believe it.
“There must be something of grave importance there,” Lord Franks said, quietly. “That is all I am saying.”
Nodding to herself and pushing aside the feeling of nausea, Carolyn took in a deep breath and tried to put one foot in front of the other, not even thinking to look behind her to see if her mother was nearby. “Why do you not just ask Hamilton directly?”
Lord Franks gave her a small smile. “That might very well be the easy suggestion, but he could easily deny everything and leave us in even more danger,” he said, quietly. “I must be as careful and as cautious as I can in this matter. I do not want there to be any further incidents that could cause even greater injury to the gentlemen of the League…. nor their wives who are sometimes heavily involved in such matters.”
Despite her shock and surprise at what Lord Franks had already revealed to her, Carolyn felt her brows lift all the more at the news that some ladies were involved in the activities of The King’s League.
“I know that you say you wish to assist in this matter, Miss Hemmingway,” Lord Franks continued, his voice and expression now rather gentle, “but you must be fully aware of what such a thing could entail. There could come a severe punishment for your brother—and what would you do then?”
“I—I would do what I could to help him also,” she stammered, not finding anything else to say. “I could not leave him to face such consequences alone.”
“Not even if his behavior was treasonous?” he asked, softy. “As I have said, Miss Hemmingway, you must be sure you know precisely what might come of your willingness to assist me in this. Be certain that both your heart and your mind can bear what might soon come from it.”
She did not answer him but looked away, feeling her throat beginning to ache as she realized what he meant. Could she bear it if Hamilton was sent to the gallows for treason, knowing that her investigations had been one of the things that had sent him there? Swallowing the ache, she let out a long breath and set her shoulders. No, she had to believe that her brother was not guilty in this regard. She had to trust that he was, mayhap, merely being foolish or forced to behave in a certain way. She could not let herself believe that there was anything more to it, had to trust that if she helped Lord Franks, she would be helping her brother to extricate himself from whatever difficulties he was in at present.
“Will you be attending Lord and Lady Wiltshire’s ball tomorrow?” she asked, glad that her voice did not crack with all the emotion she felt.
“I intend to do so, yes,” Lord Franks replied, as they turned around to return along the path they had just taken, making Carolyn realize that there was no sign of her mother.
“Then I hope I will have something to give you there,” she told him, finding herself filled with a fierce determination to do what she had decided. She would search the house from top to bottom if she had to. “An emblem you say.”
“A gold one, yes,” he said, giving her no more detail than that. “I hope you are successful, Miss Hemmingway. And I must hope that my trust in you is not about to come back to injure me.”
“I am certain it will not,” she told him, suddenly spying her mother talking and laughing with a few acquaintances, having perhaps forgotten about Carolyn and Lord Franks. “For I have every intention of proving myself to you, Lord Franks. You will just need to wait a little longer.”
Chapter Nine