“Mr. Astor,” she said at once, seeing her brother give her a jerky nod.
“And I received notes instructing me where I was to go, what I was to do or who I was to speak to,” her brother finished, his head hanging low, his eyes on the floor. “Notes that I kept in that box. The box that you took, Lord Franks.”
Carolyn caught her breath. “Then it was you who attacked Lord Millerton’s carriage!”
“No!” Lord Hamilton’s head shot up, his eyes glazed with fear. “No, it was not I! The moment I realized it was gone, I opened the door and asked Taylor what I ought to do.” He gestured towards the man in the chair. “He did the rest.”
As one, everyone in the room turned towards the man in the chair, now known as Taylor. He looked away, only for Lord Millerton to press the knife a little more.
“He always has a horse waiting close by,” Taylor muttered, darkly. “He told me what to do and I did it. Then I came back here. Hid myself away, just like he asked.”
“And who is ‘he’?” Lord Millerton asked, his hand white as he grasped the knife a little tighter. “Clearly you know him.”
Taylor shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I have seen him, but I don’t know his name,” he answered, his voice rasping just a little. “He often watched the house. He wanted to make sure Hamilton did as he was told.”
Carolyn looked towards Lord Franks, who was now leaning back on the desk, his stance firm but his eyes holding so much emotion that she could barely keep his gaze. She could not imagine what he was feeling, even though the news that he had been betrothed only a few short months ago had come as something of a shock.
“Can you describe him?” Lord Franks asked, not even looking at Taylor but rather turning his gaze towards Lord Millerton. “Do not even think of hesitating, Taylor, for I can assure you that your fate is already as good as sealed.” He shifted his weight, leaning a little more towards the fellow. “You shot a gentleman of high standing. You injured Lord Millerton’s driver and allowed Lord Millerton himself to be beaten without mercy. And I presume it was you who spooked Lord Caravel’s horse, so that he crashed to the ground?”
Carolyn held her breath as Taylor’s smirk immediately began to fade, the confidence in his expression seeming to disappear all at once. For the first time, he perhaps realized just what was to face him now.
“I—I didn’t hurt this Lord Caravel,” he stammered, his face paling. “I was in this room, hidden away. You can ask Lord Hamilton! It must have been the other. Mr. Astor.”
“But you did the other things,” Lord Millerton said, as Taylor swallowed hard. “And you did them under the instruction of this unknown gentleman. Tell me, was he a grey haired gentleman, with silvery eyes?” He took a step to his left, looking at the man. “Was he tall but thin? And did he carry a cane with him?”
Carolyn caught her breath as the man nodded, realizing that both Lord Franks and Lord Millerton had met the man behind it all.
“The man who stole the box from me,” Lord Millerton murmured, as Lord Franks began to frown, rubbing at a deep groove that had appeared between his eyes. “The gentleman you yourself saw.”
“The one I felt sure I recognized,” Lord Franks added, looking back towards Carolyn’s brother, who still had his head in his hands. “This has not been about the ‘League’. This has been about me.”
“I believe so,” Lord Hamilton whispered, brokenly, as Carolyn closed her eyes. “The handkerchief with the emblem—I was to show that to you. The fire was to be set on the night you were present.”
Carolyn’s eyes flew open. “Then it was you who set it?”
Lord Hamilton looked at her miserably. “I assisted,” he agreed, sorrowfully. “And I have had to hide this…this….rogue in my own house, fearful what would occur if I did not.”
Carolyn did not feel a wave of sympathy rise up within her as she watched her brother. He was someone who lived only for himself, who cared only for his own wellbeing. No doubt he had been afraid for his own safety with Taylor in the house, rather than that of herself and her mother.
“Then what are you to do next?” Lord Millerton asked, as Lord Hamilton let out a shaky breath. “What is your next task?”
Lord Hamilton looked up at Lord Millerton slowly. “The soiree,” he answered, his face drawn and pale. “It is to be held in a few days’ time and I am to ensure that Lord Franks is present.” He gestured towards Lord Franks. “I trust you have already received my invitation.”
“And you do not know if this gentleman will be present also?” Carolyn pressed, her heart quickening as a sense of danger began to overtake her. “What is it he intends to do?”
“I do not know!” Lord Hamilton protested, running his hands through his hair, his eyes wide and desperation obvious. “I do as I am asked, that is all.”
Silence reigned for a moment or two and then, finally, Lord Franks spoke. When he did, it was with deliberation and firmness, clearly able to take all he had heard, all the shock and the triumph, and make a plan for what would be done next.
“It will continue,” he said, as Lord Hamilton slowly dropped his head again. “The soiree will go ahead as planned, but you must be prepared to make a few additional invitations also. And you will inform us of all that this gentleman asks of you, so that we are prepared.”
Carolyn opened her mouth, wanting to protest, wanting to state that they ought not to do as this man had asked for fear of what would occur, but the look in Lord Franks’ eyes had her remaining silent.
“I will discover this man,” Lord Franks continued, his voice quieter now but all the more ominous. “I will bring him to face the consequences of what he has done. And you,
Lord Hamilton, will do all you can to help me else it will be all the worse for you.” He gestured towards the door. “To the drawing room, perhaps. We have much to discuss.”
Carolyn looked from her brother to Lord Franks and back again, feeling a small sense of determination rising up within her. “I will join you,” she said, just as Lord Millerton dragged Taylor up from the chair, his free hand on his shoulder. “But what of Taylor?”