Late for the Wedding by Amanda Quick Read Free Book Online

at the intruders from the guest floors.
    Tobias focused on the nearest person, a young maid in her nightclothes.
    “Where are the stairs to the roof?” he demanded.
    The girl gasped and went as still as a rabbit confronted by a wolf. She gaped at Tobias, eyes widening with fear. She made several attempts to speak but only managed a meaningless stammer.
    “The roof, girl,” Tobias repeated, voice accented with faint echoes of impending doom. “Where is the bloody staircase?”
    Her companions retreated rapidly, leaving her to face Tobias alone.
    “Puh-puh-please, sir—” The girl stopped altogether when Tobias loomed closer. She looked as if she was about to burst into tears.
    Lavinia sighed. It was time to take charge.
    “Enough, sir.” She stepped between Tobias and the maid, who was now trembling visibly. “You are terrifying her. Allow me to deal with this.”
    Tobias came to a halt, clearly annoyed at having been deprived of his prey. He did not take his icy gaze off the shivering girl.
    “Very well,” he growled to Lavinia. “But be quick about it. There is no time to waste.”
    She did not blame the poor maid, Lavinia thought. Tobias was extremely intimidating at the moment. His attitude tonight put her in mind of the first time she had met him.
    She recalled the occasion quite vividly. On that fateful night in Rome, he had swept into the small antiquities shop she and her niece, Emeline, had operated and proceeded to smash every statue in sight. She had thought at first that he was a madman, but then she had seen the chilling intelligence in his eyes and realized that he knew precisely what he was about. Somehow that had only made him seem all the more menacing.
    “Calm yourself,” she said to the maid. She fingered the silver pendant at her throat and spoke in the low, soothing tones that she used when she wished to induce a light mesmeric trance. “Look at me. There is no need to be afraid. All is well. No need to be afraid. There is nothing to fear.”
    The girl blinked once or twice and tore her anxious gaze away from Tobias’s implacable face. She stared at the pendant.
    “What is your name?” Lavinia asked gently.
    “Nell. My name is Nell, ma'am.”
    “Very good, Nell. Now, where is the staircase that leads to the roof?”
    “At the end of the hall, ma'am. But Drum has instructed the staff not to go up onto the roof. He’s afraid someone might fall. The wall is very low, y'see.”
    “I understand.” Out of the corner of her eye, Lavinia saw Tobias move off down the hall, heading toward the staircase. She was about to follow, but she paused for one last question. “Do you know all of the members of the household staff, Nell?”
    “Yes, ma'am. We all come from the village or one of the farms.”
    The girl was talking freely now. There was no need to hold her attention with the pendant. Lavinia stopped manipulating the necklace.
    The maid blinked again and raised her eyes to meet Lavinia's.
    “Are you acquainted with a maid who is somewhat taller than yourself and perhaps a few years older? She has very bright blond hair. Lots of heavy corkscrew curls. This evening she wore a large cap trimmed with a blue ribbon. It looked new and it had a brim that was much wider than yours.”
    “A new cap with a blue ribbon?” Nell seized on what was evidently the most important aspect of the description. “No, ma'am. If one of us was lucky enough to get a new cap, we’d all know about it, I can tell ye that much.”
    “Are any of your companions tall and blond?”
    “Well, Annie’s tall but her hair is dark. Betty’s got yellow hair but she’s shorter than me.” The girl’s features knotted with concentration. “I can’t think of anyone quite like the girl you described.”
    “I see. Thank you, Nell. You’ve been very helpful.”
    “Yes, ma'am.” Nell gave a tiny curtsy and cast an uncertain glance down the hall at Tobias, who was opening a door. She swallowed uneasily. “Will sir be