“Why can I not enter?” Leo asked, a piece of paper in hand. “I have an invitation.”
“We are not permitted to allow you in,” the butler explained. “I have already been given a description of the gentleman by the countess, and you fit it perfectly.”
“Several gentlemen do. It is hardly fair.”
“The rules are in place for a reason, sir.”
“Your Grace,” he corrected. “I do not know who you are trying to keep out, but it is not a duke, surely?”
“With all that has transpired, I am not taking any chances.” The butler sighed. “Now, I hate to turn the both of you away, but it is what I have been instructed to do, and I would prefer to keep my job.”
“I do not fit the description,” Dylan tried. “Am I permitted to enter?”
“No, I have also been given strict instruction not to allow anyone accompanying him in, either. Not after last time.”
Leo glared at his brother, but only for a moment. It had felt like so long ago, and Dylan was seemingly keeping to his word and had not touched any alcohol since the last event. He had put them in a more difficult situation, but he had repented for that.
“Very well.” Leo nodded. “My apologies for the disturbance.”
“He seemed rather frightened, if anything,” Dylan noted as they walked around the side of the house. “Do you suppose he has been threatened?”
“I believe all of the staff have had punishments to varying extents.” Leo sighed. “They were all aware of me, and they simply did not say a word to the earl and countess. I am not sure as to whether or not the butler truly saw me, but he must have known I was there. Butlers always know everything.”
“So now, what do we do?”
“I am not entirely sure. There are other entrances that we could try, but I presume that they have people on watch at every door. They are truly and wholly against us entering, to the extent that they have no doubt turned others away simply because they look like us.”
“What a strange way to be. They are clearly social climbers, so it is strange that they want to bring their reputation down by being such terrible hosts.”
“They shall do anything to bring Evie misery. You know what they have done to her.”
“I do, which is precisely why I am so eager to enter myself.”
“Are you not only here as my support?”
“That is one of the reasons, but when I see the two of them—”
“You will do nothing. We will not lower ourselves to their level. We will only find Evie and tell her the truth about everything. Do you understand?”
Dylan groaned, but he did not argue. Leo did not blame him for feeling the way that he did, however, because he had the very same urges as his brother. They had been stunned by what Mister Eldridge had revealed, and they only wished for Evie to know, but they were nonetheless filled with anger about what her own family had done to her.
“In which case,” Dylan continued, “how do you propose we get in?”
“I do not know. We can try each of the entrances, but I do not think we will find any success.”
“We could wait for her to leave the building of her own volition.”
“That is supposing that she is able to leave of her own accord, and I somehow find that difficult to believe.”
“Then what are we going to do about it?”
“I do not know. I find myself questioning if there is anything that we can do.”
Dylan froze, eyeing his brother carefully.
“What do you mean by that?” he asked.
“I mean that we have been stopped every step of the way. It is clear that we cannot enter, and she cannot leave, and so it might be better for the two of us not to try any further. We are far better off handing a note along in the morning.”
“So you are going to give in? You do realize that you are only going to prove to the earl and countess that they can do anything they want to Lady Evie, and you will be perfectly fine with it?”
“I am not fine with it!”
“You are certainly acting as though you are. What has happened to you? You were hellbent on rescuing her, and now here you are, ready to leave her behind.”
“For one night,” Leo protested.
It was the opposite of what he wanted, but he didn’t know what else to do. It would only be a day, and then they could try again. Perhaps they only wanted an evening for their daughter, and then they would not be so guarded.
“Leo, I am going to speak to you like Father, and it is going to make you angry with me, but for the moment, I do not care.”
“No, I need to hear it.”
“You are going to lose Lady Evie if you continue on with this attitude. She is the first lady to see you for who you are, and the first one to make you smile again. Look at you! Ever since Father died, you have been miserable, and since you found her, even before you knew who she truly was, you have been brighter.”
Leo had to admit that his brother was correct. Ever since the loss of his father, he had been ruled by his vow to find Evie. He had never been able to mourn his loss because he had to find her. Then he succeeded, and she had made him so happy, but then she was taken from him and now he was letting her go.
Even if it were for a day, it was too long to allow her to stay there. She had been used for too long for her family’s selfish needs, and he couldn’t stand the thought of her being there a moment longer. Dylan was right, they had to get her back.
“Let’s do it,” he said suddenly. “Let’s find a way in.”
“There are servants guarding every door. What do you propose that we do?”
“There is only one servant at each door. They cannot hold off everyone.”
“What do you mean? There are only two of us.”
“As of right now, but consider this. How many gentlemen have they walked over to climb socially? It is not only their niece, but anyone that was in their way. I am sure that we can find a way to group together and do something.”
Dylan grinned wickedly, the same way he had done when they were boys.
“How many will we need?”
“Not too many,” Leo replied, suddenly quite fearful. “Why, what are you planning?”
“If you find Mister Eldridge, as well as anyone else that you can think of, I shall handle the rest.”
Leo was going to protest so that he could ensure that things were handled properly, but it was as though he blinked and his brother was already gone.
Regardless, Leo knew what he had to do. He hoped that Mister Eldridge was still awake, given that he was unwell, and that even if he was incapable of going himself, he could point Leo in the direction of another gentleman that he needed the assistance of.
Fortunately, upon his arrival, Mister Eldridge was on his feet, though he struggled to walk slightly.
“Your Grace,” he greeted. “What has brought you here?”
“Might you be able to come with me to a ball this evening?”
“It is rather late notice,” he said, a puzzled expression on his face. “And I do not recall receiving an invitation to any balls.”
“That does not seem to matter, for I received one, and I was still not allowed to enter.”
“Then my answer should be quite clear. I cannot attend a ball that doesn’t allow guests.”
“That is the point of it, Mister Eldridge. What if I told you that it was to rescue Lady Evie?”
“If it was for her, I would struggle my way in at any cost. Why are you doing this to rescue her?”
“Her aunt and uncle have her locked in, and they will not allow me to get to her. I cannot allow it anymore. They have used her good nature and loyalty to gain respect from the ton, and now that she has found some semblance of happiness, they have stripped it from her. I cannot allow it to happen. I will not allow it to happen.”
Suddenly, Mister Eldridge stood taller than before. There was a determination in his eyes that Leo had not seen during their last visit, and in spite of his old age Leo could tell that he was once quite the threat indeed.
After all, he was the father of one of Dylan’s acquaintances, who was likely quite the unsavory character.
“Then let us go,” Mister Eldridge agreed, leaving for a carriage.
“Before we do,” Leo said quickly, “you are the only one that will have any idea, but do you by any chance know of the real whereabouts of Mister Walker? He was a solicitor, but he was chased out of London.”
“Mister Walker,” he echoed. “Yes! He is staying in a lodge nearby, though only myself and the gentleman caring for his business know about it. He ensured the care of his business to the both of us, in the event that something worse were to happen.”
“Have you any idea what has happened to his business? Surely rumors are not enough to frighten someone so terribly?”
“You would be surprised how far that nasty earl and countess will go for their own benefit. Even further than they would for their daughter, in fact.”
“I find that hard to believe. They would do anything for her.”
Mister Eldridge tapped his nose.
“I was a friend of the earl’s brother, do not forget. Believe me, he would do anything for his daughter, but only if his wife allows it.”
Leo believed him, of course, but it sounded wrong. Imogen had always been given exactly what she wanted, as far as Evie had explained. Then again, he reasoned with himself that Imogen had hardly ever disagreed with her mother, and so it was in all likelihood that she had simply never pushed her that far.
Leo thought about Mister Eldridge’s words all the way to Mister Walker’s lodge, and when they knocked on his door, Leo kept a small distance. He wanted Eldridge to be seen first so that they would not be seen as a threat. This seemed to work, although Mister Walker peered around his door to ensure that it was not a trap.
“He is with me,” Mister Eldridge explained, motioning to Leo. “He requires our assistance.”
“I can clear your name, sir,” Leo promised firmly. “Mister Eldridge has explained your situation to me, and it is about time that we fixed all of this.”
He almost expected Mister Walker to turn back and go inside, but against all odds, he followed them out and joined them in the carriage.
It was difficult to find the right words to say, because he did not know anything about the man aside from the rumors about him, but soon enough Mister Eldridge cleared his throat.
“So,” he began, “what is this plan of yours?”
“Well,” Leo explained, “my brother will meet us there once he has done his part, though I do not know what that entails, and then we are going to the ball.”
“Ball?” Mister Walker echoed. “I was not invited.”
Leo couldn’t help but laugh. They were both proper gentlemen, and no amount of explanation could fix that.
“Sir, I know what was done to you,” he explained. “I also know that it was wrongful, and that you are not the only one that they have hurt. I want to help you, and in doing so, we can also save a young lady from a terrible fate. Believe me, all will be well.”
Mister Walker did not seem so sure, but he did not say as much. They continued on their way, eventually coming to a stop at the earl’s home.
Dylan was there with what appeared to be quite a rowdy group of gentlemen. This was precisely what Leo had warned against, but as he stepped out of the carriage, he realized that it was not the usual group that he had grown accustomed to seeing. Instead, it was a small group of gentlemen with dark curly hair and masks.
“It would appear,” Dylan explained, “that a fair number of gentlemen were turned away from the ball for appearing to be the infamous Marquess of Shrewsbury.”
Leo couldn’t help but grin.
“I really must write to the marquess and explain this.”
“So,” Dylan explained, “there are enough of us to break into the ballroom, and then the three of you can show the documents needed.”
“Documents?” one of the gentlemen asked.
“That part is not important just yet,” Dylan explained quickly. “What matters now is that we do our part. Let us go, gentlemen.”
Leo’s heart thudded in his chest. It was not something that gentlemen did, and they would likely be in a good amount of trouble. In spite of it all, however, he couldn’t help but notice that his brother was truly in his element.
He had gotten a plan together and assembled a group to go through with it in very little time, convincing them to join him with very little to gain themselves aside from a small amount of satisfaction at gaining entry to a ball they were refused entry into.
He would tell him as much later, he told himself.
“Is this a good idea, Your Grace?” Mister Walker asked.
“What have you got to lose? We will rescue a young lady, save your business, and have you able to enter society once again.”
“If we are successful.”
“Which we will be. I am fully confident in it.”
And, in spite of everything against them, he believed his words. He knew that it would all work, and that Evie would be leaving with him, and he would at last be able to tell her everything that he had been feeling for her, declaring it in front of all those in attendance. It was the least that she deserved, and so he would give her that and more.
He simply had to enter the ballroom.
He saw Dylan and his group barge inside, the butler chasing after them, and knew that it was their moment. He helped Mister Eldridge to the entrance, and then Mister Walker took over.
“You go, Your Grace,” he urged. “We shall be right beside you.”
Leo nodded, stepping into the bright hallway, ready for whatever was thrown his way.