Despite all the hysteria surrounding them, the blasted dog had been sound asleep since Amy dumped her on the seat once they threw themselves into the carriage.
He must have dozed off, as it was near four o’clock when they arrived at Miss Spencer’s house. “Stay here, and I will wake up Eloise.” Amy left the carriage and went around to the back of the house. William closed his eyes and willed the pain in his arm away.
About five minutes later, Amy returned. “Eloise is coming down to the front door. We will bring you up to her bedchamber, where we can take a closer look at your injury and get you patched up.”
Amy helped him into his greatcoat, leaving off the jacket, cravat, and waistcoat. The pain in his arm was becoming a steady throb. As he started to climb from the carriage, he said, “I think John should take you home once Miss Spencer has let me in. It is already past four o’clock.”
Amy shook her head. “No. It won’t take long to clean you up and put some ointment and a bandage on your arm. I will stay.”
William couldn’t help but think that Amy did not want him in Miss Spencer’s bedchamber alone. Had it not been for the pain in his arm, he would have laughed. “Very well. But if it gets too late, I will insist you return home. The last thing we need is your father seeing you waltzing back into your house at dawn.”
“Nonsense. Eloise’s house is only a short distance from mine.”
Naturally, once they made to leave the carriage, the dog woke up, stretched, and began to bark.
“Amy, do something with that dog. She is going to wake up the entire neighborhood, and I have no sensible explanation as to what the devil is going on here that won’t result in police summons, outraged fathers, and promises of duels at dawn.”
Amy took the annoying animal in her arms. As he left the carriage, William stopped to speak to the driver. “John, this should not take long.”
The man tugged on the brim of his hat. “Very good, my lord.” It always amazed William how John showed absolutely no concern, criticism, or disapproval regarding the various things William requested him to do. He imagined how entertaining the driver must be to the other members of the staff when they visited over glasses of ale and he shared stories of their employer’s shenanigans.
By the time they reached the front door, Eloise was already there, holding an oil lamp up in the air and waiting for them. She had thrown on some sort of a dress and had the look of someone who had just been roused from a deep sleep. “Whatever happened? Why are you both here in the middle of the night? Together?”
“Just get us upstairs to your bedchamber, and I will explain everything.”
The three of them hurried up the stairs and down the corridor to Miss Spencer’s bedchamber. If they were caught, it would be a disaster. Here William was, in the middle of the night, in an unmarried woman’s bedchamber with another unmarried woman. If caught, he would be forced to remove himself to Australia or the American states for the rest of his life. Maybe there was something to be said for an Indian reservation.
Except Lord Winchester and Eloise’s father would beat him to a pulp first, which would most likely render travel impossible. For many years.
“Eloise, we need bandages, some sort of ointment, and a pan of hot water and a cloth.” Amy barked out her orders like a drill sergeant.
Miss Spencer smirked. “My goodness. Had I known I was to become a medical clinic in the middle of the night, I would have had all those things at hand.”
“Never mind the humor; just please get the things we need.” Amy turned to William. “Sit in that chair by the fireplace, and I will help you remove your coat and shirt.”
Eloise left the room, mumbling something about a pending calamity and forced marriages.
Amy dropped Persephone onto the floor. The little dog wandered the room, then settled in for a nap near the fireplace. Amy eased his coat, waistcoat, and shirt off. “Does your arm hurt?”
William winced each time he moved. “A bit. I’ve had worse.”
Her eyes grew wide. “You’ve been shot before?”
“No. I meant I’ve had worse pain before.” He closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the chair.
“Where is the ledger?” Amy asked.
“It’s in the carriage. But I must warn you that during the chase through the woods, the ledger was dropped on the ground. Since the woods were quite damp, it’s possible some of it has been damaged.”
“So now we have a book that is in code and possibly illegible,” Amy said, shaking her head.
William shrugged. “We won’t know until we can examine it in the light. I’m just glad we retrieved it.”
The door to the bedchamber opened, and Eloise stepped through. “I had to wake my maid, Jenny. I couldn’t figure out where to get all the stuff I needed.”
A young girl walked in behind Eloise, carrying some supplies, wearing a dressing gown, and also looking as if she had just climbed from bed. Wonderful. Now he found himself in a bedchamber, with the door closed, with three young, attractive, unmarried women surrounding him.
With his coat, waistcoat, and shirt off.
In the middle of the night.
His reputation would never recover. On the other hand, in certain circles he would be revered and receive many slaps on the back.
Luckily, all three women were quick and competent, and it seemed that within minutes he was cleaned up, bandaged, fully dressed, and on his way out the door. Since the bullet had only grazed his arm and taken out just a small chunk of flesh, there had
