She drew away and gazed up at him, blinking away tears. “No, of course he won’t. My father and grandmother attended the memorial. They don’t share my opinion that Anne still lives. I shall have to keep it from them both. I don’t like to, but I am prepared to do it, for Anne’s sake.”
Ballantine heard a rustle and cast around for movement in the gardens. When nothing moved, he turned back to her. “I fear it would be a wild goose chase. But if you wish it, I will make a thorough search of the area.”
“We shall go together.” Her lovely eyes filled with hope. “I intend to tell Papa I am visiting a friend in Bath for a sennight. He is about to begin a new painting and will let me go without questioning me.”
He frowned at her. “And if something happens to you during this foolish quest? What am I to tell him?”
“He will know nothing about you.”
“You think I would be low enough to hide the truth from him?”
She placed a hand on his good arm and gazed appealingly into his face. “No, of course I don’t. Do this for me, Ballantine. I have a very strong feeling. An instinct, my grandmother calls it.Anne still lives. I cannot explain it. We have been close friends forever.”
He nodded. “I believe one can sense when loved ones are in danger or have passed away. Perhaps that applies to friends, too.” He had felt strongly that his colleague, Joshua Blackson, had walked into a trap when they’d been on a mission in France. But he had arrived too late to save him. The loss of Blackson had left him disillusioned and determined for it never to happen again. While he refused to place Lady Diana in danger, he didn’t want her to feel she had failed her friend.
“Very well,” he said, wondering if he’d lost his mind. “If, and it’s a big ‘if,’ you can meet me without your father discovering it, I shall help you.”
Should the duke learn of it, he would assume it was an elopement. They would then have to marry. It brought him up short. His plan not to marry until he gave up his work still stood. But now Lady Diana was determined to go and nothing would stop her.
“I’ll write to my friend in Bath. Penny sends frequent letters to invite me to visit. When Papa and I return to Ashburnham House after we leave here, I shall send her a letter asking her if I might stay. Her mother is always pleased to see me. Then I’ll meet you somewhere of your choosing on the Bath road.”
“Yes, but will she keep your secret?”
“Penny is a dear friend. We have always kept each other’s secrets. During our first London Season, we relied on each other a good deal.”
“She hasn’t married?”
“No, her betrothed died while away fighting on the Peninsula.”
“Very well.” Not displeased by the thought of seeing her again, he still feared this adventure could go badly wrong. And for what? Her friend Lady Anne must have been dead. For whatkidnappers kept the evidence of their crime alive to alert the magistrate and send them to the gallows?
“I must go back to the house,” she said. “Grandmama will wonder where I am.”
He drew his calling card from his wallet, which bore both his addresses. “Write to me at my country address. When we next meet, you can share with me all that you know about Lady Anne, her family, and your beliefs regarding the abduction’s location and where the ransom was left.”
De La Touche might have returned and reported the missing document to the other two men. It was time for Damian to leave.
“Return to the house,” he said. “We shall not speak until we meet again.”
Her gaze roamed his face. “Something bad has occurred, Ballantine. You’ve hurt your arm…and I saw you ride away from Holland House. I waited for you. I had faith you’d come back. Where did you go? Will you tell me what happened?”
“If you wish me to help you, don’t persist, please.” He pushed her gently. “Now go.”
She paused on the path to look back at him, her eyes dark with worry, then hurried away.
Chapter Ten
Diana entered thehouse, breathless after a mad dash along the garden paths. Her grandmother hovered in the corridor outside the dining room, frowning.
“Where have you been? They are about to serve refreshments.”
“I went for a walk.”
Grandmama raised her brows. “In the woods? Your hair is coming down and burrs have attached themselves to your skirt.”
Diana tucked a loose curl behind her ear. “I left the path for a better view of the lake. It’s very picturesque. Cook gave me some vegetable scraps for the ducks.”
Grandmama furrowed her eyebrows. “Run upstairs, tidy your hair, and change your gown. I shall wait for you in the drawing room.”