It was nearlytwo hours later when Matthew and his wife, Nancy, arrived.Mantheria knew from the expression on Matthew’s face that he hadn’t found her son.Still, when he opened his arms, she walked into his embrace and the comfort that it provided.Matthew patted her back.“I searched every docked ship myself.My secretary and the rest of my London staff are continuing the search.No stone in all of the city will go unturned.”
Mantheria’s eyes filled with tears as she stepped back.Her voice choked with emotion.“Thank you.”
Nancy pulled Mantheria into another hug.“And I sent word to my less exalted acquaintances in Cheapside and the East End.I told them I would pay them a monkey for good information that leads to his recovery.So, if Andrew has wandered into some of the more dangerous areas of London, he should be relatively safe.The sort of money I offered is a fortune there, and prostitutes see more of what happens in the streets than Bow Street Runners.”
Her sister-in-law’s words were not as comforting as she seemed to think they were.Mantheria was glad that Nancy had been able to claw her way out of poverty, but ladies of the night were hardly the sort of women she wanted to find her son.“Thank you.”
There was a knock at the door.
Mantheria could only hope that someone had found her son.“Come in.”
It was Mrs.Scott, and the expression she wore remained grave.“Lord Sunderland is here to see you, Your Grace.”
Despite her anxious mind, Mantheria felt nothing but joy and relief at the sight of his crooked nose and serious face.He bowed to her.“Wick has every available Bow Street Runner in London looking for Andrew.We’ve combed Hyde Park three times, twice on horseback and once on foot, but no one has seen Andrew.Nor has anyone recalled seeing a little boy wearing black there.Samuel has enlisted his army friends to help in the search, and Frederica has all their factory employees out looking for him.Lady Hampford and Becca are searching Bond Street, and Lord Hampford was going to check Astley’s Amphitheatre, Vauxhall Gardens, and other haunts of young men.”
Mantheria tried to swallow her disappointment, but her throat felt thick and dry.She’d known that her family would come to her aid, and Sunny, too.She only wished they had been more successful.“My servants are searching the coaching inns.Andrew mentioned a stagecoach to one of the chambermaids yesterday.I have learned that there are over one hundred coaching inns, and that the stages leave at all hours of the day, and even some at night.”
Sunny stepped closer to her, and Mantheria felt a jolt of awareness.“Would he have had the fare for such a trip?”
She rubbed her eyes.“Possibly.Papa is always giving him coins.”
“I am guilty of that as well,” Matthew said from behind her.“I have encouraged Andrew to save his money to invest.The last time we talked about it, he said that he’d collected nearly seven pounds.”
“That’s enough money to go almost anywhere on the stagecoach,” Nancy said.
Still not helpful, Mantheria thought.
She breathed in and out deeply as she paced the room.She ought to ask her guests to sit down and call for refreshments.But she could not sit, and the only servant remaining in the house was Mrs.Scott, who had enough on her plate keeping track of where each servant had gone and which streets and coaching inns they had searched.
The door to the room swung open.This time, Mrs.Scott did not even bother to knock.Standing directly behind her was Joe, the third footman.He was a young, tall, and strapping lad with a thick shock of dark hair and a large nose.His face was flushed, and he was breathing heavily.
Joe gave a sharp bow.“Your Grace, I went to La Belle Sauvage on Ludgate Hill, and the tapster said that a lad traveling alone with dark hair who was wearing black purchased a ticket to either Bath or Bristol on the two o’clock stage.”
“What is the route?”Sunny asked.
Joe bowed again in his direction.“The tapster said the stagecoach was on its way to Bath and Bristol and went through Marlborough, Calne, and Chippenham.”
Mantheria’s eyes found the clock.It was just past five o’clock.“The stagecoach is three hours ahead of us.”
Sunny came to her and took Mantheria’s hand in a firm and comforting clasp.“Stagecoaches average eight hours per mile, but they stop almost every fifteen miles to drop off and pick up passengers.If we were to leave at once, we could easily catch up with them in a chaise and four horses.Or at the very least, we would arrive in Bath around the same time as the stagecoach.”
“It takes between fourteen and eighteen hours for the stagecoach to arrive in Bath,” Nancy offered.
Fourteen to eighteen hours before she saw her beloved son.
Dear Nancy, still not helping!
“I will leave at once,” Matthew said, and began to walk toward the door.
Sunny held her hand tightly.But Mantheria was not going to sit home like a proper lady this time.Oh no!This washerson, and if anyone was going to rescue him, it would be her.“No, Matthew.You know London better than anyone in the family.Iwill go after Andrew.Mrs.Scott, would you please call for my traveling carriage to be brought around?I will go and pack my own overnight bag.”After Mrs.Scott left the room, Mantheria turned to Matthew and Nancy.“My lady’s maid is currently assisting in the search.”
Her elder brother nodded.“Very well.Nancy and I shall mind headquarters.But don’t forget to bring extra blunt and a loaded pistol for the road.Your driver and his groom should see to your safety, but it is always wise to be prepared for the unexpected.We don’t have time to hire outriders.”
Mantheria tried to avoid the unexpected for years.She’d carefully followed Mrs.Cluess’s delicate dictates.But she was not about to leave the safety of her only child in anyone else’s hands.She realized that her hand was still being held by Sunny.She gave a gentle tug, and he released her instantly.“I must go at once.”
“If I may,” Sunny said, bowing his head, “I should like to accompany you.”
Neither Matthew nor Nancy seemed willing to look her in the eyes.Was it because they did not think that she was capable of such a trip on her own?Or were they worried about the propriety of a widow traveling with a single gentleman?But this wasn’t the time to think about her own problems.Her sole focus should be on Andrew, and two sets of eyes were better than one.And there was no person’s company that comforted her more.“Thank you, dear friend.I am afraid that there’s no time to go to your house for clothes.You’ll have to borrow some of Alexander’s old ones.”