“You’re sure Miss Bromwell went out walking with that lady?” Alexander said tapping Elliot on the arm to focus his attention.
Elliot narrowed his gaze. “Yes. She went out with her and a fair-haired gentleman. They’ve probably just fallen behind.”
Alexander stood in frozen silence, each passing second feeling more like an hour. “I’m going out to find her.”
“Ah, you fear she’s interested in the other gentleman,” Elliot said with a chuckle.
“It is not a laughing matter. I do not trust Mr. Su
therby. There’s something shifty about him. He intends to make Miss Bromwell an offer of marriage. What if he refused to take no for an answer?”
“What if she said yes and you stumble upon a lovers tryst?”
Anger sprang forth, roused from its dark, dank lair. “Damn you,” Alexander whispered through gritted teeth resisting the urge to throttle someone, anyone. “Miss Bromwell will not accept him. Something is wrong. I sense it.”
Without another word, he turned on his heels and marched away, pushing through the crowd until he reached the terrace. One quick scan of the empty lawn confirmed his fear. Miss Bromwell must be in a secluded area of the garden.
Had she gone of her own volition?
Or did Sutherby have more sinister intentions in mind?
Chapter 14
Alexander charged out into the night, his mind too chaotic to pick up any lingering trace of Evelyn’s emotional imprint.
“Damnation,” Elliot shouted, skidding across the grass behind him. “Wait for me.”
“I don’t need you to come.”
“You’re in the mind for murder,” Elliot said keeping up with Alexander’s long strides. “Someone needs to be in control if we are to protect the secret of the brotherhood.”
“I don’t give a damn about the bloody brotherhood. If Sutherby hurts her in any —”
Alexander.
The word wrenched at his heart.
The silent plea forced him to come to an abrupt halt and survey his surroundings. There was no sign of anyone in the garden, but he felt a tug deep in his core drawing him to the tall hedge. The dark pathway beyond beckoned him to enter.
Elliot stopped at his side. “I heard it, too. It came from inside that topiary tunnel.”
As soon as Alexander crossed the entrance, fear enveloped him like a curtain of cobwebs, clinging to his chest and shoulders, his body jerking back in response.
“They’re definitely in here,” Elliot said, “I can hear voices, someone struggling.”
Alexander gulped a breath as he raced along the narrow walkway. The path branched both left and right. Instinctively, he felt compelled to take the route to the left.
“Get the hell off me! What’s wrong with you?”
Evelyn’s desperate curse ignited the anger simmering in his belly.
“Come now. You’ve been playing games with me for weeks,” Sutherby said.
Elliot gripped Alexander’s shoulder. “Don’t do anything foolish,” he whispered as they spotted Sutherby pinning Evelyn against the hedge.
“Get your bloody hands off her,” Alexander roared, tearing along the path.
As though chastising a disobedient pup, he grabbed Sutherby by the collar of his coat, thrust him high in the air before throwing him to the ground. With legs and arms flailing, Sutherby covered his head with his hands as Alexander yanked him back to his feet.