Page 78 of The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies

“Is that him?” Sidney nodded at the window.

Hughes shrugged. “I arrived right before you. I pulled off in the woods and then got turned around in the dark. Walked half a mile in the wrong direction.”

“I think there’s an old carriage house next door,” Gin said. “We should check for Leland’s car—that’d be simplest.”

“I’ll be right back.” Hughes trudged into the darkness, and his outline melted away.

Sidney raised the umbrella higher and stared up at the soft light. The patter of rain on the taut fabric overwhelmed other noises, and he strained to focus on their surroundings. If Hughes could sneak up on them like that, Leland could too. A candle upstairs didn’t mean he was actually there …

Gin shivered, and he lowered the umbrella. “Sorry.”

“I’m fine.” She leaned against him, huddling closer, and looked up. Her face was a smudge in the dark, but the sharpness of her body pressed against him was clear as daylight. Sidney forced himself to stop searching for the contours of her lips and watch for Hughes like a responsible agent.

A loud crash echoed inside the house.

“What the bloody hell was that?” Sidney peered into the black for any sign of movement, but both house and garden were still. The candlelight, however, had disappeared, and Sidney held his breath. When the soft light reappeared on the lower level a moment later, he exhaled. “He’s on the move.”

“What if he’s leaving? He might run into Hughes.” Gin grabbed his arm. “He’ll see our car on the drive.”

“I doubt he’ll risk turning back.” But with a man as desperate as Leland, Sidney wasn’t placing bets on his actions either. “Come on, let’s get closer.”

Carefully, they picked their way across the garden, taking cover behind a weedy arbor. The candle’s soft glow was just visible inside the dark room on the first floor. But Sidney halted as a face pressed to the window—and then vanished.

“Did he see us?” Gin breathed.

A second crash inside the house cut off Sidney’s answer.

Gin grabbed his arm. “What if he’s holding someone hostage? That girlfriend of his—Trixie—she could be a valuable bargaining chip given her father’s influence.”

“Now you’re thinking like an agent.”

Gin answered with a fleeting, smug smile, but then a volley of muffled, angry language from inside the house made them both freeze.

Sidney cursed under his breath. “We need to get a better look.”

The rain had softened to a fine mist, so he collapsed the umbrella and laid it down. Together, they ran at a crouch, and Sidney guided Gin to the window beside the one where the face had appeared. With his back pressed against the house, he peered inside slantways.

Grime clouded the glass, and it took Sidney’s eyes a moment to adjust to the amber-hued light. But then he saw it: a large, distinct shadow in the corner of the room, wrestling with something on the floor. In the woods, Sidney might have thought it was a ravenous bear; in a darkened house, it looked like a desperate man, and adrenaline spiked through him.

“If the door’s unlocked, we might surprise him. I wonder if Hughes is armed.”

“Oh.” Ginevra pulled back her coat, revealing a holster affixed to her belt. A small gun glinted under the thinning cloud cover. “I brought my mother’s pistol.”

“Do you know how to shoot it?”

“Chess and target practice were Mother’s favorite activities.” She hesitated. “My aim might be a bit rusty, though.”

“Consider it a last resort then.” Sidney peered back inside. The shadow was still in the corner, and they were growing more visible outside the window as the clouds drew back from the moon. They needed to move in or retreat, and Sidney’s gut said now was the time to strike.

The next window was slightly ajar, angled into the garden two inches more than its mate. Likely a broken latch, but it opened silently, revealing an unfurnished room. Gingerly, Sidney threw one leg inside and clambered over, then offered Gin a hand up.

The sound of muttered curses grew louder in the next room. Sidney tiptoed toward the half-open door, and Gin removed the gun from its holster. Leland crouched with his back to them, rummaging through the cabinet beneath the sink. At a nod from Ginevra, Sidney flung the door open and charged. The professor started to turn, and Sidney threw himself against his back, pulling the crook of his elbow up under the man’s chin. Leland stumbled, falling to the floor, and Sidney bore down with all his weight. “Find something to tie him up!”

Gin hurried into the room and laid the gun on the counter, hitting the light switch for the bulb over the sink. It flickered on, casting a pale circle of light, and she snatched an apron hanging on the wall. Sidney released his chokehold and wrangled Leland’s arms behind his back, and Gin knelt and tied the professor’s hands with the strings.

“The feet too,” Sidney grunted, straining to keep Leland still.

Gin threw open drawers, rifling through them like a madwoman until she emerged triumphant with twine and scissors.