Page 55 of A Winter Scandal

Rawdon let out a snort. “I am sure you will come up with some sufficiently villainous reason for me to look for a baby lost in the middle of a snowy winter’s night.”

Gabriel did not speak for a moment, then said merely, “Very well. Let’s go, then.”

When they stepped outside, they found that the snow had increased, now covering the ground in a soft, thick blanket. It was a tight squeeze for three people in the curricle, but it was at least warmer, Thea acknowledged, being sandwiched in between two large males. The trip to the vicarage was short and silent, neither of the men saying a word.

Gabriel halted the vehicle before the vicarage, and the two men got out to look for tracks, moving slowly along the street and up the path to the front door, holding out the lantern to cast its yellow circle of light over the newly fallen snow. Thea went around to the kitchen door and entered the house.

Lolly sat huddled on one of the chairs at the kitchen table, a blanket wrapped around her, her tearstained face resting on her folded-up knees. She looked up hopefully when Thea entered, but her face fell when she saw that there was no baby in Thea’s arms.

“Oh, miss! Did you not find him, then?”

Thea shook her head. “No. I assume you found no trace of him inside the house, either.”

“No. I looked everywhere—twice! Who could have taken him, miss? Who would have done such a thing?”

“I don’t know. I thought I knew, but apparently I was wrong, and now I haven’t any idea. But whoever it was, the baby should not be out in this weather. We must find him. The men are outside looking for tracks. Why don’t you make us some hot tea to ward off the chill? And maybe a bite to eat. I am going to get more properly dressed. We will have to search for him somehow.”

Thea ran up the stairs and changed her clothes, pulling on her warmest wool dress and, beneath it, flannel petticoats and woolen stockings. She grabbed some blankets and the baby’s basket and carried them back downstairs to the kitchen. When she got back, Lolly had gotten the fire going and a pot of water was heating on its hook above it. A few moments later, the door opened and Gabriel and Rawdon entered, shaking the snow from their clothes.

“We couldn’t find any decent tracks,” Gabriel said as they came forward to stand in front of the fire, stripping off their gloves and holding their hands out to the heat.

“There were a few prints heading toward the church, but Morecombe said those would be yours, Miss Bainbridge,” Lord Rawdon added. “There are one or two in the yard that appeared to be leading into the road, but we could not find any that indicated which way he went after he reached the road.”

“We must find them,” Thea said.

“I’ll warrant I can catch him,” Gabriel said. “I’ll take my team over any mount he—or she—could be riding.”

“She? Devil take it, do you really think it could be Jocelyn who took him?” Rawdon asked skeptically.

“I cannot imagine it, but I am reaching the point where I no longer know what to think,” Gabriel admitted.

“It cannot be your sister,” Thea said firmly. “Not unless she has run mad. The baby’s mother would not have to steal her child out of my house. All she need do is claim it. In any case, I cannot think a mother would expose her baby to this weather. It is terribly cold and wet, and what if they were to get stuck in a snowdrift somewhere? I cannot believe she would do so.”

“Nor can I, but if it is not Jocelyn, who is it?” Gabriel shrugged. “It does not matter anyway. I must go after him, whoever it may be. Since we cannot tell which way he went, I will take the road east. It seems the most likely to me. The vicarage and church are on the edge of town. If he went the other direction, he would have to ride through town, where there would be more chance of being seen. Logic says he would have come in from the east and left in the same direction.”

“I am going with you,” Thea said, standing up.

“What? No. It is cold and snowing even harder now. You just said yourself the weather was too bad to be out in.”

“For a child. I think that I can bear the same amount of cold that a man can,” Thea retorted. “And do not tell me I cannot go. Matthew is my responsibility. I found him and I vowed to take care of him, and he was stolen from under my roof. I refuse to sit idly by while he is out there in the snow somewhere! Besides, you could use an extra pair of hands—and eyes. There could be more than one person involved, you know, and if you think that I would not fight to get him back—”

“Oh, no, my dear.” A ghost of a smile touched Gabriel’s lips. “I would not dream of thinking that.”

“Then it’s settled. I will simply jot a note to Daniel explaining where I have gone, and we can be off.”

“I shall take the road leaving the village in the other direction, then,” Lord Rawdon said. “It won’t take long to saddle my horse, and it would be wise to make sure that both ways are checked. No doubt there are other ways out of town, but if we can cover the main road, we should have a good chance of finding him.”

Gabriel looked at Rawdon for a moment and gave a short nod. “Very well.”

“Thank you, Lord Rawdon,” Thea added, feeling that Gabriel’s response had been less than adequate.

Rawdon nodded back to them, then turned and left. Gabriel stood, hands on hips, gazing at the door through which Rawdon had gone. “I don’t trust him.”

“I truly think he was surprised when he realized the baby had been taken.” Thea finished her note, signing it briefly, and folded it. “Which would indicate that he was not the kidnapper.” She wrote her brother’s name on the note and propped it on the table for him to find the next morning.

“Yes,” Gabriel agreed reluctantly.

“And given the fact that every time you see him, you try to pop him on the nose, it does seem that he is doing a good deal more for you than would be expected.” Thea stood up and began to don her cloak and gloves.