you wait any longer. I spoke to Lord Robertson at length last evening—or, rather, he spoke to me!”
“Indeed,” Timothy murmured, sitting forward just a little. “And what did he speak of?”
Lady Newfield chuckled. “I believe he told everyone in the room about what had happened to him, whether they wished to hear it from him or not!”
“And whether or not they had heard it before,” Miss Mullins added as Lady Newfield laughed. “I heard him speaking of his ordeal very loudly, indeed, and then he told me everything all over again, once I had been introduced to him.”
Aware of how his stomach was twisting back and forth, Timothy nodded but said nothing, eager for Miss Mullins to continue.
“I did not find out everything,” Miss Mullins said, a slight note of warning in her voice. “However, he did inform me—accidentally, I should say—that he had gone to the blue room to meet with a lady.”
Timothy felt his mouth fall open in astonishment, and Miss Mullins could not help but laugh, her eyes sparkling.
“Indeed, I was rather shocked also, but I had to pretend that I quite understood the way of things. He did try not to tell me this, I should say, attempting to hide the truth, but managed to speak the truth twice without intention.”
Chuckling, Timothy shook his head. “It seems that Lord Robertson is inclined to speak a little too openly.”
“Indeed,” Lady Newfield chimed in, a teasing smile on her face. “Although it is helpful for us that he did so.”
Miss Mullins nodded, a slight flare of excitement now burning in her eyes. “He told me that he had been spoken to by a lady of the ton,” she said, her voice dropping just a little, as though she needed to keep such a thing a secret. “And that she had informed him that the lady he was eager to meet would make her way to the blue room so that they might...converse or some such thing.”
“I see,” Timothy murmured, a spark of hope flickering in his heart. “So, we cannot say who it is specifically, however?”
“No,” Miss Mullins agreed, shaking her head. “He would not give me her name and certainly seemed quite reluctant to do so.”
“That is understandable,” Timothy agreed. “A gentleman does not want to give the name of a lady to another lady for fear that gossip and slander will follow after them both.”
Lady Newfield nodded. “Indeed,” she agreed. “Although it is good to know that we are now seeking a lady.”
“Perhaps,” Timothy said slowly, thinking hard. “Unless the lady in question was eager to help whoever is wishing to attack me.”
“No,” Lady Newfield replied, more firmly than Timothy had expected. “No, we must not continue to ask who and if and wonder if there is more than we had expected. Therefore, we ought to concentrate on this unknown lady.”
“I agree,” Miss Mullins said, although with a good deal less fervor. “I think to continue to question does us no favors. Therefore, we should do all we can to find out her name.”
Timothy nodded slowly, realizing that if he continued with his way of thinking, he would end up winding himself in knots. “Very well. How shall we do it?”
Miss Mullins, who had clearly been considering this already, immediately gave him an answer. “You must speak to Lord Robertson,” she said decisively. “He is very keen to talk, I assure you!”
“And what should I seek to discover?” Timothy asked as the carriage began to slow, nearing the park. “The name of the lady?”
“That might be a trifle too difficult,” Lady Newfield suggested. “Therefore, why not seek out the name of the lady that he was to be meeting? That, I am certain, is something that Lord Robertson would be willing to give up, for it would be something of a boast, would it not?”
Timothy nodded, aware that this was, in fact, a very reasonable suggestion. “Indeed,” he admitted with a wry smile. “I am not certain that he would be willing to discuss such a matter with me, for I shall have to introduce myself at the first and thereafter attempt to set up something of an acquaintance with him, but—”
A burst of laughter came from Miss Mullins, and Timothy stopped speaking almost at once, looking at the lady and finding himself quite astonished by what he saw. Her expression was bright, her eyes twinkling with laughter and her cheeks bright and rosy.
She was absolutely beautiful.
“Forgive me!” she exclaimed as Lady Newfield chuckled. “Forgive me,