“I—Mother, I am terribly ill, and I must go home at once,” I said. Mr. Braddock drew a few steps back. Mother pinned me with a dark stare but gave a sympathetic sigh for Mr. Braddock’s sake.
“How unfortunate. I will see you to the carriage. But please be sure to send it back for your father and myself.”
She pulled me away, chastising me for my peasantlike arguing that she could hear from inside the church. Just because Rose was missing, she reminded me, did not give me cause to act like a hoyden. I bit my tongue and agreed, thankful to be left alone. Nestled in the moving carriage, I tried to keep my eyes on the church, my mother, anything, but Mr. Braddock’s gaze held mine like a vise until he disappeared behind a rising hill.
I rapped on the roof. “James, we will stay in town. I must stop by the inn.” The only way I could remain composed was to concentrate on one problem at a time. If Mr. Braddock wouldn’t tell me anything about Mr. Cheval, I would just have to find him myself.
But the trip into town only supported the information in Rose’s letter. At the inn, the owner explained that Mr. Cheval had left late the previous night with all his luggage. At the train station, an attendant recalled selling two early-morning London tickets to a large foreigner and his tired female companion.
As we headed back to my parents at church, I fretted, desperately trying to sort it all out. The obvious pieces of evidence supported the letter’s veracity, but the little details said otherwise. Rose had planned to speak to Robert and Mother today and sort out all our problems. She did not have cause to lie to me about that and disappear. She would not have packed so strangely, nor written such a confounding good-bye letter. I knew how unlikely and ridiculous an abduction would be, especially in Bramhurst. I knew I sounded like a pliable reader of too many sensational mystery novels. I knew this outlandish conclusion went against everything I normally thought. But I absolutely believed she was taken against her will. I could feel it in my bones.
The problem, however, was no longer convincing myself that she was kidnapped. The problem was convincing my parents to do something about it.
“AND THAT IS why we must travel to London to retrieve Rose.”
The parlor fell dead silent. Mother and Father gaped down at me over a wooden table cluttered with tea things. In my short chair, I felt like I was on trial.
I had explained everything to them: the clues in the letter, Rose’s strange packing, my inquiries at the inn, the sighting at the train station, and my general conclusions from all the evidence. Too much was amiss for there to be a simple explanation. Surely it would be impossible for them to ignore the signs.
Yet Mother managed to exceed all my expectations. “Your sister has acted somewhat rashly, yes, but she has always shown uncommonly good sense, and we are sure she will do so now by remaining discreet. We have already decided to wait until Rosamund sends word from London.”
A spectacularly awful plan. “Mother, I don’t believe she is there by choice. We may never get a letter from her.”
Both of them gave tight, condescending nods, as if I had concocted my own fantastic adventures in wonderland. My mother took a dreadful tone of authority. “It is entirely possible that in her hurry, your sister packed the wrong clothing and miswrote a few words in her note, is it not?”
“No! Of course not. And she wouldn’t forget her medicine bag or leave such blatant hints! Don’t be daft, Mother.”
“I am not the one proposing this wild theory,” she said, folding her arms. “What do you even mean for us to do in London?”
“Start a search for her.”
She raised her eyebrows skeptically. “And if it turns out she really is helping this man, as she said in the letter, everyone will know she went to work as a doctor. Or worse yet, people will gossip and exaggerate and come to believe it an even bigger scandal. In any case, we cannot walk through the streets shouting her name, telling the police and publicizing this information. I have sent word to your aunt and uncle to give out that Rosamund is with them. If anyone asks to see her, she will be ill or in Bath. That is the way to handle this and preserve her reputation.”
“Perhaps we should worry about preserving her safety. Or her life.”
She leaned back in her chair. “I’m quite aware how bored you are of Bramhurst, but there’s no need to be so melodramatic.”
“This is not melodrama! You might trust me for once!”
“Evelyn, I know you. You’ve gone and gotten this idea stuck in your head, and now you’re too stubborn to give it up. But you must consider the whole situation.”
“And then do what? Just accept the most pleasing explanation with an utter disregard for any other possibilities?” I gripped the wooden arm of my chair, wishing I could crush it. They were ignoring everything!
My mother rubbed her forehead and glanced at my father, who was busy pouring himself another cup of tea. She changed tactics and spoke in a slow, soothing voice. “We have no other recourse. We’re in debt.”