Page 114 of The Mistletoe Countess
“Have you evenimaginedit?”
He blinked.
“All right, I’ll teach you.” She sighed. “Lesson one, you must speak quietly or not at all. Our lives, dear Elliott, very well may be in danger, but if we’re going to die, let’s not be caught at the very beginning of our adventure. That’s simply embarrassing.” She gestured with her chin to the house. “I hear voices.”
“My lady, I must protest.”
“Shhh!” She waved away Elliott’s complaint and slid to the window, but the lowest portion of the glass was still well over a foot above her head.
Voices blurred unintelligibly from inside. A woman’s timbre among them, if she guessed from the pitch and tone.Celia?
“Elliott,” Grace pulled at the poor valet’s jacket to bring him closer. “I need you to give me a boost.”
Elliott sent her entire body a look before settling his confused gaze back on her face. “A what?”
“Lift me up so I can see in the window. It’s taller than either one of us, and we need to get our bearings.”
Poor Elliott looked positively horrified.
“Come now. This is an emergency. Do you really want the death of your master on your hands because you refused to raise me high enough to see in a window?”
He shook his head and proceeded to approach in the most awkward of ways, his hands moving first to one side of her waist, then the next, as if unsure how to pick up a woman.
“For heaven’s sake.” Grace grabbed his wrists and planted his palms on her sides. “One here and one here. That will do.” She tempered her frustration with a smile. “Though I am glad that you are reluctant to be inappropriately friendly with me, dear Elliott. Lord Astley would highly approve of your admirable discretion.”
After a pause, most likely from Elliott trying to work up the courage to complete the task, he raised Grace high enough to see through the bottom half of the window. Despite wobbling a little, she caught sight of three people standing on the far side of what had once been a large gallery. Another person sat in a chair.
Frederick.
Grace gasped. Tied to a chair?
Just above where the collection of villains stood, the ceiling had collapsed into the main level, leaving a gaping hole from the first floor. She could easily spy down from that spot as she’d done in the stables at Whitlock.
“Elliott, I have the origins of an idea,” she whispered, gesturing for him to let her down.
“Oh dear,” came his grunted reply.
“Don’t worry.” She offered him a reassuring smile. “This time you won’t have to touch my waist at all.” She patted his arm. “I’ll only need to climb onto your shoulders.”
“Pardon me?” Elliot’s exclamation burst out.
Grace covered his mouth with her palm and froze. So did the voices inside. She pulled Elliott back against the wall and waited. Movement skittered to life from the other side of the window.
“Don’t worry. Who could know where we’re hiding? It’s practically buried behind this forest,” the female voice hissed. “We’ll wait a little longer and make our way back to the main house through the forest.”
Elliott exchanged a look with Grace but only moved enough to place his arm in front of her as a guard. What a sweet man! He was terrified and a bit bumbling as a detective, but ever loyal. She’d hug him if he wouldn’t become discombobulated and give away their location.
“Aren’t you the least bit concerned they’ll try to kill you, ma’am?” He used an appropriate whisper.
“Of course, but I’m muchmoreconcerned they’ll kill Frederick without my having at least tried to help him when I could.”
When the voices distanced, Grace slid against the stone toward a section of the wall where a two-story window hung, empty of glass and accurately placed above Frederick’s position, if she guessed right. Perfect.
She would sort out what to do next, but bringing a rope was the smartest idea she’d had all day.
A few scattered stones made a wonderful perch for Elliott, and the old trellis could support part of her weight as she climbed on Elliott’s shoulders to reach the window.
When she relayed the plan to the valet, his response wasn’t as enthusiastic. “I simply cannot have you climbing up my person like a tree, my lady.”
