“Oh, I do like your fire, Lisa. I can hardly wait to douse it,” he crooned with a smile. “This night will seem to stretch on interminably until I can get back here to you.”

“Don’t rush on my account, my lord,” she said sweetly. “Have fun, dance with all the pretty girls and drink a lot.”

“Oh no, I shall remain clearheaded and save all my energy for you,” he assured her with a laugh and then shook his head. “Did Langley realize what he had in you? Did he see the passion beneath all that happy chatter and romantic drivel?” His smile died abruptly. “Did you show it to him?”

Lisa hesitated. There was something almost angry in the last words. A tone that was almost jealous and possessive. It seemed it did bother him after all that Robert had been there first. Unsure how to respond, she remained silent and after a moment, Findlay sighed.

“Well, I suppose I should head to the ball now. Those carriage lines can be very long and I would not wish to miss any of the excitement. Of course, I doubt your sisters and their husbands will be there. I am sure they are searching madly for you this very moment. I shall have to hear the news that you are missing through a third party and then make my way to Radnor in a tizzy.” He took a moment to fuss and straighten himself, and then glanced back through the bars to say, “You should sleep. It will be better for you if you’re well rested when I return.”

Charles turned away and moved out of sight then. Lisa waited a heartbeat to be sure he would not return and then let her breath out and sank slowly back to lean against the wall as she listened to his fading footsteps. Things definitely weren’t looking good at this point. She had checked the door carefully and saw no way to get it open from inside, and there wasn’t a window or other escape route to be had where she was.

So, escaping was out. That left fighting, which she had every intention of doing, but a weapon would be helpful. Taking a deep breath to bolster herself, Lisa pushed herself to her feet and then turned in a slow circle, surveying every inch of the cell she was in. It wasn’t very encouraging. The bed, the mattress, the dirt floor . . .

Lisa hesitated for a moment and then returned her attention to the bed. It was a wood frame, cheap and rickety. She knelt in front of it and bent to look at it more closely. She then felt each leg, grasping it and giving a tug. Two of the legs were a bit loose, one more than the other.

Mouth tightening, Lisa set to work on the loosest of them and began to shift it slowly back and forth.