"I don't know how we will come out of this at all," Lawry admitted with another sigh as he followed her into the bedroom to get dressed. "There is no good solution, Clare." If there was, he'd have suggested it long ago. So long as Edmund refused to give Connie a divorce, she was a prisoner in her own marriage. He'd thought perhaps Oliver had finally given up after all these years, but after seeing the longing looks his friend and his sister had been exchanging at the wedding, he'd realized that was not the case. "Edmund is too proud and stubborn to grant Connie a divorce, and Oliver loves her too much to let him have her."

"I am not hearing anything about what Connie might wish in this, love," his wife pointed out, her tone just a little arch. Though their world was a man's world, she knew he thought more of his sister than most brothers did. "It seems quite clear to me that she has made her decision. Scandal or not, she deserves some happiness. Her husband is an unmitigated ass." As she spoke, she was unlacing her dress busily, shrugging easily out of it to fetch out her traveling suit, unashamed of parading about in her underwear in front of his eyes. There was nothing particularly alluring about the ridiculous sight of that bustle cage projecting out from her own backside several inches, anyway.

"I know what Connie wants, Clare," Lawry insisted, and if he knew of a way to legally give it to her, he would, but he'd been over it in his head countless times and had never come to a good conclusion. "Don't you think I want her to be happy?" he countered, as he helped her unlace her dress, relieved men's clothing wasn't so uncomfortable or difficult to change in and out of. "After Father's death, I sought legal counsel. I appealed to the church. None of them would listen. None of them cared. As far as they were concerned, Connie was legally Edmund's wife and property to do with as he pleased. Is it any wonder women seek emancipation when they are treated like nothing more than chattel?"

"I do not doubt your intentions, love," she promised him, turning to touch his cheek. "I know you love your sister, and your friend. Perhaps, if we reach them in time, we may be able to prevail upon Edmund to give her up. Surely his honor could better bear a divorce than the scandal of being abandoned?"

Her touch calmed him a little, though there was nothing that could calm the fear in his heart until he saw for himself that the two people he loved most in the world, save his wife, were safe. "I cannot read Edmund's heart or mind. He is the kind of man whose pride is stronger than his honor. He is the kind of man who would keep her, just to keep Ollie from having her," Lawry explained sadly. Though he did not know everything that went on in the Stanley household, he'd seen enough to know Connie was not happy with Edmund and did not love him.

Clare frowned with him, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "Then we will simply have to be persuasive," she told him. Though she did not know Oliver Blackwood well herself, she trusted that Lawry could not be wrong in his friend. That Connie loved him, and had done for years, was a tragedy that had to be set right in her eyes, and though it was not ideal, this situation provided them with a perfect opportunity. "Or I could hit him with a hat stand while they make their escape," she added, trying to lighten his expression a little. "Your choice."

"That is a tempting thought," he admitted, glad for a little humor amidst the worry and even smiling a little. "Let us just hope we arrive in time to stop Edmund from killing them both," he added, turning to go change into something more appropriate for travel than a smoking jacket and trousers.

"I very much doubt Edmund can hold his own in a fair fight with Mr. Blackwood," Clare pointed out, pulling her skirt on over her head to secure it safely at her waist. Edmund was an aristocrat; Oliver was a sailor. A fair fight between the men could be decided without a single punch being thrown, but she doubted Edmund was the type of man to fight fair.

"Yes, but Edmund won't fight fair," Lawry pointed out, saying exactly what it was that Clare was thinking. "I am not sure how we are going to resolve this," he said sadly, at a total loss, though he was not yet willing to give up.

"Then we will have to make it up as we go," she said firmly, sliding her arms into her jacket. Her hair was half down, but there was no time to dress it. She would simply have to hope that no one passed too much comment on that fact. The hat might make it look like a new fashion. She could hope, anyway.

"Is it horrible of me to have wished they'd escaped?" he asked, as he exchanged one coat for another and ran his fingers through his hair in a meager attempt to look presentable. He wasn't sure where Ollie and Connie had been planning to go, and he knew he would have missed them, but if it was the only way they could be happy, then so be it.

"Not at all," she assured him. "I don't doubt they planned this as best they could, but no one can predict Edmund. The man runs hot and cold without forewarning." She caught up her gloves and reticule from the table, turning to meet his gaze. "Let's go, shall we?"

"I'm sorry, Clare," he found himself apologizing. Though what had happened was not his fault and couldn't have been predicted, it was cutting their honeymoon short - a honeymoon they were both sorry to see end.

"Oh, darling ..." She smiled gently, catching his hand in her own. "There will be other times for us. I think we should make sure that your sister has that luxury for herself, don't you?" She let her lips brush his cheek lightly, stepping back. "Come. You won't be easy until you see them again."

It was Edmund he was dreading seeing, knowing the man was going to be difficult at best, but he nodded his head in agreement, wishing there was some way they could warn Oliver and Constance in advance. It would take a while to get to Bristol, and he wasn't going to rest easy 'til they got there.

The housekeeper met them at the bottom of the stairs, taking quick instructions from Clare as to how and where to send their trunks before bidding the couple farewell. It was a matter of only an hour to take the carriage to the station, and the train to Pembroke station, where they had to change for Bristol. There, Clare sent a telegram to her father, asking him to instruct his factor in Bristol to delay Edmund Stanley if at all possible, before they boarded the very next train. By the mid-afternoon, they were in the city port, weary of travel, but both agitated by their proximity to what they both hoped was not a disaster in the making.

"I am not sure how we are to find them before Edmund does," Lawry complained as they disembarked, looking around to get their bearings and decide where to go from there. He wasn't as familiar with Bristol as Oliver would have been, but he guessed his friend would have chosen a place not far from either the station or the port, but comfortable enough to suit Connie's tastes.

Clare touched his arm gently, trying to soothe him. A few minutes was not going to make any difference at this moment. And it was only a few minutes.

"Ah, here we are, sir," Phillips said, handing over three sheets of paper. "Manifests for the Charlotte Rhodes, the Crystal Fall, and the Following Wave, all bound for America or Australia within the next three days."

America or Australia" Lawry frowned. They couldn't run much farther away than that, and if Lawry and Clare were smart enough to find the manifests, so was Edmund, even if his father-in-law had slowed the man down a little. Lawry took the manifests in hand, gaze skimming the list of passengers who were scheduled to travel aboard each of the ships. He had a feeling Ollie wouldn't be foolish enough to use his own name, but he hoped he'd find some clue among the names, and lo and behold, there it was - scheduled to board the Crystal Fall in two days time, bound for New York - Mr. and Mrs. O. Black. That had to be them. Lawry handed the manifests back to the man with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Mr. Phillips. That was very helpful."

"My pleasure, my lord," Phillips nodded to him, taking back the papers. "Can I help you with anything else, sir?"

Clare glanced curiously at Lawry - if he had found what he was looking for, then he wouldn't need her close at hand any longer. Perhaps she should book into a hotel and make a big noise; it might distract Edmund for a little while.

Though they might have the name of the ship Ollie had booked himself and Connie on, they still didn't know where they might be staying in the meantime. "Actually, there is something else. My wife and I are going to be staying in Bristol for a few days. Can you recommend a respectable hotel or inn that's not too far from the docks?"

"The Rose and Lion is an appropriate sort of place, sir," Phillips told him, the name coming easily. "They'll fall over themselves to see you to both."

Clare smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Phillips," she nodded to him. "Please don't worry about our business here. With luck, it will not impact upon you in the slightest."

And with any luck, Oliver had chosen that very same inn for those very same reasons. Lawry moved to his feet and offered a hand to his father-in-law's man. "Thank you, Mr. Phillips. You've been very helpful."

"As I say, sir, if you need anything else, I'll be happy to oblige," Phillips assured him. "My clerk will have held your cab for you." Though he couldn't pretend to know what was going on, the sudden presence of Captain Blackwood, Lord Stanley, and Lord Arden on the Bristol docks suggested something momentous was about to happen in his small slice of the world.

"If we need anything else, we'll be in touch," Lawry assured him, before turning to take Clare's arm and lead her toward the door. There was no necessity to pay the man as he was in the employ of Clare's father and as such, paid for his time and trouble.

Thankfully, Clare's sweeping performance on the way in meant that clerks jumped to open doors for them as they made their way out, and the cab was, indeed, waiting for them on the stoop. The Rose and Lion turned out to be a very nicely appointed little hotel, perfectly situated for first-class passengers to embark on their voyages without having to travel far to the docks at all. Within an hour, Clare and Lawry had been settled in a beautiful room.

"So how much of a performance should I make of myself while you're gone?" Lawry's redheaded wife asked him with wry amusement.

"I suppose that depends on whether you encounter Edmund or not," Lawry replied, once they were settled in their room and had taken a few minutes to freshen up. "I found a Mr. and Mrs. Black scheduled to depart in two days aboard the Crystal Fall," he told her, now that they were alone.

"Oh dear." Clare sat down on the window seat, closing her eyes for a moment. "That is very obvious, love," she warned. "If Edmund has discovered the ship, he will have discovered where they are by now. You should go to the dock and meet with the captain. He'll know where his passengers are staying in Bristol."

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing, but I suppose he didn't have much choice," Lawry replied with a worried frown. He supposed it wasn't that easy trying to travel incognito when you were expected to prove who you were, though Ollie could probably afford to pay for a few extra favors. "We just need to find them before Edmund does," he added, though what they were going to after that, he wasn't too sure. Talk them out of leaving" Somehow convince Edmund to let Connie go' "What do you suppose Edmund wants even more than Connie?"

Clare's expression darkened. She had her suspicions, but she didn't really want to share them. And yet he had asked her. She couldn't lie to Lawry. "Dearest ....it's fairly obvious that he wants Arden," she said quietly. "For what other reason would he keep Connie, and be so disapproving of your marriage" If I were a suspicious sort, I might even think he had a hand in your first wife's death."

Lawry's jaw dropped open and he blinked in obvious shock, not only at the suggestion that Edmund secretly desired Arden, but might have had a hand in Adelaide's death. "But ....Arden belongs to me. If he truly wants Arden, he'd have to ..." He trailed off, not really wanting to finish that thought. Edmund was a cad of the worst kind, but was he a killer"

"He'd have to kill you," Clare said soberly. "And me. Connie is your heir, until you have children, and since the law dictates that a woman cannot own property of her own, that makes Edmund your heir. I do not want to think it, but his actions toward your sister would suggest his goals are not seemly."

"You're suggesting he had a hand in Adelaide's death," Lawry said, his face turning a shade too pale. Whether she was right or wrong, it was too late to prove it now, unless the man admitted his guilt outright. Could Edmund really be that cunning, that deceitful" "It would also explain why he was so against our marriage," he pointed out. That made Edmund far more dangerous than Lawry had considered.

"A man in his position would ordinarily have divorced a wife who did not give him children long before ten years passed," she said quietly, staring down at her knees. "He must have some other reason to keep her. But if this is his plan, and he does manage to remove us, Connie will not long survive us, I think."

"All the more reason for us to find her," Lawry said, though if that was truly Edmund's plan, he wouldn't dare harm Connie until after he got rid of Lawry and Clare. He wondered briefly if they should get the authorities involved, but that would cause a scandal for sure, and that was exactly what they were trying to avoid. "The sooner I speak with the captain, the better. Are you going to be all right here while I'm gone?" he asked, torn between the desire to find his sister and the desire to keep his wife safe.

"I will be perfectly all right," she promised him, rising to her feet. "Should Edmund arrive and ask to speak with me, I will not allow myself to be alone with him, I swear to you." She reached out to touch his arm, worry clear in her blue eyes. "You will be careful, won't you?"

"As careful as I can be," he promised, sliding his arms around her waist to touch a kiss to her sweet lips. "I will make it up to you, love. I swear," he promised, lingering in her embrace, though he knew he couldn't linger long.

She nestled into his arms, answering his gentle kiss with her own. "Just come back to me whole and successful," she told him softly. "I do not need to be placated for the loss of one week when we have a lifetime to share." She kissed him softly once more, gently pulling away. "Now go. Your sister may not know it, but she needs you."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised, pulling reluctantly away. So long as Edmund didn't know she was there, she should be safe, but Clare's suspicions worried him, not so much about his own safety as hers. "Don't let anyone in that you don't know and trust. If I'm not back in a few hours, tell Phillips to contact the proper authorities."

"I won't," she assured him obediently, unwilling to risk distracting him with worry when he needed to lay all his attention and care onto Connie and Oliver. "Be safe, love. I'll be waiting for you."

"I love you," he told her, just before he stepped out the door, a man on a much more urgent mission that either of them had originally believed. If Clare was right, then something had to be done about Edmund before he hurt anyone else. Even if she was wrong, he had to be stopped. If that meant putting his sister and closest friend on a boat for Australia, never to see them again, then so be it. They had all suffered enough for Edmund Stanley's pride.