Page 26 of His Sinful Touch

Bellard frowned. “Hmm. Well, let’s take a look at the map.” He led them over to a wall that faced onto the street, where four long, narrow windows were interspersed with maps. The centerpiece was a very large map of England set on corkboard. Pins of various colors were stuck in it haphazardly. “You have any idea what part of the country?”

“We think it’s not terribly far from Newbury, though I don’t know in what direction. I would guess north or south of it. Sabrina took a train from there to Newbury to catch the line to London. She wouldn’t have had to if it lay east or west of the town. Actually... Of course! It has to be south. The railway runs down to Winchester, not north from Newbury.”

Bellard slid his finger slowly down in a line. “Aha!” He tapped the map, twice. “Here we are. Baddesly Commons. Hmm.” He furrowed his brow. “I can’t think of anything significant about this area. Actually, Wellington built a country house not far from here.” He paused as the parrot let out a screech and repeated his name. “Yes, Wellie, quite right. But I believe it’s east of there a bit.”

“Stratfield Saye,” Alex agreed. “Highclere is in that area, too, I believe.”

“Highclere? What’s that?” Sabrina asked.

“Lord Carnarvon’s house. Family name is, um...”

“I believe they’re a minor line of the Herberts,” his uncle offered.

Well, that certainly didn’t start with a B, Sabrina thought—not that she was likely to be related to a lord.

Alex looked to Sabrina, and she shook her head. “None of this sounds familiar to me.”

“Well, no, it wouldn’t to most people,” Bellard agreed.

“I hoped that if we learned a little about the places, the people, something might spark a memory for Sabrina,” Alex explained to his uncle.

“I can look into the local histories and find names of the local families,” Uncle Bellard suggested.

“That’s too much work,” Sabrina protested.

“I don’t mind.” Bellard smiled. “I quite enjoy reading about history, even when I don’t know the people. There are so many interesting things that crop up. I just need to find the right books.” He waved his hand vaguely toward the shelves he had been perusing when they entered.

“What about Bath?”

“Bath. Oh, well, yes, there’s quite a bit of history there, all the way back to the Romans. But what does Bath have to do with it?”

“I’m not sure,” Alex admitted. “It appears she bought a ticket to Bath as well as one to London. We believe it was probably done to confuse her pursuers.”

“Someone is pursuing you? Oh, my.” Uncle Bellard frowned. “Do you know why? No, of course you don’t, silly of me. My dear girl, it’s a very good thing you came here. We have a bit of experience with these sorts of things.”

Since this was the last thing Sabrina had expected him to say about her situation, she could only stare at him.

“It’s possible,” Alex went on, “that there was no reason to buy a ticket for Bath other than that it lay in the opposite direction from London.” He turned toward Sabrina. “But I thought that perhaps it had some significance, some reason why your pursuer would think you were more likely to go there than London.”

“If there is, I don’t know it. I don’t know much of anything about the place, really, aside from the waters. And there’s a cathedral there, isn’t there?”

“Yes, indeed, a lovely cathedral. It’s a very charming town, not as fashionable as it once was, of course. The Romans called it Aquae Sulis, as the Celts had called the sacred spring Sulis after one of their goddesses. Easy for the Romans to change the goddess to their Minerva. There were... But, no, I’m wandering afield.” Uncle Bellard gave Sabrina a shy smile that won her heart. “I fear history will not be much aid in this situation. The thing is, Alexander, Bath wouldn’t necessarily be the destination. From Bath, one can travel to several different places. Anyone pursuing Miss, um, Sabrina would have to know that she could go north into the Cotswalds or down to Taunton or Exeter, even into Cornwall. One could continue west to Bristol, and from there, to Wales or, well, almost anywhere, if one took a ship. So someone who knew her might have a reason for thinking she was traveling to any one of those other places. Bath might be enough to send him haring off there.”

“You’re right. It’s a clever place to choose, especially if, as Sabrina thinks, she doesn’t know London well.”

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell us anything about who I might be,” Sabrina said.

“Mmm. That’s true. Well, I shall see what I can find out about Baddesly Commons in my books. Perhaps that will give you somewhere to start.” Bellard nodded to them and shuffled off toward the opposite wall, lined with bookcases.

Sabrina looked after the old man in concern. “Isn’t this too hard for him? Should he do all that standing?”

“Uncle Bellard isn’t nearly as fragile as he looks—just as he’s not really so vague, either. I think they’re both a bit of protective coloring, like a chameleon, so that people will leave him alone to putter about, doing what he likes. I’ve seen him stand in here for hours, placing his replicas just so.”

Sabrina glanced around at the numerous tables. “They’re really remarkable. It’s all so painstaking and meticulous. It must take a great deal of research.”

“It does. But as he said, delving into history is what he loves.”

“What are we to do while he is searching?” Sabrina asked. “It’s all very well that your uncle and Megan and your employee are looking for information, but I cannot bear to just sit about waiting. I should be doing something.” She frowned. “Perhaps I should simply go back to Baddesly Commons. Maybe I would remember everything if I saw it again, and if not, at least someone might recognize me.”