There was no answer and he saw the child was terrified almost beyond words.
The Marquis knelt down on one knee as he had done before.
“Please help me, Nicholas,” he said. “Those wicked people have taken Miss Lingfield away and unless you want them to harm her I have to find her very quickly. So you must please help me.”
The small boy had hidden his head in his arms. But now the Marquis saw his eyes peeping at him and he went on,
“You don’t want them to hurt Miss Lingfield and I must know where they have gone. Come and tell me what you saw. Please, Nicholas.”
For a moment the Marquis thought he had failed. Then Nicholas began to crawl towards him.
He came out from the flounce under the bed and then swiftly, like a small animal that seeks sanctuary, he threw himself against the Marquis
