Page 5 of Her Beastly Duke
Duncan was quick to offer her support. “How extraordinary.”
They both stared at the butler, their gazes boring into him, as they remained standing on the step. The butler’s forehead wrinkled, and he pulled back slightly.
Briar saw the hesitancy, and she smiled inwardly.
“I hardly think your lord would be pleased to find that we slept in a broken-down carriage on such a cold night. Highwaymen might even happen upon us. A worrisome notion. Should you not ask him?”
The butler’s lips pressed together in a slight grimace, and he blinked. “The hour is late, Miss Blanche. I am afraid that Your Grace left specific instructions that he was not to be disturbed for the evening.”
He gave a shaky smile that wavered before he stepped aside and permitted Duncan and Briar to enter the hallway.
“Please come in,” he said.
He proceeded down the hallway and led them to a drawing room where a fire burned. Briar sighed her relief.
“Make yourselves comfortable. I will bring you a meal while Agnes prepares your rooms.” The butler turned and left the room.
Briar moved toward the fireplace, quickly removed her gloves, and warmed her hands. Duncan immediately started looking around the drawing room, and Briar followed suit. There were paintings on the wall, but none were the forgery. Now that they were inside the estate, she was overwhelmed by how large it was and the numerous rooms they needed to search. This was going to be a serious challenge.
Once Duncan had completed his cursory search, he moved closer to the fireplace. Briar whispered because she could nevertell who was lurking around. Her mother always said the walls had ears, and she could not risk being overheard.
“The house is much larger than I anticipated, so it is not feasible for us to search together. We could search all night and not be able to find it,” Briar said. The house was four stories, and it would be an unfamiliar maze. “Thankfully, it seems as if the duke has retired for the evening.”
Duncan tugged at his neckcloth and sighed. “I had noticed in the forecourt, and I suppose you are right. We must split up. I will take the left wing, and you could take the right. We will return to our room before the servants are up at dawn.”
“Agreed,” Briar replied.
There was a knock on a door, and a servant appeared with a platter. Briar and Duncan ate by the fire. Shortly after that, a matronly servant entered the room and curtsied.
“I am Agnes, my lord, Miss Blanche, and I am here to show you to your rooms.”
Agnes was quite a welcoming contrast to the butler. Briar and Duncan followed her up the wide stairs to the first landing, down the hall where the doors to two rooms were ajar.
Agnes pointed to each room across the hall from each other. “My lord, Miss Blanche. I bid you goodnight.”
“Thank you, Agnes. Goodnight.”
They both replied before entering their respective rooms and closing the door. Briar curiously looked around the well-appointed room. The bed was neatly made, and the pillows and cushions made it appear so inviting. She wondered if she could take a short nap before snooping around but decided against it. Instead, she moved over to an armchair and took a seat. It was quite late, so the servants would soon be off to bed. It was a matter of mere hours before they would need to rise again, and she felt a bit guilty about robbing them of sleep.
Briar was determined that they should find the forgery by daylight. This was their one chance because now that the servants had seen their faces, it would be difficult to find a plausible reason to return where they were not wanted. Briar leaned her head against the cushion of the armchair and closed her eyes. She came awake with a start and listened to the house's silence.
Goodness! I fell asleep.
She did not think that she had been asleep for too long. Briar removed her shoes so that she would quietly walk around in her stocking. She had kept the lantern from their walk to the estate and used one of the candles to light it.
Briar cracked the door and listened before she entered the hallway. It was silent. She slowly padded across the hall and opened the door to Duncan’s room, but he had already left. Duncan had a head start and Briar was irritated that he did not wake her. She exited the room and softly closed the door behind her. She turned right down the passageway and walked with more confidence than she felt.
When she arrived at the first closed door, her knees began trembling, but she had to go ahead and open it. Slowly, she twisted the nob and entered the room, holding the lantern to illuminate the surroundings. She scanned the bedchamber and found the painting was not there. She blew out a slow breath without realizing she was holding it. This seemed less like an adventure and more of a recipe for how to become ruined beyond redemption.
She exited the room and continued down the hall, slowly opening the door of each room, only to be disappointed. She had gone through a few rooms and was about to enter another wing of the house when the hairs lifted on the nape of her neck. A voice from behind startled her.
“Are you lost, my lady?”
It was Agnes. Did these servants never sleep?
Briar’s hands trembled, and her fingers tightened reflexively on the lantern. Hoping she appeared composed, she spun around. Agnes was only trying to follow the duke’s orders. She flashed Agnes a warm smile. “I could not sleep, so I stepped outside my bedchamber to wander for a spell. When I am at home, walking around somehow aids me to sleep like a baby.”
“My lady, the wing you are about to enter is forbidden, and the master would be angry if you were caught there.” Agnes sounded anxious.
