Page 4 of The Baroness of Sin
He was considering returning to the work he had been attempting to finish all day but decided against it. Fate had decided that work, in particular, would remain incomplete today, and who was he to try and fight the flow of the destiny?
He stood, feeling the muscles he didn’t know he was tensing relax as a soreness wrapped itself around him. Another long sip of the strong wine, and he thought that bed might be a better choice. Before he could follow through, though, there was a knock at his office door.
“Come in,” he said curtly, unsure who would bother him at this late an hour.
He recognized the slim dark figure before she fully emerged from the shadow of the door. “My Lord,” she said.
“Ah, Miss Blake, what can I do for you?” James asked, slightly surprised. He did not often see the governess without his daughter in tow. It was an odd moment, like finding something missing from a painting he had seen every day.
“That is what I came to ask you, Lord. I know dealing with your daughter’s inquisitiveness can be daunting,” she said with a small measure of sympathy.
James shook his head. “It is natural to want to know of one’s parents. She has no concept of grief, and I hope it is a lesson she won’t learn for a long time, if I am to be honest,” he sighed, lost in thought for a moment. “I’m still worried about my dear Amanda. If you could check on her, make sure she is sleeping? I want to know she is doing well. I know difficult emotions can be hard on such a small girl,” the Earl asked, his eyes full of concern and a softness that he reserved just for when he was speaking of his daughter.
Miss Blake gave a curt nod. “Of course, Lord Barristen. I will make sure that the child is seen to. Will you be requiring anything else?” She paused ever so slightly. “Should I return to let you know how she is?”
“I do not think that will be necessary. I believe I am going to retire early this evening, and I trust you can see to anything she needs. You have proven yourself to be a more than a capable governess, Miss Blake, I know I can rely on you,” James told her and meant it. He did not know the first thing about child-rearing and had found himself a father of a toddler and in mourning at the same time. Miss Sarah Blake had been there to help him pick up the pieces, and he would always be grateful for her assistance.
“You honor me, My Lord. I will be off then. Please have a peaceful evening,” the governess said with a thin smile and exited the room.
James spent a few minutes collecting himself, sorting the paperwork and arranging the ledgers in the correct order. He took his time and felt no need to rush this straightening, hence his surprise when a frantic knocking rang through the quiet and sleepy office. When he opened the door and found a panicked and breathless Miss Blake, his surprise turned to shock.
“Miss Blake, dear woman, what is the matter?” James asked.
Sarah Blake struggled to find her voice through the gasps of air, and James could only feel the knot of panic grow and tighten in his gut with each passing second that he had no explanation. It had to be Amanda; what else would distress his governess so? But what could have occurred to his poor sweet daughter as she lay sleeping in her bed?
“It’s Amanda, My Lord!” she finally said between gasping breaths. “She is missing!”
“Missing?” The word rang quiet and hollow on James’ own ears.
“She isn’t in her bed, and none of the servants have seen her anywhere in the house,” Miss Blake explained. “I made sure to check all the obvious places before informing you. I was sure she would be simply sneaking sweets in the larder again, but I…” She stopped to take another breath then simply shook her head instead of finishing her sentence.
The world began to tunnel around James, and the floor became like sand beneath his feet, causing him to feel his sense of balance no longer belonged to him. He couldn’t have lost his daughter as well. That wouldn’t be right. That wouldn’t be fair. She was all he had in the whole world; it wouldn’t be right for her to be taken from him.
His own voice echoed in his head, “Get ahold of yourself, James. Amanda needs you now more than ever. She is out there, somewhere, and she needs her father to find her.”
The world snapped back into clear focus. James felt his blood run cold in his veins and he turned to the governess who seemed on the edge of panic. “Miss Blake, your attention if you please.”
“Yes, My Lord. I’m sorry, My Lord.”
“No need to apologize. Please pay close attention, as I need your help.” He spoke to her directly and clearly as he looked her in the eye. “Assemble the staff. Everyone, sleeping or not. Have them meet me in the entrance hall, understand?”
She nodded for a moment. “What are we assembling them for, My Lord?”
“We are going to organize into search parties using whoever knows each part of the house and the land best,” he informed her while he put his coat back on and prepared a lantern. “We are going to find my daughter, no matter what. I know no one here will hesitate; my daughter is as much theirs as she is mine,” James remarked with an almost bitter smile. “It’s a shame that it takes moments like this to remind me of that sometimes.”
The governess looked like she didn't know what to say.
“Miss Blake, please, I urge you to hurry and fetch the staff.” James insisted.
She gave a quick apologetic bow and hurried away into the dark hall behind her.
As Lord Barristen turned to grab the master ring of keys from his desk, he noticed a mixture of colorful light cast from a nearby manor through the window of his office. A curious and suspicious look crossed his face before he departed to meet with his staff.
Chapter Five
The cool night air was relieving and refreshing, and it soothed the overly warm Martha. Her legs were hot and aching from the dancing, and her face was flushed from the bit of drink she had been sipping throughout the night. The giddiness that had carried her from one social circle to another in the grand ballroom began to flicker when surrounded by darkness. It did not make her feel somber, though. It made her feel serene.
She was about to let her thoughts wander when a pale thing caught her eye. At first, she would have sworn it was a ghost, dancing this way and that through the pathways of her family’s garden. As it drew closer, she realized that the paleness was the white of a child’s nightclothes, and the thing was in fact a young girl. This did resolve one mystery but created a completely new one, a mystery much more grounded in reality yet somehow more difficult to solve as a result.
