Page 56 of The Wise Daughter
I will not lose, Nora! I will not fail her!
His heart plummeted every time he imagined her leaving. Or getting hurt. The fire had brought the danger too close. Clutching his stomach, he amended his previous thought. He would have to be patient with Nora but ruthless with the thieves.
Chapter 20
Aaron knew sleep would be his enemy that night. Rather than fight it, he went in search of a more menacing foe. Bypassing his bed, he lifted the false bottom of the drawer of his bedside table to reveal a hidden compartment in the back where he kept a small pistol. His night clothes had no pocket, but that didn’t matter. If he needed to use it, it was right where it should be.
He hated to leave his self-appointed post near Nora for even a minute, but her door was locked and no one knew where she was. It would have to be enough for the short time he intended to slip away.
The corridor beyond his warm bedchamber was dark and cold. Nora wanted to catch the criminals. Well, so did he, especially now that he understood what a dreadful obstacle they were. She wanted answers. He wanted justice. He wanted a castle that was safe for everyone. Most of all, he wanted his bride.
Through the dark, drafty corridors, he quietly slunk his way to her burnt room. As he entered the unrecognizable bedchamber, Aaron flung his arm across his face and coughed, his lungs sputtering. Smoke hung heavily in the air despite the open windows letting in clean night breezes. All that remained of the bed was a pile of crumpled wood sitting like used kindling. Blackened strips of ravaged curtains hung from the windows like dead branches. Black puddles pooled eerilybetween the stones. If it weren’t for the castle’s stone walls, the entire place might still be burning.
Aaron had no proof the fire was not an accident, but he didn’t need proof, not in this instance. He knew. He only hoped he could find a hint of who was responsible.
He took a step back. Was it the light of his candle playing tricks on his eyes? Or had the fire consumed only half the room, the half that contained Nora’s bed? The fireplace mantle, dressing table, and glass on the other side were singed but not devoured like the bed frame.
Whoever had done this must have thought she was asleep in her bed.
The devils!
Aaron took his time, weaving about, looking for what, he didn’t know. He must have circled the room a dozen times when he finally saw a small glint of something behind the door. There he found a necklace of pearls, one of his mother’s if he was not mistaken. Nora had probably worn it recently or had been planning to, but it was remarkably free of soot.
Something rustled in the adjoining dressing room. Aaron held very still, listening to be sure he hadn’t imagined it. Had someone known he was here this whole time? Silently, he cocked his pistol, moved to just outside the door, and waited. Whoever was there would need to pass him to leave.Perfect.
He waited for what felt like an endless string of minutes while whoever was there rifled through belongings the fire had spared, just as he had done.
A tall figure came lumbering out at last. Aaron raised his pistol and aimed it at the man. “Don’t move unless you want a bullet through your head.”
Even in the dark, Aaron could sense the man tremble.
“Oh, it’s you, Derricott! I don’t frighten easily, but you’ve done a right proper job of it tonight.”
Aaron tensed when he heard his friend’s voice. “For your sake, Ruthers, I hope you have an exceptional explanation for why you are here.” He couldn’t decide whether he should lower his pistol or keep it trained on his supposed friend.This is Ruthers!If he couldn’t trust him, they were all in trouble. Aaron settled on half-lowering his weapon, but he kept his grip tight.
“I came to search the place,” Ruthers said a little too calmly. “Wanted to see if I could get a better idea of what happened. Isn’t that why you’re here?”
“Yes, but I have a good reason to be here. You don’t.” Aaron wished he could read Ruthers’s expression in the dimness. “You know, Ruthers, I don’t recall seeing you among those trying to extinguish the fire. If you’re so eager to help, where were you then?” The hairs on his arms stood on edge while his skin began to simmer. His grip on his pistol tightened to an almost painful point.
Ruthers shifted slightly on his feet, glancing at the pistol. “What are you implying, Derricott? This is me you’re talking to.”
“I know, but things are getting more complicated. I need you to tell me exactly where you were when the fire broke out.” Sweat began to trickle down the back of his neck.
Ruthers swiped his hand across his forehead. “I would like to, but I can’t do that, Derricott. I promise I have a very good reason for not telling you.”
“That isn’t good enough.” Aaron lifted his pistol higher. “You’ll have to tell me. Or this castle’s dungeon will have an occupant for the first time in over a century. I deserve to know the truth. Nora deserves the truth.”
The silence between them grew taut until Ruthers released a low chuckle.
“Miss Lacy has you smitten! Gone, you are! She has my respect for that, she does.”
Aaron didn’t know whether to laugh with his friend or shoot him on the spot, but he kept his pistol aimed true. Ruthers had never evaded his questions like this before. “You know she suspects you.”
“Does she? Can’t say I blame her, being thrust into this mess. It’s a shame it’s led to this.” He gestured to the pistol and gave a half-hearted laugh.
Aaron was growing impatient, and he knew Ruthers could tell. “I want to believe you’re innocent, Ruthers, but things aren’t looking in your favor at the moment. You know that, don’t you? Nora saw you hiding something in the stables the other day, and it didn’t escape our attention that you were absent from the meeting she called for the servants.”
“So that’s what I am now? Just your servant? I thought I came here to help you. Or did you forget about that time I saved your life in Hesse-Kassel?” Ruthers was growing louder, his voice carrying a new edge.
