Page 73 of The Curious Life of the Unfortunate Duchess
“You will remain here,” he told Catherine before they left. “Tend to Mother and Frances. If another note materializes, send a messenger to us at once.”
Catherine had not been happy but she begrudgingly agreed and the men had set on their way. The sat in the bushes surrounding the Cooke manor, discussing their next move.
“I know the servants’ entrance is around the side,” Leonard told them. “We will slip in through there and look about. We will reconvene in one half of an hour.”
“I do not like this,” Percival grumbled again but it was his son who silenced him.
“Father, Liza would be ashamed of you.”
They were harsh words but true nonetheless and the Viscount had the decency to seem humiliated.
“Indeed,” he muttered. “She would.”
It was motivation enough to keep him silent and for that, Leonard was grateful. He knew that Percival wanted nothing more than to get his daughter back safely but his idea of simply paying the ransom was not good enough for Leonard. Why should he part with a fortune when he might have the opportunity to rescue her and bring her captors to justice?
Leonard was surprised at David’s fearlessness, his love for his sister overwhelming his common sense. It did not appear to faze the boy in the least that they were committing an act of burglary.
“Enough talk,” Leonard said firmly. “Let us go.”
They followed the Duke through the shadows and toward the side door, carefully looking about as they did. The hour was late, a fact which Leonard had accounted for. He did not wish to encounter any unnecessary staff in his quest to find Elizabeth.
“I will take the main floor,” he hissed and the Follett men nodded in agreement. Leonard pulled his pocket watch from his waistcoat and eyed the time quickly.
“One half of an hour,” he reminded them and the men did the same, checking the time on their own watches. With a curt nod, they moved in opposite directions.
Leonard’s search took him through the main floor, and into the kitchen. He had yet to see any member of the household and he intended to keep it as such. He silently prayed that his companions were having the same luck.
Armed with only a single candle, one which could easily be extinguished lest he hear footsteps, he searched every room he could find. The Cooke mansion was not nearly as large as Brookside but there were a fair amount of rooms, nonetheless and it did take some time to look. His mouth twisting into a frown of worry, his disappointment mounted when every opened door brought him no closer to Elizabeth. He knew it did not mean anything if he did not find her there—it was entirely possible that the highwaymen had her in a remote town or in the woods, away from prying eyes. He could only hope that if that was true, Lord Cooke had given them orders to treat her well.
It was the lack of knowing which troubled Leonard so greatly. Without understanding why she had truly been taken, he could have no confidence that she was unharmed, her honor intact. All he knew was that she must be found and preferably before he put the duchy into poverty. The sum the kidnappers had requested was beyond reasonable, and one which would inevitably require answers from the crown when it came to light he had used it but Leonard did not care. For Elizabeth’s life, it was a pittance. Money could always be earned. A life taken could never be reclaimed.
And a life like Elizabeth’s deserves to be lived to the fullest—with me.
There was so much they had yet to do together, so many picnics to have, and walks to take. He longed to hear her voice, protesting his jests, and to touch the porcelain smoothness of her flawless complexion. Perhaps he had not realized precisely how much she meant to him until she had been taken but he knew for certain that he would never let her go once she was returned to him.
If she is returned.
The scowl deepened on his face and he chided himself for such a terrible thought. Percival’s dark moods were beginning to take their toll on him. Leonard was certain he would find her. He could feel it in his gut.
The time to meet was near and he slipped back through the halls toward the side entrance, cautiously peering about. David already stood waiting but his back was to Leonard as he approached. He was staring down at the ground as the Duke neared.
“What have you?”
David turned and pointed at the ground, his eyes wide with shock.
“Look!” he whispered and Leonard shifted his eyes toward where David gestured. His eyes narrowed in the darkness, only the moon illuminating the object on the ground.
“What is it?”
David did not reply but it was not necessary for Leonard’s eyes finally focused on what lay on the ground nearby.
“I did not find a thing,” Percival announced in a hushed whisper, joining them but Leonard did not turn. Instead, he crouched and stared blankly at the shoe on the dirt.
“What have you?” the Viscount asked, drawing closer. A strangled gasp escaped his throat.
“Is that Liza’s shoe?” he choked. Leonard could not bring himself to nod and he scooped the object into his hands tenderly as though it was Elizabeth’s own body.
“What is it doing here?” the Viscount growled.
