Page 37 of Unchaining the Heart of the Marquess
“Very well, My Lord. I will do so immediately. I shall arrange for hot water to be brought up for your bath. Mr. Withers awaits you above stairs.”
“Very well. Please see to the lieutenant’s bath as well. It has been a long journey.”
“Of course, My Lord.”
Frederick ascended the stairs to his room and collapsed into a chair. He closed his eyes, and the image of Josephine flashed through his mind. The dream he had had of their married life together in Scotland unfolded before his eyes once more.Josephine, his soul whispered in longing. He wished he had gone straight to Chescrown in spite of his mother’s orders.
“My Lord?” Mr. Withers’ voice interrupted his thoughts.
Frederick opened his eyes to find his valet standing over him with a new set of clothes. He sighed and stood taking the clothes from him. “Thank you, Mr. Withers. I will see to my own needs. You are free to do as you wish. Go and enjoy your Sunday.”
“Thank you, My Lord.” Mr. Withers looked disappointed but did not argue. He left the room, and Frederick laid his clothes down upon the bed. Footmen arrived with a tub and hot water, then left Frederick alone to do as he wished. Disrobing, Frederick slid down beneath the water’s surface. He groaned with the discomfort of so many days in the saddle. His muscles were tense from the past several days of emotional strain. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
Josephine…
Chapter 18
“My Lord! My Lord!” Mr. Withers’ voice awakened him.
“Mr. Withers?”
“Mr. Hanson urgently requests your presence below stairs.”
“Please tell Mr. Hanson that I will be with him shortly.”
Mr. Withers bustled from the room to do as bidden. Frederick dressed and went below stairs. He found Mr. Hanson awaiting him in the library. “There has been another letter,” Mr. Hanson informed him, handing him the piece of paper.
Looking down at the paper he recognized the handwriting. “There has not been enough time for your messenger to make it to Chescrown and back again, Mr. Hanson. How did this come to be here?”
“I do not know, My Lord. I just found it in the hall upon the table.”
“I do not recall seeing anything of the kind when I arrived.”
“It was not there when you arrived, My Lord.”
“That means that the person responsible is still on the Pentford Estate! Mr. Hanson, inform Lt. Buckworth. Send men out from the manor house in all directions. If fortune is on our side, we will find them.”
Frederick raced out to the stables, quickly saddled his horse, and took off down the drive. He doubted that the culprit would be so bold as to take the road, but he had to be certain. As he rode, he intently searched the landscape on either side of him hoping to catch some glimpse of a fleeing figure. He rode all the way to the village but did not find anyone.
Wishing to assure himself that the Evans brothers had not been involved, he rode to Llewelyn Evans’ croft at the edge of the village and found them all sitting around a table eating Sunday supper. There was not a horse in sight, and none of them looked out of breath as if they had just ridden hard from Pentford. “Marquess?” Llewelyn questioned staring at the man standing in his doorway uninvited and unannounced.
“My apologies, Mr. Evans. There has been an intruder at Pentford, and I could use your aid in searching the estate grounds if you have the time.” Frederick decided against admitting that he had suspected them.
“An intruder? Another poacher? I assure you it was not one of us,” Llewelyn stood up and moved toward him, concerned.
“No, not poachers. Someone broke into the house.” He was not sure he should tell them about the note if it had anything to do with their sister, especially since he had not even opened it yet. In a rush to find the person responsible, he had not taken the time to read it. “I could just use your eyes to capture the party responsible.”
“Of course. We will do so immediately.” The brothers all arose and filed out of the house to an outbuilding off to the side of the croft. They emerged with horses and mounted, fading into the forest toward Pentford. Frederick mounted his horse, and he and Llewelyn road back down the road together. They parted ways at the fork, each taking a different route than the one Frederick had taken before. Frederick knew it was probably too late, but he was not willing to give up.
Frederick circled back around toward Pentford. He wanted to see if any of his men had come upon the intruder in his absence. When he returned, he found Mr. Hanson pacing in the drive at the front of the house. Upon seeing Frederick, he hurried forward and grabbed the horse’s reins. “We have not found anyone as of yet, My Lord.”
Frederick dismounted. “I looked in on the Evans brothers and found them all at home, so it was not one of them. I have them aiding in the search from the direction of the village.” He walked into the house and entered the library. Sitting down at his desk he broke the seal on the note and opened it.
Return to Chescrown.
He flipped the paper over to ensure that nothing else was written upon it. It was the first note that had been addressed to him. All of the others had been addressed to his mother, with the one exception of his father. Why would the writer wish for him to return to Chescrown? What could possibly be gained by his presence there? Was he part of the note writer’s plan? The questions swirled through his brain like a whirlpool.
Frederick handed the letter to Mr. Hanson. “Return to Chescrown? Why would the person threatening the Duchess wish for Your Lordship to be at Chescrown?”
