Page 34 of A Duke Under Her Spell
“Is there a better explanation, Your Grace?” Oliver hated to argue with the Duke on such a topic, but he could not fathom any other way outside of the man being an actual ghost.
“No, I do not have one as of yet, but give me time. I refuse to believe that any of my men would betray me.”
“I sincerely hope that you are right in placing your faith with your men, Your Grace, but we should remain vigilant nevertheless where the comings and goings of the staff are concerned.”
“The one time that I saw him I did not recognize him. I know all of the men under my employ, but he did appear to be wearing some sort of disguise, makeup and the like, to enhance his ghostly appearance. It is possible that such was enough for me not to know him in the instant that I beheld his visage. What I do not understand is what would be the point in carrying on in such a fashion? What is his reasoning for such behavior?”
“I do not know. It is as if his entire purpose is to cause fear and panic.”
“Well if that is his purpose he is succeeding.”
“We will do all we can to put a stop to it, Your Grace.”
“Very well, but if we do not ascertain who the culprit is and bring an end to this madness, I will be forced to remove Mother from Arkley Hall to safer climes.”
“It might be best if you did so sooner rather than later, Your Grace. Perhaps the trip to Bath you were planning before all of this began?”
Oliver knew that if the Dowager Duchess went then Marybeth would be forced to follow and he wanted her as far away from what was happening as possible. As the ghostly hauntings had not begun until she arrived, he suspected that her presence might have been the catalyst for the hauntings. Too many people believed her to be a witch capable of such things for it to be a coincidence.
“Perhaps that would be best, but that would leave you and Mr. Wheatly in charge of apprehending the culprit alone. I do not wish to place either of you in such a difficult situation.”
“I assure Your Grace that we are up to the task should you choose to pursue such a course.”
“Thank you, Oliver. For now, let us place a guard here in this room and see what we might learn of our vanishing nemesis.”
“I will take the first watch.” Oliver volunteered anxious to see the difficulty dealt with in a timely manner.
“Very well. I would like a man posted out in the hall at all times as well to ensure that you are not alone. We have no way of knowing how many men might be involved.”
“We are becoming quite stretched for men, Your Grace,” Mr. Wheatly noted having joined them in the hall at the bottom of the stairs. “With all of the places to guard within the manor house and the men at Blackleigh Castle, I am not certain when we will all sleep, but we will find a way, Your Grace.”
“With God’s help we will make it through this, gentlemen. Fear not. It will take more than a ghostly apparition to fell Arkley Hall.”
* * *
Later that night, Oliver sat in the pitch-black darkness of the hidden room waiting for any sign of the intruder. It was an eerie sensation, sitting in the dark waiting for whom or what he did not know. He was not a superstitious man by nature, but he had to admit as the night drug on that he was beginning to have his doubts. The house creaked and groaned as it settled around him causing shivers to travel up and down his spine.
The air in the room was stale and made it difficult to draw a regular breath. He vowed that as soon as he was done, he would go outside and breath in the clear crisp morning air to cleanse his lungs. In his opinion there was nothing like fresh morning air to do a body good and invigorate the senses. He and Marybeth had spent many a happy morning running through the forest as children.
I hope Marybeth is safe and resting peacefully.
The hours came and went as Oliver fought to stay awake and yet remain calm so as not to let paranoia get the best of him. He stirred restlessly in the room’s only chair, causing the wood to creak. He immediately stilled so as not to alert the intruder of his presence. His muscles cried out to be relieved from their position, but he was not willing to risk moving further. He did not know how much longer he would be able to endure sitting there, but he was determined to go the distance.
Unable to bear the misery of sitting still a moment longer, he leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands over his face briskly. Attempting to occupy his mind and take it off of his aches and pains he contemplated everything that had transpired since Marybeth’s arrival.
Are these hauntings related to her presence? Is someone after her? Or does this have nothing to do with her and is merely a coincidence of time? Is the Duke in danger? I have so many questions and not nearly enough answers.
Sighing he leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment.I would never forgive myself if anything happened to either of them.He thought of the looks he had seen being passed between the Duke and Marybeth.There is something between them whether they realize it or not. The real question is if they will each be brave enough to embrace the possibility of a future together.He knew that it was highly doubtful, as a man of the Duke’s station was bound by certain social strictures.If he is wise, he will pursue her. But will she allow him to catch her?
Marybeth was a fiercely independent woman in an era where such a thing was scarce indeed, with the exception of the truly wealthy widows of the country.It is doubtful that she would willingly give up her freedom or her home in the forest, but I worry about her being out there all alone. It was one thing when she had her beloved grandmother, but now…He shook his head in concern.It is not good that she might remain alone for the rest of her days. It is not good for anyone, let alone a beautiful young woman of skill such as she. She is capable of helping so many people.
Oliver determined to speak with her on the matter before her time at Arkley Hall was over. He could not allow her to return to the forest without first speaking his piece. He hoped by then she would have formed enough close connections to want to stay.A wedding would be nice, he thought with a smile.
The sound of wood scraping against wood drew his attention back to the darkened room. It had sounded as if the noise had come from the door in the wall instead of the trapdoor as he had expected. Footsteps sounded across the floor and Oliver struck the match in his pocket so that he might see who had entered the room. His efforts were cut short by a sharp pain on the side of his head as he was struck with an unseen blunt instrument. The last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was grabbing onto the man’s pant leg as he fell to the floor.
Chapter 14
“Oliver? Oliver!” Marybeth rushed forward, kneeling down beside her friend’s prone form upon the floor. “Oliver!” She cried out his name over and over in an attempt to wake him but met with nothing but silence.
