Page 50 of The Rise of a Forsaken Lady
It was dangerous for him to ask. “On?”
“On Hillbrook,” she said making him tense. She was still facing Bessie, so she did not see his sudden wariness. “He can be a proud one, but there is a reason for that. His father was absent for a good part of his life, and he was raised by servants.”
Or perhaps he was just born conceited.
“Do you really think that is the reason?” Heath dared ask.
“Until I get another one, I will have to use it,” Lady Penelope said.
Which tells me that you are not satisfied with that one. I must agree with you, albeit silently, it is a flimsy one.
She pulled away from the horse and smiled. “Now that I’m back in her good books, let us go back, Mr. Moore. I hate that I take you away from your duties.”
“You have not eaten yet,” he reminded her.
Taking the tray, Penelope smiles, “I’ll just have it in my room. Thank you for your candidness with me, although forced, I must admit.”
With her out of the door and him closing it behind them, they took a slow walk to the house. He held the door open and she entered. They had made it to the dining room when Lord Allerton came around with a smile lightening up his face when he saw them.
“Mr. Moore, wonderful,” the Earl clapped his hand. “I need your help. You did say you assisted Lord Masseur with his hunts correct?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“I need you to assist me in mine,” Lord Allerton said. His eyes flickered over to Lady Penelope and said dismissively. “You can go, Penelope, I doubt you would be interested in this matter anyway.”
The Earl did not notice the flash of pain on her face, but Heath did. It was as if his words had slapped her across the face. Her jaw went tight and her eyes hard. She spun and strode away without a word, and Heath felt his chest tighten. Did the Earl not know—or worse, did not care—how his dismissive attitude aggrieved his sister?
Still, he swallowed his anger and asked, “What do you need of me, My Lord?”
“My study, please.”
With the Lord a few steps ahead of him, Heath followed to the study and stood a few feet away from the desk as the Earl circled it. He then sank to the seat with a heavy slump. “I have decided to put on a hunt. The last one was done by my father, and that was over fifteen years ago. The lands are teeming with game and pheasant, and I think it fair to give the opportunity to my fellow peers to trap as much as they want.”
“And how may I assist you?”
“I need you to organize with my field hands and make sure the dogs, springer spaniels and cocker spaniels are ready. I also need you to take an inventory of my personal pistols and assign a number to be loaned out to lords who might needs replacements on the fields,” Lord Allerton said. “Since you told me you have experience with skinning and pelts, I will ask you to supervise the fixings of my kills.”
“I don’t see any troubles with either of those tasks,” Heath surmised. “Are there deer on these lands?”
“Roebucks,” was his answer. “And the birds are pheasant and woodcocks. My guns are muskets, rifles, and flintlocks. My father had a persistent curiosity for the Windbüchse, or wind guns, as they are known. However, as there are only a few of those, they are to be exempt. Only muskets and rifles will be allotted to my guests.”
“And when do you plan this hunt, My Lord?” Heath asked feeling a bit antsy—for Lady Penelope. He felt pressed to go see her after the brusque dismissal her brother had given her.
“A week from today,” Lord Allerton replied. “Formal preparations start tomorrow.”
“And these guests, My Lord,” Heath pressed, “as any more incidents like the last one will be very problematic.”
The Earl’s jaw tightened at the mention of the dead Viscount. “This time, only twelve men will be with me, all are close friends with lax attachments to the crown. Some are older and very droll. I doubt any of them will be…an incentive for an assassin.”
He took in a deep calming breath, “I can only hope so, My Lord.”
Lord Allerton leveled a low squinting look to him, one tinged with suspicion, and Heath made sure to keep his face mostly neutral with visible concern running at the edges of his eyes.
“I too,” he then sighed and waved dismissively. “You are free to return to your duties, Mr. Moore. Thank you.”
“Good day, My Lord.” Bowing, Heath left to find Lady Penelope. It was nearly noon and he felt pressed to find her but that was where his thought process stopped. He didn’t know what he would do when he found her, as only God knew how she could take to any comfort from him.
“Mr. Moore,” Mr. Gastrell broke through his thought, stopping his stride also. A faint sense of foreboding ran through him as he faced the butler.
