Page 93 of Her Duke By Accident
“The governess, Mr. Livingston.” Matthew snapped his fingers, motioning for the butler to follow him. “With me, now.” As the pair began to march around the estate, Matthew glanced over his shoulder at Alicia. “Stay there, Alicia!”
Watching them walk off, Alicia paced along the steps.
“Your Grace,” Juliet said quietly, “you should rest.”
“I will not.”
“What else is there for you to do?”
Alicia glanced up at the manor. Despite the glare of the sun, seeing through all the windows proved not to be too difficult. The drawing room where Alicia and Matthew shared their dance had a wide window that faced the front of Garvey. Alicia felt her eyes clinging to it for some reason. Within a second, a shadow passed by.
“It’s her,” she breathed.
“Your Grace?”
“Miss Ayles,” Alicia said, taking a few steps. “I think I might know where she is.”
“But what about what the duke said? To stay here?”
“I cannot, Juliet!”
The girl flinched. “Why does it matter to you so much, Your Grace? She forged a letter that claimed your mother was in a grave state. She tried to create a divide in your newly minted marriage. How can you find forgiveness in light of that?”
“Every person deserves repentance,” Alicia softly said. “If that is what they want.”
Before Juliet could argue and keep her there any longer, Alicia lifted her skirts, and climbed the staircase that led up into Garvey.
Surprisingly, the manor looked empty on the inside. Dim light that streamed in from the windows lit up only the largest of spaces, while shadows took up the rest. Alicia ran through the halls, searching through every open door for a glimpse of the governess. She was only past the foyer, rounding towards the main staircase at the manor’s center, when a blur of red passed by, speeding towards the back doors.
“Miss Ayles!” Alicia shouted as she chased after her.
Rushed footsteps filled the manor as they ran, till the governess crashed through the doors leading into the gardens. Miss Ayles ran down the steps, carrying two cases that bulged with clothes. Alicia quickly followed.
“Sophia!”
The governess only quickened her pace.
When Alicia felt like she would have to stop trying to chase after her, another figure stormed out into the gardens, taking incredibly long strides to reach Miss Ayles. Reaching out with a scarecrow-like arm, Renfield snagged Miss Ayles by the arm, yanking her back a few feet. She squealed, flinging the cases in the air as the groundskeeper steered her around, and back towards Alicia.
“Unhand me!” Miss Ayles was screaming, trying to pry the man’s fingers from her biceps.
“Miss Ayles,” Alicia said, trying to be calm despite her racing heart. “I only want to speak to you.”
The governess stared at her in a wild way. “Only speak?”
“Yes, I?—”
“Don’t you dare lie to me,” she spat. “I can see through your doe-eyed innocence.”
Alicia shook her head, taking a few more steps closer. “Please, Miss Ayles, I have no ill intentions,” she said. “I was never the one who committed the crimes you so freely did.”
“You did something far worse.”
“What could I have done?”
Miss Ayles lowered her gaze, anger and rage boiling beneath her eyes as tears threatened to spill over. “You ruinedeverything.”
Alicia gaped at her. “I don’t understand.”
