Page 60 of The Ones Left Behind
“’Tis a fine question. He is a murderer, according to English law. If he remains here he will surely be caught and have to stand trial—and the precious house of Thackeray will forever be tarnished,” he answered. “If only my father were here to see the fruits of his labour.”
“And if Henry escapes?” Kitty asked, ignoring his last remark.
“There will be whispers, but it will largely be hushed up. ’Tis the way of theton—at least for as long as he stays out of sight.”
“Then we must find him first. Hopefully, he is aware of the danger.”
“Do you think he will come here?” Matthias asked doubtfully. There was no love lost between Henry and himself, since Matthias had no tolerance for the profligate lifestyle his younger brother preferred.
“He needs money. Where else could he get it?” she asked.
“By gambling? It was what got him into this fix, and in all likelihood is why he did not leave England. He was probably trying to make money by fleecing some unsuspecting classmate.”
“I still cannot believe the Henry I knew would do such a thing. Murder…gambling…I will never understand young men.”
“Henry is what I cannot understand,” Matthias snapped.
The Duke was approaching with Philip in the trap, which on any other day would have made Matthias laugh. At the moment he was angry. When he had finally reached a degree of conviviality with Kitty, it felt as though the world was conspiring against him. If Henry stood trial and was convicted as a murderer, he could hardly ask Kitty to marry into such disgrace.
* * *
Kitty watchedthe gentlemen leave and then went back to the house. Lady Amelia and the Duchess were both in the drawing room.
“Have you heard the news?” Lady Amelia asked.
Kitty nodded. “I am finding it difficult to believe such a thing of Henry, but Matthias says he has been quite wild of late.”
“We must hope they will find him before the authorities do,” Meg replied. “I certainly do not condone duelling or murder, but I cannot bear the thought of anyone hanging. Both men knew precisely what they were doing when they duelled and it is a risk they took.” Her expression was grave. “Not to mention the effect it has on the rest of the family—families,” she went on. “Waverley is close to Worth, you know. He has been a mentor of sorts to him at times.”
“I cannot understand what provoked Henry to such lengths, but Matthias said they were no longer close and Henry had not come to him for help.”
“Do you think he would come here now?” Amelia asked.
“Unless he has hidden himself in a hovel in London, where else could he go? He was always fond of the Close,” Kitty recalled. “He and I spent more time together, I expect, than he and Matthias did. Neither of us had any company besides each other when Matthias and Peter were away at school. There were a few other children in the village, but the Earl was not keen to allow his son to ‘run about like a vagabond,’ as he put it. Henry was sent away to school about the time I married Peter.”
“Do you think it likely he has gone to the hunting lodge?” the Duchess asked. “Did he have any special place he would frequent?”
Kitty tried to think back. “I do not remember him going to the hunting lodge as a child. It is on the far edge of the Landry property, but not a bad ride. The Earl liked it far away to give him peace.”
“There is nowhere else you think he could hide? A folly or gatehouse, perhaps?”
Again, Kitty tried to think back. “Yes, indeed, there are some of those about the estate. None were really places I would choose for comfort, but Henry was used to favour one folly in particular when we played hide and seek. Perhaps I shall go and look.”
“We shall come with you,” Amelia declared.
“No, no. That is not necessary. Besides, you need to rest. We have already spent many hours in the sun and I know you must be tired.”
“But what if he tries to harm you? All men in desperate situations, gentlemen included, tend to do irrational things,” the Duchess argued.
Kitty knew that to be true. Soldiers on the battlefield sometimes lost their heads when the pain or destruction became too much to bear. “I am not afraid of Henry. He may have been wild, even as a boy, but I do believe he will listen to me—even better than he would Matthias.”
The ladies looked sceptical.
“I know the grounds well and I have told you where I am going. There is plenty of time before darkness falls.”
“I still think you should at least take a groom or footman,” Amelia suggested, yet with a note of insistence.
“Yes, I will do that.”
