Page 20 of An Amiable Foe
“We have been attacked! We shall be murdered in our beds if we stay there!”
Now truly alarmed, Perry looked to Miss Edgewood for clarification. She was pale but more composed.
“There is some truth to what Miss Fife says. We were not attacked, precisely, but someone broke a downstairs window of the cottage in the middle of the night, and we fear it was an attempt to break into the house.” She looked at her maid, who confirmed this with a nod.
“We didn’t stay long enough to be sure,” Miss Edgewood went on, “but it doesn’t look as though anything was stolen. However, after the sound of breaking glass woke us up, we deemed it imprudent to investigate. We did not dare without a male servant in place, so we—Miss Fife, Sarah, and I—took refuge in my room for the remainder of the night. My room at least had a key.”
“I couldn’t get a wink of sleep.” Miss Fife began to cry. “I am distraught—entirely shattered.”
Miss Edgewood put her arm around Miss Fife, and Sarah supported the older woman from the other side.
“We pushed furniture against the door in case someone attempted to enter, and although we waited to see if we might hear some evidence of further damage, we heard nothing else. We didn’t dare come to see you until daybreak, however.”
Perry didn’t like the thought of criminals on his estate, although the cottage was technically no longer part of his estate. He especially didn’t like the thought of there being a house full of women with no protection, when these women had been perfectly safe at the castle. He had been too hasty for Miss Edgewood to leave, and he deeply regretted it. It was a miracle she had not been harmed. The thought made him turn cold.
“Charlie, rouse one of the servants and bring the women some tea. Miss Edgewood, if you’ll please come into the drawing room?”
Sarah separated herself from Miss Fife’s side. “I’ll help ye, Charlie. Even if I imagine Mrs. Malford, Annabel, and the new maid are already up.” She went with him to the kitchen.
“I knew nothing good would come of us leaving Brindale,” Miss Fife moaned. “The idea of unprotected females setting up house all alone with no male servant to keep an eye on us!”
“We’ve done very well without a male servant, and you knew it was only temporary until I could hire someone.”
Miss Edgewood allowed irritation to creep into her voice, and Perry could hardly blame her. He was running through the decisions he had made since taking up residence at Brindale, and he felt contrite about encouraging the move without providing them with at least one of the male servants along with Sarah. It had not been his best idea. No—it had been positively selfish.
In the drawing room, Perry waited until the two women were seated. “It was wise of you to stay put until dawn came, rather than trying to set out in the night. Did you get any sleep?”
He turned as the door opened and Raife, of all people, entered the room. He would have bet that Raife would be the last one to leave his bed.
Miss Edgewood gave Raife a tight smile in acknowledgement, then turned to answer. “Miss Fife was able to fall back asleep—I gave her my bed so that she might do so—but neither Sarah nor I were able to let down our guard enough to get any rest.”
“I shall have to find you both a room to sleep in here, then. You have had quite a fright, and you will need some time to recover your peace of mind.” Perry looked at Raife, who took an empty seat in one of the armchairs and raised an inquiring eyebrow.
“There was a break-in at the cottage,” Perry explained. “Miss Fife and Miss Edgewood did not leave until morning for fear of encountering the thief on the grounds.”
Glancing at Miss Edgewood, he added, “I am glad we can provide them refuge but regret they should have to suffer any inconvenience.”
“Of course they must stay here,” Raife agreed.
The door opened again, and Lorry entered the room with the ends of his neckcloth hanging down on either side of his shirt. It looked as though he hadn’t bothered to remove his day clothes—or that he’d had any sleep at all.
“What’s all this racket?” He rubbed his head, then looked from Perry and Raife to the women. He straightened. “Miss Edgewood. I fear you catch me in less-than-correct attire. I hope you will forgive my appearance. What has happened?”
Miss Edgewood turned her gaze away, and when she didn’t speak, Perry cleared his throat.
“There was a break-in,” he explained for the second time, then turned to Miss Edgewood. “I will go investigate to see what I might learn, but first allow me to provide a place for you to sleep. Miss Edgewood, you must take my room. The fire has been built up there, and the room can be made comfortable quickly. Miss Fife, you are welcome to sleep in the maid’s room that’s adjoined to it.”
He afterwards supposed that this had not been delicately done. Miss Fife was no maid, but he had thought that surely she would see she couldn’t leave Miss Edgewood to sleep alone in a bachelor’s establishment.
“I’m afraid I am unable to take the stairs to sleep up there. I have hurt my foot. I shall need a room down here.” Miss Fife had removed her cloak and now wrapped her dressing gown more closely around her. Her voice sounded more peevish than it did injured.
Miss Edgewood appeared to think so too because she turned to look at her sharply. “You did not complain of a sore foot when we walked over. You should have let me know. I might have left you at the cottage and gone to get the carriage to bring you. That way you would not have made it worse.”
Miss Fife tucked her thin hands into the folds of the gown on her lap. “Oh no. I could never have stayed in that house all by myself. Besides, my foot was not hurting overmuch when we left. It was the long walk that has aggravated the pain, I fear.”
Miss Edgewood tightened her lips and glanced at Perry. “I must own that a room where I could rest and recover, and feel in perfect safety, would be most welcome. Has Miss Fife’s own room been given away?”
“I’m sorry to say that it has. Please allow me to think for a moment. I am sure we will be able to find a solution that will please everyone,” Perry said. Those present seemed only too willing to comply, more likely from fatigue than any other reason.
