Page 20 of Secrets of Capell Manor
He sat on the very edge of the bed, making sure he didn’t touch her in any way. “We all have our own demons to fight at one time or another. But you don’t have to fight yours alone. I can help you…if you let me,” he said as he looked deep into her eyes.
Rosalind stared back. “Sir Devlin.” The words came in an almost breathless whisper. “I only want for Lord Edmond to be found and for him to be alive. The future of the children, Marta, Benton, and myself hangs in the balance.” Her voice grew stronger. “I have nowhere to go. Marta and Benton might find placement in another home, but would they welcome Ridley? Kaylyn and Luella have no family. What becomes of them if the king sends me to live under the roof of another guardian? Not many would welcome the gentry children of the ward’s dead friend. Living with Lord Edmond was terrifying at times. But at least here we are all together!” And with those last words, the tears that had held for so long finally poured down her face.
Devlin wanted to pull this woman into his arms, hold her, and tell her all would be well. But he knew the odds of Rosalind keeping the family of her heart together were not in her favor. If Edmond was dead, and Devlin believed he was, the king would either marry her off quickly or send her to another estate to live under the guardianship of one of his trusted countrymen. If Rosalind had anything to do with Edmond’s disappearance or caused him harm in any way, she would be sentenced to jail.
Rosalind then sat up taller in the bed. She wiped her eyes. “I must not let myself fall into a state of panic. I have to find a way to keep us together. I must!”
Devlin stood, and he did not doubt she would do anything to save her family. But she had calmed now, and he didn’t want to be found in her quarters late at night alone without a chaperone. He started to leave but paused. “The scar on your shoulder. Did he do that to you?”
Rosalind looked at him, and tears threatened to fall again, but she only turned away from him, pulled up the coverlet, and shut her eyes.
****
When Rosalind finally heard the door gently close, she threw the covers off herself. She got out of bed and paced in front of the fire. She was troubled, and her thoughts raced out of control once more as she imagined every possible outcome over and over in her mind.
If her guardian was never found, and no one was implicated in his disappearance or death, the future for herself and the children was uncertain. Being Lord Capell’s only heir, the king might allow her to stay here at the manor. However much this sounded ideal, it would only be a matter of time before a marriage was arranged. Her husband may or may not settle at Capell manor and if he did, he might not accept the children as her family.
The king could marry her off and claim the estate as his, much like her father’s ancestral home had. Or the king might allow her new husband to take possession of her childhood home.
She knew in her heart that Lord Edmond wasn’t returning. If only she hadn’t argued with him so vehemently. His threats pushed her to retaliate with so much anger and vitriol that she didn’t even know existed in her heart.
She went to Kaylyn and Luella’s room and looked inside.
For them, I’d do anything…
The girls were sound asleep. Both curled around the massive dog that, in such a short period of time, had made himself a part of their rag-tag family. Grim raised his head and looked at her, and she saw the slightest tail wag.
“You’ll keep them safe. Won’t you, boy?” she whispered to the dog.
Grim rested his large head back onto the bed, but his ears remained up and alert. Rosalind had no doubt about the dog’s loyalty and his desire to protect those who cared for him.
She was calmer after watching the girls sleep for a few moments, and she turned back to her room, found her bed, and climbed under the covers. She took a few minutes to pray and hoped that God would show her the way to keep the people she loved safe and together. After she said her amen and closed her eyes, one face kept drifting into her mind’s eye.
It was Sir Devlin.
****
Devlin entered his cold bedchamber. Ridley had added logs and banked up the coals hours ago. Only glowing embers remained. Devlin stirred the glowing shards of wood and then he added a few small logs to the fledgling flames and after a few moments roared back to life. His thoughts raced.
He paced the floor in front of the hearth and thought of Lord Edmond. The more he learned of the man, the odds that he was alive were slim. And everyone in this household had the motive to kill him.
But Rosalind was right. The best possible outcome for herself, Marta, Benton, and the children hinged on the old man being alive. At least for a time, they could stay together. He pondered if this valid assumption cleared suspicion from the lady and her loyal servants, because harming Capell would bring too much risk to themselves.
After a few more rounds of pacing in the chamber, he gave up and changed into his nightshirt. He climbed into bed, and when he closed his eyes, her image remained.
Chapter Six
The next morning, Rosalind entered the kitchen and found that Alden and Sir Devlin had already left the manor.
“Only grabbed a hunk of cheese to break their fast!” Marta exclaimed.
“Said they were going to search again for any sign of Lord Capell.”
Rosalind’s stomach flip-flopped, but she joined the children and Benton at the table. Without the king’s men in the manor, Rosalind pretended that everything was back to normal and that today would be a regular day; the children would complete their lessons, chores would be done, and for now, she refused to ponder their precarious future.
She sipped her tea and tried to eat as best she could. But she could only stomach a few bites of dry toasted bread. She laughed inwardly at her paltry attempt to push her worries from her mind, and her thoughts quickly returned to reality. Today would not be typical. She knew she would sit and worry about what the men might find, and she shuddered. She knew her only hope was to stay busy, or her anxious thoughts would render her paralyzed.
As they finished their breakfast, Rosalind and Marta planned the meals for the next two days. Benton and Ridley noted that more wood needed to be hauled in for the kitchen and bed chambers and that the stable needed to be mucked out. Rosalind told the girls they would help with dusting and sweeping several rooms upstairs and down. These additional duties would be done after the beds were made and lessons completed. The girls only grumbled slightly but were agreeable to the day’s plan.
