Page 12 of Secrets of Capell Manor
Devlin’s eyes narrowed, his mouth set into a line. His jaw flexed.
“I questioned every farmer that worked lands within an hour’s ride from the manor. There weren’t many,” he noted.
“None of them had anything good to say about Edmond. One was even so bold as to tell me to check the nearest brothel or even the pits of hell, and that’s where we would find him. But none had seen him or offered up any useful information.”
Devlin emitted a long, frustrated sigh.
“Except for one.” Devlin’s interest was piqued again.
“One man, who lives directly east of here, said that Lord Edmond’s mount was found outside his cottage, quietly eating hay the morning after he supposedly went missing.”
“Did he see any signs of Edmond?” Devlin asked.
“He said he fetched his son from his bed and told him to take the horse back to the manor house immediately and inform Lady Rosalind of finding the horse the way they did—saddled but no rider.”
Devlin’s temper flared. No one mentioned that Edmond’s horse was found, saddled, the day after his disappearance.
“He then jumped on his old nag and went looking for Edmond. He figured he’d gotten drunk and taken a fall from his horse. He said he rode for nearly an hour, but there was no sign of him. “But here is something strange.” Alden paused. “When the son returned the horse to the manor, he was met by Benton at the servant’s entrance. The boy told him that he had an important message concerning Lord Edmond for the lady.”
“There’s nothing odd about that,” scoffed Devlin. “For your sake, I hope there is more to this telling than you’ve disclosed so far, friend.”
Alden gave a slight nod of agreement and continued. “I found out that Benton, yes, the ancient relic of a manservant, told the boy that he would hear his message and that Lady Rosalind was not to be told or bothered as she might find the news upsetting. The farmer said his son was intimidated by the normally mild-mannered servant’s tone. So, the boy told Benton about the horse he had put in the stables, and he left.”
Devlin thought for a moment, and he wondered why Benton was withholding information from his lady. It seemed improbable that the old man had something to do with the disappearance, but he wasn’t going to rule the possibility out.
“Interesting…” muttered Devlin, but he didn’t elaborate on his thoughts.
“What about you? Did you uncover anything in your interviews this morning?” Alden inquired.
“Nothing of real substance. I’ve only spoken to the children. But I learned that Lady Rosalind and Lord Edmond had an argument, and Edmond struck his niece across the table. And that Edmond often behaved that way. Ridley and the girls often hid in a secret location until Edmond passed out and it was safe to exit again.”
Alden shook his head in disgust. “Lord Edmond sounds like a real gentleman.”
Devlin watched as the boy eased his head out of the stall and eavesdropped on the men’s conversation, a pitchfork still in his hand.
“You have something to add, boy?” Devlin called out. “Did you know about the horse being found and returned the day after Edmond left the manor?”
Ridley slipped back into the stall as if he didn’t hear the question, so Devlin and Alden walked over to the door and peered between the wooden slats.
“Answer my question, Ridley,” Devlin commanded.
Ridley stopped his work, turned to the men, “Yes, I did. But not until later that evening. I overheard Benton tell Lady Rosalind.”
“And what was the lady’s reaction to that news?” Alden asked.
“I wasn’t able to hear all of what she said. But she wondered if he was attacked by a highwayman. Something like that.”
“And that’s all you heard?” Devlin pressed further.
Ridley nodded, and as he left the stall, he replied, “Yes, that’s all I heard. Now, I must finish here. Marta gets quite cross if Ispend too much time with the horses, and I still have work to do.”
“‘Ey! Mr. Dandy! Where’s the hound?”
Devlin gave Alden a questioning glance. “Did you bring Grim back with you from the fields?”
“I did. He went to your horse’s stall as he usually does. I’ll take a look around and see if I can find him. Probably ventured out and found a rabbit to chase.”
“See that you find him,” Devlin commanded. “Ridley, come with me. We will look on our way back to the house.”
