Page 25 of Snowbound with the Scoundrel
“I happened upon Mr.and Mrs.Baxter,” the earl explained.His eyes widened as he noticed Rupert’s presence.“They said there had been an, uh… an accident.”
“An accident,” Clarissa said.“Precisely.It looks like you have some repairs planned, my lord?”She gestured to a stack of cut grey stones neatly stacked in the corner.
“Ah—yes.Yes, we do.”
Clarissa hugged her arms across her chest.“It would appear that the mason left one of the stones stacked perilously close to the edge.”
Between the fresh set of footprints leading from the stack of stones to the wall and the fact that all the stones were covered in a thick layer of snow save for one spot on top, where a stone had clearly been removed, even Rupert wasn’t dim enough to fall for that story.
But he hadn’t told Lord Helmsley the real reason he was attending his house party, nor was he prepared to.Rupert therefore shook his head.“That was deuced careless of him, wasn’t it?”
“It certainly was!”Clarissa agreed a little too ardently.“But I do not see any more stones stacked in a similar fashion, so I think we can conclude that the danger has passed.”
“Good to know.”Lord Helmsley peered at Rupert as if wanting to make sure he had fallen for this whopper.
Rupert made a point of smiling vacantly across the roof.
The earl nodded.“Come, Miss Weatherby, let us go and reassure Mr.and Mrs.Baxter on that account.”
“I’m sure they’ll appreciate that,” Rupert said.“Well, I suppose I’ll go and have some breakfast.”
“An excellent idea!”Clarissa cried.“Please, don’t let us delay your meal.”
Rupert let them make their escape.He would find a chance to have a little chat with Clarissa at the first opportunity, and they could coordinate their activities.
On the one hand, it would be nice to have a partner, especially a clever thing like Clarissa.
On the other hand, it appeared that danger had followed the Baxters to Helmsley Castle, making their task significantly more challenging.
His thoughts aswirl, Rupert trotted down the stairs.
Chapter11
Clarissa gathered with the Baxters and Lord and Lady Helmsley in the sitting room of Mr.and Mrs.Baxter’s suite.
After Clarissa related what she had observed from her vantage point at the orangery, as well as what she had found on the roof, she said, “I think it is reasonable to conclude that whatever threat you faced in London, it has followed you here.We must take precautions.”
“I think we should leave,” Mrs.Baxter said.
“To what end?”her husband replied, pushing up from the sofa in frustration.He stalked across the room and leaned a hand on the mantelpiece.“If they’ve followed us here, what’s to stop them from following us again?”
“Perhaps if you were to depart in the dead of night—” Lady Helmsley began.
“In this weather, we’ll be just as likely to slide off the road to our death.”Mr.Baxter curled his hand into a fist.“Where will we be safer than inside a castle?”
Clarissa considered.There were risks to both approaches, but the castle did have certain advantages.“Perhaps if you were to feign being sick and confine yourselves to your rooms.We could have the room guarded under the guise of a footman posted in the corridor to wait on you and make sure that only the most trusted servants have access to your food—”
Mr.Baxter wheeled around.“And if we do, the threat will simply follow us when we leave.Are we to be forever hounded, never able to relax in our own home?”
“What would you suggest?”Clarissa asked tightly.
“Draw them out,” Mr.Baxter said.“This so-called assassin seems to be a bumbling sort of fellow.None of his attempts have worked thus far.The risk is surely not so great, and with you on the case, Miss Weatherby”—he said this with a mocking sort of deference—“I am sure their identity will soon be discovered.”
Lady Helmsley went to sit beside her niece.“I don’t like it.That rock almost struck Rosalind!If you want to parade about in hopes that they will make a mistake, that is your prerogative.But I will brook no threat to my niece.”
Clarissa knelt so she was at eye level with Mrs.Baxter.“What would you prefer?”
She met Clarissa’s eyes as hesitantly as a startled fawn.“I think it is a good suggestion.To feign illness.I would prefer that we both do it.But if Oliver is not willing to keep to our rooms, I will do so myself.”
