Page 24 of Snowbound with the Scoundrel
Clarissa ran after him, staying right on his heels.“Why are you so determined to accompany me, anyway?”
He slowed.He probably ought to tell her that he was working for Sir Henry, too.The operation would be easier if they could coordinate.“Because I’m—”
“Oh!”A startled cry came from the landing above them.Rupert glanced up and saw a maid bearing an armful of clean sheets.“I’m sorry, sir, miss.I didn’t realize, er…”
Naturally, the maid would be surprised to find two invited guests using the servants’ stairs.“Don’t mind us,” he said to the maid, stepping to the side.“We’ll be out of your way in a trice.”
Once the maid had passed, Rupert resumed his progress up the stairs.He took the steps two at a time, but Clarissa ran so she could keep up.“What were you going to say?About why you’re bound and determined to go with me to the roof?”
“Because I’m also—”
“Mr.Dupree?”Rupert glanced over to see James, one of the de Roos family’s footmen, silhouetted in the doorway to the second-floor corridor.
Son of a biscuit, these stairs weren’t nearly as private as Rupert had hoped.Probably not the best place to have a conversation about his top-secret mission for the Home Office and whatnot.
James’s expression was solicitous.“Did you get turned around, sir?”
Rupert decided it was best not to answer that question.“James, I’m glad you’re here.Rosalind Baxter just had a tremendous fright.Go and fetch Lady Helmsley and bring her to the back gardens post-haste.”
James snapped to attention.“Right away, sir!”
While he was busy with James, Clarissa managed to slip around him.Rupert ran to catch up.
Once she noticed him on her heels, she cast him a ferocious scowl.“Why do you not head to the back gardens as well?I’m sure you would be a great comfort to Lady Helmsley.”
“Because I am”—Rupert cut himself off as another startled maid came down the stairs—“a gentleman,” he improvised, “and a gentleman would not allow you to walk into a dangerous situation alone.”
She tossed her head.“It’s just a roof, Mr.Dupree.Not particularly dangerous.”
“Not under normal circumstances, no.But it’s bound to be icy up there, and it appears it might be a bit crumbly, too.I’m afraid you’ll just have to tolerate my company.”
She huffed but did not argue.
They had reached the top of the corner tower that concealed the door to the roof.Putting on a burst of speed, Rupert passed Clarissa on the outside, ignoring her cries of protest.
As he pulled open the door, he made a point of squaring off his shoulders so she couldn’t slip around him, but there was no need.The roof, which was wide and flat, was deserted.
But there were footprints in the snow, quite a lot of them.And wouldn’t you know it, they led to the stretch of wall just above where the Baxters had been standing when that rock came down.
He let down his guard as soon as he saw the murderer wasn’t about, and Clarissa seized the opportunity to slip under his arm.She followed the path of the footprints to the stretch of wall from which the rock had fallen, trampling much of the evidence in the process.
Rupert managed to find a few of the original footprints a little way off to the side.He bent over to inspect them.They were smaller than he’d been expecting.He pressed his own booted foot into the snow next to one, then removed it.The assassin’s footprints were a good inch shorter than his own, and narrower as well.He would guess they belonged to a small man or perhaps a woman.
Shaking himself, he hurried over to the crenelated wall Clarissa was inspecting.“Find anything over here?”
Her eyes shot to him, wary.“Nothing much.I don’t see any missing stones.Do you?”
Rupert did not.He did, however, notice a nice, thick stripe on top of the battlements where the snow had been scraped clear.It was obviously the spot where someone had pushed the stone over the edge.Leaning forward, he saw that, sure enough, the stone had settled just below.
“It looks like someone pushed it from here.”
“Pushed it?”Clarissa gave a forced laugh.“Good heavens, why would someone do that?”
Oh, right—he hadn’t told her yet.“There’s no need to pretend.You see, I’m—”
“Miss Weatherby?”
Rupert turned and saw Lord Helmsley standing in the doorway to the servants’ stairs, blinking at the bright sunlight reflecting off the snow.
