Page 49 of With Good Grace
‘Do you think the incident was deliberately staged, Jenson?’ Jake asked. ‘A diversion?’
‘I couldn’t rightly say, my lord. It seemed spontaneous but, I suppose, warring nursemaids ain’t exactly a common sight.’
‘Which is why it drew such a crowd,’ Jake said, sharing a glance with Parker. ‘A fight between women always does.’
‘I am that sorry, Mrs Grantley. John Coachman and I drove around the surrounding streets, convinced at first that Molly must have taken Master Tom to safety and we would find them waiting for us but there was neither sight nor sound of them.’
‘If Molly wanted Tom safe she would have taken him straight back to the carriage,’ Parker said. ‘She knew where it was.’
‘Molly did this.’ Olivia face was chalk white, other than her puffy red eyes; her expression blank. ‘But why? What have I ever done to her?’
‘Awful convenient that Jane happened to be away and Molly took over her duties today,’ Parker remarked.
‘Jane has just returned,’ Reed said. ‘Her mother had not taken a turn for the worse and had not sent for Jane. Now that Jane’s thinking straight, she says no one would have known to send for her here anyway. They would have sent a message to Cheyne Walk and Finch would have passed it on.’
‘There is no doubt then,’ Jake said, his expression grim. ‘Your maid has been working with Tom’s abductor and deliberately contrived to have Jane out of the way today so that she could take her place.’
‘I asked her to,’ Olivia said forlornly. ‘I played straight into her hands.’
‘She knew you would.’ Jake patted her hand. ‘You always have her look after Tom when Jane is absent.’
‘And I often go with them on their morning excursions. What if I had been there today?’
Jake did not respond. She was too overset to hear that Sir Hubert had probably planned on just that eventuality. ‘Did Molly ask you if you would be joining them?’ he asked.
‘Actually, no.’
‘How did you come to employ Molly, Mrs Grantley?’ Parker asked. ‘Was she recommended to you?’
‘Yes, now that I think about it, she was. Green was the only servant I retained from Belgravia. The others, and there are not many of them, came from an agency. All except Molly. Sarah Granville, one of the few friends who did not drop me when I was accused of Marcus’s murder, recommended Molly. She worked for Sarah for several years but Sarah and her husband, whom I do not at all like, by the way, were about to go to Europe for a grand tour and Sarah decided against taking Molly with her. But she assured me she was a proficient lady’s maid and wanted to see her settled in another position.’
‘Reed,’ Jake said. ‘Go up to the attic room Molly has been sleeping in and search it thoroughly. Let me know what you find.’
‘At once, my lord,’ Reed replied, looking relieved to have a reason to leave the room.
‘Go with him, Jenson,’ Parker added. ‘Two pairs of eyes are better than one. Hopefully even you cannot mess up a simple search.’
‘Send someone round to…what is the name of the curate whom Molly has developed a liking for, Olivia?’
‘Oh, er, Graves.’
‘Send someone round to his chapel to ask if he conducted a meeting for fallen females, or some such nonsense yesterday and if so, did he ask Molly to help out? Was she there or did she use it as an excuse to have an unscheduled afternoon off and meet with whomever she is working with?’
Parker left the room to make the arrangements, leaving Jake temporarily alone with a sobbing Olivia.
‘This is all my fault,’ she said over and over again.
Jake handed her his handkerchief and waited for her to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. ‘It is not your fault. How can you even think such a thing?’ he asked.
‘I put my own pleasures ahead of my son’s welfare and God is punishing me for laying with a man who is not my husband.’
Jake shook his head. ‘That is nonsense and well you know it. If anyone is to blame then it is Molly. You were right to have doubts about her.’
‘I thought she was simply questioning my morals, which annoyed me, partly because I knew my behaviourwasquestionable.’
‘You are too sensible to believe that is true, my sweet, so I shall put your irrational reaction down to anxiety.’ He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. ‘I know you too well to suppose that you will fall apart. Instead, I need you to be strong so that together we can find Tom and bring him home where he belongs.’
‘Yes.’ Olivia sniffed, wiped away more tears, seeming a little more composed. ‘That is what we must do. You do not suppose that Molly will harm him, do you?’
