Page 50 of Moonlight Encounter
“You are a good mama, Mama Abbott. Watching over your children.”
Lady Moreland sighed. “I do wish they would not keep secrets from me. They think I cannot handle the truth, and I confess it has been a trying time, especially after Sophia’stroubles last year. I will allow them their privacy for now, but it does not prevent me from visiting you to secure your promise that you will take care of Aidan while we are gone from Town. He is a true gentleman, but he needs you. He attempts to carry his burdens without assistance, but do not allow him to do so.”
Gwen took hold of Lady Moreland’s hand and squeezed. “I promise to assist him.”
Lady Moreland nodded. “Then I shall leave you to it. I hope to hear news of a prospective grandchild soon.”
Gwen smiled, not precisely sure what came next, but determined to figure it out somehow. She must convince Aidan to talk to her about his problems.
Reaching Ridley House,Aidan discovered it was in chaos. Servants were rushing about with trunks, and Michaels only nodded toward the drawing room at the top of the stairs before striding off to address some unnamed household emergency.
A terror in his chest propelled Aidan up two steps at a time to race into the room where he found his sister and Filminster in an embrace.
“Lily!”
Her elfin face rose from her husband’s chest to peek at him. “Aidan, please do not panic.”
The terror he was feeling only grew. “What is happening?”
Filminster dropped his arms and stepped back. “We had another attempt to breach Ridley House.”
“Your letter informed me of that. Why are the servants packing?”
Lily fluttered her eyes, walking away to stand at awindow facing the street. “We have determined it is too dangerous to remain in residence. I … went into the library this morning to fetch a book before breakfast. It was still rather dark. I was in there for several minutes before I realized that there was a draught in the room. When I looked over to the window, I saw a man climbing in and screamed for help.”
Aidan winced, realizing her voice was hoarse. Lily must have screamed bloody blue murder if it had inflamed her throat so. Unless …
“Did he … hurt you?”
His little sister, his tiny, barely five-foot sister, who had been lifted by her throat by a hefty footman at the beginning of the month, shook her head. “He jumped down and ran off as soon as I started screaming.”
Aidan’s eyes burned as he ran forward and swept her into a hug. “I am so sorry, Lily.”
“It is not your fault, Aidan. You must not blame yourself.”
“How can I not?”
She pulled back, staring up at him from a pale face. Lily had experienced far too much danger in a short span of time, and the strain of it was evident. “I am happy. I love Brendan. This is the fault of the madman who killed the baron.”
Aidan swallowed, nodding. “If anything happened to you …”
…it would kill me.
“What happens now? Are you finally leaving for Somerset?”
Lily shook her head. “Briggs still believes that traveling out on the roads will leave us too exposed. Whoever is hiring these men is becoming more brazen.”
Filminster coughed into his hand, clearly reluctant to interrupt. “Lily and I have been invited to stay with the duke and my sister at their London home. They have hired guardsso that our servants and the Johns can remain on duty to defend Ridley House.”
For some reason beyond Aidan’s grasp, Filminster referred to the guards as Johns. Lily had told him it was because they were all named John, which he supposed was possible but not likely given how many Filminster had hired.
“Thank God. Lily must be protected at all costs.”
“Agreed.”
Aidan let Lily go, raking a hand through his hair while he tried to think. “Surely at this point, if the killer is becoming so bold, we should report what we know to the authorities? Then he will lose interest in Ridley House if his secret is out.”
His brother-in-law sighed. “I have thought of that. That we could end his interest in us if we simply disclose the matter to the Home Secretary. But the perpetrator still believes that there is a possibility that he can cover this up, and that the baron’s letter has not been found. Which means we can continue to lure him out and eventually catch him. If we report the matter, the killer could vanish to avoid arrest.”
