by Fanny Finch
“You do not know where she is? I was told she went shopping with the duchess.”
The Duke of Lox shook his head. “Your step-daughter does not believe this to be so, my lord. She has come to us in the early morning hours seeking our assistance in finding her sister. I do not believe Miss Katherine would approve of my visit with you. But I fear you are the only one who can provide some answers.”
“What do you need to know?”
“How well do you know Lord Carne and his family?”
“Lord Carne? Emma mentioned him. She does not want to marry him. She wants to marry you. I know she does.”
The Duke of Lox nodded, afraid that he was losing the Duke of Corning’s attention. “I certainly do hope so, my lord. I have not yet had a chance to tell her we have your blessing. I do not believe she would leave on her own. Not without telling anyone. Miss Katherine fears the duchess may have made a promise or an arrangement with Lord Carne and he has taken her somehow. Away from her home in the darkest hours of the night.”
The Duke of Corning’s eyebrows drew together. “The duchess? My wife?”
The Duke of Lox lowered his head, blinking several times, deferring respect to the older man. “Yes, my lord. I am sorry. I do not know this to be fact. I am merely asking you to help me find Lady Wentworth and bring her home. The guilty parties will pay as they must.”
“I met Lord Carne six years ago at the opening ball of the season. The duchess and I were hosting the affair and he was new to London. He is three years older than my daughter. Emma was not yet of age to attend the affairs in any meaningful way. She did not meet him until three seasons later, when she began attending. Lord Carne does not have a family, as his father died and his mother abandoned him in the arms of Lady Bonneville, who became his patroness and guardian, such as was needed.”
“What became of his mother?”
“I have never found out that information. The duchess attempted a union between Lord Carne and Emma but there did not seem any interest on her part and therefore, I directed my wife to discontinue her efforts. She acquiesced to my decision and I never heard another word about it. Until now. This season appears to be different. I hear the women talking as they move about the house and Emma comes in frequently to talk to me, even if she thinks I am asleep.” He smiled. “Which I usually am.”
“Did you consider him a good match for Lady Wentworth? I am asking if there was any effort on your part to pair Lady Wentworth with Lord Carne?”
The Duke of Corning shook his head. “No, there was no effort on my part. My wife always took care of such matters. She would have continued if she was not told to cease her efforts.”
The Duke of Lox nodded. “Thank you for answering my questions, my lord. Allow me to apologize once more for arriving without announcement.”
The Duke of Corning shook his head slightly. “No need to apologize. I am glad you are going to look for my daughter.”
“One more question before we leave, my lord,” the Duke of Lox said as he stood up. “Do you know of any out-of-the-way properties that Lord Carne’s patroness, Lady Bonneville, might own?”
The Duke of Corning frowned again. “I see you are assuming Lord Carne has, in fact, taken my daughter?”
“I do believe it to be so, yes.”
The Duke of Corning moved his eyes and lifted one hand, pointing to a large rolltop desk behind the Duke of Rabney. “There is a map of the area in that desk. Second drawer down, my lord. Please get it. It has all property owned marked by name and territory.”
The Duke of Rabney patted the Duke of Lox on the shoulder. “I have it, Baldwin.”
He turned and went to the desk while the Duke of Lox twisted in his seat to watch him. The Duke of Corning waved his hand, nodding. “Yes, that is where… yes, bring it to me, my lord.”
The Duke of Rabney pulled out a large folded piece of parchment and unfolded it slightly to see what it was. “I believe this is what you seek, my lord?” He held it up for the Duke of Corning to see.
“Yes, that is it. Bring it to me. I will show you where to look.”
The Duke of Rabney brought the map over and the three men unfolded it together, pressing down the edges and scanning it with their eyes. The Duke of Lox stood up to get a better look, tilting his head to read the names.
“You see, there is Cooksey Castle and this is Corning Manor. Here is Hillshire estate and Greenwich Place. Lady Bonneville is here in relation to us.”
The Duke of Lox traced the area between Corning Manor and the Bonneville estates. There were two of them, not any more near each other than they were to Corning Manor. He looked at one and then the other. “Lord Carne has no estate of his own?”
The Duke of Corning moved his eyes up to look at him. “No, my lord. His father is unknown. His mother, I believe, may have been a distant second cousin to Lady Bonneville. I am unsure of their bloodlines.”
“I understand. Thank you, my lord. May I borrow this map?”
“Of course, my boy, you take it with you and bring it back in my daughter’s hands.” The old man quickly folded the map and pushed it toward the Duke of Lox who picked it up.
He turned to the door, gesturing with his head to the Duke of Rabney. “Let us go formulate a plan, Christian.”
“I am praying you are successful. Do find and bring back my daughter. I wish to see her wed to the man she loves.”
The Duke of Lox smiled over his shoulder. “I wish that for you as well, my lord. We will be back as soon as we can.”
The two men went back through the bedroom doors, walked down the hall and did not speak until they were outside Corning Manor, standing on the front porch. The stable boy had untied their horses from the Corning carriage and tied them once again around the post in front of the house.
Chapter 38
The Duke of Lox moved to the round white iron table flanked by two chairs that served as part of the outside decorations. He spread the map out again and looked down at it. “We must each choose a property to search.”
“Should we not notify a constable?” the Duke of Rabney asked. “Someone of authority must be there to take Lord Carne if Lady Wentworth is found. He must face trial proceedings.”
The Duke of Lox nodded. “Yes. I will tell Miss Katherine to go and notify the constabulary. First, do you have a preference which of these properties you wish to go to?”
The Duke of Rabney shook his head. “I do not. Feel free to choose the one you want and give me the other one. I am at your disposal.”
“I do hope she is not too terrified. I hope she is confident I will come find her.”
The Duke of Rabney had a look of amusement on his face. “Her demeanor at the ball suggested she has changed her mind about your worthiness, Baldwin, and I am glad to see it. I find it ironic that when she finally accepts your advances, she is whisked away by a swine such as Lord Carne.”
The Duke of Lox almost laughed. Hearing the Duke of Rabney’s observations put him in good humor and the Duke of Rabney’s reference to Lord Carne as a swine tickled him.
“Your grace!”
The Duke of Lox had his back to the front doors they had just come from. He turned and looked behind him. It was Katherine, her brown hair falling from the loose bun she had been wearing.
“I have looked everywhere, sir, and I did not find her in any room. Wha…” Her eyes dropped to the map he had spread out on the table. “Father’s map!” She came over to stand over it with curious eyes. “Where will we search?”
The Duke of Lox shook his head, amused. “We are not going to search anywhere. You are going to stay here and wait to see if she does come home.” He lifted a hand when it looked like Katherine might protest. “No, Miss Katherine. Lady Wentworth is in danger. We cannot endanger you, as well.”
Katherine stepped back, her head down and her hands behind her back. “I apologize, my lord. I did not mean to be forward.”
“Go in and have someone send for the constabulary, Miss Kathe
rine. Have them send one to each of these properties. We will take care of this and bring Lady Wentworth home. I promise.”
Katherine retreated back into the house, nodding, a hopeful look on her face.
The Duke of Lox met the Duke of Rabney’s eyes. “Shall we meet back here in four hours, Christian? If I am not back, come to this property. If you are not here, I will go to the second one.”
“We do not know the area well, Baldwin. Who will take the map?”
The Duke of Lox had to think about that for a moment. “Perhaps we should not split up. But time is of the essence.”
“I will have the Corning driver take me there. He will know the way. You take the map.” The Duke of Rabney began folding the map. The Duke of Lox took it from him.
They nodded at each other and separated, the Duke of Lox going to his horse and the Duke of Rabney heading toward the small cottage near the stables where the Corning driver would be.
The Duke of Lox pulled himself up and started down the path away from Corning Manor. His chest was tight with anxiety. The properties of Lady Bonneville were not close by. It would take an hour and a half to get where he needed to go. And then he would have to find her. He had no idea how vast the property was or how he would go about getting inside the place. It could be surrounded by a large stone wall… it could be a fortress for all he knew.
He sighed, wishing he could make his horse gallop the entire way. But the Duke of Rabney was right. He did not know his way around the area well. He was almost envious of the Duke of Rabney. He had a driver who knew the area very well.
He rode the entire way wishing he could have at least seen the place once before so he could plan, see it in his mind, decide what to do ahead of time. He consulted the map frequently to make sure he was going in the right direction. When he saw the property line coming up, he kept his eye out for a gate or a wall. He saw nothing.
As he came through the tall trees, rounding the curve that would take him to the estate house, he had to stop his horse and look up. The house was not a house. It was a castle. It had four tall towers on each corner and was, in fact, built like a fortress. His chest tightened once more and he clenched his jaw.
The Duke of Lox scanned the fortress. Although it seemed it was built for the purpose of a military barracks, there was no one anywhere in sight. No servants wandered the ground. He heard no sounds of movement anywhere, other than the woods around him.
He slowed his horse to a trot and moved slowly toward the large arched entrance into the courtyard. He passed under the arch, keeping his eyes alert to spot any movement that might come.
Still, he saw no one. He stopped the horse and surveyed the area. There were many doors that ran along the four buildings around him. Each building was attached so that they formed a square with one side being the main house.
It was taller than the others and had more windows and decorative etchings. There was a large flag hanging from a pole over the main building with the Bonneville family crest woven in its threads. It was a large B with a sword, shield, spear, and a lion surrounding it. It was impressive.
The Duke of Lox allowed his horse to continue until he spotted a good place to get down. He did not want the animal to be seen. Although he did not think it was likely there was anyone here. The fortress appeared to be abandoned.
He could tell as he got closer that the buildings had not been used in some time. They were probably occupied more recently than the Duke of Lox presumed. But the walls were cracking some and the foliage was overgrown.
He saw several holes bored into the ground from underground animals. The approaching winter had killed most of the grass that had grown in the courtyard. He’d noticed while he was coming up the pathway to the house that the west side of the fortress was as green as it could be, stretching out over the rolling hills in amazing beauty.
He slid from the saddle, looking around some more, wondering where to start. He contemplated leaving the fortress and heading to the other property but something was making him curious. If he were Lord Carne and wanted to hide something or someone, would this not be the perfect place to do it?
Surely, the man would know that he, the Duke of Lox, would come searching for his soon-to-be bride. Surely, Emma would inform him that they were to be wed.
The Duke of Lox shook his head. She did not know her father had given permission. Regardless, he was confident nothing would make Emma give her hand to Lord Carne. She had registered such disgust even at the mention of his name, the Duke of Lox would be more than surprised if she ended up marrying him. He would consider it an act of lunacy and count himself blessed he had not wed a woman with no sense.
The thought made him snicker. The sound echoed through the courtyard softly. He glanced to his left and right, trying to decide where to start looking for her.
He approached one of the doors and turned the knob. It was either locked or stuck tight. He went to the next one. He did not reach an open door until he came to the portion of the square facing the west.
He opened the door and looked in. The door led to an opening that went to the left and right. A long hallway was on his left and a door to the north side of the fortress was on his right.
Directly in front of him was a stone staircase that would take him up into the tower. He looked up, wondering how many steps it was. He would take it steady so as not to wear out. He decided first to check the doors that were placed every ten feet to his right. Each one was locked but one.
He opened the door and poked his head in. The sun had just reached the west side of the sky and was beaming in through the glassless, curtainless window, lighting up the room. It was dusty but it looked as if it had been recently used. One of the chairs had been recently brushed off and the table in front of it cleaned. He scanned the rest of the room but saw nothing of importance.
He came back out and tried the remaining two doors, which were shut tight. Moving as quietly as he could, he went back to the stairs and looked up. He began the ascension, glancing through the small rectangle windows placed every so often around the curving staircase. He was almost to the top when he stopped. He tilted his head to the side. He thought he could hear voices in the room.
He reached the landing and pressed himself firmly against the wall so that when the door opened, he would not get hit with it. He was glad the entrance to the room at the top of the tower was through a door and not a hatch.
There would be no way to plan any kind of surprise attack through a hatch. Anyone inside could stomp on the hatch and keep it closed. A door was easier to deal with.
His heart thumped in his chest and he instinctively held his breath. He heard two voices but could not hear the words. One female, one male. He knew them both, one more than the other. It was Emma and Lord Carne.
The Duke of Lox could not believe his luck. He had come to the right place and found her.
He grinned. He did not hear any animosity going on in the room. Even Lord Carne’s voice was not angry or spiteful. They both sounded calm.
A thought went through the Duke of Lox’s mind that made him pause. Could Emma have left of her own volition? Was she staying here temporarily?
He shook his head in answer to his own questions. There was no way. Emma would never choose Lord Carne over him. He had seen it in her eyes the night before.
Unless he was mistaken.
The door opened unexpectedly and he saw Lord Carne standing there with a tray, a bowl, plate, and cup sitting atop it. He was facing inside the room. He said something and took a step backward to come out and pulled the door closed behind him.
When he turned and saw the Duke of Lox, he growled and lunged at him, holding the tray up in the air. The crockery it had been carrying flew off to the side and nearly hit the Duke of Lox. The Duke of Lox dodged the flying pieces.
The Duke of Lox was a much bigger man than the slender Lord Carne. He pushed himself from the wall, snatched the tray out of Lord Carne’s hands and hit him over the head wit
h it. The crockery fell to the ground with a loud clatter.
Lord Carne crumpled to the ground.
Chapter 39
The Duke of Lox stepped over Lord Carne and swung the door open. He looked in. Emma was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room near the window. She was covering her face with her hands and sobbing. She looked up and saw him come through the doorway.
Her sobs increased and she stood up. She took a few steps toward him, holding out her hands to him. She placed her hands back over her face and dropped to her knees, weeping uncontrollably.
The Duke of Lox went to her and took a knee in front of her. “My lady,” he said quietly. “I’ve come to take you home to your family. Are you all right?”
Emma was visibly trying to get herself under control. All she could think of was her father. She was happy the Duke of Lox had found her so quickly. She had hoped it would be soon but just at that exact moment was… ironic. She swept at her wet cheeks with the back of her hands, trying to look presentable to the duke.
