The Trouble With These Gentlemen (The BainBridge - Love & Challenges) (The Regency Romance Story)

by Jessie Bennett

  “This is not your mess. You didn’t cause it. Allow me to help you. Clara and I bring four willing hands to the duty.”

  “Lady Huntington,” James asked in a gentle voice. “Can you think of anyone who would want to do this to you or your family?”

  Eliza looked up at him. “I cannot think of anyone, sir, I have been thinking about it for the past hour and I… I have thought of no one.”

  “Was anything taken that stands out to you as odd?”

  “This whole incident is bizarre.” Eliza shook her head. “I don’t understand why anyone would want to destroy such beauty. My flowers didn’t hurt anyone. I haven’t hurt anyone.” She began to cry again, lowering her head into her hands. “This simply does not make sense. My lord,” she looked up at Tyler Cornwall. “You must help me find the person responsible for this. I do not want to leave Bainbridge.”

  “Why would you leave Bainbridge?” Anne Marie asked, resting one hand on Eliza’s shoulder. The woman looked at her in bewilderment.

  “Someone is obviously trying to harm me. What if they seek to harm my husband? Or my children?”

  Anne Marie shook her head. “I think if they wanted to do that, my lady, they already would have. It would not have been your flowers they went after. These objects can be replaced. You cannot. I do hope you do not decide to leave the village.”

  Eliza shook her head. “I don’t want to. But if anything should happen to me or my family, I do not think I could live on. I would beg the Lord to take me and relieve me of my anguish.”

  “This is just a shop, a building with objects inside that can be replaced. I know you are worried about the safety of your family. But you mustn’t be too concerned. We are all here to help you and take care of you.”

  Eliza gave her a long look before nodding and covering her face again with her hands. Anne Marie pulled her into a hug. She gestured with her head toward James, who nodded and turned away with Tyler. They began murmuring in low voices as they moved around the room, looking at the damage.

  Over Eliza’s shoulder, Anne Marie scanned the room. It was completely destroyed, just as Cameron has said. All the glass and porcelain vases were smashed; stems and flower petals covered the floor in bright colors and green. Glass shards from the broken front window covered the floor.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clara following James and Tyler as they walked around the store, peering closely at the damage. She released Eliza and looked into the woman’s tear-filled eyes. “Where do you want me to start cleaning, Lady Huntington?”

  Eliza shook her head. “The back room is just as bad as it is out here. It doesn’t really matter where anyone starts cleaning. We will never find out who did this. I don’t know what to think or how to feel. I just want to take a nap. I want to get a glass of wine and take a nap.”

  Anne Marie nodded. “Perhaps that’s what you should do, my lady. Here, I will help you up the stairs. How in heaven’s name did you not hear this happening?”

  Eliza shook her head. “It must have happened while we were all gone. The only time we’ve been gone is when we went to church. I don’t remember seeing anyone missing from church today but… well, how am I to know? I cannot keep my eye on everyone in town, thinking they will harm me or my family.”

  Anne Marie shook her head. “This doesn’t feel like it was directed to harm you or your family. This seems more like something that was done to scare you. Perhaps this person wants you to leave town. You haven’t noticed anyone acting differently toward you lately?”

  “No. No.” Eliza began crying again and leaned her head against Anne Marie’s shoulder as the woman held her up, leading her to the stairwell. As they went, Anne Marie couldn’t help but notice Clara was in deep conversation with James. Tyler had left the two and was analyzing the broken window.

  Anne Marie turned away, jealousy making her heart ache.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  TYLER ASKS FOR A FAVOR

  TYLER ASKS FOR A FAVOR

  Anne Marie fetched a glass of wine for Eliza and took it to her. She was lying down on a long settee with bright purple and pink flowers printed on the fabric. She covered the woman with a blanket and told her to wait while she got Thaddeus, her husband. She suspected the man was downstairs analyzing the damage with the rest of the men.

  “No, my lady, please don’t bother my husband. I’m quite sure he is busy. I will be fine. You may go. I have Lily here to sit with me. I know you want to help and I appreciate it. You can go back downstairs and help clean if you like but I beg you not to exert yourself.” Eliza tried to give Anne Marie a weak grin. “Let the men do the work, my dear. That’s why they are men.”

  Anne Marie smiled back at her, brushing a thick strand of dark hair from Eliza’s forehead. “All right. I will certainly let the men do all the work.”

  She waited a few moments more before going back downstairs. By the time she stepped out into the main shop, there were people all around her sweeping up glass and flower parts. She hurried across to the front window, where Clara and James were standing with the two older Cornwall brothers.

  “My lady.” Nicholas greeted her. He was the only one she had not seen when she first arrived at the shop so she curtsied and nodded to him.

  “Hello, my lord.”

  “You are looking well today,” the young man said with a pleasant grin. Anne Marie felt like she was looking at him for the first time. He was a good looking young man, blond hair with a hint of red in it but less than the color in her own blond hair. His eyes were a flashing green, incomparably gentle and kind, and the features of his face fit together perfectly. His lips were full and looked as soft as velvet. “I hope that you had a good time at church.”

  She nodded. “I did. Thank you, my lord.”

  He said nothing more. The smile remained on his face. Anne Marie looked at Tyler and James, then Clara. “Has anything been discovered? Anything odd that can help determine who did this?”

  Tyler and James shared a look. “We have determined one thing. The perpetrator of this crime was a man.”

  “How can you tell it was a man?”

  “This is what was thrown through the front window.” Tyler held up a huge chunk of rock. Anne Marie stared at it. It was one of the largest rocks she’d ever seen that could still be picked up and handled. Any larger and the thing would have been considered a boulder.

  “We’ve made a couple of assumptions, Lady Anne. I would like your opinion as to their validity.” James said. Anne Marie nodded her consent. “This rock is quite heavy is it not?” He took the stone from Tyler and held it out to her. She took it in both hands. It weighed them down so that she could barely hold it up. She handed it back almost immediately.

  “It is very heavy, my lord.” She consented.

  James held up his hand. “It is clear from the breakage of this glass, seeing that some of it is still in place, where the stone went through. Do you see this?” He pointed at the glass shards still held together in the window brackets and the large shards lying on the floor. “It was thrown through here. Do you think you could throw a rock that high through that window with enough force to make it burst through this way?”

  “No.” Anne Marie shook her head, responding immediately. “But I am a rather short woman. There are women taller and stronger than I am. I assume you are saying the vandal was a man.”

  “Yes. We do think it was a man. This is a brutal act. I tend to think it was a man also because the flowers are… well, they are destroyed, I must say.” He looked around the room at the piles of flower stems and petals those helping with the clean-up had gathered together.

  “We have not been able to think of anyone who did not attend church today but there are many who are not regular at the church.” Tyler said.

  “Also,” Clara put in. “Just because someone was not at church does not make them an immediate suspect in this crime. It could just as easily have been someone who does not go to that church, someone from outside this
area of the village.”

  James looked at Clara. “That could be, Miss Clara. But it is doubtful. There are few people in the village who do not attend that church. Smaller churches established on the outskirts of town are only attended by a few of our citizens. The rest will attend the largest church we have, which is St. Mark's, where you were this morning. Everyone in this village knows everyone else. It is strange that this should happen now.” He gave her a hard gaze and then turned the look to Anne Marie. “It is almost like someone is targeting you because you are strangers here.”

  “I don’t think that is true.” The five of them turned to look at Earl Kipling, who had taken it upon himself to sweep up all the excess flower remnants near the front door. Anne Marie immediately suspected he was sweeping so closely in order to hear their conversation. She got an uncomfortable feeling and instinctively moved herself away from him, which made her step nearer to Nicholas Cornwall. The young man smiled at her and gave her what she was sure was a knowing look. Could he possibly know the Earl made her feel uneasy? She gave him back a humorous smile and turned to the Earl again.

  “Well, I do hope not, Earl Kipling,” Tyler responded. “But how can you be sure?”

  The Earl shook his head. “I do not think anyone would wish to harm Lady Wiltshire or her companion. This is most likely just an act of a person who has lost their mind.” He looked at Anne Marie. “Don’t you think so, my lady? Surely you will not allow yourself to be condemned because you are simply here when this terrible event has occurred?”

  Anne Marie wasn’t sure how to respond to the man. He seemed to be saying that she was either the perpetrator or someone wanted to point the crime in her direction simply because she was new to town. Her mind whirled as she thought of the possibilities. There were many options. Someone could be pointing a finger at her, but if they were, they would not have used such a large stone, nor thrown it so high into the window that it was obvious she could not have done it herself. In addition, how would attacking a flower shop be a way to inflict damage on her or Clara? It was not their shop. It made no difference to their lives, other than adding to their prayers at night.

  “I do not feel as though I am in danger,” Anne Marie said after giving it some thought. “I don’t believe this was directed toward me in any way. The only thing that ties me to this is the fact that I only arrived here a week ago. I have not met anyone who treats me with disrespect or distrust. I am sure I would be able to tell, as the overwhelming response has been welcoming and positive. This is a pleasant little town. I can’t imagine it being anyone at all.”

  She shook her head.

  Tyler was quiet, the fingers of one hand covering his mouth as he thought deeply. “I must tell my mother and father about this. They will want to know. They will most likely help the Huntington's financially so that they will be able to rebuild their shop.”

  “Will they do that?” Anne Marie asked, looking from Tyler to Nicholas. Both young men nodded.

  “That is one of the ways they helped build this village up to what it is now, such as it may be.” James said. “They have never let anyone go wanting. If someone was without food or clothing, they would provide it in trade for some type of cheap labor. Helping in the stables, helping neighbors with farms and watching children, or even teaching children.” He looked at Tyler. “Do you remember when the couple – those missionaries came through and taught all the children how to speak in Latin?”

  Tyler smiled. “I do. That was many years ago.”

  “The Duke and Duchess learned in the same environment as the children,” James turned his smile to Anne Marie who couldn’t help smiling back. “They actually sat in with the children during the lessons and learned Latin along with them.”

  “The Duke and Duchess did not already know Latin?” Anne Marie raised one eyebrow.

  Tyler snorted softly. “It is my opinion that father did already know Latin, if not, some at least. Nevertheless, he sat in on the lessons anyway. He learned along with all the other children. He never shows off about anything he does.” He looked down at Anne Marie. “Lady Huntington is in no shape to come with me to talk to my mother and it is not polite to ask for yourself. Would you care to join me, with your companion, of course, in my coach? I would like to ask you to tell my mother what has happened here while I tell my father. It is best that mother hear this kind of thing from a woman. You will express much more feelings and sentiment than me. I would be eternally grateful.”

  Anne Marie was slightly surprised but understood his reasoning. “I will do that, my lord, yes, if you ask me to.”

  Tyler nodded. “I am asking you to. Would you care to ride along, James?”

  James wanted to but he was too aware of the fact that Anne Marie had moved closer to Nicholas and they had greeted each other specifically. He couldn’t help wondering if they had been talking and he simply failed to notice. He shook his head. “I will stay here and help clean. This is the kind of work I do at the hotel all the time. I’m sure I can make quick work of this destruction. No need in being a third wheel.”

  “You are never a third wheel, my lord.” Anne Marie said in a hurry. She noticed Clara glaring at her but dismissed her narrow eyes. She didn’t want James to stay here with Clara. They were growing closer every day and her letter had yet to even post. She had not made any intentions clear to James at all. She had no guarantees that even if her uncle was to let her out of the requirement of wealth and title, James would even want to court her. She saw signs of flirtation and attraction but could not be sure about them.

  She wished she could just come right out and ask him. The very thought of doing that, however, made her blush and look away. The look on James’ face didn’t give her any clue as to what he was thinking.

  “Thank you, my lady.” He said finally. “I will come along if you think I will be needed.” He looked at Tyler. “Do you need me, Ty?”

  Tyler looked at both of them back and forth. “Well, let us leave then. Mother and father need to know about this.”

  “No need to leave, son.”

  The voice of the Duke made them all turn to the door. The Duke and Duchess had arrived with Cameron in the lead. The youngest Cornwall looked at his oldest brother.

  “I thought they might need to know, brother. So I went and retrieved them.”

  Tyler took a few steps over to his youngest brother and slapped him on the shoulder. “Fine work, my brother. Fine work. Father, mother, look at this destruction. We must help Lord and Lady Huntington recover from this, do you agree?”

  The Duke was scanning the inside of the ruined shop, looking at the mess with a sigh and a frown. “This is a terrible thing, Tyler. Who could have done such a thing?”

  “We are all trying to gather information to draw the proper conclusion, Father. I’m glad you are here to help with this.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  THE DUCHESS CONSOLES ELIZA

  THE DUCHESS CONSOLES ELIZA

  Once the Duke and Duchess came to see the tragic situation at the flower shop, the place emptied out of spectators. The only people left were the ones cleaning. Anne Marie recognized a few of them, but the majority were strangers to her. She knew them by face only, having seen them around the main street and at the church.

  “Where is Lady Huntington?” The Duchess spoke first to Anne Marie, leaning in as if she was asking a secret question. Anne Marie was amused. She liked the Duchess very much.

  “She’s upstairs lying down. She was very distraught.”

  The Duchess nodded. Her shiny silver hair made ringlets around her lined face, coming out from underneath her bonnet. When she shook her head, the ringlets swung back and forth. Anne Marie was instantly reminded of a bunch of tiny elephant’s trunks. She held in an amused grin. “Shall we go up and see her?” The Duchess asked.

  “I think she would like that very much, your grace.” Anne Marie answered. She held out one elbow to the older woman. The Duchess smiled appreciatively and took her a
rm, squeezing it affectionately.

  “You accompanied her up to her rooms?”

  “I did.”

  The Duchess nodded. “I’m sure she appreciated that very much.”

  “I’m sure she did but I need no thanks. I only did what I thought was right, under the circumstances. There are many people here to help with the clean-up.”

  The Duchess glanced around the room as they stepped over what remained of the scattered flower petals and stems and broken glass. “I do not see Lord Thaddeus Huntington. Surely, he is here? Where else would he be?”

  “I believe he is in the back-store room, assessing the losses. They will be needing assistance to get back on their feet.”

  The Duchess nodded. “Yes, we will help him.” She pushed herself even closer to Anne Marie as they went up the stairs, saying, “I’ll tell you a little secret if you care to hear it, my dear.”

  “I can keep a secret, my lady.” Anne Marie replied in a soft voice.

  “It is out of the kindness of our hearts that Wilfred and I help the citizens of Bainbridge maintain their businesses and consult with them so that they remain open and business is good.” Her voice dropped to a level that Anne Marie could barely hear. She was forced to bend over slightly to hear what the older woman was saying. “But if we did not help them, I do believe Tyler would have us overthrown.”

  Anne Marie couldn’t help bursting out with laughter, which she quickly reigned in. “Oh, your grace, you should not make me laugh during such a serious event.”

  The Duchess smiled at her laughter, shaking her head. “My dear, the best way to make a bad situation better is through laughter. We must be light-hearted when we speak to Lady Huntington so that she will feel less of her burden of depression.”

  “Are you sure that’s wise? I don’t want her to think we are taking her situation lightly. It is a very serious problem.”