“Perhaps that is what has brought us to this point in the first place, Papa, your lack of attention, especially where your staff are concerned.” She could not hide the bitterness in her voice, for she blamed him. There was nobody else she could blame, aside from herself. Then again, all she had done to Mr. Booth was speak her truth; he had been the one to speak out of turn.
“I know you are angry and frustrated by the situation, Henrietta, but I will not have you use that tone of voice with me,” he replied coldly. “Even if I am to blame for this, do not think that our roles have somehow altered. I am still your father, and you will show me the correct respect.”
She sat in sullen silence, trying hard not to stare at the letters on the table. Every time she looked at them, they filled her with terror. What was Mr. Booth plotting now? If past experiences were anything to go by, then these were an omen of things to come. It would not be long before something bad happened; she could sense it.
“If this letter is correct, it would appear that you have not ceased in your endeavors to become a physician,” Aaron muttered bitterly. “It is ludicrous, you realize that? You will bring shame upon all of us if you persist. Who knows, maybe Seth is simply trying to spare us all that particular embarrassment.”
Henrietta stared at her father in disbelief. “Are you blaming me?”
“I am saying there may be more than one reason for this.”
“Just when I thought you were showing some progress, you go and say something like that,” she retorted. “Is a father not supposed to love and support his daughter? Is he not supposed to admire her, rather than scorn her every move?”
It was Aaron’s turn to look shocked. “You think I do not care?”
“If you did, you would not seek to lay blame upon me for something that is evidently not my fault.”
“I am tired, Henrietta. I did not mean—”
“No, I think you did. I think you are convinced that my apparent misbehavior has resulted in this threat against me.”
“Henrietta, I—”
“Admit it, Papa!”
He stilled, his eyes turning sad. “I care about you, Henrietta. I have always cared, and I always will.” He heaved out a sigh that seemed to shake his entire body. “And no, I do not believe you are to blame for this. I should not have said so—the letter has thrown me for a loop, somewhat. I think you should cease your foolish endeavors, that much is true, but I do not think you have brought this on yourself. That is entirely my doing. I ought to have given Mr. Booth a recommendation. Had I realized how unhinged he was, I would have done.”
Is that… an apology? She hardly dared believe it. Even if there was no “sorry” within his speech, the subtext was undeniable. It was the closest thing to an apology she would ever receive from him.
Just then, Tabitha and Ewan entered, dissipating the tense atmosphere. Henrietta contemplated hiding the letter from her husband, but he had already seen it.
“Another one?” he asked, worried.
“Yes. It would appear that we have annoyed Mr. Booth.”
“The devil is watching us somehow,” Aaron hissed.
Henrietta nodded. “We believe there may be someone at home who told him of your arrival here,” she said, fixing her gaze on her mother. “And I have an inkling that Seth knows of my visit to his family yesterday. That revelation is easy enough to decipher—his sister did not keep her promise.”
Aaron frowned. “His family?”
“Yes, we happened upon his sister yesterday,” Ewan explained.
“That is not possible.”
“Whatever do you mean, Papa?” Henrietta asked.
“Mr. Booth does not have any family,” he replied firmly.
“He does—we met his sister,” Ewan assured, but Aaron simply shook his head again.
“Then she is not who she said she was. You see, Seth came to me, seeking employment, after the death of his sickly mother. He had used all his worldly means to pay for her funeral and had been left with nothing. As for a sister—he told me that he had had a sibling, once upon a time, but she had died in infancy. This was verified by those who knew him, in the town. Indeed, they remembered the tragedy in which she was killed; a carriage went astray from the road, and she was trampled beneath the hooves of the escaped horses.”
Henrietta turned to Ewan, who had blanched in shock. They had been fooled in the simplest way—they had allowed themselves to believe Mr. Booth, and he had conned them both.
Chapter 30
After breakfast, Ewan and Henrietta took a carriage into town. It pulled up outside the dingy terrace, where Henrietta had apprehended the young woman named Isobel. To get to the bottom of the lie, the house had seemed like the best place to visit.
Ewan got out first, helping his wife down the unfolded steps. He could sense the anger bristling from her. He had not enjoyed the revelation that he had been fooled, but Henrietta had taken it much harder.
“Did you tell me everything about your encounter yesterday?” he asked, as they approached the house.
She narrowed her eyes. “That wretch lied to my face. She told me she had lost a child. I felt sorry for her, for heaven’s sake! I even offered her my apologies for the tragedy she had endured, and all the while she was lying through her teeth.”
Ah, so that’s what has wounded her so deeply. He had come to realize that Henrietta felt things in a much more poignant way than most people. He supposed it was part of her difference—the unique demeanor that made her so intriguing and delightful. It pained him to see that it had been used against her, for he knew that was how people became hardened. He did not wish that for her.
Henrietta brushed past him and rapped hard on the door.
Silence echoed.
“Oh no you don’t,” she mumbled under her breath, as she knocked again. She did not stop, though nobody came to answer the door.
Her cheeks were quite scarlet by the time Ewan stepped to the side and peered in through the ground-floor window. A heavy drape hung across the interior, but a slender chink allowed him to see into the room beyond. If anyone had lived here, they had abandoned it. There was no furniture to speak of, and it looked as though the inhabitants had left in a hurry, judging by the mess that lay scattered about the place.
“Will you stop all that banging!” A woman’s face appeared around the neighboring doorway.
“Excuse me, do you know what happened to the young woman who was living here?” Ewan asked, hoping to diffuse the situation before Henrietta started ranting.
“Left last night in the wee hours. Caused an awful ruckus, just like your wife there,” the woman retorted unpleasantly.
“Did they leave a forwarding address?”
The woman snorted. “You’re not in the home counties now, Sir. Wouldn’t be surprised if they were never heard from again.”
“They?”
“Yeah, that woman and the kid she had with her.”
Ewan turned to Henrietta, who had ceased her banging. “A child?”
“Might have been two children. Hard to tell in the dead of night. All I know is, there was someone squalling in that house. Good riddance to them, I say.”
“Thank you. Sorry for disturbing you,” Ewan said, before grasping Henrietta’s hand and bundling her into the carriage.
“She was an accomplice!” Henrietta hissed, as the carriage set off towards the Old Bell. “I was foolish enough to believe her, and now she has vanished into the ether.”
“You must not be so hard on yourself.” Ewan squeezed her hand tightly.
“How can I not be, when she has escaped? She might have held the key to all of this, and now she has gone.” She shook her head angrily. “Evidently, she is the one who has been passing all of this information to Mr. Booth. Why, she might have even come into the inn, and I would not have noticed her.”
“Do you think so?”
Henrietta shrugged. “Well, now we will never know. She must have told Mr. Booth of my visit, and he
must have spirited her away. We have been hoist by our own petard, my Lord Marquess.”
“We have the ball, Henrietta. We will catch this devil in action, I promise you.”
“Then we must endeavor to be careful of what we say, no matter where we are,” she insisted. “I shall tell Mother and Father not to breathe a word of our plan to anyone, aside from Papa’s men, and to only speak of it in whispers. Yes, and I must ensure that Papa’s men are stationed far from town, so that nobody will suspect anything. You and I must do the same thing—we must only speak of this to one another and in hushed tones.”
He smiled. “We can whisper of it when we are curled up in one another’s arms.”
Her expression softened. “I believe you are right about protecting me in the night, my Lord Marquess. It would be far better if we were overly cautious in such matters, rather than finding myself attacked whilst I slumber. I should welcome your evening company. Although… may I speak freely?”
“We have already done away with that rule, Henrietta. You know you may say whatever you please to me.”
“I should prefer it if we keep that first promise,” she said quietly. “I am not a worldly woman, and I do not know the ways of marital union. I rather like to be kissed by you, but that is where it must end. I hope you understand?”
He nodded. “I understand, Henrietta.”
In truth, the thought of Henrietta ever being with child left a stark icicle of terror in his heart. He had lost Patricia and their son to childbirth. He would not lose Henrietta as well, not if he could prevent it.
“Now, do we ask Lord Averson to look into this mysterious woman?” Henrietta went on, her cheeks flushed pink. He imagined her picturing them curled up in one another’s arms, fast asleep, and the thought brought him a bittersweet happiness.
“That might arouse suspicion in Mr. Booth, do you not think?”
She tapped her chin. “Hm, I suspect you may be right, although I should dearly like to know who this Isobel is. She must be tied to Mr. Booth in some way.”
“We may discover it once we capture the wretch.”
“You are quite right. We must be patient in our endeavors.”
He held out his hand. “May I take you for luncheon?”
“I should like that very much.”
Clambering back into the carriage, they set off for the small restaurant where they had spent their first day together here. Ewan liked the place very much, the warmth inviting. It was made all the more delightful by Henrietta’s presence. Although he had tried his hardest not to fall in love with her, the heart wanted what it wanted, and it was striving for her. He would never forget Patricia, but perhaps it was time he left grief behind him. After all, nobody could remain in love with a ghost, who could no longer love back.
“This is pleasant, is it not?” Ewan asked, as he sipped his cup of tea.
“This is perfection,” Henrietta replied.
Just then, the bell above the door tinkled, and a figure walked in. Ewan looked up in surprise; he had not expected to see Gerome, though he had mentioned that he might pop into this particular establishment before he headed back to the Old Bell. He could not imagine what had brought the fellow here.
“Gerome?” he said.
“Ah, My Lord, I had hoped to find you here,” he replied, catching his breath. “An urgent message came for you by express rider, and I thought it best to deliver the note as soon as possible. The rider was most insistent that you be given this right away.”
Ewan frowned. “Me?”
“Yes, My Lord.” With a grim expression, Gerome handed a letter to his master and dipped in a low bow. “I hope you do not mind my intrusion. Indeed, I am very sorry for it. Although, whilst I am here, I may tell you that your dress will be ready for the ball, My Lady. The seamstress is working all hours to have it made in time. Also, your tickets have been purchased.”
“Very good, Gerome.” Ewan smiled.
“Thank you, My Lord. Might I request permission to take my leave?”
Ewan nodded. “Certainly.” Gerome turned to leave, but Ewan called him back. “Actually, there is one more thing.”
“Yes, My Lord?”
“Have you seen Mr. and Mrs. Oliver this morning, after we finished breakfast?”
“Yes, My Lord. They have taken a turn along the promenade, by all accounts. Mrs. Oliver looked quite unwell. Do you think I ought to send for a physician?”
Henrietta shook her head. “She has troublesome nerves from time to time, Gerome. I am certain she will be well enough in a few days.”
Ewan caught the conspiratorial glance in his wife’s eyes, knowing what she meant. The ball was to take place in several days’ time, and once it was over, Henrietta’s mother would be at peace again. Mr. Booth would be dealt with, and all of this unpleasantness would be over. Personally, I cannot wait for such a time, when this is no longer looming over us.
“Very good, My Lady. Please do ask if she requires any assistance, as they did not appear to bring any staff with them.” He bowed his head. “May I depart, My Lord?”
“Yes, thank you. Did you happen to bring a white-tie with you, that I may wear for the ball?” Ewan asked distractedly. The beautiful seascape had caught his eye, his gaze drifting towards the turbulent, gray-green sea.
“I did, My Lord,” he replied.
“Splendid, then I shall look forward to wearing it.”
“Enjoy your luncheon, My Lord, My Lady. I will take my leave of you now. I have taken up enough of your time,” Gerome said, dipping his head one last time before Ewan excused him.
With the departure of his manservant, Ewan turned to the letter. It bore a plain seal with no insignia, giving no indication as to who it could be from. If the writer sent this by express rider, then it must be important. Without hesitation, he opened it and began to read. His eyes widened with every word he took in, his blood running cold:
Lord Peterborough,
If you cannot control your wife, then you must not be surprised when others are forced to intercede on your behalf. You cannot keep her safe, no matter what you may think. I will strike when you least expect it, you may be sure of that.
Warm Regards,
A Friend
“It is one of those letters,” Ewan said, anger spiking in his heart.
Henrietta gasped. “Oh, dear, what does it say?”
He turned the letter around and showed it to her, watching her face as it morphed into a mask of horror. Now, it looked as though he was being targeted, alongside Henrietta and her father.
It was only a matter of time until this wretch involved me.
“What do you think it means?” she asked, her lip trembling.
“I think it means that I will have to watch over you, every hour of every day until we bring this man to justice,” Ewan replied firmly, reaching out to touch her hand. He smiled to reassure her, though he felt a grip of fear in his chest. Mr. Booth meant business, and it frightened Ewan to his core. He could not bear the idea of losing Henrietta, not now. He had already lost so much. Please, no more, I beg of you. I cannot lose her, too.
“Do you think he knows about the ball yet?” Henrietta wondered.
Ewan paused in thought. “From the letter, it would appear he has some plan in mind. Fortunately for us, he does not yet know what our plans are. He shall be in for a harsh surprise, if he tries to harm you at the ball. Your father’s men and I will see to that.”
“What would I do without you, My Lord?” A nervous smile edged onto her lips.
“You are mistaken, My Lady. It is, what would I do without you? Your mind is more voracious than any man I know, and sharper than a pin. Indeed, we would not even have such a plan if it were not for you.”
She chuckled. “It is my physician’s mind, turning its attention elsewhere until I may become such a person.”
“I wish it well in its endeavors. Not only with this plan, but with your future letters to the medical establishments of our nation. They can
not ignore you forever,” he said with encouragement.
“So, you have changed your mind? You believe I can achieve my future hopes?”
He shrugged casually. “Right now, I believe you are capable of anything you set your mind to. Becoming a physician is not excluded, though I would urge you not to use my name again.”
“I will not. Otherwise, the victory would not be as sweet.”
“You are quite right. Now, are you finished with your luncheon? Shall we return to the Old Bell, or would you care to walk along the promenade?”
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