by Rose Pearson
“Go and fetch the Duke.”
She looked at the maid who looked up and, after a moment, turned and hurried out of the room, leaving Laura alone.
Walking to the bed, Laura placed her hand on it and found it cold. Elouise had not been here in some time. Moving to the other side of the room, she found a discarded nightdress and, in pulling open the wardrobe, found some of Elouise’s clothes were gone. The girl had clearly decided to dress and then leave the room, locking the door tightly behind her.
“Oh, Elouise,” she whispered, her heart breaking. “Where have you gone?”
“Laura?”
She turned to see the Duke enter the room. His dark hair was sticking up in all manner of directions, his eyes wild with fear.
“She’s not here, Royston,” Laura whispered, as he wrapped her in his arms. “I don’t know what to do.”
He held her close for a moment and she leaned into him, letting his strength settle her fractious thoughts.
“We’ll find her,” he said, softly. “Can you trust me with that, Laura?”
Looking up at him, Laura saw the expression on his face and nodded jerkily, tears spilling from her eyes. “I am just so afraid. This is my fault, Royston.”
He grasped her upper arms tightly. “No,” he said, firmly, his head lowering just a little so that he might look into her face a little better. “No, Laura, this is not your fault. None of this is your fault. There was nothing wrong with what we did nor what Elouise saw. I think we were both rather flustered when she appeared and perhaps I spoke a little more firmly than I ought.” The fire in his eyes dimmed for a moment, regret tugging at his lips. “I did not think for one moment that she would…..”
Laura let out a shuddering breath, her lips twisting with the attempt not to let her tears fall. “We have to find her, Royston.”
“And we shall.” His hands drifted down her arms until they caught her hands, his head lowering to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. “We will find her, Laura, I promise. Can you trust me?”
Her eyes caught his as she nodded, and their lips met for just a moment, nothing more than a whisper caught between the two of them.
“Then go and tell Alice the news,” he said, gently, his breath tickling across her cheek. “I will assemble the staff and we will begin a thorough search of the grounds. Thank goodness it has not been raining and looks to be a fair day!”
Laura closed her eyes for a moment as tears spilled from her eyes, and felt the Duke’s hand brush across her cheek, capturing the moisture that had landed there.
“I will not lose another child,” he promised, fervently. “Now go. Find Alice and apprise her of what has happened. I will come and talk to you both once the staff has been sent out.
Seven hours later and Laura and Alice were pacing the floor of the drawing room, having just completed a thorough search of the house in its entirety, assisted by the housekeeper and maids. The footmen had been organized by the Duke and the butler, who, along with the grounds men, gardeners and stable hands, had been sent out to search the grounds. It was to be a long search, for the grounds were extensive, and Laura felt a chill of fear wash through her as she waited for news of their return.
“It has been so long already,” she murmured, half to herself, “And they have still not returned with her.”
Alice threw herself down into a seat, her face paler than Laura had ever seen it. “I want to help further but I just do not know what to do.”
Laura nodded, feeling exactly the same way. “At least we know she is not in the house.”
A deep, fearful sigh left Alice’s lips as she nodded, her teeth worrying her lip. “Indeed,” she muttered, passing one hand over her eyes. “Which means that she is outside somewhere and soon, it will be getting dark.”
Trying not to give in to the fear that was already beginning to crowd her soul, Laura drew in a long, shuddering breath. It was by now late afternoon, for she had only discovered Elouise’s disappearance at ten o’ clock this morning, but she knew they still had some hours of daylight left. “I am sure Royston will find her before then,” she said, with as much confidence as she could muster, unable to even consider the thought that Elouise would be outside for another night, lost to them all. “Surely, there must be news of her soon.”
Alice choked back a sob, waving Laura away as she came to console her.
“I am quite all right,” she murmured, trying to remain as strong as she could. “I apologize, Miss Smith, I – ”
“Laura, please.”
A wan smile crossed Alice’s face. “Laura, then. I apologize, Laura for being such a watering pot when you are having to be so strong. That girl has become so dear to me these last few weeks that I can hardly bear to think of her out there alone. I just pray she is not injured!” Her eyes lifted to Laura’s, her lips trembling. “Why did she leave, do you think? What was her reason?”
A cloud of guilt surrounded Laura. “She stumbled across me and your brother, Lady Alice. I will not try to hide the truth from you, for it will come out eventually, although I pray you will not think ill of me. I care for your brother most deeply, but I have had to refuse his urging to remain here. I do believe he will adopt Elouise.”
“But why?” Lady Alice exclaimed at once, looking almost hurt. “Why would you do such a thing when you care for him?”
“Because I must,” Laura replied, her throat aching. “There are twelve other girls at the orphanage who need me. I cannot simply toss them aside in favor of my own desires and longings.”
There was silence for a moment or two, which was then broken by the sound of Lady Alice sighing heavily.
“You are an extraordinary young lady, Laura,” she said, softly. “I would not have thought that anyone would turn down a Duke for the sake of a few orphaned girls, except that is what you are doing. You are putting their lives before your own. I think there is so much I could learn from you, Laura. I am only sorry that I will not be able to have the pleasure of your company for much longer.”
“I am sorry for that too,” Laura replied, honestly. “I have found your generosity and your kindness to be truly wonderful, Lady Alice. You have done so much for Elouise in particular and I know that she –” her throat ached all the more. “She will be very happy here, as I hope you will be also.”
Lady Alice was crying openly now, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I will miss Elouise dreadfully, as I will miss you, this house and of course, the Duke himself,” Laura continued, trying to get the words out and finding it increasingly difficult to do so. “But I have many wonderful memories now and, perhaps one day, we might be able to meet again. Thank you for everything you have done, Lady Alice. You have truly changed my life for the better.”
Lady Alice pulled herself out of her chair and embraced Laura, who felt tears spill down her cheeks unhindered. Together, they wept as they embraced, feeling their friendship strengthen all the more.
“I shall miss you terribly,” Lady Alice whispered, stepping back but keeping a hold of Laura’s hand. “How sad I am that things should not be as I had hoped between yourself and my brother. He will be a lesser man without you.”
Laura wept all the harder, her emotions almost tearing her apart.
“But I understand your reasons for returning,” Lady Alice finished, her own voice wobbling terribly. “You have a good heart, Laura, and even though Elouise might not understand what she saw, then I know that she will soon come to realize the truth of it. This is not your fault and not your doing, so you are not to take any of the blame on yourself, as I can see you are inclined to do.”
Laura nodded jerkily, her handkerchief now a sodden mess as she tried to stem the flow of tears. “Royston asked me to trust him, to trust that he will find Elouise and that is all I can do,” she said, hoarsely, suddenly forced to sit down in a chair given the weakness of her limbs. “I just pray to God that they find her soon.”
13
“Alice.”
&
nbsp; John walked into the drawing room to find Alice half asleep in the chair. She jerked awake and stared at him with wide eyes, before realizing who he was. Putting a finger to her lips, she pointed in the direction of the chaise longue, and it was only then that John realized Laura was lying on it, fast asleep.
“She is exhausted,” Alice whispered, reaching for his hand. “Do not wake her. I had to practically force her to eat something, for she has not eaten all day and was struggling to remain standing.” She looked up at him again, her eyes anxious. “She did not want to sleep, of course, but I promised to wake her the moment there was news. Is there any?”
Shaking his head, John let his eyes linger on the brandy nearby, moving to pour himself a small glass. He did not want to lose the sharpness of his mind, but he was completely exhausted and rather cold, given that it was now growing close to dusk.
“And the men?”
John sighed heavily and came to sit by his sister. “Some remained here to ensure that your needs were taken care of and so that the house did not fall into disarray. They have now gone out to search, whilst those who were outside have returned to the house, to eat and replenish themselves. I will not give up until I find her, Alice.”
She pressed his hand lightly with her own. “I know you will not, John.”
Agony and fear tore through him and he had to look away. This was not what he had planned, not what he had intended. He had hoped that he would find Elouise quickly and had, in fact, gone straight to the old ruin, thinking that she had gone there. But he had been wrong. The ruin had been empty and desolate, with no sign that anyone had ever been there. He had called her name until his voice was hoarse, had tramped the grounds with his men and searched for her until his entire body ached and still, she was not in his arms.
“I should have told her before now,” he muttered, passing one hand over his eyes. “She should have known the moment I decided.”
Alice looked up at him and he saw, for the first time, just how red-rimmed her eyes were. Clearly, his sister cared a great deal for Elouise also.
“I have been making the necessary arrangements to adopt Elouise,” he explained, quietly. “I have not yet told her for I wanted to ensure that everything was in place before I did so. Perhaps that was foolish. Perhaps I should have told her the moment I decided, so that she knew my intentions. Then she might not have reacted so badly when she found Laura and me…..” Trailing off, he looked away, his eyes landing on Miss Smith and finding his heart aching for her. He knew that she was to return to London soon, knew that he had to let her go, but that did not stop his heart from crying out in pain at that truth. He longed for her to stay and was almost fearful of what his life would be like without her, what Elouise’s life would be like without Miss Smith by her side. He had to think of something, some way to keep her here with him. There had to be something he could say that would convince her that to remain here, to accept his proposal of marriage, without feeling as though she were letting all of her other charges down.
“She will not turn her back on the rest of the girls, John,” Alice said, softly. “She cannot. She has too good a heart, even though it belongs to you.”
John swallowed hard, letting his gaze drift back towards his sister. “I love her, Alice.”
Alice smiled gently, despite her worry. “I think she loves you too, John, but unless you can find a way to move the orphanage up here, then I fear she will never be able to commit herself in the way she longs to do.”
Silence filled the room. Silence that was broken by the sudden sound of running feet coming towards them. John and Alice jumped from their seat at the noise. Laura woke with a sudden jerk as there came a loud rap on the door, followed by the face of one of their footmen.
“George,” John said quickly, beckoning him inside. “What news?”
“We have found her, your grace.”
There was a gasp from both Alice and Laura as Laura hurried forward to stand beside him – and he felt her hand slip into his, her fingers twining with his own. He could not look at her but felt his heart quicken nonetheless.
“Where?” he asked, knowing that he must ask the dreaded question. “And what state is she in?”
The footman swallowed, hesitating for a moment. “She was speaking to us, your grace, but is very quiet and it can be hard to make her out. One of the men found what appears to be an old mine shaft on the edge of your estate. She has fallen into that and I would surmise that she has been unable to make her way out again.”
Laura choked back a sob as Alice asked, “Is she terribly injured?”
The footman shook his head. “It is hard to say, my lady. She was speaking to us and has not said anything about a broken limb or the like, but I think it is best if you come at once, your grace. We have not yet worked out a way to get into the shaft itself, although some men have gone for sturdy rope and more torches.”
“We will all come,” Laura said before John could reply. “I just need my shawl.”
“And mine,” Alice agreed, hurrying towards the door. “We will not be a moment.”
The air was damp, and the grey sky filled with darkening clouds as John pulled up his horse by a cluster of trees that climbed up and over a small hill, jumping down from his mount before turning to help Alice and then Laura. The footman had ridden also and was throwing his reins over a branch before hurrying towards the trees. John followed suit, as did the ladies, before catching Laura’s hand in his own and quickly moving forward.
“This way, your grace,” the footman called, but John did not need his direction. He could hear the voices of the men and could see the flickering torches through the trees. He had never been to this part of his estate before, he was sure, for it was right at the border and had such thick, dense trees that it was best left alone. The ground was rough and hard, thorns tearing at his clothes as he walked. He turned to ensure that Alice was all right and saw her nod at him. His heart hammered in his chest as he drew close to the men, who all stepped aside when they saw him.
“Where is she?”
His voice was cold and rasping, fear tearing at him as one of the men pointed to a large hole that seemed to slope inwards into the hill. “In there?”
“Royston?”
Laura gasped aloud and squeezed his hand tightly, before hurrying forward to fall on her knees by the hole. “Elouise?”
“Oh, Miss Smith!”
The girl sounded as though she were crying.
“I am so sorry.”
He came to stand by Miss Smith, holding onto her shoulder so that she would not tip forward. “You need not apologize, Elouise. Now stay exactly where you are. I am coming down for you.”
There was no reply and Laura looked up at him frantically, her fingers digging into his arm as she got to her feet. “You cannot mean to….”
“I must,” he said firmly, bending over to kiss her cheek, caring not a jot for what any of his staff would think. “She will be my daughter and so I must be the one to fetch her out.”
Laura held his gaze for another moment before nodding and stepping back, her hand falling to her side. Alice came to stand with her and the ladies linked arms and held hands as John instructed the men to wrap the rope about his middle and then over his shoulders so that he would be safely secured within.
“This will take a good deal of strength,” he warned, as he approached the hole. “Do be sure to hold onto me tightly.”
The main gardener stepped forward to take command. “We had to do this before with a horse that got stuck in the mire,” he said, addressing the men. “Wrap this rope around that large tree over there and then prepare to hold tight. Lowering won’t be the hard part. It’ll be getting them both back up again.”
John nodded, his heart beating a little more quickly than he would like, for there was, of course, a little trepidation about what he was about to do – not that he wanted his men to know such a thing, of course.
“Here, your grace.” One of the men held o
ut a flaming torch for him to hold, which he accepted gratefully. He couldn’t see a thing inside the hole at all but knew he would need to have a light in order to reach the ground safely.
“Ready?” he called, seating himself down on the very edge of the hole. “Take the strain.”
The men pulled, and John felt the rope tighten about him. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself forward with his free hand, his breath catching in his chest as he hung, suspended in the air. He heard Laura cry out as the rope dug through his shirt, rubbing against his skin.
“And lower!” he shouted, hoping that this would bring both Laura and Alice reassurance that he was all right. “Carefully now.”
Gritting his teeth at the pain of the rope burning his skin, John held the torch out as he was dropped further into the mine shaft, looking all about him for Elouise. He prayed that her silence did not mean the worst, suddenly haunted by the idea that he would find her already gone from this earth – and then his torch caught the sight of someone huddling in the corner.
“Elouise,” he breathed, as his feet hit solid ground. “My dear child. Come here.”
The rope slackened, and he shouted up for them to stop, moving a couple of steps closer to Elouise as she tried to stand.
Holding the torch to one side, he saw her tear-streaked face as she hobbled towards him, her eyes filled with pain.
Catching her at once, he held her tightly and felt every single part of him flood with relief. She was safe. She was secure, and she was his.
“I am sorry, your grace,” Elouise whispered, shuddering against him as she began to sob. “I tried to run away and I fell down this big hole and now my ankle is sore. I couldn’t get out and no-one could hear me and I was so afraid….” She trailed off, her whole body shaking with sobs.
