“Greystone, is that you?”
The tenseness in Grey’s frame relaxed. “Indeed, it is, my friend.” He sighed. “You scared the wits out of me, Trent.”
The other man chuckled. “Can you imagine my fright when I saw a shadow too large to be one man? Pray, who do you have with you?” He came closer, holding the lantern higher.
Grey pulled Alexandria around to his side. “Miss Templeton, may I present my good friend, Roland Moore, the Earl of Trent?”
It was a little awkward to be introduced to someone that she couldn’t see. But nonetheless, she felt shy once again—just as she’d always done when being introduced to a man. She curtsied. “It’s…nice to meet Grey’s friend.”
“Trent,” Grey continued, “this is Miss Alexandria Templeton.”
Although it was hard to see him, she could tell when he bowed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, as well.” The man stepped closer. “Tell me, Greystone, what has been going on so far since we last talked. Do you still have her in my woodsman cottage?”
Greystone… Why does Lord Trent refer to Grey that way? She must be the her Lord Trent referred to.
Grey’s body shook with a quiet laugh. “Actually, no.” He slipped an arm around Alexandria, maneuvering her closer to Lord Trent. “This is the woman I had kidnapped earlier today, believing she was the duchess. As remarkable as it sounds, I took the sister.”
“Not good, Greystone,” Lord Trent replied with humor in his voice. “And I suppose you are now returning her?”
Grey finally laughed out loud. “I’ll explain things to you later. Right now, Miss Templeton and I were ready to discuss the plans for tomorrow.”
There’s that name again! She really wished she had the courage to ask Grey about the strange name Lord Trent kept using, but she didn’t dare voice her thoughts. She’d wait until she and Grey were alone again.
“Do you want me to meet you back at the cottage, then?” Lord Trent asked.
“If you don’t mind. I won’t be long, I assure you.”
“As you wish. I shall bid you good evening.” Lord Trent bowed. “And Miss Templeton, it was nice meeting you. I hope to see you again soon.”
“As…do I.” Her voice squeaked out, so she quickly cleared her throat.
Grey stayed quiet as Lord Trent retraced his footsteps that led back out of the grove. Finally, Grey chuckled and turned toward her. “I’m actually surprised he found me here.”
“Did he know you were hiding?”
“Yes, but we are in the shadows, yet the bloodhound still tracked me down.”
She laughed lightly. “Indeed, he did.” She cleared her throat again. “Tell me, why did he keep referring to you as Greystone?”
Releasing a heavy sigh, she noticed the shadow of his arm move up and he rubbed his forehead. “Well, do you recall me telling you I have a title?”
“Yes.”
“Greystone is my title.”
“You used your middle name as your title?”
“No. It was just a coincidence that the title I inherited held my middle name. Associates of mine usually don’t call me Grey. They either call me Greystone or my first name.”
Confusion grew inside of her. Why wouldn’t he tell her his name? She didn’t want to push, but she felt as if he didn’t trust her to know that bit of information about him. Her heart twisted. She realized he was in some kind of danger because of Walter, but she really wished Grey would be more open with her. After all, she was breaking her neck, and literally becoming someone she’d never been before, for him. She felt as if she were becoming the person she always hoped she’d be, but she never thought she had the courage to do.
“Oh, I see,” she said softly.
“My blossom.” Keeping his voice low, he stepped closer to her and cupped her chin. “Please do not worry about my name. I gave you permission to call me Grey.”
“You would rather me call you that than Greystone?”
“Actually, yes.” He stroked her skin. “Only because if Walter would find out you are helping someone, I don’t want him to know who I am.”
“But I would never tell.”
“You don’t know that. If Walter has killed before—which I truly believe he has—I’m certain he would torture you until you released the identity of the man helping you.”
“Walter doesn’t know your title?”
“No, because I was only recently given this title. However, Walter would be able to ask around and find out I am Lord Greystone.”
Inwardly, she groaned. Grey did have a point there, and she shouldn’t argue. There was still something she needed to know. Strange how she’d put her trust in him blindly without knowing all the answers. “Grey? Would you tell me why you don’t want Walter to know about you? Would you at least ease my mind on that matter?”
Silence stretched between them, and she would give anything to know what he was thinking. She wrung her hands against her middle, patiently waiting for his answer, and praying he would give her one. Already she knew how allusive this man could be. He certainly held secrets.
After a few minutes, he blew out an exasperated breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “The reason I don’t want Walter knowing about me is because…” He released an audible sigh. “I don’t want him to know one of the men he thought he’d killed is still alive.”
Shock vibrated through her. Walter had tried to kill Grey? Why on earth would anyone want to kill Grey? “And this is why you are so adamant about finding the proof against Walter?”
“Exactly.” He took her hands in his. “This is why I need your help desperately.”
Her heart beat with renewed life, especially when she recalled earlier this evening when Grey had nearly come out of hiding to save her from Walter’s physically abusive actions. She wanted to sigh aloud, but refrained. Why she had doubted him a minute ago, she didn’t know, but from now on, she’d trust him with all of her heart.
She squeezed his hands. “And you shall have my help—as much as I can possibly give.”
“That’s all I ask.”
Dare she hope he’d kiss her again? Yet, it was so improper. She shouldn’t have allowed his Heavenly lips on hers to begin with, but ahhh…the kiss was so very wonderful. He wouldn’t have kissed her unless he had some kind of feelings for her, would he? Yet, they’d only know each other a few hours. She never believed in love at first sight, and she highly doubted she was falling in love with him now. No, this was definitely infatuation. Nothing more. So how could she convince her quick heartbeat of that notion?
~*~
Perhaps he shouldn’t have told her that bit of information, but Julian figured she needed to know his motivation for his actions. He was grateful that he hadn’t told what men Walter had murdered, or Alexandria would have known his true identity within seconds. She was a bright woman and had a quick wit about her, once she’d opened up to him, of course. Indeed, she was shy around men, and there was a remarkable difference in the way she was with him and how she had responded to Lord Trent.
It didn’t matter that he couldn’t see her face right now, his mind knew what her expression would be only because her voice was so soft and caring. If he could see her clearly, she’d be gazing up at him with her sparkling, wondrous, amber eyes, and probably even be dropping her attention to his mouth.
He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly becoming dry. They were alone again, and he wanted more than anything to continue the kiss he’d started earlier. Unfortunately, he needed to return to the cottage to update Roland about what has been happening. Julian felt Alexandria would be safe tonight since Walter was out. Julian would be back at this spot bright and early in the morning to continue watch over his estate.
He lifted her hands to his mouth and brushed his lips across her fingers. “My blossom, it’s getting late and I think you should retire. I thank you again for the food. You are a gem, indeed.”
“Yes, I suppose I should get back inside.”
“G
o directly to your room and lock the door. I feel you shall be safe. I’ll be back here tomorrow.”
“All right.” Her voice had changed to disappointment as she slowly pulled her hands away. “When should I search through Walter’s rooms?”
“Wait until he leaves the estate.”
“What if he doesn’t?” she asked quietly.
“He will. I’ve been observing him closely the past few days, and he leaves to ride into town at least twice a day.”
“I wonder why I haven’t noticed.”
He chuckled. “Because you are either in the library or riding your horse during those times.”
“Oh,” she said with a laugh. “I suppose you have been watching us lately.”
“Indeed, I have.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Now hurry inside. We shall talk tomorrow.”
Julian watched her hurry back to the house and disappear through the doors. He crept closer to the edge of the grove, and through his telescope, watched until the light in her room came on. He breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to his horse.
As he rode back to Roland’s cottage, Julian couldn’t stop the grin from stretching across his face. Fate had turned out better than he’d hoped since he’d first plan to steal the duchess. At the time, he was determined to do anything to get the woman to confess her husband’s misdeeds. He’d never harmed a woman before, but he was willing to be a little mean with the duchess. Desperate for answers, he was going to make her talk! Instead, he kidnapped the sister, and she was literally a godsend. She would be able to do something her older sister probably wouldn’t do—find him the proof he needed.
He rode fast and soon reached the cottage. As he walked in, he noticed that Roland and cleaned up the place a little. Julian shook his head. Why his friend hadn’t done this before Julian had brought Miss Templeton here, he wish he knew. Nevertheless, the scent of something delicious cooking in the kitchen filled the air and made his stomach grumble. He’d forgotten he hadn’t eaten—and also forgotten that Alexandria had brought him some of her dinner.
He headed for the kitchen, untying the sack around his waist that held the food. Roland glanced up from the pot over the fire and gave him a nod.
“I hope you are hungry, good man. I’m making my famous stew.”
Julian chuckled. “I’m hungry, but I’ll eat what Alexandria brought for me.”
“Alexandria?” Roland arched an eyebrow. “You are on first name basis now?”
“Yes.”
Roland gave him a cheesy grin. “You don’t say.”
Julian rolled his eyes. “It’s the least I could do since I wrongly kidnapped her.” He strode to the table and sat on the chair, laying out his feast on the flat surface. His mouth watered just from the scent before he could even take a bite.
“So tell me what happened today.” Roland moved closer and stopped by the cutting table, leaned back against it, and folded his beefy arms across his wide chest. Julian was a head taller than Roland, but they had so much in common as boys, they had bonded instantly. As they matured into men, they realized how much they loved cooking, and even competed a time or two.
Roland continued, “I’m dying to know how you kidnapped the wrong sister, especially when I gave you specific details about what the duchess looked like.”
Shaking his head, Julian scratched his chin. “Therein lays the problem, my friend. You did not tell me that her younger sister has the same blond hair and loveliness.”
“She does?” Roland tilted his head. “I thought the younger sister was a wallflower.”
“She is a wallflower, but only because she’s shy. She’s certainly a very lovely flower.”
“Tell me what transpired today,” Roland urged again.
As Julian explained, his friend’s smile widened more and more until he was finally laughing. Although it really wasn’t a laughing matter, especially since Alexandria was the victim, Julian had to admit it was humorous, only because the situation made him look like a fool.
“Are you about finished?” Julian asked in irritation.
Roland’s laughter subsided and he turned and walked back to the boiling pot over the fire. “Well, I’m happy to hear that she has agreed to help, although…” His voice trailed off.
“Although what?” Julian wondered.
“I really doubt she’ll be of much help.”
“Why do you say that? Of course she will. She can search through Walter’s rooms to find evidence.”
Roland sighed heavily as he removed the pot from the fire, bringing it over to the cutting table and setting it on top. “The reason I say that is because, my good man, I’m sorry to say, but I haven’t had any luck in my search.”
Julian hitched a breath. His heart threatened to sink, but he held on to hope until he heard his friend’s story. “Why?”
“I visited all the pubs your cousin frequents, and the men he consorts with all tell me that Walter was in town during the middle of December.” He shook his head. “I went to several taverns, and the men there said the same thing. If Walter was gone at all, it was only one day, not a sennight.”
Groaning, Julian smacked his hand on the rickety table, and it wobbled. “That can’t be right. It was him, I know it. He is the only one who would want my family dead.”
“I agree.” Roland spooned him some stew into a chipped bowl. “But this only proves that your cousin isn’t an imbecile. He is covering his tracks too well, and it’s going to be the devil trying to find proof.”
Julian leaned his elbows on the scarred table and rested his head in his hands. His mind scrambled through all that Alexandria had told him. She might not have seen Walter leave, but she knew he’d been gone for two weeks in the middle of December. At least her sister knew. If only her sister wasn’t so ill and could talk to him…
He snapped up his head and locked gazes with his friend. “Did you tell me my father and brother died of the plague, yet nobody in the house had the same symptoms?”
“Yes, why?”
“Because,” Julian pushed away from the table and stood, hope growing inside his chest once again, “Alexandria was telling me her sister has been very ill for the past five days.” He smiled, feeling victorious, because now he knew he could catch him. “I have a sinking feeling Walter is working on killing his next victim.”
Chapter 6
Alexandria had been awake and dressed since the crack of dawn, waiting patiently—well, maybe not so patiently—for Walter to leave. Watching out her bedroom window, she noticed when he left the house and headed for the stables. It took another few minutes for him to mount his horse and ride away. Finding all the courage she had, she crept out of her room, down the hallway to the stairs, and then stepped softly toward the lower level.
She listened for any sounds from the servants, but they were abnormally quite this morning. She didn’t dare take the time to wonder why. Then again, at this time of the morning, she was usually up in her room just waking up and ringing for the maid to bring her breakfast.
Her body shook with nervousness as she crept on shaky legs toward Walter’s study. She held her breath until reaching his door. Slowly, she released the pent-up air inside her lungs and placed her trembling hand on the doorknob.
Alexandria’s palm moistened to the point that she couldn’t even turn the blasted doorknob. Grumbling under her breath, she swiped her hand on her dress, and tried once more to open the door. This time it worked and she hurried inside, closing the door before anyone noticed her.
She pressed her ear against the hard wood, listening for the servants again. Fortunately, none were about in this part of the house.
Letting out a heavy sigh, she turned into the room. There were many expensive pieces of furniture; chairs, and lounges. Against the far wall sat his large oak desk. For certain he’d kept documents of importance in there.
She hurried to the desk and knelt on the floor, carefully opening one drawer at a time. The first one didn’t hold anything tha
t appeared to be secret, so she moved to the next. A few letters littered inside. She took out one and carefully opened it. Thankfully, Walter had already broken the seal and wouldn’t know she’d been in here snooping.
She skimmed the handwriting. It wasn’t precise as most women she’d known, so Alexandria assumed it was a man. She turned the page and glanced at the signature. Sure enough, it was written by Lord Fenley, whoever that was. The details inside the letter didn’t make any sense to her, and the contents mainly talked about a trip that Lord Fenley had just returned from in Scotland. She folded the letter, placed it back in the drawer, and reached for the next one.
This one was from his mother. Alexandria rolled her eyes. Naturally, the man wasn’t going to tell, or involve, his mother in murderous affairs. She folded that missive and picked up another.
After searching through three more missives, she found one written by a woman, but the contents of the letter were most personal. Interested, Alexandria read each line carefully instead of just skimming. The woman and Walter must have been close at one time, perhaps even lovers. The woman wrote how much she missed and wanted to see Walter again.
Alexandria took a quick glance at the date, which was last week. Irritation grew inside her. Could her idiot brother-in-law be possibly thinking of having an affair on his new bride? The cad! He’d better not break Joanna’s heart and Alexandria would have to…have to…
Sighing, she frowned. Who was she kidding? She would do nothing, because she couldn’t even talk to the man without stuttering. And heaven forbid she would do anything violent toward him, even if her mind conjured up many ways to torture the imbecile.
Unfortunately, the letter was only signed your beloved Mary. Alexandria shook her head. There were too many women by the name of Mary and it would be impossible to track her down.
Voices drifted from out in the hallway, and she froze. Listening closer, she tried to decipher who was speaking. When Walter’s familiar bark snapped instructions to one of the servants, her heart dropped. The blood in her body turned to ice.
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