A Christmas Bride for the Duke: Clean Regency Romance (The Nettlefold Chronicles Book 4)

by Arietta Richmond

  “The actual cause of death appears to have been a broken neck,” gasps went around the room, “which seemingly resulted from a fall from the hayloft to the stable floor below. That fall was not witnessed, so we must base our conclusions on where she was found, and on the minor damage to the hayloft ladder, which indicates that something solid collided with it. What we cannot know, at this point, is why she fell, or, indeed, if her neck was broken in the fall, or had already been broken, before that fall.”

  Lady Elizabeth, her face having gone very pale, now spoke up in a shaky voice.

  “But… are you implying that her death may have been… murder? That there might, even now, be a murderer amongst us?”

  The guests all shifted nervously, and glanced around again, as if suddenly afraid that the person next to them was a murderer in disguise. A number of them, to Eleanor’s horror, turned their eyes towards Braeness.

  Surely they could not think… but, she supposed, if Molly’s death might be murder, then everyone was, indeed, suspect. After all, she had not seen Braeness leave the stables… but surely he had, from the other wing, shortly after leaving her? Before Molly even reached the stables, before Eleanor told her where the kittens were, thus, she now realised, likely sending her to her death.

  A wave of nausea took her. Had she truly, by such an innocent action, sent a girl to her death? Yet she could not believe it of Braeness – he had been nothing but gentle with her, after all, even when stealing that forbidden kiss. Could she have misjudged his character so much? Could he have slipped back into that part of the stables, after Eleanor herself had returned to the house?

  Her head spun, and she felt, for the second time that day, close to fainting. Garrett was speaking again, and she forced her attention that way.

  “I cannot deny the facts of the matter. It is possible that someone here, amongst guests and staff is, indeed, a murderer. Equally, Molly’s death may have been simply a tragic accident. Without knowing why she went up into the hayloft, and when she did, exactly, we cannot easily determine what really happened. As a consequence, I will be speaking to each and every person resident here at present, about their movements this morning. I also require that no one leaves Kilmerstan Castle until a conclusion has been reached. I, as the highest ranked landholder in the district, am called upon as magistrate at times, and I act in that capacity at present. I will, however, also be calling for two other magistrates from the close area to attend us here, to ensure that things are dealt with appropriately.”

  Mutterings erupted again.

  The man who had spoken earlier burst forth, in a very blustery and angry tone.

  “Now see here, Kilmerstan – you cannot lock us all up like criminals!”

  “I am not suggesting literally locking you up. I am asking that, as honourable men and women, you give me your bond not to leave.”

  The mutterings continued, and Eleanor felt as if her world was disintegrating around her. And what would she say when Garrett asked her about her movements in the morning? Would she be suspected? Could she tell him of Braeness’ presence? Would she need to tell him of that kiss, and the exact timing of everything? And if she did, would she be ruined, and forced to marry Braeness, a man she barely knew?

  She felt likely to cast up her accounts, and cautiously sipped the now cooling tea, hoping to settle the churning within her. Garrett studied the people before him. Dangerfield spoke up, his voice crisp and cutting across the undercurrent of mutterings.

  “I volunteer to be the first to tell you all of the details of my movements today. Let us get this all over with.”

  “Thank you. Before I start talking to individuals, I will need to present this information again, to all of the staff, and to any guests not currently in this room. Once that has been arranged, I will be glad to discuss the details with you.”

  With that, Garrett turned and left the room, obviously to arrange telling the staff and other guests. The mutterings became full blown conversation, with many voices raised.

  People glanced around them, all the time, and there was an air of nervous uncertainty and distrust which pervaded the room. Eleanor had the sickening feeling that, from now until some conclusions were reached about Molly’s death, every single move that she made would be watched, examined, and analysed. Just the thought left her exhausted.

  She looked across the room again, and her gaze met Braeness’ green eyes – eyes which reflected, she thought, her own concerns.

  But could she trust that assumption? Could she trust him? Or did she risk her very existence by doing so?

  Chapter Six

  The afternoon passed fairly quietly, with the maid’s death having cast a pall over the house party, and the general air of suspicion significantly reducing guests’ willingness to talk to each other. Adair was acutely conscious of the surreptitious glances cast his way, and the whisperings which followed. There was nothing he could do about it, but stay calm. There had been many spurious rumours about him in the past, usually caused by nothing more than the fact that he was a large man, of a somewhat wild appearance at times. But this… this was of a different order entirely. He could see how he might be suspected, especially if anyone was aware that he had been in the stables not long before the apparent time of the maid’s death – for his very size made it easy for people to believe that he could be capable of breaking her neck.

  What would he say to Kilmerstan, when asked about his movements? For Lady Eleanor could, without a doubt, tell Kilmerstan that Adair had left that part of the stables before the maid had even entered. But for her to do so would expose the fact that they had been alone together.

  He could not expect her to choose ruin to save him from accusation. And, as far as he knew, no one had seen him, from the moment that he left Lady Eleanor’s side, until those two maids who were loitering in the storage building doorway.

  He did not even know exactly when Lady Eleanor had left the stables – before, or after he had himself?

  He went to the library, selected a book, and ostentatiously settled himself in the parlour to read. Let them gossip and whisper – letting himself be seen, being calmly visible, was the safest thing to do. But the words on the page barely registered – he was too busy thinking, too busy being aware of people coming and going, as Kilmerstan called them to speak with him.

  He had to trust the man. Kilmerstan had always been honourable to a fault, and a good man to have at your back. At Eton, he had been one of the few who offered Adair friendship rather than hostility. But still, a cold knot of fear settled into him. For he knew that whoever had done this, if it had been murder, not accident, would be desperate to cast the suspicion on another – and he was quite aware that, of everyone present, he was likely the easiest target for such a diversion of suspicion.

  His mind went around and around – remembering that kiss in the stables, the soft feel of her lips under his, and the way that she had responded. Remembering also the half dazed look on her face as he had fled her presence to save her reputation.

  What had happened once he was through the door into the other wing? Had she seen the maid’s death? Or the moments before it? Had she seen the murderer – if there was one? And if there was, who was it? he could not believe such a thing of the grooms he had met – although, there was that one surly fellow…

  He stared blankly at the page in front of him, letting his thoughts tumble. There were no easy answers. It would take Kilmerstan a day or two to speak to everyone – days where the Christmas cheer would be sadly lacking, and the guests and staff would no doubt become more and more irritable. Around him, the whispers continued, and it rapidly became obvious that everyone was avoiding him. Everyone except Dangerfield, who had also been at Eton with them, and treated him fairly. The day was interminable, and he seriously considered retreating to his chambers – but that would simply give the gossips more scope. He gritted his teeth, and somehow bore the long afternoon.

  ~~~~~

  Garrett was work
ing through the list of staff, starting with the more senior people. So far, almost all of them had been inside the house for the entire morning, and had nothing useful to contribute. He sighed and slipped out of his study, called the nearest footman, and sent for tea. As the footman hurried off, two maids came rushing up the hallway.

  “Your Grace…”

  “Yes?”

  “We… I’m Jane and this is Martha, we’re kitchen maids, Your Grace - we just remembered something. Something as we should tell you, about this morning.”

  “I see. You’d best tell me then.”

  As Jane nodded, and began to speak, two Ladies came along the hallway, going in the direction of the necessary.

  Garrett winced – this did not need an audience – but it was too late, Jane was already speaking.

  “Your Grace, Cook sent us out to the store house this morning, to carry in some more bags of flour for the days baking, and we hadn’t barely got there when that heavy sleet and rain came down – lucky we weren’t half drowned! So we stood there, in the doorway, and waited. To begin with, it was so heavy, you couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of you. But that only lasted a short bit. Not long after it began to ease off, we saw Molly go across to the stables. And then, just as it stopped altogether, that giant Duke – Braeness, isn’t it? – comes out of the other end stable door, and walks across to the house. So we thought we’d best tell you – after all, it were only a little while after Molly went in there…”

  Jane tailed off, as Martha nodded, confirming her words. Lady Elizabeth Hobbs and her friend passed by, and Garrett was quite sure that they had heard every word. He sighed – there was no doubt at all that this news would go around the house as fast as lightning.

  “Thank you for telling me. Please don’t talk about it to anyone else – I don’t want anyone making assumptions until we have investigated further.”

  Which would be a day or so, at least – he had, after talking to him, sent his own valet off to fetch the other magistrates from the nearby towns, and tomorrow they should arrive. By then, Garrett hoped to have spoken to almost everyone in the Castle. He turned back into his study, and added the information to his notes with a heavy heart.

  He trusted Braeness – but it seemed that no one else did.

  ~~~~~

  By the time that dinner arrived, Eleanor felt barely able to contemplate food. Her parents had come down, not long after the momentous events of the morning, and been deeply shocked when informed of what had happened. She had watched as Juliana arranged for all of the Castle staff and the guests’ servants to be brought together in three groups, one after the other, in the servants’ parlour for Garrett to speak to them, and inform them of the situation.

  The other staff who had known Molly a little were the most shocked, and a few were near hysterical, claiming that they feared for their lives. Eleanor did not envy Juliana the running of her household under such trying circumstances. But the worst part of the day was the endless waiting, and watching how everyone else behaved, each wondering when they would be called to Garrett’s study.

  She supposed that it was reasonable that Garrett would talk to the staff first, and likely only a few of the guests before tomorrow. Speaking to that many people would take a lot of time, and she knew that Garrett was thorough in anything he did. In the parlour, Eleanor watched as the guests settled into little clusters, clinging to those they knew best and trusted, looking at everyone else with suspicion.

  It was patently obvious that His Grace of Braeness knew very few people well, and that most of them found him threatening, simply due to his size and appearance, and then, in mid-afternoon, even more gossip about him started.

  Lady Elizabeth Hobbs had apparently heard two maids tell Garrett something which she regarded as damning, about Braeness’ movements this morning. Which made Eleanor wonder if her own movements had also been observed. Braeness managed to sit there calmly, yet he must have been aware of what was being said. How he did it, when people were so willing to believe the worst of him, she did not know.

  She could not blame them for being suspicious, yet her heart went out to him, despite her earlier misgivings – what would it be like, to be regarded with such obvious suspicion? Yet… what if he…? She pushed the thought away. There was no reason that he would have done such a thing! Her mind had replayed every moment in the stables, from that devastating kiss until her return to the house.

  She had watched Molly go up the ladder. There had been no one else there… or had there? What about that flicker of movement she thought she had seen in the hayloft as Molly climbed? But that was likely her imagination. Still, Molly had seemed confident and careful as she went up the ladder – and Eleanor had to assume that she would have approached descending with equal care. So… how had she come to fall, if it was an accident? It did not seem at all likely.

  Now, as they went in to dinner, she felt exhausted, as well as queasy. Dinner was a subdued occasion, with very little conversation, and it could not end too soon. If the next few days were like this one, it was going to be a very miserable ‘festive’ season indeed!

  She was not, this time, seated next to Braeness, rather opposite him, and as she ate, she found her eyes lifting to meet his, repeatedly.

  Each time, she felt an odd twist in her heart, and a great confusion. For he seemed, as he had in the stables, so gentle in his expression – no matter that his physical size intimidated. Her instinct was to trust him – but was that clouded by her natural wish to find others good? Or, even worse, by that kiss, by the physical reaction that he had raised in her?

  Finally, dinner ended, and everyone rose, the gentlemen to go to the library and port, the ladies to the parlour and tea. Eleanor moved slowly, letting the majority of people leave the room first – there was no point being caught in a crush at the door – for it seemed that everyone could not be out of the room fast enough. It appeared that Braeness felt the same – or perhaps was simply unwilling to put himself in close proximity to people who were already actively avoiding him.

  They reached the door together, the last to leave the room, save the footmen who had rushed into action behind them, clearing away the remains of the meal.

  ~~~~~

  Adair heard the rumours which passed around the parlour like wildfire, soon after Lady Elizabeth Hobbs and her friend returned to the room. If he had felt trapped and uncertain before, doomed by gossips to unwarranted suspicion – suspicion he could not clear himself of, without ruining Lady Eleanor – he felt even more so now. But, as before, he had no recourse. He forced himself to continue with the appearance of utter calm, and to ignore them all. But it became harder, the longer the afternoon went on.

  When dinner was finally called, he rose from his seat, and observed, with bitter amusement, the way that space opened up around him as he moved across the room. It would seem that they had all deemed him guilty, already. In the dining room, he was shown to a seat between Dangerfield and Lord Wilderstone. Dangerfield at least treated him as a person, but Wilderstone, a great uncle of Kilmerstan’s he believed, quite ostentatiously looked the other way.

  A footman set a plate before him, and as the man moved on to serve others, Adair looked up – to find himself opposite Lady Eleanor, who was regarding him with those sky-blue eyes – eyes full of as much turmoil as he felt himself. He offered the tiniest smile, which she returned, then concentrated on the food before him. Or, at least, he tried to. He found himself looking up, again and again – meeting her eyes, again and again, wondering just what she was thinking, whether even she doubted him.

  That was a dark thought. He pushed it aside – he could not bear to contemplate the idea that she should imagine him capable of murder!

  As they finally rose from their seats, he did not, at all, look forward to port in the library – yet he could not avoid it. He hung back, watching the others leave the room – he would not, again, give them the opportunity to leave a most obvious space around him. But he h
ad to move, eventually, and when he did, he found himself beside Lady Eleanor. The last of the others moved out the door in front of him, and the room was silent, apart from the clinking of plates and cutlery as the footmen cleared away.

  He stopped, expecting her to simply pass through the door ahead of him, but she surprised him. She halted also, and turned to face him.

  He met her eyes, and all he could think of, for a moment, was that kiss, the soft sound of her pleasure, the touch of her lips. He was a fool to think of such things at a time like this, but he could not help himself. This woman somehow discomposed him, as no other ever had. He wanted to kiss her again.

  Her tongue flicked out, and licked her lips, as if she was suddenly as dry-mouthed as he was. Heat flashed through every part of him. Then she gave a tiny nod, and spoke, barely louder than a whisper.

  “What will we do? For the truth could be as ruinous as lies…”

  His heart ached for her, and he cursed himself internally – if he had resisted his base impulses… then this matter would never be in question, her reputation would not be at risk – his might still be, but she would have been safe. He could not save himself, at the cost of her reputation – to do so would be the height of dishonour.

  “I do not yet know, beyond continuing to think on that question, and trusting that Kilmerstan is a fair man – as he has always been, in my experience.”

  ~~~~~

  Eleanor had not known that she was going to speak, nor what she would say, until the words left her lips. But the second that his eyes had met hers, in that moment of almost privacy, she had discovered herself not afraid at all, not doubting of his honesty and integrity in the least. She did not know why – it was simply what she felt in her heart, and she would trust that, even if to do so was foolish.

  His answer was fair, and reasonable in the circumstances. She knew that Garrett was the most honourable of men – but still… to tell him the truth, to admit to her own compromise… she was not sure that she could do it. For though it might save Braeness from an accusation of murder, it would also, almost certainly, mean that they would be forced to marry.