Regency Romance: Loving The Reluctant Viscount (The Fairbanks Series - Love & Hearts) (Historical Regency Romance & Mystery)

by Jessie Bennett

  “For the day.” Lady Dowling answered.

  “Do you suspect one of them may be the thief?”

  The woman looked pained. “We certainly hope not. We were certain we had properly vetted them and many of them have worked for us most of their lives. In fact, our butler was once a slave as a child. He remained with us after being made a free man and seems to enjoy working for us.”

  “Also, everyone knows them. How would they rid themselves of the statues? And why would they steal from the vicarage? None of this makes any sense.” Janelle shook her head, her eyes moving from Allan to her mother. “I just don’t think it’s one of the servants, mother. It has to be someone else.”

  Her mother nodded and patted her on the hand. “Jan, you are sweet and I do believe you may be right. But for now, darling, why don’t you allow this distinguished gentleman to take you out in the garden and distract you from these worrisome thoughts and events?”

  “I don’t want to leave you alone to deal with this, mother.” Janelle exclaimed. “I am here for you, the last of your daughters unmarried and you have no one else to turn to.”

  “Shawn is here. I doubt that he will leave soon. And Elizabeth will be here within the hour. You two must go out in the garden…or wherever you feel the need to go. Get some sunshine and try to be happy, dear. This is not a life-changing event.”

  “This isn’t normal, either.” Janelle said, shaking her head. “I don’t think I should leave you alone.”

  Whether she liked it or not, both her mother and Allan could tell that she was only protesting half-heartedly. She did want to get out of the house and think about something else. She felt violated. Her privacy and security were compromised. She pictured someone sneaking through her house in the dead of night, fingering the valuables they had. How had the culprit gotten in?

  She frowned.

  “That is not a very pretty look for a beautiful young lady.” Her mother said. “Go with Lord Gray. Lord Gray, please take this woman out of here.”

  Allan chuckled, stood up and held his hand out to Janelle. “You’ve heard the Lady Dowling. Let us depart.”

  Janelle looked relieved and they both saw it. She cast one more worried glance at her mother, who shook her head and put her finger up in the air.

  “No. You go now.”

  Janelle’s face relaxed and her eyebrows drew together in appreciation. “Thank you, mother. Please call me back in and let me know if there are developments.”

  “I can’t imagine what I could tell you but I will certainly do that, my dear.”

  Janelle finally took Allan’s waiting hand and allowed him to help her stand. She gripped the side of her skirt subconsciously as he led her from the room.

  “A walk in the garden sounds good, my lady. Would you like to do that?”

  “To be honest with you, Allan, I would like to go see my horses.”

  “Are we dressed for that?”

  “I am always dressed to visit my horses.” Janelle said, smiling weakly.

  As they left the room, she looked around the empty foyer. “It seems so quiet in here now. Almost like a tomb. I don’t like it.”

  “It is quiet,” Allan admitted. “But everything will be back to normal soon.”

  “How is that possible?” Janelle suddenly noticed she had not released his hand. She let go, blushing. “I love Shawn and have great confidence in him. But he will not find the thief in one day. He didn’t know who stole from the vicarage. How would he know who stole from us?”

  “I also have great confidence in him. Please give him some time. He is working with the constable and the two of them will put an end to this travesty.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THE TRUTH

  THE TRUTH

  They walked through the garden for only a short time. Janelle wanted to visit the orphanage and Allan was only too happy to oblige.

  She was unusually quiet on the way to Duck’s Row. She spent most of the ride staring out of the window. He wanted to talk to her, to calm her down and make her feel better. But he could think of nothing to say that would resolve the issue for her.

  “I wish I could help you, Miss. I don’t know what I can do but you know I would do anything I could.”

  Janelle looked at him, jostling a bit as the carriage went over a rock in the road. “Please do not feel obligated to me, Lord Gray. I certainly do not expect you to fix everything for me. I know you care about me.”

  “I truly do, Miss. I am glad you know.”

  He was relieved to see her relax a little. Her shoulders slumped a little as she became less stiff and upright. Her lips drew up in another beautifully weak smile. He wanted to pull her to him and hold on to her, protecting her from anything that could bother her.

  “Your presence during this situation is helping me tremendously, my lord. And when we reach the children’s asylum, they will make me feel a little bit better, as well. I would like to speak to Mrs. Bell, who is a very wise old woman. She may have actually been through something similar in her past.”

  “Does Mrs. Bell come from a wealthy family?” Allan couldn’t conceive of that. The older woman taking care of the children looked as though she herself were born and raised in the orphanage.

  “No. She has worked in wealthy homes, however. She may be looking at it from a different perspective but a violation of one’s home, one’s privacy and security, feels the same no matter what your status in life.”

  “I couldn’t agree with you more, miss.” Janelle continued to impress him. It seemed that the more he got to know her, the stronger his feelings became. She was a gentle, caring soul. He couldn’t imagine why she was not already married. “We are almost there. Please allow me to stress that if there is anything I can do for you, I most certainly will.”

  Janelle’s smile widened somewhat, though a crease in her forehead between her eyebrows gave away the hurt she was feeling inside. He could barely stand to see it. He only wanted her to be happy.

  They were soon pulling up in front of the three-story building. The children were not outside.

  As he helped her down from the carriage, she looked up at the windows. There were children staring back at her. She smiled wide and lifted her hand in greeting.

  Allan was amazed by the change in her. In moments, she went from being distraught and worried to excited and happy. The two of them went through the front door without knocking. As soon as she was on the other side, Janelle was nearly knocked down by the rush of children around her.

  “Miss Jan!”

  Allan stood to the side, watching with amused eyes. He smiled at Mrs. Bell when she brought up the rear, her arms folded over her chest and a satisfied grin on her face.

  He nodded to her. She nodded in return.

  Janelle let the children drag her to the back room, where many of the older children were doing schoolwork. They were attempting to get Janelle to do their reading and writing for them. She was laughing, trying hard not to stumble and trip on the many little feet around her.

  Allan pulled back, coming up alongside the short, plump Mrs. Bell, who gave him an admiring look, as she had the last time.

  “You are looking well, my lord.” She said.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Bell. You are, as well.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I can’t imagine you have heard but Janelle’s home was burglarized last night.”

  Mrs. Bell stopped walking and stared at him in shock. “I beg your pardon?”

  Allan stopped also but kept his eyes on Janelle, where she was now kneeling in the study room, one arm around a seven-year-old girl’s waist and the other holding up one side of a book. “Yes, it was an unfortunate turn of events, I must say. There was, in fact, a burglary of several items from the vicarage recently, as well.”

  “Lord have mercy!” Mrs. Bell’s round face had paled. She lifted one hand and placed it over her heart. It rested there, looking tiny compared to the hefty bosom o
f Mrs. Bell. “How is Lady Dowling? She must be devastated! What was taken? It must have been valuable. But where would the thief take it to? This is tragic!”

  Allan was almost lost as he listened to the amusing but frightened ramblings of the mistress. “Lady Dowling is taking it as can be expected. She is doing the best she can under the circumstances. She insisted that I take Miss Janelle out of the house.”

  “Leaving the Lady alone? I am surprised Miss Jan left.”

  “The Duke was there.”

  Mrs. Bell’s eyes opened wide and repeated his sentence as a question. “The Duke was there?”

  “Yes.” Allan watched color rise to the woman’s cheeks. Her eyes took on a sudden wistful look. It only lasted a moment or two before the sharpness came back and she focused on him.

  “I’m sure all will be resolved in no time.” She turned away and went toward the study to join Janelle and the children. Taken aback, Allan stood for a moment staring at her retreating back. He wondered if he had seen anyone in the village who was less than 100% confident in the Duke of Fairbanks. He’d not seen such loyalty in his homeland of Australia. His father and the other elites had many supporters among the citizens. But they also had detractors and people who did not speak so highly of them. He had not found one person yet who did not have the strongest of faith in Duke Worthington.

  He shook his head. He was glad he would be staying in Fairbanks. He felt he could learn a thing or two hundred from Duke Worthington.

  He approached the study but did not go in the room. Instead, he stood at the door, his eyes on Lady Janelle, comfortable just to be still and watchful.

  Janelle noticed Allan was not participating in the fun she was having. She smiled at him and gestured but he shook his head.

  “I am fine where I am, Miss.” He said in a laughing voice. She cocked her head to the side.

  “You don’t want to disappoint these children now, do you?” she asked in a teasing voice. She gestured once again, waving him toward her. “Come and join us.”

  Allan moved toward them somewhat reluctantly. He laughed when one of the smaller children pulled a child-sized chair over and took his hand to help him sit. Janelle had a proud and happy look on her face. She seemed to have forgotten the situation going on at her house.

  He wanted to be distracted the way she was. But thoughts of the theft and the coincidental timing kept creeping back into his mind. Shawn had reassured him that he was not suspect in the crimes. But that could change if they decided there was no one else it could have been. It made him nervous. He took a book from Janelle when she offered it to him and began to read an underlined passage.

  It was an interesting story but failed to keep his attention. Once the book went back to Janelle, he was thinking about the theft again. He wondered what had been stolen and if they had any more information by now. It had been several hours since he’d spoken to Shawn.

  The two of them had lunch with the children on the lawn outside. When their studies resumed, Janelle felt it was time to go back to the estate.

  In the carriage, Janelle spoke up. Allan realized the event at her home had not left her mind as much as he had thought.

  “I’ve been thinking, Lord Gray.”

  “Yes?”

  “The theft at the vicarage was about six days ago. Mother said that several small gold statues of Jesus and the saints were taken. We had several golden statues from Egypt that my father got during his travels when he was a young man. The thief took those.”

  “So it would seem the person knows something about the value of golden statues.”

  “Yes. And also, I believe the statues stolen from the vicarage were from Italy and Turkey. It may have been another country. I am not completely sure. This leads me to believe that perhaps someone has a buyer of such statues.”

  “How would we find this individual? There are only a few possibilities, unless someone is disguising himself so as not to be recognized.”

  “A stranger would be noticed in this area.”

  “The thief is quite bold. It is as though he does not care if he is caught.”

  “I will make sure he is hanged when is apprehended.”

  Allan tried to hide his surprise. He hadn’t expected Janelle to say such a thing. “You are very angry, aren’t you, miss?”

  The look on her face was enough to tell him that she was furious. “I am angry, Lord Gray. I am very angry. It’s not just that my security has been violated, it is my mother I am concerned about. The items that were stolen, while they were monetarily valuable, were also of great importance to mama. She has kept everything my father ever brought back from his travels displayed for all to see because she is very proud of them. When my father passed on, she lost the man she loved most in this world. It was devastating for her and for me and my sisters.”

  “I am sure.”

  “It hurts my heart to think that my mother has lost anything that belonged to my dear father. He was such a good man. The Duke would confirm this. Shawn knew him well as he was growing up.”

  “I should not think to ask for confirmation of what you tell me, miss. You are an honest woman and I believe what you tell me.”

  Janelle smiled at him. Allan suppressed a contented sigh. Her smile was the only thing he wanted to see on her face.

  “Thank you for being with me during this crisis, my lord.” Her voice was soft and sweet.

  “It is my pleasure to be here with you, Miss Jan. You are a wonderful companion.”

  “Even when I’m not in the best of spirits?”

  “I would not want to be away from you, Miss Gray. Especially when you need me. I am determined to make things brighter for you in your life.”

  “You are a gentleman.”

  Allan could not suppress the sigh that time. Janelle smiled again. It was a pleasant, happy sound. It was just what she needed to hear.

  She turned her eyes and looked out the window. She knew he was scanning her profile. She did not feel uncomfortable with his gaze upon her. She felt warm inside. With Allan around, it seemed as though her world had been completed. She spent her evenings thinking about him, what he was doing and if he was thinking about her. He was her last thought before she went to sleep at night. She dreamed about him and woke up with his face in her mind the next morning.

  She looked at him and caught his eyes. He reached out one hand across the middle of the carriage. She took it. This time it was she who sighed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  A DECISION

  A DECISION

  Dowling Estate was no longer quiet when Janelle and Allan returned.

  “Oh my, I wonder what could be happening here?” Janelle asked, staring out of the window. The front yard surrounding the front porch was active with people. She saw her sister, Jillian, who saw her at the same moment and began to head toward the halting carriage.

  “I cannot fathom.” Allan’s voice was low as he peered through the window at the crowd of people. He opened the carriage door and stepped down before Charles had a chance to climb down from his driver’s seat. He held his hand out to Janelle without looking at her.

  She took it and stepped down without looking at him.

  They were both scanning the crowd. Jillian was by her sister’s side in moments.

  “Jan. Mama called us all here. She has an announcement to make. I am frightened, Jan. What could she have to say?”

  Janelle blinked rapidly, turning her gaze up to Allan. He shook his head and shrugged. He didn’t know whether to ask about the stolen items because Jillian might not have been informed yet. But he was anxious to know if anything had been discovered. Did Lady Dowling know who the culprit was and planned to expose this information to everyone?

  He licked his lips. “I’m going to find your mother.” His eyes roamed over the faces to find the older woman. Jillian turned and pointed toward the porch.

  “She’s up there with Shawn and Elizabeth. Come, let’s go speak to
her. Perhaps she will give us advance knowledge of what she is planning to say.”

  Allan instinctively touched Janelle’s elbow, grasping it softly and walking with her to the porch. They went up the steps together. Janelle held up her long skirt as she ascended, her eyes never leaving her mother’s face.

  Allan had to admit the Lady was not looking well. Her face had darkened since that morning and her good spirits seemed to have left her. Shawn and Elizabeth looked deeply unhappy. Shawn interrupted himself as he was speaking to her with, “Janelle, you must help me with this.”

  Elizabeth went to her sister and they grasped arms.

  “What is it, Shawn? Mother?” Janelle was frightened by the look on her mother’s face. It resembled the aftermath of her father’s death. “Mother?” Janelle released herself from Elizabeth’s grasp to get closer to her mother.

  Lady Dowling wiped tears from her ashen face with two fingers. Shawn and Allan both pulled out handkerchiefs and offered them at the same time. Lady Dowling smiled at one and then the other, taking Shawn’s and dabbing at her eyes with it.

  “I’m sorry, Shawn, Liz. My mind is made up.”

  “This is only temporary,” Shawn resumed what he had been saying before Allan and Janelle arrived. “You must at least admit to that. You know that I will find the statues. I have men out there searching for them right now.”

  Lady Dowling nodded. “I do know that you have your men looking, Shawn. But I am afraid they will not find the statues and I will have lost what is very important to me.”

  “Mother, you cannot think that way.” Jillian said from behind Allan. He stepped to the side so she could come forward. “It was only two statues.”

  Janelle pulled in a deep breath. She knew what those statues meant to their mother. She was disappointed that Jillian would take that stance.

  “Jill! The statues are very important to mama.”