She turned her back on him to wipe her eyes.
“Jane,” he said, his voice cracking. “Perhaps...Devil take it. Perhaps, I have been too hasty.”
She swallowed a sob. “You have been a terrible bore, and if you do not mind, I would like you to leave.”
“Leave?”
She spun around. “Yes, leave. You will not be sleeping in this room tonight.”
His brows lifted as he strode toward her. “I think you have it wrong. I will be sleeping here tonight.”
“Ha! Well, then!” She marched around him. “You will be sleeping alone. I had my own bedchambers when I came here. I shall return to it!”
Without another word, she left the room with Roderick staring at her back.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The next thing Roderick knew, Jane’s maid knocked on the door, and started packing his wife’s things.
Roderick watched in shock as his wife’s clothing was moved to another chamber.
“Did the duchess need anything else?” he asked the maid, not able to believe Jane was carrying through with this. They had not been with each other for months!
The maid looked up and smiled. She seemed surprised that the Duke of Elbourne had honored her with a conversation. “Her Grace is quite particular about the air in her bedchambers, Your Grace. She mentioned that things were quite stuffy in here. I cannot blame her. My sleeping quarters are quite stuffy as well. But her first chambers were exceptionally nice. Pink curtains and lace.”
Roderick’s lips fell into a thin line of disgust. “Pink curtains and lace, indeed.”
The maid grabbed the last of the clothing. “If you don’t mind me saying so, Your Grace, the baby looks like you. Dark hair. Gray eyes. Handsome little thing.”
A lump grew in Roderick’s throat. After the maid departed with the last of the hat boxes, he walked into the hall, hoping to run into Jane.
The sound of footsteps met his ears and he glanced over his shoulders.
Lord Vexfield came striding toward him. “There you are, Your Grace! Been looking all over for you.” He frowned when he saw the maid moving the hatboxes down the hall. “The bedchambers were not to the duchess’s liking? Told Lady Vexfield was too drafty in there. You will have to forgive me, Your Grace. Don’t usually get involved in the guests’ sleeping arrangements, but this is beyond the pale. Beyond the pale, I say.”
“It is of no consequence,” Roderick said, forcing a smile. “Females are delicate creatures, after all, are they not?”
Vexfield scowled. “My wife is the most robust creature I have ever met. But that is neither here nor there.” The man leaned toward him and whispered. “What have you on Lady Trayton?”
Roderick pulled the man back into his room. “I believe the lady may have overhead me speaking to Captain Argyle about her being a suspect. Because of that, I think we should have her chambers searched as soon as possible. If there is poison anywhere, that would be the first place to look.”
Vexfield sighed. “Don’t mind the captain knowing, but curse it all. It’s a nasty business. Nasty, and with the king staying here, it makes my blood run cold. What the devil would happen if he was poisoned in the same fashion?”
Roderick blinked. It was something he had not thought about. Vexfield was more than he seemed. “Where is the king now?”
The earl frowned. “In his chambers, I believe.”
Roderick’s heart hammered with foreboding. “And where is Lady Trayton?”
Lord Vexfield’s bushy brows rose in fright. “ By Jove! You don’t think—?
Roderick scowled. He recalled how Lady Trayton had cozied up to the king. The disturbing thought of her with the man sent a wave of panic running through him. “Show me his chambers. Now!”
His host hurried along lengthy corridor. “I never thought…by Jove…they may hang me by my toes if something happens. And my poor daughter Rebecca. What will happen to her? Lord Hackley would never marry her then.”
“Lord Hackley?” Roderick muttered with a scowl. “You had best rethink that.”
Lord Vexfield eyebrows rose. But the subject of Lord Hackley was dropped when Roderick rapped on the king’s door.
The valet answered with obvious surprise on his face. “Your Grace, the king is sleeping.”
“Alone?” Roderick asked bluntly.
The valet’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Lord Vexfield then shifted his appalled gaze back to Roderick. “I am not allowed to divulge any communication about my king.”
“It’s a matter of life and death,” Roderick growled, inserting his boot into the door. “Now, you will tell me if there is anyone else in that room? Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
The valet’s face turned a deathly white at the dangerous look on Roderick’s face. The man straightened, seeming to weigh the answer. “He is alone.”
Lord Vexfield’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I take it that is him snoring?”
The valet’s brows lifted in disgust. “It is not his dog, my lord.”
Roderick smothered a laugh and turned to Vexfield, grabbing the man’s elbow and heading back down the hall.
“I say, that was a close one,” Vexfield said. “Now, what do we do about Lady Trayton? I do not like to think of her in the proximity of the king, however close they may be. It is my house, by Jove. My responsibility, don’t you know?”
Roderick shot a quick gaze down the dimly lit hallway. Though sconces were scattered about the manor, he could barely focus more then ten feet in front of him. “Where is her room?”
Lord Vexfield’s head snapped up. “Thunder and Zeus. We must search it immediately. Once a killer tastes blood, he does it again, eh?”
Roderick grimaced. A killer? What exactly had Lady Trayton heard in the garden? Had it been her at all?
He hoped Jane was safe in her new quarters. A jealous woman was one thing, a killer quite another.
“We must draw the lady out of her chambers,” Roderick replied. “Then comb the place for evidence. But for the sake of this investigation, we must not narrow our search only to her.”
“A nasty business,” Lord Vexfield said nervously. “Cannot sleep knowing a killer is under my roof.”
Roderick followed Vexfield down another corridor and pulled the man aside. “Ring for the maid.”
“I see,” Vexfield whispered. “We have the maid mention we must clear the room for some reason.”
Roderick smiled. “Mention rats. That should do it.”
Lord Vexfield’s face fell. “If Lady Vexfield hears of this, I shall be sleeping in the stables tonight.”
Roderick felt for the man. He was already sleeping in the stables, so to speak. He had no idea when Jane would be talking to him again.
A few minutes later the maid appeared.
“I would like you to knock on Lady Trayton’s door and wake her,” Lord Vexfield said, acting as if it were everyday he woke sleeping ladies in the middle of the night.
The maid’s eyes popped wide. “My lord, Lady Trayton took her leave an hour ago.”
Lord Vexfield stiffened in outrage. “And why was I not told of this?”
The maid colored. “Lady Vexfield was quite put out, my lord. She was not pleased that one of her guests decided to leave.”
“Did Lady Trayton give any reason why she left?” Roderick asked, knowing a lady never left at this time of night. Morning maybe. But this was very peculiar.
The maid wrung her hands against her apron. “I believe the lady left because of Lord Garette. Said it was too discomforting to sleep in a house where someone died.”
Vexfield dismissed her, then stared at Roderick. “Blast, now what do we do? I have no evidence to go after her. We have no idea if she did anything criminal. But if she is the killer, she just got away scot-free. What a coil.”
Roderick cursed. Would the lady flee the country? Did she leave because of his conversation in the gardens? Or was he wrong to suspect her? Was the killer still at Vexfie
ld Hall? And would he or she kill again? The last thought chilled him to his bones.
After the maid had moved her things back into the other guest chamber, Jane changed into her dressing gown, fell onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes as she held Roderick’s cravat to her cheek.
How could he believe such nonsense about the baby? How could he be so cruel? How would they ever be man and wife again?
She was awakened three hours later by a knock on her door. She lifted her head and wiped the wetness from her eyes. “Come in.”
One of Lord Vexfield’s maids entered. “Forgive me, Your Grace.” The maid tiptoed into the room with a candle lighting her way.
Jane frowned at the girl’s unexpected arrival in the middle of the night. But something in the maid’s nervous silence made her toes curl. “Is something wrong? Tell me. Is it my husband?”
The young maid jumped. “The duke? Oh, no, Your Grace. It’s just that the lady told me to deliver her note to you later in the morning.”
Lady?
Jane waited patiently, wondering if Agatha had left for London again.
But the girl worried her lower lip, almost afraid to go on.
Every nerve in Jane’s body was on edge. “If you think it important,” Jane said softly, “you would not have come. Please, do not be frightened. Who was the lady?”
“Well, you see, there was something about her. I ain’t saying she wasn’t nice. I just didn’t feel good about. If you know what I mean. You being so nice to me when you arrived. I knew you were a right one. It’s that Lady Trayton. She was quite put out.”
Feeling sick, Jane put out her hand. “Let me see the note.”
The maid pulled a letter from her pocket and gave it to Jane. The note reeked of Lady Trayton’s perfume.
Jane told the girl to light the candle on her nightstand. The girl did so, then headed toward the door. Jane’s fingers shook as she opened the seal.
“Would there be anything else?” the maid asked.
Jane looked up. “No, nothing else.”
The door clicked closed, and Jane opened the letter and started to read. Her brain barely connected with the words.
“NO!” she screamed.
Panic welled inside her as she jumped from her bed. She could not believe Lady Trayton would do such a thing!
She rang the bell for the maid. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the floor, sobbing and praying at once. “Oh, God, please, help me! Help me! Please, don’t let this be true!”
Roderick barely slept a wink. He had moved from his bed to the wing chair by the hearth, and was nodding off when he heard Jane’s scream.
Alarm rippled through him, and he shot from his seat. Grabbing his breeches, he hopped to the door as he put them on, then bolted from the room.
His first thought was of Lady Trayton. Had the woman attacked Jane?
Sprinting down the hall, he whipped open the door to Jane’s chambers and found her on her knees, crying.
“Jane!” he roared, his heart in his throat. “What the devil is wrong?” He charged into the room and pulled her toward him. “Are you hurt?”
She looked up, her blue eyes filled with terror. “She took the baby!”
His stomach coiled in dread as her hands clawed at his bare chest. She glared at a piece of paper crumpled beside her feet. “It’s all there!” she screamed. “I have to get to him! I have to go now!”
Roderick grabbed the letter from the floor and read it. Hell’s teeth! Lady Trayton had set out for the country with the intention of kidnapping their son. She informed Jane that she would never see the boy again.
Roderick cursed. “She must be insane! She has a boy of her own. Does she realize she would never see him again?”
Jane sobbed, grabbing onto his arm. “I do not care! I do not care about anything or anyone other than my child! Do you hear me?” She clouted him in the chest. “I am going after her! This note was supposed to be delivered to me in the morning. But Lord Vexfield’s maid thought something was strange, and she gave it to me only minutes ago.”
Roderick took hold of her shoulders. “I will go. You must stay here. You would only slow me down. I can do this, Jane. He is my son too!”
Jane wiped the tears from her eyes. “How did she know where our baby was?”
Roderick scowled. “I am not certain. She seems to know many things.”
“What the devil is going on in here?” Lord Vexfield stood in the doorway, holding a lantern.
Roderick turned. For Jane’s sake, he was determined to show a calm he did not feel. “Vexfield, I need some of your men. Lady Trayton has plans to kidnap my son. I believe we can apprehend the woman before anything happens.”
Jane started for her wardrobe. “I am going too. Don’t you dare try to stop me!”
“Confound it, Jane!” Roderick snapped. “I cannot protect you and look for our son at the same time. Give me the directions for this older couple where our son is staying.”
Lord Vexfield’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You have a son?”
Roderick glowered at the man. “Yes, I have a son.”
Jane stared at her husband. He was in a foul mood and so was she. She knew Roderick would insist on her staying behind. Well, let him say what he would. She could not waste any more time arguing. After he left, she would follow. She would not sit here and do nothing when her baby’s life was at stake.
She gave Roderick the directions to the Baskers’ cottage. He left minutes later with Lord Vexfield and some of his men.
While Jane was slipping on her riding outfit, she had the maid call for Agatha. She pushed back her tears. She did not have time to feel sorry for herself. She had to be strong. She would do whatever she had to do to keep her baby safe.
Agatha, clad in her dressing gown and robe, stood in Jane’s bedchamber, her eyes wide with fright. “I should have known Lady Trayton would do something like this. She always wanted Roderick. I suspect she went to France just to find him.”
Jane’s head turned as she threw a pistol into her reticule. “I had no idea the lady was in France.”
Agatha wrung her hands. “Well, I am going with you.”
“There is no time,” Jane said, gathering her cloak. “I have to follow Roderick now.”
“You, young lady, may be a Duchess, but I will be at your side while you search for your son.”
Jane paused. She regarded Agatha in a different light. “Yes, now that I think about it. Perhaps your secretive work at Whitehall will help us. Reconnaissance is important in these types of cases.”
Agatha gasped.
Jane buttoned her cloak. “I am not stupid. I know more than you think about your past. Go now. Gather whomever you can and meet me in the stables. Perhaps the captain will join us.”
Agatha’s eyes widened. “But…but I never told you a thing. Oh, I thought you believed me some glorified secretary, knowing more than I should. And I did travel to Whitehall. But goodness, it’s obvious you know the depth of my work.”
Jane gave a half smile and hugged the older lady. “Oh, I do love you so. But we have no time to talk. Hurry. We must leave. It’s my baby. He’s my life. I would die for him.”
“Give me ten minutes. I shall round up more men.”
Jane frowned. “But Roderick already took most of Vexfield’s people.”
Agatha scoffed. “If you know who I am, young lady, then you know I shall gather the king’s guards to travel with us.”
Jane’s jaw dropped. “The king’s guards?”
“Yes, indeed. The king’s guards. Now, you will see what your Aunt Agatha can do.”
“Oh, Agatha,” Jane said, her voice tight with grief. “He is so young. So very young. I think I shall die if anything happens to him...”
Chapter Twenty-Four
A half hour later, Jane found herself in the king’s coach, traveling with six of his footmen, six of his guards, and Captain Argyle, who was riding alongside t
hem on a dappled gray.
“I think if I had ridden a horse too, I would have made better time,” she said nervously to Agatha.
Agatha tapped her parasol against the carriage floor. “Faster, yes. But you are not in the best physical shape. If we find…I mean, when we find your son, you will need to be strong.”
Jane bit her lips to halt the moan of distress mounting in her throat. She stared blankly out the window where the sun began to peek over the horizon. The chill of the morning air made her shiver, and she pulled her cloak tighter about her shoulders. She tried not to think the worst, but panic still played havoc with her heart.
Worried, she turned to Agatha. “What if he’s not there?”
The older lady’s voice hardened. “Do not even think about it. We will find the baby. Besides, the king insists on being the godfather, how could we disappoint him?”
Jane let out a light laugh as tears slipped over her bottom lashes. “Oh, Agatha. Roderick will have a fit when I tell him that.”
Agatha smiled. “That’s my girl. A little laugh is good for the soul.”
The thunder of horses’ hooves sounded inside the carriage. Jane frowned. It was a keen reminder she was not in this alone. “Agatha, do you think the captain could go on ahead? He could gather information and report back to us.”
The older lady shook her head. “Absolutely not. The man will guard you with his life if anything goes wrong. One never knows with someone like Lady Trayton. I imagine she has a handful of men working for her too. That’s the only way she could leave and—” The lady’s voice cracked. “Well, it was my fault if it was anyone’s.”
Jane clasped the lady’s trembling hand. “Why you would say such a thing?”
“I should never have started this farce with your marriage license. I made the king go along with it, you know.”
Jane nodded, watching the fields of wheat glow under the morning sun. “I knew you had something over the man. But it matters not. Nothing matters except my baby.”
“It does matter,” Agatha said with a sadness Jane had never heard before. “If anything happens, I think I will die of a broken heart.”
The Duke's Bride: Book 5 (The Clearbrooks) Page 24
