Standing in front of the piece, Sarah almost felt like one of the birds flying high above the greens and golds of an agricultural landscape. So taken in by the experience, Sarah was startled when David spoke.
“The birds are heading that way, toward the church.”
“I suppose that is where we should go, then,” Melinda said.
Sarah pulled herself away from the fresco to follow her husband and friends. In her head, she recited the next portion of the poem: Child hides what is right, Under cover of darkest Knight. What did children and knights have to do with this church? Where was the old earl leading them now?
The path directed to them by the ravens led to a wall of stained-glass windows. Each pane featured a man in medieval dress posing heroically, usually with a sword or steed. Some of the scenes had village people in the background performing any number of tasks common for the earlier time.
“It must be something depicted in the panes?” Melinda mused.
“Exactly, Mel!” Sarah praised, using the nickname she had heard Sam use for his sister. “The next two verses allude to a knight and a child. Look…”
She pointed to a pane on the right that, like most of the others, showed a knight in the foreground. In the back, however, was something different from any other depiction. A child. A child standing in the dark shadow of the armor-clad man. It was impossible to tell if the youngster was a boy or girl, but what was clear was the book held between its small hands.
“It’s a book of prayer,” Rose breathed. “The child is hiding a book of prayer in the shadow of the knight.”
“That must be it, but what does it mean?” Sarah asked.
“I’m not sure,” Rose admitted. “What does the poem say next? ‘The little ones stay in their place, One chance to choose the right face?’”
“Yes, that’s it,” Melinda confirmed. “And that relates to the book of prayer? I don’t understand.”
Silence reigned for a number of minutes. Sarah just knew the meaning of the clue was here somewhere. All the pieces were coming together so well.
“Wait,” she said suddenly. “Aren’t there multiple versions of the Book of Common Prayer? Perhaps the next clue is to show us the version to which Blackwood is pointing us?”
“Very good, Sarah,” Rose remarked. “The original book was published sometime in the mid-1500s; however, it was revised just a few years later by the original author, Thomas Cranmer, the archbishop of Canterbury. Coincidentally, it was only used a few months before his half sister, Mary, restored Roman Catholic worship.”
“Another Mary?” Sarah said in awe. “That is no coincidence.”
“The ‘Mary’ in the poem must stand for more than one Mary,” Melinda agreed. “The version of the book we want must be the reformed one.”
“And we will find the location of the book next in the poem, if all holds true,” David surmised.
“In case of Black wood,” Melinda read. “I wonder why black wood is two words. That is not how Blackwood’s name is spelled.”
“He is leading us to the book,” Sarah said assuredly. “It’s in a case made of black wood—”
“In Blackwood’s home,” David finished. “It has a double meaning, too. Just as Mary did.”
“That must be it. Somewhere in the Blackwood home there must be a black wood bookcase,” Sarah said.
“And in the bookcase, the book of prayers?” Hannah mused.
“Sounds reasonable to me.” Sarah nodded.
“How are we going to ever see that bookcase?” Melinda worried.
Sarah reached over to stop the girl’s hands, which were already starting to squeeze methodically.
“We will find a way, Melinda. Just as we have found a way to solve these clues.”
“Why do you suppose Blackwood couldn’t solve the poem? While certainly not easy, he should have been able to figure it out after all this time,” David wondered.
“None of the clues would make any sense, if you can’t get past the first one,” Melinda replied. “I highly doubt the earl would have heard of Mary Eves and even if he had connected the clue to a cemetery, there is one on the Blackwood property. Why would he think to come here?”
“You’re right,” Sarah replied. “Without that first clue, all the rest are meaningless.”
As the group turned and began walking to the carriage, Sarah thought back to what Melinda had said. How were they going to get into the Blackwood Manse to search for the next clue? Certainly the lord of the manor would not stand idly by and let them hunt freely. And yet, Sarah felt sure that they were close to solving the old man’s riddle. They needed to find a way to get that hideous earl out of the building without raising suspicion.
Perhaps the earl’s vendetta against William was the key.
“Come along, dears,” Sarah said to David and Melinda as she picked up speed. “We three need to see Mrs. Potter, right away!”
Chapter Nineteen
Many failures are errors in judgment, not of intent.
—The Duke of Lancaster
Once the carriage was on the way, David finally was able to ask Sarah why they were going to see Mrs. Potter.
“Well,” she said. “I was thinking about how we could get into the Blackwood house, and it dawned on me that perhaps the Potters could be of help.”
“How so?”
“Lord Blackwood wants William found,” Sarah replied with a shrug. “Therefore I thought we might send him on a little wild-goose chase.”
Melinda laughed. “That is a wonderful idea, Sarah. Oh, I wish I had thought of it myself!”
David watched as Sarah flushed with pride. It was a good idea. Another one. All the potential his sister Hannah had ever seen in this girl as a best friend, fellow spy, and partner in crime…was coming to fruition, in spades. And David found himself as proud of his wife as she seemed to be herself.
“I agree, my love. Well done.”
Sarah looked over at him with a start. She narrowed her gaze when he looked at her, wide-eyed. She may have been asleep when he made his declaration the previous night, but that would not stop him from acting on his sudden feelings.
Perhaps if he said or did enough, she would ask him about it. Or better yet, tell him how she felt. Then maybe he would be able to figure out his own heart, once and for all.
Now was not that time, though, apparently. After one more curious look, she turned to look out the window. They were approaching the inn. Hannah, Emily, and Rose were all tired from their trip, and the sight of all the extra people might frighten the Potters even further. Leaving them to rest at the inn seemed the best course of action.
Soon enough, Sarah, David, and Melinda were nearing the Potters’ homes, and they could see a number of the women standing in their doorways watching the carriage’s arrival.
Once David and the ladies disembarked, they walked over to where William’s wife was standing. Two little girls were wrapped around her legs, peeking through her skirts at the newcomers. She shooed them off with a flick of her apron, and they ran around to the side of the bungalow, where they continued to hold vigil from the corner of the building.
David watched Sarah smile at the tots, and she gave them a little wave. The younger of the two hazarded a wave back but was instantly rebuked by the elder sibling. Sarah giggled and looked at David. The twinkle in her eye was charming, and David thought, for the first time, she is going to be the mother of my children. And lucky children they will be.
David couldn’t think of a person more likely to be a better, more understanding, nonjudgmental mother than Sarah.
“My lord, my lady,” Mrs. Potter said, in a tone of voice much warmer than on their previous visit.
“Mrs. Potter,” David replied with a nod. “Please pardon our intrusion again, but we have some news.”
The older woman immediately ushered her guests over to some benches situated around a smoldering fire.
“Please make yourselves comfortable,” she said nervously. �
��May I offer you some tea and biscuits?” Without even waiting for an answer, the woman sent one of the older girls off to get the refreshments.
Once everyone was seated, Mrs. Potter spoke to them anxiously, “What news have you? Liam said you had found him and that you could be trusted. I am so sorry for my behavior earlier. I just have no idea whom to trust. You could have been agents of the earl.”
“Oh, Mrs. Potter,” Melinda cried. “How could you think I would have anything to do with that man?”
Mrs. Potter reached over to pat Melinda’s knee. “I’m sorry, dear. But I know how much your aunt relies on Blackwood and I couldn’t be sure she wasn’t using her influence over you.”
David watched as Melinda struggled with the insult of not being trusted weighed against the logic with which the Potter woman spoke. She had told David and Sarah of the same tie between her aunt and the earl, so it wasn’t unreasonable to think the aunt might use her relationship with the earl to make her niece do something she would rather not.
Finally, Melinda eked out a small smile and placed her other hand atop Mrs. Potter’s.
The unspoken gesture said volumes, and David found that he was proud of the younger girl. Already she had proven herself wise beyond her years, but she had maturity beyond her tender age, as well.
“Mrs. Potter,” Sarah said once it was clear Melinda had made her peace with the woman, “I want you to know that I spoke the truth before. Your sister, Esther, is like a mother to me. I came here only with the express intent to help you and William. And for no other reason.”
“I believe you, my lady. I should have trusted you before. Esther speaks of you as a daughter, too. I was just so afraid.”
“After meeting the earl for ourselves, we understand,” David assured her. “He is unfit to hold the title of earl or anything else, for that matter. And after speaking to your son, we think we know how to put everything back to rights.”
“You’re going to find the will,” Mrs. Potter breathed, her eyes round with wonder. “Or have you found it already?”
After exchanging a glance with his companions, David answered, “We believe we are close. We have a copy of the poem and have solved most of its clues. The last of the riddle leads us to the Blackwood estate itself. In the actual house.”
“Oh dear. That isn’t good.”
“No, it makes continuing very difficult and likely dangerous.”
“You have come here for my help, haven’t you?”
“Very astute, Mrs. Potter,” David acknowledged as he looked over at his wife.
Sarah took the hint instantly and continued. “We need a diversion, Mrs. Potter. One we think you and Mr. Potter are in the perfect position to provide.”
“I will not put William in any danger,” Mrs. Potter hedged.
“No, of course not,” Sarah replied, waving her hands. “We don’t want William harmed any more than you do. All we need is for Blackwood to think he is closing in on your husband, nothing else.”
“A fools’ errand, so to speak?” Mrs. Potter said, a hint of a smile emerging.
“Precisely.”
“Oh, I think such a thing could be very easily arranged. When would you like the merry chase to happen?”
“I think sooner than later would be best. We need to get this issue resolved immediately, if we have any chance of clearing your husband’s name.”
“You will get no argument from me,” Mrs. Potter announced. Just then the girl returned with the tea and biscuits. “Please, take a moment to enjoy tea with me, then we will make haste to put a plan together.”
David and the ladies nodded, and soon everyone was settled with a cup of tea and a plate of cookies. The fare was modest, but the company was lively, and the cookies were quite tasty.
While they ate, David and the others regaled everyone with how they were able to track down Liam and the others. Mrs. Potter was duly impressed, especially with how they figured out the hidden writing. She said that the previous earl had happened to come by when she and William had been experimenting with the technique. He had shown great interest in the process.
David got the impression the Potters were a great favorite of the older man. Perhaps because, by all accounts, he had never had children of his own. The Potters and their extended family seemed to have nothing but youngsters, and the elder Blackwood was said to enjoy the tots’ company immensely.
Apparently all the mistrust was forgotten, for said children all gathered around to inspect David and Sarah. Perhaps for some of them, being young enough to not remember the old man, this was the first time they could recall being in the company of a future earl and countess. Certainly it would be the first time for any of them to have tea with an aristocrat.
David felt obligated to be as generous with himself as he could be, considering the nobility the children had encountered thus far in their young lives. While respect is expected from laborers and husbandmen toward the nobles, likewise, a sense of responsibility was owed the workingman. To treat the men and families who worked for you as if they were trespassers was unconscionable to David.
More than anything, he wanted to see Blackwood ousted from these lands and preferably stripped of his title.
To that end, David was glad when they started developing a plan to get the earl out of his house and away from the estate. While they had eaten, Mrs. Potter had sent one of the children to fetch a neighbor who reportedly looked very much like William Potter.
Together with this man, called Bucky by woman and child alike, a plan was hatched.
Bucky, while wearing some of Potter’s clothes, would allow himself to be seen by the magistrate. It was generally understood that the magistrate, well aware of which side his bread was buttered, would send for Blackwood. If an arrest was imminent, no one doubted that the earl would do what was necessary to be present. Even abandon his precious search.
David, Sarah, and Melinda would hide within view of the manse, and upon Blackwood’s departure, they would make their way into the house and commence searching. When the black wood bookcase was mentioned in passing, one of the Potter cousins, a former Blackwood maid, was able to tell David that there was only one such case in the house. It could be found in the library.
David wondered at the old man choosing a hiding place in such a utilized room, but considering the work he put into the other clues, he decided the earl must have known what he was doing. Certainly, the current Blackwood hadn’t found it yet, and Sam had indicated that the library was where the new earl spent most of his time.
Either the will was very well hidden, or the younger earl was a complete noddy—or, more likely, it was both.
In any case, David felt sure he and Sarah, with Melinda’s help, would find the will or whatever it was the good earl had hidden.
Soon, all parties involved in the subterfuge left the Potters’. David and the ladies went immediately to the Blackwood estate to keep watch on the earl, opting to go without the other ladies, thinking they would be able to maneuver easier with just the three of them. If all went according to plan, it wouldn’t be long before the earl was called away, and they didn’t want anything to slow them down.
It did, in fact, take close to an hour before David saw an unknown male run up to the front door of the palatial mansion. He jostled Sarah and Melinda gently. An hour was a somewhat longer time than he had anticipated waiting, frankly. He had begun to think something had gone wrong.
But no. Despite the delay, the plan was working perfectly. David and the ladies watched as Blackwood threw on a coat as he rushed out of the building. He wore a determined look, and David couldn’t help but feel sorry for the magistrate when the earl found out they were trailing the wrong man.
Knowing there was no time to waste, David led the way to the house. Opening the door slowly and quietly, he was gratified to see that the entryway was empty. Mrs. Potter had insisted that the household staff would help in their cause, but David was loath to put any more people in danger if he
could help it.
With Melinda’s guidance, they all made it to the library without incident. Looking around the large, well-appointed room, David’s eye was immediately drawn to a large bookcase made of the dark material known to be black wood. It was an impressive piece. Intricate carvings covered the case from top to bottom. Leaves, cherubs, deer, and rabbits frolicked along the edges and across the front of the shelves. It was both whimsical and mysterious with the lighthearted subjects and the ebony-colored wood.
Coming closer, he began to scan the books for one in particular. He was joined by Sarah and Melinda, who flanked him on either side. It didn’t take long for Sarah to cry out.
“Here. Here are the prayer books. He looks to have every version published up to the Liturgy of Comprehension in 1689. Which one did Mary put a halt to?”
David looked closely at the titles. Something in the way the poem was worded made him think if they removed the wrong one, their hunt would be over. ‘One chance to choose the right face’ echoed ominously in his mind as he reached for the volume he hoped was correct.
“I believe it is this one,” he said, holding his breath as he slowly removed the tome. A loud click sounded and all three of them gasped as a panel at the back of the shelf opened where the book had been. On either side of the removed book, David could just make out spikes of some sort shooting into the remaining prayer books. If any of the other books had been removed, one or all of them would have been impaled with the sharp points.
“Oh my goodness,” Sarah gasped. “Did you know that would happen?”
Shaking his head, David replied, “I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I had a feeling this portion of the poem indicated a trap of some sort. If we had gotten the answer wrong, that is.”
“What did the right answer give us?” Melinda wondered, her curiosity clearly getting the better of her fear.
Enticing Her Unexpected Bridegroom Page 16
