by Joyce Alec
John chimed in, “If this is true, why haven’t the ladies found a way to free themselves?”
Bartley said, “Well, we have been looking in the archives, but there is no mention of any extra space. My plan was to look around the outside, but I am afraid that we are running out of time, especially for Lady…” Bartley stopped when he saw the look of fear on John's face.
“May I have a look at your findings, My Lord? Perhaps we can figure something out together,” said the inspector.
Bartley no longer had any interest in keeping the information about the secret passageways to himself. The situation was becoming much more serious as more ladies had gone missing. Bartley led the inspector to the study, who launched a plan for his men to search the grounds more thoroughly, although Bartley wasn't quite sure this was any kind of plan. But he couldn't sit by; he had found the love of his life, and he wasn't about to let her vanish.
It had begun to snow again, and the inspector worried that it could be covering an entrance, which would otherwise be seen. Being a terraced house, they only had the front and back of the house to deal with. The front of the house was on a sidewalk, and the servants’ entrance was into the basement at the side.
“I wonder if there's anything in what that earl said about a secret passage. It would have to lead somewhere, next door, perhaps? I wonder.” The inspector looked up at the houses on either side of the duke's home. Was there a possibility the missing women were trapped in them?
***
Amelia had made her way back to Lucille and Lady Henrietta who was now conscious, although barely so. Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Did you find a way out, m’lady?” Lucille asked having got over her fright of her mistress' return without the lamp.
“I could have gone farther, but I wanted to check on you, too. Hen, you gave us such a fright. Don't try to talk. Conserve your energy. Lucille, let's call out for help. Lady Henrietta's voice is far too weak,” Amelia encouraged, and they began to scream.
Amelia knew it was pointless, but she had to try. The whole point of a secret chamber was not to be found, and therefore, not to be heard, but she wasn't about to just give up. She was worried about Lady Henrietta, and while she was glad the darkness would disguise her fears, she couldn't help but be concerned as Henrietta was barely able to speak. She needed to find a way for them to get out now.
“I have to find a way out, Lucille. I'll just keep going. Whatever you do, do not leave Lady Henrietta's side,” she had found Lucille's hands in the darkness and squeezed them.
“I will find help, I promise you,” Lady Amelia at least knew what to expect now. She just had to keep going. The tunnel led somewhere. She just hoped there would be someone at the other end to hear her.
“M’lady, take this,” Lucille handed her the fireplace poker in the darkness, “you might be able to attract attention with it.”
“Good idea, Lucille. Pray we will be found before it's too late,” Lady Amelia ventured off again, with all of her senses aware that she had to be brave for the other women.
She wanted to be strong, but she couldn't help the tears from streaming down her face. There was so much she wanted to experience in life and the fear of never being found was a real possibility in her mind.
If only she had allowed love into her life. She should have been nicer to Bartley. He was amusing, and her father would have liked him. She could imagine her father saying that Bartley was exactly what she needed. There was a humor to him that would nicely complement Amelia’s stoic nature. Amelia’s thoughts led to poor Henrietta, who instead of being celebrated on her wedding day, would be missing. Amelia felt sorry for Lucille. If she hadn't lured Lucille into her employ, the girl would still be looking after the vain Duchess of Hamptonshire, instead of stuck in a horrible place inside the wall.
Amelia was thankful for her strong nerves. She would need them. With the fireplace poker outstretched to guide her, she hit it off what she presumed was the wall on either side. She had come a little farther than previously, but she hoped it wasn't a dead-end. With no light, she couldn't tell how far the passage went, but she kept swaying the fireplace poker from side to side in front of her. It clattered off the walls.
She was finding it difficult to move at any pace as it was harder to breathe, and it was so hot. She had to stop and take a breath, as she wiped her brow, which glistened with sweat. She called out, it made her feel like she was doing something, but the sound just reverberated around the tunnel.
“How will we ever escape?” Amelia spoke out loud, as she slid to the ground in frustration. She let out one, loud scream.
Chapter Six
Bartley had to do something. Seeing how the inspector had gone out the front door, Bartley decided to do his search out the back of the house. After all, the bedroom overlooked the carriage house. Although he was glad to have his lamp, the walk to the carriage house was quite lit up. Bartley walked backwards looking up towards the window, willing it to tell him its secrets.
“Anything strike you as strange, My Lord?” It was the old man again. He was standing beside Bartley looking up at the house.
“What did you say your name was?” Bartley asked.
“Jedediah Larkin, My Lord, I am the caretaker here. Does it not strike you as strange the position of the window? I always found it strange, the lack of symmetry.”
Bartley looked at the house plans and then looked up. Certainly, there seemed to be more wall than was allowed for on the schematics, but was this just a trick of the eye, perhaps.
“It does look odd, and if there's a secret passageway, then it must lead somewhere. Perhaps out here, what do you think?” Bartley looked at the old man who just nodded.
Now, if I could figure out where this could go, Bartley thought. As his eyes followed the possible layout of a secret chamber, his eyes fell upon the snow underfoot.
As he tried to process where a chamber could possibly lead, the horses became uneasy in the stables. He could hear a mix of roars and snorts and ran to the stables. He and Jedediah went into the stables to see what had caused the horses' distress. They were sensitive and would hear sounds that humans couldn't.
“Calm down, there's a girl,” Bartley went into one stall where the mare was extremely agitated.
“What is that sound?” he asked. Was that what startled the horses? But the sound stopped. He cocked his ear, straining to hear the sound again but nothing. Then he heard a wail, or maybe a scream, that set the horses off again.
“Help, I need some help,” Bartley called out. The snow was dampening any sounds. He walked the mare out of her stall, and Jedediah took her outside. Some of the stable boys were coming to his aid, and he sent one to find the inspector. Could the secret chamber run this length of the garden from the house and into the stables?
He went back inside the stall, and with his foot, began to shove the straw around. There was no sign of a trap door or hatch, but it had to be near here. It dawned on him that the horses wouldn't be put in stalls with trap doors. It had to be outside.
He called for more light as he made his helpers sweep and clear the floor. The Inspector arrived as Bartley told him of what he heard. It was the best clue they had so far, and even the skeptical Inspector wouldn't deny it.
“Lady Amelia, I'm coming for you,” he called out. “If you can scream again, please do, my love. We need to hear you,” he called out frantically. The inspector called for everyone to stop as they listened out. As they were about to resume clearing, a faint bang was heard.
“She heard me. Work faster. We have to get to her.” Bartley worked harder than anyone else, and his efforts were rewarded when he found the trap door.
He opened it up and looked inside.
“Lady Amelia, I've found you,” although he could not yet see her, he jumped into the passageway. Lifting his lamp and turning it to full, he saw the cramped tunnel, and there ahead of him was Lady Amelia in a heap on the floor. He ran to her, while he called for
help.
“Bartley, have I died?” she asked.
“Oh, my love, you are not getting away from me that easily,” he smiled at her.
“Lady Amelia, where are the others?” Inspector Grimshaw was eager to find the others.
His question seemed to give Lady Amelia the rush of adrenaline that was needed.
“Henrietta, Lucille. It's too far to go back this way. Take me to the room and I'll show you,” she screamed out.
With him supporting her, Lady Amelia rushed back to the room. John just watched as Lady Amelia sat in the chair and showed them how to open the passage. With the wall secure, John and the inspector ran down the stairs, and soon the women were safe.
Chapter Seven
All the guests agreed that Lady Henrietta, now Duchess of Kentonville, looked radiant on her wedding day. Mary had styled her mistress's hair to disguise the gash on her forehead from her fall.
Stories circulated that Henrietta had gone missing, but many believed the story was just a rumor when they saw Lady Henrietta and the duke in such good spirits.
The carriage ride to St. George's Church on Christmas morning was breathtaking. Snow lightly dusted the trees and ground, and with the sunlight shining just right, it looked as if the city was covered in sparkling jewels.
John looked like a new man. He could look forward to being a husband to the most wonderful woman he had ever met. Carrying Lady Henrietta out of the hiding place to safety provided an intense mix of emotions. His heart was glad at her safe return, but the state of her health had him very worried.
The doctor arrived immediately. Although she was mildly dehydrated, Henrietta was in good health and recovered quickly.
At their wedding breakfast, the duke and duchess celebrated the start of their new life together.
“You look beautiful this morning, Lady Amelia. I trust you are feeling much better.” Bartley admired her as they waited to be called for the wedding breakfast.
“Thank you, My Lord. It is very gracious of you to say such a thing. Indeed, I am feeling well.”
If her ordeal had taught her anything, it was never to take anything or anyone for granted. Just days earlier, Amelia had questioned Henrietta about being so hasty in love. Now, Amelia’s heart had been stolen in a whirlwind romance.
Amelia had also had to recover from dehydration, so she was unable to see Bartley these last couple of days. The doctor had strict instructions that she must stay in bed.
Bartley found a way to communicate with her through letters, which he seemed to be writing hourly. Each letter brought Amelia a little bit of joy. In one of his first letters, Bartley explained his newfound discovery. When searching for the architectural plans for the house, he came across some old letters from the previous duchess. The letters explained the details of the passageway. It turned out that there had been rumors of an uprising against the ton. The previous duchess was in such a fright that she had a secret passageway built, but didn’t want many people to know about it. She remodeled the room as a guise, so not very few individuals knew that the real reason for the remodel was to build a secret room, where she could hide with her husband in case they needed help. While in the midst of the remodel, the architect discovered the strange light reflection from the two mirrors and built that into his plan as the way to access the secret room.
Bartley’s letters were filled with stories and anecdotes that made Amelia laugh and sometimes cry. Amelia found that she could be much more expressive in her letters than she could with her words. Bartley’s letters expressed his love from the beginning, but Amelia’s letters soon followed suit.
In Bartley’s final letter before the wedding, he offered a marriage proposal. Amelia had yet to answer.
“Well,” said Bartley. “Is there anything else you would like to say to me?”
Amelia smiled as she looked down, suddenly nervous about making eye contact. She couldn’t believe that she was considering marriage to a man she had barely known a week.
“You do know you would have to ask my father,” said Amelia.
“I have already bought my ticket to Stannington,” beamed Bartley. “I was going to call on you soon after you returned home.” Bartley then realized what her words meant. “Are you saying you will marry me?”
“If my father approves, yes, Bartley, I will marry you.”
Amelia’s eyes met his, as they were both filled with joy.
Lady Henrietta couldn't be happier to think that her wedding had produced such a wonderful match between her closest friend and her husband’s cousin.
When the women were in private, Henrietta cupped Amelia’s hands and asked, “You do love him, don't you?”
“I do. I never thought I would fall in love, but now that I have, well, it is rather wonderful,” she smiled through her tears of joy.
***
The End
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