by Rebecca King
“They will get their necks broken,” she murmured.
“They know what they are doing, Petal,” the groom muttered with a smile before he hurried back to his duties.
Petal turned around and eyed the huge manor house. It was odd to think this was now her home. It felt as though she was doing something wrong to walk in through the front door.
Over the past few days, she had spent practically every waking moment with Aidan; most of that time had been spent in bed or walking the gardens. Now that she had some time to herself, what was she supposed to do?
Absently, she wandering back inside, closed the door, and listened to the silence of the hallway. She was positive that if she had dropped a pin, she would have heard it rattle as it hit the floor. It was so unnervingly quiet; almost as though the house was waiting for something to happen.
Don’t be ridiculous, what could happen? she mused as she wandered aimlessly around Aidan’s study.
The dowager clearly had no intention of giving her blessing to the union because she hadn’t bothered to make a visit to either congratulate them or condemn them. There was no Edwards to cause strife below stairs now. Aidan was recovering nicely and starting to look the healthiest he had ever looked since Petal had known him. The staff had all settled back into their routines nicely.
Everyone seemed content with their lives; except for Petal. While she was sublimely happy, and felt incredibly blessed, without Aidan around. There was absolutely nothing for her to do.
“I could read a book,” she murmured and hurried into the library, intent on doing just that.
Once inside, she took one look at the vast array of books on offer and decided to leave it for the time being. The library was huge, and she had the rest of her life to read them. It could take that amount time to read just a few. Besides, she was still reading the book in Aidan’s – their – bedchamber.
She contemplated going to take tea with Mrs Kempton, but knew that the housekeeper would be preparing dinner right about now and wouldn’t welcome the interruption to her busy day. Aggy was busy with her upstairs chores. Maisie was busy sweeping out the drawing room hearth, and she had no idea where Rollo was.
“I could go to see Father,” she mused, but then realised he would be out feeding the cattle.
Face it, Petal, there is nothing for you to do. You don’t fit in below stairs anymore. You don’t have anything to do as a lady of the house because you haven’t been trained to do it. Besides, everyone has been primed to run the place because of the master being ill. You are not needed. She sighed deeply and wished she could close out the logical train of thought; no matter how accurate it was.
With nothing else holding her interest downstairs, she decided to go back to the bedchamber Aidan insisted they share.
At the top of the stairs, she turned toward the corridor leading to the master suite of rooms to the right of the house when the rattle of something hitting the floor behind her caught her attention. Frowning, she turned around to see what it was.
“What on earth?” she murmured softly.
There was a small thimble sitting in the middle of the rug.
Moving toward it, she gasped when she suddenly felt the violent force of hands against her arm. Rather than nudge her, those cruel hands propelled her sideways, toward the steep drop of the sweeping staircase.
Petal cried out and tried to regain her footing, but the downward momentum of her body was too great. She flailed her arms wildly and tried to catch hold of the bannister as she fell, but to no avail. There was nothing she could do to stop her painful descent of the stairs. As she fell, she caught a glimpse of something move back into the hallway out of sight, but not before she realised exactly who it was who had pushed her.
Seconds later, after hitting her head painfully on one of the steps, the world went black.
Aidan yawned widely and felt an eagerness he had never felt before to get home and see his wife again. It warmed his heart to think of his wife waiting for him indoors. He had to wonder what it would be like to think of his wife and child waiting for him to return home, and felt a determination unlike no other to ensure that became a reality.
“Do you think you will be alright now?” Jerry asked.
Aidan wasn’t sure whether he was asking about his mobility after the ride, or his marriage, and looked at askance his brother.
“All is well that ends well. For now, everything is better than I expected. I don’t ache as much as I thought I would. Petal is a perfect wife. The dowager hasn’t caused as much trouble as I anticipated, and everything seems to be settling down nicely. I cannot expect anything else right now.”
“Well, then, let's give thanks for that and see what happens,” Jerry enthused.
The groom didn’t appear to have noticed they were heading back and wasn’t there with the mounting step to help Aidan down. Hovering close by, Jerry held his horse steady while Aidan swung his leg over the saddle. He dropped to the ground, landing on both feet. Both men held their breaths while his legs wobbled but, after the initial sharp stab of pain, the dull ache in his lower limbs receded enough for him to be able to walk back toward the house with only the slightest limp.
“That is one hurdle out of the way.” He declared with an air of satisfaction.
When Jerry fell into step beside him, he nodded toward the house.
“I don’t know about you, but I need a stiff brandy.”
Jerry nodded enthusiastically, and followed him into the house.
Once inside, their satisfaction with life exploded at the horrifying sight of Petal lying at the bottom of the steps, her body twisted, and resting on her neck, which was bent at an unnatural angle.
Aidan’s cry when he saw his wife was soul-wrenching.
Jerry swore and raced past his brother, whose stiffness prevented him from moving so fast.
“Ring for Rollo,” Jerry ordered. He glared at Aidan, whose wide eyes and ashen face portrayed his total shock and horror. “Now, Aidan.”
The scene that greeted them brought forth so many memories for Jerry that his hands trembled uncontrollably as he searched Petal for signs of life. Thankfully, she still appeared to be breathing, but there was no indication how much damage she had sustained from her fall.
“How,” Aidan whispered. “What the hell is going on, Jerry?”
Jerry pointed at his brother. “You, go and ring the bell. Shout for the staff. Get help here. Someone has to go to fetch the doctor. Now, Aidan. Your wife needs help.”
“Is she still -” he couldn’t finish the question, or tear his gaze away from his beloved.
“Just – now move.” Jerry knew he was babbling incoherently, but his mind was racing.
Thankfully, Aidan understood and hurried to the bell pull and tugged fiercely numerous times before he raced to the servants’ door. Shoving it open he yelled at the top of his lungs for help and was rewarded by the immediate clatter of feet on the tiled floor.
“Get the doctor, and quickly,” he ordered one of the footmen who appeared ahead of the charge.
Rollo appeared at that moment followed by Mrs Kempton, and several other members of staff.
“What is it? What’s happened?” Rollo snapped.
“Petal has fallen down the stairs,” Aidan replied. “Did nobody hear her?”
Mrs Kempton and Rollo looked at each other. Both of them shook their heads.
“I have been outside talking to the gardener about some flowers for the dinner table tonight,” Rollo explained.
“I have been busy in the kitchens, but I didn’t hear anything,” Mrs Kempton replied. “Is she alive?”
Aidan nodded. “She needs to see a doctor.”
“Burton is already on his way. The doctor should be here in a thrice. Where is she now?”
Rather than wait for Aidan to answer, Rollo stalked past him and hurried over to where Jerry was still kneeling protectively over her.
“Get a blanket. She needs covering over.”
> “We need to get her upstairs. She can’t stay like this,” Rollo advised concernedly.
“We don’t know what damage she has done. Moving her could hurt her even more,” Aidan protested, thinking about his own injuries.
The thought of Petal going through the same pain left him distraught.
“Well, she can’t stay like that. It looks painful. It could be hurting her,” Rollo argued. “Let’s see if we can get her to wake up.”
“You are best to leave her until the doctor gets here,” Mrs Kempton argued. “Neither of you are doctors. I will go and put some tea on.”
Aidan stepped to one side to allow the housekeeper to leave. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell the woman that he didn’t want tea, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from his wife.
Why is it that every time there is a crisis everyone always makes a cup of tea? Aidan thought desperately, but let the woman go.
“Go and sit down, Aidan. There is nothing you can do at the moment,” Jerry murmured.
“I am going to sit with her.” He ignored Jerry and Rollo’s protests and knelt on the hard floor beside his wife. He picked up her chilled fingers, wincing at just how icy they were. “Someone get a blanket. She is frozen.”
Rollo hurried into the sitting room and returned moments later with a cover from the back of the chaise. Tucking it around Petal, he whispered orders to several footmen who were waiting discretely by the door. Minutes later, Aidan was bullied into kneeling on several cushions, and the same board the servants had used to carry him into the house had been propped up against the wall in readiness.
“Petal? Can you hear me?” Aidan murmured into her ear. He wanted to shake her shoulder but from the first-hand experience just how painful broken bones could be. “Do you think she has broken anything?” He asked nobody in particular.
There was no blood thankfully and, although she was twisted at an uncomfortable angle, her limbs were straight, with no bones poking out as far as they could see.
Maybe her injuries weren’t that bad. Aidan thought hopefully, and quietly began to pray.
After his recent experiences, he had thought that there wasn’t much life could throw at him that he couldn’t cope with. Having lived with the raw terror at not knowing if his legs would ever work properly again, or if he would have the freedom to move about at will, he had learned to live every day and enjoy it. He had endured the endless pain and discomfort of forcing his recalcitrant body to work again, in spite of its apparent determination not to. But nothing had ever turned his world upside down more than the sight of Petal lying crumpled at the bottom of the stairs as she was. Nothing devastated him more than the thought that he might not see that sparkle in her eyes whenever she smiled, or hear the melodic tinkle of her laughter.
Desperate to ease the ache in his heart so he could think properly, Aidan forced his attention onto something else. He couldn’t bring himself to move away, and so continued to stroke her hair lovingly while he thought.
“What on earth is going on?”
Aidan groaned at the lousy timing.
Jerry glared at the dowager, who stood in the doorway, studying the scene before her.
“My wife has fallen down the stairs,” Aidan declared in a tortured voice.
“What?” The dowager snapped perilously. “When? How?”
Aidan felt his fury begin to burn. It wasn’t important how or when right now. What mattered more than anything else was whether Petal was going to live. The thought that she might not was more than he could even contemplate right now. His world was teetering on a knife-edge, and he wasn’t quite sure how to get it back on safe ground again. The last thing he needed was to have to deal with his mother.
“Rollo, make sure nobody leaves this house,” the dowager ordered.
She clicked her fingers at one of the footmen who stepped forward, clearly terrified at having to step closer to the matronly command.
“You, go and get the magistrate,” she instructed.
“The magistrate?” Aidan cried.
“Whatever for?” Jerry demanded with a scowl.
“I will explain later,” the dowager replied absently. She pierced the footman with a scowl. “Don’t stop and don’t speak to anybody. Tell the magistrate to come here forthwith on the orders of the dowager and be quick about it. There has been an attempt on the life of the new lady of the manor.”
“What?” Jerry cried completely perturbed by the confidence in the woman’s tone.
“Not now, Jeremy. We will discuss this later. Meantime, you there; get that board and come over here. She cannot remain like this. Aidan, step aside. She needs to be off this floor before she gets a chill to go with her bruises.”
Taking charge of the situation, the dowager quickly ensured that everyone was allotted tasks whether it be stepping aside, carrying the board, or hurrying upstairs to make sure the bed was turned back and the fire lit.
Her briskness got results. Within minutes, Petal was being taken to the master suite.
When Mrs Kempton arrived carrying a tray of tea things, the dowager pierced her with a look.
“Take that back to the kitchen and bring the brandy instead,” she ordered and turned her back on the disgruntled housekeeper’s mumbling.
Aidan stared at his mother. She had always been a take-charge kind of character, but he had never seen her take command of a situation like this before. It was unnerving because she had shown none of her previous contempt and instead appeared prepared to do what was needed to help his new wife. Her social status didn’t seem to have even dawned on her. It was enough to leave both him and Jerry looking at each other in consternation, and following orders along with everyone else.
It was worrying that while Petal was gently moved onto the board and carried up the stairs, she still didn’t wake up. However, when they tried to relocate her onto the bed, she began to move around and moan in discomfort.
“Petal, can you hear me?” Aidan demanded eagerly.
“Petal?” The dowager snorted. “Who on earth names their child Petal?”
“It is a nickname, ma’am,” Rollo informed her. “Her real name is Petunia.”
“Well, I shall call her Petunia then,” the dowager declared dismissively, daring anybody to argue with her.
Aidan didn’t care what the woman called his wife as long as Petal was around to hear it.
“Petal, can you hear me? Please, wake up and talk to me, darling,” he pleaded gently.
Desperate to at least hold her, he ignored the presence of everyone in the room and climbed onto the bed. Gathering her into his arms, he held her close while he waited for the doctor to arrive.
“Why do you think the magistrate needs to be involved?” Jerry asked when a tense and nervous silence had settled over the room.
The dowager sighed and perched on the edge of a seat next to the bed.
Jerry studied her carefully and leaned forward, sensing there were secrets.
“You know something about Alice’s death, don’t you?”
The dowager chose her words carefully.
“In my position, one has to be careful about casting aspersions on anybody, Jeremy. But there are a few things about Alice’s death that just didn’t sit too well with me.”
“How so?” This was the first Jerry had heard of it.
Although they had discussed the circumstances around his late wife’s demise, not once then, or at any point during the intervening years, had the dowager ever mentioned having suspicions about his late wife’s death.
“Alice was on her own the afternoon she fell down the stairs. Right?”
Jerry nodded. “Yes. I wasn’t there, but the staff assured me that she had been writing letters all afternoon. I had no cause to question what they told me because there was a stack of envelopes on her bureau waiting for the post.”
The dowager nodded. “Well, I have reason to suspect that she was pushed down the stairs, and that she didn’t fall as it is claimed.”
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Silence fell over the room. Aidan continued to stroke his wife’s hair, wishing she would wake up and tell him if this was the case.
Jerry slumped backwards in his chair. “Why did you not saying anything before?”
“I have no proof,” the dowager replied bluntly. “However, now that an identical incident has occurred to your wife, Aidan, I firmly believe, and nobody is going to tell me otherwise, that someone killed Alice, and has attempted to kill Petal.”
“Who?” Aidan and Jerry spoke in unison. Their demand was sharp in the silence of the room.
“I don’t know,” the Dowager said firmly. “I do believe that nobody should leave this house until they have accounted for every second they have been in this house while Petal has been alone. Now, I have just arrived, Edwards has already gone home, and Hornsby isn’t even in the county. Besides, Hornsby wasn’t around when Alice was alive so we have to assume that she is innocent.”
“The servants,” Aidan whispered.
He landed a menacing look on Jerry that made him shift warily.
They both knew that the only servants who had worked in Jerry’s house when they had left the Dowager’s were Rollo, Mrs Kempton, and two of the footmen: Burton and Hogworthy. Burton had just been sent to fetch the magistrate.
“If he doesn’t come back, then the magistrate will have to send a search party out to find him,” Jerry murmured.
He hated having to think about his fateful marriage on the best of days. It always darkened his day. However, he swiftly pushed the dread to one side and focused on Aidan and Petal while he thought over who had been in service at the time of Alice’s death.
“Why would you have reason to believe that someone may have killed Alice?” Jerry countered.
“I came to see Alice a few days after you left for London, Jeremy. She said that she wasn’t feeling too well. I told her she should send for the doctor and get herself checked over; that she might have a fever or something. She said she would think about it, but she was sure it would all be alright in time. The next day she was dead.”
