Tempting the Earl

by Wendy May Andrews

  Emily had wisely chosen to remain busy helping the Thorpes and Eastwicks with their packing while Lady Clara bade the Sedgely's good-bye. Since the incident between herself and Lady Maude on horseback had probably solidified Philip's resolve not to offer for the woman, Emily did not want the family trying to be polite to her as they made their exit. With her own conflicted emotions involving Philip, she could even find it in her heart to feel a bit sorry for the cold young woman, yet she was also pleased that Maude would not be the next Countess of Yorkleigh.

  It had taken half the day for all the guests to finally detest. Emily had nearly run a path in the stairs as she again made herself indispensable to everyone helping with lastminute errands. Lady Arabella could not find her favorite bonnet Emily discovered it behind the settee in the small salon-while Miss Thorpe had misplaced her parasol in the gazebo in the rose garden. It took quite some time for Emily to find Lord Brooke's missing pair of Hessians, which had been, strangely, left in the pantry. Emily felt she had been running a race without benefit of a horse by the time they waved off the final guests with a sigh of relief.

  After everyone was gone, Lady Clara and Emily sat down to a cup of tea to discuss the entire event. Emily tried to enter the conversation with enthusiasm, but it was a strain. All in all she had enjoyed the party. It had been a delight to make so many new friends. But once she sat down to rest, all her sadness over the earl came rushing in to accost her emotions.

  The countess could tell that Emily was just tired and finally put an end to the interlude. Emily attacked a weedy patch in the garden to get her difficult emotions under control once more. By suppertime the two women returned to their easy camaraderie and spent an enjoyable evening playing backgammon before retiring early to bed.

  Lord Philip and James rode directly from Rosemount toward the estate of the Viscount of Ridley, determined to get some answers from the shifty lord. Too much time had been lost already. Realizing the hospitality at Ridley would be scant, they decided to stop at the nearby inn in the early afternoon for some refreshment.

  The landlord-Jimmy, as he asked them to call him-was delighted to see them again and went out of his way to make them comfortable. Jimmy was a talkative fellow, and Philip was not in the best frame of mind to put up with his chatter after the long ride. He wished only to recuperate a bit. But then his ears caught what Jimmy was blathering about.

  "Guess yer here to see Ridley, ain't yez, melord? Lots of goings-on out that way, that's fer sure. They's bin turning off some of the servants without so much as a farthing. That ain't right, let me tell ye. An' that Lord Max, he's a right cool one, he is, making hisself right at home. He's right angry with Ridley for losing the missy, he is. Yes siree. What bizness are you taking up with those two fer, if I may be so bold to ask ye, melord? Ye seem to be a right downy onewhy'd you want to go and get messed up with them?" The inquisitive Jimmy seemed quite puzzled by the matter.

  "You are quite right, Jimmy. We would rather not have any business with either of those two men. However, we are interested in finding the missing marchioness. You mentioned Ridley has turned off some servants. Would you happen to know what has become of them?"

  "Yes siree, I do know. The little missy's old nurse has gone to bide with her sister. She was waiting for them to find the little missy, but now she's gone with a broken heart. None too happy, that's fer sure. Sez it's all his lordship's fault that the little missy is gone"

  "Really? Why would she say that?" questioned Philip calmly.

  "Don't reckon I know. Jest overwrought, I guess," came Jimmy's uninformative reply.

  "Were there any other servants sent away recently?" Philip continued to question the man.

  "Sure there was, melord-a groom and a stable boy. Hired 'em on here. Right good workers they are too. Glad to have 'em. Ridley's loss is my gain, don't ye say, melord?" The good-natured landlord grinned.

  Philip felt his patience slipping but endeavored not to let it show.

  "Might we speak to these two men, Jimmy? They might know something about the missing young lady that would be helpful in our search"

  "I don't see why not, melord. They should be out in the courtyard. After you two gents have had your meal, you jest go on out there and talk at 'em all ye want. Makes none of my never-mind," finished the landlord.

  "Thank you, my good man," replied the earl. "We'll most likely be returning for the night, so if you could hold a couple of rooms for us, we'd greatly appreciate it."

  "That would be me pleasure, melord!" grinned the gleeful Jimmy, clearly anticipating the extra coins he would soon have in his pocket. With that he finally left the two alone to discuss their plans.

  "Well, isn't that interesting! Edwin is sending away some of the servants. Is it because he's such a pinchpenny, or did they know something he did not want them to tell us? What do you think, James?"

  "From what we have learned of the viscount, it really could be either possibility. He seems such a louse, he could turn away long-time servant without blinking. As the marchioness' guardian he is within his rights, no matter how mean-spirited it is. Or the servants could have found out some of his secrets, and he needed to be rid of them. We can't really be sure until we speak to them ourselves," replied the secretary.

  "Indeed. Let us go speak to the former groom and stable boy. Maybe they will know where we can reach the old nurse. After we've spoken to them, we'll ride out and speak with Edwin and what servants remain. With luck we can be finished with this blasted search without any more delay."

  "Let's hope you are right, my lord," was James' heartfelt answer.

  Unfortunately the groom and stable boy were not much help. They were unsure why they had been let go from the estate. They also knew very little about where the nurse would have gone except to tell them that the housekeeper at Ridley would probably know where the sister lived. From their conversation, Philip guessed that they probably knew something but that they didn't know what they knew. He needed more information in order to ask the right questions to find the answers he needed from them. It was a frustrating situation to say the least, and Philip's nerves were wearing thin as they rode out to Ridley's estate.

  They were expected this time and received a warmer reception than before. The butler quickly ushered them into the library, where Edwin would receive them.

  Edwin came out from behind his desk to greet his two visitors. "How good to see you again, Lord Yorkleigh. We've been expecting you today, and any of the servants in residence who knew the young marchioness are prepared to speak with you. I myself took the time to question them, and I have to say that I do not think any of them know anything that will be of any use in the search for Lady Emmaline. Regrettably I think you will find this to be another dead end" Despite his best efforts, he didn't actually sound that regretful, but Philip decided to ignore his insincerity and take him at face value.

  "Thank you for making your servants available to us. We would like to get started right away. But before we do, I would like to ask you again, are you sure you have no idea where the young lady is?" Philip tried to be gentle in his asking, but he knew he no doubt sounded quite fierce. He was then surprised by how sincere the viscount's answer sounded.

  "I can assure you, my lord, I have absolutely no idea where the lady is. And I have to say that I resent your implication. I have actually been losing sleep over the matter of my missing cousin. I fear we may never find her"

  Philip actually believed what Edwin was saying. Even if he had had something to do with the young woman's leaving, he genuinely seemed to be unaware of her whereabouts at this time. He also seemed to be saddened by her loss. Of course, thought Philip, he could be saddened by the loss of her wealth. If it were determined that she was, in fact, dead, all her holdings were set to revert to the crown, and Edwin was no doubt enjoying having her funds to dip into to line his own pockets while she was missing. Despite his cynicism, he replied more kindly to the viscount.

  "We'll do all we can to loca
te her for you, you can be sure. Now, we would like to speak first with any personal maids the marchioness would have had at her service"

  "My lord, the marchioness didn't have a lady's maid, as she had barely left the schoolroom when her parents passed. Her closest servant was her old nurse. The poor woman was so distraught over the disappearance of Lady Emmaline that I had to give her leave to go visit her family." By the conclusion of this little speech, insincerity had again crept into his voice, and Philip knew he was lying.

  "Where does the nurse's family live? We shall need to speak with her"

  "I don't rightly know where they live, my lord. It's none of my business where the servants go on their time off," replied the viscount haughtily.

  Realizing he would get nowhere with Ridley, Philip sighed and asked to speak with the housekeeper and butler. These two were shown in and questioned. As the afternoon spilled into evening, it became quite clear that the servants were frightened of their new master and would be hardpressed to reveal anything even if they knew it. None of them had any idea where the young lady would have gone. They only confirmed what Philip already knew: Lady Emmaline was the only child of only children, and her grandparents were long since dead. The closest relative the young woman had was the new viscount, and he was no prize. The marquis and his wife and been content to live retired with their small family and did not socialize much. None of the staff could hazard a guess as to where Emmaline would turn if she needed an escape. When they were questioned about the missing nurse, some of them got uncomfortable and would only admit that she had been very upset when she departed. The only real lead they got was from the housekeeper, who finally admitted that the nurse probably went to stay with her sister's family near Bath.

  By the time they had spoken to nearly every member of the staff on the estate and even a couple of the tenants, it was nearly fully dark, and Philip and James decided to call it a day and return to the inn. They fell silent as they rode through the dark, both absorbed in their own thoughts. They clattered into the courtyard and threw their reins to the waiting hands before climbing the stairs into the inn to be greeted by Jimmy.

  "Any luck, melord?" he questioned amiably.

  "Not much, Jimmy. Could you please serve us a warm meal as quickly as possible? We could use sustenance"

  "Didn't show you any 'ospitality, did they, melord?"

  "No, Jimmy, they did not, and we are quite famished," Philip answered wearily.

  "Comin' right up, melord"

  Philip and James were glad for some quiet and a hot meal and tucked right in when Jimmy returned with their supper. They made quick work of the simple fare spread out before them. Both men were exhausted from the long ride and the many hours of questioning and were ready to be shown to their rooms before long. They realized they would not be able to find any new information here and were discouraged by their lack of progress.

  "We should head back to London tomorrow and get caught up on our own business for a couple of days before striking out to Bath. It seems the old nurse will be our last chance at finding out what happened to the marchioness," concluded Philip before bidding James a good night.

  Several days later the two gentlemen were on the road again, this time in a light carriage, as the journey to Bath would take at least two days. By nightfall of the second day, they reached a hotel Philip was familiar with in the popular town. They questioned the landlord to determine where they might find the old nurse, Mary, and resolved to track her down in the morning.

  The next day dawned, and Philip prepared to visit the marchioness' old servant. James was feeling under the weather and would remain at the hotel. It was a pleasant morning, and Philip enjoyed his ride out to the little farm where he had been told he would be able to find Mary. It was a humble home, and several people came out to observe who would be riding up their lane in such a fancy equipage. Philip stepped down and introduced himself, explaining why he was there and apologizing for the disturbance. Several pairs of eyes observed him gravely before a woman with ruddy cheeks and graying hair stepped forward and said, "I'm Mary. I'm who you're looking for, your lordship."

  Philip was invited into the kitchen to sit by the fire while Mary's sister offered tea. Philip accepted and gratefully warmed himself after the chill of the morning.

  "So you're looking for my wee one are you, milord? You didn't have to work so hard at tracking me down. You should've just asked his lordship, that Edwin, what he did with her. He carted her off in the middle of the night with that evil friend of his; Lord Max" Mary was becoming upset and clenching her fists in her lap. Suddenly she pounded a fist on the table. "I heard them talking about taking my baby to Bedlam. Bedlam, I tell you. How could they take my beautiful, precious, wee one to Bedlam?" She began to weep.

  Philip was stunned. "Bedlam! Are you sure? Why would he take her to Bedlam? Was she disturbed?" No one had mentioned that there was anything wrong with the marchioness.

  Mary continued to weep but replied to his questions. "There was nothing wrong with the precious girl aside from her refusing to wed that fiend, Lord Maximillian. Edwin had threatened her that if she continued to refuse, he would lock her up. I think the wee bairn didn't truly believe he would follow through on that threat, and so she held out in her refusal. She knew her parents would never have wanted her to marry such a one as he. But one morning I woke up and she was gone, disappeared in the night. I lit into Ridley, let me tell you, screaming like a fishwife I was so distraught, but to no avail. He refused to admit what he had done. He then had me subdued and told me my lady would no longer require my services, that he had made other arrangements for her. He didn't even provide me with the coach fare to leave, just shoved me out the door without even a fare-thee-well" Mary's tears had dried, but she was fairly huffing in her outrage.

  Philip was perplexed. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

  "Who's there to tell?" was her practical reply. "Lord Ridley is her guardian, and I had no proof that he had taken her to Bedlam, nor any way of going there to get her out. I had no authority over her; I'm just her old nurse. Even if I had found a way to get to the asylum, they would never have let me in. Haven't you heard the stories about such places? I tremble nightly thinking of the poor sweet lass locked up with all sorts of riffraff. But if you're looking for the young marchioness, you'll no doubt find her in Bedlam. Might I ask you, my lord, why are you looking for her? She has no kin other than the viscount"

  Lord Yorkleigh became very grave over this newest development. It was just as well that Ridley was so far away, because at the moment Philip felt quite violent toward the villain. He had definitely heard stories about Bedlam, perhaps worse tales than the nurse knew of. No one should be in there, in his opinion, least of all a gently bred lady of quality. He made an effort to remain calm so as not to frighten the older woman any further while he strove to answer her question.

  "His Majesty, the king, has commissioned me to find the marchioness. It is by his authority that she may inherit all that her parents left to her. As you may know, due to the age of most of the titles, Lady Emmaline is entitled to inherit all the titles and estates. Our sire wishes to fulfill the late marquis' request to have his daughter honored. When His Majesty heard of the marquis' death, he began to inquire about the daughter, and when Ridley did not produce her, the king started a search"

  "But what interest do you have in this matter, if you don't mind me being so bold, milord?"

  "I have absolutely no vested interest in the outcome of this search, which is why the king has entrusted it to me. My father was a trusted advisor to His Majesty, and in his absence, I was chosen to look into her disappearance."

  "Well, it is great news that you and our king are looking for my lassie," declared the nurse. "Just drive over to Bedlam and get her out"

  "I have every intention of doing that. Are you prepared to come to her once we've located her? She will no doubt be in need of the comfort of a familiar face after her harrowing ordeal"

&nbs
p; "I don't think you'd be able to keep me away, milord," was the instant reply. "I can be ready at a moment's notice."

  "Very good. I will send a carriage for you as soon as I've located her. You may also be required to tell His Majesty what you know"

  "Speak to the king? Oh, my gracious, I don't know about that, milord," was her flustered answer.

  "It may not come to that. Whatever happens, I will send you word. Thank you, Mary. You've been most helpful" With that Philip took his leave and drove back to the hotel to collect James and start on the way back toward London.

  James was stunned silence when Philip revealed their new destination. After several moments he finally broke that silence.

  "Bethlem Royal Hospital. I cannot believe he would stoop so low as to have her locked up in such a place. Better, I think, to murder her than to put her there. Everyone knows what kind of place it is" He broke off in disgust, unable to contemplate the possibility of a gently-bred female being placed in such a situation. "Perhaps he should be hanged for such an action," James continued. "Hanging might be too good for him. He should be locked up in Bedlam"

  "James, we don't know for sure if he took her there. We only know he threatened to do so. Perhaps the girl ran away to avoid such a fate. Or mayhap he took her elsewhere. We still have very little information to go on. We don't even have a recent likeness of the marchioness to identify her. Let's try to remain calm until we reach Moorfields and see for ourselves. We don't need an accident to complicate an already difficult journey."