“That is admirable to be sure, but your friend is right. You should employ more caution. My father was much as you are, and it cost him his life,” she answered. Kneeing her horse, she moved forward to ride ahead of the two Dukes for a time.
“That is quite the young lady,” Arthur noted.
“Yes, she is. Remind you of anyone?” Duncan asked.
“Yes, she does, very much,” Arthur nodded.
“You don’t think they are related, do you? They look and act quite similarly,” Arthur remarked.
“I have had the very same thoughts myself,” Duncan admitted. “They could be sisters.”
“Perhaps they are cousins? Eliza has shared with me that she looks very much like her mother,” Arthur offered.
“Either way, the similarities are undeniable,” Duncan replied. “I find that I cannot help but admire her intellect and independent spirit.”
“And her beauty?” Arthur inquired, looking at Duncan from the corner of his eye.
“That too,” Duncan answered, giving Arthur a warning glare. He was happy that Arthur had found happiness with Eliza, but he was not ready for him to play matchmaker between himself and Miss Fielding. They may be similar, but they are not the same person. He could not deny his interest in Miss Fielding, but his heart needed time to let Eliza go. “I am glad to see you have overcome your concerns about station.”
“As am I,” Arthur admitted. “I pray that Eliza can find it in her heart to forgive me, as I can no longer imagine my life without her.”
“She will with time,” Duncan promised. “She loves you, and in time, that love will remind her of the man you are.”
“I sincerely hope you are right, my friend,” Arthur replied.
Duncan nodded his head in affirmation. They each kneed their horses to pick up the pace and came even with Miss Fielding once more. They led her to the village church and dismounted tying their horses to a post outside. When they entered, they found Reverend Summers practicing his sermon for the next service. They took a seat and allowed him to finish before moving forward to ask his assistance.
“Well done, Reverend Summers. I look forward to Sunday services,” Arthur complimented.
“I look forward to having Your Grace back within the fold. It pleases me greatly to see you have recovered from your accident. I have missed your presence here,” Reverend Summers stated. “What brings Your Graces here today?”
“We need to examine the parish records,” Duncan answered.
“May I ask for what purpose?” Reverend Summers inquired.
“To catch a criminal,” Miss Fielding stated matter of factly.
Reverend Summers eyebrows nearly shot up into his hair with surprise. “A criminal? Who among my parish could be labeled such?”
“That is what we desire to find out,” Duncan answered. “Lives are at stake.”
“Then, by all means follow me, Your Graces. You have my full cooperation.” Reverend Summers showed them into a back room lined with shelves of books. “Within these tomes lies the births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths of our beloved parish. Perhaps if I knew the name of the person you seek I could help narrow your search?”
“I am sorry, Reverend, but all we have are the initials M. D.,” Arthur informed him.
“Oh dear, that is not much at all is it,” Reverend Summers noted.
“No, it is not,” Duncan agreed.
“Reverend, you were here when the Bolton fire occurred, were you not?” Arthur asked.
“Yes, I was. A most terrible night,” Reverend Summers answered shuddering at the memory. “Little Eliza works as a governess under your employ, does she not, Your Grace?”
“Yes, she does. We believe we have found a clue as to who might have been responsible,” Arthur confided. Duncan wondered how much of the story he planned to share with the minister.
“Where is Miss Bolton? Should she not be with you?” Reverend Summers asked.
“Yes, she should,” Eliza’s voice answered angrily from behind them.
Chapter 26
Eliza sat in her room and stared out of the window at the gardens below. How could he not have told me? Tears streamed down her cheeks as she silently wept. I do not understand after all we have endured and shared that he would think it right to keep such a secret from me.
Her knight in shining armor now seemed tarnished somehow. She had placed Arthur on the pedestal of a chivalrous hero in her mind like those of her romantic novels. He had been brave, strong, and true. He had saved her life and virtue on the night they had first met. She, in turn, had saved his life.
She had had eyes for only him. Theirs had not been a passionate, romantic whirlwind as some she had read about, but had been that of a quiet intertwining of hearts born of admiration, respect, compassion, and devotion. Where once she could not have imagined her life with any man, now she could not image her life without him.
She thought of all the hours she had spent nursing him back to health. She called to mind their many conversations about each other’s lives and hopes for the future. Every day she had fallen more in love with him, and every day he had let go of another piece of his protective armor letting her in. While he had been laid up in bed, there had not been much else to do but talk. Eliza could not believe that in all that time he had not shared what he knew about her parent’s demise.
Arthur had had ample time to tell her the truth but had chosen not to do so. Had your places been reversed, would you have had the courage to tell him such a thing? Her conscience asked the question she did not wish to consider. In truth, she did not know what she would have done had she been in Arthur’s place. She would not have wished to cause him further harm, and yet, the guilt of not telling him would have overpowered her fear.
She had never been very good at dealing with guilt and attempted to avoid it at all costs. She couldn’t help but feel a bit of it now and attempted to push it away. She was not the one who needed to feel guilty. Arthur was the guilty party in this situation, and Eliza refused to feel any worse than she already did for her behavior in storming out of the library.
She had been most rude to Miss Fielding and had almost turned back around to hear what else she had to share, but had decided against it. She needed time. Now as she sat alone in her misery, thoughts of Miss Fielding and the information she had brought with her urged Eliza to reconsider cloistering herself away. She truly did wish to know the truth about her parents and to save Arthur’s life regardless of how angry she was with him at the moment.
Sighing, Eliza arose from the window seat and opened her door. She crossed over to the children’s nursery and found them contentedly playing with one of the upstairs maids. Closing the door, Eliza descended the stairs to the library. She found it to be empty. She went in search of the butler, Mr. Danvers, and found him just entering the hall. “Mr. Danvers?”
“Yes, Miss Bolton? How may I be of service?” Mr. Danvers asked, walking through the doorway.
“Yes, thank you, Mr. Danvers. Where are the Dukes and Miss Fielding? I came to rejoin the conversation only to find they are no longer here.”
“They have gone to the church in the village to have a look at the parish records. Apparently, they found a possible link to the murder of your parents, Miss. Is there anything else I might do for you?” Mr. Danvers waited patiently for her to answer.
Eliza could not believe her ears. They’ve gone without me? How could they have left without me? Eliza fumed with anger that Arthur would be so callous as to leave her behind. “Mr. Danvers, please see that a horse is saddled and waiting for me at the entrance as soon as you can?”
“Of course, Miss Bolton. I will have the grooms prepare your bay mare. It will be saddled and ready for you in moments.” Mr. Danvers bowed and left the room.
She knew in her heart that she had no real reason to be as angry as she was, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. She felt as if she needed someone to lash out against. The late Duke was dead and could therefore
not be punished, but it was not fair of her to punish his son in his stead. Too many people had already attempted to do just that. Arthur had suffered enough at the hands of his father and others who blame him for his father’s misdeeds.
Eliza knew that eventually she and Arthur would apologize to one another and find a way to get past their fathers’ pasts, but at that moment in time, she was not quite ready to let go. Arthur leaving her behind had simply allowed her more fuel for her inner fire. Had he invited her outright, she might have refused him out of principle. Either way, he would not have won. Eliza felt a moment of guilt for her thoughts and attempted to dampen her anger.
Eliza heard her horse being brought around the front of the house and went outside. Mounting, she gathered the reins and thanked the groom for his efforts on her behalf. “His Grace has not been gone long, Miss. You should be able to catch them or at the least arrive shortly after they do,” he informed her.
Eliza kneed the mare forward and set out after her companions. Try as she may along the way, she could not quite find it in her heart to forgive Arthur. When she arrived at the church, she found three horses tied up outside. She tied her mare with them and entered the building. She could make out the sound of voices in the back and made her way down through the pews and down a hallway to the side of the pulpit. She passed the Reverend’s office and found the Reverend and his three guests standing in a room full of books.
“Where is Miss Bolton? Should she not be with you?” Reverend Summers was asking.
“Yes, she should,” Eliza answered angrily from behind them. At hearing her voice, they all turned around. Arthur and Duncan both wore matching guilty expressions, while Miss Fielding barely offered her a glance before turning back to the book she had pulled from the shelf.
“Good, you have come,” Miss Fielding stated. “The more hands, the quicker the work.”
Eliza stared at her for a moment not sure what to say and opted to ask what she had missed. “Who or what are we searching for in the parish records?”
“A man with the initials M.D. who would have been old enough to perpetrate your parent’s murders. I would start with twenty years before that and move forward from there. It is unlikely that the duke would have trusted anyone younger than that to do his dark bidding,” Miss Fielding instructed.
“M.D.?” Eliza asked.
“It was marked in my father’s ledgers as the highest paid man in his service,” Arthur explained. Eliza met his eyes for a moment so filled with the pain of his guilt that she was forced to look away.
“Your father, Your Grace?” Reverend Summers asked in surprise.
“Yes, Reverend, my father was not a good or noble man. He was a man without honor,” Arthur admitted.
“I knew of your father’s reputation, of course, but I never imagined that it could be true. Why would a nobleman stoop to such activities?” Reverend Summers appeared to be quite upset by the idea.
“Only he and the Devil may ever know, Reverend,” Arthur answered sadly.
“Indeed,” Reverend Summers replied, shaking his head in disbelief. “And you think that your father had something to do with Mr. and Mrs. Bolton’s death?”
“Yes, Reverend,” Arthur hung his head and closed his eyes. He looked as if the weight of his father’s sins might crush him where he stood.
Eliza could not ignore his pain no matter how angry she was, and she moved forward to touch his arm in sympathy. “I am angry at you for not telling me, but your father’s deeds are not your own. Do not make the mistake of carrying them with you. No matter what he has done, you are still a good and worthy man.”
Arthur took her hand in his and kissed it ever so gently, then placed her palm upon his cheek and kissed the inside of her wrist. The moment was so intimate that the Reverend blushed and cleared his throat in embarrassment for having witnessed it. “I will leave you to your search,” he stated, a bit ruffled and avoiding eye contact left the room still blushing.
Arthur pulled Eliza into his arms and held her kissing the top of her head. “I know you are mad at me right now and rightfully so, but I love and need you, Eliza. Please do not leave me.”
Eliza looked up into his eyes and felt her heart turn over for the pain she found there. He thought I would leave him? “Is that why you didn’t tell me? You thought I would leave you and the children all alone?” Arthur nodded his head. “No matter how angry I may be with you, Arthur Huntley, I would never leave you or the children. Never. I will not lie, I am greatly hurt by you not telling me the truth from the beginning, and I will most likely be mad at you for some time to come, but I will not leave you.”
Relief washed over Arthur’s face, and he crushed her to him. “If the two of you are done making amends, His Grace and I could use some help,” Miss Fielding’s no-nonsense voice broke through the moment.
Eliza laughed at the woman who had so mysteriously entered their midst and looked at Duncan. “I like her,” she stated smiling mischievously. “You better not let that one get away.”
Duncan’s mouth dropped open, then snapped shut in a disapproving line. “Eliza,” his tone warning her not to continue with her jest.
“Duncan, you are my dearest friend in all the world, and I will cherish you forever, but I love Arthur. I want you to know that same happiness. Please keep an open mind where Miss Fielding is concerned, but if not her, then someone else. Do not give up on finding the love that is meant to be yours,” Eliza spoke so softly only the two of them heard.
Duncan stared into her eyes for a moment, then nodded. Eliza affectionately squeezed his hand in encouragement, then went to help Miss Fielding. The four of them poured over book after book writing down every name that started with M.D. The list grew to such a length that they had to request more paper from the Reverend. “How is it, Your Grace?” the reverend asked.
“There are so very many names,” Arthur stated. “Some of whom I know and others I have never met.”
“M.D. were the initials?” Reverend Summer asked.
“Yes,” Arthur confirmed.
“Your father never frequented services, Your Grace, but I do remember seeing him about on occasion speaking with various members of the congregation. The Bolton family, on the other hand, never missed a service. I vaguely remember one service where Daniel Bolton left mid-sermon and returned quite unkept. He looked as if he had been in a scuffle. I am not sure with whom,” Reverend Summer stood thinking aloud. “He and Matthew Mark Partridge spent a great deal of time together then.”
“We will not find the answer in a day, Your Grace,” Miss Fielding reminded. “Investigation is a long drawn out process that takes time and research. This is not an easy method, but it is the one available to us until you can apprehend the men responsible for attacking you.”
“Day…” the Reverend murmured as if he was trying to remember something. His face scrunched up as if the act was physically painful as he closed his eyes in concentration. “Deighton! Miles Deighton! That is the man Daniel Bolton had words with in the tavern the night before he died. Poor man. He was never himself again after the wars.” His eyes sprang open in satisfaction proud of himself for remembering.
All four of them stared at the Reverend stunned. “Reverend Summers, you may count on me for a new roof before winter,” Arthur announced.
Eliza would have laughed out loud had the Reverend’s revelation not been about the man who killed her parents. “Why thank you, Your Grace,” Reverend Summers answered in delighted surprise.
“Do you know where we might find Mr. Deighton now?” Miss Fielding asked, returning the book she was holding to the shelf.
“Down at the tavern I would suspect. He is always there when he is not out roaming the forest with his guns. I fear he might be a poacher, but no one has ever been able to prove it,” Reverend Summers replied.
Eliza could not believe their good fortune. She never would have guessed that the lovable, absent-minded Reverend would be the one to stumble upon the truth. T
he four of them tidied the room making sure to leave it as they had found it, then departed the church. “It would be best for all concerned if the ladies returned to Rosenhill, and Duncan and I went on to the tavern,” Arthur stated as they stood on the church steps.
Eliza opened her mouth to protest, but Arthur moved closer and lowered his head to her ear. “I promise I will return to Rosenhill and inform you of what we find before I take any further action.”
“You swear it?” Eliza demanded.
“I swear it,” Arthur confirmed.
Nodding, Eliza agreed to do as bidden. Eliza and Miss Fielding mounted their horses, and Arthur instructed that two of the grooms accompany them back to Rosenhill, while one remained to watch the dukes’ backs. As Eliza rode away, she looked back to see Arthur and Duncan each take a pistol from the remaining groom. Return to me, her mind whispered. My knight.
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