“I found these in a secret compartment of my mother’s desk,” he began, handing Josephine the letters. He waited in silence while she read them. “And these are the ones my parents recently received. Do you see the difference?”
“These earlier ones appear to be taunting her with unpleasant name calling, but this one actually goes so far as to threaten your mother’s life. What do they mean? Who are they from?” Josephine asked looking up at him.
“Precisely. I do not know, but I intend to find out,” Frederick answered, pacing back and forth in the grass. “Why did she not tell us about them?”
“Perhaps she was afraid to. Perhaps she thought you would not understand,” Josephine offered up possibilities.
“She is correct. I do not understand.” Frederick rubbed the back of his neck in weary frustration. He wondered if he looked as bad as he felt. He needed to have gotten more sleep.
“You need to rest. You are weary from your journey and the events that have transpired. Why don’t you go and lie down for a time?” Josephine suggested, laying a hand on his arm in concern. “I can go and sit with your mother.”
“I have the new footman, Greeves, standing guard at her bedchamber door. I will have another take his place shortly. It is all I know to do until she awakens and offers up an explanation. On top of that, I must return to Pentford with all haste. The poaching has taken quite a dangerous turn.” He told her in brief what had transpired in the forest.
“That is terrible! They should be arrested. It is one thing to poach out of hunger. It is quite another to threaten others at gunpoint,” Josephine exclaimed, her cheeks flushing prettily with anger. “You could have been hurt or killed!”
“But I was not,” Frederick soothed. “There is no need to worry over something that did not happen.” He did not admit that he too had had similarly unnerving thoughts. He had not slept well since the incident.
“You do not think that the men you encountered in the forest would have anything to do with the threats against your mother, do you? After all, Pentford was once her home as well.” Josephine’s brow wrinkled as she considered the idea.
“The notion had not occurred to me,” Frederick answered, looking down at her with doubt. “I cannot say that I see any other connection than that which you mentioned. I will bear it in mind nevertheless.”
Josephine nodded her head in acknowledgement of his words, but the thoughtful look never left her face as they continue their walk. Frederick knew from her expression that she was nearly as determined as he to reveal the truth behind the threats. Josephine felt responsible for not catching his mother before the Duchess hit her head, and knowing Josephine like he did, he knew she would do everything within her power to see that justice was done on his mother’s behalf.
“I have interviewed the entire household, but no one seems to have seen anything or anyone out of place. I am honestly not sure what the next step to take might be. I could contact the magistrate, but without the man responsible, there is little reason to do so. The damage to Mother’s reputation would be catastrophic so I would prefer not to make this public.”
“I believe you are right to protect your mother by keeping it private. She would be mortified if she knew you were even considering going to the magistrate,” Josephine replied, wrapping her arms around herself as if it could offer some kind of protection against the threats that faced them. Frederick resisted the urge to reach out and hold her. In all honesty, he could have used the comfort himself.
“I compared Greeves’ handwriting to that of the letters. He did not write them,” Frederick confided, shrugging his shoulders.
“Why would you think that he had?” Josephine asked. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
“The letters corresponded with his arrival,” Frederick replied, turning to look at her. Her voice had taken a bit of an edge to it as if she liked the lad.
Josephine shook her head. “Not if the other letters you found are any indication as they appear to have come much earlier. See the well-worn nature of the creases in the paper as if someone had unfolded and folded it many times?”
Frederick nodded his head. Josephine never ceased to surprise him with her intelligence. She observed the world in such a way that was rare among either of their class and sex. He found himself thinking once more what a good match she and Lt. Buckworth would make. Instead of bringing him happiness as he thought such a match should, he found himself feeling the exact opposite. He turned away and continued walking, attempting to remove the negative sensation his thoughts had caused.
They are perfect for one another, and that is that. I will introduce them at the earliest convenience. It would be best were we both to marry and be done with it so as not to allow any forgetfulness regarding station. I find myself forgetting more and more my responsibilities where Josephine is concerned, and I cannot allow it to continue. It would be best to introduce them before any interest in Greeves goes further than is repairable.
He did not believe Josephine to be guilty of any sort of misconduct, but he could not say the same of Greeves, and the look in his eyes when he saw her did not bode well for her reputation. If Frederick had noticed it, then others were sure to do so as well. “How would you feel about accompanying me to Pentford?”
Josephine looked up at him in surprise. He had never asked her to go with him before, and he knew that she would not understand why he did so now. If she knew, she would most likely be angry at him for interfering. Josephine shook her head. “No. I thank you for the invitation and would very much enjoy doing so another time, but our mothers will both need me here. I cannot leave Her Grace in her time of need.”
Frederick felt shamed for his selfish thoughts. He had not even considered that she would be needed at Chescrown. In his mind, she was still his treasured childhood companion. He tended to forget that she was far more valuable to his parents as a loyal household servant. Josephine had grown to be an integral part of the running of the household, just as her mother had done before her. Of course, she could not drop everything and go with him.
“Forgive me. Of course, you are right.” Frederick inclined his head in deference to her good sense. “I only thought to introduce you to the soldier that is helping to apprehend the poachers on my estate. I believe the two of you would get along quite nicely.”
“I see,” Josephine replied. Frederick could not help but notice the parade of emotions that crossed her face, among them disappointment and anger.
“Another time, perhaps,” Frederick remarked.
“Perhaps,” Josephine answered, but there was no conviction in her voice as she did so.
Frederick knew he had hurt her feelings, but there was nothing to be done for it. They could not be together in that way, and it was best that she accepted it. She had never been intrusive by declaring her love at every turn, but he could feel it, always there between them. It pained him to hurt her, but society did not allow such matches without serious consequences befalling such couples. He had no intentions of subjecting his family or Josephine to such ridicule. A soldier, however, would be most acceptable.
“I will return as soon as is prudent,” Frederick promised, “and bring Lt. Buckworth with me then.”
Josephine nodded her head, resigned. “I wish you Godspeed.”
