“You could have been killed!” Mr. Hanson exclaimed, his face turning red. “They will not honor their agreement, My Lord. Mark my words.”
“Time will tell, Mr. Hanson. Time will tell.” Turning to Mr. Smythe, Frederick offered him a bed for the night.
“I thank you, Your Lordship. I would be most grateful.”
“It is I who are grateful to you, Mr. Smythe for having the foresight to bring the magistrate and his men with you. Without their assistance, we would never have been able to reach a peaceful resolution. Lives could have been lost were it not for you.”
“Not at all, My Lord. I owed it to your grandfather.”
Exhausted beyond measure and emotionally drained from the events of the night, Frederick bid them goodnight and climbed the stairs to his bedchamber. His valet having been left at Chescrown, Frederick undressed himself and fell into bed, groaning as every muscle in his body protested. He needed to bathe as he was covered in dirt from crawling around on the forest floor, but he was too tired to entertain the notion for more than a moment.
He assumed sleep would take him within minutes, but he was surprised to find that slumber did not come. The eldest Evans’ words echoed through his mind.
‘Ask your mother.’ Ask my mother what? What could she possibly know about poaching at Pentford? Nothing. Or does she?
Frederick tossed and turned until finally sleep claimed him. When he awoke, he was determined to return to Chescrown to find out, and this time he intended to bring Lt. Buckworth with him.The soldier seemed to have an uncanny way of finding the truth in a situation. Perhaps he could offer Frederick some insight into the mystery surrounding his mother. Come daybreak, Frederick and Lt. Buckworth set out for Chescrown.
Chapter 10
When Josephine saw Frederick and another man approaching the manor house, her heart skipped a beat in her chest.He is home!For a moment she forgot to be mad at him and was simply glad to find him safe and back where he belonged. She raced down the stairs and nearly flung herself into his arms upon seeing his face. She had missed him dearly though he had only been gone for a brief time. She had worried that he would be harmed in the attempt to capture the poachers.
The sight of his companion brought her up short and allowed her to regain some of her composure. Seeing the soldier reminded her of why she was mad at him in the first place, and she changed her mind about greeting him at the door. She turned to go, but Frederick’s voice stopped her.
“Josephine.” She halted in her escape and turned back around to face him. He was a lord after all, and in front of guests, she was still required to treat him as such. No matter how angry at him she might be, she would never jeopardize the reputation of the household over a squabble.
“Yes, My Lord,” she curtsied in acknowledgement. She hated calling him by his title. It represented everything that kept them apart.
“Josephine, I would like for you to meet Lt. Buckworth. Lieutenant, this is Miss Josephine Merton. She is the young maid I was telling you about on our ride here.”
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Merton.” The soldier bowed over her hand. It took all of Josephine’s strength not to slap Frederick across the face.
I will not be matched off by you or any other man, Frederick Hadley. You just wait and see! I will show you!
Instead of stating how she really felt, Josephine smiled sweetly and returned the greeting. “The pleasure is mine, Lieutenant.” She nearly choked on the lie. She was sure that the young soldier was a perfectly agreeable man in all respects. It was the principle of Frederick’s designs behind the introduction that angered her so. The sooner she was married, the sooner he could stop feeling guilty for not returning her affections.
Josephine seethed on the inside, while she concealed her true feelings with a smile and curtsy on the outside.
You, Frederick, are a cretinous blackguard. You steal my heart, then attempt to give it away to another.
She knew she was not being fair, but her anger was the only protection she had against the heartbreak of her circumstances.
Mr. Johnson entered the main hall. “Good morning, My Lord. It is wonderful to have you home again. I am sure Her Grace will be most pleased to see you. She is recovering quite well.”
“Thank you, Mr. Johnson. Would you see that my guest is made comfortable in one of the bedrooms? He will be staying with us for a time.”
“Of course. My Lord. His Grace has gone out riding, but should return at any time.”
“I will go and visit mother, then return to see that you are settled in properly,” Frederick told the soldier.
The soldier nodded, then followed the butler to his room above stairs. Josephine followed Frederick to his mother’s room, and he filled her in on all that had transpired since his departure for Pentford. “That is quite a tale, Frederick,” she noted, a bit in awe of his generosity to the poachers. How was she supposed to stay mad at a man like that? It was things like this that made her fall more in love with him when she needed the exact opposite to be true.
They reached the Duchess’ bedchamber.“I need to speak with her alone. I fear if you come with me, she will not be open with her speech and I very much need her to be honest with me.”
“I understand,” Josephine nodded her head. “She has been very tired of late. She may or may not wish to talk about it.”
Frederick nodded his head in acknowledgement of her words, then closed the door behind him.
* * *
