Chapter 35
Did I act foolish in leaving Colin? Yes, it was very foolish of me, because no woman who loves her husband as I do would dream of being parted from him. It is my love, however, that guided my actions. I am also going to read Papa’s letter.
It was dawn when Colin finished assembling the model steam engine for the factory with Nathaniel in his workroom, and he cleaned the grease from his hands on a rag as Nathaniel bid him a good day. He was traveling to find Darpley in one of his estates, and Colin wished him luck.
He was tired but happier than he had ever been, and he did not think he would be able to sleep if he returned to their chambers and Anna was awake. Smiling to himself, he snuffed the candles and made his way out. A very strange feeling washed over him as he walked through the manor, but for the life of him, he could not fathom it. When he reached the door to his and Anna’s chambers, he heard wailing, then scratching at the door.
Very carefully, he opened it and found Sir Nips in front of the door. He quieted when he saw him. Colin scooped him up and walked into the room, finding it empty. Anna’s blue lace dress was still on the floor, but she was not there. The bed was empty too. Colin thought she might have gone to her chambers, which was odd because she had completely moved here. He checked the dressing room first, and not seeing her there, his heart began to beat a little faster. Finding Nips crying by the door was the first thing that alarmed him.
He was striding toward the room’s exit when he spied something red on the bed. On looking closer, he found that it was a sealed letter. Setting Nips down, he picked it up and opened it, Anna’s fine penmanship sending his already racing heart into a dangerously frantic rhythm.
My love,
By the time you read this letter, I will be gone. One day, you will understand the reason why I left. For now, all I can say is that you will be happier without me. Know that my words of love were true, and they still are. You own my heart, and I shall never love as I love you.
Farewell.
Annelise Hampton.
“Bloody hell!” Colin stormed out of the room, bellowing, “Chalker! Willis! Mason!” The household was already awake and when he reached the stairs, he found Chalker.
“Your Grace?” the butler looked both puzzled and alarmed.
“My wife left. Do you know where she is?” He shook the letter in his hand, his eyes desperately searching Chalker’s face.
“I… No, Your Grace. I have not seen her.”
Colin hurried past him down the stairs. “Mrs. Willis!” The housekeeper appeared from the back of the manor. “She left. Do you know?” He was unable to ask the question properly and he shut his eyes, taking as many steadying breaths as he could. Last night was the happiest night of his life, but within a few hours, he was living in a nightmare.
Mrs. Willis placed her hand on her chest. “Oh, dear! Where could she have gone?”
“Chalker, have every part of the manor searched,” he ordered, and shoving the letter into his coat, Colin marched out of the house and sprinted toward the stables.
Without saddling the horse he led out of its stall, he mounted and started galloping toward the inn in Ashden. If Anna had left Hertfordshire, she likely had gone to the posting inn and taken the mail coach.
After searching for half of the day, Colin returned to the manor, looking worse for wear, and barely able to see properly. His spirit was no longer in his body and it acted of its free will.
“Your Grace,” Chalker said, as he walked into the manor, “we have found something regarding Her Grace’s absence.”
“What is it?” he asked quickly.
“In the drawing room, Your Grace.”
Colin was already marching forward before Chalker finished speaking. He found Mrs. Willis in Anna’s drawing room with her lady’s maid kneeling on the carpet and in tears.
“What is happening here?” Colin demanded, his bleary gaze roaming the room.
“One of the footmen found Mason packing her things and attempting to flee the manor, Your Grace,” Mrs. Willis explained. “He thought it suspicious that she would do that just when her mistress was nowhere to be found and reported her.” She glared down at Mason. “Tell His Grace what you told us.”
Mason did not meet his gaze as she said, “Forgive me, Your Grace. I know I must be hanged for my crimes—"
“Tell me where she is!” Colin snapped.
“I-I do not know where she is, but I have been brewing tea for her with tansy. It is likely the reason she was feeling poorly.”
Colin swore under his breath, the edges of his vision blurring with rage. He took hold of the back of a chair to keep himself in place. “Tansy? Why?”
“Lady Hampton asked me to give her the tea. She found me in the village after Her Grace’s wedding and paid me to brew the tea for her.”
