She made another turn and found herself on yet another landing. The stairs split here.
Right or left? She had already forgotten Sabrine’s words in her panic and haste. There appeared to be a staircase at the end of either of the hallways, but the one on the left was closer. She chose that one.
She ran, lifting up her dress as she went.
“Halt! Halt at once!” the man called after her.
To her shock, a door opened at the end of the hall, just before the staircase and the older woman stepped out.
“You silly girl. There is nowhere to go and nobody wishes to harm you.”
She was in Rowena’s way and there was no passing her. Panicked, she stopped and tried to turn around. Alas, Thomas was right behind her.
Strong arms wrapped around her and she found herself lifted.
“Please, just let me go. I just want to go home!”
While the man held on to her, the old woman came forward and looked at her, a gentle smile on her face.
“My dear, don’t you know? This is your home now.”
Rowena felt her head spin. The words, as comforting as the woman might have meant them to be, sounded like a threat.
Chapter 31
Christopher motioned for the housekeeper to follow him and Henry into the adjacent parlor. The woman nodded resolutely and followed behind them. The very moment the small group was alone, the words spilled out of her.
“Your Grace, I did not wish to say anything to His Lordship, however I…His Lordship is ever so enthralled by the Lady Rowena, and–” she was holding a handkerchief in her hands and was twisting it rapidly.
“Mrs. Wooster, please. Do not fret. If you have any information for us that will help us recover Rowena, I know the Earl will be ever so grateful.”
She nodded, “I was not certain that he would listen to what I had to say. Perhaps he would now, after poor Betsy’s ordeal, however. I thought it wiser to come to you. Seeing how you care for Lady Rowena ever so much.”
“What is it that leads you to suspect the Duke of Thornmouth?” Henry asked, gently prompting the woman.
“Well, some of us overheard the conversation between Lady Rowena and the Duke, and of course, the aftermath could not be missed. There was quite a commotion when His Lordship and Her Ladyship tried to confront Lady Rowena and they found her gone. His Grace acted ever so distraught at Lady Rowena’s words and vows not to wed him,” she shook her head. “I do believe he has an awful infatuation with her. He declared he still will wed her, if only Lord Hazelshire could find her.”
“I imagine you are right. A man besotted, and powerful at that, will go to any length to get what he wants,” Henry said. “However, what makes you think His Grace was behind Lady Rowena’s disappearance?”
She licked her lips. “After the discovery, the Earl set of to your uncle’s home to see if she was there. Of course, your uncle denied any involvement. Quite enraged his Lordship was when he later discovered he’d been lied to, but that is beside the point. In any case, while his Lordship was gone, His Grace, the Duke of Thornmouth, remained here, to comfort Lady Hazelshire. Except,” she looked around as thought wanting to make sure nobody heard her, “for a while, he disappeared. Claimed to have a need to take the air. However, I saw him go toward the back, where he’d argued with Lady Rowena, not out in the front as is customary. So, I grew curious.”
Christopher stepped from one foot to the other, growing impatient. “You followed him. Please continue.”
She nodded, “Follow him, I did. He went out the back and to where his coachman was waiting. The two had a hurried conversation. I couldn’t hear much of it, but I heard them mention your uncle’s address. Then Thornmouth went back inside. I stayed put to see what the coachman was going to do.” She shook her head. “Lord Hazelshire returned without Lady Rowena, His Grace stepped out once more and then the coachman took off at a rather alarming speed. He did not return for quite some hours, and when he did, I saw him give the Duke a nod of the head. It appeared all rather suspicious.”
Christopher scratched his head. It did indeed. Why would the coachman have departed in such haste? Why would the Duke have had to converse with the man? Surely, if he was planning to make arrangements for a late departure, he would have just sent word through a footman or the butler. No need to converse with the coachman directly. And under false pretenses, too.
No, I am certain that the coachman and Thornmouth conspired to arrange the disappearance of Rowena.
“Where would he have taken her, if indeed it was the coachman?” Christopher wondered out loud. “Surely not to his house.”
“Of course, he would have,” Henry argued. “He can’t very well have her taken to someone else’s house to stash her. No matter how good a friend you are, you would not just take a sudden delivery of a young, kidnapped woman and hide her. Especially not on the word of a coachman.”
“Unless His Grace planned for such a possibility,” Mrs. Wooster suggested, her eyes narrowed.
“I would not put it past him.” Christopher tilted his head from side to side as he considered the options.
“No, Topher. With all due respect. There is no way he could have known Rowena would react as she did to his not returning Betsy. He could not have known you planned to run away to Gre–” he stopped himself, realizing too late that Mrs. Wooster was still in the room.
