“Of course, of course. What gentleman would not? But she can be flighty, very flighty, I fear. You might perhaps put it to him that… she has something of a reputation for changing her mind. I would put it no stronger than that, for she is very young… very innocent, naturally. And her mother being so… well, not able to supervise her as a mother should, perhaps. She has had a little too much freedom. Nothing that marriage to the right man would not knock out of her, but still, she is a little flighty yet.”
Edward was offended on Tess’s behalf at so cavalier a disregard of her concerns. “I think she knows precisely what she wants,” he said with some heat, “but she is not yet certain of the best way to achieve it.”
“She wants marriage, of course,” the earl said dismissively. “What woman does not? All she needs to do is settle on the man — an eligible man, naturally, not Shapman. Not suitable at all. Strong, are you shooting tomorrow? How is your new gamekeeper settling in?”
Edward was too restless to enter into a discussion of game birds and the prospects for good sport, so he quietly slipped away to the great hall, where Wellum, the under butler, wasloitering, directing footmen into the dining room or drawing room, as required.
“Do you know where Miss Nicholson is?” Edward said. “She did not come in to dinner.”
He looked startled. “No, my lord. Is she in the castle? There were no instructions to the kitchen for a tray to her room, or anything of that nature. We assumed she had gone out for the evening.”
“Was the carriage ordered?”
“No, my lord.”
“She would hardly go out to an evening engagement on foot, would she?”
“No, my lord.”
“Then find her maid and footman, and see what they have to say about it.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“At once!”
“Yes, my lord!”
He dispatched two footmen to the nether regions to find the two servants, while Edward paced impatiently back and forth.
Captain Edgerton emerged from the dining room and crossed the great hall to intercept Edward. “Are you concerned about Miss Nicholson, too, Lord Tarvin?”
“I am. She was distressed when she discovered that Shapman had married, and it would reassure me to know that she is not still suffering on that account. She is usually very good at shrugging off disappointments.”
“Indeed. Is she still about the castle somewhere? Although it is a very large castle, and she is a small person, well able to hide herself away if she wishes it.”
“I have sent for her maid and footman, and if they assure me that she is still within the confines of the building, then I shall start at the attics and work my way down until I find her.”
Eventually, the maid and footman were tracked down, but both were confident that Tess was within the castle.
“She’s not in her room and she’s not asked for any food, but all her outdoor clothes are still here,” the maid said.
“Even the old cloak she keeps by the garden door,” the footman said.
“Where might she be?” Edward said, but neither had any idea. When they had been dismissed, he went on, “Well, then. The attics first. Then the bedrooms.”
“If I might suggest,” Edgerton said quietly, “there is a place she might be.” He pointed to a small balcony overlooking the great hall. “She has been known to hide there.”
“We would see her, surely.”
“In a black gown? At this time of night, the light is so poor that if she sits below the rail and keeps still, she would be invisible. It would be worth a try, anyway. I shall wait here. If she is not there, wave down to me and I will help you search the rest of the castle.”
Edward nodded and made his way up the stairs. The balcony was not hard to find, once one knew of its existence, hidden by an innocuous velvet curtain. Flicking that aside, Edward stepping into the dark space beyond. Very little light penetrated, for the great hall’s chandelier hung below the level of the balcony, and the glass roof above was dark at this hour.
She was there. At first, it was a muffled sob which gave her away but as Edward’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he made out her outline sitting on the floor, her knees drawn up and her face buried in the folds of her skirt. In one hand she held a tiny square of lace, with which she dabbed ineffectually at her tear-stained cheeks now and then.
“Ah, Tess,” he murmured, settling on the floor beside her and reaching one arm around her shoulders. “My poor darling. He is not worth so many tears, I assure you.”
Her head shot up. “Tom? That is not it.”
