Recognition blazed and Charlotte stood, frozen in her spot, resisting the urge to panic.
Silas Prior.
The house was still in shambles.
She was a mess.
Her hand was bleeding.
This hardly seemed the proper household to raise the Prior heir. Charlotte resolved herself. She could not avoid Silas forever. But for now, she would pretend all was well.
***
Anthony ran his hand down his horse’s neck and gave her a pat as he settled her into the stall, bits of hay and dust floating in the morning air. He’d just returned from a ride to check the property’s perimeter, and a sudden drop in temperature signaled yet another impending change of the weather.
But Anthony was far too distracted to think on the weather.
What had Charlotte meant when she said that she’d seen harrowing things?
He’d assumed that as Roland Prior’s wife her life had been a privileged one, and he’d attributed her general aura of melancholy to grief over her husband’s death. But she was right—her demeanor was clearly different from what it had been. And there had to be a reason.
After straightening his dark green waistcoat and brushing straw and debris from his white linen sleeves, he reached for his discarded coat and pushed his arms through the wool sleeves. As he stepped from the stables in the front courtyard, he looked up to Hollythorne House, with its myriad windows and blackened stone, its slate roof and imposing presence, and he sobered. In its prime, Hollythorne House must have been a sight to behold, but it paled in comparison to Wolden House.
Silas Prior wanted both Charlotte and Henry to remain in Leeds for their protection, but she refused to stay. What would compel a woman of her standing to leave a home like Wolden House, abruptly, and come to a place that was currently so obviously beneath the standard to which she was accustomed?
It did not make sense.
When the horse was settled, he closed the stable door and lowered the bar across it. Perhaps he was making too much of the circumstances. It had only been three days since Roland Prior’s death. Three days was not much time to accept the reality of the death of a spouse and to make such life-altering decisions. Perhaps she was locked in some strange grief. Or perhaps her actions weren’t hasty at all. Reports from the other watchmenabout the Prior brothers, at times, had been quite odd. The Priors, both of them, had strange reputations.
The distant sound of hoofbeats on packed earth rumbled, and he looked up. A lone horseman was approaching at a canter through the late-morning fog. Anthony stiffened. Had something gone wrong with Timmons and MissSutcliffe’s journey? But as the figure drew nearer, the rider boasted one unique identifier—white-blond hair. Silas Prior was paying them a call.
The servant girl was crossing the courtyard, and he called to her. “Go inform Mrs.Prior that Mr.Prior is here. Quickly.”
The girl nodded, and Anthony approached the gate, then opened it to allow the rider through. The horse had been ridden hard—mud splattered the owner’s otherwise elegantly fashioned Wellington boots and fawn buckskin breeches.
“Horrible roads,” Mr.Prior muttered as his feet hit the mud beneath him. His jerky movements and sour expression conveyed more annoyance than any words could, and he stared blankly toward the house. “So this is it, is it? The Hollythorne House my sister-in-law was so resolved on returning to?”
Anthony followed the guest’s gaze to the house, struck by the unmasked haughtiness in the man’s tone. “It appears so.”
Prior’s startling eyes fixed on him. His pale brows were drawn, and the tight lines on his face emphasized the hard angles of his high cheekbones. “You’re Welbourne?”
“I am.”
“You’re the one Walstead said is from here.”
“Not here, but near.”
Silas shifted his gaze toward the western moors beforeextending the reins to Anthony. “I can see why you prefer Leeds. Dismal bit of earth. The horse will not need to be unsaddled. I do not intend to stay long. But have your boy water her, will you?”
Anthony accepted the reins. “There’s no stable boy, but I’ll see to your horse.”
“Unbelievable.” Silas clicked his tongue in apparent disgust. “Where can I find her? Inside?”
“Yes. I’ve just sent one of the servants to notify her of your arrival, but I can show you inside.”
***
Anthony secured the horse before escorting Mr.Prior into the great hall. Given the last interaction between Charlotte and Mr.Prior, Anthony was curious regarding what to expect.
