“I should ring a peal over your heads.” Her expression softened as she eyed their bedraggled clothing and scratched hands. “However, I would rather that you head up to your beds without further delay.”
They wisely made no peep of protest and hurried away. Ears drooping, Harper was quick to follow.
Wrexford moved to the sideboard and poured himself a glass of whisky. “Sláinte,” he said, lifting his glass in salute. “The first of many toasts to be raised on this special day.” He pursed his lips. “I’m surprised Kit wasn’t roused by the commotion.”
“He and my family enjoyed several more bottles of your excellent champagne after the two of you excused yourselves from the postprandial celebration,” said Cordelia dryly. “I am hoping that he’ll be able to walk down the aisle without falling flat on his face.”
“Ha! He wouldn’t dare.” A moment later, the dowager came into the reading area from the main room of the library. She was wearing a flame-red silk dressing gown over her night-rail, the embroidered fire-breathing dragons rippling in the lamplight as she took a seat in one of the armchairs.
“If he does,” she added, “we’ll just have to pick him up and carry him to the altar.”
A grim smile touched Cordelia’s lips. “As you said, he wouldn’t dare.” A pause. “I do hope my shout didn’t wake any of the others.”
“No, like Sheffield, they were all three sheets to the wind when they finally retired to their quarters,” answered Alison. “But just to be sure nobody had any cause for alarm, I stayed upstairs. If necessary, I would have created a diversion by claiming that I had a bad dream and cried out in my sleep.”
She raised a brow at the earl. “I take it you didn’t catch the miscreant?”
“No.” He took a swallow of his whisky. “However, we scared him off.”
“We?” Her eyes narrowing in suspicion, the dowager raised the quizzing glass hanging around her neck and took a look around the room. “Where are the Weasels?”
“Upstairs in their beds,” replied Charlotte. “That is all you need to know.”
Before Alison could respond, she turned to Cordelia. “I take it nothing is missing from your rooms?”
“The fellow didn’t really have a chance to make any mischief. I was only half asleep, and the click of the door latch opening brought me instantly awake. I raised the alarm just as he was beginning to search the escritoire in the sitting room.” Cordelia shrugged. “In any case, all he would have found was a pile of mail that I’ve not yet had a chance to open. So all’s well that ends well.”
Charlotte wasn’t so sure.
She moved to the hearth and took a moment to warm her hands over the glowing coals. Something about the incident was bothering her, though she couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was.
“Does it strike any of you as strange that an intruder would break into Wrexford Manor?” she mused aloud. “Wrex is well known in the area and has a reputation for generosity with all the locals.”
Cordelia and the dowager looked thoughtful, but the earl didn’t hesitate in responding.
“I doubt it was a local fellow. Earlier today, when Kit and I were overseeing the clearing of the road, the workers mentioned that several raggle-taggle groups of men have been spotted in the area.”
Wrexford’s expression tightened. “With peace now reigning over Europe, the army is reducing its ranks, and there are many ex-soldiers who have returned to Britain only to find there are no jobs to be had. How the devil are they supposed to survive?”
Ah.Charlotte now guessed that part of the reason he had tried to capture the intruder was to offer him food and money.
“We all have good reason to know that there is much evil in this world.” Alison shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “But for today, might we not allow its darkness to overshadow the light of love and friendship?”
Charlotte felt a stab of guilt for voicing her misgivings. Indeed, it was she herself who had proposed that the family remain in the country for several weeks after the wedding as a respite from their recent experiences with murder and mayhem.
“Speaking of friends, I do hope Baz will arrive in time for the ceremony,” she said. Basil Henning, an irascible Scottish surgeon, had served in the Peninsular War with Wrexford and was an honorary member of their admittedly eccentric family. “Mac heard from one of the maids that the main road from London suffered considerable flooding.”
“Baz will sail here on a whisky barrel, if need be,” said the earl, which made everyone chuckle. The surgeon was very fond of Scotland’suisge beatha.
However, Cordelia’s mirth did not quite reach her eyes. “I do hope the other missing guests will also arrive in time. Oliver is usually very punctual.”
“Don’t fret,” soothed Charlotte, knowing that her cousin was traveling from the north and several other missing relatives were coming from the university town of Cambridge, which wasn’t far away. “No doubt they all simply wished to give the roads another day to dry out and will arrive in the morning.”
“It alreadyismorning,” said Alison, punctuating the observation with a gusty yawn. “Indeed, the sun will soon be up.” She rose from her chair. “So come, I suggest we toddle off for a few hours of sleep before the festivities begin.”
CHAPTER 3
Wrexford finished inspecting the grounds of the estate’s chapel and paused in the shade of a stately yew, satisfied that all was in order.
