“Less than honorable, one might say. Known to take any case for money. Some rumors surround him concerning shifty arrangements. Nothing proven, however.”
Ash stood and shook the solicitor’s hand. “You’ve been extremely helpful, thank you.”
“Not at all. Good luck with dealing with Farnborough. By now, fear will have rendered him as dangerous as a wounded bear.” He walked with Ash to the door. “Watch your back, my friend.”
“I intend to.” Ash descended the stairs to the street where he’d paid a lad a shilling to mind Dancer. Hopeful of news, he rode through the city to visit his great-aunt in Chelsea.
As he negotiated the busy streets, Ash thought of Sir Ralph Tothill. Ross and Wilberforce were the two men in that room with Farnborough. The likelihood of Tothill being mixed up in this business no longer seemed possible. Relieved for Thea, the remaining journey was filled with thoughts of her. Her grandmother was a wise woman. He had hardly been romantic and couldn’t blame Thea for getting cold feet. But this diabolical affair and the manner in which they became engaged made it difficult. He’d wished for time. But it appeared he no longer had it. Once he had the aunt’s address, he would return to Meadows and talk to Thea. If nothing he did or said made her change her mind, he would know it was best for them never to marry. But the prospect of losing her made him wish to leave for Meadows tonight.
The depth of his feelings surprised him. A love match never seemed right for him. He valued his freedom too much, and with the work he did, considered himself entirely unsuited to it. He hadn’t always been this way. Losing three members of his family all at once had changed him. He considered it unwise to care too much for anyone as the hand of fate could strike those he loved down without warning. He’d been confident that he’d built a strong wall around his emotions, playing the game of seduction with a light hand, but he’d never expected a young woman to slip past his defenses and claim his heart as Thea had done.
He was almost glad Cartwright and Letty had not yet returned to London, and that Reade and Jo would be away until after the babe was born. Ash would prefer their ribbing about his unmarried state than their concern for his broken heart.
Reaching his Great-Aunt Clara’s house, the butler informed him the duchess was away from home and would return tomorrow.
Frustrated, Ash tapped his thigh with his crop. “Did she leave a letter for me, Smithkin?”
“No, my lord.”
He could do nothing but curse under his breath and return to his rooms. But the possibility of a prolonged absence from Meadows left him decidedly uneasy. Farnborough could act swiftly and with violence, driven, as Wallace had warned him, to salvage his fortune by any means available to him before his creditors’ patience ran out. And one would not want to be beholden to such men.
Chapter Fifteen
At breakfast thenext morning, Thea told Julia where she planned to ride. Not wanting a nerve-wracking recurrence of yesterday’s debacle, she’d discussed it with the earl after dinner the previous evening. He suggested they take the bridle path to the river. “A pleasant ride, and not too long,” he said, watching Julia, who sat at the piano singing a popular song. “But then return, don’t cross the river.”
Julia hit a wrong note and faltered, gazing at them, her cheeks flushed. “Sorry.”
“Please continue, Julia,” he called. “I’m enjoying your songs very much.” As the girl studied a music book to select another piece, he turned back to Thea but still spoke loudly enough for Julia to hear. “You’ll enjoy the woods but go carefully. There will be water-filled ditches and fallen trees my ground staff haven’t yet dealt with after last week’s storm. Phillips, my head groom, will accompany you.”
Julia turned to listen to Lord Highworth’s warning. Thea suspected he well understood the girl’s fragile emotional state, and Thea liked him even more for it. Ash and his grandfather were admirable people. It squeezed her heart to think about it, and for a painful moment, she felt dreadfully forlorn.
The next morning, she and Julia rode along the bridle path. Wisps of early mist clung to the branches of the leafy canopy overhead.
The groom, Phillips, rode ahead, and so far, Julia had obeyed the earl’s instructions, walking her mount around the ditches and never raising the mare above a trot.
The sound of rushing water greeted them when they neared the river. Because of last week’s heavy rain, the river was high, rushing past them in a torrent.
“Shall we go on?” Julia asked. “There’s a bridge up ahead.”
“No, we must turn back. We don’t have the earl’s permission to go any farther.”
“I’d like to see the bridge. I shan’t cross it, I promise.”
While Phillips stood waiting, Thea deliberated, wondering whether Julia would keep her word. Then she nodded to the groom to proceed. Giving the girl some leeway seemed wise to show Thea trusted her. Although driven to find her mother, Julia had not acted in a secretive or duplicitous manner since she’d been with them.
The heavy odors of dank foliage, mud, and water rose to greet them as they walked their horses along the narrow path bordered by shrubs and trees. When a horse whinnied somewhere ahead of them, Thea pulled up her mount. She glanced ahead uneasily but could see no movement in the dense shrubbery.
“That will be one of the men working to clear the fallen trees. I’ll speak to him,” Phillips said, riding on. He disappeared through a break in the trees.
“We’ll go back, Julia,” Thea called as the girl approached the bridge. “Phillips will follow.”
A startled cry rent the air. A moment later, Phillip’s horse emerged onto the path and galloped away.
A strange man burst out of the bushes. He ran up to Julia and grabbed the reins.
“Let her go this instant!” Thea, her heart beating frantically, rode to where they fought over the reins, the horse whinnying. Before Thea could act, Julia, unable to fight off the big man, slipped from the saddle into his waiting arms. Thea dismounted and rushed to her aid, but she’d gone only a few paces when the sharp sound of a pistol cocked behind her made her whirl around.
Farnborough rode from the trees. “Two plump partridges for the picking,” he said as he dismounted.
