Page 107 of A Shadow Amongst the Roses

Eleanor absorbed this without movement. “Thomas would never hide him.”

“No,” Eliza said. “Which means someone wanted us to think he had.”

Eleanor considered this, her expression unreadable. “Ashwood.”

“It is his pattern,” Eliza said. “Confuse. Unsettle. Push in small ways until he finds a weakness.”

Eleanor exhaled once. “And now Margaret fears him.”

“She told me as much,” Eliza said. “He promised her protection. Then steered her here with the claim about Edmund. She thought she was seeking safety. Instead she found more danger.”

Eleanor crossed to the bellpull and tugged once. “She will not remain in the east wing another night.”

A maid appeared at the door.

“Fetch Mrs. Lane and her son,” Eleanor said. “Tell her that Her Grace requires their presence.”

When the maid left, Eleanor turned back to Eliza. “Sammy?”

“I will go for him,” Eliza said. “He will not come with anyone else.”

“No,” Eleanor agreed softly. “He trusts you. And trust is all we have to work with until this is untangled.”

“That settles it,” Eleanor said. “People listen when you speak for one of their own.”

Eliza thought of the way the house had pressed her toward the cottage, the way the wind had shifted when she tried to turn back. A strange comfort moved through her.

“We cannot keep Sammy tucked away in a chapel or a side room,” Eleanor went on. “Not if Ashwood tests locks by night. Not if he believes fear will hold Margaret silent.”

“No,” Eliza said. “I will not leave any of them where he can reach them.” She met Eleanor’s eyes. “Thomas and I must go to Thornhaven. We cannot ignore what Sammy’s father risked himself to tell us. But I will not ride out while Sammy stands unguarded and Margaret wonders which door Ashwood will try next.”

Eleanor’s mouth curved, not in amusement, but in approval.

“I would think less of you if you did,” she said. “You are mistress of Thornhaven as well as Hartleigh. You do not abandon your responsibilities. You rearrange them.”

Eliza’s lips twitched. “That sounds like something you once told me.”

“It is.” Eleanor crossed to the bellpull and gave it a tug. “We will bring them here. My suite. No one comes through these doors without my leave. The staff knows that. Ashwood knows it too.”

“You are certain he will not try?”

Eleanor’s gaze grew cool. “He enjoys pressure, not open defiance. He pushes latches and whispers through cracks because he believes he can. He will not march into the duchess’s private rooms. He is not that foolish.

“You will go to Thornhaven with Thomas,” she said. “You will see for yourself what was done there, and whether any trace of Ashwood lies in the ruin. You will ask questions as Adrian’s widow and as the marquess’s heir. There are doors that open for you that will bar themselves against Thomas, no matter how capable he is.”

There was a quiet knock. The maid returned with Margaret and Edmund close behind her. Margaret’s face was pale, Edmund’s hand clutched in hers.

Eliza stepped aside so they could enter. Eleanor gestured them toward the sofa.

“You will stay in my rooms,” the duchess said. “Not as guests. As those under my protection. No one comes through these doors without my invitation.”

Margaret sank into the cushions, Edmund pressing against her side. “I am grateful, Your Grace. Truly.”

“Gratitude is not required,” Eleanor said. “Only caution.”

Eliza inclined her head to Eleanor, then turned to Margaret. “I will bring Sammy. He will want to see a familiar face when he wakes.”

Margaret looked up. “Be careful.”