by Ella Quinn
She smiled at the gesture. Even Maximus had taken to walking slowly so she could lean on him, but he was back with Frits now. “Thank you, but I am no longer ill.”
Her maid gave a tight nod, but said nothing.
“So, we meet again, my lady.”
Adeline raised her chin as she looked at the man who’d tried to whip Peter. “What are you doing here?”
“Lookin’ for you.” The miscreant had a smug smile on his face. “I’m guessing you know where my master’s property is.”
“Property.” She speared him with a glare. How anyone could refer to a member of the human race as property was beyond her. “People are not goods.” She wanted to argue the point with him, but it would not do any good. Instead she inclined her head. “Good day.”
As she turned to leave, he grabbed her arm, his fingers digging painfully into her skin. “Not so fast. I want to know what you did with the woman and the boy. It’ll go better for you if you just tell me.”
Adeline stilled, as rage coursed through her. That would be the first and the last time he threatened her or anyone else. Without looking at the man, she tightened her arm, ready to use him as a brace to whirl around and punch him. But before she did that, she’d give him one more chance. “Release me.”
“Not a chance. You’re coming with me.” Before she could swing her arm, he started dragging her toward the gate.
Fendall dashed past, screaming for help, and the scoundrel changed directions. Adeline dug her feet into the ground, made a fist, and swung, hitting him on his temple. His grip loosened just enough for her to pull away, and suddenly Maximus was there lunging and jumping on the man as he went down. Then there was the sound of wood cracking.
A strong arm came around, holding her firmly against Frits’s solid chest. “I’ve got you.”
Glancing to the side, she saw the villain on the ground, next to one of the small obelisks marking the paths of the square. Blood dripped from the pointed top of the stone, and a pool of blood was forming under his head. “Is he alive?”
“I doubt it.” Frits’s voice was grim. “We have company.”
Fendall was approaching them with a constable and two footmen.
“Ah, Constable,” Frits said in a well-bred drawl. “Excellent timing.”
“I heard a scream.” The officer looked at the scene, then crouched down and inspected the man before pointing at her maid. “I was told he attacked the lady.”
“Yes, he did.” Pulling back from Frits’s embrace, Adeline placed her hand on his arm. She might very well have killed a man. It was time she spoke for herself. “He attempted to abduct me. I hit him, and then Maximus”—the dog was now standing firmly against her leg—“leapt upon him. He appears to have hit his head on the marker.”
The officer had pulled out a pocketbook and a pencil. “Do you own the dog, my lady?”
“No, he belongs to Lord Littleton.” It wasn’t until then that she realized she’d been stroking him as she spoke.
The constable wrote something down. “He appears very attached to you.”
“Lady Adeline and I are betrothed.” Frits placed his hand over hers. “As you said, my dog has become quite fond of her.”
“I see, I see. Thank you, my lord.” Another constable joined them, and the first one said, “I’ll need you to fill out a report describing what happened, if you don’t mind.”
Taking a breath, she asked again, “Is he alive?”
“No, my lady. He’s not. We’ll remove the body as soon as we can.”
Frits smiled. “I shall be happy to give you a statement as soon as I return her ladyship home.”
The officer looked a little sheepish. “I’ll need statements from the lady, and her maid as well, my lord. Unless you were here to see the attack?”
“No.” Frits’s lips formed a thin line. “I arrived as the miscreant fell.”
“Yes, of course,” the constable said.
Poor Frits. He was probably blaming himself for not being there to protect her.
She would have to take the matter in hand. “Constable. Please come with me. We are preparing to leave Town. It will be better if you have the statements before we do.”
“Yes, indeed, my lady. That would be the best thing to do.”
After a brief conversation between the law enforcement officers, the second constable organized the removal of the body, aided by the Watford footmen.
She led the way to the front drawing room, tugged the bellpull, and asked the footman who responded for a tea tray. Then Adeline took a piece of foolscap and cut it into sheet-sized pieces. “These should be large enough. Fendall, would you like to write your statement first?”
“Yes, my lady.” The maid sat at the writing table.
Once the tea arrived, she offered a cup to the constable while he waited for them to finish, and her mother sailed into the room.
Mama looked at the officer and frowned. “What has occurred?”
Adeline handed her mother a cup of tea. “I was assaulted in the park. The villain is dead.”
Her maid rose and handed her statement to the constable. “If that’s all, my lady, I’ll finish preparing your last bag.”
“Thank you, Fendall.” Adeline smiled at her maid. “You did an excellent job sounding the alarm.”
“I’m glad I was there to help.” The maid bobbed a curtsey.
“I wish to thank you as well,” Frits said. “I am glad you will be joining our household.”
“You’re welcome, my lord.”
As she left the room, Lady Watford sat on the sofa against the back wall. She was obviously waiting until the officer left before speaking. Frits was only glad that his mother was not there. She wasn’t nearly as cool as her ladyship.
Adeline sat to write her statement, and he watched her closely, wondering when she was going to start blaming herself for the death. As horrible as the scoundrel was, and as much as he thought the man deserved to die for even touching his beloved, she was bound to take it hard. Any lady would.
When she finished, she handed the constable her statement. “This is everything.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
“I believe I’m the only one left.” Frits took his place in the chair, wrote his brief account of what he’d witnessed, and handed it to the officer. “You have the full account now.”
The officer read what he’d written, and nodded his head twice. “Thank you very much, my lord. I believe this will make everything right.” Bowing, he left with the butler.
Once the constable had gone, Adeline turned to him. “What did you put in your statement that made him so happy?”
“The truth. Although you punched the blackguard and he started to fall, if Maximus hadn’t jumped on him, he wouldn’t have gone down as heavily as he did.” Frits took her hands in his. “Sweetheart, his death was not your fault.”
“Oh.” Adeline seemed stunned for a moment. “I am glad to know that I was not the actual cause of his death. Yet I cannot but feel that he will not be missed by many.”
Eugénie entered the room a few moments later. “What is wrong? Abney said a constable was here.”
As Adeline explained what had occurred, Lady Wivenly’s expression became increasingly stony. “You may rest assured that the overseer deserved to die. Mrs. Rymer, she confided in some of my staff about the overseer. His name is Davies and he is responsible for several deaths.”
“Why was he not prosecuted?” It was amazing to him how the man got away with it. “I know for a fact that at least one slave owner was charged and convicted of the death of a slave.”
“That is true, but first one must have a witness who will speak up.” Lady Wivenly explained. “Davies preys—preyed on young women and children, and he was careful that no one was nearby to see his actions. Do not be sorry for him.”
Adeline’s jaw had firmed. “I have never heard of such perfidy. The man was a monster.”
Frits agreed. If Max hadn’t seen to
it, he would have ensured the overseer never made it back to the West Indies alive.
Abney knocked on the door. “My ladies, my lord, luncheon is served.”
“Thank you, Abney.” Frits tucked her hand in the crook of his arm.
“I believe this has ended as he deserved.” Eugénie rose.
Adeline glanced at him and her sister-in-law. “Thank you both for your help. I had not thought I needed to hear all you had to say, but I did.”
“Before we go into luncheon,” Lady Watford rose from the sofa, “Adeline, are you certain you are able to travel this afternoon?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Very well, then. I shall see you in the small dining room.”
Frits held his other arm out to Lady Wivenly, but she smiled and shook her head. “I shall go ahead.”
He liked the way Adeline leaned on him a little as they made their way up the corridor to the small dining room. He pulled out a chair for her and sat beside her, making sure she had a sufficient amount to eat. After all, she was still recovering.
Her father had still not arrived by the time they had eaten luncheon. Lady Watford glanced at her pin watch. “We cannot wait for him any longer.”
“Annis,” his mother said, “If you and Adeline travel with us, you can leave your coach for your husband.”
Frits stifled a groan. He had hoped that his mother would travel with the Watfords, leaving Adeline to ride in the carriage with him.
“That will settle the problem of how he gets there. Now I just have to resolve the difficulty of making sure he gets in the coach to go down.”
“Will and I are traveling to you in the morning,” Lady Wivenly said.
“I’ll take care of that part,” Wivenly offered. “I’ll come by here and get him in the carriage, then instruct Joseph Coachman not to make any detours.”
“That will be extremely helpful, my dear.” Her mother nodded approvingly. “You might want to explain to him that he would not wish to miss the wedding.”
Wivenly frowned. “When is the ceremony?”
“As soon as we finalize the arrangements.” Adeline gazed lovingly at Frits, and he wanted to take her into his arms again. “All the instructions were sent to the staff at Littlewood, so it might be as quickly as two days.”
It would be in no more than two days if Frits had anything to say about it. “I have the special license, and your sister has already sent messages to her friends, asking them to arrive tomorrow.”
“Definitely no detours, then.” Wivenly rubbed his chin. “Eugénie, we had better ride with him.”
“As you wish.”
It was going on two o’clock, and Frits was ready to go home. “While you are organizing that, the rest of us must depart.”
A flurry of hugging ensued, but fifteen minutes later, they were headed west, out of London. His senior staff had departed for Littlewood with most of the baggage earlier that day, leaving the staff that usually remained in London to look after the town house. Once they arrived at Littlewood, his butler, Creswell, would set a watch and, upon Frits and Adeline’s arrival, have the servants lined up to greet their new mistress-to-be. Frits was excited about introducing them to her.
The knowledge that once they stepped into the coach, he would never be without Adeline again warmed his heart like nothing had before. She was exactly the wife and helpmate he had been looking for.
“Adeline, dear,” his mother said as they crossed the Thames. “I want you to know that even though I will not be living at Littlewood, I shall be nearby and will be available if you have any questions.”
“Thank you.” She smiled at his mother. “I am positive I will rely on you a great deal.”
Frits couldn’t believe what he had heard. “You are going to live with Grandmamma at the Dower House?”
His mother looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. His mother and grandmother only got on well if they were not sharing a household. “Before his death, your father and I agreed it would be better if I resided at the Lilacs if your grandmother was still living at the time of your marriage.”
Frits mentally reviewed the properties the barony owned. “I don’t recall that we had a property by that name.”
“You do not,” she said archly. “I do.” She turned to Adeline. “It is a lovely little house between the village of Littleton and the house just beyond the Littlewood boundary.”
If it was the house he was thinking of, it had at least ten bedrooms. Then again, it was much smaller than Littlewood.
The next two and a half hours passed quickly, and before he knew it, they were entering the gate to Littlewood. “We’re here.”
“Already?” Adeline asked, surprised. “That was a quick journey.” She looked out the window. “The view is very pretty.”
Frits thought so too. Lime trees lined the drive that curved gracefully up to the house. “The trees are over two hundred years old. After dinner I’ll show you the gardens and lake.”
Excitement lit up her eyes, making them shine like polished silver. “I cannot wait to see everything.”
On the opposite bench, their mothers exchanged pleased, conspiratorial looks. His mother had told him what she had done. He wondered if he should tell Adeline about the part their mothers had played in trying to make this match and decided that if he did tell her, it would be much later. When their children asked how they met and married.
The coach swung around the curve and stopped. Before the footman had the stairs down, his household servants and employees had finished lining up. To him, it was an impressive sight. He hoped Adeline thought so as well. It was important that she love the land and people as much as he did.
Frits surveyed the front of the house as he waited for a footman to let down the coach steps. Normally, he would have jumped down, but this was a formal occasion for his staff, and he knew better than to behave casually about it. The wide, stone steps leading to the front door glistened under the sun. Even the casements had been scrubbed.
He handed down his mother and Lady Watford before Adeline stood in the open door. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” She beamed at him. “Never more so.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Joy bubbled over as Adeline stared at the house. As Frits had said, the old hall was the first thing one saw. Tall, circular towers built of light gray stone flanked the wide front door, and battlements connected the towers. As they had rounded the drive, she had been able to see the more modern part of the house, which was built from the same stone. Rather than looking like a jumble of different periods, as some houses did, it appeared as if the later additions had been the plan all along. “It’s beautiful.”
He had a wide smile as he handed her down and escorted her to the servants, who had lined up to greet her.
The butler bowed. “My lady, welcome home.”
Tears of joy pricked the back of Adeline’s eyes. “Thank you, Creswell.”
“Allow me to present the staff.”
Frits remained by her side as she met the servants and asked questions of each one, so she would remember them and their names more easily. When she had met everyone, including the boot boy, the housekeeper, Mrs. Hubbold, showed Adeline to her rooms.
The bedchamber was painted in a muted green and had a view to the north. An open door led to a parlor in the same colors. “Most of your clothing and other things are in the mistress’s chambers. I hope you’ll be happy with these rooms until the wedding.”
“Thank you.” Adeline took off her bonnet. “These will suit nicely.”
“I’ll inform Miss Fendall you have arrived.” The housekeeper bobbed a curtsey and skirted Frits, who was lounging against the jamb of the doorway.
He peered inside the room. “You’ll like the other apartments better. They face south. Do you still want to take a stroll around the grounds after tea?”
More than anything. Not only did she need to stretch her legs, she was curious about the rest of the property. �
��I do.” She stripped off her gloves and walked to him. “Have you found out whether all is ready for our wedding?”
“It is set for the day after tomorrow.” Bending his head, he drew her into his arms and kissed her. “After this evening, we won’t have much time to ourselves for a few days.”
Adeline stood on her toes and slid her arms around his neck. “I know.”
“My lady,” Fendall asked from behind Frits. He was so tall and his shoulders were so broad, Adeline could not see around him. “Do you wish to change?”
“Yes. Something comfortable. I am going to explore the gardens.”
“And a little farther than the garden.” Heat lurked in his eyes. “We have a stream you’ll want to see.”
She dropped her arms and stepped back. “How do I get to the room where tea will be served?”
“I’ll come back for you. The house is not difficult to navigate, but you’ll want a tour before you attempt to go about on your own.”
“I can see that.” He backed up and her maid entered. “A half hour?”
“I’ll see you then.” She watched him saunter toward the stairs. They must have put her as far away as possible from him.
Fendall held up a cotton-block print gown that Adeline had before she went to Town. “It’s not new, but if you’re going to be tromping about, it will work with your stout leather half boots.”
“Especially if we are going to be near a stream.” She splashed water on her face and washed her hands.
She was tying the ribbons of an older straw bonnet when Frits returned. “You look charming.”
“Thank you.” Taking his arm, he led her down the stairs to the back of the house and onto a long, wide terrace that ran the length of the wing. On one side was a formal garden placed between the two wings, and on the other was a large expanse of lawn leading to the woods. Spanning the length of the house were a series of gardens and fountains. “I do not think I have ever seen such a beautiful and clever design.”
Frits beamed with pride. “If you look closely, you can see the path through the woods. The stream is through there.”
“I cannot wait to see it.” Adeline was very glad she wore her heavy boots. Their mothers hailed them from a seating area of chairs, small sofas, and tables that appeared to have been made for the terrace. “What do you do with the furniture when the weather is bad?”