To Release an Earl

by Ilene Withers

  Somehow knowing his employer was no longer asleep, Martin slipped into the room with a pot of coffee. He set the tray on a table and approached the bed, reaching for John's dressing gown. Discreetly looking the other way, he held up the robe and waited as John slipped out of bed and into the garment.

  "Did you sleep well, my lord?"

  "No," John replied frankly. "The night was fraught with worry over my fiancée."

  "The entire household is worried about Miss Willa, as they all fondly call her. I believe everyone is praying to the Lord to heal her."

  "It is appreciated," John said. "Willa woke in the night and realized she cannot move her legs. Lord and Lady Amhearst and I tried not to say much to her, but I am sure she was suspicious. She has not been bucked off a horse since learning to ride as a child, and she seemed to be scared, although facing it as well as can be expected."

  "I heard the physician was called."

  "He was, and he examined her and then came out to tell us he told her we must all wait and see. She still has some feeling in one of her lower limbs and a small reaction, although she cannot move them. We were ready to go back in when her maid told us she wished to be alone."

  "It must be a lot to absorb," Martin murmured as he poured a cup of coffee, added a touch of cream and a cube of sugar, and handed it to the earl. "What will you be wishing to wear today?"

  "Please choose for me," John told his trusted man. "I intend to visit Willa and spend a bit of time at the scene of her accident and in the stable talking to the staff."

  Less than an hour later, John emerged from his room, freshly shaven and dressed in a bottle green jacket, brown breeches, and polished Hessians. Making his way down the stairs to the dining room, John found his future father-in-law breaking his fast. The older man looked up as John entered the room.

  "You look like you slept even less than I did, John."

  "It's true I slept little, and what brief times I did sleep were troubled with worry." Though not hungry, he forced himself to cross to the buffet and dish up a coddled egg, a rasher of bacon, and a toasted muffin before sitting next to the viscount.

  "I am going to ride out to the site of the accident today," he told Lord Amhearst. *I'd like to see if there are any tracks anywhere near, if I can find a nest where the bird flew up, or if it might have been released in the same location as where Willa approached the fence."

  "May I ride out with you?" Yale asked him. "I can't sit here wondering and worrying. It would feel good to take some action."

  "Yes, and afterwards I would like to question the stable staff. Ward suggested each employee be questioned in private. Would you give me permission to do so?"

  "Even better, I'll join you in the questioning."

  "Do you know how Willa is doing this morning? I'm worried about her – not just physically, but also mentally."

  "I sought out Molly in the kitchen," the viscount said. "The maid had been awake most of the night so was quite tired and turning over her duties to another maid. Willa was quiet except for occasional sobbing. Molly did tell me Dr. Saunders told Willa she should consider postponing the wedding as she dare not risk getting with child until she knows more about her condition."

  John swore under his breath. Hearing the news must have broken Willa's heart. She had been planning their wedding ceremony with enthusiasm and had often spoken about how she could not wait to provide John with an heir to the earldom. "We'll be able to buy a small pony for our child, John," she had said not long ago. He knew his fiancée was anxious to become a mother. To postpone their wedding and delay having a family could throw her into a deep depression.

  "I'm going to talk to Blythe about hiring another personal maid for Willa," Yale said after a moment or two of silence. "Molly won't be able to handle the demands on her time."

  "I agree," John said. "It is important Willa have continual care. After all, she cannot do much of anything for herself now."

  The two men were quiet as they finished their morning meal, each lost in his own thoughts. As they drank their last sips of the now lukewarm coffee, Yale looked over at John. "Let us go get our mounts and ride out to investigate the area where the accident happened.”

  Half an hour later, the two men were walking slowly around the area where Pirate had bucked off his mistress. John found the hoof prints where the horse had jumped several feet to the side after the bird must have hit him in the belly. He squatted down and brushed aside the tall grasses to examine the ground but found no tracks of a human being near the area. Neither was there any bird's nest.

  "Well," he addressed the viscount, "I haven't found anything suspicious here."

  "Neither have I," the older man said. "Shall we ride back to the stables and question the grooms and stable workers?"

  "Yes," John said as he walked over to collect his tethered horse. After mounting and settling into his saddle he addressed the viscount. "Ward told me you were bucked off recently."

  "Indeed! I landed in the pond and got thoroughly drenched, but I came to no other harm."

  "Ward told me the groom saw your horse was hit with something."

  "Yes," Lord Amhearst stated. "Ford, my groom, said it appeared to be a rock. The man said it came flying out of a bush with quite a bit of force."

  "Was Willa with you?"

  "She was." Yale laughed, "In fact, it was the same moment she challenged me to a race and flew past me."

  "Any chance the rock was meant to hit her horse instead of yours?"

  The viscount grew thoughtful. When he spoke again, his voice was filled with emotion. "Now when you ask me about it, she was closer to the bush Ford said it came out of than I was. Perhaps it was meant for Pirate. If a slingshot had been used, it might have already been shot when she raced past me. In fact, I suspect she was about a stride ahead of me when the rock hit my horse's flank."

  "Ward told me her bridle had been cut through as well, but the tack boy caught it."

  "Yes, I do remember him mentioning something about it. I assumed it was worn."

  "And the lupine?" John asked.

  The older man looked at him sharply. "Lupine?"

  "When Pirate was behaving skittishly," John prodded. "I talked to Ward about it. He said a local baron's daughter said the symptoms have all the markings of lupine poisoning. Apparently, she is well versed in animal care."

  The viscount swore under his breath. "And I dismissed it," he said. Yale turned moist eyes to John. "Someone is trying to kill my little girl, aren't they?"

  "I'm afraid there's a good chance of it," John replied, feeling sick at the thought.

  ****

  Willa had spent a fretful night. Her heart was heavy. Dr. Saunders had told her to postpone her wedding and how she dare not risk becoming pregnant in her condition. Willa ached to be a mother, to give John an heir. The thought of being unable to do so broke her heart.

  Molly had stayed with her during the night. Willa doubted her maid had slept at all, for she had been at the bedside to wipe Willa's face dry of tears, to whisper comforting words, and to fluff the pillows. The maid deserved a thank you, but Willa was so overwrought she wasn't sure she could form the words.

  At dawn, Molly had opened the door to allow in another maid, her mother's Luvina. The two women exchanged a few whispered words before Molly slipped out the door and Luvina appeared at Willa's bedside. Within a few minutes, a pot of hot tea had been delivered to the room, and the middle-aged maid encouraged Willa to have a cup of it.

  "You must drink, Miss Willa, and you need to eat breakfast as well. Cook has promised to fix whatever you'd like to tempt your appetite."

  Willa shook her head. "I'm not hungry," she whispered.

  Luvina smoothed back Willa's hair. "I understand, miss, but you must keep up your strength. The doctor said he holds hope for you. Keep it in mind."

  Willa closed her eyes and tried to focus on the maid's words. Hope. Dr. Saunders had said he had hope. Could she dig deep enough inside herself to find her
own hope?

  "Maybe a soft boiled egg and a slice of toast," she said at last. "And could you help me sit up a bit more so I can drink the tea?"

  Luvina rewarded her with a broad smile. "Of course. Let me just fetch two more pillows."

  A few minutes later, Willa was reclining against the pillows and sipping her tea. Luvina had tugged the bell pull and ordered the meal Willa had suggested. She had drunk about half her tea when the bed chamber door opened and her mother entered.

  "Good morning, dear," the viscountess said cheerfully.

  "Morning." Willa replied, unable to add a "good" to the greeting. She watched as her mother approached the bed and seemed to nervously hover over her. Then her mother fluffed the pillows, smoothed Willa's hair, and straightened the bed covers.

  "How are you this morning?" she asked.

  "I can't move my legs," Willa answered bluntly, feeling like a petulant child. "It doesn't matter how hard I try. I can't!"

  Her mother seemed to ignore Willa's proclamation. "And the pain you had in your back?" she asked instead.

  "Is still there."

  "Did Molly give you any laudanum?"

  "She offered it to me, and I refused it. I have always hated how it effects me. Remember when you made me take it when I sprained my ankle?"

  "I do, but if the pain becomes unbearable, promise me you will take it," the viscountess pleaded.

  Willa nodded her promise.

  "Perhaps willow bark tea would help, Miss Willa," Luvina interrupted with the offer.

  "What a good idea," Lady Amhearst said. "Would the tea be so objectionable?" she asked her daughter.

  "No," Willa said, "after I've eaten, I would be willing to drink it."

  The door opened, and a young kitchen maid appeared with a tray. She approached the bed and set the tray over Willa's lap. Then she bobbed a curtsy and left the room without saying a word.

  The tray held a plate with hearty toast, a small dish of jam, an egg cup with a soft-boiled egg, and a vase with a sunny yellow rose which must have been cut in the greenhouse. Willa reached up and caressed one soft petal. "I wish I could see Claire," she said to her mother, speaking of her favorite cousin and best friend, who was now the new Duchess of Lamberton and a gardening enthusiast.

  "I understand, dear," the viscountess said. Luvina placed a chair behind the older woman and Willa's mother perched on the edge of the seat. "I have already alerted your aunt and uncle of your accident, but you wouldn't want to interrupt your cousin's wedding trip, would you?"

  "No," Willa whispered as she spread jam thick on the piece of toast and bit into it. Chewing slowly, she tried to find enjoyment in the taste of the crunchy bread and its sweet topping. Unfortunately, the toast seemed dry in her mouth, and she laid it back on the plate. "I'm not hungry," she said as she took one final sip of her tea. "Please," she turned to implore Luvina, "take the tray away." Then she looked at her mother, "I didn't sleep well last night, and I'm tired. I am going to take a nap now."

  ****

  John suggested Lord Amhearst take the seat behind the stable master’s desk in the man's small office. He then went out to collect the first man they wanted to speak with. Approaching Willa's groom, John asked him to step into the office.

  "Have a seat, Brooks," the viscount said. "Lord Roydon and I would like you to tell us everything you remember about the events of yesterday."

  Brooks looked the viscount in the eye and then shifted his glance to look straight into John's eyes and back to his employer's. "Miss Willa came out in the early afternoon, about two I guess, and asked me to saddle Pirate. I did, and saddled a horse for myself as well. The girth was snug, but I didn’t inspect the underside of it where it had been cut. My lady told me to expect a fast ride. We left the stables and rode east as we usually do. As soon as we cleared the yard, she urged Pirate into a fast gallop. Everything seemed fine until we approached the fence." The groom stopped and cleared his throat, shifting in his chair, moving his gaze to meet John's.

  "Go on," John encouraged him.

  Brooks nodded and continued. "Just as Pirate lifted his front hooves from the ground, a bird flew up from the grass. It may have been a grouse which hit him right in the belly. The horse was spooked. He jumped to the left about three feet, bucking as he did it. When his legs hit the ground, Miss Willa flew off his back. It was the oddest thing, she was still sittin' on the side saddle. Then she went over the fence and the saddle fell on this side of it." The man tapered off and then reached up to wipe at his eyes.

  It was obvious to John how much the man cared about Willa. Yale was scribbling notes in a book and paused long enough to look up. "Thank you, Brooks. It's just the information we are needing."

  "Is she going to be alright?" he asked the men.

  His employer answered him. "We don't know much," Yale said. "The doctor has said there is some hope she may not permanently suffer from paralysis. It will take time to tell if she'll ever ride Pirate again. I'm thankful she's alive."

  "Yes, my lord. I feared I would not find her so."

  John waited a few moments before asking another question. "Tell us what else you have noticed – anything which comes to mind which seems suspicious, strangers who might have been in the vicinity of the stables."

  The groom was quiet and thoughtful. "I heard Ward tell you about Pirate acting skittish," he addressed John.

  "Yes, we talked about how it sounded like lupine."

  "That's right. I don't have any idea how it got in his food if that is what happened. Then there was the time Miss Willa's bridle was cut. The tack boy brought it to my attention, and I took it to Ward."

  "Have there been any strangers around the stables?" John asked Brooks.

  Brooks looked at the viscount and then back at John. "There's always strangers around the stables. Lord Amhearst here has gentlemen coming in most days. They want to tour the stables and inspect the stock. Most of them prob'ly can't afford to buy, but they want to think about it."

  "You're right, Brooks. The viscount has a sterling reputation, doesn't he?"

  "The best, my lord. It's an honor to work here."

  "Is there any one visitor who stands out more than the others? Someone who has visited more than once or been around not long before each of the incidents?" John inquired.

  The groom was quiet for several minutes, seeming deep in thought. At last, he shook his head, "No, my lord, none I can think of."

  Yale thanked the young man and asked him to send the tack boy into the office. When the gangly, freckle faced boy entered the room, the viscount invited him to sit on the empty chair. "Jem, I'm sure you remember Lord Roydon, Miss Willa's fiancé."

  The boy looked at John and nodded, an action which made him seem older than what John estimated to be about fourteen years of age. "My lord," he said.

  "Thank you for joining us, Jem," John said, hoping to put the boy at ease. "I'm sure you've heard about Miss Willa's accident yesterday."

  "Of course. I heard it was bad. We're all worried about her."

  "As are we," the viscount said. "We’re trying to get an idea as to whether or not someone might have wanted to bring her harm."

  The boy looked up at the two men earnestly. "Why would anyone want to hurt Miss Willa?"

  "We don't know," the viscount replied. "It does seem nonsensical. Can you think of anyone who would have a reason to or who has been acting suspiciously?"

  "No, my lord," Jem answered. "O'course there's always strangers around, but no one I can think of who's been back again or been where they shouldna' ha' been."

  "Tell us about when you found out the bridle had been tampered with," John prodded.

  "'Bout a month ago, I noticed Pirate's bridle was hanging on the wrong hook. I figured someone had gotten sloppy, but when I picked it up, I saw the headpiece had been most cut through. Like someone had used a file or a knife to cut through but not quite all the way. If I hadn't a caught it, it could ha' busted when she was running hard, and she could ha'
lost control of the horse."

  "And you brought it to Ward's attention?" John asked

  "Yes. He asked around about it, but no one claimed to know anything. Afterwards, I started payin' more attention to who went in there. I guess I didn't do good enough, though, if her girth strap was cut the same way."

  John noticed Jem’s scowl and clenched jaw. Jem was angry at the thought. Again, he didn't think this young man would cause any harm to Willa but someone had, and John felt he needed to look at everyone as a possible suspect.

  "Who all has access to the tack room?" he asked the boy.

  "Everyone," was the reply. "I don't never see no strangers go in," he went on, "but Ward and all the grooms use it regular like."

  "Can you think of anything else important to tell us?" Lord Amhearst asked him.

  The young man shook his head and then rose to go after the viscount thanked him. As he got to the door, he turned. "If there's anything I can do for Miss Willa, I'll do it. She's a bang-up lady."

  The afternoon stretched on as John and Yale interviewed each stable employee down to the young boy who mucked out the stalls. All the answers were similar – no one had seen anyone unusual around except for the strangers who were in and out on an almost daily basis. Each expressed concern, and several seemed genuinely distraught.

  At the end of the day, John ran a hand through his hair. "I don't feel we made any headway," he told the older man. "To be honest, I am even more frustrated."

  "I know, son," the viscount said as he laid a comforting hand on John's shoulder. "I understand how you are feeling."

  "I think I'll wash up and get the stable odor off me, then change and visit Willa," he told the viscount.

  "Can I make a suggestion?"

  "Of course."

  "Go the way you are. My daughter will find the smells of the stable comforting."

  Chapter Four

  Willa was feigning sleep when there was a tapping at the door. Luvina rose from the chair next to the bed and walked across the room to answer the summons. John's voice, albeit quiet, could be heard.