“It was not what I was thinking, but it could have been a possibility. I am just realizing I have been allowing the princess to monopolize my time to the detriment of my good social behavior. I have neglected to say more than a few words in passing to the two gentlemen. Can you give me an insight as to their character?”
John finished off his cup of tea before answering. “I am going for a refill. Would care for some?”
“Yes, that would be nice.”
“Come with me before you speak to the Burkinshires. I will tell you about the other men here on board.”
“All right.” He followed John to the other end of the ship to go down into the dining and kitchen area.
John spoke quietly as they went down into the kitchen area. He picked up a heavy pitcher and poured hot liquid into his mug before getting another and serving his friend. “Here you are. Do you recall when I introduced everyone on board the first night when we dined together?”
“Yes, of course.”
“You may also recall that they spoke very little and do not come topside very often.”
“I’ve noticed that, yes.”
“That is because they are not nobility. They are probably intimidated by your title and station.”
“At this point, we are all just passengers aboard a ship sailing across the ocean to reach America. There are truly no titles here.”
John chuckled. “Spoken like a true nobleman, Will. These men have spent their entire lives fighting for the right to work, working for their food, avoiding authorities who would lock them up for vagrancy.”
William raised his eyebrows. “Surely not! They look like true gentlemen to me.”
“Unfortunately, they are not.”
William narrowed his eyes. “Did you instruct them to stay apart from me and Belle?”
John just looked at him.
“Why would you do that, my friend? I get along with everyone, no matter their station. And I do not believe Belle would turn away the chance to make a friend, no matter how much money they have or whether or not they have a title.”
“Will, they are not men who should be trifled with.”
“Do you think the princess was put in jeopardy by one of them?”
“I must doubt it, only because neither have ever met her before. They do not consort with her here on the ship, so they have had no chance for feelings to grow, negative or positive.”
“But they are men who would be more likely to harm someone than anyone else on the boat. Am I correct in this?”
“Quite.”
“Then why are we not speaking with them first thing?”
“I want you to know about them before you speak to them. You can speak with them first, if you choose. But take into account that they are seeking redemption. They are going to America to start their lives over. Where their pasts will not haunt them.”
“What if they cause trouble in America?” William was having a hard time believing John had allowed the two disreputable men on board with a princess.
“You take me wrong, my lord. It is only their past that they must battle. They do not mean any harm now. Their crimes were not of the violent kind. I see no reason why they would try to commit murder. They are from America and have traveled the world since their early youth.”
“You believe that someone was trying to take Belle’s life?”
“I do. If this is true, if it is to be proven that she is in this state at the hands of another, we must do all we can to find out who has committed the crime. There must be punishment. I do tend to find the thought of Mr. Harrington or Mr. Wilder being responsible somewhat doubtful.”
“How can you be sure?”
“When you speak to them, you will understand. You should question them in depth, but remember, they did not know the princess and have not spoken to her since boarding except during meals and in passing. Keep in mind that they have never harmed someone else. Their crimes are strictly the monetary type.”
“They are thieves.”
“That would be correct.”
“Does the princess have any priceless jewelry lying about? Like around her neck? She has very beautiful necklaces.”
“Yes, this is true.”
“Then perhaps one or both of these men have decided to steal from the princess?”
“I believe if that were the case, they would do so without harming the woman. In addition, they are aware that I know of their pasts. This would make them prime suspects if they were to rob the princess. They would be hanged upon arrival in America. I do not think that is what they want.”
“I will question them. Thank you for telling me about their past. I do hope I have the authority on your ship to be as blunt as necessary.”
“You may be blunt, my lord, but do not be forceful. They are not men who should be trifled with.”
“You already warned me of that.”
John nodded. “Be sure to remember it.”
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“Did you have any dealings with the princess, Mr. Wilder?” William asked.
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CHAPTER TWELVE
A NEW POINT OF VIEW
William found the Burkinshires and the two men he was looking for huddled together below deck, looking worried. He knew that they were now aware of the situation with the princess. None of them looked happy, but to him, none of them looked guilty.
“Good morning,” he greeted them, nodding.
“Good morning, my lord. How are you feeling today?” Mrs. Burkinshire was the first one to speak. Her voice was soft and shaky.
“As well as can be expected. Certainly much better than the princess.”
“Yes.” The woman dropped her eyes. “I feel horrible for her. Is there an update on her state of health?”
“No. She remains the same as far as I have been told.”
“It seems to me something like this can change in an instant,” Doctor Burkinshire said, folding his arms over his chest. “I have seen many patients recover from sudden illnesses. I’m sure the princess will be one of them. She seemed to be in very good health. Did she show any signs of illness before we arrived?”
“No.”
Lady Burkinshire gasped softly. “You don’t think something I brought on board could have caused this, do you? The princess has not been exposed to any of the plants I brought with me.”
“Do you have anything poisonous in your stock?”
“No, I don’t think so. But sometimes people have bad reactions to certain plants that do not affect others in the same way.”
“Have you had her working with you to keep the plants contained and safe until we reach port?”
“No. I would not dare to ask a princess to help me with such things.”
“She showed no interest?”
“We have spoken of my plants several times since I boarded,” the woman answered. “But the lady has never been in the room where I am allowed to keep them.”
“That seems to me to be clearly not the fault of your plants then.”
“I have many medicinal plants in the room, as well. Perhaps you can use one to help her?”
William thought about it for a moment. “I am unsure what would help.”
“I have books on the subject.”
“Would you object to looking through them for cures to the symptoms the princess is suffering from?”
“What symptom is there other than her unconscious state?” the doctor spoke up, drawing William’s attention his way.
“You should speak to the doctor about that. She may have a fever; she may be having trouble breathing. I am not sure.”
“If she is unconscious,” Mr. Harrington said, speaking to William for the first time other than to say hello in passing. And usually he nodded without a word. “How will she eat? If she does not eat, she will die.”
“The doctor will come up with a way to make sure she is nourished
. She will at least get water, I can tell you that. She will not perish in the few days before we get to port in New Bedford.”
William turned back to the doctor. “I know you are a man of scientific research, Lord Burkinshire, but do you know anything that might help us with this? Have you seen anything like this in the past?”
“My lord, I have seen all types of illnesses and ailments. I have seen people in the state she is in, yes, but my expertise does not go beyond the scientific information I gather. I would not be able to help her without the knowledge of my peers and the proper books and equipment to discover a treatment.”
“Have we nothing on board that might help revive her?” Mr. Wilder asked, giving each of them a worried look.
“We don’t know what placed her in this state to begin with. I can’t imagine what would bring her back,” William murmured. He scratched his head absentmindedly, thinking hard. He looked at Doctor Burkinshire. “Sir, what were you and your wife doing yesterday and last night?”
The doctor looked down at Annette. “We did nothing out of the ordinary, yes?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Lady Burkinshire nodded. “We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner with everyone else. I have some chocolates in my luggage that we indulged in later in the evening.” She giggled, looking up at her husband. “But there was nothing wrong with them and the princess was not given any of them. We retired early to bed. We do not find a great deal of enjoyment from these rides. If you have been observant, my lord, my husband and I do not often go above.”
“I had noticed that, yes.”
“We prefer to be down below, tending to those things which we enjoy. This includes reading books for me and tending to the plants for her.” Doctor Burkinshire stood up straight, stiffening his spine.
William smiled at him. “I did not suspect you had done anything to the princess,” he said. The doctor smiled at him.
“I am grateful for your confidence, my lord.”
“Of course, as a scientific doctor, you do have access and knowledge of illness, ailments and disease. Could you, and I mean no offense, mind you, could you have brought on board any kind of contagion?”
“Don’t say such things, my lord!” Suddenly Lady Burkinshire looked frightened. “If my husband was exposed to anything, surely his wife would be the one to catch it first.”
Anxious to keep tension out of their marriage, William spoke up, resting one hand on the woman’s arm and patting it gently. “I’m not saying he is responsible, my lady. I’m only asking questions to determine facts.”
Lady Burkinshire looked only slightly relieved by his reassurance. William turned back to the doctor. “Please answer the question, sir.”
“I don’t believe so. As my wife has said, she and I are healthy. No one else has shown any symptoms. The princess herself did not show symptoms of a problem.”
“That is true.” William looked at the two men, who were standing motionless, watching the conversation between him and the couple. He observed them while he spoke to them, noticing small habits they portrayed. Mr. Harrington pulled on the lobe of one ear, his face concerned. His eyes wandered as he thought about the situation. Mr. Wilder was standing with his arms behind his back, his hands folded together behind him. He looked like a soldier standing at attention. His eyes were fixed on a spot on the wall. He was deep in thought.
“Mr. Wilder?” William said. “Do you have something in mind?”
The man’s eyes turned to William slowly. He shook his head. “No, sir, I don’t.” His American accent was obvious. William’s suspicion rose a notch. The captain had said these two men were traveling to America to escape their pasts. William had been given the impression those pasts had to do with Britain or somewhere else in Europe.
“Where are you from, might I ask?”
“I was born and raised in New York, sir,” the man answered. “But I have spent the last fifteen years in Brussels and London.”
“Why?”
Mr. Wilder blinked at him, hesitating before he answered. “My father was a traveling man, a widowed writer. He took me with him when he left New York after my mother was killed. I stayed in Brussels when my father was also killed.”
“Oh my!” Lady Burkinshire exclaimed, looking at the American with sympathy. “How devastating.”
Mr. Wilder looked at her and nodded appreciatively. “Thank you, madam. I am quite past it now and never knew my mother. I was just a baby when she was taken from me and my father.”
“It must have been horrible to grow up without a mother.”
“I’m sure it would have been, had I known life any different. Since my father traveled abroad so often and took me with him, I did not see much difference in having a mother and not having one. I hear it is…nice.” He ventured a smile. The group could tell it was not genuine and he knew it. He stopped trying.
Lady Burkinshire and her husband shared a look.
“Did you have any dealings with the princess, Mr. Wilder?” William asked.
“No, sir. I did not.”
“Not before or after boarding this ship?”
“No, sir. In fact, I don’t believe I have said anything at all to the princess.”
“You have not greeted her?”
“I have nodded at her in passing, sir. That’s all.”
William didn’t pursue the line of questioning. He could tell that the man was being honest. He struck William as the type of person who would not pull back on his words, but would instead be forthcoming whether the recipient wanted to hear what he had to say or not. “Do any of you recall seeing the princess leave her cabin last night at any time?”
Each person in the group gave him a negative response, shaking their heads or simply saying no. He inhaled deeply. Suddenly, he just wanted to talk to the captain again. He wanted to know if John had found out any new information.
His jaw clenched and he stifled the deep sigh he desperately wanted to let out.
“If there is anything we can do to contribute to finding out what’s happened, my lord, please let us know. I will look through my books, if you would like, to see if I find any remedies for an ailment such as this.”
“Do you think that is a possibility?”
Lady Burkinshire pressed her lips together and raised her eyebrows. “I believe that we must do whatever we can, whether it fails or not.”
“We must be careful not to make her condition worse.”
“Yes, my lord.”
William nodded. “If you discover anything, notify myself or the captain immediately.”
“Of course, my lord.” The woman nodded.
“I am going to find the captain.”
“I just saw him pass by through the window, my lord,” the doctor said, averting his eyes in the direction he’d seen the captain moving.
“Thank you, doctor.” He looked at Lady Burkinshire. “And thank you, my lady, for offering to help.”
“That princess is a wonderful woman,” she replied. “I do hope I find something to help.”
“As do I.”
He turned on his heel. His mind was whirling with possibilities. He tried not to think that everyone around him was a suspect, but he found it nearly impossible. He’d counted out the four he’d just spoken to as viable suspects, but that didn’t mean they weren’t responsible. It only meant he felt they had no malice intent against the princess.
He crossed the ship, watching the crew working with the capstans, checking fenders and cleaning various parts of the deck. He could see the captain on the bridge and almost went in his direction. But John was obviously having a discussion with several of his crewmen, including the first mate. As he approached, William got the distinct impression he would be interrupting something important. He stopped and took a few steps backwards before turning to go down to the cabin where the princess lay in her berth. He glanced toward the bow of the ship. He hadn’t really had a good look at the bowsprit or the figurehead resting against the outer part of the fore
castle. It was a beautifully sculpted mermaid. He raised his eyebrows, thinking the mermaid looked somewhat similar to the radiant princess who lay sleeping below.
He took his eyes from the mermaid and went down the steps that would take him to the door to the passenger cabins. Since the captain was busy, he would take a few minutes to see the princess. He wanted to talk to her. He didn’t care that she could not hear him. He just wanted to gaze upon her lovely face and touch her soft skin, if he dared.
13
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“My husband…he’s…he’s also fallen into a deep sleep, just like the princess!”
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
AN UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE
The doctor was sitting next to Belle’s bed, his arms crossed and a sour expression on his face. He looked up at William when he came in and then stood quickly. “Lord Montgomery,” he greeted him, bowing slightly at the waist. “There has been no change.”
“It doesn’t look like you’ve had any new discoveries as to the cause either.”
“Unfortunately, no. But I am hoping to have a breakthrough eventually.”
It looked to William like the doctor was more likely just trying to wait it out and see what happened. He could not examine the princess any more than he already had. He had no answers and he knew it.
“I’d like to sit with her for a while, if you don’t mind.”
Before he’d even finished the sentence, the doctor was moving to the door. “That’s a good idea, my lord. Perhaps you can speak to her and bring her out of this state. Whatever can be done, should be done.”
“You might want to consult with the Lady Burkinshire about the plants she has brought on board. Perhaps the two of you can discover something that will make the princess come back to us.”
The doctor looked at William directly. “She has knowledge that might help us?”
Regency Romance: The Marquess’ Curse (The Fairbanks Series - Love & Hearts) (CLEAN Historical Regency Romance) Page 8