by Abigail Agar
With a sigh, Gregory was forced to agree, “That is true. We will start searching tomorrow, and we will keep searching until we find her, our uncle, or Mr Larkin.”
“Yes, there are a good many questions that I can think of for him,” Fredrick said with a sneer. “Did you ever find out if that story he came to the house with was actually true?”
Gregory sighed and sank down into the chair behind the desk. “It honestly had slipped my mind. I am going to the guild tomorrow though on my way to search. I feel it is a good place to start and the closest tie that I have with Mr Larkin.”
“I wish us the best of luck then,” Fredrick said.
***
Jules’ clothes had been taken from her, and she was forced to put on clothes that she suspected had been ripped off some other poor soul.
Jules was then taken from the workhouse and put in the back of a wagon much to her dismay. If she stayed in one place, she would be easier to locate, and Jules’ heart sank as she watched the workhouse growing ever distant out the slots at the top of the wagon.
The next workhouse was a dismal place, but Jules tried to talk to some of the women. Every time she opened her mouth, Jules was rewarded with a slash from one of the long ropes the overseers carried. Eventually, she gave up trying to talk to pass the time.
It turned out that talking to her housemates would have been pointless anyway, as the next day Jules was loaded up into another wagon and taken to a different house.
She sighed and leaned against the brick wall. She did not even bother trying to talk to any of the people around her. The overseers seemed to be watching her, and Jules did not like attracting that kind of attention.
***
Gregory walked towards the building that the guild used as its headquarters. There was faded lettering over the top of the door to signify it as a guild charterhouse. Gregory used the iron knocker.
Eventually, the door was pulled open by a young lad, who eyed Gregory suspiciously. “Can I help you, Your Lordship?” the boy asked with a trembling voice.
“If I could speak with one of the higher members of the guild, then I would be most appreciative. Tell them it is about Jules Kelley and David Larkin,” Gregory said. As Gregory waited, the lad disappeared back inside, and Gregory could hear the boy’s footsteps running away from the door.
A few moments later, the door came open, and a graying man appeared. The man stood the same height as Gregory, but with a long beard, and the man’s clothes were streaked with dirt from his labours. “Begging your pardon, Lord,” the man said, “you have news of Jules?”
Gregory nodded and cleared his throat. “I do know of …” Gregory hesitated because he knew Jules had kept her gender a secret from most of the guild. “Jules,” Gregory said finally. “Jules has been taken by the guards, but we’ve been unable to locate … him.”
The man chuckled, “I know Jules’ true self. You need not feel uncomfortable. I wondered what happened to her.”
“Thank goodness,” Gregory said with a laugh. “I was not sure how much longer I could go with that. Truth is that Jules and I are married now, and I am most anxious to find her.”
The man’s mouth fell open. “You must be that man that everyone was telling me about that Jules was running with for a time. Forgive my manners, Your Lordship. My name is Charles Foster. I’m the guild master here.”
“Glad to make your acquaintance,” Gregory said as he clasped the man’s hand in a friendly shake. “What about David?”
Mr Foster spat, “That lowly cur would do best not to come within my sight. He is not welcome in the guild any longer.”
“I must confess my confusion. He showed up at our door outraged that some of your guild members had been hanged. He convinced Jules that it was my fault, and she left to go to London to help,” Gregory said honestly.
Mr Foster sighed and shook his head. “That’s a grievous lie. We had a kind barrister who spoke for us and eventually got the judge to release us,” Mr Foster said. “I do not know why he would say such a thing unless he did it just to incense Jules. Jules believed that the guild was family. She would never willingly turn her back on us.”
“I know. I had to ensure your guild members’ safeties before she would even agree to marry me.” Gregory chuckled as he thought back on it.
“You don’t say,” Mr Foster said with a smile. “Then I am doubly pleased to meet you, Your Lordship.”
Gregory nodded and asked, “I don’t suppose any of your members have seen Mr Larkin within the week? I am searching for him as I think he might have answers about Jules’ whereabouts.”
“I can ask around. It’ll take time. The guild members have all dispersed after that raid. Only the young ones remain here for safety,” Mr Foster said with a frown. “I promise that if we can help Jules we will do everything in our power to do so.”
Gregory’s curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, “What did Mr Larkin do that got him exiled from the guild?”
“He decided that money was more important than the family of the guild. We found out that he had been working with the guardsmen to root out revolutionaries and earn himself some coins on the side. The fact that he earned those coins by spinning falsehoods that got guild members arrested was the final straw that I could no longer bear,” Mr Foster said with a bitter frown.
“I trained that boy like he was my own son like Mr Kelley had before me. I took David and Jules under my wing, and that’s the thanks David had for me.”
Gregory shook his head. “I see why he is no longer welcome,” Gregory said a sigh. “If I find out anything on Jules before you do, I will be sure to let you know.”
“I would appreciate that Your Lordship,” Mr Foster said kindly. “I’ll be praying for yours and Jules’ safety.”
Gregory smiled, “That is always a kind thing. Thank you, Mr Foster.”
Chapter 12
The first workhouse that Fredrick went to was appalling, but nothing special. No one there remembered Jules or anyone who could have resembled her. Fredrick was left feeling hopeless as he trudged towards the second workhouse on the Western side of the city.
Inside, Fredrick asked loudly of a room full of women, “Has anyone seen or talked to a Jules Kelley? She might have been wearing fine clothing. She might have told you she was a duchess or mason. It is very important that I find her.”
“How important?” asked a woman who looked like she had spent a lot of time walking the seedier parts of London.
Fredrick frowned. “Have you heard of her?”
“Depends on what you are offering,” the woman said with a tilt of her head.
Another woman, younger than the first, shouted from down towards the end of the long room, “Leave him alone, Bertha.” She leaned up and looked at Fredrick. “I spoke to this young woman who said she was a Duchess and a mason.”
Fredrick made his way over to the young woman and asked, “She was here?”
“Yes, but they took her away. I assume they took her to another house, but I don’t know,” Ruby said softly. “I hope she’s okay. She was kind.”
Fredrick nodded his head. “Do you remember how long ago it was that she was here?”
“The days kind of blend together here,” Ruby said, “but it had to be at least two days.”
Fredrick sighed. “Thank you,” he said softly. He looked at the young woman and longed to help her. He vowed that he would return once he found the Duchess. He gave the young woman a deep bow before he turned and left.
***
Gregory met up with Fredrick who told him of what he had found at the second workhouse. “That’s brilliant news,” Gregory said as he clapped his brother on the back. “That means she was alive and well two days ago at least. We might just be on the right track.”
“What about you? How did the meeting with the guild go?” Fredrick asked as they rode their horses down the street towards the nearest workhouse.
Gregory said, “It was more a meeting
with just the guild leader. Apparently, after that last raid, no one was going to take chances on there being another. The guild has dispersed, but I did find out that Mr Larkin is no longer welcome in the guild for giving false evidence against guild members in return for payment.”
“Ah,” Fredrick said deviously. “So, that’s his angle. What about the three apprentices?”
Gregory shook his head. “The scoundrel just made it up apparently. According to Guild Master Foster, all of the men were released thanks to Barrister Dulock.”
“To lie about the death of children,” Fredrick scowled. “I hope we find him.”
Gregory agreed with a nod as they stopped in front of a workhouse. The outside looked so dreary that Gregory was loathed to go inside, but still, he swung down out of his saddle.
“They are worse on the inside,” Fredrick said to his brother which Gregory did not really appreciate.
Inside was dark and only lit by a few occasional candles. The overseer told Gregory that the workers were resting, but they could ask them questions if they were quick about it.
The house was longer than wide. It looked much like a large barn to Gregory only there were some tables where various items were spread.
The workers were mostly women and a few children, with some men scattered in. They sat against the walls, some sleeping and other just staring. As Gregory and Fredrick walked down the length of the workhouse they all turned to look.
Gregory called out, “We are looking for anyone with information about Jules Kelley. She may have spoken to you about being a Duchess or a mason.”
“She’s about this tall,” Fredrick held out his hand level with his chin. “She has long dark hair and dark eyes.”
Only silence met them. Gregory sighed, and they travelled further down calling out the same messages but again got no response. When they finally left, it was with sagging shoulders. As much as they had learned over the last couple of days, they still had no idea where Jules or Mr Larkin was.
The next morning they left again and searched more houses. At one house someone remembered a girl matching Jules’ description, but like every other time, Jules had left the following day, and no one had any idea where she might have gone. The overseers also seemed perplexed because there were no records of anyone going in or out on those days.
By the end of the second day of searching, Gregory was beginning to lose faith. Only Fredrick remained steadfast that they had to keep trying. The truth was that the number of workhouses was not infinite. Gregory knew that soon they would have searched them all.
“The fact is,” Fredrick said, “if they are aware that we are searching the houses, they may be moving her right back into ones that we’ve already searched, or they may have moved her altogether.”
Gregory sighed and leaned his head against his hands. “Do not speak like that, Brother. If they move her beyond the workhouses, then we have no way of knowing where they could have taken her,” Gregory said with a frown.
“I know,” Fredrick said with a slow nod of his head. “I hope they are not aware of it, but if they are powerful enough to get her into the system, then they have to have some pull in the House of Lords … If they have pull there, then they have pull enough to know everything we have done thus far.”
Gregory agreed, “That’s what I fear the most. It is someone who is very connected. I just don’t understand why the plot against you and Jules? If it is Uncle, then it would make more sense for his move to be against me. After all, he still needs to get me out of the way before he can get the mantle of Dukedom.”
“Maybe that’s what he was trying to do,” Fredrick said. “If you lost both of us, then would you really fight too much?”
Gregory thought about it and said, “I think it might make me even more determined to make sure that Uncle never set foot on St Claire land again.”
“You always were an angry man,” Fredrick said with a laugh.
With a roll of his eyes, Gregory looked over at his brother. “You certainly have changed a bit since you came home. I do think that the Duchess has been a bad influence on you,” Gregory said with a smile.
“Nonsense,” Fredrick scoffed. “She has been a wonderful influence, and I intend to repay her kindness by showing that I am not alone in my thoughts and helping you fight the good fight.”
Gregory shook his head and smiled sadly. “I fervently hope that you get the chance to tell her that in person.”
“As do I,” Fredrick said as he leaned over and grasped his brother’s hand on the desk. “Do not lose faith, Gregory. We will find her.”
***
The next morning as Gregory and Fredrick were readying to leave, there came a loud knock upon the door. To Gregory’s surprise, it was Maxwell Chapman. “Sir Chapman,” Gregory said as he waved the man inside before the doorman could do so. “Fredrick, please continue without me. I shall catch up with you after lunch,” Gregory said as he met Fredrick’s eye.
Fredrick gave Gregory a curious look but nodded and said, “Of course. Have a good day, Sir Chapman.” Fredrick placed his cap upon his head and was swiftly out the door to his waiting horse.
“Have I interrupted you?” Maxwell asked anxiously.
Gregory shook his head and motioned for Maxwell to follow him to the study. “Not at all, old friend. My brother and I were merely going out for a morning ride. Please come in.” Gregory held open the study door.
Inside, Gregory offered the man something to drink, but Maxwell refused. Gregory nodded. “The wife must still be after you about that whisky she found in your parlour,” Gregory said with a grin.
Maxwell laughed nervously. “I just don’t think it appropriate.”
“Now, now,” Gregory said with forced amusement. “What can be so important that it negates a little spirit? Most things of grave importance often lead me to drink, I find.”
Maxwell bowed his head as he sat in the leather chair across from Gregory. “Please, Gregory, I beg you to listen to me. I never meant anything ill or untoward to happen,” he said with a voice that trembled from the regret in it.
Gregory sat down the brandy that he had picked up while teasing Maxwell and came to sit behind his desk. Solemnly Gregory asked, “What do you mean by that, Maxwell?”
“We have known each other a long time, have we not?” Maxwell asked. When Gregory nodded, Maxwell continued, “I still remember the first time that I visited Thornton Hall. My father was a proud man, but he did not appreciate my zeal for the law.”
“I do recall him being quite angry when he found out that you intended to take on the wig,” Gregory said quietly.
Maxwell nodded and said, “What you might not realize is that he also chose to slight me with my inheritance. He gave most of it to my younger brother whom he deemed more worthy.” Maxwell drew in a deep breath and folded his hands in his lap.
“You did not seem pitiable in your wealth,” Gregory said gently. “Was there more?”
Maxwell agreed with a flip of his hand. “So much and so little,” he said quietly. “I have debts, the kind that could disgrace my family.”
“Ah,” Gregory said softly. “I hope you come to me, not for a loan, I am most vexed at this time, and I do not even know what day it is.”
Maxwell shook his head fervently. “No. I would never ask that of a friend.” He sighed, “It is quite the opposite. I ask only your forgiveness. I am not the man you think I am. There is no pillar of righteousness within me or any guiding light. I am blown by the winds of fortune, and I am sickened by it.”