“I can see that you are distressed, my dear, but you must not worry. Just get your breath back and tell me whatever it is you need to say.”
As soon as the young woman saw Rufus, her eyes widened. And Rufus recognized her immediately, having seen her once or twice at Dandridge Hall.
“Please do not look afraid, my dear. You may speak to me as you speak to Lady Brightwell. Do you have news of Miss Winfield?” Rufus said, getting straight to the point.
“I have very grave news, Your Grace, Lady Brightwell,” Violet said in a trembling voice.
“You must tell it as best you can.” Constance sat down at Violet’s side and took one of her hands. “Be brave, my dear.”
“I hardly know where to begin, and I will not blame you for not believing a word I say. But I must beg you to listen anyway, for I do not know where else to turn.”
“You may speak freely, young lady,” Rufus said and moved to crouch at Violet’s side. “Anything at all.”
“I have been worried about my mistress for so long now, and never more so than these last days. You see, we have all been told that Miss Winfield has gone to visit relatives in Scotland, and yet I know that she does not have any,” Violet began tremulously.
“His Grace and I were just discussing the same thing, my dear. You must go on.”
“I have been in her room and can see that not one of her gowns has been removed. If she has gone to Scotland, she has only what she was wearing when she left.”
“And did you see her leave?” Rufus said gently.
“No, but I had hoped that she had gone.”
“What do you mean?” Lady Brightwell said.
“Forgive me, but I had overheard something in my master’s house which frightened me. I had truly believed my mistress to be in some danger, and so I raced to her to tell her to run, to come to either you, Lady Brightwell or to His Grace.”
“But what was it that made you so afraid? What did you overhear?”
“It is a very long tale, Your Grace, but suffice it to say that I became aware that my master had done something to put you in danger. He had set somebody to hide in the woods so that you might be waylaid as you made your way to Mortcombe Hall. And when he heard that his plan had not gone well, he was furious. And that is what I overheard.”
“And how does he know that his plan had not gone well?” Rufus said.
“Because Mr Mercer told him so. I overheard them both.”
“Mr Mercer? Do you mean Henry Mercer?” Rufus said and felt his heart plummet. “Are you telling me that my attorney gave Lord Dandridge that information?”
“I heard it, Your Grace,” she said quietly. “And I am afraid that I have some proof.” She reached into the pocket of her gown and pulled out a piece of paper.
“I realize that it is not addressed nor signed, it simply gives details of the time you were to leave and the route you were to take. But I am sure that that information has come from your attorney.”
“Good heavens,” Rufus said and stared at the handwriting that he knew as well as his own. “Good heavens.”
“Do you recognize it?” Lady Brightwell said gently.
“Yes, it is Henry’s handwriting.” Rufus felt suddenly nauseous as he contemplated the betrayal.
But would Henry really have done something so cruel, something which might easily have put his master in danger?
“Tell me, Violet, do you think your mistress has met with some misfortune at the hands of her stepfather?” Lady Brightwell said wincing, clearly distressed by the idea of it.
“At first, I had thought so, My Lady, and I did not know what to do. But I have since discovered something else, and I believe that Miss Winfield is being held prisoner in the attic of Dandridge Hall.”
“You have seen her?” Rufus said, unable to tell exactly how it was he was feeling.
“I have not seen her with my own eyes, Your Grace, but I followed the Countess and saw her taking a tray of food up a back staircase that we never use. And that staircase only goes to the attic. I had wanted to go myself, to creep through the house at night and see if I could find Miss Winfield but, God forgive me, I was too afraid that I would be caught.”
“My dear child, I do not think that God or anybody else would have any trouble forgiving you. Who would not be afraid in such circumstances, you poor little thing.” Lady Brightwell, as kind and as caring as ever, put an arm around Violet’s tiny shoulders and pulled the girl towards her.
“From what you say, it would certainly seem like a possibility. What other reason could Ariadne Belville have for trailing through the house with a tray of food?” Rufus said thoughtfully. “I think you have done very well, Violet, and you have been very brave. Not only brave in coming here today and presenting me with the evidence of my own friend’s betrayal, but brave in doing what you can to trace your mistress. I am sure that Miss Winfield would be very, very proud of you.”
“Thank you, Your Grace, but I do not know what to do for the best. There is only me to help her, and William of course.”
“William?”
“He is one of Lord Dandridge’s second footmen, My Lady,” Violet said shyly. “And he would do anything in his power to help Miss Winfield, we both would. But I do not know what to do.”
“You are not alone in it anymore, my dear. I would also do anything in my power to help Miss Winfield, have no fear of that,” Rufus said determinedly.
“But what can you do? Even as a Duke, you cannot simply walk into another man’s home and demand to go up into the attics to see if he keeps his stepdaughter a prisoner,” Lady Brightwell said thoughtfully. “And I doubt that the Earl of Dandridge would allow you admittance anyway once he realizes that you are more concerned for the safety of Ella Winfield than you are in marrying one of his daughters.”
“Then I will have to find another way to get to her,” Rufus mused. “I will have to find some way to get into Dandridge Hall unnoticed.”
“Oh, how very brave you are,” Lady Brightwell said approvingly. “But you really must be careful.”
“I will help you, Your Grace,” Violet said and seemed to perk up considerably. “Now that I know that there is something that can be done, I will find my courage and, with William’s help, I will come up with some way of getting you into the hall.”
“As soon as you have worked it out, Violet, you must contact me immediately. Get a message to me somehow at Hillington Hall. I will not leave that place until I hear from you, and I will be ready to make my way to Dandridge at the very moment I hear from you,” Rufus said and patted her shoulder. “Perhaps you ought to get back before your absence is realized, my dear.”
“Yes, Your Grace. William has brought me over here in the cart, and we had promised to run some errands for the housekeeper.”
“And if you need anything from me in the meantime, Violet, you must come to me. And you may even send William if you wish,” Lady Brightwell said and helped Violet to her feet. “You dear, sweet, brave girl.”
Once Violet had left, Rufus and Lady Brightwell continued to sit in the library, quite stunned.
“You are definite that Dandridge holds her there, are you not?” Lady Brightwell said when they had been silent for some time.
“I am certain of it, Constance. You heard Violet, and you must realize as I did what a very bright young woman she is. She has searched for evidence and found it and, not only that, but I can come to no other conclusion. I can find no reason for the Countess to be scurrying away into the attics with a tray. It can only be that she and her husband are holding her daughter a prisoner.”
“And if she is locked in, what will you do? If you intend to sneak in and out without being seen, surely you could not risk the noise of breaking down the door.” Lady Brightwell’s eyes were shining with fear and wonder.
“I think that Violet will come up with something. After all, who knows the layout of a hall better than one of the servants? We must trust that there will be some way. And if the
re is not, you must trust that I will not leave Ella there, even if I do have to march past the Earl in broad daylight to get to her.”
“Let us hope that it does not come to that, my dear,” Lady Brightwell said and rose to leave the library.
Chapter 29
Rufus was not surprised when he received word from Violet the very next day. He had hardly slept that night for thinking of Ella’s plight, and he could not help hoping and praying that she was unharmed in all of this.
And, on top of it all, he wondered how and why it was that his old attorney had betrayed him. He racked his brains to think of what he had done to hurt the man so badly that he would turn against him so. After all, Henry Mercer had never shown any signs of discontent in all the years that Rufus had known him.
It hurt Rufus badly, and he felt almost as if he had been deceived by a blood relative, a kindly uncle of some sort. But he knew, of course, that he had never truly treated Henry as such.
How strange it was that he had only lately been thinking about how little he knew of the man who had been a fixture of his entire life. How he had never wondered how it was Henry spent his time and the stab of guilt he had suffered when he realized it. Was it something that Henry had seen all along? Was it something he had felt?
There was so much to think about, and he hoped that Henry would keep away from the hall for a few days, just until he had made Ella safe. He needed to concentrate, and he needed to be ready.
And when Violet’s message came, Rufus could not have been readier.
Her brief note said that she had not yet made her way to the door of the attic where she believed Ella was being kept because she had seen the Countess head in that direction more than once and feared she would be discovered.
But she had made some other exploration and had discovered a room just below the attics that appeared to be unused and had a window so close to a small window in the eaves of the attic room. And, if the Duke thought he might manage it, Violet was certain that he could reach to climb into the room above. There was a wide ledge under that window, and if the Duke were to stand on it, he could easily peer into the little attic window in the eaves.
Violet would be waiting at the side entrance of Dandridge Hall at two o’clock in the morning, in the dead of night. She would sneak him through the hall in silence and take him to that unused little room. And she would help him to free Miss Winfield, for she was sure that her mistress would have the courage to be helped from one window into the other. She could see no other way and vehemently hoped that His Grace would meet her at the appointed time and be ready to rescue the prisoner.
Rufus had left his own home quietly and in the dead of night. He had taken a simple cart that the servants used since it was easier to hook one horse to it than try to make ready the carriage in secret.
When he turned onto the driveway of Dandridge Hall, he knew that he could not risk going much closer to the house itself. He jumped down from the cart and led the horse into the trees, tethering it there, then continued making the rest of his way on foot.
There was a very pale light from the half-moon, and he was glad of it. It was just enough light to be able to make his way safely without being so bright as to make him stand out.
When he crept to the side entrance, he could see Violet standing there, fully dressed and holding something in her arms.
“What is this?” he whispered the moment he was at her side.
“I have some men’s breeches and boots here for Miss Winfield to put on. She cannot climb out of that window in her gown, it will be too difficult, and so she must put these clothes on. It will also help to disguise her if anybody sees you on the road out of here.”
“You think of everything, Violet,” he whispered. “You really are very clever.”
“We had better get started, Your Grace,” she said, and he could see by the pale moonlight that she was white-faced with apprehension.
Violet led him through the darkness of the corridors in the servants’ area before they reached the back staircase that she and the rest of the household staff probably used day in and day out.
The further they went into the house, the more his adrenaline began to race through his body. His hearing seemed to have become most acute, and he could swear that he would have heard a pin drop anywhere in Dandridge Hall.
And his eyes quickly became accustomed to the darkness, easily picking out moonlight here and there as it came in through various windows.
When they reached the upper floor, and Violet led him first along a wide corridor, he realized that he was on the very landing on which his unwitting enemy likely slept. If Dandridge came out of his chamber now for whatever reason, Rufus would be unable to explain his presence. But he was determined that he would not leave Dandridge Hall that night without Ella, even if he had to tell the truth and fight the master of the house to get to her.
As they turned into the east wing, Rufus calmed down considerably. The place had an air of solitude, solitude which gave away its lack of use. No doubt the family kept to the centre and west wing of that tremendous hall. He knew that he closed down much of Hillington when he did not have guests.
When Violet stopped abruptly, Rufus almost collided with her. But he halted just in time and followed her when she opened a door and disappeared through it.
“We are here, Your Grace. I have left a candle and some matches on the window ledge. I shall light it now, for we will not be seen here.”
“Does none of the family sleep in this wing?” he said, still whispering.
“No, the east wing is quite deserted. My only concern is if my mistress screams. If she is startled by you, she might not be able to help herself. As soon as she sees you, Your Grace, you must do your best to reassure her immediately.”
“I promise, Violet,” he said and, when Violet struck the match and brightened the room, he looked over to the window that he was to climb out of. “Does it open quietly?”
“Without a squeak, Your Grace.”
“After I have managed to get her attention, do you think you could reach high enough to hand me the clothing for your mistress?”
“Yes, I will manage that.”
“Wish me luck, Violet.”
“Good luck, Your Grace. Godspeed.”
Rufus pushed the sash window up as high as it would go and first sat on the ledge, looking up to see exactly where the attic window was. Violet had been right in that the two were close, and he was certainly tall enough if he stood on the wide ledge to reach. He only hoped that Ella would have the necessary courage to step out of her own window and onto the ledge with him.
As he peered up, Rufus could see that there was the faintest glow coming from that window and realized immediately that Ella must at least have a candle. How he hoped he would not startle her into screaming.
Finally, tentatively, he held onto the window frame and stood on the ledge, rising up to his full height. He reached out to take hold of the narrow ledge under Ella’s window and shuffled along until he was level with it. As he stood, he was head and shoulders above that little edge and easily able to see in.
Ella did indeed have a candle, and he could see that she was there on the floor, curled up on what looked like a pile of old clothes. The poor woman did not even have a mattress to lay on. He could see that she stirred, and he felt certain that she was not asleep. Realizing that the moment had come, Rufus tapped lightly on the window.
He saw Ella immediately sit up, turning on her pile of clothes to look all around. He made the tapping a little irregular as if he were beating out a tune for her. When she looked towards the window, he was glad she did not scream. He laid his hand on the window and smiled, hoping that she would recognize him instantly.
She scampered across the room to where he was, and he realized that she was still kneeling. As he peered into the room, he could see that it was a genuine attic room, and the window was set so low as to be floor level. The roof pitched down at that point, and it was c
lear that Ella could not have stood up for there was no headroom.
She held her candle to the window and surveyed him, and he marvelled at her bravery. He saw her sudden recognition and the smile of wonder on her face as it became clear who the face at the window was.
Surely, any other young lady on earth would have screamed to have heard tapping and seen the outline of a man on the other side of the window. Ella Winfield really was made of sterner stuff.
She immediately began to make a little shooing motion with her hand, and he thought for a moment that she was trying to get him to leave. He then could see that she was pointing at the window, and he stared at it blankly for a minute before realizing that she was trying to get him to move aside a little, for the window clearly opened outward and not inward. It was not a sash like the one he had just climbed out of, just a single pane and very much smaller.
Kind Ella and the Charming Duke_A Historical Regency Romance Page 24