Alessandra

by Ann M Pratley

Walking around the manor, he finally found his son in the glass room, sitting quietly with Alessandra. He was reluctant to disturb them, and adamant that his daughter-in-law must not know of the possible threat, but he knew that Edward had met the man so might be the only person able to know if he crossed their paths.

  Considering the option to disturb the young people or not, Edward's father moved away and decided to let them have their time together. In the meantime he would go and spend time with his own wife. He did not know to what extent this 'Missinger' desired to claim Alessandra, nor how far he would go to try and win her, and the thought resulted in a shudder passing through Edward's father. He had never had conflict in his life, and was too old for it to come his way now, but he would protect his wife, his son, his daughter-in-law and grandchild with whatever means he would have to.

  Chapter Forty Four

  "I don't understand, Father," Edward exclaimed in horror after receiving the news of the letter.

  He stood in the steward's room with his father, holding the letter and having to force himself to read it again and again to make sure he understood it.

  "Tom Missinger has not been seen for two weeks? And people think he might have been coming here, to see Alessandra?"

  Edward's father looked at his son and nodded, and Edward paced the room, overwhelmed with fear for his wife and child.

  "But why would this news come now? So late?" he asked and saw his father shake his head with unknowing.

  "Perhaps his wife did not report him as missing immediately. Or perhaps the news reached Alessandra's father at a later date. We don't know that, Edward, nor does it matter. What does matter is that you and I go around the estate and make sure everyone watches out for him. You are the only person, other than Alessandra, who knows what this man looks like, so you must describe him to everyone."

  He watched his son pace more, and saw his face become increasingly agitated.

  "Edward, you must calm down…"

  "Calm down! My wife and child are at risk of being … I don't know what … by some man who has unhealthy intentions … and you think I should calm down?"

  His father walked up to him then and placed his hands on his son's shoulders.

  "Yes! Edward, your wife must not be distressed by this, and she will know something is seriously wrong if you don't find a way to not have this in the forefront of your mind when you are with her. I am also not going to tell your mother, as she will not be able to contain the knowledge without worrying Alessandra either," he said before becoming quiet for a moment. "It is not a good situation, I know, but there is a chance that he has not ventured to this part of the country at all, so worrying Alessandra and your mother would be fruitless."

  Edward took a deep breath and sat on one of the seats in the room, understanding what his father was saying and knowing his advice to be wise. There was nothing he would do to contribute to stress in his wife, which in turn could affect the health of his child. With a mother who had been told she must never get pregnant after his birth, and Alessandra's mother also having had so many miscarriages when she was younger, Edward and Alessandra both had an awareness of how difficult it could be for some people to have children, and neither wanted to take any risks at all.

  No, he thought to himself, the only option was to alert the tenants around the property and make as best an effort as possible to try and not let Alessandra know anything was wrong.

  "Alright, Father. Let us begin talking to the tenants. There is still enough time today for us to begin, is there not?" he asked and his father nodded.

  "We can at least visit Old John and his family, and then head over to see Mrs Howard. She is living alone, so I think it most urgent that we see she is alright."

  Edward nodded and they left, both full of concern over what situation might present itself in coming weeks.

  Chapter Forty Five

  Edward jumped down from Beauty as Old John came out of his house to greet him and his father. He wasn't a man who ever smiled but as a tenant he was hard working and reliable, and he had always been a distant figure in Edward's life since he was very young, and had watched the 'Young Master' grow into the man he was now.

  "Old John," Edward heard his father say in greeting as he shook his hand respectfully. "We might have a problem on the estate, with a man who could be headed here for the purpose of causing distress. Have you seen anyone lately who you had not seen before?"

  "No, Master," Old John replied. "It has been a long while since I seen anyone new around these paddocks. But tell me what this person looks like and I shall keep watch for him and pass the word to others."

  Edward came forward then and gave a physical description of Tom, all the while shuddering inwardly at the thought of the man who had so openly declared he would 'have' Alessandra.

  Old John nodded when Edward have given his description.

  "What shall I do if I see him, then? Report it to the manor?"

  "Yes, but we do not wish for the Mistress or Edward's wife, Alessandra, to know about this. Edward is soon to be a father…" he said and the older man before him came forward to Edward and shook his hand.

  "Oh, Young Master! Congratulations," he said, smiling for the very first time Edward had seen him do so, and Edward thanked him and accepted the handshake.

  "We do not want Alessandra to be distressed in any way, so if you do see this man - or anyone you have not seen before - can you let me know directly, Old John? If you come to the manor, tell my man that you wish for him to tell me, and only me, that you are there."

  Old John nodded. "Very good, Master."

  Edward and his father mounted their horses and prepared to leave.

  "And please be careful yourself. We don't know if this man is dangerous, but it would be best that we expect that he is, until he is found."

  Edward saw Old John nod again and wave, before Edward's father started to ride away, with Edward behind.

  * * * * *

  As they pulled up to the cottage of Mrs Howard, something immediately looked amiss. Although she was a woman of the land, leaving the front door as wide open as it was, was never something that either man had known her to do.

  Edward saw his father jump down with impressive speed in an effort to get inside as quickly as possible, while Edward followed his father's instruction to walk around the outside of the house and see if he could see her outside.

  On entering the house, Edward's father let out a cry of distress, and Edward ran to see what he had found.

  Edward took in the scene. The woman was lying on the floor, after seeming to have been sitting in a chair with her feet bound, her mouth gagged, and her hands tied behind her, to the chair.

  "Oh, Master!" said the elderly woman inside, expressing utter relief at seeing a face she knew as Edward untied the ties covering her mouth. "A man was here and he did this to me," she continued, starting to shed tears.

  "Who did this, Mrs Howard?" Edward asked as he continued to untie her hands and feet and helped her to stand up.

  The woman seemed to struggle to find her balance and her voice, but then find the determination to talk.

  "I didn't know him. He was a young man, about the Young Master's age. He came here and tied me up, and then he was sleeping there," she said, starting to cry desperately as she nodded to the bed in the corner of the room.

  "Last night?" Edward's father asked, uneasy at developments unfolding.

  "No! He came here many nights ago."

  "You have been tied up here all this time?" Edward asked, horrified at the thought that this elderly woman had been left alone without anyone to check on her, and made a mental note that he must start visiting tenants more often, given how isolated some of them lived.

  Now she was crying visibly, as she nodded.

  "He came here to sleep every night for a week, but then did not come back again. He has not been here for, I think, four nights now, but I don't feel quite right at the moment, Master, so my reckoning could be wrong." />
  "Of course you don't feel well, Mrs Howard. When did you last eat?"

  She looked timid and weak as the tears began once more.

  "I don't know."

  "Right, food first then," Edward said as he looked around the tiny cottage, desperate to find something he could give to her.

  "Thank you, Young Master, but he took everything with him."

  Edward found himself perplexed at the horror of the situation.

  "Father, I think I should ride up to the manor…"

  "No, Edward. Mrs Howard has had a terrible ordeal and I don't want to leave her here alone," Edward's father started to say and the elderly woman started to object.

  "Mrs Howard, I understand you prefer to live alone but for this night, you will come with us and stay at the manor. Do not refuse, I beg you, as you desperately need sustenance and I won't sleep if I think of you alone here with a madman on the loose. When you are at the manor I can also summon the doctor to come and check your health."

  Edward looked on, admiring his father for his generosity, although also seeing in his eyes a real fear now, which flowed on to him also.

  "Yes, Master," she said, her head hung low in shame of having found herself in the situation.

  "Come, Mrs Howard, you can ride on Beauty and I will walk alongside you so you have nothing to fear from him. He is large, but he is gentle and good-natured."

  After securing the little house they made their way slowly to the manor, where Margaret came out to meet them. Edward pulled her aside.

  "Mrs Howard here has suffered a horrible ordeal and will stay here for the night. Can you please set her up in a guest room and ensure she gets some food? She has not eaten for at least a week, as far as I can tell, so tell Cook to prepare only small amounts of food suitable, and make sure she also has plenty to drink," Edward said to Margaret and she nodded. Before she turned to the elderly woman, he added, "And please do not tell my wife or my mother about this. I do not want either to be worried or stressed."

  Margaret looked at him - the Young Master - and could see the level of seriousness on his face, so nodded, appreciating the love for his wife that he so easily displayed to everyone he talked to. Quietly she guided the elderly woman away and toward the guest wing of the manor, to set her up with food and a warm fire.

  "Now Edward," his father was saying with now a real depth of concern in his voice. "It is starting to get dark so we will not go any further tonight but early tomorrow you and I shall set out and visit the remaining tenants."

  Edward nodded, remaining close to his father but feeling particularly desperate to get to his wife.

  "Go and get ready for dinner and then we shall dine. And not one word of any of this to Alessandra or your mother."

  Edward left then, bounding into the drawing room to check if Alessandra was there, but seeing no-one in the room, then ran up the regal staircase and to their bed chamber.

  As he made his way to her he considered the timeframe that Mrs Howard had said - the past four nights the man had not been back … which meant that the last time he was there, was the day Edward had walked with Alessandra to the waterfall. Horror descended upon him as he remembered the moment they had thought they had heard something in the forest behind them.

  Before opening the door he stopped and took deep breaths until he was sure he looked calm and could put a smile on his face once more, and then opened the door.

  Alessandra heard the door open and turned to see Edward enter, making her heart melt. It had been two weeks since they had been intimate - the longest they had ever been withdrawn from each other - and when she looked at him she was reminded of how much she had come to love her husband and the way that he looked.

  He walked in calmly but with a smile on his face that said exactly how he felt about her, and she walked toward him to receive an embrace, which they both indulged in for a long time before pulling apart. Edward started to wash and change for dinner while Alessandra kept watching him.

  "Is all well, husband?" she asked and he smiled at her, hating to lie but not wanting to risk the shock she might feel if she knew the truth.

  "Yes, my lovely wife. It has been a long day, but I am fine," he said, now dressed and moving toward her for another embrace. "Come, let us go eat and you can tell me all about your day."

  Chapter Forty Six

  Despite the chatter that passed between the household staff, the news of Mrs Howard's ordeal was contained from the ladies of the household, much to the relief of Edward and his father.

  At breakfast conversation was much the same as usual, before Edward's father spoke up with a stern sound in his voice.

  "Come, Edward. We have much to do around the estate today, so we will be out all day," he said and immediately Edward rose at the summons, eager himself to get out and try to do something to ensure there was no danger to his family.

  He went to his wife and gave her a particularly long farewell kiss before removing himself to leave, feeling dread at the thought of something awful possibly happening in the near future that was going to result in her unhappiness.

  Once on the road again, Edward and his father did not say anything to each other, each in their own thoughts about what the man in question was willing to do in order to get to Alessandra.

  One cottage after another they visited, stopping to talk to the tenants, explain what Tom looked like, and ask them to immediately notify the master at the manor if they saw anyone suspicious or unknown in the area.

  "But Master, is that enough? We can round up men from the nearby farms and do a proper search for this man. For him to do what he did to Mrs Howard is just not right."

  Edward looked at the man before him, agreeing silently in his head that actively searching for Tom was a good idea, but not wanting to argue with his father, who always seemed to know best.

  Finally the evening rolled in and Edward was pleased they had spoken to every tenant on the estate. No-one else had seen anyone new on the estate, which brought out in Edward a sense of relief but also fear that Tom could be hiding anywhere, ready to strike whenever he was ready.

  When they arrived back at the manor, Edward went to find Margaret.

  "How is Mrs Howard?" he asked her quietly when he had found her.

  "She is very weak, Sir, but she has been eating somewhat, and drinking some wine, and she is looking better. But I do think it may be several days at least before she is strong again."

  Edward nodded at her kindly.

  "Very well, keep tending to her and do not let her leave until you believe she has the strength to. She is to be well looked after and kept warm at all times," he said quietly before walking off. Mrs Howard was one of the many tenants he had known all of his life, and although she was of a much lower position in life than he, as with all the tenants he had been taught to respect and love everyone around the estate.

  * * * * *

  That night in bed he held his wife tightly, kissing her softly. He could feel her wanting him to yield and make love to her, but he was steadfast in adhering to the agreement they had made to each other after the day at the waterfall. He wanted her - oh how he wanted her - but he would not risk endangering her or the child. It was not easy - she knew how to please him and make him yearn for her - but he counteracted that with laughter toward her.

  "Alessandra, stop being wicked toward me," he teased her and she laughed back at him, appreciating how eager he was to keep her safe and well.

  "What do you mean, Edward?" she teased him back with an innocent look on her face. "Whatever can you mean? I am only showing my affection."

  They laughed together.

  "My innocent wife. I love you, and you know how easily you enflame me."

  "Oh!" she said unexpectedly and he was alarmed for a moment before she smiled at him, completely distracted from her previous attentions.

  Alessandra revelled in the feeling she had started to get used to now - that of a small person inside of her, moving around - and she took
Edward's hand and put it on her belly once again. Immediately she saw him smile and display the same look of wonder that he always did when he felt the baby move.

  "He is hearty, isn't he, my love?"

  "Oh, you still are thinking this is a boy, then?" Alessandra asked, teasing him further.

  "I shall be pleased with a boy or a girl, Alessandra," he replied and kissed her deeply. "But I think you must agree, he is active enough to be a boy."

  Chapter Forty Seven

  Over the following week nothing more was said or heard about Tom Missinger. But the next week, as Alessandra moved into her sixth month of pregnancy, Edward and his father received notification in the steward's room that Old John had come to the manor and was waiting in the stable to see them. Edward and his father looked at each other before walking quickly to see the man waiting for them.

  "Oh, Master!" he said, removing his hat and bowing his head slightly at the two men as they got closer to him.

  "What is it? What has happened?" Edward's father asked, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt inside.

  "Oh, Master, we have found a body and we did not know what to do…"

  Edward felt a sinking feeling of dread inside of him, with the thought of anyone being dead and having been found on the estate.

  "Where?"

  "Out by the waterfall, Master. It looks like it has been there for at least two weeks, but I do not know the man. I thought he could be the man you spoke of as it is not too far from Mrs Howard's cottage," Old John said, pushing Edward's feeling of despair even lower still. That last time that he had taken Alessandra there, they had thought they heard someone in the forest … now he felt another level of horror inside, at the thought that perhaps whoever was there might have seen his wife naked.

  "Alright. We must notify the constable at once. Edward you might have to see the body to check if it is Missinger," Edward's father said to him, seeing his son was in shock but still needing him to do what he must, so they could all know if they would now be safe and in peace once again.