Wynthall Manor- The Wynthall Manor Trilogy

by Brianne E Pryor

  Grey stood to his feet and stepped back, running a hand through his hair, unnerved by what he had discovered and the very cool, damp feeling which lingered on his hands. His heart thudded against his chest in a way that was not so foreign to him but rather familiar, reminding him of days long passed. Desirous to shake these thoughts from his mind, he turned to look upon the young woman, the missing Lady Eva for whom the entire country searched in hopes of finding her before her father’s death, and now it seemed that Grey himself had unwittingly done so and most obviously against the lady’s wishes. She sat in a bitter silence with his handkerchief clutched in one hand while the other was placed against her forehead which surely ached from crying. Her eyes were closed in an attempt to take control of her wavered breathing.

  Grey struggled to find words which might break the uneasy silence. Many a question loomed in his mind, though he knew better than to become her inquisitor while she was so shaken with sorrow. As her breathing came to a slow, the baron once again took the glass from the desk and held it before her. Sensing his presence, she opened her eyes and looked first at him then to the glass, before slowly, almost cautiously, she took from his hand. “Th-thank you,” she whispered, clutching it in both hands as she sipped, allowing the cool water to sooth her throat.

  Lowering the glass from her mouth, she looked up at Grey, no longer hesitant or timid, but her expression filled with exhaustion and defeat. “What can I say to you, Lord de Grey?” her cracked voice no longer trembled though it revealed her despair. “Heaven knows what you must think.”

  Grey sighed audibly, not knowing how he should approach the topic, nor wanting to upset her any further. “You need not say anything, my lady. Only tell me how I might help you.”

  The lady could only shake her head in reply. “I am afraid all help is beyond me, my lord,” she spoke dismally. “I am Eva Vastel, just as you have said, but there is nothing that can be done for me.”

  “Nothing? You do not even wish for me to return you to Covingdell before it is too late?”

  “It is already too late,” her broken voice uttered quietly.

  “If you do not wish for me to help you, then what am I to do, my lady?”

  “Eva Vastel is presumed dead and so she must stay for a time.”

  “Lady Eva, I am well aware that this affair does not want my interference but, I must ask you why. The whole country wonders at your disappearance and had almost given up any hope of discovering you. If you are not returned very soon, your uncle will become the duke and there shall be no reversing his lineage.”

  The young woman sighed. “I fear we are already beyond all help, my lord. I saw that man, a messenger from Covingdell, most certainly come to tell you of my father’s—of my father’s death. Without him, there is nothing I can do to stop my uncle becoming Duke of Dawcaster.”

  “But, madam, surely your very existence is enough.”

  “Were that true, my lord, I would make haste to restore myself to Covingdell.” She shook her head mournfully. “But it is not.”

  “My lady, I do not understand you.”

  Sadness filled the lady’s eyes and she tried to withhold another bout of tears. “There is nothing that can be done to stop him, Lord de Grey,” her small voice whispered.

  This statement took the baron quite by surprise, though he knew of whom she spoke. “You mean to speak of your uncle, Lord Alex?”

  At mention of his name, Eva’s expression became sullen. Her words were bitter, filled with hatred as she spoke them. “Just so.” Her direct response confirmed what many already suspected and what the baron had been almost certain of—that Alexander Vastel had a definite hand in her disappearance. In an effort to draw out more of the information which he sought, Grey spoke again. “But he searches so diligently for you, my lady. It appears to all the country and beyond that he wants nothing more than your safe return.”

  These words gained a bemused huff from Lady Eva, who only continued to shake her head. “My uncle is a greedy man. He says he fears for my well-being, when in reality he seeks to destroy me. I know you can imagine why, my lord.”

  The baron nodded gravely. “He wants your father’s title and lands.”

  “Yes.” Eva’s voice was a whisper again. “And now to the great dismay of the region he will have it.”

  “But, my lady, now that you are—”

  “I am not recovered, Lord de Grey.” Eva’s bold interruption took the baron quite by surprise. “You and you only know of my whereabouts and I beg of you not to reveal them to anyone outside this room.”

  “My lady, how can I—”

  “You must!” Eva looked up to meet Grey’s baffled stare. “I know it is a great thing to ask of you, sir, but my uncle must not find me.”

  “And why not?” the baron countered.

  Lady Eva seemed hesitant in her reply as she momentarily gazed beyond Lord de Grey to the shaded library window. “I do not need to tell you of the character of my uncle, Lord Alexander,” she began. “He is well known throughout every English county, and I daresay there are few who approve of him. My father was numbered among them. All his life he has done everything within his power to keep my uncle from blurring the family’s honor, to keep him away from Covingdell where he might not pray upon the heiress who was—is—helpless without her father. That is why I cannot return. Do you not see, without my father there, my uncle would surely see my end, and then all would be lost. All my father worked and lived for would be subject to my uncle's dishonor. Even now, it may already be lost. My uncle will not receive the peerage until I have been missing for some time and am declared dead, I have until that time to find a way to return without being killed. You must see, it is not my life I treasure so, but the honor of my father. Surely you must know my meaning. It is not my wish nor my intention for him become duke, but I must first prove all that he has done so that he can no longer bring hardship and degradation to my family.”

  Grey pondered this a moment before inquiring, “Could you not go to the magistrate and relate to him your uncle’s involvement in your disappearance?”

  Eva shook her head. “I have no evidence to prove his guilt besides my own knowledge of him. I know that he must have been the one to have me taken away but I have no way to prove this.”

  “You were kidnapped then?”

  Eva nodded. “Snatched from my bed in the night,” she shuddered at the memory. “I heard voices in the hall but presumed they were only servants, then a moment later, I awoke and was pulled from my bed with a hand over my face to stop my breathing. Everything grew so eerily quiet, and then I could see nothing. I remember being so certain that whoever had hold of me would kill me, that he would cut of my breath forever, but the next thing I knew I was awakening.”

  “And it was your uncle who dragged you away?”

  Eva shook her head. “That is where my troubles begin, Lord de Grey. I do not know,” she whispered, her voice catching again. “I was certain that I heard his voice in the room, but as I recall it, I could have easily been mistaken. No judge would convict him with such little evidence of his guilt nor would even the magistrate have him arrested.”

  “But you are certain he is guilty?”

  “He must be. He has wanted nothing more than my father’s title for all my life. Ever since I was a child he has hated me. My father might have been able to cast him out or to even go before the Court and have him taken away, but now…” Her voice broke as she tried to withhold a cry. “Forgive me.”

  Grey only shook his head as he pondered all that she had revealed to him. “My lady, you said you were not conscious when you were taken, where were you when you awoke?”

  With a calming breath and a bit of a sniffle, Lady Eva answered without hesitation. “I was in the back of a hay wagon being ridden down a secluded road. My hands and feet were bound, and there was a cloth in my mouth. I was hidden beneath an old blanket and some straw but could peek out through a small opening and see the trees above me. The w
agon went on for some time before it eventually stopped, and I heard someone call out a greeting. They asked the driver if he had their delivery, and then they both laughed. A moment, later the covering was thrown off of me and there they both stood. I didn’t get much of a look at the driver, only the man who had come to meet us on the road. I was quite surprised by his dress and speech, he was a gentleman at the very least, a baron or baronet perhaps. He smiled when he saw me and then pulled out his purse. After paying the driver, he told me that I would be happy to know I was worth fifty pounds, then they both laughed again.” Eva no longer held Grey’s intrigued eyes but gazed beyond him as she recalled the fearful moments vividly, a dark haze concealing her eye’s brilliant blue. “And the blanket was pulled back over me and we started off again.”

  When the lady paused, Grey, who still stood to the side, urged her to continue, “Where did they take you?”

  “I was so terribly tired from trying to break the bonds, and as the hours passed, I fell asleep. When I awoke, I was lying in a large room. I was alone and tried to open the door, but it was locked. After gaining some courage, I called out but had no reply. I called for some time until my voice grew dull, then finally the door was opened and there he was, the man who had paid the driver fifty pounds. I demanded he return me to my father, but he only seemed amused by this. He said that I was home now and was not to make any sort of demands. Though he intimidated me, I was not about to give way. I told him my father would find me and have him thrown into jail, if not hanged. Then he grew angry. He told me I was to do as I was told, and if I disobeyed, I would pay the price. I asked him why I was taken and brought there, and he began to smile again. Then he told me… he told me I was…” Eva’s words seemed to catch in her throat before she could finish. “That I was to be his wife.”

  “His wife?” Grey echoed the lady’s words, shocked at her revelation after having never assumed such a thing.

  Eva nodded soberly, her face portraying her inward emotions of fear and disgust. “You must imagine how I acted after that,” she spoke now in a whisper. “At first I was shocked, and then I lashed out at him. I told him I was not about to unite myself to the likes of a man such as he. He said I would do it or die, and I responded gladly to the latter but the man was not affected. He said then I would die and my uncle would inherit the peerage. He said I was to marry him or doom my father’s dukedom to Uncle Alex, then he left the room and locked the door. There I remained until I was able to escape.”

  As the lady spoke of the ordeal, pieces that had otherwise been scattered all so suddenly began to fall into place, and Grey was reaffirmed that in refusing to assist Lord Alex he had been in the right for the duke’s brother had surely learned of his niece’s escape and was truly on the hunt for her, to discover her before she exposed him. Grey was now beyond intrigued as he listened to the demands of this man who had paid a price for the duke’s daughter so that he might force her into a marriage. But what had all this to do with Alexander Vastel, who everyone assumed was involved in his niece’s disappearance? Surely he would not have had her taken only to marry her off, when he was in perfect line to inherit the peerage? “So you believe this man put up a price for you, hoping that he might become the husband of the Duchess of Dawcaster?” Grey questioned.

  Lady Eva shook her head. “That I cannot understand. I assume something of the kind but cannot imagine why my uncle would have it so when it would only interfere with he himself inheriting the dukedom.”

  This point, too, caused Grey much confusion for why indeed would Lord Alex make such a move when his plan might have gained him everything he had ever wanted? “Did you ever know the name of the man who took you?” Grey inquired further.

  “There was an elderly maid who cared for me while I was kept there,” the lady began to explain. “She called him Master Avery, but I never heard any other name. I hardly ever saw him. He came to the room once every so often to scold me or tell me how fortunate I was to have been chosen to become his wife, but otherwise, I saw only the elderly maid and the man who was sent with her to ensure I did not try to overcome her and escape. There were times in which I feared that I never would. But now that my father is gone, it would have been just as well that I marry the man and have done with it. At least then, I might have spared the dukedom my uncle’s cruel hand. Now I do not know if I ever shall.” Lady Eva sighed heavily, her expression weighted with exhaustion. Her shoulders hung and her eyes, red from crying, were filled with an unbearable grief, knowing that she would never see her beloved father again, nor could she save all that was now left of him.

  “Forgive me for keeping you so long, madam.” Grey’s words caused her to emerge somewhat from the world she seemed to have grown lost in. “I am sure that is quite enough for now. Allow me to have Byrum escort you back to the Orange Room.”

  Eva nodded and stood from the chair in which she was seated while Grey rang the bell for the butler.

  “You—you won’t say anything, Lord de Grey?” Her voice was again timid, as though she feared his answer. Grey paused for a moment in his reply but soon shook his head in assurance her secret was not likely to pass his lips. With her fears momentarily laid aside Eva ventured a thankful smile in reply and bowed before Lord de Grey as Byrum entered to escort her back to her room. Grey restrained himself from any movement besides a brief nod as the now duchess was led away and the air of secrecy, which had forever haunted Wynthall fell darker still.

  ~ 12 ~

  For many hours after her departure, Grey sat alone in the library, his mind occupied with nothing save the Lady Eva and the terrible evil that had befallen her. Through no fault of her own, she was taken from her father and sold into the cruel hands of a man who would make her his wife to gain what was hers, and Grey all but knew it was the doing of not only this Master Avery of whom she spoke but of the ever cunning and greedy mind of Alexander Vastel. In spite of his surety that the man was guilty of the vile crime, it now seemed all so strange to the baron that the duke’s brother would risk his life only to have the lady marry a gentleman or baronet when he himself could become duke if only he put an end to her. Grey failed to understand why Lord Alex would send her to wed a stranger when all he need do was ensure her permanent disappearance.

  Perhaps he could be innocent of this crime? Grey’s mind entertained this thought for only a moment. Alexander Vastel was many things, but innocent he was not, and the baron was certain—even now—that her uncle had played a hand in her abduction whether he be the mastermind behind the scheme or not. Despite his lack of knowledge in regards to how the situation was brought about and by whom Grey was determined to prove the man’s guilt that his John Vastel's title might be restored to its rightful possessor.

  Grey now realized that besides Lord Alexander himself, there were only two others who could connect him to the scheme—the man who had intended to force Lady Eva into a marriage and the driver who had delivered her to him. Knowing that his chances of finding a gentleman were much greater than that of a hay wagon driver Grey decided he must first search for the man who had kept the duke’s daughter a prisoner in his house. Eva had known not of the man whom she had been sold to besides his name, which Grey was certain must be a first name as the servants referred to him as master.

  He must be the son of a nobleman, Grey concluded from this. But the baron knew of no man with an eldest son called Avery, in his or surrounding counties. If only she had heard his surname or knew from whence he resided. The lady might have traveled for miles before I discovered her. It was this moment in which Grey remembered the news that he had received from Lord Bondeville earlier that day—that Lady Eva had been seen on the road near Lochson in that region. Eva had not known her location but it was possible that Bondeville’s source had been right and that it was near Lochson where she had been held. Ringing the bell for Merek, Grey inquired of him who in the area of Lochson might have a son called Avery, but neither he nor Byrum knew of any baron or baronet who had a child by th
e name. Unsure of where to continue, Grey searched his records for a man in or near the area in which Eva had been sighted who might father a son called such, but there was none that he could find and Grey began to fear that the man who had claimed to see her there had been mistaken or in want of some reward.

  Yet it was only the day before in which Lord Alex had demanded my help in the search, Grey recalled. Surely, he too must have known of the sighting. If only I were able to discover where she was and the identity of this man, then all might be resolved. But his search continued into the afternoon and turned up nothing. Without his surname, there was no way that Grey could see in which to find the man called Avery, and without him there was no way to prove Alexander Vastel’s guilt, if indeed he was guilty. Grey feared that perhaps his own dislike for the man wanted him to have committed such a crime for which he might be taken away from all good society. With the knowledge that her kidnappers had intended for the lady to wed rather than end her life, it would seem that her uncle had had no hand in the scheme and it was only their mutual dislike for him, which urged Grey and the Lady Eva to presume his guilt. He must be guilty. Grey refused to believe the man otherwise but feared that his insistence upon Alexander Vastel's involvement stemmed not from condemning evidence but from his inward hopes that finally he had reason enough to confront the duke's brother.