After The Storm (25 page)

“Hallo,” she said lightly to set him at ease, for he
was shifting and looking nervous. “What is your name, lad?”

“Bert,” he answered and swiped away a mass of hair
away from his eyes.

“Well, Bert, I am going to ask you a few questions,
but you must not be frightened, just answer me as best you
can.”

“Aye, oi’ll try, oi will,” he said, shifting his
weight from one leg to the other.

“Right then, before the earl, Master Bradley, and I
arrived to take our horses, who visited the stables?”

“Visited, my lady?” He looked puzzled.

“Yes, who came by on an errand or such—perhaps to
speak with your head groom?”

He eyed her thoughtfully. “Well, the only people that
came by this morning was the Dowager Danfield. She said she wanted
her carriage prepared and brought round after lunch as she—”

Jenny interrupted him. “Does she always give her
instructions in person?”

“Whot? Her? Never,” he answered. “When she took her
leave, she met her son, she did, in near the rear entrance. Then he
came in, told us he would be needing yer horses.”

“And when you saddled them, you of course, did not
find anything wrong with the earl’s saddle girth?”

“No, oi tacked up his horse meself …”

“Right, and the earl saw nothing untoward when he
tightened the girth.” She sighed. “Very well, thank you.” Jenny’s
mind was a jumble of concern.

“And course, much earlier there was that other
fellow,” said the lad. “Can’t remember his name, the one they say
was a lieutenant, but he was quick about his business, got his
horse from the pasture, tacked him up himself, and off he
went.”

“Oh, yes, Mac,” Jenny said to herself more than to
him. “He went off to town earlier.”

Right, she thought; she was no closer to knowing just
who could have done this. However, the only one she truly suspected
was the dowager! She pulled out a sixpence from her jacket pocket
and handed it to him, happy that she always kept a little money on
her person. “Thank you, Bert.” As she walked away she wondered,
now what?

* * *

Jenny made her way towards the parlor but stopped
short. Diane Danfield was screeching on the other side of the
closed doors. “How dare you, Howard!” She paused, and then her
voice full with seething fury, she added, “Just yesterday you held
me in your arms and now …?”

“Yes, just yesterday, but who did you spend your
night with, Diane? Don’t deny it. It is already being talked about
all the way to the stables. I know you were with that McMillan
fellow!” he snapped.

Her voice turned coy, and Jenny knew she shouldn’t
eavesdrop, but she told herself they were speaking loudly enough
for her to hear without her putting her ear to the door.

“
Are you jealous
—is that it?”

“No, I have been trying to tell you it is over,” he
answered. “Diane, don’t make us anymore wretched than we need to
be.”

“Over? It wasn’t over yesterday afternoon, was it,
when you put your head on my pillow …?”

“That was a mistake, and you take unfair advantage.
It
was my
pillow … my cottage, and I felt badly
afterwards.” He paused. “We don’t love each other, it isn’t love,
and … well, yesterday when you were crying I found it
impossible for me to say you nay, so one thing led to another, but
it was wrong, all wrong, and I am telling you with clear head and
conscience,
it is over
.”

“Is this because of McMillan?”

“No, but you should be more discreet. You were seen
leaving his bedroom in the small hours, and all the servants are
now talking about it.”

“It was that little witch, Helen, wasn’t it? If she
told you this, it is because she hates me—”

“It wasn’t her, and she wouldn’t lie.”

“You think you have a chance with her? Perhaps when
my son is done with her, you may.”

Jenny heard him make an unintelligible sound just
before she heard him shout, “
Enough!
I won’t hear anything
against her, do you hear me!” He paused, and then she could almost
see the fury on his face as he said, “I came here to tell you that
when I arrived at the stable, the head groom had been sent to fetch
Jason’s saddle. His girth had been purposely cut!”

“I already know. Brad stopped by and actually asked
me if I had anything to do with it.” Her voice was full with
disdain. “As though I would. My own son …” She paused. “At any
rate, ’tis none of your affair.”

“It certainly is. My cousin has had an attempt made
on his life. His wife was trapped in a shed that was then set on
fire only a day ago, and only two people stand to benefit from such
losses, and I do not believe Brad had anything to do with either
event—that leaves you!”

“Get out!” she screamed insanely. “GETOUTGETOUT!”

Jenny hurried off, her mind cluttered with disbelief.
Just what was going on? She had not suspected Howard, and this
behavior almost confirmed to her that in all probability he had
nothing to do with these attempts on her or her husband. Right
then, Howard had nothing, at least nothing obvious, to gain.

She went upstairs to Jason, who was in their room
with his valet. He dismissed the smaller man and turned to his
wife. “What? You have something on your mind.”

“Is it possible that Howard has been mismanaging the
estate funds somehow … stealing from you in some way?’

“No. I am very hands-on with my man of business and
check and recheck all outgoing and incoming funds.” He put away
with two strides the distance between them and took her face in his
hands. “Sweetheart, don’t worry about this. I damn well mean to
find out who set the shed on fire with you locked inside, and that
will lead us to the culprit behind these attacks.”

He kissed her then, and she realized he wore nothing
beneath his dressing gown as he pressed up against her. While his
tongue danced deliciously in her mouth, he took her hand and put it
to his hard, throbbing shaft, and she felt a wave of heat.

“Jenny,” he whispered softly, picked her up
cradle-like, and set her on the bed. “My Jenny …”

She helped him remove her gown and murmured, “This is
sinful in the middle of the day …”

“So it is—shall I stop?” His voice was husky, and she
knew he had no intention of stopping.

“If you like, you can stop,” she teased.

“Well, I don’t like, and, oh, my sweet wife, I can’t,
I just can’t,” he said, nibbling at her neck as his hand releasing
her breast from the confines of her bodice.

“Nor do I want you to stop,” she murmured as he bent
and began suckling her nipple.

~
Eighteen ~

Oh dreadful is the check—intense the agony—

When the ear begins to hear, and the eye, begins to
see;

When the pulse begins to throb, the brain to think
again,

The Soul to feel the flesh, and the flesh to feel
the chain!

—Emily Bronte

THE HOUSE BUZZED with the news of the earl’s
accident. Rumors were rife, and the servants were spooked.

Jenny moved about listlessly. After their time
together, Jason had said he had a short errand to run in town. She
had wanted to go with him, but he had asked her to remain behind
and keep close to the castle.

She found Bradley as she walked the grounds. He
waved, came up to her, and pinched her chin. “Ah, Jen, you are an
irresistible creature, and when it comes to you, my blood is all
meridian.”

“Outrageous flirt.” She laughed.

“I am, indeed, but you know, Jen, if you weren’t
m’brother’s wife … I would be in earnest.” He sighed
dramatically. “However, you belong to m’brother, so be it.”

She laughed again, and he excused himself, saying he
was off to meet some friends. Once again she picked up her pace and
walked toward the hothouse, found nothing of interest, and then
retraced her steps back to the castle.

She was walking along the side wall of the gray
castle, thinking how to embellish it with evergreens and ivy, when
she noticed an unusual arrangement of ornamental evergreens, the
only ones, and in a strange cluster at one wall. Odd that. Why had
they been planted so close to each other? They were choking one
another’s roots.

As she reached the clump of yews and moved between
them, she caught her foot on something and looked down to find a
rusty lump of heavy metal.

Excitement tickled every nerve. She bent and brushed
away the evergreen needles and dirt to discover a huge, rusted,
heavy ring.

Gasping, she stood a moment. Could this be the
tunnel?

She hurried to the toolshed that reposed against the
far wall of the castle and flung open its door to find the shovel
she needed. Then she returned to the ring and began shoveling away
the dirt and yew needles to uncover a metal plate.

Heedless of her clothes, she dug and brushed away
layers of dirt and then began prying the edges, exclaiming with
satisfaction when she finally got one side loose enough to
move.

The priest’s hole now had special meaning for her,
yes, but this,
this was the
Jacobite
tunnel!

Slowly, and gingerly, she descended the carved stone
steps. The light from overhead showed her a small landing at the
foot of the steps where a wood door, now weathered and cracked with
age, was housed.

She hurried back up the steps to return to the
castle’s remaining shed, where she found a lantern and lit it
before taking the steps again.

She went down in the hole and put her shoulder to the
lightweight wooden door, but it seemed jammed. However, all at once
one panel broke inward and then totally gave way.

She was able to open this door then and took the
narrow tunnel some distance, lantern in hand, until she encountered
another set of steps. She ascended these, undid a latch, and threw
open a trap door, thinking it had been used recently for it opened
easily. When she poked her head out, she was in the hothouse!

She scrambled up and laughed before looking ruefully
at what had once been a beautiful gown.

Hurriedly she made her way back to the castle and was
just about to take the stairs to her room when a familiar voice
halted her.

“Hallo, Jenny—just the lady I wished to see.” He
stopped and exclaimed, “By Jove, what has happened, Jenny? Are you
all right?”

“Oh, I was gardening, and I am afraid I slipped and
fell right into the dirt. I’ll go wash up and change …” She
started for the stairs again.

“Right then, I’ll wait, and we’ll take a walk,” he
answered softly.

“Wonderful—we have had so little time
together …” she said, rushing off.

* * *

Washed, her hair brushed into a semblance of order,
and changed into a pretty day gown of green trimmed with ivory lace
at the heart-shaped bodice, she returned to Mac, who shook his head
and said, “Jenny, you just don’t know how beautiful you are.”

She laughed and said as she took his hand, “Come
on.”

“What have you been doing all morning?” he asked as
they fell into step outside.

“Oh, something awful has happened,” she answered,
frowning.

“I know, I have heard,” he said gravely.

“It was deliberate,” she said.

“Perhaps not,” he answered.

“How can you say that? The girth was cut, not worn
through.”

He sighed. “Yes, but you shouldn’t worry your head
over it. I am certain the earl will sort it out.”

She didn’t answer and said, “Oh … I don’t think
I have taken this path before—where does it lead?”

“Ah, a wooded trail, a shortcut to town. I used it
coming home.”

They hadn’t gone more than a hundred feet when Jenny
stopped short, feeling as though someone had slammed her alongside
her head. She clutched at Mac’s arm as she looked at her husband
leaning back against a birch tree, the reins of his horse in his
hand and Lady Hester, her horse grazing at her back, pacing in
front of him.

“Jason,
what shall we do
—I can’t bear it that
she stands in our way,” Hester said on a loud sob.

The earl murmured something that sounded angry, and
she saw his face drawn in a frown. Jenny was stunned. He was with
Lady Hester. He had said he was going to town, but he was here
meeting Lady Hester.

She turned quickly and ran. Her heart was breaking
not in two but into a thousand little pieces.

Had he told her that he loved her? Not really. He had
spoken tender words, but he had not declared himself.

Mac ran after her and grabbed her arm. “Jenny, it
can’t be what you think. It can’t be. No one would put you aside
for a tart like that.” He managed to stop her, and she turned wet
eyes to him. “Dash it, Jen, you are jumping to conclusions!”

“How can you say so? I have seen them with my own
eyes. He told me he was going to town, and instead here he is with
Lady Hester.”

“No doubt he was returning from town, and they met by
accident,” offered Mac.

“He is alone in the woods with her!”

“Silly chit, what is that to say? You are in the
woods alone with me.” He took her into his arms and patted her
back. “There, you see, things are not always what they seem.”

A nervous giggle escaped her. Could he be right? Was
she making too much of this? “Mac, dearest and best of friends,
what would I do without your clear-sighted advice?”

He took her chin and lifted her face. “You never have
to be without it, so dry those eyes.”

The earl’s voice was a low-throttled spear of cold
and contained anger. “Do I intrude?”

* * *

Mac and Jenny jumped apart, looking guilty as hell,
and Jenny put up her chin. “No more than I would have if I had
interrupted you and Lady Hester!”

Mac bowed and said, “I shall leave you two and find
my way back to the castle.”