The Hired Wife (27 page)

Buckingham
sniffed the glass, “I don’t smell anything. Mrs Cooper…” All the
servants crammed into the room taking turns sniffing the remaining
drops of wine. “If he used poison, where would he keep it?”

“My Lord!” A
servant crammed up against the commode was holding up a wooden
box.

Marshall saw
the servant waving the box at Buckingham and held out his hand.
“His apothecary’s box…give it to me!” Mary cringed away from the
box as Marshall sat it beside her. It wasn’t locked. Picking up the
blue vial he sniffed it. “Laudanum!” He threw it aside. All the
other vials appeared full except for the empty green vial. Marshall
held it to his nose and made a face. “Here’s the culprit. It smells
like mouse…does anyone want to taste it?” The servants ogled each
other in silent horror. “Is there a poison that smells like mouse
urine? What did the old woman say? Why did she just cross
herself?”

He bent his ear
to Mary’s lips, “Hemlock!”

“Henry wouldn’t
drink hemlock…not unless… What if the servant accidentally put it
in all four bottles? Henry must have meant to poison someone else.
The bastard meant to kill one of us.”

Lady Emily
burst into tears, “So Alyce is alive?”

Not having
heard his sister Marshall continued, “If he’d forced Alyce to come
to his room that would explain the two glasses…”

Emily rushed over to her brother and grabbed his waist coat.
“Alyce came to my room after speaking with Morley in the
Conservatory. She said she was going to marry someone
else.”

“Who the blazes
would want her?”

“She wouldn’t
say…I think she meant Robert Smirke.”

“A Smirke?”
Marshall stared at his sister in horror. “Which one is he?”

“The tall
beautiful one with black hair.”

“Two of them
fit that description!”

“He’s the
youngest; the one who’s seventeen. She must be with him.”

“Seventeen?
That hussy! What’s she going to do? Seduce the boy and then find
herself in an interesting condition so he has to marry her? His
father will be furious! Does she want me to die in a duel before I
can even beget an heir?”

“Don’t be
silly! What does it matter if she marries a Smirke? She has a large
dowry. He’s a little young, but if he loves her…”

“I don’t care
what the wretched boy feels. His father hates me. He won’t want a
hussy Godfrey entrapping one his precious sons. We’ve got to find
the Smirkes before they accidentally find the fourth bottle…unless
it was delivered to Alyce. Merry heard a woman scream near the
lake…”

Buckingham took
Emily’ hand and pulled her towards the door, “We’ll search the
lake.”

Marshall’s eyes
were filled with worry as he turned to Mary. “I’m sorry Merry mine,
but I’m going to put you over my shoulder…” She shook her head as
she rubbed her sore stomach and pelvis. “I have to find my sister
and we don’t have time to argue! If she’s dead I won’t be able to
kill her for ruining the best day of my life…” Mary reluctantly
stood up and allowed herself to be slung over his shoulder. She
clung to the bottom of his waistcoat as her tears left a shimmering
trail from Morley’s room to the entrance hall and out the door to
the front steps.

Marshall was
out of breath as he followed Buckingham and Emily out the front
door. His eyes were on the ground to ensure he didn’t trip over
anything and fall with his precious burden. With screaming servants
flowing out the house behind him, Marshall was brought to an abrupt
halt behind Buckingham and Emily. “Move out of the way! My wife is
going to be crushed by your blasted servants.” Buckingham dragged
Emily out of the way allowing Marshall to step forward. Sighing
with relief, he removed Mary from his aching shoulder and set her
on her own feet. Stretching his sore back, he looked up to find a
very tall beautiful man in dusty black holding the reins of a giant
sweating horse. The man was looking down at him with polite blank
expression. Next to their father Cosmo and Charles Smirke, who were
average height, looked short. “I’ve c-come for my sons.”

Marshall
flushed with shame as memories of his youthful blind trust in
Morley made him cringe. “What did he say Merry?”

“I feel
ill.”

“That’s not
what he said.”

Emily whirled
around and shouted, “He’s come for his sons! Let’s hope they
haven’t drunk the missing bottle. Leave Mary here with the
servants! We have to find Alyce. We don’t have time to watch Mary
be ill on the drive.”

Marshall
flushed again as the tall beautiful Lord Adderbury paled. “What
b-b-bottle?” His two present sons denied any knowledge causing
black eyes to fill with fear. “What is g-g-going on? Who’s
Alyce?”

“What did he
say?”

Emily glared at
her brother, “Who cares? Where did Mary hear the screams? Did they
sound like a man or woman?”

“How should I
know? I can’t hear anything and if your sister had listened to me
she’d…”

“We don’t have
time for a lecture. Where was the scream?”

Marshall
touched his pale wife. “Merry?”

“I feel
ill.”

“You can be ill
after we find Alyce. You know I can’t leave you…the screams? Were
they male or female?”

“Female…I
think…” Marshall couldn’t hear Buckingham explain the situation to
Lord Adderbury, but the master of the house waved his arm and two
servants led the giant horse away and the housekeeper stepped
forward with frightened eyes clearly terrified to return to the
kitchens to fetch refreshment for the traveller. The master moved
his mouth and waved his arm again and the housekeeper curtseyed as
a band of frightened servants disappeared back inside together.

Marshall
growled in irritation, “What is going on? Merry?”

“Lord Adderbury
has agreed to protect me while you search…”

“What are you
talking about?”

“I can’t go
on.”

Marshall
flinched as he looked up to find Lord Adderbury’s black obsidian
eyes inches away. “I’ll t-t-take her inside. She’ll b-be safe with
us.”

The two Smirke
brothers looked miserable as they hovered behind their father.
“Papa, together, Charles and I will be perfectly safe from Morley.
You have to let us help find Robert.”

“You’ll stay
with me.” Lord Adderbury’s mild words had a steely undertone which
left no room for negotiation.

Marshall’s arm
momentarily tightened around Mary’s waist before reluctantly
removing it. “With luck Morley’s dead, but if he isn’t, don’t let
him or his mad mother near my wife…I beg you.”

Black
unreadable eyes glanced from Marshall to Mary and back to Marshall.
“Very well.”

“Merry mine…”
Marshall touched her face as she turned red eyes up at him. “…don’t
think we’re done!” He backed away holding her eye. He opened up his
mouth to admit his heart to the world when her eyes turned to the
tall wife shopping Lord at her side. Marshall felt his stomach drop
as he watched the beautiful Lord Adderbury easily pick up Mary up
in his arms and carry her inside. Turning away, the lake was a
shimmering blur as he ran after Buckingham who’d already organised
the servants into groups to search different parts of the estate.
His worst nightmare had become reality; his Perfect Woman was in
the arms of a beautiful Smirke.

Pausing near
the top, Marshall’s eyes were pulled by a morbid fascination
towards the half hidden red Chinese folly. Had the two dead
servants really died making love? He felt a surge of irrational
jealousy. He wanted to make love to his wife under the stars, but
she was probably going to fall in love with a Smirke and leave him
with a broken heart and empty arms. He’d deal with his broken heart
later, after finding Alyce. Wiping his eyes, he followed the line
from the folly down the hillside. A young man was risking his neck
by forging his own trail down the hill. The young Smirke was
heading for the lake. Suddenly Marshall saw it; a patch of pinkish
foliage. “Buckingham! She’s there, on the shore…beneath the folly!”
The words boomed down the hill pushing the other searchers to run
faster. Marshall’s insides twisted into a knot as he galloped down
the hill after them. Alyce was a spoiled hussy, but he’d promised
his father he’d take care of her. The thought of finding his sister
dead struck him like a hammer. With his head pounding and his eyes
watering he hurried to find heartbreak or relief.

Mary felt too
ill to care that she was in the arms of a stranger who stank
strongly of sweat and horse. The beautiful face shadowed by his
black hat pulled tightly down over black curls looked etched with
fatigue and worry; he’d come to rescue his sons. She could hear the
two following their father into the house exchanging curses on
their youngest brother. Robert must have been the one meant to
share Alyce’s picnic basket. Had that devil Morley planned to kill
them? The servant must have stolen one of the bottles. So were all
four bottles poisoned? The thought made her stomach ache. The
strange old lady had said Marshall was safe from Morley; did that
mean he was dead? Mary hoped so, but there was still the awful wait
to learn if Alyce and the boy were alive.

She pushed the
awful thoughts away and stared at the man carrying her. He didn’t
once look at her; she could have been an injured animal or a Yule
log. He stopped briefly and asked his sons to lead him to the main
reception room. She stared at the handsome features and sighed with
relief that she was married to Marshall. Lord Adderbury had an
overpowering aura of authority that made her feel deeply
uncomfortable. Marshall was at heart an easy going person. He might
be immovable if he thought it for the best, like not wanting his
sisters to wear red because the colour was traditionally associated
with loose women, but he had no underlying tendency to dominate or
control.

Lord Adderbury
was doubtless a good man, his happy sons affirmed it, but the man
would need a woman with a steel backbone or he’d kindly walk all
over her. She couldn’t help wondering if that’s what happened to
his first wife. It seemed almost unbelievable that the man had
fallen in love with one of his servants and married her. The poor
girl must have been in awe of him; it couldn’t have been a happy
marriage. It didn’t surprise her he was having difficulty finding a
wife; if he’d tried to hire her as a wife she’d have run away
terrified. He needed a wife who’d ignore that choking authority and
do as she pleased; she’d drive him mad and he’d adore it. Mary
sighed with relief as he gently put her down on a sofa and directed
his authority towards his present children. “What exactly is
g-g-going on? Where is Robert?” The man didn’t need to whip his
children; his soft words cracked their ears without even raising
his voice.

Mary sat up
with curiosity and watched Charles bravely meet his father’s eyes.
“Cecil insisted we all stay together after yesterday, but Robert
said he had a call of nature. We all waited outside the door, but
he slipped out the window. He must have climbed down the drain
pipe.”

“Where did he
g-go?”

“We don’t know.
All morning he kept saying he needed time alone, didn’t he Cosmo?”
Mary’s eyes widened as she realised the boys were covering their
brother’s sins.

“The little
crackfart…”

“There’s a Lady
p-present.”

“Forgive me
Lady Mary…the selfish wretch moaned and complained all morning
because Cecil agreed to let me search the Anglo Saxon church for
graffiti. You’d think we didn’t have to hunt for snails and smelly
dead things for hours yesterday! It was only faire that I got to do
something. Cecil wouldn’t let us visit the castle on the island in
the lake for fear we’d drown. Now that you’re here Papa can I…”

“No! After we
eat we’re leaving.”

“But Papa, I
want to see the castle on the lake.”

“You may see it
at your leisure after you turn twenty-one.”

Mary’s heart
melted at the crushed look on the young man’s face. “I don’t
remember seeing any graffiti in the castle.”

Lord Adderbury
turned to look at her as Cosmo gratefully flung himself on the sofa
next to Mary. “The best graffiti is usually hidden or in hard to
reach places. I make rubbings for my collection. I love looking at
old names and dates and wondering who they were and what they were
doing there. It’s like seeing traces of an unreadable story…I
suppose it sounds silly.”

“It sounds
perfectly reasonable. I could ask Marshall to row me over to the
lake before we leave. If we find any we can make rubbings and send
them to you.”

His black eyes
widened with appreciation. “Would you?”

“Cosmo!” His
eyes glanced towards his father. “Lady Raynham is ill. Do you want
her risking life and limb to please you?”

“She
offered!”

Mary felt a
need to protect the young man from his father’s irritation. “I was
only tired before Marshall flung me over his shoulder. I couldn’t
run any faster and he’d just carried me up from the lake in his
arms. We fell in. We were changing when they came to tell us about
the poisoned servants in the folly…which is why my hair is wet…and
undone.” With those frightening black eyes staring at her she felt
an odd impulse to confess everything. How did his children withhold
information?

“I c-can’t
imagine your husband would wish to hunt g-graffiti for my son.”

“I think he’d
take any excuse to row me on the lake…it’s so peaceful and
private.” Mary’s face flushed bright red. She hadn’t meant to be
that revealing.

Cosmo Smirke’s
black eyes lit up, “Lord Raynham would row her to hell if she asked
him. He’s heels over head in love with his hired wife! He found her
by placing an ad in the paper…”

“Cosmo, the
lady cannot possibly wish such information b-bandied about;
especially in her hearing.”