To Walk in the Sun (Wiggons' School for Elegant Young Ladies - Book 1) (31 page)

“Nobody. Just the three of us,” Eliza
answered.

“Somebody else must have known because I know
my wife did not take her.”

“Honest, Lord Atwood, we told no one else,”
Rosemary cried, a tear slipped down her cheek.

“Did you discuss your plans anywhere besides
this room?”

Tess knew he suspected Percer. But, the man
had to have known what the girls were about if he was going to
dress as Vincent’s dead wife.

“The gazebo,” Rosemary answered in a quiet
tone.

“When was this?” Vincent demanded.

“Yesterday.” A sob escaped from Eliza.

“I told you girls to stay close to the house.
Once again you defied me. When this is all over, you will be
separated and confined to your rooms when not in class and until I
believe you have learned your lesson.” Tess wanted to wring their
necks.

“Yes, Miss Crawford.” The two girls moved to
each other, clasped hands and looked at the floor.

“He must have overheard them,” Vincent
assumed. “But where has he taken her?”

“If he harms a hair on her head, I will see
him to hell,” Hopkins announced from where he stood in the doorway.
The man was as pale as a ghost with worry over his daughter.

“Who?” Eliza asked again.

“Percer,” Tess ground out.

The girls blanched. “But he has what he came
for. Why would he remain here?”

Tess glared at them, much too angry to
explain, nor did they deserve any consideration at the moment. Had
they done as they were told, Percer would never have known when or
how to get Sophia.

“Come.” Vincent touched her elbow. “Let’s
dress and try to figure out where Percer has taken Sophia. We
already know what he wants.”

Tess allowed him to lead her from the room.
He spoke over her head to the girls. “I’ll send your headmistress
down to explain. Do not leave this room.”

* * *

The three adults met in the library, more
appropriately dressed for the day. Wesley greeted them first. “I
apologize, Lord Vincent, that I wasn’t available to attend you this
morning. I don’t know what came over me.”

Vincent dismissed the man. “No worry.” This
was the first time in memory Wesley hadn’t been awake or at least
available when he rang for him.

Mrs. Zobard hurried in after him. “Breakfast
will be served shortly, sir. It appears the entire household
overslept this morning. How very odd. The likes of such has never
happened.”

Vincent glanced up at the clock. It was
seven-thirty in the morning. Unfortunately, given his recent sleep
and wake hours, he was not accustomed to the sleeping and work
habits of his staff. However, the fact that everyone had slept late
gave him pause.

“Excuse me.” Tess quit the room before he
could ask her anything further and he turned to his valet. “What
time does the household usually awaken?”

“No later than six, sir. I don’t know what
has gotten into everyone today.”

He wondered the same thing and dismissed his
servants.

“Where do you think he has taken my
Sophia?”

“I wish I knew, Hopkins. However, I am sure
she is fine.”

“Until we give into his demands.” Hopkins
paced.

“Do you think he has made the connection
between you and your daughter?”

“It would be too much of a coincidence if he
hadn’t. No. The man knew he could demand the remaining pieces of
the map when he took her from
this
house.”

Vincent had to agree. Had Percer not known
Sophia’s relation, he could have taken anyone. But, even when he
spoke with Tess he made a point of naming Hopkins’ daughter.

Tess rushed back into the room. “Mrs. Wiggons
and the other teachers are just waking. They have never slept this
late.”

“We did all retire rather late last evening,”
Hopkins offered.

“No, it is more than that.” Vincent marched
to the wall and tugged on the bell pull. Wesley appeared in a
matter of moments. “Please find Mrs. Zobard and bring her
here.”

“Do you think they know something of Sophia?”
Hopkins asked.

“No, but they may have clues as to how Percer
was able to come in here and take her.”

The two servants returned a moment later.
“How can I help you, Lord Atwood?” Mrs. Zobard bobbed a curtsey, a
frown marred her brow.

“You said
every
staff member overslept
this morning?”

“I assure you, it will not happen again. I
don’t know what came over us all, but I promise, in the future,
that they will be at their duties on time.” She wrung her hands in
agitation.

Vincent held up a hand to stop her. “Nobody
is in trouble, Mrs. Wiggons. I am more concerned over the oddity of
it all.”

The housekeeper’s hands stilled. “It is
rightly odd.”

“I am just trying to determine why.”

“Did everyone eat the same dinner?” Hopkins
asked.

“Yes, more or less.”

“Is there something we ate in the dining
room, that was also eaten by all of the staff?”

She thought for a moment and went back to
wringing her hands. “No, not everyone ate the same things.”

Vincent raked his fingers through his hair.
There had to be a commonality between the staff and his guests.

“Do you think we were all drugged?” Lines of
concern were etched about her intriguing eyes.

“Yes, it is the only thing that makes
sense.”

“Is there anything we all ate or drank last
night?” He directed the question to the housekeeper once again.

“I don’t know Lord Atwood. The question is
best put to the cook.”

“I already know,” Tess answered, her face
pale. “It was the chocolate.”

“Yes, I do believe everyone had chocolate
last night. The McClary’s sent so much over.”

The truth dawned on him. He and Tess had
drank chocolate two nights before and slept like the dead. Or, at
least he had, he never asked her. Last night his slumber had been
the same. “Mrs. Zobard, please ask cook if everyone did drink the
chocolate.”

“But the chocolate came from the McClary’s.
Why would you suspect it of being poisoned by such a nice family?”
Wesley asked.

Vincent resumed his pacing. “Send a message
and ask Mr. McClary to attend me at once. There must be a
reasonable explanation.”

She hustled out of the room and Atwood turned
toward Wesley. “I want every male employee, inside and out, to
begin searching the grounds and for any sign of where Percer could
have taken or hide Lady Trent.”

* * *

Mr. McClary arrived within thirty minutes of
the summons. He clutched his hat in his hands and looked at the
occupants in the room. Vincent knew little of the man. His family
moved here after he left for the continent.

“Please have a seat,” he indicated to the
chair in front of his desk. Tess was seated behind the man, in an
overstuffed chair by the fireplace and Hopkins leaned negligently
against the desk. Vincent admired his calm appearance. Before
McClary arrived, Hopkins had been a pacing mess.

“May I ask what this is about?” The man’s
tone shook, though he remained erect in his seat.

“I need to know how you came by the chocolate
and what brought about its arrival in my household?”

The man’s eyebrows creased in confusion. “My
daughter’s beau purchased the store out. He is quite taken with
her.” The man grinned. “Being a titled man, we couldn’t hope to do
better for our little girl.”

Tess looked up at Vincent. She narrowed her
eyes. They both had the same suspicion. She mouthed Percer and
frowned again.

“Go on.” Vincent nodded to McClary.

“Well, my wife said it was far too much. It
was then the gentleman suggested sending most of it here. He was
present when the tempest hit and knew you had taken in the
students. Lord Percer thought it would be a nice treat for
them.”

Tess stiffened at the name, as did Hopkins.
Vincent tried to remain calm when he wanted to pound his fist on
the desk. “Is Lord Percer at your home now? I would like to thank
him myself. It has been an age since I spoke with my former
classmate.”

The man looked at him with confusion. “Lord
Percer said he had been to see you yesterday, and the day before.”
McClary scratched his head. “Perhaps I am mistaken.”

“No, Percer has not called on me,” Vincent
confirmed. “Would he be at your home now?”

“Oh, no, he left last evening. He said he had
some business to attend to but would return in a fortnight or
so.”

Vincent leaned back in his chair. He thought
to advise the man that Percer would not return, but did not want to
reveal anything in case Percer had confided his plans, though
Vincent doubted it. Instead, he asked the other question that
plagued him.

“How did you make Percer’s acquaintance?”

“My wife and daughter met him in Bath, while
she was visiting her brother and his family. He was quite taken
with my Juliet, but I already told you that, I apologize.”

Vincent forced a smile. “Is that when he made
plans to visit you?”

The man brightened. “He and my Juliet got on
quite well that very first night, especially when they talked out
our humble town, since he knew it so well, having visited you
often.”

No doubt when Percer learned where Juliet
McClary lived, he formed an attachment to see how he could use her.
He glanced over at Tess. She still frowned and mouthed the words
“poor girl”.

“And, is Miss Juliet as taken with my old
friend as he is?”

The man frowned and shook his head. “We don’t
understand it. At first, she seemed to like him but by the time he
left, she almost couldn’t wait for him to be gone.” He glanced up.
“Oh, he hasn’t done anything improper, she has assured us of that,
Juliet said he makes her uncomfortable.” He brightened. “I am sure
she will feel differently once they are apart and she grows to miss
him.”

Tess sagged with relief and Vincent felt the
same. Too many young women had been hurt but that man.

Vincent stood. He had learned what he needed.
“Thank you, again, Mr. McClary. And thank your wife for the
chocolate. The children have enjoyed it.”

The man stood as well. “I am glad, Lord
Atwood. My wife cannot say enough about it. She has a cup every
night and insists that’s why she has such a restful sleep.”

Vincent toyed with the idea of telling the
man it was drugged, but refrained. He doubted a cup a night would
harm anyone. And, she had probably been drinking the stuff for a
week and was still well. As they did not know where Percer was at
the moment, it was best not to alert anyone to his evil. When this
passed, he would write a note to Mrs. McClary and she could decide
if she wished to continue drinking her evening chocolate.

* * *

Tess turned to Vincent as soon as the door
closed behind Mr. McClary. “Percer is more evil and methodical than
I even anticipated.”

“What do we do now?” Hopkins resumed his
pacing.

“We can only wait,” Vincent sighed.

Mrs. Zobard entered a moment later with a tea
service with three cups and two pots. She left it on the table and
turned one handle toward Atwood before she quit the room. He
settled into the chair and poured dark liquid into his cup.

“Would you care for tea or coffee, Lord
Hopkins?” Tess asked.

“Neither.” He marched across the room and
peeked out through the curtain.

Tess lifted the remaining pot and poured the
lighter colored tea into her own before she took a sip. She wished
there was something she could do, but what. They had no idea where
Sophia could have gone, or when she was taken for that matter. How
far could they have gotten, or were they just beyond the house,
hiding in the woods.

“Come,” Vincent called when a knock sounded
at the door a moment later.

The footman stepped into the room. The silver
platter in his hand held a piece of paper. “An urgent message has
arrived, Lord Atwood.”

Vincent took the parchment and dismissed the
servant. Hopkins approached and stood at Vincent’s elbow, ready to
read what it contained. None of them doubted it was anything other
than a message from Percer. Vincent tore open the envelope and
pulled the piece of paper from its confines.

Tess knew immediately it was the forged piece
of the map she had given Percer because she could see the lines on
the back of the page and feared what was written on the other
side.

“He has Sophia,” Vincent confirmed and looked
up at Hopkins.

“Good Lord. What are his demands and how do
we fulfill them?” The man tugged the paper away from Vincent’s
fingers.

Tess’ stomach turned and her heart sped.
Vincent looked out the window. Tess followed his line of vision.
Sun lit the portion of the patio not blocked by the house. It
promised to be a beautiful, clear day. At least as far as the
weather and sky were concerned. With regard to the occupants in the
room, a cloud of apprehension hung over each one of them.

“When and where does he want to meet?” Tess
asked after a moment.

“In a place and at a time when I will be
unable to help you.”

“…
Consider too, how deep the abyss between
life and death;

across this, my power can build a bridge, but
it

can never fill up the frightful chasm.”

Wake Not the Dead

Johann Ludwig Tieck

Chapter 26

Vincent slammed his fist against the desk.
How was he to protect her now? Percer had thought of everything and
managed to put Tess in the most vulnerable position possible.

Hopkins took his piece of map from the inside
of his pocket and held it out to Tess. His hand trembled.

“I am to bring them?” Her voice sounded
small, frightened.