Chapter 27 #3
“Well, you startled me, truth be told. As you said, this is not my house. I should not be here either.”
Lucas nibbled at his lip, seeming to consider this point. I had offered him a vulnerability on my part, and that display of trust softened his scowl. “Adda is gone.”
“I know.”
“Are ye here to look for evidence?”
“I am.”
“Ye be looking in the wrong place, then,” he stated in a way that voiced just how unimpressed he was with my detective skills. “Why would Hollinsby hide anything in here?”
I chuckled. “Too true. I came here first to make sure the house was truly empty.”
“Oh.” He studied me for a moment. “Ye left to go after him. That’s what the butler at the castle told me.”
“You came to see me?”
He nodded, a hint of frustration still lingering in his expression.
“Did you find something?” I prodded when he said nothing more.
Lucas averted his gaze, and a spark of hope lit within me.
But it didn’t matter, not if Lucas was hesitant to give up the information.
Surely, he was justified in that hesitation.
I had, in a manner, betrayed him. Leaving without a word must have appeared to be an attempt to back out of our agreement, or at the very least, suggested how little I valued it.
“You haven’t told me why you are here,” I said gently.
His brows tightened. “I didn’t steal anything except food. Since everyone left in a hurry, I thought maybe they left behind food, too. Been here every day collecting what I can.”
For his family. The boy carried the weight of so much on his shoulders, and I had not helped matters.
I heaved a sigh. “Forgive me, Lucas. I should have sent you word before now. I admit, I became so caught up in catching Hollinsby, among other things, that I had forgotten about my promise. But I assure you, the moment I remembered, I would have rectified my error. I would have sent for you—for your family—as soon as I was able.”
He still didn’t look at me, at least not more than a passing glance. I still noted his intrigue, though.
“Does that mean ye are going back to yer estate now?” he asked. “That ye didn’t catch Hollinsby?”
“I did not catch him. Something urgent brought me back to Kenwick, and I’m afraid Hollinsby got away. For now, I will remain here, but I do hope to return home soon. I would be honored if your family joined me.”
“But what about Adda?” Lucas whispered. “Are ye givin’ up on her?”
I crossed the room to where he stood. For all that Lucas was an opportunist hoping to help his family, he cared. That was one reason I had made an agreement with him to begin with. He was a good lad, and with a bit of guidance, would grow into a fine man.
“I will never give up on Adda,” I said. “She means a great deal to me, but I’ve come to realize that my determination to help her does not mean I cannot have other pursuits. That my attention must be solely on that task, though it is important.”
The boy scrunched his nose. “Cause of a girl? I heard people talkin’ about ye and that lady at Kenwick.”
A bit of heat crept into my ears. “Yes, well, gossip is…you should not heed everything you hear.”
“If ye say so,” said Lucas, though he hardly looked convinced to obey. “If ye still plan to help Adda, then I have something for ye.”
He swept past me, and I followed, intrigued by his confidence and hopeful for what it might mean. Lucas led me up the stairs to Hollinsby’s study. The room was in utter disarray—furniture overturned, books and papers lying haphazardly on the floor. Even the curtains were partially ripped.
“I snuck in here, just like ye asked," said Lucas. “Found somethin’, too. It had numbers, like a ledger. I meant to bring it to ye later that night, but Hollinsby caught me in here just as I was leavin’.” He shook his head. “He got angry. Threatened my family unless I told him the truth.”
The truth? My blood turned to ice. “You told him about me.”
“I didn’t want to, I swear it!”
The pleading in his eyes was more than enough to convince me. “It was not your fault. I would much rather your family be safe. You did precisely as you should have.”
The boy’s shoulders slumped. “I am sorry. He packed up after I told him ye were here. Sent me from the house. I came to warn ye, but I ran into a man from Kenwick. He said he would take the message to ye.”
The footman. Lucas had informed him about what was happening.
I placed a hand on his shoulder, and the boy looked up at me. His eyes still held questions—worry that I would not keep my promise. It could not be easy for him to trust me to keep my word, and I hated that he hesitated so.
“You’ve done well, and I am glad you are safe. I would like to pay you for your efforts to help me.”
He tried to hide it, but a glow of excitement lit his eyes. “Pay me? But, sir, I haven’t given you what I mentioned.”
It was my turn to hide my excitement. I must have done a poor job of it, for Lucas grinned. He stooped over and lifted the rug, revealing a piece of paper.
“I thought you said Hollinsby caught you?” I asked in bewilderment.
Lucas handed me the paper. “He did, but not before I stashed this under the rug. He took the ledger. Figured he’d notice it missin’ but not this. I don’t know if it will help ye, but it has Adda’s name on it.”
“I thought you could not read?”
Lucas shrugged, but a hint of a blush filled his cheeks. “Adda taught me the letters of her name when we had breaks from our work. Was the only ones she knew.”
The very idea of Adda teaching Lucas as they worked on their tasks spread warmth through my chest. I could picture it so well, her patient smile as she repeatedly traced the letters, and how she would have celebrated Lucas’s success.
Someone so kind did not deserve the life Adda lived. No one did, in truth.
I looked down at the paper, my eyes skimming its contents. It was a letter—no, not just a letter, but a written agreement. My smile faded, and once I had looked the entire thing over, I met Lucas’s gaze.
“Well?” he prompted.
“This is exactly what I needed.”