Chapter 12 #2
They had loved their time in the lakes once they got to actually see them, and after a fortnight they had begun the four-day journey to East Sussex, as Brighton and Seaview were not far from the border with Kent.
They had not pushed the travel each day, so they were not tired when they arrived at the cottage.
Marie had made the same comment that most made on first viewing the house—it was not a cottage!
The first time that they had taken a large sable blanket down to the beach in the cove, Marie had been somewhat nervous.
From his past experience Andrew assured his wife that there was absolute privacy.
When they arrived at the end of the path and she looked around, Marie relaxed as she saw that her husband was not exaggerating in the least about the solitude that they enjoyed on the beach; the blanket had been well used, multiple times, that day and on many subsequent days.
They had ridden into Brighton on two occasions to explore the town, but the newlyweds spent the rest of their time lost in their own company.
They had strolled along the bluff and explored the property that Seaview sat on.
After a fortnight they were down to a sennight before it would be time to return to the world.
Marie had written to her mother once when they arrived in East Sussex.
She missed her mother and brother, but not nearly as much as she thought she would.
Marie expected them to visit Hilldale, and Mama would be able to spend a fortnight and help her with redecorating before everyone joined the Darcys and Fitzwilliams to travel to London for the little season.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Should we not go to Snowhaven regardless of what Uncle Reggie said?” asked a concerned William.
“No son,” his father answered with resignation. “If it were me and I made a decision as my brother-in-law did, I would resent it if my wishes were disregarded and countermanded.”
“I suppose that I understand that father,” William capitulated although he was not happy about it. Then he had an epiphany. “What if I take Georgie and Alex to go visit their cousins?” he asked his father hopefully.
“That would look very suspect if you went this morning; however, if you want to take your brother and sister to go visit Anne and Lizzy after one, then that would be agreeable, as the woman will be there in two hours.” Seeing his adult son’s almost pout, George placed his hand on William’s shoulder.
“I am worried too, son, but I have to honour Reggie’s wishes. ”
“I agree with your father,” his mother added.
She had been silent during their discussion up to that point.
“We may not like it, but we need to respect my brother’s decision.
George, what say you that all of us go? We can spend a few days with our brother and sister and you big strong men will be able to make sure that everyone is safe,” she teased.
It was agreed that they would all go, so Lady Anne summoned Mrs Reynolds to inform her so that cook would know not to make the normal meals for a few days.
The housekeeper was told that the meal prepared for that day was to be given to the servants, as the mistress hated the idea of good food going to waste.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Mama, it is eleven, can we not return now?” Lizzy asked plaintively.
“I suppose that we can, it will take us just over a half hour to return so hopefully by then your father will know what this woman wants from us and whether there is a threat to you or any of us, Lizzy,” Elaine stated.
She rapped on the ceiling with her parasol and once the driver brought the carriage to a halt, she instructed him to turn for home.
The driver was torn for a moment; the master had said not to start the return before twelve, but who was he to gainsay the mistress.
He did take a lot longer to get the team to turn the carriage around as his way of trying to add some additional minutes to their time away from the manor house.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Mrs Younge, your Lordship,” Smythe intoned a few minutes prior to eleven as he showed the woman into the Earl’s study.
“Smythe, please have tea delivered,” he said in order to give the impression that he did not suspect anything.
“Yes, my Lord,” Smythe bowed as he closed the door to the study.
No sooner than the door closed, two well-armed guards took station in the hall on each side of the door.
Reggie knew that the other two were in the concealed antechamber but could see and hear all through small hole in the door that looked for all the world like a bookcase behind the desk.
“Mrs Younge, is it?” he asked, “Please have a seat.” He indicated a seat directly in front and slightly to his left that would give his guards a perfect view in case she drew a weapon.
There was a cocked and loaded pistol in the middle drawer of his desk, just in case.
“What is it that I can do for you, madam?”
“I am here to put myself forward for the position of companion for your daughter, Lady Elizabeth,” she said confidently, sure that the rich useless man would be putty in her manipulative hands.
“The agency sent you, did they?” the Earl asked.
“They did, my Lord,” she bowed her head to show fake deference as she was sure that men of his ilk craved.
“Where is your husband, Mrs Younge?” he asked.
“He was in the army and died for King and Country,” she lowered her head and tried to force out a tear; she did not succeed but dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief thinking that she was fooling the Earl.
“Let me see your character please, Mrs Younge,” he requested. She handed the forged document over the desk.
Reggie had to regulate himself to stop him from laughing. Everything he was looking as was obviously forged, and not very well. He decided it was time to end the charade. “You worked for the Earl and Countess of Danbury, I see,” she nodded, still overconfident. “Which daughter did you work with?”
She did not think that he would ask such a question after being impressed by her vast experience.
“Glynwin, your Lordship,” she plucked a toff sounding name out of the air hoping that he did not know the family and for the first time she did not feel so confident.
Her reticule was on the ground, so if she needed to reach for the pistol, she was sure that she would be able to train it on him before he managed to stand.
“I know the Danburys well, and they have no daughter by that name; in fact they have all sons.” Karen Younge made a move toward her reticule but before she made it half way she was staring down the barrel of the Earl’s pistol and he had been joined by two menacing looking men, both holding pistols, who seemed to materialise out of thin air.
The Earl rang a bell and two more men entered from behind her and one at the master’s signal removed her reticule and handed it over the desk.
“Seems mighty ‘eavy for a reticule, your Lordship,” The man said as he stepped back his eyes never leaving the conniving woman.
“Very interesting, a pistol. From the first moment that you made your unadvised visit to my home last month, we knew that you were lying. My wife asked the agency to not send anyone to our house until after August, and you did not in any way fit what we had asked for. Having brought a pistol into my home after gaining entry by using deception, I will have you charged with attempted murder, and you will hang.” Karen Younge went white as all of her bravado deserted her.
“There is one way, and one way only, that your life will be spared; tell me what you want with my younger daughter now!”
“It was not my idea,” came out in a squeak.
“Speak up and what is your real name; remember what the penalty will be if you lie to me!” The Earl brought his fist down on the desk to highlight the point.
“Karen Younge, Miss Karen Younge.” She decided that she would have to tell the whole truth to save her neck.
“My brother runs a crew of smugglers in Fowey and in August of ’82 a man, Sam Hodges, joined the crew.
He did not do well on the ocean and some years ago he left the crew and found work in Packwood, Warwickshire as a footman.
“Some months ago, he wrote to my brother and asked for help. He told us that he had discovered that your daughter, Lady Elizabeth, is the toddler that he discarded in Sherwood the year he joined our crew.” Reggie was dazed, did this woman know who Lizzy’s birth family was?”
“Do you know the name of the family?" He asked hotly.
“No, I do not; he would not tell us all of the information so we would not be able to cut him out. All he told us was that she is from a shire south of here.” Reggie knew that the information was useless as that covered more than half of England.
“Why did he take her?” he asked.
“The mother was deranged, thought that the child was the spawn of the devil or a demon or both because she was not a boy like she was supposed to be. Hodges was the mother’s paramour, and she drugged the nursery ladies one night because the father would not allow her near the girl; she had been moved to a tenant cottage.
” This told Reggie that his daughter was gently born, although he did not care.
“She was allowed to visit her older daughter and paid a maid to put drugs in the nursemaid’s tea.
Once they were asleep the mother slipped in, took the girl, and handed her to Hodges with the order to kill her,”
“She wanted him to do WHAT?!” the Earl thundered causing Miss Younge to cower.
The thought of someone, a mother deranged enough to try and order the murder of her own child, of her flesh and blood, Reggie could not conceive of such evil in the world.
It took a few minutes for him to calm himself.
“It was not you I was angry at, but those who were involved. Please continue,” he instructed in a much more measured tone.