Chapter 3
Chapter three
Dietrich
Dietrich stood with the rest of his fellow staff, waiting for the moment when Duke Alaric Vaughn and Duchess Regina would arrive.
It had been many years since the first duchess had passed away and the duke had left their rural estate for the city where there were fewer memories of his lost wife and daughter. He’d since remarried and had two more daughters, and this was their first visit to the Northlands.
No one knew how long they would be here…but most of them hoped it would be a more permanent arrangement.
The estate had been different without the family in residence.
Dietrich was one of the few who had met the new duchess, which meant he’d been popular the past couple of days as everyone on the estate grilled him for details about Duchess Vaughn and the young ladies.
His reports had been glowing, of course. The Duchess was lovely and had been sweet to him during his visit to Riyel, even though he was only a stable boy.
The Duke and Duchess had not known the true reason for his visit to Riyel, and he had no intention of telling them.
If he’d succeeded in his mission to find Duke Vaughn’s missing daughter, he might have told them. But since that effort had failed, like every other effort before, he thought it best to simply tell them he was spending time in the city. It didn’t seem right to get their hopes up for no reason.
He had spent so much time searching for Lady Eliana over the years. Regret still rolled through him as he thought of how he’d given up searching for her, even if he’d continued longer than the duke himself had.
But guilt still filled his veins every time he thought back to the day she’d disappeared.
A grand carriage rolled through the gate, accompanied by several men riding fine horses, distracting him from his thoughts. Dietrich stood a little taller as the duke dismounted from his horse and strode toward the carriage.
The door opened, and Duchess Vaughn was the first to exit, giving her husband a stunning smile as he helped her out. She was followed by their two daughters, Colette and Celeste, who waved frantically at Dietrich when they caught sight of him.
Dietrich smiled at the girls, though he didn’t wave from his position in line with the other staff.
They had grown since he had been in Riyel.
Perhaps it wasn’t his place to be so familiar with them, but the girls had been fascinated by horses and had spent a fair amount of time in his care while he was there.
Did they still enjoy spending time with horses? Would they be haunting his stables this time, too?
A second carriage pulled in, and Dietrich smiled as Duke Vaughn’s valet and the duchess’s maid climbed out.
He would have to ask after their friends in Riyel.
It seemed unlikely that the stable master from the Riyel estate would come with them—not when Dietrich was here—but it would be good to hear how he was doing.
“I love it,” Duchess Vaughn said as she took in the estate, her eyes bright with happiness. “It is beautiful.”
No one blamed the duke for not bringing her here sooner, though some had wondered if they would ever come at all.
Dietrich could only imagine how difficult the memories of this place would be—the place where the duke had lost both his wife and daughter.
Many of the staff were surprised they were here at all.
“I am so glad the girls will get to experience this,” the duchess said, glancing down at their daughters, who were bouncing on their feet as they looked up at the imposing building.
Duke Vaughn leaned over and placed a kiss on his wife’s forehead, as if he were oblivious to the staff standing there to meet them.
“Anything for you, my dear,” he said. “Shall we meet our staff?”
“I would love that,” the duchess said as Duke Vaughn led her toward the front steps, where the steward, butler, and housekeeper were first in line.
“Hello, everyone,” the duke said, addressing the assembly in a booming voice. “Thank you for being here to welcome us home. I would love to introduce to you my wife, Duchess Vaughn, and our daughters, Colette and Celeste.”
The girls bobbed small curtsies when their names were said. They didn’t have to do so for their staff, but Dietrich knew that everyone who hadn’t met them yet had just fallen in love with them.
As they should, because the young ladies were adorable.
The duke and his family began walking down the line of gathered staff, and the steward hurried forward to make introductions as they met the important staff members—starting with the butler, the housekeeper, the head cook, and then Dietrich.
“Our stable master,” the steward said.
“Hello, Dietrich,” the duke said, reaching out his hand to shake Dietrich’s.
Duchess Vaughn smiled at him when he turned his attention to her. “It is good to see you again,” she said warmly. “I trust that your mother is well.”
“She is,” Dietrich said. He was surprised that Duchess Vaughn remembered why he had gone home, but maybe he shouldn’t have been.
“Hello, Dietrich,” the girls said in unison as they trailed behind their mother.
“I’m so happy we’re here,” Celeste said, a wide grin on her face. “Can we see the horses?”
“All in good time,” the duke told his daughter. “Dietrich, I would like to speak with you about the stables. Please come to my study in two hours.”
Dietrich nodded. “Yes, my Lord.”
He had been expecting this. Some sort of review would be necessary as the duke adjusted to being at this estate, and while Dietrich had no reason to fear this meeting, he was still nervous as the duke and his family moved on to the next person in line.
Once the family was inside, the staff disbanded, going back to their tasks.
“I do hope that they will stay,” he overheard one of the maids saying as she hurried away.
Dietrich also hoped they would stay, but he did not have high hopes. The duke had not stayed in many years, and it seemed foolhardy to hope that he would now. Better to not get their hopes up.
He made his way to the stables to see that his men were taking care of the newly arrived horses.
There would be much more work, considering Duke Vaughn probably hadn’t brought more than one man to work in the stables.
Perhaps he would suggest hiring a few more men—he’d counted at least ten new horses who would need to be cared for.
While he and his men were capable of a lot, there was a limit to how much they could handle.
He entered the stable, the familiar smell of hay and horses washing over him, muting the nerves about his upcoming meeting.
John had done an excellent job of organizing the new arrivals; he didn’t see anything that needed to be changed as he took in all the new horses, already in their stalls, while the men worked quickly to take care of them after their long journey.
Jay perched on a bale of hay next to the door and Dietrich reached out to pet him as he took a deep breath. He liked it when everything was in order.
“New boy,” John said, poking his head out of a stall and gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.
Dietrich followed his pointing to see the stable boy that had come along with the duke, rubbing down a gorgeous bay mare.
“Thanks,” Dietrich said as he strode forward to meet the lad and check on his work.
Once he had seen to the horses and made sure they were settled, Dietrich made his way back to the castle.
He entered through the kitchen, stopping to give the cook a wink as he stole a muffin from the counter. She made a half-hearted attempt to chase after him with a scolding, but he knew she didn’t mean it. She never did.
He made his way toward the family’s wing and stopped just outside Duke Vaughn’s study, where a portrait of the late duchess, the duke, and their daughter hung on the wall. He paused and took a deep breath, looking at the face of the little girl he had failed to protect all those years ago.
If only he could go back and change the past.
Would Lady Eliana still be here with her family? Would her mother still be alive?
It felt odd to wish for that, knowing it would mean Lady Colette and Lady Celeste would not exist. But Dietrich couldn’t stop feeling that if he had only known better, he could have changed everything.
He shifted his gaze to the late duchess, tilting his head as he inspected the portrait closer. There was something so familiar about her face—more familiar than simply remembering her as a kind figure from his past, or from seeing this portrait before.
She suddenly seemed familiar in a way that felt different.
He’d seen eyes like that recently.
His own eyes widened as it hit him.
He had seen those eyes in the face of another woman—his mother’s neighbor, Ella.
But it couldn’t be.
He looked back at the toddler in the painting and narrowed his eyes as he studied her face.
It was impossible. She couldn’t have been taken as a child and come back as an adult with no knowledge of who she was to the very town where she had been kidnapped.
And if she had been kidnapped, would they not have changed her name to something less similar than Ella?
But as he studied the portrait, he grew more and more sure that the girl who had brought his mother a loaf of bread was none other than the missing Lady Eliana.
It seemed impossible—but so did another girl who looked just like the late duchess and had the same eyes and such a similar name.
But who would believe him?
He scarcely believed it himself.
He had to see her again, and maybe he would find something that would either confirm his suspicions or show him that it was a false hope.
He would find a way to go home as soon as possible, ask his mother what she thought, and perhaps—somehow—find a way to confirm it.
He hadn’t thought to ask his mother about Ella’s home life, and now he was wondering if she was entirely alone in the world.
Was she just as confused as he was? Was she wondering who her family was? Did she have a suspicion that something in her life was missing?
Did she know she had a family? Or was she lost, searching for someone to call her own?
He couldn’t decide which possibility would be worse, and he felt a surge of emotion as he thought about a life where he didn’t have his mother to love him.
He needed to find out right away if she knew she had a family or not.
The housekeeper left Duke Vaughn’s study and gave him a smile as she returned to her duties.
It was his turn. Dietrich knocked on the door.
How could he tell the duke what he suspected? It would be cruel to bring up hope for the first time in years when he had no idea if it was true or not.
Not yet.
“Come in,” the duke called out.
Dietrich took a deep breath and entered the room.
Even though he was not afraid of the duke, it was always intimidating to have a meeting with one’s employer—especially when you were considering the possibility that you might know the location of his long-lost daughter.
“Dietrich,” the duke said with a smile. “It is good to see you again.”
“It is good to see you too, my lord,” Dietrich said with a smile, and he genuinely meant it.
“I wanted to ask if you will be needing more help in the stables now that I’ve brought more horses to take care of.”
“You brought some beauties with you,” Dietrich said as he took the seat the duke gestured to. “I was hoping to discuss hiring some more staff.”
He wouldn’t say anything about Ella yet. He would start with her first, before getting the duke’s hopes up. There was no reason to cause trouble until he was completely sure.
Until then, he would pretend everything was the same as it had always been.