Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Perry followed the maid’s rapid pace to the attic, his heartbeat increasing with each step. Surely nothing terrible could have happened to the maid; she was Jeffries’s lover and maybe his accomplice. Easily cast aside once he was done with her.
A thought flickered in his mind that it wasn’t that simple. The maid would be perfect for helping him escape. Someone to hide with until Jeffries started over somewhere else. The man was clearly adept at making people believe what they wanted to about him.
Perry’s father was a horrible man, but he was no fool. Rufus Spencer must have seen something in Jeffries that he recognized in himself. An unrelenting cruelty and the ability to use people to achieve his ends.
The room was at the top of the stairs and at the end of an empty hallway. The dark wood floors groaned under each step as they walked along the white walls to Mary’s room.
Nancy led him to a small bedroom in the attic.
She stepped aside to allow him entry. The door parted slowly, creaking on aged hinges.
Perry inhaled as his gaze scanned the room, which was sparsely furnished with two small beds and a table between the larger pieces of furniture. Each bed was neatly made.
“Who shares the room with Mary?”
“Susan. We questioned her, and she said she hadn’t seen Mary for a few days. Her bed has been empty as well.”
“Ah,” Perry said and nodded. “Which side is Mary’s?”
The maid pointed. “I would return to my duties, my lord, if you no longer have need of me.”
“Of course, Nancy. Thank you for your assistance. Please let us know if you think of anything else.”
With a final nod, Nancy turned and, with a quick step, made her way back to the kitchens. Perry looked over the room, disappointed.
There wasn’t much to investigate.
Casting a look in the hall to confirm he was alone, Perry closed the door and began his inspection of the room.
Daylight streamed through the simple sheer curtains, allowing him to see easily.
Susan had a few possessions on the nightstand, which Perry left untouched.
Mary seemed to have left little more than a box beneath the bed and her servant’s uniform folded neatly on the coverlet.
Apparently, where she was going, she would have no need of a maid’s garb.
Perry pulled the box out and laid it on the bed next to him.
A small hope fluttered in his chest that he might find something of importance.
Unfortunately, it was filled with copious notes. Pieces of paper, wrinkled as though they had been tightly clutched in her hand, were then smoothed out before being placed in the box.
A humorless laugh escaped his lips. Love notes. Secret rendezvous in code.
Perry sat on the bed for what felt like hours, sorting the letters, trying to decode their meeting places. The words were simple, which made sense considering the maid’s literacy skills might be limited.
Each note was initialed with the letter D. Perhaps for Donald Jeffries? Clenching his jaw, he searched for other consistencies. They always met at different places, perhaps at night, Perry had no idea.
B for boathouse, perhaps?
S for stables, maybe? That seemed plausible.
G for gardens? Gatehouse?
Perry frowned. That covered such a long expanse of territory, it would be a struggle to narrow down exactly where they met.
One thing was clear: they needed to broaden their search to at least find some signs of where they might have met the night before they disappeared.
Once he returned to meet with his brother, Perry would organize a thorough search of the grounds.
The village would also have to be investigated.
Perhaps the locals had seen them passing through.
There was no other way, unless his brother discovered the truth in his interviews.
Tucking the note that sat on top of the pile in his pocket, Perry replaced the box under the bed, exactly where he had found it.
He made his way slowly back to his brother, starting to feel the effects of all his activity.
His energy had returned, much to his pleasure, but his endurance wasn’t what it used to be.
Upon arriving at Beauregard’s office, a maid rushed from the room and nodded to Perry in passing. Noting the office had been left empty, save for his brother, Perry entered.
“Well, I believe our next step is to take all available servants and explore the grounds,” Perry suggested.
Beau studied his face, waiting for Perry to occupy the chair across from him.
“You look pale. Let me check if your room has been prepared. Perhaps you should rest before searching. I can organize the servants on your behalf. This is my duty. I have neglected it and I will be the one to set things right.”
Perry scowled, unhappy with being left out of the investigation.
“I am well. I would like to see this through.” Dropping the small note on his brother’s desk, he watched as Beau inspected the paper.
“Were there other notes?”
“Yes, I brought you what I believe is the most recent one based on the freshness of the ink. From what I decoded, they had a few preferred meeting places. I believe the D belongs to Mr. Jeffries.”
“That would make the most sense,” Beau agreed.
“The other servants I have interviewed didn’t make mention of Mary having any other friendships.
Her attachment to Mr. Jeffries was well known.
Let us have the cook prepare us a simple luncheon and then we will begin the search.
I’m not convinced we will find anything on the property.
I fear they have fled with what small fortune they could carry. ”
Perry frowned, bowing his head in agreement. The way Mary had cleaned out her room seemed quite final.
After feasting on the simple but delicious luncheon of soup, followed by roasted meats and vegetables, renewed energy bubbled up inside him.
To maintain his recovery, he would rest, but only after a thorough search.
He was motivated to capture Mr. Jeffries, since he suspected the man of pulling the trigger and taking the shot that had almost cost him his life. The man was a viable suspect.
The duke ordered most of the servants to meet him in the gardens to begin the search.
Perry helped assign some to the stables, the icehouse, and the lake house.
With a small group of his own, he began searching the gardens.
Convinced this was likely their final meeting place, Perry scoured the land and various outdoor spaces.
His heart dropped as they finished the flower and kitchen gardens.
Perry chewed his bottom lip, trying to ascertain where to go next.
Sending a few people through the maze, he continued to walk the grounds, searching for new places to explore.
Seeing the overgrown maze tugged at his heartstrings, bringing forth a flood of heated memories he needed to leave in the past. His relationship with Charlotte had changed, and he mourned ever finding that kind of freedom with her again.
This search for Mr. Jeffries was the distraction he needed from his disastrous wedding night.
Beauregard caught his eye as he emerged from the lake house and jogged to meet him.
“Any luck?”
“Alas, nothing of note has been found yet,” Perry admitted, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
While wandering further, they came upon a small thatch of trees.
Wildly growing bushes created a quiet and protected space that Perry suspected would be an excellent meeting place.
He sent a group of servants to search deeper in the trees.
Rounding the small forest, they came upon a clearing with an intricate stone pathway leading to the old gazebo where his mother used to have tea and invite friends to paint while in residence.
The building had been maintained, though it sat unused since the duchess had passed.
Perry could envision it being used once again in due time, when his brother returned with his own duchess.
Once the estate was restored, it would be a happy and welcoming place once again.
He stopped, standing at the end of the path leading to the gazebo, and studied the delicate structure with its swooping points and painted ornamental wood details.
“G for Gazebo. Of course. The gazebo. I had completely forgotten this place existed.”
Beau watched him. “Let us investigate. It looks empty.”
Perry took a step forward, his heart racing as the connections were coming together in his mind. Yes, this would be a private place for a meeting.
It took only a few steps for them to arrive at the structure.
A horrible odor grew stronger as they approached.
The air was still, an eerie silence draping the area as they climbed up the stairs onto the thick wooden plank floor.
Not a bird chirped, not a breath of wind tangled in the trees. A chill ran down his spine.
Perry swallowed.
Yes, this must have been their meeting place.
Of that, Perry was now sure. It would be easy to have privacy in such a hidden place for carrying on an affair or for planning to carry out evil deeds.
He glanced at his brother up ahead, who stood with his mouth gaping open in shock, then turned away abruptly.
“Found the maid,” he said, choking on the smell.
Gripping the peeling wooden balustrade, Perry coughed as the foul stench thickened around him. His arm ached, a terrible sense of foreboding flooding his every cell.
The maid lay sprawled on the floor, her skin a grayish color.
The woman was clearly dead. She had no pack with her.
All signs pointed to her being there for a few days.
Her lover had most likely taken the spoils for himself.
With sudden certainty, Perry was sure Mr. Jeffries was responsible for shooting him.
The man was now proven capable of murder.
Her silent corpse filled his mind with questions. Fear clawed at his chest at the implications of this discovery. He followed his brother from the scene, desperately gulping the fresh air as they stepped away from the area.
Finding Mary had confirmed his greatest fears.
Mr. Jeffries had a taste for murder and ample resources at his disposal.
A killer was roaming free in the countryside, and Perry had left his family alone at Fermoy.