Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
Charles and Bella arrived the next day with an additional two men Thomas Harrison had sent to aid in their search. Sophie had gleefully welcomed Bella to her childhood home and told her how Benedict had surprised her by not only purchasing the estate but also several pieces of furniture and paintings that she thought had been sold to cover her brother’s debts. Benedict loved seeing the smile on her face and was happy that he was able to give her back something she had thought lost to her forever.
The four of them had enjoyed a lovely quiet evening together and had even been able to forget the trouble that had been the reason for their visit to Hertfordshire for a short time.
Now, that daylight had come, the illusion of peace Sophie had enjoyed the night before was broken by the thoughts that they were there to find her brother and hopefully, Benedict’s cousin who was conspiring with him.
Sophie would hopefully be able to lead her husband and Charles to where she believed the old hunting lodge to still be, while Bella, who was not the best rider, had elected to remain at the house with the older couple Benedict had hired to tend to the house and grounds. They did not reside on the property, but they were capable of handling things until Benedict could hire a proper staff to man the house.
Charles directed Harrison’s men to stay behind at the house to keep guard over Bella while Mr. Gray, the Bow Street Runner, would follow along behind in case they found Sophie’s brother. Sophie was dressed in a plain blue riding habit, her hair pinned up beneath her riding hat. She was an expert rider, but she knew it would be a challenging and long day. She hoped that she would still be able to remember the way and that they would find something to aid them in their search.
She watched as both Benedict and Charles secured their pistols beneath their coats before mounting their horses. Benedict maneuvered his horse over to Mr. Gray and instructed him to follow at a distance behind while Charles was busy giving orders to the two men being left behind to guard Bella.
Benedict sidled his horse along hers and reached over to take her gloved hand in his. “Are you ready, Sophie?”
She nodded. “It is quite a long ride so we should be going.”
He put a hand at the base of her neck and pulled her to him for a brief kiss. “When we get close, I want you to stay behind me, Sophie. I will not take any chances with your safety.”
“Edward may not even be there. This could just be a silly waste of time.”
Benedict frowned. “It’s a lead worth following, love, and while he may not be expecting us, you will not needlessly put yourself in harm’s way.” His face turned serious, and he forced her to look at him. “Do you understand?”
Sophie nodded then nudged her horse in the flanks to get moving. Benedict followed behind her, and while he hoped they would find her brother at the abandoned hunting lodge, he hated the fact that Sophie was the one leading them into the unexpected. He didn’t want her anywhere near danger and being here with them now put her on the front line, so to speak, but there was no other way. Sophie was the only one that knew how to get there.
Several Hours Later
It had been several grueling hours when Sophie pulled her horse to a stop to look around at the forest surrounding them. The trail they were riding was grown up and had not been used in a while. Benedict and Charles exchanged glances doubting whether anyone had been this way in years and if Sophie’s memory was correct with the location.
“Everything looks so different. It has been years since I came here, but I feel as if we are getting closer. The lodge should be through that thick stand of trees and brush and then directly over the ridge. I don’t know the condition it is in or if it is even still standing. It’s been such a long time. I was just a young girl the last time I came here.”
Benedict dismounted his horse. “We will go on foot the rest of the way. If your brother is there, it will be harder to hear us approach on foot than horseback.” He took Sophie’s hand in his as they carefully moved forward. Benedict wrapped an arm around her and lifted her over a fallen log. When they reached the top of the ridge, the roof of the lodge could be seen. It was overgrown and considering the location, it would be the perfect place for someone to hide.
Charles came to stand beside them. “Well, it is still standing.” He pulled his pistol from beneath his coat. “Damn Davenport for not being here. He is much more suited for this than I.” He looked at Sophie. “While I did my share of spying during the war, most of what I did was in a more genteel setting. Davenport did the more dangerous work.”
“Stay here and remain out of sight. Mr. Gray will protect you.” Benedict’s pistol was already in his hand as he began moving down toward the lodge.
When they got to the lodge, Charles moved around to the back while Benedict peered into one of the windows on the side. It looked as if the building was empty. He moved around to the front and entered the front door while Charles came in through the back.
“Someone has been here recently.” Charles bent down and hovered his hands over the ashes in the hearth. “The ashes are warm and there are signs out back where horses have been tied. Whether it is her brother remains to be seen.”
Benedict moved around the room. There were two cots that had recently been slept in as well as food. “It must be Pettigrew. He has probably gone into the village for more supplies. We should send Harrison’s men to investigate, see if someone recognizes him.”
Charles stood and shook his head. “There is nothing here that proves it’s Pettigrew. It could just as easily be a vagrant passing through or an old hermit.”
Benedict’s eyes narrowed as he heard footsteps. He readied his pistol and moved to the other side of the room. After taking adequate cover, he leveled his pistol at the door and made ready to fire but cursed under her breath as Sophie walked through the door.
“Damn it, Sophie! I told you to stay put.”
“I did, but when you didn’t come out, and I didn’t hear any voices, I thought it was empty, which it is.”
She ignored him and moved around the room. “I thought I should take a look around and see if I recognized anything that might belong to Edward.”
Charles grinned as Benedict tried to keep his temper in check. “She could be useful.”
Benedict watched as Sophie moved about the small, dark, dirty room pausing as she examined anything she could find that was left behind. After giving her more time than he would have liked, he said, “Let’s leave before they return. If it is your brother, I don’t want you anywhere near him.”
Sophie bent down and picked up a button that had been lying on the floor. She wiped the dust from it and moved toward him. “Edward has been here.” She placed the button in Benedict’s hand. He turned it over on his palm.
“It has the initials VL.”
Sophie nodded. “When he became Viscount Litchfield, he commissioned buttons to be made with those initials. That was only one of many frivolous things he had commissioned.” She took a deep breath, then rushed from the room.
Benedict started to go after her when Charles’ voice stopped him.
“Put it back, leave everything as we found it. We don’t want to give any indication that we have been here and then let’s be off. We can return at first light, just the two of us. If Pettigrew is here, we will take him.” He nodded toward the door. “Go take care of your wife, this must be upsetting for her. I will make sure we leave nothing behind.”
Benedict bent down, rubbed the button in some of the dust on the floor, and then moved outside to check on Sophie. He found her a few feet from the house, bent over near the bushes retching most violently. He rushed to her, but she held a hand up to stop him.
“I’m sorry. The day has been overwhelming.”
“Darling, I never should have brought you here.”
Sophie took a deep breath and started moving toward where her horse was waiting. Benedict swiftly moved up behind her and whisked her into his arms. “When we reach the house, I will send into the village for a doctor.”
Sophie shook her head. “No, I will be fine. I have just been so worried for so long.”
“You have lost weight, you weigh no more than a feather, you haven’t eaten anything substantial since you arrived in London, and if my guess is correct, you have been sick more than you have let me know.”
She rested her head against his chest as he continued to carry her back to where the horses were waiting. “Please be safe tomorrow, Benedict, please. You don’t know what Edward is capable of, and he will be quite determined to kill you.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he set her on her feet. He went to his horse and brought her a canteen of water. She took a few sips, then mounted her horse.
Charles came up behind them. “They will never know we were there.” He looked to Mr. Gray. “Gray, ride into the nearest village, get a room at the inn, and tomorrow begin asking questions. If Pettigrew isn’t here tomorrow, I would like to know where we should look next.”
The man nodded and rode away.
Benedict mounted his horse and rode alongside Sophie. He was worried about her. Something was wrong. She was insistent that it was nerves, but he felt there was more to it than that. As she rode, he looked over to study her. Her cheeks had lost their color and her eyes seemed tired. When he found Pettigrew, he was going to send him to hell as well as his cousin if he was involved as Harrison believed. It was time to end this, it was time for his wife to no longer fear, and it was time for him to look to the future.
It was well past dark when their horses rode up in front of the house. Sophie had almost fallen asleep in the saddle and when Benedict dismounted and went to assist her, she nearly fell into his arms. He once again picked her up and carried her inside the house.
Bella was standing in the entryway. “My goodness, what has happened?”
“It was a long ride, and she is exhausted.”
Bella stepped aside and allowed Benedict to move up the stairs. “Take her to the bedroom and I will bring her some tea.”
Benedict nodded. “Bring her something to eat, please. I fear she is beginning to waste away.”
Sophie stirred. “It truly is nothing more than being tired. Please do not fuss over me, Bella.”
Bella laughed softly. “I don’t think you will have much luck convincing your husband of that, my dear.”
Benedict carried her up the stairs and into the bedchamber they shared. “Bella will bring you something to eat. Is there anything I can do for you? Perhaps a bath.”
Sophie removed her hat and her riding gloves. “Stop fussing over me. I can take care of things myself. I’m sure you and Charles have much to discuss.” She moved toward him and kissed his cheek. “Go, I will be fine.”
Benedict made his way downstairs to the study where Charles was waiting for him.
“How is Sophie?”
Benedict walked toward his friend and took the glass of brandy Charles offered him. “She has been tired since arriving in London. I fear that the torment I put her through coupled with the anxiety of learning that her brother is trying to kill me, has taken its toll on her health. When we return to London, I shall have her see a physician.”
Charles moved to take a seat in one of the large, overstuffed chairs near the fire. “We should discuss how you wish to handle her brother.” He arched an eyebrow as he peered up at his friend. “Do you plan on taking him alive or have you already decided to end his life? I will support you either way, as will anyone else.”
Benedict let out a slow breath. “The man is the worst sort of bastard. How he treated his sister was abominable. Even if I allow him to live, I will never permit him to be anywhere near her again.”
“But he is still her brother, the only family she has left.”
Benedict scoffed. “He doesn’t deserve her.”
Charles nodded. “Then you have made up your mind.”
“No, right now I just want to find him, see if he really is the one responsible, and if there is anyone else involved, namely this cousin who no one can seem to locate.”
“If we are returning to the lodge tomorrow, we should make plans. I’m assuming that you will leave Harrison’s men here to stay with Sophie and Bella.”
Benedict nodded. “Yes, I don’t think the two of us will have any problem handling Pettigrew. My only regret is that I didn’t kill him the day he attacked me outside Kenworth House on the day of our wedding.”
Charles laughed. “It might be for the best that you did not. If this distant cousin of yours is involved, he would only have hired someone else to do his dirty work. And that person might have been better at it.”
Benedict frowned while Charles’s grin grew. “Since Davenport is not here to lead the charge so to speak, how do you suggest we attempt this?”
Charles leaned forward, a smirk on his lips. “I thought you would never ask.”
Bella entered Sophie’s bedchamber carrying a small tray with a pot of hot tea, a few biscuits and some butter.
“Here you go, my dear, some tea and something you can hopefully hold down.”
Sophie moved from the bed to the small table where she and Bella could sit together. “I don’t know what is wrong with me. When Benedict left me in Brighton convincing me that he wanted us to live separate lives, I was so devasted. I couldn’t eat and seldom slept. You know how long it took me to recover if you can truly say I recovered at all. Then when I confronted him at The Devil’s Lair and learned the truth, I thought it would all go away, but it hasn’t. I’m sure it is just the situation affecting me. The fear of knowing Benedict is in danger and the realization that Edward could be responsible.”
Bella poured tea for them. “Have you considered the possibility that you might be increasing?”
The cup paused midway to Sophie’s lips as she pondered Bella’s words. “I…I…never really considered that.” Her brow furrowed as she began thinking back to the last time she had her courses. “Oh my, do you think it is possible?”
Bella laughed softly. “I certainly think it warrants consideration.”
Sophie took a sip of her tea and took a small bite of the biscuit Bella had brought for her. “What should I do?”
“Well, the first thing is to wipe that look of panic and fear from your face, and then I think you should visit with a physician. Is there a physician in the village?”
Sophie nodded. “Yes, Dr. Jefferies. He always attended to our family but is quite old now. I’m sure he knows that Edward lost the estate.” Her cheeks reddened.
Bella looked at her curiously. “Sophie, no one blames you for your brother’s actions. Besides, you are a duchess now. It’s time you remembered that. You are the Duchess of Kenworth, there is no reason for you to feel shame for anything.” She took a sip of her tea before continuing. “But if you would rather wait until we arrive back in London, my physician is excellent. He also attends to the prince when he is in London. There is none better.”
“Should I mention this to Benedict?”
“That is entirely up to you, my dear.”
Sophie narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think I want him to know until after this is over. I would not want him to be distracted.”
“I think that is a wise decision. No need to worry him needlessly. I would offer to stay here with you tomorrow, but my old nurse lives about two hours away. She was so kind to me growing up, and I would like to visit her. You are welcome to accompany me if you wish.”
Sophie shook her head. “No, I think I will stay here. I would not want to be very far away if something terrible happens tomorrow.”
Sophie saw Bella’s coloring fade. “Please do not think that way. I try not to dwell on the dangerous things Charles did in his past, and I do not wish to think of anything happening to him now. Let’s remain positive that our husbands will both come through this unscathed and hopefully you can put this all behind you and look to the future, whatever the future may hold for you.”