A Marquess and a Secret by Joyce Alec

Author:Joyce Alec [Alec, Joyce]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-01T06:00:00+00:00

13

Esther has been gone for quite some time,” Agnes commented, looking a little worriedly.

Bernard frowned. “It has been quite a while, Duke. Where could she have gone?”

“I’m not sure,” Amos replied, getting to his feet. “Excuse me while I go downstairs to check.”

"I'll come with you," Bernard said, following him from the room. Lady Heber, of course, was not about to be left behind, so the three of them trooped downstairs, only to find her parlor empty. There were only a few servants about, who all quieted their chatter the moment the Duke and his guests arrived.

"Have you seen Mrs. Edwards?" Amos asked the cook, who shook her head. Further inquiries were met with no positive answers, and Bernard, Amos, and Agnes made their way outside, now becoming highly concerned over her disappearance.

“Pardon me, Your Grace," came a quiet voice, and Amos spun around to see a scared looking chambermaid at his elbow.

“Yes?”

“Tis only that there’s been talk that Mrs. Edwards is, in fact, Lord Bertram's lost daughter."

Amos's face lost all its color.

"When did you hear this?" he asked, trying not to sound too severe.

"Within the last couple of days," she replied, her eyes staring at his boots.

“Thank you,” Amos replied, watching her scuttle away. Dread rose in his heart. “If the servants know, I must assume that her father also knows,” he said, seeing Lady Heber’s face whiten.

“What shall we do?” she cried, grasping Bernard’s arm. “If he has her, she will not easily escape him!”

Amos thought quickly, his mind running through various possibilities. “He will want her to marry Lord Thompson as soon as possible,” he said aloud, seeing the comprehension on Bernard’s face.

"So, he will have taken her to Lord Thompson's townhouse," Bernard continued. "That way he can claim she has been staying with him, make it look like some lovers’ tryst. She will have no choice but to marry the man."

Amos did not wait to hear another word, taking off towards the stable, shouting for his horse. Bernard followed quickly, telling his mother to wait behind. She kissed his cheek and bade him hurry, watching them thunder away a few moments later.

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