An Untimely Death by Blythe Baker

Author:Blythe Baker [Baker, Blythe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-12-25T22:00:00+00:00

8

Selina and I stood near the back during the funeral. The ceremony had been arranged in the ballroom, which overlooked both the garden and the lake on the far end of the estate, the parts of the property that Colonel Montford loved most. A portrait of him had been set upon an easel near the front of the room, positioned in front of a casket where his body would lie once it had been set into the ground in the churchyard, which would take place soon after the service.

The minister read psalms and prayers that both made my heart ache and filled me with a semblance of peace. His soothing tone and the respect with which he spoke of the Colonel drew many to tears.

I realized that, in my own way, I had been grieving the Colonel as well. I missed his presence. There seemed to be a strange emptiness in the manor now, despite the number of guests. More than anything, I pitied my lady, who sat in a chair just in front of the casket, as rigid as the statue of a praying angel in the fountain at the front of the manor.

It frustrated me that there was nothing that I could do to alleviate her pain. All I could do was watch as she suffered.

The distance from her, however, allowed me to look around the room. My eyes continued to fall upon the back of Mr. Jerome’s head. Try as I might to look elsewhere, he sat so close to my mistress, in the row of seats directly behind her, that it was hardly a deliberate action on my part.

He was tall, certainly, but sitting beside his mother, it was clear how broad his shoulders were. Quite nearly as broad as someone like Mr. Hendrick or Mr. Hose.

My heart skipped. Was not the servant who had served drinks to the Colonel tall with broad shoulders? I thought.

I stared at Mr. Jerome, at the back of his head, my eyes sweeping over the back of his neck. I could hardly see a thing, though, with the high collar of his shirt and dress coat.

Could he have been…?

It was entirely possible, wasn’t it? He could have easily been at the party and I would not have known. There were many guests in attendance, many I would not have been able to name afterwards. As absorbed in my own worries as I had been, I might have assumed many people to be there who were not and forgotten those who truly had been.

Even if I had seen him, I might never have given him a second glance.

My cheeks burned at the thought as I quickly realized that I was lying to myself. In my heart of hearts, I knew that idea was not entirely true. As handsome as he was, I would likely have noticed him the moment he walked in.

The minister had just opened the service to any of the guests who wanted to share their memories of the Colonel when I leaned over to Selina.

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