Miss Mouse by Mira Stables

Author:Mira Stables [Stables, Mira]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2018-12-20T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

The disappearance of the letter was discovered upon the return of the picnic party. Bosworth came forward in stately fashion to draw Miss Ashley’s attention to it, and stared in disbelief at the empty space where it should have been. Briefly he explained the circumstances to the lady in an under-voice, stressing the importance of the missive in view of his lordship’s hasty departure, and declaring that it must be found. When prolonged search failed to discover the important document, enquiries were instituted and Dandy’s activities were revealed. Henry was perfectly frank about his part in the affair, assuring his audience that, “No one wouldn’t never have known that it was a letter. Just a handful of soggy scraps with never a sign of writing on it.”

Bosworth, with every wish in the world to find a scapegoat for what he felt to be his own negligence, could not honestly blame the lad for his action, and it was certainly of no help to blame the marauding puppy. Miss Ashley very sensibly said that the letter was gone and there was small use in fretting over its disappearance. Could Bosworth make any suggestions as to his lordship’s possible destination or the duration of his absence from home? Unfortunately Bosworth was unacquainted with Mr Hughes who had not been very long in Sir John Browning’s service, so he was unable to venture any surmise. He could only say that a young gentleman had called to see his lordship, a Mr Hughes, driving in a hired chaise; and that his lordship, after conferring with the visitor, had made hurried preparations for his own departure. He was able to add that the hired chaise had then left for Southampton, since he had chanced to hear Mr Hughes giving directions to the postilion, but this piece of information did not seem to shed any light on his lordship’s movements. He repeated his lordship’s parting remarks with great solemnity, assuring Miss Ashley that he and Mrs Palmer would give loyal support to the authority vested in her during his lordship’s absence.

Miss Ashley, considerably startled by her sudden access of responsibility, said that she could only trust that that absence would be of very brief duration; that she would rely entirely upon the Earl’s trusted servants to keep her informed as to the customary practices of the household, of which she was lamentably ignorant and that she took it that his lordship’s delegation of authority referred rather to the management of his young relatives than to the conduct of domestic matters. Which showed, as Bosworth pointed out to Mrs Palmer, a very proper attitude, but was not what his lordship had said. Mrs Palmer nodded portentously. It was comforting to know that Miss Ashley put a proper value on their support, but she, for one, would be quite content to leave any awkward decisions to the young lady.

A week passed. Miss Ashley was not called upon to make any dramatic decisions. The great household continued to run on oiled wheels.

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