The Bet by Rebecca King

Author:Rebecca King
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction, romantic suspense, thriller, murder mystery, historical fiction, historical romance, regency romance, historical mystery, romantic adventure
Publisher: Rebecca King

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Estelle yawned as she left the kitchen and waited for Myles and Isaac to join her. The staff had all been gathered together and told the news by a grim looking Myles. The deathly silence that had followed had left everyone wary and suspicious. It was a relief to be able to step away from it, for just a few minutes at least.

“I need to speak with my father,” Myles sighed.

“He has locked the body in the room, sir,” Cranbury explained. “I think he is in his study now. Miss Beatrice is up as well, sir, and has been told the dreadful news.”

“How did she take it?” Isaac demanded. “Has she stopped dancing yet?”

Cranbury’s face showed not one flicker of emotion as he allowed that comment to go unnoticed.

“She is in the study, sir, with the master,” Cranbury intoned before he bowed and returned to the kitchen.

“I think we need to move your father, Isaac,” Myles sighed.

Isaac nodded but didn’t speak. He looked just as weary as Myles felt and, now that the first shock of grief had worn off, stunned.

“I will come with you,” Isaac sighed. It was clearly the last thing he wanted to do but he had a duty to his father to ensure that his body was handled with due care and attention.

Myles nodded. “Let’s go and fetch Barnabas.”

Minutes later, everyone, including Beatrice, climbed back up the stairs.

“Myles?” Estelle murmured. She slammed to a stop at the end of the hallway which led to her room and stared at what troubled her.

Myles looked at her and followed the direction of her stare. When he looked, though, he couldn’t see anything.

“What is it?” He ignored Isaac, Barnabas and Beatrice who all came to a halt behind them.

“I thought you said this house is locked up tightly?” Estelle whispered.

“It is,” Barnabas retorted flatly, as though upset anybody could doubt it.

Estelle pointed to the wet patch on the floor. “Who has that come from then?”

Everyone crept forward.

“Good Lord, it’s a footstep,” Barnabas snorted.

Myles squatted down beside the clear print of a booted foot on the highly polished floor. It was still wet. “It is recent,” he murmured.

“Something like that stands out on a floor like this,” Estelle reasoned. “It looks as though someone has been outside and come in with their muddy boots on.”

“But they can’t have done. This house is secure,” Barnabas replied.

“Well, someone made this,” Myles retorted flatly. “If the staff have all been inside like they were instructed and, as far as everyone is aware, the house is locked up tight, someone in this house has let an outsider in.”

“But I thought you said they cannot get across the moat?” Estelle interjected.

“They can’t,” Myles replied darkly.

“They might have stood outside while the body was found and the house was searched,” Isaac warned. “But who, and why?”

“This house is so blasted big anybody could hide in any one of the spare rooms and never been found. We can’t search the entire property on the hour, you know.

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