The Countess and The Baron_Lady Prudence Baggington by Isabella Thorne

Author:Isabella Thorne [Thorne, Isabella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mikita Associates
Published: 2018-12-26T00:00:00+00:00

9

Lord Fondleton felt the demon of rage rise within him. The darkened room of the inn was beneath him in fashion but he had done his best to keep a low profile so that his wife might not grow suspicious of his repeated attempts to locate her. He hated the filthy room with its rotten floorboards and flea-ridden mattress.

Perry slept in the bed without hesitation once Jasper had resigned himself to the creaking armchair. He had already decided that this night would be the last. He could not be convinced to spend another evening in such squalor. An earl deserved better. Tomorrow they would move on to the next town to make their inquiries under the ruse that they were devoted brothers in search of their addled sister who often wandered away without any hope of recalling the way home.

“What do you mean she cannot be found?” he growled. The clay pitcher that had held water for washing only an hour or so before shattered beside the cowering fool’s head. Perry whimpered. He was well aware of his lord’s temper, which had been increasing day by day.

“I… I’m sorry, M’lord,” he mouthed with little more than a whisper. “Perhaps the next town will…”

“Stop your blithering, you fool!” Lord Fondleton spat. “We’ve not heard a whisper of her movements no matter the town. A wench does not disappear for weeks on end without the aid of someone with connections. We need to discover her source.”

“Y-yes, M’lord.”

Jasper could not bear to look upon his sniveling servant for one more moment. They had made no headway in their search by Perry’s inspections. On the morrow, he would begin the interrogations himself. He felt a pit of disgust grow in his stomach. His wife had neither the skill not the connections to evade his wrath, it was only a matter of time before he caught wind of her trail.

“Shall I call for your supper?” Perry asked. Jasper laughed in his servant’s face. His favor was not so easily renewed.

“I’ll find my own at the tavern.” He flung his cloak about his shoulders and headed for the door without a backward glance. He needed a breath of fresh air and a release… of his tensions.

“What of me, M’lord? Shall I join you?”

Lord Fondleton rolled his neck until it cracked. The sound reverberated against the barren walls of the hovel.

“I think not,” he replied with a snarl. “Perhaps a supper foregone will renew your motivation for my purpose.”

Perry sputtered some sort of explanation as to why he had had little success in his search. Jasper did not remain around long enough to hear it. He cared not what the servant had to say. He cared less whether or not the man went hungry for his failure. Sympathy for the poor bloke’s plight was not at the forefront of his mind at the moment.

His frustration needed to be unleashed. If not upon Prudence, then some other in her stead. She would get her due in good time. Until that prized moment of victory, Jasper would hunt a lesser prey.

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