He frowned as he rode along attempting to keep the carriage in view without alerting them to his presence.This was simply not normal behavior for people such as those he was following. He had come to know them fairly well from watching them over the past days, as well as anyone could without ever speaking to a person.
His deductive skills had been well-honed over the years as a Bow Street Runner and he had learned to read people quite well during that time. What was happening now was completely out of character for every person involved. These people were not the eloping type.
Perhaps an expedient marriage was necessary to preserve the girl’s reputation, but I doubt it as I have been watching her and would most likely know if she had done anything untoward to get herself in the family way. If anything would have made me question her virtue it would have been her trip to London with the Earl of Dustshore.
I must admit that I am quite surprised at her choice of the Earl of Irondale. I am even more surprised that a girl of so little social standing could garner the attention of two such noblemen. Cleo Wallace is a mystery to me, a constant surprise, in a world where very few people can truly catch me off guard anymore.
He was surprised to find that he respected the girl, liked her even, for her ability to surprise him.It is a shame that she will more than likely be dead before the month is out.
He shook his head at the waste of such an interesting young woman. He had been fascinated by her from the moment that the constables had dragged her kicking and screaming from her father’s corpse. She had fought them tooth and nail not caring in the slightest who saw her. Her complete and utter abandonment of decorum and her show of intelligence in knowing that it was not a suicide, had piqued his interest.
Were she not a doomed creature, I might be interested in pursuing her myself, but as it is…
He shrugged at the useless nature of such thoughts. It was pointless to desire someone who was not long for the land of the living. The only other person that he had ever met to pique his interest as much as Cleo Wallace, was his mysterious employer, of whom he knew little to nothing about. He had not once seen the man’s face and the notion irked him, but it was the nature of the business that he now pursued.Discretion above all else is the key to repeat customers, that and not falling for your target.
Shaking such ridiculous thoughts from his mind, he turned his attention back to the task at hand.
When they arrived back in Oxfordshire, they surprised him further by returning to the Wallace residence. He had assumed that now that they were wed, they would go to Irondale. Such a move would have made his efforts more difficult to conceal, as strangers would have been viewed with suspicion, but he had planned for that along the ride back. If they had gone to Irondale, he had resolved to seek employment upon the estate as a groomsman in order that he might hide his true purpose.
It is a shame that she has chosen to wed, as now the Earl of Irondale will also meet his end.
Chapter 29
Cleo, Arthur, Aunt Caroline, and Mrs. McGrath descended from the carriage and entered the house after having stopped at Jacob Glickman’s house to drop him at his door. He had promised to come that evening for a wedding supper. “Do not cook a thing, Mrs. McGrath. I will handle everything,” Jacob had instructed as he climbed down out of the carriage. “Consider it a wedding gift,” he had smiled, kissed Cleo’s hand then disappeared from view.
Now, as Cleo entered her own home, she was not certain whether to sigh in relief or to weep from worry. She was feeling a bit emotional after the events of the last days and in need of rest. “Why do ye nae go and lie down for a while?” Arthur suggested, placing a kiss on her forehead. “I need tae write a missive tae Mr. Dacre at Irondale tae tell him o’ our marvelous news and tae have him send some o’ my things.”
“I think that would be best. I could use the rest before our wedding supper. I should probably write a note to invite my own friends for propriety’s sake, but I am not certain that it is wise given all that has happened.”
“Do what ye think is best, lass, but know that whate’er ye decide, I will keep ye and yer faither’s secrets safe. We will keep Henry’s study locked so that no one can stumble upon the clues within. I would like for ye tae be able tae share our joy with your friends in spite o’ the circumstances.”
“Then I will write letters to the girls of my very closest acquaintance and invite them to dine with us, but Jacob may be taking on more than he can handle.”
“Ye leave that tae me,” Mrs. McGrath answered bustling past them toward the kitchen, refreshed from her nap in the carriage. “Did ye truly believe that I would leave something as important as yer wedding supper tae a businessman o’ all things.”
Arthur laughed. “Nay, I did nae for one moment believe it, Mrs. McGrath, nor did Jacob.”
“I should say nae, the impudent pup,” the cook huffed as she disappeared from sight.
“If he knew, why did he say what he did?”
“Jacob is Jewish,” Arthur explained. “He has certain dietary observances that he adheres tae and did nae wish tae cause Mrs. McGrath further difficulty by attempting to meet them.”
Cleo smiled. “That was very thoughtful of him, but I am certain that Mrs. McGrath would have arisen to the task.”
“Aye, I have nae doubt, but such is the plight of good-hearted people,” he chuckled and kissed her once more. “Do ye wish tae use yer faither’s office to write yer missives?”
“Nay, I have everything I need in my room. I will write them quickly, then lay down to sleep. Will you be here when I awaken?”
“Aye, lass, dinnae fash. I will nae be leaving’ ye ever again.”
Smiling, Cleo climbed the stairs to her room, wrote her friends an invitation to her wedding supper, then slipping out of her clothes, slid beneath the sheets and quickly fell into slumber. Her dreams were a daunting haunting mixture of joyous love and sorrowed loss, new life and death, pleasure and pain. In her sleep, her mind called out to her father.I miss you, Papa.She reached out to touch him only to meet the air.
‘I am here, my darling girl, never you fear. I will always be here.’
I wish that you had been there when I wed Arthur.
‘I was there, my love, and I could not be prouder.’
