Page 77 of The Secret Life of the Elusive Governess
Pushing away from the mirror, Moses tugged out a desk drawer and took out Caroline’s sketchbook. He was planning to use this material evidence as a visual cue to see the traitor’s guilt.
Striding out of the room, Moses felt his face go flintlike—this had to be done. With one step inside the room, he could feel the amassed tension there. It was as if the anxiety of the persons gathered had seeped out of their skin and formed a cloud above their heads, a cloud that was crackling with unsaid terror. The lines, black and white for the maids, and full black for the men and boys, were a stark contrast before Moses’ eyes.
He clasped his hands behind him with the book in his right and slowly moved from one end of the line to the other. A soon as he neared another servant, he saw those down the line straighten their stance but that did not trouble him. When he passed by the line of forty servants who dealt directly inside the household he stepped back.
“As much as I hate to do this, as of now, all of you are suspects,” Moses said in a tone he usually reserved for insubordinate peons. “Miss Robins had been the target of a spate of attacks in the last week and my investigation had pointed to one of you who is in collusion with the blackguard. I am going to ask you one by one a question and if you dare lie to me you will be struck off, immediately.”
Starting at the first maid in the line, Moses lifted the book, “Does this look familiar to you?”
Numbly the maid shook her head, “No, Your Grace.”
Moses assessed both her words and her actions and decided she was telling the truth. The same question was asked again and again and repeatedly, the answer was, “No, Your Grace.”
It was when Moses was nearly at the end, he realized that there was one person missing, Miss Orville. Stopping after the last question, Moses demanded, “Where is Miss Orville?”
No one answered until one brave soul spoke up. “Your Grace, I believe Her Grace gave her permission to leave the manor just before…or possibly during the order to assemble was given.”
Possibly during! During my order? Is Lavinia going mad or does she have a hand in all this? Miss Orville is running!
“Stay here, all of you,” the Duke ordered. “I will be back.”
With clipped strides, Moses left the room and took the stairs of the grand staircase two at a time. He had to go speak with his wife. Up the stairs, across the landing into his private wing sped Moses to find Lavinia amusing herself with another of her torrid novels.
“Moses!” She gasped, “What on Earth is causing you to barge in here like one demented?”
“Why did you allow Miss Orville to leave when I have to interrogate all the household servants?”
The Duchess rolled her eyes, “Moses, if you think Janet has anything to do with your precious Miss Robins’ situation, you are misinformed. She had to leave to go and take care of her ailing mother, you know that.”
Oh, for the love of God! How simple is it to trick this woman?
“Lavinia, Miss Orville’s mother died almost three years ago, in Northern England.”
The flutter of long lashes and a shrug was Lavinia’s reply. “Well, mayhap it was her aunt or sister…or third cousin twice removed. All I know is that someone was ill and she had to go.”
“In the same moment when I had to interrogate the servants? Does that not seem odd or suspicious to you?”
“No.”
“Maybe it does not because you are the one behind all these attacks?” Moses laid it all out, “I know you hate her,anyonewith eyes knows that you hated Caroline. Why, Lavinia?”
Her book was closed and her eyes meeting his were frosty, “Do you think I am blind? She set her cap at you, Moses. AndCaroline, Moses? Are you on personal names with her now?”
The time had come to free his soul of the burden he was carrying when it came to his love. “Yes, I am, but that is not the matter here. Are you a part of these attacks?”
Lavinia’s face went stormy red and her words were spat like buckshot, “No, I am not. Is she your lover, Moses?”
“No,” Moses replied.
“Then what is she to you for such loyalty?” the Duchess pressed.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, Moses had hoped that his discussion would have been had in a civil way but he could not hide it anymore, “My loyalty is because I love her, Lavinia. But I would never betray you by taking a lover and become an adulterer under this roof if that is what you are pondering.”
Lavinia had gone still at the same moment when Moses had expected her to scream at him. Instead, she only turned away and the silence that resulted from his confession was painful.
“Lavinia,” Moses grimaced, “I did not want you to hear it this way but…I cannot hide it anymore. I feel that I should fall upon my knees and beg for your forgiveness, but there is no foundation for doing so. We do not love each other but I must ask you for your understanding. It has been gnawing at me from the inside out to tell you, but my fears and my distorted mind stopped me. I am sorry Lavinia, but my heart is stolen.”
The Duchess’s reaction was not what he had expected. She only stared at him for a long while and then turned away, “There is nothing much to ask or beg for, Moses. The night you disappeared from the ballroom I knew I had lost you… I just needed to hear it from you.”
