Page 47 of Betrayal from Beyond
With a shrug in Niall’s direction, Kara set off after her. They found the maid in tears. She sat in a parlor at the hearth, a bucket and her duster beside her.
Niall went immediately to soothe her. “There now, lass,” he crooned, taking her hand and leading her to a chair. “What has upset you, Prudence?”
“It’s my fault, sir.” A cascade of fresh sobs emerged. “I’m so sorry!”
Niall looked up at Kara, helpless before her tears.
She gave him a nod and took the seat next to the maid. “Prudence, no one is angry with you. No one isgoingto be angry with you. Just tell us what you think you have done.”
“Oh, miss! I mean, ma’am! I mean, Your Grace! I didn’t mean to!”
Kara gave the girl a pat and a moment to collect herself. “Prudence, does this, by chance, have to do with that candidate who came to ask for the footman’s position?”
Shuddering, the girl nodded.
“Tell us, won’t you?”
“I met him the first day he came, hoping for the job,” she whispered. “Jamie Horton. He had to wait for Mr. Turner to become available, and they sent him to sit in the servants’ hall. I was there, mixing up a batch of wood polish.” She looked up into Kara’s face. “He didn’t seem much like a footman. I thought he sounded so smart and funny. Witty. He made me laugh.” She looked down again. “And he flirted with me. I thought he truly admired me.”
“That was the day the biscuits were left in the laboratory, to the best of our knowledge,” Turner reminded them.
“Did you see him again?” asked Kara.
Shamefaced, Prudence nodded. “I told him that day that I’d heard that there was a footman needed at Wood Rose Abbey. He came back the next day to thank me, as he’d taken the positionthere. He said he was so grateful and he kissed my hand, just like I was a lady.”
“That was the afternoon that the first note was left on the front door,” Niall recalled.
“The next note was left on the day of my unfortunate oversight, I understand,” Turner said.
“The day of your unfortunateaccident,” Niall corrected him.
Kara looked to the maid. “Was Jamie here that day?”
Prudence nodded. “We had Mrs. Canning downstairs after the accident, and when His Grace took her home, she forgot her bag. Jamie turned up later, come to fetch it.” She looked indignant. “He tried to kiss me that day, right on the mouth. I didn’t let him, ma’am.”
Niall shook his head. “The wily little bastard set himself up with a good reason to come back and forth between the estates.”
“You mean, I was his excuse to come and make mischief?” Prudence asked. She was starting to sound angry. As she should.
“Was he here today?” asked Kara.
The girl nodded. “This morning. He said he was sent on an errand to the village and couldn’t help but stop to see me. It was flattering, Your Grace! But when I heard Elsie asking around, I started to count back, and it was then that I knew what he’d been up to. I cannot believe he had the cheek to go right into your bedroom, Your Grace!” A tear slipped down her cheek. “If he took anything, you can take the cost of it right out of my wages.”
“I don’t believe he did, so you may rest easy on that score.” Kara hadn’t even thought to check, but she would have Elsie take a look. She certainly wouldn’t tell Prudence if he had.
“I’m sorry I disappointed you,” the maid said sorrowfully.
“You have not. You didn’t know what he was up to, and when you understood, you came to us.” Kara bit her lip. “I’m sorry he used you in that way, and I hate to ask…”
“Oh, ask, please, ma’am!”
“If you could find a way to pretend you didn’t know about his perfidy, you might be able to help us nab him.”
Niall’s eyes widened. “Yes. Brilliant, Kara.”
Prudence looked up. “You mean I could help you and also get a piece of my own back?” She leaned forward. “What would you want me to do? Lure him in, like?”
“You won’t need to do anything whatsoever, for now,” Kara replied. “Just go on as if you know nothing. If he shows up again, however, if you could find a way to notify Turner or the duke…?”
