Page 43 of The Artisan and the Duke
Lady St Claire shook her head. “We should send someone out to check the roads and inns. It is possible they merely got tired,” the woman said reasonably, but Gregory heard the worry in her voice.
“I’ll ride out with them,” Gregory said as he turned.
Lady St Claire begged, “Please rest. You are tired from your journey.”
“And do you think I can rest not knowing where they are?” Gregory asked and shook his head. “I will be of more use riding than pacing my bedroom floor.”
With a nod of her head, Lady St Claire conceded the point. “Very well,” she said, “Will, go and rouse up a couple of the boys and get them to ride with the Duke, won’t you?”
William swiftly nodded and took off towards the workers’ housing. Gregory went to get ready for the ride. In his room, he splashed water on his face and took a deep breath as he eyed his tired reflection before he squared his shoulders and grabbed his riding coat.
***
“We should have at least sent word on to the manor house in London. Gregory will certainly get there before us now, and he will not know where we are,” Fredrick said with a deep frown to the dark-haired Duchess seated beside him.
Jules sighed and folded her hands in her lap. The rush to leave had meant that she was still wearing the day’s riding clothes. “I know. We should tell Thompson to go ahead of us. I did not think we would have to wait such a long time here,” Jules said, worry getting the better of her.
“I can step outside and tell him if you wish,” Fredrick said as he pushed himself up with his cane. “If your friend does not show soon, we should leave as well.”
Jules nodded and watched the man leave via the front door to the inn. Truly when they had arrived, and the innkeeper told her that Mr Larkin was not in, Jules had almost shrugged off the whole thing and gone straight to London. However, she wanted to show the man that he had her good faith, and she meant to keep her word.
“Jules,” David said quietly causing Jules to jump. “I’m sorry to startle you, Duchess,” the man said louder. He was standing just inside the inn. “I didn’t think you’d show.”
Jules straightened her back as she stood up to face the man. “Then it shows that you’ve forgotten who I really am, Mr Larkin.”
“I’ll admit that I had my doubts as to who that might be,” David said with a smile. “But if you are here, then I suggest we go.”
Jules frowned. “Go? I don’t understand.”
“I want you to meet with a benefactor and friend of mine who has been helping the guild’s cause in spite of your husband’s actions,” David said. “Or is your faith waning, Duchess?”
Jules pressed her lips together firmly and looked around at the door. “We can leave as soon as my brother-in-law returns. He’s escorting me to London,” Jules said.
“That’s odd; I didn’t see anyone outside,” David said as he pursed his lips. “Did he have to ride somewhere?”
Jules shook her head and pushed past David towards the inn’s door. “What foolishness is this?” she asked as she opened the door and stepped out. Their carriage was missing.
She should have seen it as soon as she walked outside, but instead, there were only a few horses getting ready for the stables. “I don’t understand. He just walked out here a few moments ago to send a rider to London so that the Duke would not worry about us,” Jules said incredulously. “Where is he?” She spun on David and narrowed her eyes at him. “You had to have seen him when you came in.”
“I saw no one, aside from the stable boy who fetched my horse from me,” David said with a shrug. “Perhaps he rode on to London himself.”
Jules scoffed, “Without telling me? No. Sir St Claire is more honourable than that. Something has happened to him.”
“Then we should make haste,” David said. “I’ll help you search out this brother-in-law of yours, but if we can’t find him, then we should make for London as quickly as we can.”
When Jules hesitantly nodded, David walked outside and shut the door behind them. “Then let’s start with the stable boys. They always know all the latest gossip and see everything that happens in the yard,” David suggested.
It sounded reasonable to Jules, so she nodded and followed David towards the stables. Jules had a sinking feeling that something was not right, but she needed David to help her, and she would not get his help by pushing suspicion onto the man. She trudged along beside him and prayed that Fredrick was just with the carriage or horses.
***
The wind snatched at Gregory’s hair as he rode in front of the two lads that had agreed to come with him. The summer night’s heat had brought lightning out to play, and Gregory hoped fervently that the rain stayed clear of them. They had checked the closest inn, but there had been no sign of Jules or Fredrick there.
The next inn was a few hours’ ride, and Gregory’s muscles were already burning. The horses protested the pace, and eventually, they had to slow to a canter to Gregory’s vexation. As anxious as he was, he dared not push the horses any harder, or they might not make it to the inn.
One of the boys called, “Your Grace,” as he rode up abreast of Gregory. “There’s a light there!” The boy pointed to the side of the road. Sure enough, there was the twinkling of a light through the trees. “House?” the boy asked curiously.
“Looks more like a lantern,” Gregory said, and he turned his horse to get a closer look. There was a small path just wide enough for a carriage or two horses riding abreast of each other. Gregory followed the path around a stand of trees.
