Page 74 of The Artisan and the Duke
Fredrick nodded slowly. “None of this suits me well. It is too much like war here at home. It is very hard to know who your friend is and who is not,” he said with a deep set frown.
“I know, and I’m sorry,” Jules said softly.
With a snort of laughter, Fredrick said, “You did not create this. No, our family has been under siege for some time but never so openly. First me, then you, and now Gregory has fallen victim to whatever is going on.”
“Do you think it has to do with Boris?” Jules asked softly as they rode along. She gave the horse’s mane a pat as she looked around at the road they travelled. The houses were getting farther apart, and she felt herself relax with every step her horse took.
Fredrick lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I would never have thought it before, and perhaps it was Uncle’s doing, but I can hardly believe that Gregory attacked the man,” Fredrick said with a scowl.
“No. I know he is lying, but I just can’t figure out why. Even if they get Gregory out of the way, there is a good chance the title will just revert to me.”
“But they also tried to harm you. Maybe they weren’t planning on you being around,” Jules said. “Do you really think that your cousin would be so ruthless?”
Fredrick sighed, “Family is everything to Boris. It was something his mother always made a point of. When we would no longer throw favour on Uncle Lawrence, Boris’ mother took pity on the man. A strong duty to the family does not lend itself easily to sabotage, kidnapping, and such.”
“Maybe,” Jules said softly.
***
The night was well-worn by the time Jules and Fredrick made it to Glenwood Estate. Despite their lack of faith in the man, Fredrick and Jules had little choice but to follow his instructions. They turned down the road that led by the main house and away into the forest.
“He could very well be sending us into a trap of some kind,” Jules whispered as they made their way slowly along the trail.
Fredrick acknowledged this with a nod of his head. “He could,” he said quietly. “But thus far we have seen no signs of Gregory. If he is not at this house, then we will try Glenwood Hall.”
They rode until the trail became only passable for one horse at a time and then they dismounted altogether. The house was on a hill with a good overview of the surrounding area, even at night. The only advantage they had was that it was particularly dark as clouds had rolled in earlier in the evening.
They could see a light flickering inside, and Fredrick suggested, “Perhaps we can sneak up through the forest instead of taking the road.”
“What about the horses?” Jules asked.
Fredrick gave a sheepish look and said, “We will have to tie them to branches. They should be fine.”
“Okay,” Jules agreed quietly.
Soon enough they trudged off into the forest, and Jules gave her horse a slight wave as it snorted. The light still flickered in one of the windows, and there really was no way to hide too much. Fredrick and Jules opted to walk around the perimeter near the forest.
By the time they made it to the back door, Fredrick was wincing with the effort. “Are you quite okay?” Jules asked with concern.
“Come to find out that losing one’s leg is actually a pretty big inconvenience,” Fredrick said with humour as he rubbed his injured leg. “I will be fine. Just carry on so we can get out of here.”
Fredrick eased up to the door as best he could, careful not to put his cane down too hard on the wooden flooring of the porch. He tried the door, and it came open easily. Fredrick motioned for Jules to wait as he went through the door first.
Inside, the house was quiet and dark, the dining room and kitchen echoing every little movement that Fredrick and Jules made. Jules grimaced as she hit her leg on a chair leg. She covered her mouth so that she would not cry out with the sharp pain in her thigh.
Fredrick gave her a look of concern. Jules put on a brave smile and nodded that she was fine. They moved through the rooms on the first floor but found them empty, one after the other. The upstairs likewise was empty. The light had been a half-spent candle in the study, but there were no other signs of life.
When they came back down the stairs, Jules sighed, “Where is he?”
“The cellar?” Fredrick suggested. “I saw two doors outside that looked like they might have led into an old root cellar.”
Jules nodded, “Then we should look and see.”
“You are really a rather brave woman,” Fredrick said with a smile.
Jules assured the man, “I am quite afraid.”
“This whole business is enough to set anyone’s hair on end,” Fredrick said. “I, myself, would very much like this all to be a bad dream and tomorrow we will laugh about it over breakfast.”
