Page 77 of The Artisan and the Duke
“What manner of beast is inside my skull?” Gregory groaned out the question.
Jules laughed, “Probably the kind with big stomping feet. Breakfast will be up in a moment. How are you feeling other than the beast in your skull?”
“Alive,” Gregory said softly. “I thought I was dreaming last night when I saw you and Fred.”
Jules shook her head and said, “Of course not. What a silly dream that would have been.” Jules’ lighthearted teasing was broken off as Gregory pulled her to him and crushed her in a hug so tight she could scarcely breathe.
“I searched for you,” Gregory whispered desperately.
Jules hugged the man back and said softly, “I know. Master Foster told me.”
“Where were you? I would hear all of it, even the bad or worse,” Gregory insisted.
Jules disentangled herself from the man with a smile. “First things first; it sounds like our breakfast has arrived,” she said tenderly.
Sure enough, the doctor’s wife brought in a tray with two plates full of hash and some bread. “I am so glad to see you awake,” the woman said to Gregory who merely nodded. “Now I imagine your head is splitting, so my husband sent me with some headache powder.”
“Blessed woman,” Gregory exclaimed as he let her place a couple of spoonfuls of the powder into his mouth which he washed down hastily with water.
Breakfast was quiet as Jules did not want to distract Gregory from eating. The man needed to eat as much as possible with his condition, and she thought that talking of Fredrick at the moment might just be a detriment to that. As soon as Gregory showed signs of being full, Jules cleared her throat, “Before we head back to London this morning, we’ll need to go check on Fredrick. He went back to the house to make sure that your uncle really was not there. He should have returned last night, but he has not.”
Jules expected Gregory to be angry that she had not told him at once, but he just nodded and said, “Then we should be on our way.”
***
The house looked different in the daylight, Jules thought as they approached. They had found Fredrick’s horse tied up in the woods a bit back, and Gregory now rode the horse. Instead of going through the woods, they opted to keep to the trail and simply rode up to the house.
The house was quiet and dark. Gregory slid off the horse and winced at how the landing jarred his head. “Are you sure that you are up to this?” Jules asked in concern as she slipped down off her own horse.
Gregory shrugged. “Does it matter? I need to find my brother.”
Jules could not disagree with the man’s sentiment, but yes it did matter to Jules if Gregory was okay. “It matters to me,” she said softly.
Gregory relented and took his wife’s hand. He tugged Jules along with him to the house. “I’m sorry. It has just been a really horrible week.”
“For me too,” Jules agreed.
The back door was open, and so was the cellar. They started with the cellar and quickly regretted not bringing a light with them. However, just at the bottom of the cellar was the lantern. It’s light dim but there.
Jules picked up the lantern. “The wick needs letting out,” Jules said as she turned the metal knob on the side and the light bloomed brighter from the lantern.
The light spilled out over the cellar and showed Jules and Gregory immediately that Fredrick was not there. There was, however, another section of wall missing.
Gregory walked over to it and shook his head. “Whoever put me in my cubby hole must have put someone else in here. You said that you and Fred did not find Uncle in the house?”
“No, we saw no one,” Jules said softly. “What sort of cellar has such things?”
Gregory pursed out his lips and said, “Lots of them. People hide all manner of things, including sometimes other people.”
“So, where’s Fredrick? If he found your uncle or someone, then where is he? His horse is still here,” Jules said with worry.
Gregory shook his head slowly to avoid the pain of jarring his head too much. “I intend to find out. The first place to look would be the house. If he did not leave, then he had to settle here for the night,” Gregory said reasonably. “Do not think the worst until we know more.”
“I am trying my best, but with my past experiences, it is proving difficult,” Jules said.
Gregory put his arm around Jules’ shoulders and led the girl back to the stairs. “I am having a bit of a crisis of faith myself,” Gregory admitted, “but that will do Fredrick no good. He is a soldier and a hard man to kill. If anyone can get out of a scrape, then it would be Fred.”
They made their way up to the back door which was still ajar. Gregory went in first despite his wound. He insisted on being the first in, and Jules eventually relented. Inside, the house was as quiet as it was the night before.
