Charming the Duke (13 page)

Thornsby was in his study when Withrow burst through the door. It was so unlike his butler that he knew immediately something was wrong.

“What is it, Withrow?” Thornsby said and jumped from his chair. “Is someone hurt?”

Withrow shook his head. “It’s the children, Your Grace. They’re gone.”

“Gone! Whatever do you mean?”

“They are nowhere in the house or on the grounds. Their bundle and the book of their mother’s is missing,” Withrow said. “I have questioned everyone who was on duty last night, Your Grace. The last time anyone saw the children was about ten o’clock when Mrs. Plumsbly checked on them.”

Thornsby hadn’t been home last evening to sit with them while they fell asleep. He hadn’t been home in the evenings at all since he’d asked Millicent to marry him. Thornsby went into the grand hallway and was about to bellow for Mrs. Plumsbly, but it was unnecessary. Nearly every servant in his employ was gathered in the entranceway.

“I’ve checked all the barns and the out buildings,” Henderson his groom said, out of breath.

“I’ve looked in every cupboard in every room, sir. Everywhere,” Hilary the upstairs maid supplied.

“Mrs. Plumsbly? Have the children been unhappy or restless as of late?” Thornsby had already decided they’d not fell prey to any plot for kidnapping. They were destitute. The Gilbert children must have left on their own.

Mrs. Plumsbly wrung her hands. “Well, Your Grace. Things have been in a bit of a frenzy. But they said nothing to me.”

“A frenzy?” Thornsby asked.

Mrs. Plumsbly looked at Withrow and the servants surrounding her.

“Your Grace? May we speak in private?” Withrow asked.

Thornsby lead them into his library.

“What is this all about? Do you have some idea why the children left?” he asked.

Withrow closed the door. “It is a delicate matter, Your Grace. I didn’t wish to air Mrs. Plumsbly’s and my concerns to the rest of the staff.”

“Out with it, Withrow. Anything you may know may help us find the children.”

“Miss Marsh has the household in what Mrs. Plumsbly aptly describes as a frenzy. It is not our place to judge our new mistress, but I believe her presence here has something to do with the children’s disappearance,” Withrow said.

Withrow was tiptoeing close to the line of impropriety, and he was well aware of it. Yet, it did not stop the butler from looking his employer square in the eye. There was clearly more the two of them were not saying.

“What of this frenzy, Mrs. Plumsbly?” Thornsby asked and turned to face his housekeeper.

“With all the changes in the staff and Miss Marsh’s ah . . . attitudes, things have been in an uproar, that’s all, Your Grace,” Mrs. Plumsbly replied and wrung her hands at her waist. “We’re doing everything possible to make the next Duchess’ . . .”

“What staff changes, Mrs. Plumsbly?” Thornsby asked.

Withrow and Mrs. Plumsbly exchanged glances.

“Miss Marsh informed us she had your blessing, Your Grace,” Withrow said.

The two were silent, and Thornsby’s mind raced. “I have known you both since I was in short pants. I promise that nothing you say will leave this room nor will any punishment be meted out. But I demand that you tell me right now what it is you’re talking about before I strangle you both.”

“She dismissed Susie and Marguerite. Said they were too sassy and flirty,” Mrs. Plumsbly said.

“Told Cook his days were numbered,” Withrow said. The butler pursed his lips. “Informed me if I shan’t mind my willful ways, I would be the next to go.”

“I’m so frightened, Your Grace. My daughter needs help with the new baby and all, and if you turn me out as well, I’ll be hard pressed to get a job at my age,” Mrs. Plumsbly said and pulled a worried hanky from her pocket.

Thornsby flopped down in the chair with a thud. “Do you think she spoke to the children,” he asked softly.

“I saw Miss Marsh leaving the children’s rooms the day you asked her to be your bride. Jonah had trouble sleeping that night,” Mrs. Plumsbly said.

It was now apparent to Thornsby how Millicent Marsh would handle all the mundane household details. And he had allowed it.

“Find Susie and Marguerite and tell them to come back to work. You two have no worries about your employment. Tell the rest of the staff as well. Assemble the footman, Withrow. We’ll go house to house in the neighborhood and ask if the children have been seen,” Thornsby said.

There was something crushing about a trust abused. Something that Thornsby had never experienced. He had never felt a bigger fool in his life.

“Millicent Marsh!” Athena screamed only a half an hour later. Her and Andrew’s arrival was overshadowed by the missing Gilbert children. “You proposed marriage to Millicent Marsh?”

“Apparently, with what I now know, it was unwise,” Thornsby said to his sister.

Andrew harrumphed from his seat and stared into his brandy snifter.

“I cannot believe it. I cannot believe you would marry that odious creature. I can’t believe you allowed her to fire staff that has worked here for years. I shan’t ever be able to leave this household, Frederick, without the fear it will crumble down around your head,” Athena shouted.

“We will purchase a house nearby, Athena,” Andrew supplied.

Athena turned to her husband and smiled. “So sweet you are to care about me and my worries,” she said.

“Obviously I will break the engagement,” Thornsby said.

“And what good will that do the Gilbert children?” Athena asked her brother with a scowl.

“I made a mistake, Athena,” Thornsby said. “I admit it. Is it necessary to grind my nose in it?”

“I just don’t understand your reasoning, Freddie. There had to be some other woman for you to marry,” Athena replied.

“No need to yell at Athena, Thornsby,” Andrew said.

“She’s my sister. We’ve been shouting at each other for years,” Thornsby said. He sat down behind his desk. Slouched down. “I thought perhaps I’d marry Matilda Sheldon but she made her feelings very clear.”

Athena cocked her head. “Matilda Sheldon? What happened?”

Thornsby repeated his dealings with Matilda. From the odious Ethel’s inquiries about his family to the dimwitted mother’s suggestion, to the ball, and the dress Matilda wore. Berfine’s dance with her and his dragging her off. The kiss. And her parent’s reaction.

“Told her mother she wouldn’t marry me. Ever. No uncertain terms,” Thornsby concluded. “With my birthday looming, I was desperate. And maybe a little lonely,” he added.

“Did you court her at all?” Athena asked.

“No,” Thornsby admitted. “Just mistook her first for a maid then a char woman.”

Athena plopped down in a chair. “For a man who’s had any woman he ever wanted, charmed them all till their clothes fell off, Freddie, you’ve made a muck of this.”

“Thank you for the summation, Athena. Now what are we going to do about finding Alice and Jonah?” Thornsby asked.

Thornsby and Andrew and the footman dragged themselves home near midnight. There was no trace of Alice and Jonah. Thornsby shrugged off Athena’s concerns, seated himself in the library staring at the fire and proceeded to berate himself. There were so many missteps, so many miscalculations, he was in awe of his own ineptitude. Had wounded pride pushed him to offer for Millicent? After all, Matilda acted as though he were the last man on earth. His behavior towards her was hardly stellar though. But that kiss! He would give in and think about that one stolen, innocent kiss for just a moment.

Her face was soft and full of longing and curiosity. Her tongue never stopped wagging though, questioning him till he silenced her with his lips, Thornsby thought and smiled. He thought Matilda was stunning. Something about the tilt of her head and the color of her eyes that made her appearance far superior to any other woman he’d met. She was smart as a whip. Independent. Generous. Maybe her kindness, honesty and intelligence were part of the reason he found her so attractive. Matilda would have never fired his servants and scared off dependants.

And somewhere out in the city right now, Jonah and Alice were alone and defenseless. Thornsby was scared to the depths of his soul. Another uncomfortable feeling previously foreign to him. If anyone harmed those two, he’d kill them without a moment’s hesitation. If he questioned himself, he would wonder why two servant’s children mattered so much. He couldn’t place the time or situation when he’d begun to care about Jonah and Alice. But he did and he’d failed them.

* * *

Early in the morning Mrs. Brewer opened the door of the Sheldon Home for Lost Children to sweep the front steps. She hummed as she went swinging her broom. She stopped mid-swing when she saw two children stand up beside the steps from behind the shrubbery.

“Who are you?” Mrs. Brewer asked.

Alice pulled Jonah along beside her till they made their way out of the bushes to stand in front of the rotund woman on the porch.

“I’m Alice Gilbert, and this is my brother Jonah. We’ve come to see Miss Sheldon.”

“Miss Sheldon ain’t here quite yet. She’ll be along mid-afternoon,” Mrs. Brewer said. “How long you been hiding here waiting to see her?”

“Since last night,” Jonah said and shivered.

“You were here all night long? Alone? Good Lord in heavens. Come in out of the cold and get a bite to eat,” Mrs. Brewer said as she ushered the children inside. “All night alone, merciful heavens. Come along then. The kitchens are straight ahead.”

“Who is this woman?” Matilda asked Alice Gilbert later.

“He’s going to marry her. He told us,” Jonah said.

“Her name’s Miss Marsh,” Alice added.

The Gilbert children were eating biscuits and drinking milk at the kitchen table of the orphanage when she arrived. After finally settling down, Jonah and Alice revealed why they’d left Winterbourne.

“Millicent Marsh?” Matilda said.

“I think that was her name. White hair. Mean, but pretty enough, I imagine,” Alice added.

Millicent Marsh had never deigned Matilda important enough to speak to her. Not that Matilda cared. Miss Marsh’s reputation had been so clear that even Matilda’s mother had perceived her designs and told Matilda and her sisters to stay clear. She was vastly disappointed in the Duke’s choice of a wife. Although she could hardly say it was her business. Matilda could claim that she had been his first choice. If choice had much to do with her parent’s manipulations. But then reality hit her. Thornsby would marry.

“What did she say to you?” Matilda asked.

“I was doing my sums and asked the Duke to help me, and he told me to make my greeting to her,” Alice said. “She never even looked at me.”

“Then she come in our room. Alice and I were playing with the Duke’s little metal soldiers, and she says she’s in charge,” Jonah said.

“She got rid of two of the upstairs girls,” Alice said and added in a whisper. “She didn’t like them. They were pretty.” Alice twisted her worn skirt in her hand. “Then she tells us her and the Duke will have their own hairs and she didn’t want us around them.”

Jonah sniffed. “Said the Duke knew all about it. He hadn’t read us any stories since she started coming around.”

Matilda pulled both children in her lap. “No more of this sad talk now. You will stay here with me and Mrs. Brewer and Mr. Small. Everything will be fine.”

Alice looked up at Matilda. “I didn’t tell Mrs. Plumbsby or Mr. Withrow where we were going. They might be worrying. They didn’t like Miss Marsh either.”

“We’ll send Mr. Small around to tell them you’re safe,” Matilda said.

* * *

Jem Small knocked on the back door of Winterbourne. No one answered and he left himself in to a large well, tended kitchen. He shouted hello to no reply. Jem climbed the steps to a large grand hallway and heard conversation.

“Hello, there,” Jem called.

“What are you doing in here?” a matronly woman called out. “Who are you?”

“I’m a looking for a Mistress Plumsbly or a Master Withrow. I’ve a message for them,” Jem said.

“I am Mr. Withrow. We are quite busy here. State your business.”

“Miss Sheldon sent me to talk to you,” Jem said.

“Miss Sheldon? I’m not acquainted . . .” Withrow began.

“Miss Sheldon? What message?” a young, dark-haired man shouted.

Jem stared at the man, obviously the master of this household. He’d been around gentry far too long not to be able to recognize quality but Miss Sheldon had said the message was for others. He turned to the tall, thin white-faced man, the butler he supposed, and spoke.

“Miss Sheldon said this message was for you and a Mrs. Plumsbly. Said to tell the two of you the children were safe and being . . .”

The dark-haired man grabbed his shoulders. “Did you say the children were safe? Jonah and Alice?”

“Yea, that’s their names.”

* * *

Thornsby’s hand shook, and he wiped his face from forehead to chin. He took a weak, shaky breath. In the background he listened as Athena and Mrs. Plumsbly questioned the messenger. He closed his eyes when the man repeated a housekeeper’s story of finding the two hiding beside the front porch of the orphanage all night waiting for Matilda. Jonah would have been frightened. Alice grimly resolved to take care of her only family. Thornsby shoved past the crowd listening to the story and headed to his stables.

Thornsby pounded the front door of Matilda’s orphanage a short time later. He was ready to rap for the third time when the door opened by a woman in a crisp, white apron.

“Where are they?” Thornsby demanded. Somehow he couldn’t release the fear in his chest until he saw the two with his own eyes.

“Who?” the woman said. “Where do you think you’re heading? This house is Miss Sheldon’s. No business of yours . . .”

The round woman was following him down the hall, shouting. Thornsby didn’t care. “Jonah? Alice? Where are you?” Jonah flew out of a room ahead of him and latched on to his legs. Thornsby closed his eyes, pulled the boy into his arms and held on.

“Where is your sister?” Thornsby asked after a moment.

Jonah turned, wiped his eyes and pointed to Alice, standing in the doorway. Thornsby held his hand out to Alice but she stood rooted.