Page 11 of A Loving Governess in Disguise
Chapter 11
The following days were agony for Adolphus.
He sat in his study, staring at the dark gray walls until he was quite certain that he had gone completely mad. He had to hope that his investigator could uncover something, anything, to find his wife.
He had taken to calling her his wife already, though they were not yet married. As far as he was concerned, she was his; she simply needed some convincing, which he was more than happy to provide once he got his hands on her.
There was a knock on his door, and he sprang to his feet and opened it at once. He had hoped it was Mr Williams, but it was only his mother. He grumbled at the sight of her.
“There is no need for that, now,” she said brightly, unfazed by his attitude. “Addy, it will do you no good to–”
“Do not call me that anymore, Mother. I am four-and-thirty years old, a man.”
“You are still my boy. You shall always be my boy. I have already told you that. You have control over the town, not your mother.”
She was the one person he could never threaten or make bow to him. She adored him, perhaps more than most mothers did their sons, but she was not the sort of woman who bent. He cleared his throat, avoiding her gaze.
“Mother, I am very busy. Did you need something?”
“Yes, dear. I was thinking … I know you like this girl, but might it be wise to consider other options?”
“Why would I do that?” he asked, dumbfounded. “She is perfect, and that is what I deserve.”
“If she has a tendency to run away when she is unhappy with something, then she is not perfect.”
“She is very happy. She told me herself.”
It was a lie, but he had to say something to take the judgemental furrow out of her brow. It worked, and she lowered her head and sighed.
“If you are certain that this is the right thing to do, I shan’t protest it any further, but I do not want you to grow tiresome of her. She is almost half your age, and I do not believe you have anything in common at all.”
“It isn’t about that. She is on the brink of ruin, and I am saving her. You know this.”
“I know, but–”
“Mother, I do not wish to hear anything more on the matter. She will be my wife, and you shall be wonderful to her.”
“Of course, Adolphus.”
She nodded to him gently and left the room. He knew that she was apprehensive about the match, but her opinion did not matter to him. Nobody’s did but his own. He would find his wife, they would marry, and that would be the end of it.
A week passed, and Colin Williams finally arrived on his doorstep. It had been raining that morning, and he was positively drenched. Adolphus ushered him into his study without his mother seeing the pair of them. It was easier if she did not ask questions.
“I do hope you come bearing good news,” he said. “It has taken an awfully long time.”
“Your Grace, if I may, it has not been very long at all.”
“It has been two weeks!”
“This is not a misplaced hat that I am searching for; it is a lady. I have followed your lead, and I have found some details.”
He sighed, leaning back into his chair. He had not found her, but it was true; it could take time, and he would have to be patient. It would, after all, be worth it.
“Very well. Go on.”
“So I investigated Miss Fletcher’s townhouse. I stood by the gates, sheltered from view, of course, and watched the comings and goings.”
“And did you see her?”
“No, Your Grace.”
That one little word, those two little letters, was enough to send him into a rage. He rose from his seat, flipping his desk over. Colin staggered back, uttering nonsense in a vain attempt to calm him down. Nothing would work; he had been so patient, and nothing was coming to fruition.
“Your Grace, I hadn’t finished, I–”
“You are an imbecile. I paid you good money, and you haven’t seen her?”
“No, but I have even entered her home during their absence, not being caught. I may not have found the girl yet, but I am being thorough. I only need time.”
“I do not have time. I need her. Get out. Go back to London and do not leave until you have found her, or else I will go to her myself.”
“I wouldn’t advise that, Your Grace. You wouldn’t want to appear suspicious.”
“And you would not like to be known as a man that has entered a stranger’s home, and so you ought to do as I say.”
He saw the fear in his investigator’s eyes as he fled.
Adolphus moved his desk back into place, taking deep breaths to steady himself. He did not like losing his temper in such a manner, but sometimes, it had to be done. He refrained from doing it for the most part, however, as it was a loss of control, and he loathed that with every part of his being.
He had to think. There had to be something he could do without becoming known to the Fletchers and, by association, the Cheslyns. He sat in thought in the darkened room, his hands raking through his hair with desperation, when suddenly it came to him.
Emma, her maid, had left with her. She was only young, and young girls had tendencies to leave a trail. If Euterpe had been intelligent enough to vanish into thin air, then he had to look for the maid instead. Fortunately, he needed only to pay his friends a visit, as he already had a connection there that would help him for the right price.
George and Beatrice were surprised to see him, but he played the jilted suitor role again, and they invited him in without question.
“I can only apologize for how long this is taking,” George explained, Beatrice leaving for the stairs the moment she saw it was him. “Excuse my wife; she is in pieces about this. Truly, it has been a devastating loss for our family twice over.”
Adolphus was pleased that he had unleashed his rage on his desk; for now, he could control himself more easily.
“You have no need to apologize, as I have already told you. She will decide she has made a mistake and return. I am certain of it. Perhaps you might like to comfort your wife?”
George did not say anything more and left to find Beatrice. It was precisely what Adolphus needed. He stalked down to the servants’ quarters and found the same maid he had spoken to before.
“Oh! It is you,” she gasped.
“Pardon my intrusion. I require more information about the maid leaving with Miss Euterpe.”
“I– I do not know anything further.”
“I will not be repeating all of this again. Name your price, and it is done. You can give me the location of her family home, and we can leave it there. It is not difficult.”
She seemed to shiver before him, shaking in fear. He tried not to grin at that. He had all the power, of course, because if she said no, he could quickly tell her employers that she was giving away information about their daughters.
“The same as last time,” she whispered at last, and he nodded. “The Fitzroys live in Southwark, on the riverfront. I do not know where exactly, but Emma has always told me how dangerous it was. I do not think it wise to–”
“Thank you for your time. I brought your funds with me this time, as I had a feeling you would have such a price.”
He handed her the money and left without another word. It was true that Southwark was incredibly dangerous, and there was an immense level of crime there, but that was precisely what he had been hoping for. Even if his title labelled him as a target, he was not afraid of any criminals, and the worse off the Fitzroys were, the more likely they would be to give in to him.
And so, he left for Southwark in an instant. He did not bid farewell to the Cheslyns, as they had not returned from wherever they had gone. George would understand, he reasoned. He always made excuses for him, and though pathetic, he was pleased about it.
He reached his destination at nightfall, the nightly activities having already begun. He had to be careful, or else he would be stolen from at best.
He saw a woman walking with a child and knew she was the perfect person to approach. As he did, he saw the terror in her eyes, clearly wondering what this incredibly tall and broad man would do to her. He gave her as much charm as he could to disarm her and spoke as softly as he could muster.
“Do not be afraid, Miss. It is quite late to be out with this little one, is it not?”
“I haven’t a choice,” she replied, gripping her child tightly. “I am trying to go home, if I may.”
“Yes, of course, but first, I must ask if you know the Fitzroys.”
She turned pale. Adolphus could not believe his luck.
“They are just this way, Sir.”
She softened as they walked, perhaps grateful to be accompanied. They entered a room and inside were four more people. He almost scoffed at it, six people to a room. It was unbearable just standing there. As he looked over them, however, he noticed something very intriguing indeed.
There were no men in the room beside him.
“Who’s this?” the oldest lady, presumably the mother, asked.
She looked at him accusingly, which, under the circumstances, he understood. This was the matriarch of the household, and if he were to attain what he wanted, then he would have to charm her. Fortunately, he thought in the damp and brown room, he had plenty of that to spare.
“My name is Lord Edgley,” he explained, giving another name in case word got back to the Cheslyns. “I am searching for two missing young ladies, and I believe one of them is your daughter. Miss Emma Fitzroy.”
He could tell by the shift in his expression that she was, indeed, the girl’s mother.
“She is not missing, My Lord. She is quite safe.”
“Is that to say you know where she is?” he asked hopefully.
“No, but she is not a fool. Should she be doing anything in particular, then it is the right thing to do.”
Aiding her mistress in running away from him was decidedly not the right thing, but he forced himself not to be angry with her.
“Might you know anything at all about her whereabouts? The lady that she has left with is being searched for incessantly, and her family is afraid for her well-being.”
“We know nothing.”
But he could see it, the shifting from one foot to the other, the inability to meet his eye. He looked at the others, who were much the same. They were being dishonest, and he knew it. He was being kind to them, and yet they were repaying him like that?
Very well, he thought, I shall do what works for people of your class.
“Why were you out with that child?” he asked, turning to the lady he had met. “Yours, I assume?”
“Yes, this is my child, My Lord.”
“And where might his father be?”
He saw the tears forming in her eyes.
“He … he didn’t want anything to do with me.”
“And where is your father?”
“He passed away.”
“So you have no protection, is that right? That is why your mother sent your sister away, isn’t it?”
“I did not send her away!” the mother protested. “She asked to go.”
“And now she is missing, and you refuse to help those searching for her. I shall assume that she was sending you her wages, yes?”
The woman was silent. Adolphus smirked; they were always so predictable.
“For as long as she is missing,” he continued, “you shall not receive a penny. Now, unless you wish to send your other daughters out into brothels, you shall tell me what I need to know. Otherwise, I shall inform the Cheslyns that you know of their daughter’s whereabouts and refuse to give me them.”
“Very well,” she whispered, opening a drawer and pulling a piece of paper out.
She handed Adolphus the letter before walking away, leaning on a chair. Adolphus unfolded it at once and scanned it, and as it ended, he felt almost furious. It was from Emma herself, but it was relatively old. All that it said was that her mistress had left London but that she was staying there for a while. She asked her family not to worry for her and not to disclose her location.
That was all they were keeping from him.
He dropped it onto the floor and left without another word. From the other side of the thin door, he heard the whispers about him, about how he was a very strange man and that they had to be wary of him. He almost went back inside, but he thought better of it. He also wished to leave Southwark, as he found it most unpleasant. It was beneath him; the family was beneath him, and he wished to leave.
However, he did consider as his carriage left the sad, rank town and returned to the greenery he was accustomed to that Emma was in London, still. London meant there was indeed a connection to Miss Charlotte Fletcher, and he had been correct in supposing her as a lead. He sat back triumphantly for a moment, smiling to himself. He truly was, he thought, such a clever man.
If Miss Charlotte was indeed the next person of interest, then he would have to make even more of an effort than he already was. He had to do so if he wished to have Miss Euterpe returned to him, and that was the one thing he wanted more than anything.
He spent the rest of his journey planning all the different ways he would have Miss Euterpe beg for his forgiveness once he had her, and he found it very entertaining indeed.
He simply had to find her first.