Page 17 of Never Beguile a Duke (Wayward Dukes’ Alliance #30)
WINIFRED
W inifred lay flat on her stomach, pressing her mouth to the small space between the base of Juliette’s door and the floor. “If I must spend the entire day on this rug, I will do so.”
“What are you doing?” The familiar alto timber of Miss Wilmington brushed over Winifred, who froze.
Praying Miss Wilmington wasn’t accompanied by her mother, Winifred twisted her head sideways and offered a sheepish smile. “I’m attempting to retrieve something locked in that chamber.”
“Oh!” Lifting her skirt, Miss Wilmington knelt and laid her head on the floor beside Winifred’s. “Perhaps I can reach it. What is the item you seek?”
“Miss Juliette.”
Frowning, Miss Wilmington sat up. “The Duke of Beaufort’s daughter?”
“Correct.” Winifred straightened and tucked a loose strand of hair into her bun. “His Grace requested that I amuse her while he and the Duke of Roxburghe retrieved the doctor.”
“What have you accomplished so far?”
“Roughly an hour on the floor.” Winifred stretched out her legs. “If only I could unlock the door.”
“Try this.” Miss Wilmington drew a gold hat pin from her dark blonde hair and held out the eight-inch-long metal spike.
“That’s beautiful,” Winifred said, captivated by the light green sparkles painted across the floor. “However…”
She glanced at the door lock. “I may damage the end of the stem while attempting to unlatch the door.”
“Oh, I’m certain you will.” Miss Wilmington winked. “That hat pin has been put to this use on several occasions. No one will notice; not one person inspects the tip of a hatpin.”
Winifred returned to her knees, scooted toward the door, and stabbed the hatpin into the keyhole. Wiggling the tip against the lock’s inner mechanism, she pressed her ear to the door, listening to metal grind against metal.
The door didn’t unlock.
“Perhaps you’ll have better luck,” Winifred said, passing the hatpin to Miss Wilmington and moving aside.
After a few moments of fiddling with the lock, a soft click reverberated through the hallway. Smiling, Miss Wilmington removed the hatpin and depressed the handle. However, the door wouldn’t budge.
“Perhaps I need to leave the tip inside the mechanism.” Eyes narrowing, Miss Wilmington rammed the hatpin into the keyhole a second time but, again, the door refused to open. “Are you certain Miss Juliette is inside?”
“Based on His Grace’s account, I assumed she was.” Winifred chewed on her lower lip. “However, it would have been prudent to verify that fact prior to spending the past hour in the corridor attempting to coax her from this chamber.”
“For your sake, I hope Miss Juliette is inside.” Miss Wilmington withdrew the hatpin from the door and stuck the jewel-tipped metal rod back into her hair. “However, if she isn’t, please allow me the delight of hearing you share the story at dinner this evening.”
“Agreed,” Winifred replied, wondering why she and Nora hadn’t spent more time socially with Miss Wilmington.
Placing her cheek against the carpet, Winifred squinted, her gaze scanning any shadow visible in the small crack between the door and the floor.
“Can you see anything?” Miss Wilmington asked as she peered through the keyhole.
Pushing up, Winifred shook her head. “It’s too dark. She must not have allowed Mrs. Aylett to draw the drapes this morning.”
Miss Wilmington snapped her fingers. “I have an idea. We should...”
Her next words were too soft for Winifred to understand, which must have been her plan, because a few seconds later, a floorboard squeaked roughly a foot from the door.
“Consider our first question answered,” Miss Wilmington said, her face splitting into a grin.
“How did you know that would work?” Winifred asked, nodding toward the door.
“I have five younger brothers and sisters.” Miss Wilmington shifted and sat, leaning against the wall. “Father is frequently away on business and Mother can be… overwhelmed at times.”
Winifred sat on the opposite side of the doorway. “Have you ever dealt with an issue like this one before?”
“The situation was a little different.” Her gray eyes slid to Winifred.
“About two years ago, one of my brothers accidentally locked the other brother in a large trunk and buried the key; they were pretending to be pirates. However, an hour passed, and Archie couldn’t locate the key again. He was terrified for his brother.”
Winifred gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “Did your brother survive?”
“He did. I used my hat pin; it was the only tool I had at the time and was quite efficient for the task. George was freed within seconds.” She leaned across the doorway and cupped her hand around her mouth. “I recommend anyone with a curious mind wear one.”
“Unfortunately for us, the hatpin didn’t unlock this door.” Winifred softly tapped the back of her head against the wall, hoping the action would knock an idea into her brain.
“What do you know of Miss Juliette?” Miss Wilmington asked, tracing her finger along a pattern decorating the rug.
“Very little.” Winifred climbed to her feet. “She’s nine, and she likes mismatched hair ribbons.”
Chuckling, Miss Wilmington rose as well. “My younger sisters enjoy a wide range of activities. I’m quite certain if we suggest one of those, we can tempt Miss Juliette from the chamber.”
“Nothing else has worked,” Winifred replied, glancing at the door.
Exhaling a deep breath, Winifred placed her mouth to the space between the door and the frame.
“Miss Juliette? If you’re listening, Miss Wilmington and I are going to occupy our morning with the activity of your choosing.
You only need to open the door to claim the one in which you wish to participate.
I’ll begin. I suggest… playing an instrument. ”
No sound came from the other side of the door.
Miss Wilmington leaned over Winifred’s shoulder. “Playing cards?”
Winifred twisted around and, eyes wide, shook her head. “The Duke of Beaufort was quite angry when he discovered Miss Juliette playing Brag yesterday; no card games.”
“Oh! I wasn’t aware.” Miss Wilmington blushed, her skin turning dark pink. “Painting… or drawing. Either one is acceptable.”
They turned toward the door, waiting, but again, silence answered them.
“Perhaps something more adventurous?” Miss Wilmington twisted a loose dark blonde curl around her finger. “An outdoor activity?”
A muted creak slipped under the door.
Winifred grinned and tapped her temple with her fingertip, indicating Miss Wilmington should follow her lead. “Let’s go sledding! I noticed some fantastic hills yesterday when the Duke of Beaufort and I were searching for Miss Juliette.”
“If only you knew where we could find some toboggans,” Miss Wilmington said, interjecting an excessive amount of despondency into her reply. “I suppose we’ll have to spend the day staring at Miss Juliette’s door and imagining the fun we’d be having.”
The door latch clicked, and the door opened a hair’s breadth. “There are sleds in the stables.”
“Delightful!” Winifred wove her fingers together to prevent her impatient hands from slamming open the door. “Would you care to join us? It would be much more fun with three people.”
“We could race,” Miss Wilmington said, her eyes shining. “And the winner can choose a hair ribbon from each of the losers.”
The door moved an inch.
“I only possess the two ribbons Miss Fernsby-Webb gave me,” came Miss Juliette’s soft voice.
“By the end of the afternoon, you could own two more.” Miss Wilmington’s face melted into a coaxing smile. “Imagine how many combinations you could make with four different colors.”
Miss Juliette’s mousey-brown head peeked around the door’s edge, her uncertain eyes seeking Winifred. “Will Father approve?”
“Sledding and hair adornments are both acceptable activities for a young girl,” Winifred said, holding out her hand. “The Duke of Beaufort won’t be angry with this decision.”
At least she hoped he wouldn’t. She couldn’t imagine sledding would make him cross, but she also didn’t expect such a severe reaction from him after he learned his daughter had been playing cards.
“When did you visit the stables?” Winifred asked as Miss Juliette emerged from the chamber.
“After Father retired last evening,” Miss Juliette replied, wrapping her gloved hand around Winifred’s. “I couldn’t sleep, and since no one was awake, I decided to explore the estate.”
Winifred exchanged a glance with Miss Wilmington, then knelt, drawing Miss Juliette closer. “In the future, should that occur again, swear you won’t leave the main house. It’s too dangerous to wander around outside, in the dark, without a guardian.”
Miss Juliette’s lower lip trembled. “If I make that promise, will you still inform Father of my late-night expedition?”
“I don’t recall hearing anything about your whereabouts last night,” Winifred said, her gaze flicking upward. “Miss Wilmington, do you?”
“Not at all, Miss Fernsby-Webb,” she replied, placing a gentle hand on Miss Juliette’s shoulder. “It was by mere accident that we discovered the toboggans hidden in the stables.”
Her face lighting, Miss Juliette squeezed Winifred’s hand. “Should we invite your sister to come with us?”
“Because three hair ribbons are better than two?” Winifred teased, immediately plunging into guilt as Miss Juliette’s face fell.
“I’m only jesting. Of course, you can ask Nora.
However, she is currently caring for our mother, who’s still recovering from her ordeal yesterday, and may not be able to join us. ”
Scrunching her face, Miss Juliette appeared to consider Winifred’s words.
Then she nodded, released Winifred’s hand, and darted down the corridor, screeching to a halt in front of the Webb chamber.
Rapping three times, Miss Juliette hopped from one foot to the other as she waited for Nora to open the door.
As soon as the door cracked, Miss Juliette blurted out, “Would you like to go sledding with me?”