Page 17 of The Honorable Governess (False Rumors #4)

“ S ara only caused the scene at the musical because she became desperate to end the terror ruling our lives,” Ian attempted to explain Sara’s actions to his in-laws.

Marian patted Ian’s hand. “We understand, dear, and we do not blame Sara. We only want you to understand how this ordeal has affected Sara. Your love has blinded you from noticing the changes in her. She has withdrawn, and sadness and guilt linger in her eyes.”

Stuart poured Ian a whiskey. “Only a confrontation will end this farce. Lord and Lady Roselli have given us the opportunity to do so.”

Ian threw back the whiskey. “Not an opportunity. A trap.”

“Perhaps,” Stuart agreed. “But one we must enter to end this drama.”

Ian swiped his hand across his face in frustration at how he must risk his wife’s welfare to end the villain’s revenge. He was uncomfortable with placing his wife in the path of danger. However, with correct precision, he could manipulate the danger to his benefit. Their friends had written to him this morning about how they had received the same invitation. He thought if he ignored the villain’s summons, their terror would disappear, but his in-laws made him face the reality of the situation.

Would Sara’s bravery last through this ordeal? He worried her fragile disposition might crumble from the pressure. While his wife was the bravest soul he knew, he wasn’t blind to how it affected her. He witnessed it whenever he gazed upon her and stole kisses from her lips. He would do anything to see happiness shining from her eyes and her charming laughter filling his soul.

“Send our acceptance,” Somerville conceded.

“We will keep her protected like the daughter she has become in our hearts,” Marian promised.

Somerville nodded. Sara had impacted more than his and Mairi’s life. She had given his in-laws hope for a future they had lost when Claudia passed away. Everyone’s devotion to keeping her protected showed how much they loved Sara. He prayed their love would keep her sheltered in the upcoming days.

He didn’t have a clue what they would walk into. From the tone of the villain’s letters, it could only be a trap. However, they couldn’t ignore the taunt and must face the evil invitation with a purpose Roselli would never expect. Ian swore to destroy the people whose only intention was to harm Sara.

“Poppa.” Mairi ran into the parlor and jumped on Ian’s lap.

Ian smiled at his daughter. “I thought you and your momma were playing in the garden.”

“It was too cold. I came in for hot chocolate. But now I cannot find Momma to read me a story.”

Ian raised his head in a silent question to the maid who followed Mairi into the parlor. The maid stood with her hands behind her back and paled at his attention. Something was amiss, and the girl didn’t want to cause alarm with his daughter present. He picked up on the silent message and focused his attention on Marian, who must’ve noticed the same behavior because she rose and picked Mairi off his lap.

“How about I read you a story instead?”

Mairi wrapped her arms around her grandmother’s neck. “The one about the prince who cannot find the fairy princess.”

Marian’s lips trembled with a smile. “Of course.”

His daughter’s request hit too close to the truth. Mairi, not finding Sara, caused panic to ripple through the room. Once Marian left with Mairi, Ian leapt from the chair and stalked toward the maid. He frightened her with his reaction, and he attempted to calm himself before demanding answers he feared. However, the maid understood his reaction because they had kept the servants informed of their situation. They needed them to remain vigilant about any suspicious behavior they could report.

The maid handed him a letter. “I found this near your bed when Mairi went looking for the duchess in your suite.”

The maid didn’t wait for his reaction and fled the parlor. Probably to inform the other servants of her discovery. He couldn’t blame the lass for gossiping when it would only be for their benefit. If it helped to keep his family protected, then he would be the first to spread the news.

“What is it?” Stuart asked behind him.

Somerville didn’t need to read the despicable letter to understand how his wife would’ve reacted to it. He thrust the letter into his father-in-law’s hand and left to find Sara. However, everywhere he searched, she was nowhere to be found. When he searched the garden, he found the scarf she’d worn the day she arrived in Scotland. It rested in the place Sara had hidden before they were married. He gathered the ragged but well-cared-for garment and sank down on the bench.

She had left them.

It was her attempt to keep them protected, an act he had failed concerning Sara. He lifted the scarf to inhale the sweet scent of his wife. The love of his life. A lady he would search the ends of the earth to bring back home. He refused to allow the evil that tormented them to claim victory.

He strode back inside to send word to Courtland, Lockhart, and Hepburn of the latest development and request their aid in bringing the bastard to justice. No more niceties. He would strike with vengeance. He should’ve done so the second he learned the truth about Sara’s tormentor’s identity.

Ian scrolled out his request with urgency and handed the letters to Simmons. “Please deliver these with undue haste. Also, I need you to question the staff if they noticed any suspicious visitors before the Sara departed. I need to learn about any information that led to the duchess’s disappearance.”

Simmons bowed. “Yes, Your Grace. This arrived while you were in the garden.”

Ian ripped the letter open to read the latest taunt. It would appear the servants hadn’t been diligent in keeping the villain from entering the townhome. As with the other letters, it was a mystery he would never solve until he confronted the bastard.

Somerville,

Tsk, tsk. It seems you have lost your wife. You do not safeguard your possessions very well. Do not despair. I shall make it my mission to see to her welfare. Or will you come to her rescue as the white knight she believes you to be ?

The only question remaining is if you will find her before I do.

Until then ...

Ian balled his hands into fists and stormed to the foyer. “Simmons, bring my carriage around at once,” he bellowed.

“Did you find Sara?” Stuart asked.

“No. I must find her before the bastard does. If he hasn’t already,” Somerville growled.

“Read this.” Stuart handed Somerville the letter. “He is as sadistic as we feared. I never imagined the Rosellis to be so cruel. We underestimated them all these years. ‘Tis our fault for introducing Sara to them.”

Somerville read through the letter and could only imagine Sara’s heartache at learning her parents' intent toward her. They wished she had never existed. How those words must’ve tormented her. When he read the lies about him and the haunting words about Mairi, Ian went mad with his need for vengeance. However, before he struck his revenge, he needed to reassure his in-laws.

He squeezed Stuart’s shoulder. “You are not at fault. They hid their deception well from everyone, including me. However, with your help and Sara’s friends, we will end their reign in the ton with the disgrace they deserve.”

“Whatever you need,” Stuart promised.

“When Sara’s friends arrive, show them this letter. The gentlemen will understand what to do. Ask the ladies to keep Marian and Mairi entertained until I can bring Sara home safely,” Ian requested.

Stuart nodded. “You have my promise.”

Ian strode to his carriage with demands of the driver about their first stop. He prayed Sara ran to the friends who had no connection to the aristocracy. If she wasn’t there, then he had no clue where else to search. However, he refused to admit defeat. He wouldn’t return home until he held Sara in his warm embrace.

The only place she needed to be.

AS SHE FLED LONDON , Sara longed for the comfort of Ian’s arms. But it was those arms she ran from. She couldn’t confide in her friends or else they would convince her to return to Ian. At one time, she could have run to the Hardys’ bookshop. However, Ian would search for her there after she’d admitted she ran there whenever she wanted to escape from her troubles. Her husband would turn London upside down to find her. She was a fool for leaving the letter behind. However, she had no wish to read those damaging and hurtful words ever again.

Instead, she boarded a carriage traveling to Fordwich. Sara would hide away at her grandmother’s cottage until she decided how to start anew, away from everyone she loved. It was her only option for Ian and Mairi to live a drama-free life. She never imagined her marriage to Ian would become so complicated.

Since she traveled by mail carriage, she had to endure many stops along the way and the carriage’s broken wheel that needed to be replaced. When she finally arrived in the village from her past, she followed the path to her grandmother’s cottage. She had promised her grandmother on her deathbed to explore all that life offered. Instead, she returned to the very place she wished to avoid. The place used to hold comforting memories. Now it was a reminder of her grandmother’s secrets.

With nightfall on the cusp of arriving, Sara hurried inside to light a few candles so darkness wouldn’t shroud her in its midst. She would need to gather firewood to warm the cottage and gather provisions before she settled in for the evening. When she left for London for her first governess position, her grandmother’s neighbor had promised to look after the cottage. When Sara stepped inside, she noticed the cottage clean and a stack of firewood near the hearth.

She fell onto the settee and took a deep breath. Mental and physical exhaustion took hold from the torment of the past year. Her emotions were a scattered mess that left her on the verge of tears more than she cared to count. She wanted to weep in Ian’s arms. However, he would never have the chance at a fresh start if she returned.

Sara closed her eyes to bring herself under control. However, her lack of sleep had her drifting away. Her last thoughts were of Ian and Mairi holding their arms wide, showing her their love.

Sara never thought to question the state of the cottage. She had assumed the neighbor kept it stocked, waiting for her return. Instead, her worst nightmare had prepared for her arrival, one who watched her from the hallway in eager anticipation to strike his vengeance. Her gravest mistake was to return to the scene of the crime.

Her only hope was the husband she’d run from.

SOMERVILLE BANGED ON the glass pane of the door, but to his frustration, no one answered. However, he wouldn’t allow it to deter him. He would wait there until they opened the next day to see Sara unharmed inside. He continued knocking, hoping they would tire of the racket he made for their attention. It wasn’t much longer when a light appeared, and a couple peered out the window.

“Please let me in.” Somerville knocked again.

The man pointed at the closed sign hanging in the window. “Come back in the morning.”

“I am not here to buy your damned books. I must speak with Sara,” Somerville demanded.

The woman shot her husband a worried look, which caused him to unlock and open the door for Somerville. Somerville strode inside and moved to the stairs that led to their quarters, not waiting for their permission. He had never abused the power of his rank with those below him in station. But then he’d never been desperate to find his wife before. He would make his apologies once he found Sara safe.

He entered their furnishings and stumbled to a halt in the meager confines. “Where is Sara?”

“You will not find your wife here, Your Grace.”

Somerville turned in confusion at the lady’s sorrowful tone. “If she is not here, then where is she?”

The gentleman walked around the apartment, lighting candles. “Please take a seat, Your Grace, and my wife will try to explain where Sara might be.”

Somerville had no other option than to sit at the rickety table. Mrs. Hardy bustled around the kitchen, preparing a pot of tea. He didn’t have the time for such niceties, but he didn’t dare ruin his chances of obtaining any information they might share about Sara’s whereabouts.

“Please. I have no time to spare,” Somerville pleaded.

Mrs. Hardy sat across from him. “I warned Sara not to return here after her last visit.”

Somerville frowned. “Sara never mentioned such a warning. Why?”

The lady glanced at her husband, and he nodded his encouragement to tell Somerville the truth. “Because after her last visit, my husband noticed Lord Roselli lingering outside the shoppe after he helped Sara to her carriage. When he visited daily, I realized a lord of his rank would not visit our shoppe because of an interest in our catalog. His actions reflected his intention to catch Sara unaware.”

“Do you know who Lord Roselli is to Sara?” Somerville asked.

“Aye,” Mr. Hardy offered.

The lady twisted her hands in front of her. “What I am about to tell you, we never shared with Sara for her own safety. We never wanted her to learn about our connection to her grandmother because of the danger it placed her in. But when she started visiting our shoppe, we agreed it was our mission to protect her the best we could. That is why we offered her refuge when she lost her position with Lord Baldridge. We encouraged her to take the position in Scotland because it would keep Lord and Lady Roselli from learning who she was.”

Somerville frowned. “How are you connected to my wife?”

Mr. Hardy rested his hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Her grandmother was my sister.”

Somerville leaned back in the chair. “Then you understand what danger Sara is in.”

Mrs. Hardy squeezed her husband’s hand. “Yes, we understand. That is why we warned her away. Her grandmother wrote to us about Sara’s birth and the consequences of keeping her. My husband paid for her to hide away in Fordwich while she raised Sara. When we learned of her passing, we had no clue what had happened to Sara. When she walked into our bookshop, we thought it was a miracle. Now we fear we have placed her in danger.”

“Nay. You have nothing to do with the danger surrounding Sara. That is her misfortunate of being the child of Lord and Lady Roselli. What I do not understand is how Lord Roselli learned the connection between Sara and you?” Somerville questioned.

“I fear that lies with me. I warned the bastard to never step foot in my shoppe when he first started visiting earlier last year before Sara left for Scotland,” Mr. Hardy answered.

“How did that incident strike his curiosity?” Somerville wondered aloud.

“He noticed Sara and inquired about her. She insisted on assisting in the shoppe to earn her keep while she stayed with us. You must understand that Sara is the spitting image of her mother in her youth,” Mrs. Hardy explained.

“I must stop Lord Roselli from finding her. He has tormented Sara and her friends this past year. I fear how he might harm her to protect his image.”

“Her grandmother’s cottage is the place she would run to,” Mr. Hardy guessed.

Sommerville rose and offered his hand in gratitude. “Thank you for your help, and I apologize for my discourteous behavior.”

Mr. Hardy shook Somerville’s hand. “Please find our niece.”

“I intend to.”