Death of a Duchess by Nellie Steele (the beginning after the end novel read TXT) 📗

I may become an unwilling participant in helping her. I prefer to control at least some of the situation.”

Robert heaved a sigh. “Of course I wish to know the circumstances surrounding her decision,” he admitted. He set his gaze on me. “But not at the cost of your life.”

“I shall be careful,” I promised.

“Lenora…”

“She needs help, Robert. MY help. And I have a healthy wariness of the tower room, which I am only just overcoming. But it aids me in acting prudently.”

“You have not returned there since the… incident, have you?”

I broke eye contact, turning my gaze to my soup. “I followed Annie there today, though I did not enter. At first. My nerves remained too frayed. However, once alone, I entered the room for a moment only.”

“Lenora, I wish you would not take such chances!” Robert chided me.

“The door has been removed, and the window boarded. And I was alone. The risk seemed minimal.”

“I’d prefer the risk to be none.”

“No risk is not an option,” I countered. “Therefore, I shall work to minimize the risk to the best of my ability.”

“And I shall work with you to ensure your safety.”

I smiled at him. “Good, then I shall continue to seek answers with the utmost care!”

Robert nodded with a small sigh. “All right.”

“NOW we are agreed,” I said with a grin.

Chapter 14

Mists shrouded the grounds below the castle the following morning. I gazed out over the foggy landscape from my bedroom window. “Do you prefer the blue traveling suit or the peach?” Ella inquired. “Your Grace?” she questioned when I did not respond. I pulled my gaze from the scenery. “Your Grace, is everything all right?”

I offered her a brief smile. “Yes. The misty landscape captured my attention. Ah, the blue, please.”

“The misty landscape?” Ella inquired, setting the blue traveling suit out for our trip the next day.

“Yes,” I answered, motioning to her to join me at the window. She peered out before returning to her duties. “Romantic, isn’t it? Beguiling and comforting yet also mysterious.”

A chuckle emanated from Ella. “Romantic is not a word I would use to describe that fog, Your Grace.”

I spun to face her. “No? How would you describe it, Sinclair?”

“Eerie, Your Grace,” she responded.

I chortled at her comments. “Eerie?” I repeated. “Oh, Sinclair, you let your imagination run too wild. Nothing sinister exists under those mists!”

She offered me a glance before holding up two necklaces for me to select from. “Sinister or not, that dampness chills you to the bones. It’s unhealthy, this weather!”

“I thought you enjoyed the Highlands. The choker on the left, please.”

“I enjoy the Highlands when there isn’t a damp fog.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “I enjoy the Highlands always.”

“Will you be sad to leave even for the short period then?” Ella questioned as she placed a dress into my luggage.

“Very,” I admitted. “Homesickness will set in on the first night.”

“Why go?” Ella asked, then stopped short in the packing. “Oh, forgive me if that is too forward a question, Your Grace.”

“It is not,” I assured her. “I enjoy the traveling, though I also enjoy my home. And I plan to visit an old friend while in Glasgow.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Tilly, a friend of mine from St. Mary’s.”

“Was St. Mary’s a private school?”

“No,” I answered with a chuckle. “An orphanage.”

“Oh!” Ella answered as she bustled about continuing preparations for my travel. “Did you volunteer there before your marriage, Your Grace?”

“No,” I responded. “I was a student there before my marriage.” Ella slowed in her motions for a moment before returning to her scurrying. It did not escape me. Her slight response spoke volumes to betray her surprise.

“I did not realize,” Ella mumbled.

“No, you couldn’t have. In any case, I hope to visit with Tilly while in Glasgow.”

“I hope it is a successful visit, Your Grace!”

“As do I,” I answered. “Have you any business to attend to while in Glasgow?”

“Business, Your Grace?”

“Yes,” I replied. “Is there anything you would care to do while there?”

“I had not considered it,” Ella answered, a frown crossing her face.

“Oh, please do consider it,” I said. “I am certain you shall have free time to attend to anything that may interest you.”

Ella remained silent a moment before saying, “If it is not too much, could I take some time to visit my mother?”

“Of course, Sinclair!” I responded. “I plan to visit with Tilly the day after we arrive. Would that time suit for your visit?”

“I am certain it would, Your Grace.”

“Excellent. Please take the day then.”

“I shall leave after you’ve dressed for the morning and return before dinner, Your Grace.”

“Now it is my turn to wish you a successful visit,” I answered with a smile. My gaze fell upon the singing box Robert gifted me the day before. A smile formed on my lips. “Have you seen this trinket box from Duke Blackmoore?”

“No, Your Grace. Is it new?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed. “A belated birthday gift. Come and see.” Ella joined me and I pressed the knob, triggering the singing bird. He popped from his hiding spot, his little wings flapping and beak snapping open and closed. His tiny song filled the room.

The mechanism startled Ella, who recoiled before bringing her face closer to the object. Her jaw dropped open as she studied the box. “I have never witnessed anything like it, Your Grace!” she exclaimed.

“Neither have I until yesterday. Isn’t it a fascinating piece?” I smiled at it as the bird finished his song.

“It is,” Ella agreed. “You seem to be quite taken with it.”

“I am,” I confessed, setting it on my night table and admiring it. “I never believed something material could be so intriguing, yet I cannot take my eyes from this stunner.”

“It is certainly a marvel,” Ella concurred.

I smiled at the object a moment more. My brow crinkled for a moment and I glanced around the room. “Have you seen my book? The one I was reading last evening.”

Ella ceased packing for a moment before she responded. “Yes. Downstairs in the sitting room.”

“Ah, yes. You