give his entire life seeing to your needs. Shouldn’t you return the favor?” She rested her head against the cool glass, feeling very much alone. “Damn you, Lorraine, for not being what Papa needed.” She impotently slammed her hand against the window frame. A brisk knock sounded at the bedroom door interrupting her reverie. “Who is it?”
“The maid your husband hired to help you.”
“Of course,” Clarissa walked across the room and opened the door. “Thank you so much for helping. I have days of road on me.”
“We don’t have tubs inside the house, we’ll have to take you outside to get clean,” the maid went on quickly when she saw Clarissa’s hesitation. “Oh, but don’t worry, ma’am. The water is clean, nice, and warm.” Clarissa nodded her agreement and followed the maid down the stairs to a small room behind the inn.
She quickly stripped down in the cool air and sank into the steaming water. Molly was right. The water felt wonderful compared to the crisp air outside. Clarissa let her head loll against the lip of the tub as the maid washed her long tresses.
“Who lives in the big manor house east of the village? That is the way we came into the village, but found no identifying marks on the gate.”
“The widow of the Earl of Malmouth lives there with her brother when they are here.” Clarissa could feel the tension entering her body and tried desperately to fight it.
“Oh?”
“Aye. ‘Tis a sad story all the way around. The earl had been a widower for several years and had a daughter about to make her debut in Town. He met this beautiful younger woman and married her quite quickly. Me ma says he was in his second dotage to be carrying on so with such a young thing. About a fortnight after the wedding he had a riding accident and was killed.”
“How horrible. But why doesn’t the daughter live in the manor?”
“She was found not many weeks after her father. She was bruised and battered. The rumor is she was raped by the wife’s brother. Instead of facing life, she took her own.”
“How horrible. But why didn’t the earl’s heir take control of the manor?”
“It was not entailed property,” the little maid said with a shrug.
“I see.” Clarissa’s head spun with the possibilities stretching out before her, so much so that her head began to pound. “What is the name of the brother and sister?”
“Thomas Smith and Janet Watts. We really don’t hear too much from them in the village. They keep to themselves a great deal. Hired all new staff even before the earl and the daughter passed on.”
Clarissa lay in the warm water letting all that Molly said sink in. Was it Lorraine and Franklin, and they were changing identities as they changed victims? How many others had fallen victim to these two? Had Franklin been the one to abuse the earl’s daughter? Is that why he had continually made overtures towards her? She would be cold in her grave before she let that vile man touch her. Those two would be stopped.
***
Justin rode over ten miles in the direction the old man had pointed him. A small fishing village appeared just over the rise. He prayed he could find someone needing money to escort them up the coast to Scotland. It took him an hour of scouring the village and making inquiries before someone pointed him in the direction of a man named Jack.
Justin approached the man’s shanty, not knowing what to expect. If the boat matched the falling down shanty, perhaps he should look for someone else to take them into the rough waters between England, Scotland, and Ireland. Justin knocked cautiously on the door that hung at an angle in the doorway.
“Aye, who be there?” called a gruff voice from inside.
“Is Jack there?”
“Mayhap. Who you be?”
“Southerby. I need passage for three to Scotland.”
“Do you have blunt?”
“I
“The maid your husband hired to help you.”
“Of course,” Clarissa walked across the room and opened the door. “Thank you so much for helping. I have days of road on me.”
“We don’t have tubs inside the house, we’ll have to take you outside to get clean,” the maid went on quickly when she saw Clarissa’s hesitation. “Oh, but don’t worry, ma’am. The water is clean, nice, and warm.” Clarissa nodded her agreement and followed the maid down the stairs to a small room behind the inn.
She quickly stripped down in the cool air and sank into the steaming water. Molly was right. The water felt wonderful compared to the crisp air outside. Clarissa let her head loll against the lip of the tub as the maid washed her long tresses.
“Who lives in the big manor house east of the village? That is the way we came into the village, but found no identifying marks on the gate.”
“The widow of the Earl of Malmouth lives there with her brother when they are here.” Clarissa could feel the tension entering her body and tried desperately to fight it.
“Oh?”
“Aye. ‘Tis a sad story all the way around. The earl had been a widower for several years and had a daughter about to make her debut in Town. He met this beautiful younger woman and married her quite quickly. Me ma says he was in his second dotage to be carrying on so with such a young thing. About a fortnight after the wedding he had a riding accident and was killed.”
“How horrible. But why doesn’t the daughter live in the manor?”
“She was found not many weeks after her father. She was bruised and battered. The rumor is she was raped by the wife’s brother. Instead of facing life, she took her own.”
“How horrible. But why didn’t the earl’s heir take control of the manor?”
“It was not entailed property,” the little maid said with a shrug.
“I see.” Clarissa’s head spun with the possibilities stretching out before her, so much so that her head began to pound. “What is the name of the brother and sister?”
“Thomas Smith and Janet Watts. We really don’t hear too much from them in the village. They keep to themselves a great deal. Hired all new staff even before the earl and the daughter passed on.”
Clarissa lay in the warm water letting all that Molly said sink in. Was it Lorraine and Franklin, and they were changing identities as they changed victims? How many others had fallen victim to these two? Had Franklin been the one to abuse the earl’s daughter? Is that why he had continually made overtures towards her? She would be cold in her grave before she let that vile man touch her. Those two would be stopped.
***
Justin rode over ten miles in the direction the old man had pointed him. A small fishing village appeared just over the rise. He prayed he could find someone needing money to escort them up the coast to Scotland. It took him an hour of scouring the village and making inquiries before someone pointed him in the direction of a man named Jack.
Justin approached the man’s shanty, not knowing what to expect. If the boat matched the falling down shanty, perhaps he should look for someone else to take them into the rough waters between England, Scotland, and Ireland. Justin knocked cautiously on the door that hung at an angle in the doorway.
“Aye, who be there?” called a gruff voice from inside.
“Is Jack there?”
“Mayhap. Who you be?”
“Southerby. I need passage for three to Scotland.”
“Do you have blunt?”
“I
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