Shadowed by Sin (13 page)

“Estelle, what do you think you are doing?”

“Forget about the cellar. There’s an adventure waiting to happen across the way. Come and let us see what is going on over there.”

Heavens, the last thing Benedict wanted to do was to intrude on someone’s privacy, but he did not think going to the cellar had been the right thing to do either. If following her to the family’s cemetery kept Estelle from doing something illogical, then so be it. He would escort her, appeasing her curiosity and then they would return indoors, to where he would make the final arrangements for their departure.

* * * *

Estelle dragged her fiancé away as if he were a child in trouble. She knew all too well he would scold her afterwards, but she could not help but want to discover what exactly made this family so strange.

When they approached the newest headstone, a pang wrenched at her heart, rendering her speechless. The grave they had stopped at belonged to Helen. A lone tear dribbled down her cheek as she knelt down before the headstone.
Why does life have to be so unfair?

Estelle thought back to that time in the perfumery, remembering word for word her friend’s final words to her. Nothing made sense. She turned to talk to Ben only to find him walking amidst the other graves. A shiver licked up her spine, warning her that whatever had pushed Helen to get away from her family, the danger still loomed here at Hawthorne Hall. Although, she could not fathom what it could be.

“Estelle, come look at this,” Ben called out to her, crouched down on his haunches. He held a crumpled up newspaper. He opened it when they heard laughter echoing nearby.

“Did you hear that?” she asked before taking the paper out of his hand. About to open and read the partial periodical, the laughter commenced again. “Where do you think it is coming from Ben? I cannot see from here.”

“My guess is the crypt just ahead of us. Wait,” Ben whispered before clamping his hand over her mouth. I think I hear someone coming.”

Estelle removed his hand and scowled. The man had no business to silence her in such a manner. She leaned over to peer around another stone, and watched the earl’s son look in their direction but did not notice their presence. He then turned toward the cook’s garden and disappeared behind a trellis.

That has to be the way to the cellar.

Estelle returned her focus to her betrothed, grasping hold of his lapels. “We should follow where the laughter came from, Ben. Whatever is going on, I am pretty sure we’ll be able to figure out what has got to be a connection to Helen.”

“Are you certain, my dear? I cannot bear the thought of something terrible happening to you. Truth be told, Estelle, I think we should head on back to the house.” He rose to his feet, pulling her up as well.

She did not want to head back to the house. Estelle desired to get to the bottom of this terrifying intrigue, but the estate terrified her just as equally. Estelle proceeded into the crypt, following the walls as a guide until Ben lit the candle behind her, illuminating the way before them.

“This is quite unusual, Ben. I did not think they still made crypts.”

“Judging by the carvings and the stonework, I imagine this had been built over a hundred years ago, dearest. What I would like to know is whose voice did we hear laughing in here, and if they did not leave through the entrance then there has to be a hidden passage.”

Estelle leaned against the back wall, resting her arm on a statue, releasing a wall and exposing a set of stairs going down. She turned toward Benedict, who grumbled quietly, “Another blasted passageway.”

“You go first, Ben. I am starting to think this might have been a mistake.”

He went on ahead of her down a winding, narrow staircase. At the bottom they encountered two different dirt lined paths. One appeared to lead toward the direction of the ruins of what could have been a chapel, and the other was unknown. But that was when they heard the laughter again.

Ben had put his arm out to keep her from moving forward, and turned his head. “My dear, are you sure you want to do this? There will be no going back if we find ourselves in trouble. Who is to say we may not make it back to the house?”

Estelle scowled and pushed his arm away. “I did not realize you were such a coward, Ben.”

He put the basket down, and turned to face her. “This is not me displaying cowardice, Estelle. This is me recommending that we’re sensible in how we proceed. Not to mention, if we find ourselves in any kind of trouble, how do you think this is going to look to our hosts?”

“Fine. We will travel a bit further, but then we will turn back.”

This time Ben scowled at her. “No, Estelle. I have to put my foot down. We will head back to the house now. When we return, I will ensure that you are moved into your aunt’s room and will look at arranging a passage home for you ladies. Besides, I have been given some news to give to my father, and I would like to get that finished immediately.”

Frustration mounted, and Estelle wanted nothing more than to scream. How dare he tell her what to do, and the mere mention of leaving her with her aunt while he went away on business annoyed her immensely.

Estelle followed him out of the crypt into the cemetery and back toward the house from the entrance they had left in. In a small way, she was glad that they left at his insistence, but not finding out who laughed pricked her curiosity.

Just as they closed the door behind them, their host found them in the hall.

“Ah, there you are, Miss Humphrey. I hope the fresh air did you some good. You will be happy to know that Mary has moved your things to your aunt’s room. I imagine you’ll find the arrangement more to your liking.”

“Thank you kindly, my lord. I hope it was not too much of an inconvenience.”

“Nonsense. You should have told me sooner that you found the room too drafty.” Clucking his tongue, the earl turned to Benedict, “Lord St. John, would you care to join me in my billiards room? I think I have come up with a solution to my problem that we discussed earlier.”

Ben glanced at her and bowed his head.

She took that as her cue to leave and perhaps find her aunt. Her chaperone might be wanting an explanation as to why she wanted to share a room with her. She took off in the direction of the main foyer and the earl’s son leaning against the railing of the stairs.

“I wondered when I would see you around. I had heard that you changed rooms. I am sorry you did not find the room comfortable.”

“My lord—” Estelle curtsied.

“Call me George.”

“Well, George. The room was a wee bit on the drafty side. Considering my wedding is only a month away, I would hate to catch the death of me,” she said barely cracking a smile, desperately trying not to give away that they’d discovered the passageway.

“Are you truly pleased to be marrying Lord St. John? I know many a woman who marry to save them from dastardly situations. Besides, I have heard that if things don’t improve that his fortune will suffer, and the entirety of his family including you—will be reduced to nothing more than commoners. Do you not come from a family that has ties to English and French aristocracy?”

“I fail to comprehend how my ancestry is relevant to your inquisition, my lord.”

How in the world did he know so much about her personal and family life? She did not recall ever mentioning it before today. Besides, what business was it of his who she married and why?

He smirked and his eyes danced with some plot he hadn’t revealed yet.

“Last I recall, my lord, I have never, ever given any indication my pending nuptials to Lord St. John were of the convenient sort. Nor, are we marrying because of an improper liaison. And if you must know, I love him with all my heart. I care not for his supposed lacking connections due to poor choices his papa might have made, as I personally find them cumbersome, and a hindrance of true potential. While many are born privileged, it is those same titles that keep people from finding true happiness, and sometimes greed changes a person. Now, if you do not mind, I need to find my aunt.”

He waved a hand before her as if he had to give her permission to pass.

She could not believe the audacity he had, to imply she would not be satisfied with Ben. The nerve. If anything, it was as plain as day their host and his countess did not demonstrate a keen affection for each other. All appearances led her to believe their situation had been of the convenient sort. This, in her fine opinion, spoke volumes on the values they placed on life and those around them.

This sentiment then led her to wonder why any of them were invited to this home in the first place. Most of the guests in attendance had nothing in common; no connections to the family, except for Ben. His father worked for the earl for fifteen years now, and did not have much to show for it, other than a family he cared deeply for.

Even her family—while it had its ties to nobility—when her father married her mother those ties had been severed. All over a family feud and marrying someone out of their class. As it were, she had never seen her parents argue in all her years. So whatever connections they lost, her parents had a deep affection, as it should be.

Benedict held the billiards cue, awaiting what his host had to say, anticipating his earlier comment in reference to Edwin. Another gentleman had joined them in the room, looking on their setup. Not that he minded if they had company, but he would have figured that the earl would prefer to keep this discussion private.

Benedict wondered what kind of plan he had for the troubled young man. Did he anticipate there would be resistance? Who knew? The mere fact that the earl had mentioned that his nephew had been upset over something George had said, left him curious. Clearly the boy was sensitive to a fault, and whether or not his sister’s or his parents’ deaths contributed to the problem, the only way to find out was to engage the young man further.

“So, what is this solution you mentioned, my lord?”

“Lord Haverford dropped by shortly after breakfast and mentioned that his gardener is in need of an extra hand. While I would still like for you to source out some employment for Edwin, would you mind visiting Lord Haverford’s gardener and find out if the boy would be truly suited for the employment?”

While Benedict did not mind giving the earl a hand, he had to wonder when he became his man of affairs. Perhaps now was a good time to request his leave in delivering the message to his father.

Benedict sunk a ball in a pocket, while another strayed away in the opposite direction. The earl raised his eyebrow and gazed at him with speculation.

“Not bad, sir. Lord St. John, you are quite adept at demonstrating your precision.”

“Thank you, my lord. Believe me when I say, I have had plenty of practice.”

The earl chuckled and leaned against the table. “You look like a man who has much going on in his mind. Why not share your troubles with me, and I will see what I can do to help?”

“No trouble at all actually. Now that Estelle has been moved into her aunt’s room, we are both satisfied. However, the only thing is, I do need to leave for a few days to head back to town on business. I wonder if it isn’t a huge imposition that the ladies remain here until I make arrangements for their return home?”

His host laughed heartily and walked toward him, placing a firm grip on his shoulder. “It would never be an imposition. The ladies are safe and welcome to stay here. I should also add, I thank you for the return of the book. My wife sometimes…I wish she were mute. Her constant whining and complaining drove me mad for days over such a silly thing.”

“I cannot thank you enough for your patience and understanding. I will be departing at daybreak, and I would prefer that you do not go into too many details in the event anyone asks.”

“Not to worry, my friend. As it happens, most of the guests are departing tomorrow, and I believe your lovely fiancée and her aunt will be kept company by Baron Milton and his wife.”

Benedict could not have been more pleased with the news they would not be alone with this crazed family. Now all he had to do was post a note to the inspector from Scotland Yard—as he had his own questions—and another to his father, advising him of his imminent arrival. Besides, there was much to be completed with the wedding and this last minute visitation took up some of the time they needed for their planning.

He didn’t even have the opportunity to book their passage to France. It was his wedding gift to her, well, that and her papa and aunt insisted on paying for half, but he wanted that last little detail to remain silent. Estelle would have objected to her family aiding them on their trip. He could hear her now.
Ben, how could you! We should have saved the money for something else. I cannot believe my father and aunt would encourage such a costly adventure.
Yes, she would be cross, but he would make up for the expensive trip in other ways. He was committed to spending his life showing her just how much he loved her.

Speaking of which, he needed to find her and see how the arrangement with the room was coming along.

The earl concluded the game, sinking the remaining three balls, chuckling with his success. “Why, shall we all move into the library for some drinks? I’m parched.”

Benedict bowed his head and stared his host in the eye. “While I would like nothing more than to join you, I suppose I should put my things together for my departure tomorrow. Estelle and her aunt will want to know of my plans.”

“Very well, young man, perhaps you’ll join me after dinner.”

Benedict was the first to leave the billiards room and followed the hall until he reached the stairs. About to head forward, he paused at the sound of some whispers around the corner.

“If it weren’t for you, none of this would have happened.”

“Your parents are idiots for celebrating the biggest sham ever born in England. If they really knew your true character…you…you—”

“Quit your sniveling, you poor excuse for a man. If you had not gone to her room, none of this would have been an issue. But, no, did you listen? Why would you listen to a mastermind of deception? You should have killed yourself long ago. There’s time yet though. Mark my words. Do not be surprised if the Met learns who set the cottage on fire. Last I heard they had left the case open.”