A Murder in Time(124)

“Yes, miss.”

Kendra didn’t like that Dalton wasn’t home. It was too damn convenient. But there was nothing she could do about it.

As they turned to leave, somewhere in the manor, a clock began chiming eight o’clock. Sweat dampened her palms, and her heart pounded. Rose had been missing for nine hours.

Tick, tock.



They went to Tinley Park, where the butler told them Morland hadn’t returned from London.

“Why did he go to London?” Kendra demanded, wanting to see if he’d repeat the story that Sam had told them, or if he would come up with something else.

The butler looked uncomfortable. “I-I’m afraid that I cannot say, miss.”

Aldridge said, “I would not want you to gossip about your betters, Adams, but I must insist that you tell Miss Donovan and me the truth.”

“I . . .” The servant cleared his throat. “Lady Anne is ill, sir. She had an . . . episode earlier this morning. Mr. Morland went to London to fetch a mad-doctor.”

“Did he take a coach?” Kendra asked. A coach would mean a coachman, and therefore an alibi.

“No, miss. ’Tis faster to go on horseback.”

“When did he leave?”

“Ten, I believe.”

“That’s ten hours ago.” Two hours to London, two hours back. Four hours travel time, which would leave six in London, she calculated. “Isn’t it odd that he hasn’t returned?”

“I can’t say, miss.”

Aldridge asked, “Is Lady Anne better?”

“Much better, thank you, sir. Mrs. Marks calmed Her Ladyship. Unfortunately, Mr. Morland had already departed.”

“What set her off?” Kendra asked.

The butler frowned. “I do not know, miss. Mr. Morland was visiting his mother, and she became agitated. Mr. Morland was upset by the incident. He left for London shortly thereafter.”

There was nothing to do except ask the butler to give Morland a message to come to the castle when he returned. In the carriage, Kendra pressed a hand to her stomach, which was knotted in anxiety.

“I know this is difficult for you, Miss Donovan,” the Duke said. “But all is not lost. We must have faith that the girl is still alive. We must pray for that.”

Kendra bit her lip and said nothing. She remembered the rape and butchery that Lydia had endured before she died. I want Rose to be alive. She just wasn’t sure that was the kindest thing to pray for.





50

As they approached Aldridge Castle, Kendra saw what seemed like one hundred specks of light, flickering like fireflies in the darkness along the sloping hills and in the woods.

“They are still searching,” the Duke observed quietly. “There is still hope, Miss Donovan.”

Kendra didn’t know what to say to that, didn’t know what to think. Was there still hope? A dark seed had taken root inside her, strangling any confidence that she might have over Rose’s fate. It left her feeling sick and shaken.

The coach clattered to a stop in the stable yard. Kendra didn’t wait for the footman to lower the steps, but threw open the door and hopped down onto the gravel. At least twenty men with lanterns milled around the area. She spotted Alec immediately in the center of the throng, his figure distinguished by his finer clothing—a sharp contrast from the roughly dressed men around him—and his air of authority.

As she watched, she had an eerie feeling of familiarity. This is the same. Not the clothing and hairstyles, of course. And there were no powerful LED flashlights, no dizzying strobes from nearby police cars, no thumping of blades from sleek helicopters as they circled the sky, their lights piercing the ground in an aerial search. There were no television crews or reporters covering the search, peppering her with impatient questions from behind the barricades.

But she saw the same terrible fear etched on the faces of the crowd; the same pungent odor of desperation and urgency; the same dread filling their gazes as they worried about what they might find at the end of their search. The accouterments of humanity may change, but its heartbeat remained the same.

Before Kendra had set out, Rebecca had insisted that she don what was called a spencer—basically, a jacket with a high neckline and long sleeves. The design reminded her a little of a modern-day shrug, because the material ended just below the breastbone, leaving the skirt of her gown exposed. Yet the jacket was no match for the chill of the night air, which easily penetrated the woven cotton and wafted up her skirt. She had to clench her jaw to prevent her teeth from chattering.

Alec spotted them. He finished giving instructions, then he and Sam shouldered their way through the crowd. Alec’s eyes were fixed on Kendra, intense.

“Did you learn anything?” he asked as soon as the two pairs met.

“No,” Aldridge answered. “The vicar was in the vicinity. Miss Donovan believes he had enough time to snatch the maid. I, however, am not so certain.”

“What of Morland and Dalton?”

Aldridge shook his head. “Neither were home.”

“We will need to have their whereabouts verified,” Kendra said, crossing her arms in front of her chest in an attempt to retain her body heat. “What’s happening here?”

“We have sent out the hunting dogs, hoping to pick up the maid’s scent. And Mr. Kelly and I rode out personally to nearby hunting lodges. There was no sign of the girl. No sign of any recent occupation.”