Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 94964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
* * *
Janice sighed. “They must have known who you were,” she said to Clotilda, “And the fact that they had you bring a chamber pot means they expect us to be here for a while. Is this a siege? Or is it part of Lord Hemsworth’s plans?”
* * *
She shook her head. “There surely cannot be more than one group wishing Arthur harm can there? How much damage could he have done in the short time he had lived recklessly? It must be the same people.” She looked around at her mother-in-law and her lady’s maid, both of whom were clearly not listening to her. Clotilda was still panting slightly trying to calm down while her mother-in-law watched her closely. Janice stood up and crossed to the sidebar where she poured Clotilda a full glass of whisky.
* * *
“Here,” she thrust the glass into Clotilda’s hands, “Drink this.”
* * *
The lady’s maid choked it down in two swallows and Janice took the glass to pour her some more. Clotilda drank the second glass at a more sedate pace, her breathing returning somewhat to normal.
* * *
Janice returned to the window. If she could not leave Lady Weasley, perhaps she could send her lady’s maid for help. She turned; her eyes narrowed as she assessed Clotilda. She was still clearly terrified.
* * *
Janice took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Clotilda, tell me everything that happened after we were locked in here. A man grabbed us on our way into the house from the gardens and nobody was there to stop him. We did not see anyone en route. Can you tell us how you got captured and when?”
* * *
Clotilda nodded. “I was in the sewing room, repairing your nightgown as it was torn slightly at the bodice,” she said. Janice blushed, remembering when Arthur had torn it in his haste to suck her breasts.
* * *
She cleared her throat. “Yes, go on.”
* * *
“I was with the seamstress, and we were just conversing when a man stepped into the room. He looked from the seamstress to me and told us that we were summoned to the kitchens. We did not know him, but he was dressed like one of the guards, so we went. We did not question it.” She took a deep shuddering breath.
* * *
“Go on.”
* * *
“Well, when we got to the kitchen, most of the other servants were already there along with several armed men. They began to herd us down to the dungeons. That’s when Phillip tried to attack, and they shot his leg.” Her breath hitched and she began to cry.
* * *
Janice gave her time to compose herself. “So aside from you, all the servants are in the dungeons?”
* * *
“Well, I wouldn’t say definitely all. But all who were gathered in the kitchen, including the grooms and the gardeners.”
* * *
“Right. So then, how did they single you out? Did they call you by name?”
* * *
“No. One of them just pointed to me after whispering with another one and they called me ‘You!’ and made me step out of the procession going down the back stairs. They ordered me to collect a chamber pot and follow one of them. I-I- thought that they were going to-” she choked, her chest heaving again as she cried.
* * *
Janice stood up and went to comfort her. “Hush…you’re alright. We’re going to be alright. We’ll get out of here and save everyone.”
* * *
“How?” Clotilda looked skeptically up at her.
* * *
“I’m glad you asked.” Janice squeezed her hand. “Do you think you can fit in the window?”
* * *
Clotilda stared at her with wide eyes. “What do you mean?”
* * *
“Come with me.” Janice urged her gently to her feet and led her to the window. “If we open this wide, I think you can fit through it and then you can run to Somerton and get help.”
* * *
“B-b-but what if they catch me?” Clotilda whispered in horror.
* * *
Janice had no answer for her. “Well…aren’t they down in the basement with the staff?”
* * *
Clotilda shook her head. “Not all of them. There were two guarding the door when we came in.”
* * *
Janice sighed with frustration. “Well, we can’t just sit around and hope for the best.”
* * *
“The duke will come. He’ll save us,” Clotilda said eagerly.
* * *
Yes, perhaps the duke would save them, even if it were at his own expense. That was Janice’s greatest fear.
CHAPTER 44
The man with the blunderbuss marched them straight to Arthur’s study. He shot the accountant an apologetic glance. It was the man’s bad luck to be caught up in Arthur’s problems. He seemed surprisingly calm about it all, as if it was all in a day’s work for him. Arthur wondered at that.