Christmas Wishes: The Love of a Marquess Read online

The snowfall was beautiful, and Amelia would have been delighted with the scene, being it was so close to Christmas. But because her mind was focused on the important task at hand, she had hardly noticed the breathtaking trails of white the snowflakes were leaving across the dark sky.

  When their investigation didn’t turn up any clues to Henrietta’s disappearance, Amelia headed to the front door to return to the warmth of the house. Bartley thought a piece to the puzzle was still missing, so he questioned Lady Amelia.

  "Does Lady Henrietta know anyone along these streets? Anyone she may have called upon?"

  "Goodness, no. And if she did, she would never call upon acquaintances unannounced at this hour. And if she was leaving, she would have extended an invitation to me or at least told me about her plans.”

  "The timing may seem off, but I wonder if you’d considered the possibility of me calling upon you sometime?" For once, the usually confident Bartley, seemed a little shy in his demeanor. "I mean, we are out alone. Would that not mean we are practically engaged?" He laughed and tried to recover his confidence.

  Amelia was not amused. "Lord Swinford, this is certainly not the time, and we are certainly not alone. Our carriage driver and Lucille have been within a safe distance, so my honor is intact.” Amelia softened her tone, “But I am not against you calling upon me. After we find Lady Henrietta, of course."

  She was grateful for the cover of night that could cover her flushed cheeks.

  "You have made me very happy. And, I will find your friend. That, I promise you. Now, shall we return to the house?"

  As they warmed up by the fire, Amelia and the Bartley stole glances at each other. The duke was sitting by the fire now, but he didn't seem to notice that they had even left the room, let alone the building.

  Andrews had brought blankets and pillows; no one was going to bed. They settled in the drawing room for the rest of the night.

  There was a harsh knock on the door that woke everyone up. Sleep had descended upon them despite their fears and upsets of Lady Henrietta's disappearance. Andrews announced the arrival of Inspector Grimshaw, who had resumed the search at first light.

  "Your Grace, I wish to examine the bedroom now that we have daylight."

  John just nodded as Amelia and Bartley followed the inspector upstairs.

  The inspector stopped in front of Henrietta’s door and addressed Bartley and Amelia, "My Lord, my Lady, I wonder if you could leave the investigation work to the police. Could you kindly return to the drawing room?"

  "But inspector, I would like to freshen up. May I use my room?" Lady Amelia asked as Bartley walked away, disappointed to be dismissed so easily.

  "Certainly, my Lady, I don't see any problem with that."

  Lucille was in Amelia's room.

  "Lucille, did you manage to find anything out from the policeman?"

  "Not a lot ma'am. He does say Inspector Grimshaw is very thorough in his work. He did hear the inspector say he was concerned for Lady Henrietta's safety especially as they had no clues," Lucille said as she lay out fresh clothes for her Ladyship.

  "Hmm, I wonder. I do think the answer lies in the bedroom. I wonder if there's anything to Lord Swinford's idea of a secret passage. Lucille, will you fetch the earl for me?" If the earl could find the plans, then they may be able to help Henrietta.

  As Lucille was leaving, Amelia couldn't help overhearing the inspector and his policemen talking about looking around the back of the house They wanted to inspect the carriage house and stables. She peeked out her door, and seeing there was no one on duty at the door, took the opportunity to sneak into Henrietta's room. It belied the events of the past evening.

  "What secrets are you hiding?" She said as she looked around the room, wondering how Henrietta had spent her last moments. There was nothing odd or out of place in any way. It was very strange.

  She sat in the chair that seemed to be placed at an awkward angle. She was going to move the chair, but as the morning sun bounced off the mirror, she sat down to see the room as Henrietta had. She too was intrigued with the placement of the mirrors on opposite walls. As she looked at the reflection of the mirror behind her, something caught her eye.

  "My goodness. Well, I never…" Lady Amelia stood up and traced her fingers over beautiful carvings on the mirror. She noticed markings that seemed invisible to the eye, but were obvious when light bounced from one mirror to the other. The wall began to move.

  Amelia’s heart began to race. What could have caused this? She wished that wasn’t alone, but this might be her only chance to find her friend.

  "Henrietta, are you there?" she called out, but there was no reply.

  "I need something to prop this open," she said to herself as she looked around and grabbing a fireplace poker from the fireplace, wedged the wall open. It was dark, and she lit a lamp as she prepared to find Henrietta. To stifle her fear, she imagined the excitement of making the discovery and returning Henrietta to her beloved, John. She could tease Bartley that she was the superior mind, although he was quite correct in figuring out there was a secret passageway.

  The dark hallway felt damp and eerie, but she forced herself to continue down the path because she knew it had to lead to Henrietta. The light from her lamp illuminated a staircase just ahead. Taking her time, she slowly descended the stairs and saw her friend lying on the ground. She quickened her pace down the remaining stairs.

  "Henrietta!" she screamed as she knelt beside her friend. Amelia listened for her breath, and was relieved to see Henrietta’s chest rising and falling. She was still alive, but unconscious.

  Amelia slowly lifted Henrietta’s head into her lap, and noticed a nasty gash to her head. She offered up a silent prayer to God, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

  ***

  Meanwhile, Lucille had returned upstairs, and seeing her mistress was missing, and the door to Lady Henrietta's room was ajar, she went inside calling for Lady Amelia. Lucille gasped as she saw what appeared to be a hole in the wall and ran towards it.

  "Lady Amelia, did you find Lady Henrietta," Lucille ran to the wall but tripped on the fireplace poker, dislodging it and kicking it into the darkness before her.

  She wiped herself down as she gathered herself.

  Lady Amelia called to her, "Lucille, whatever you do, don't move the poker."

  But it was too late. The wall had closed as Lucille, disorientated from going from light to dark, slipped down the stairs just as Amelia pulled Henrietta out of harm's way.

  “Lucille, are you all right? Are you hurt?”

  “I am not hurt, m’lady. I didn’t mean to kick the poker. I just didn’t see it, and…”

  "Lucille, please calm down. I am not upset; it was an accident,” Amelia said as she consoled Lucille. “Now, please stay with Lady Henrietta while I see if I can find a way out of here.”

  Amelia went back up the stairs to see if there was any way to open the door, but she couldn’t find a handle, and she couldn’t make the door budge. They were trapped.

  “Lucille, were you able to find Lord Swinford? With his background in architecture, maybe he will be able to find a way out of here. That is, if he follows up on his secret passage theory.”

  “No, m’lady. Mr. Andrews said he left.”

  Amelia couldn't allow herself to feel defeated. Her friend needed immediate medical attention, and she would not let her down. She walked back up the stairs, searching the wall of any sort of lever or clue that could help her open the door. When she was nearly at the top of the staircase, she noticed a noticed a tunnel. It had to lead somewhere, she figured, and a calm head was required.

  "Lucille, I need to take the lamp and see where this leads. I won't go too far," she had caught sight of the look of alarm on Lucille's face.

  "M’lady, I'm afraid of the dark," she whispered.

  "But I need you to stay with Lady Henrietta, in case she comes too. Please, Lucille, I need you to put your fears aside. It's the only way we'll get out of this. I don't kn
ow how long the light will last," her appeal worked, and Lucille nodded.

  Amelia followed the path of the tunnel. Her chest tightened as the tunnel seemed to narrow. It was difficult to catch her breath. She stepped forward cautiously, as she heard Lucille singing a child's lullaby. Who was going to find them? Was this their fate? She felt overwhelmed and with her eyes filled with tears, slipped, and she dropped the lamp.

  She was in darkness.

  Chapter 5

  Bartley returned to the house, frustrated. His attempts to find the original architects and any plans had failed. Then it struck him that the plans should actually be in the house, as was the case with the plans of his own estate. He felt foolish for not thinking of it earlier. So much time had been wasted.

  "John, we need to search the library for any drawings on the house. I am sure the clues lie there," he hadn't even waited to be announced as he drew open the doors.

  "Come on man; I need your help. Lady Henrietta needs you to do something. You can't sit there feeling sorry for yourself."

  John stood up. Bartley was right. Sitting and fretting wasn't finding his beloved.

  Bartley explained that he thought the house might have secret passages. As they took up their positions, the duke and the earl began looking at the oldest books in the library. They began to cough with the dust that accumulated on the books that hadn't been touched for decades. Hours went by as they opened book after book, hoping for some revelation that would solve the mystery of the house.

  "I think I've found something," John exclaimed as though he had just found Lady Henrietta herself.

  John placed the schematics out on the table and they studied them. There was no mention of any secret passages.

  "I suppose it was a long shot. Another story without any substance," Bartley was so disappointed.

  "Excuse me, Your Grace, Mary, Lady Henrietta's maid, would like a word with you," Andrews stood at the doorway with a very timid Mary behind him.

  "Begging your pardon, Your Grace, My Lord, but I thought you should know. I haven't seen Lady Amelia or Lucille for quite some time."

  John and Bartley exchanged glances as they raced up to Amelia's quarters. There was no sign of either woman.

  "You don't think…" Bartley ran across Lady Henrietta's room, but the police officer who had returned to his station guarding the room wouldn't let him through.

  The duke lost his composure, "This is my house, and I shall enter the room. Get Inspector Grimshaw this instant. Lady Amelia and her maid have gone missing.”

  The young officer bolted to find the Inspector as the two men entered the room. Daylight was fading, but even with the lamps, they saw nothing new. The room was exactly as it had been when Lady Henrietta had gone missing.

  "What is happening?" Bartley was frightened and now had insight to how John must have felt with Lady Henrietta's disappearance.

  With the inspector's arrival, Bartley left the room. This couldn't be happening. Something was missing. He was overlooking some piece of evidence, but he didn’t know what it was.

  "So more have gone missing, eh?"

  Bartley was startled by the sound of a croaky voice and turned to see the old man that Lady Henrietta and Lady Amelia had met on their first night there.

  "Where did you come from, old man?" Bartley didn't know what to make of him.

  "I see things. I hear things. Is it that pretty lady that was here a few nights ago?"

  Bartley didn't know why, but he felt compelled to answer.

  "Yes, both ladies and a maid have disappeared. What do you know of the place?"

  The inspector called Bartley, distracting him. As he looked back waiting for the old man to reply, all he said was "Look outside," and shuffled away again.

  "Coming, inspector," Bartley said.

  Bartley joined the inspector and John mid-conversation.

  "This is a most unusual case, and I have to say, it confounds me, Your Grace. How three women have disappeared from a room defies logic,” the inspector said, as he rubbed his chin in deep thought. He turned to Bartley, “The duke tells me that you have been considering the possibility of a secret chamber of sorts. It seems to make the most sense. There are no signs of forced entry and no signs of anybody leaving the room.”

  John chimed in, “If this is true, why haven’t the ladies found a way to free themselves?”

  Bartley said, "Well, we have been looking in the archives, but there is no mention of any extra space. My plan was to look around the outside, but I am afraid that we are running out of time, especially for Lady…" Bartley stopped when he saw the look of fear on John's face.

  "May I have a look at your findings, My Lord? Perhaps we can figure something out together," said the inspector.

  Bartley no longer had any interest in keeping the information about the secret passageways to himself. The situation was becoming much more serious as more ladies had gone missing. Bartley led the inspector to the study, who launched a plan for his men to search the grounds more thoroughly, although Bartley wasn't quite sure this was any kind of plan. But he couldn't sit by; he had found the love of his life, and he wasn't about to let her vanish.

  It had begun to snow again, and the inspector worried that it could be covering an entrance, which would otherwise be seen. Being a terraced house, they only had the front and back of the house to deal with. The front of the house was on a sidewalk, and the servants’ entrance was into the basement at the side.

  "I wonder if there's anything in what that earl said about a secret passage. It would have to lead somewhere, next door, perhaps? I wonder." The inspector looked up at the houses on either side of the duke's home. Was there a possibility the missing women were trapped in them?

  ***

  Amelia had made her way back to Lucille and Lady Henrietta who was now conscious, although barely so. Her voice was barely a whisper.

  "Did you find a way out, m’lady?" Lucille asked having got over her fright of her mistress' return without the lamp.

  "I could have gone farther, but I wanted to check on you, too. Hen, you gave us such a fright. Don't try to talk. Conserve your energy. Lucille, let's call out for help. Lady Henrietta's voice is far too weak," Amelia encouraged, and they began to scream.

  Amelia knew it was pointless, but she had to try. The whole point of a secret chamber was not to be found, and therefore, not to be heard, but she wasn't about to just give up. She was worried about Lady Henrietta, and while she was glad the darkness would disguise her fears, she couldn't help but be concerned as Henrietta was barely able to speak. She needed to find a way for them to get out now.

  "I have to find a way out, Lucille. I'll just keep going. Whatever you do, do not leave Lady Henrietta's side," she had found Lucille's hands in the darkness and squeezed them.

  "I will find help, I promise you," Lady Amelia at least knew what to expect now. She just had to keep going. The tunnel led somewhere. She just hoped there would be someone at the other end to hear her.

  "M’lady, take this," Lucille handed her the fireplace poker in the darkness, "you might be able to attract attention with it."

  "Good idea, Lucille. Pray we will be found before it's too late," Lady Amelia ventured off again, with all of her senses aware that she had to be brave for the other women.

  She wanted to be strong, but she couldn't help the tears from streaming down her face. There was so much she wanted to experience in life and the fear of never being found was a real possibility in her mind.

  If only she had allowed love into her life. She should have been nicer to Bartley. He was amusing, and her father would have liked him. She could imagine her father saying that Bartley was exactly what she needed. There was a humor to him that would nicely complement Amelia’s stoic nature. Amelia’s thoughts led to poor Henrietta, who instead of being celebrated on her wedding day, would be missing. Amelia felt sorry for Lucille. If she hadn't lured Lucille into her employ, the girl would still be looking after the vain Duchess of Hamp
tonshire, instead of stuck in a horrible place inside the wall.

  Amelia was thankful for her strong nerves. She would need them. With the fireplace poker outstretched to guide her, she hit it off what she presumed was the wall on either side. She had come a little farther than previously, but she hoped it wasn't a dead-end. With no light, she couldn't tell how far the passage went, but she kept swaying the fireplace poker from side to side in front of her. It clattered off the walls.

  She was finding it difficult to move at any pace as it was harder to breathe, and it was so hot. She had to stop and take a breath, as she wiped her brow, which glistened with sweat. She called out, it made her feel like she was doing something, but the sound just reverberated around the tunnel.

  "How will we ever escape?" Amelia spoke out loud, as she slid to the ground in frustration. She let out one, loud scream.

  Chapter 6

  Bartley had to do something. Seeing how the inspector had gone out the front door, Bartley decided to do his search out the back of the house. After all, the bedroom overlooked the carriage house. Although he was glad to have his lamp, the walk to the carriage house was quite lit up. Bartley walked backwards looking up towards the window, willing it to tell him its secrets.

  "Anything strike you as strange, My Lord?" It was the old man again. He was standing beside Bartley looking up at the house.

  "What did you say your name was?" Bartley asked.

  "Jedediah Larkin, My Lord, I am the caretaker here. Does it not strike you as strange the position of the window? I always found it strange, the lack of symmetry."

  Bartley looked at the house plans and then looked up. Certainly, there seemed to be more wall than was allowed for on the schematics, but was this just a trick of the eye, perhaps.

  "It does look odd, and if there's a secret passageway, then it must lead somewhere. Perhaps out here, what do you think?" Bartley looked at the old man who just nodded.

  Now, if I could figure out where this could go, Bartley thought. As his eyes followed the possible layout of a secret chamber, his eyes fell upon the snow underfoot.