To Walk in the Sun (Wiggons' School for Elegant Young Ladies - Book 1) (21 page)

“He said he had no intention of marrying
me.”

Her voice came from somewhere far away and
Vincent knew she had returned to that night and was no longer in
the room with them.

“My uncle said he had learned enough to deny
the marriage. Percer said it didn’t matter. That he didn’t really
want me but the map.”

Vincent wanted to go and comfort her. He must
have taken a step because Miss Pritchard’s hand on his arm stopped
him. He looked in her direction and she simply shook her head. A
sad smile on her lips.

“I heard Percer say, ‘Give it to me and I
will be gone’. I peeked through the crack in the door and saw that
he held a gun on my uncle.”

Good lord, she didn’t go in, did she? If so,
how did she get the gun from Percer?

“I ran upstairs to my room and grabbed my
father’s pistol. After I loaded it, I ran back down. When I got
there, Percer still had the gun trained on my uncle who swore he
did not know about the map piece.” She gave dry laugh. “Of course
my uncle knew exactly where it was, he had hidden it in my room. It
used to be in a book in the library, but he feared a common room
was not safe enough and had me hide it in a false bottom in my
jewelry box.”

Miss Crawford turned to focus on the group.
“I stepped into the room and leveled my father’s gun on Percer and
demanded that he leave. He laughed at me.”

Vincent’s blood ran cold with the thought of
her facing Percer, or anyone, with a pistol ready to shoot her.

“He pointed the gun at my uncle. I pointed
mine at him. He demanded that I tell him where the map was. I asked
him if the courtship had always been a lie. For some strange,
self-loathing reason I wanted to know. He laughed harder, as if the
thought of being attracted to me was too much to comprehend. It is
really all I needed to know. I lifted my gun further and demanded
that he leave. He turned to look at my uncle, who had moved from
behind the desk to the front. I demanded that he leave again and
insisted that my uncle knew nothing of the map piece.”

Vincent noted the tears in her eyes and Miss
Crawford turned away from them once again. He knew this had to be
incredibly difficult for her.

“My uncle approached and insisted we didn’t
have the piece. Percer said that was too bad, for now he would have
to shoot both of us for nothing. He pointed the gun at my uncle’s
head. I knew he would shoot. I remember my finger on the trigger.
My uncle screamed no and placed himself between me and Percer the
moment I pulled the trigger.”

Her shoulders slumped. Again Vincent took a
step in her direction. Miss Pritchard kept hold of his arm.

“The servants were there in a moment. Percer
was yelling at how I had shot my uncle because he refused to allow
me to marry Percer. That he only had his own gun out in
self-defense.”

Miss Crawford turned back to them. “I don’t
remember much of what happened after that, except the blood. There
was so much blood. . .”

“Move on, Tess,” Mrs. Wiggons encouraged.

Miss Crawford looked up at her. A tear fell
down her cheek. “The servants did not know me well and they
believed Percer. I was taken and locked in my room until the
magistrate could be summoned. Percer swore he would see me hang for
the murder of my uncle, unless I turned over my piece of the map.
He was still convinced I knew where it was even after our
denials.”

The tears fell freely now but she did nothing
to wipe them away. Vincent’s heart went out to her and all he could
think of was bringing her comfort. Miss Pritchard’s hand finally
fell from his arm and he moved forward to gather Miss Crawford in
his arms. He held her tight against his chest as the sobs wracked
her body.

Percer needed to die for what he had done to
so many and he would happily put a bullet in the blackguard’s
heart.

He offered soothing words that he hoped were
not empty of meaning. “I will protect you. I will not let him harm
you further. You have my promise.” These were said into her hair,
in hushed tones. Vincent did not know if the others heard him or
not, nor did he care. This woman, who cried her heart out, had
stolen a piece of his. She had stood, ready to defend someone she
loved, and not flinched. He had seen seasoned men on the
battlefield turn from danger, but this woman faced it head on.

He had not thought it possible, not after
Veronica, but this small wisp of a woman made him hope again. Hope
that love had not left him after all.

The sound of someone bumping into a piece of
furniture in his room brought his head up. The three other women
looked in the same direction. They had heard it too. Vincent
brought a finger to his lips and urged them to be silent. He
disengaged himself from Miss Crawford and Mrs. Wiggons soon
replaced him as she cooed quietly to the teacher.

Vincent walked silently toward the door. He
picked up a candlestick and blew the light out. Slow and steady he
entered his room. A figure could be seen on the opposite side of
the bed. He raised the weapon and advanced on them. He stopped when
he noted the size. This was not Percer.

He drew closer, noted the blond hair and let
his arm drop. “Miss, what are you doing in my bedchamber?”

The young woman turned and looked at him with
wide blue eyes and gasped. “Lord Atwood, please forgive me.”

“Lady Sophia Trent, what are you doing in his
lordship’s bedroom?” Miss Morris demanded from the doorway.

The girl cringed. “I only wanted to return
this.” She held up his piece of the map.

Vincent grabbed it from her hand. “What were
you
doing with this?”

“I was trying to make a copy.” Her eyes
shifted to Miss Morris and she shrugged. “Not an exact copy, but
one good enough to fool Lord Percer.”

Save me from well-meaning females.
“To
what purpose?” Vincent demanded.

Lady Trent swallowed, then focused her eyes
directly on Vincent.

Not another one, too strong for her own
sensibility.

“To save Miss Crawford. If Lord Percer
believed he had the right piece, he might go away, and perhaps he
would think he had enough to leave the others alone.”

Vincent cocked his head at her statement.
“What do you know of Percer’s demands?”

Her eyes shifted back to Miss Morris, but
Vincent did not look in that direction. He simply waited. The
girl’s eyes came back to his. “We were in the woods last night. We
heard everything.”

He would beat them all. Surely their parents
would understand. “What possessed you to be out there so late at
night?”

“Because we heard him earlier and knew we had
to save Miss Crawford.”

This was too much. He needed one question
answered at a time. Yes. He had to think this through logically, or
illogically, given he was dealing with young women who couldn’t be
past fifteen.

“So, you decided to save Miss Crawford. How
did you know where to find my piece of the puzzle?”

Again her eyes shifted to Miss Morris.

“Please look at me when you answer the
questions or I will ask you teacher to leave.”

Her eyes returned to his and she worried her
bottom lip. Vincent wondered if she would ever respond.

“I found it, by accident.”

“What else would bring you to this room if
you were not looking for my piece of the map?”

She blanched. “We, um, well, we, you see. .
.”

“Spit it out!”

“We came to see if your wife was here.” She
took a hasty step back.

So, this was what they had conjured when they
saw him carry Miss Crawford that night. It was all too much and
Vincent threw his head back and laughed. When he recovered he
looked down at the young girl. “Had you found her here, what would
you have done?”

“Not I, but Eliza. She was the one
prepared.”

Vincent noted that she hadn’t answered the
question, but he could very well guess. If he could, he would burn
every book containing that wretched story.

“So, in the process of looking for my wife,
you found the piece of the map?”

“Yes, and the list.”

“Yet you did not take the list. Why not?”

“I already knew the names.”

* * *

Tess gasped from the doorway. She had heard
more than she cared to and would have another talk with the girls,
not that it appeared to do any good. Both Vincent and Sophia
focused on her and she stepped further into the room. “How could
you possibly know the names?”

Tears flooded the girl’s eyes. “Because my
father is on that list. I saw it at home.”

The wind was knocked out of her. It was not
possible that three people possessing parts of the same map were
all living under one roof. “Give me that list.” She held out her
hand.

Sophia picked it up and handed it to her.
Tess read through the names. “I didn’t realize this Trent was your
father.”

“It isn’t an uncommon name.”

“And you knew what to look for when you heard
us discuss the map?”

Sophia nodded her head.

Tess sank down onto the bed. This was too
much.

Sophia rushed forward and sat down beside
her. “You don’t need to worry, Miss Crawford. I won’t let him
seduce me.”

Those words brought her back to reality. “Of
course not.” Tess bit back the smile at Sophia’s earnest
assurance.

“I heard him in the woods. Even if he tried
his very best, it would never work. Why, he is much too old for
me.”

Tess could not take anymore. Sophia was so
urgent, so serious, so like a soldier that she couldn’t help but
laugh.

Lord Atwood walked forward and placed his
hand on Sophia’s shoulder. She looked up at him, as did Tess. “That
is very brave of you.”

Humor twinkled in his eye and he winked at
Tess.

“I am worried though.” Sophia slumped against
Tess.

“You needn’t be. We will see that nothing
happens to you,” she tried to assure the young girl.

“You don’t understand. I worry for my
father.”

“I am sure he will not come to harm,” Lord
Atwood comforted.

Sophia stood and faced them both, her back
rigid. “Are you both mad?”

Her angry tone stunned them. “He has Miss
Crawford’s. He wants Lord Atwood’s.”

“But he isn’t going to get it,” Atwood
insisted.

“He already has three of the six,” she
cried.

“Those won’t do him much good.” Tess tried to
comfort the girl, not understanding why she was suddenly so
upset.

With a frustrated sigh, she stalked across
the room. “Do you, by chance, know whose pieces he has?”

Tess looked at Atwood. He shrugged his
shoulders.

“What do you know of the other names on the
list?” Sophia demanded.

Tess stiffened at the rebuke from the child.
Atwood seemed to stand a bit straighter as well.

Tess reread the names. She absolutely nothing
about the others.

Sophia grabbed it from her. “I do,” She
insisted. “He has the pieces of Banter, who was shot in a hunting
accident. Shortly thereafter, his house was ransacked.”

A cold dread swept over Tess.

“He also has the one belonging to Lord
Gibbons. He was killed when apparently thugs attacked him in
London. While everyone was at his funeral, his house was robbed as
well.”

Tess glanced up at Atwood. Any humor he
possessed before had disappeared.

“That leaves Davis and
my father
,” she
cried.

Tess stood and went to the child. “I am sure
you father is taking every measure of security.”

“That doesn’t mean that Lord Percer won’t get
to him, or my mother, or anyone else in my family.”

“I will send a note to him immediately,”
Atwood assured the girl.

Sophia looked up at him. “Davis too?”

“Do you know the identity of Davis? All I’ve
ever had is the name.”

“Lord Parham, Gaylord Davis.”

“I’ll see that it is done, immediately,”
Atwood insisted.

Tess turned to the young girl. “Do Eliza and
Rosemary know what you have told me?”

The girl looked down sheepishly. “No, I was
afraid to tell them.”

“May I ask why?” Tess suspected it was
because Sophia knew the importance of keeping this secret.

“They would both think it grand and decide to
look themselves. They could never understand the danger.”

Tess’ respect for the child grew. Perhaps she
wasn’t as foolhardy as the others.

“It is one thing to pretend, or possibly
believe, someone can come back from the dead. But it is something
entirely different when there is a real monster, who will kill to
get what he wants.”

A chill ran down Tess’ spine. Yes, Sophia was
a bit more mature than her two closest friends and she had to
respect how the girl had gone along with them with nary a word.
“Would you like to stay with me tonight?”

Sophia smiled at her. “No. They are waiting
for me now. If I don’t return they will come to investigate.”

“They still think my former wife roams the
house?” Atwood questioned.

Tess turned to him, a small smile pulled at
his lips. She turned back to Sophia, who turned a light shade of
pink.

“I am sorry, Lord Atwood.”

He laughed. “It is better they worry about
fictional monsters than what we truly need to be concerned
with.”

“I agree.” The tension appeared to have left
Sophia and her shoulders relaxed she walked to the door. She
stopped and turned toward Tess. “I promise to be alert and
cautious. I made that promise to my father and I am making it to
you, as well.”

The girl was very wise. “Thank you,
Sophia.”

The door clicked shut and Atwood turned
toward her. “Would you join me in my study, Miss Crawford? I have
two letters that need to be written and delivered.”

A thrill ran up her spine and Tess chastised
herself. Just because she ended up, almost, on her back last time
didn’t mean it would happen again. Besides, things were different
now. The situation was more precarious than she thought possible.
The last thing on Atwood’s mind was seduction, just as it should be
the last thing on hers.