Chapter 45

Edward jumped

down from Beauty as Old John came out of his house to greet him and

his father. He wasn't a man who ever smiled , but as a tenant, he was hard working and reliable.

He'd always been a distant figure in Edward's life since he was

very young, and had watched the 'Young Master' grow into the man he

was now.

"Old John," Edward heard his

father say in greeting as he shook his hand respectfully. "We might

have a problem on the estate. There is a man who could be headed

here to cause distress. Have you seen anyone lately who you had not

seen before?"

"No, Master," Old John replied.

"It has been a long while since I seen anyone new around these

paddocks, but tell me what this person looks like. I'll keep watch

for him and pass the word to others."

Edward came forward and gave a

physical description of Tom, all the while shuddering inwardly at

the thought of the man who had so openly declared he would 'have'

Alessandra.

Old John nodded when Edward had

given his description.

"What shall I do if I see

him? Report it to the manor?"

"Yes, but we do not wish

for the Mistress or Edward's wife, Alessandra, to know about this.

Edward is soon to be a father…" Charles said, cut off by the older

man coming forward to Edward and shaking his hand.

"Oh, Young Master!

Congratulations," he said, smiling for the very first time Edward

had seen him do so. Edward thanked him and accepted the

handshake.

"We do not want Alessandra to

be distressed in any way, so if you do see this man - or anyone you

have not seen before - can you please let me know directly, Old

John? If you come to the manor, tell my man that you wish for him

to tell me, and only me, that you are there."

Old John nodded. "Very good,

Master."

Edward and his father mounted

their horses and prepared to leave.

"And please be careful

yourself. We do not know if this man is dangerous, but it would be

best that we expect that he is, until he is found."

Edward saw Old John nod again

and wave before Edward's father started to ride away with Edward

behind.

~~~~~

As they pulled up to the

tiny cottage of Mrs Howard, something immediately looked amiss.

Although she was a woman of the land, leaving the front door as

wide open as it was, was something that neither man had known her

to do.

Edward saw his father jump down

with impressive speed to get inside as quickly as possible. At his

father's instruction, Edward walked around the outside of the house

to see if he could see her.

On entering the house, Edward's

father let out a cry of distress.

Edward ran to see what his

father had found. It was quite a scene to observe. The woman was

lying on the floor, secured to a chair with her feet bound, her

mouth gagged, and her hands tied behind her.

"Oh, Master!" said the

elderly woman inside, expressing utter relief at seeing a face she

knew, as Edward untied the ties covering her mouth. "A man was here

and he did this to me," she continued, starting to shed

tears.

" Who

did this, Mrs Howard?" Edward asked

as he continued to untie her hands and feet, then helped her to

stand up.

The woman struggled to find her

balance and her voice, but then mustered the determination to

speak.

"I did not know him. He was a

young man, about the Young Master's age. He came here and tied me

up, and then he was sleeping there," she said, starting to cry

desperately as she nodded to the bed in the corner of the room.

"Last night?" Edward's father

asked, uneasy at developments unfolding.

"No! He came here nights

ago."

"You have been tied up here all

this time?" Edward asked. He was horrified at the thought that an

elderly woman had been left alone without anyone to check on her.

He made a mental note that he must start visiting tenants more

often, given how isolated some of them lived.

As she began

to sob , she

nodded.

"He came here

to sleep every night for a week, but then did not come back again.

He has not been here for, I think, three nights now, but I do not feel quite right at the

moment, Master, so my reckoning could be wrong."

"Of course you feel unwell, Mrs

Howard. When did you last eat?"

She looked timid and weak as

the tears began once more.

"I know

not ," she replied. "He did

give me a little food and water when he was here, but I do not know

when that was."

"Right. Water and food

first then," Edward said as he looked around the tiny cottage,

desperate to find something he could give to her.

"Thank you, Young Master, but

he took everything with him."

Edward found himself perplexed

at the horror of the situation.

"Father,

I must ride up to the

manor…"

"No, Edward. Mrs Howard

has had a terrible ordeal. I do not want to leave her here alone,"

Edward's father started to say before the elderly woman started to

object.

"Mrs Howard, I understand

you prefer to live alone, but for this night at least, you will

come with us and stay at the manor. Do not refuse, I beg you, as

you desperately need sustenance, and I will not sleep if I think of

you alone here, with a madman on the loose. When you are at the

manor, I can also summon the doctor to come and check your

health."

Edward looked on, admiring his

father for his generosity, although also seeing in his eyes a real

fear, which flowed on to him also.

"Yes, Master," the elderly

woman said, her head hung low in shame of having found herself in

the situation.

"Come, Mrs Howard, you

can ride on Beauty. I will walk alongside you, so you have nothing

to fear from him. He is large, but he is gentle and good-natured,"

Edward said with a soothing voice.

After securing the little

house, they made their way slowly to the manor, where Margaret came

out to meet them. Edward pulled her aside.

"Margaret, Mrs Howard

here has suffered a horrible ordeal and will stay here for the

night. Can you please set her up in a guest room, and ensure she

gets some food? She has not eaten for at least a few days, as far

as I can tell, so tell Cook to prepare only small amounts of food

suitable, and make sure she also has plenty to drink," Edward said

to Margaret and saw her nod. Before Margaret turned to the elderly

woman, he added, "Please do not tell my wife or my mother about

this. I do not want either to be worried or stressed."

Margaret looked at the young

master and could see the level of seriousness on his face. She

nodded, appreciating the love for his wife that he so easily

displayed to everyone he talked to. Quietly she guided the elderly

woman away and toward the guest wing of the manor to set Mrs Howard

up with food and a warm fire.

"Now Edward," his father

said with an intense depth of concern in his voice. "As it is

starting to get dark, we will not go any further tonight, but early

tomorrow you and I shall set out and visit the remaining

tenants."

Edward nodded, remaining

close to his father, but feeling particularly desperate to get to

his wife.

"Go and get ready for

dinner, and then we shall dine," Charles said. "And not one word of

any of this to Alessandra or your mother."

Edward bounded into the drawing

room to check if Alessandra was there. Seeing no-one in the room,

he ran up the regal staircase and to their bedchamber.

As he made his way to

her, he considered the timeframe that Mrs Howard had said. Her

calculations may have been completely wrong, but she'd indicated

that over the past few nights the man had not been back. Edward

calculated that the last time Tim Missinger was there, was the day

Edward had walked with Alessandra to the waterfall. Fear descended

upon him as he remembered the moment they had thought they'd heard

something in the forest behind them.

Before opening the bedchamber

door, Edward stopped and took deep breaths until he was sure he

looked calm and could put a smile on his face once more.

Alessandra heard the door

open and turned to see Edward enter, making her smile. It had been

two weeks since they had been intimate. It was the longest they had

ever been withdrawn from each other. When she looked at him, she

was reminded of how much she had come to love her husband and the

way that he looked.

She watched as he walked in

calmly but with a smile on his face that said exactly how he felt

about her. She walked toward him to receive an embrace, which they

both indulged in for a long time before pulling apart.

As Edward started to wash and

change for dinner, Alessandra watched him.

"Is all well, Husband?"

she asked.

Edward smiled at her. He

loathed having to lie, but wouldn't risk the shock she might feel

if she knew the truth.

"Yes, my lovely wife. It

has been a long day, but I am well," he said, dressed and moving

toward her for another embrace. "Come, let us go eat, and you can

tell me all about your day."