Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Griffin hadn’t walked away as he had planned. Something inside him had told him to stay at the windowsill, listening.

He had heard it all. All of Nancy’s threats toward Marina and Marina’s desperate attempts to persuade her otherwise. He wanted to chip in, tell Nancy what horrid man her father was and that she would also be at benefit if he just allowed the two to work together. But, to his own disappointed, he found himself too fearful to do so.

He couldn’t help but feel like a bit of a coward, having Marina be blown with all the hateful punches from the Bosley family. Yet, he struggled to pack up his courage to defend her. He barely had the courage to tell her he actually, truly loved her.

He listened as Nancy stormed from the room, the door slamming behind her. Instinctively, he balled his hand into a fist and brought it near the window, intending to give another couple of knocks.

“Marina, I love you! I wholeheartedly love the woman you are. Run with me and you can escape this excruciating environment!” The words played out in his head, but, again, he couldn’t find the courage to say the words. He could bear the embarrassment if she turned him away. Thus, he lowered his knuckles from the glass window, his heart longing for the woman hidden somewhere behind it.

Finally, he started making his way away from the window. He took his hat from his head and ruffled a hand through his curls. He felt exhausted, emotionally- nothing sleep might be able to fix for him.

“Your Grace!” a loud whisper reached his ear. He turned around hopefully, thinking it had been marina who had followed him, but instead he was met with a short lady, black hair in a bun. She was in a maid’s attire.

“Ah, heavens!” Griffin yelled underneath his breath. By now he was so sick of everyone somehow discovering him in his schemes.

“It’s alright, I know everything,” the woman quickly commented when she noticed Griffin’s disappointed expression. “But you’re not very smart, Your Grace. The washing line is just around the corner of Marina’s window, you should be glad I was the one attending to washing tonight.”

“Leilah?” Griffin asked, remembering Marina to have mentioned the maid who had accidentally discovered her file. The woman nodded with a smile.

“I was unaware of the high security the Cromwell house kept on its inhabitants,” Griffin sighed, waving around the hat in his hand.

“Come, come, Your Grace” Leilah waved with her tiny hand, gesturing Griffin to move alongside her. “I apologize for the frank manner I need to corner you. I need to speak with you, and I know of better places to have discussions than out here in the open.”

Griffin hesitated at first, but trusted Marina when she said that Leilah was trustworthy. Besides, the lady had a heartfelt smile and Griffin couldn’t say no to that.

He followed her past a couple of trees, to a secluded area where tree branches lay at their feet.

“The gardener often dumps fallen branches or dead plants here. He’s a bit afraid of the Earl,” Leilah nervously said as she rubbed her hands together in the cold. “I keep a lot of secrets, so I brought us to one, Your Grace.”

“You’re must be a great friend to have within the Cromwell, Miss,” Griffin commented, knowing Leilah to have helped Marina in several circumstances.

“I’m actually a Misses, Your Grace. My husband even gave me a ring, I just had to remove it when I was busy with the washing,” Leilah proudly commented, a little swing in her stance.

“Ah, my apologies, Misses,” Griffin corrected, which made Leilah smile.

“You’re a kind man, and a handsome one too,” Leilah said. Her eyes widened slightly in embarrassment, indicating she was aware of the open manner she was speaking to the duke in. Yet, this confused Griffin a bit. He gathered Leilah to be a year or two older than him, and married to a man. He was unsure if this would be considered flirting in normal society, or if she had just overstepped her own boundaries regarding conversation.

Leilah, thankfully, was quick to notice the discomfort on Griffin’s face and shared a bit of the same expression, but continued her conversation nonetheless

“I’m not trying to be a flirt, Your Grace.,” Leilah laughed. She rubbed her hands together like a cricket. Griffin was unsure if it was due to the cold or her own nervousness.

“But I do believe you’d fit Marina quite well. Very well, I’d say Your Grace,” she said, a proud smile still upon her face. Griffin was caught slightly off guard by her comment, not sure how to reply.

“Thank you,” was all he was able to mutter at the instance. He had never felt a level of discomfort so intense in his life, and Leilah didn’t appear like she would be stopping her comments just yet.

“I believe you love her, am I correct, You Grace?” she finally asked, her expression changing to a much more serious stare. “I mean, this is simply a frank comment based upon my observations, Your Grace.”

Griffin chewed on air bubbles, uncertain of how to reply to Leilah. He found himself a slight but angered at the fact that Leilah was cornering him with such strange statemnents. He did love her, but he might take his love for her to the grave with him. After all, he can’t confess his love for Marina to the stranger her had just met, although she was tempting him to do so. And he most certainly wouldn’t confess his admiration towards Marina to the Cromwell House maid.

“She’s a wonderful woman, I must say,” Griffin said, before being left speechless for another couple seconds. “But, since you are aware of the fact that the two of us are in an investigation, we prefer to keep things to professional level.”

“No.”

“What?” Griffin blurted out, confused by the sudden two-lettered word coming from Leilah’s mouth.

“I said no, Your Grace,” Leilah continued. Her face pulled into a nervous smile, her statements going well beyond the point of comfort and general acceptability, but she forced the words none the less. “Forgive me for the pain I currently am, Your Grace. But I am not blind to love, and I spot the love in both your eyes. I mean no harm with my statements, but you are a good man and I truly want the best for Marina. Besides, I have eyes all around the Cromwell house and two certain people kissed in the study.”

Leilah clasped her hands back in front of her mouth, her full cheeks glowing a rosy pink in embarrassment.

“Wait, did Marina tell you about the kiss?” Griffin asked, his hopes starting to rise at the thought of her sharing the story of the kiss.

“No, Your Grace.”

“What?!” Griffin blurted out again. “Misses, you make no sense to me.”

“Yes,” she commented. Griffin looked at her in silence, never having been so perplexed by a human being in his life before. “I suggest the two of you take a better look at your surroundings before entering in your investigations. I was right by the window when the two of you lunged underneath the desk. I even waved at Nancy to distract her from walking any closer to the two of you.”

“My goodness, thank you, Misses,” Griffin sighed. He was starting to question their investigation tactics, because somehow, they always end up caught in their searches.

“So, you do love her, Your Grace,” Leilah teasingly smiled. It reminded him how schoolboys used to tease one another if they but looked at a girl.

“I-I,” Griffin stuttered. He was looking around to find the quickest exit, wanting to make a run from answering her question. “I think I’d better make my way home.”

“Sorry, I’ll stop bombarding you with my questions. But if I were you, I’d confess my love. Love is a difficult thing to come buy during a single lifetime,” Leilah said, gently grabbing him by the arm to prohibit him from walking away.

“I understand, Misses,” Griffin mumbled, rethinking his decisions in his head. It was one thing for him to admit his love to Marina, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her turning him down. Thus, he has found avoiding it easier.

“Don’t let your pride get to you, Your Grace,” Leilah said, as if Griffin’s thoughts were a transcript she was able to read.

“But, on another topic, I was wondering if I might give you something. I doubt it to be useful during the investigation, but I found it whilst cleaning the main bedroom. It was in a little container with a label- something like ‘Bosley’s Brew’? Not a pretty container-it looked cheap. But it’s a little sachet of tea that I was hoping could lead to something,” Leilah said, pulling out a small bag from what seemed like thin air.

“Ah! I cannot possibly thank you enough,” Griffin said, taking the bag from Leilah. If he could possibly have Beth investigate the tea leaves- they’d have a case.

“Why, isn’t this sachet a little big for tea?” Griffin commented, holding the bag level to his face. It even had drawstrings.

“Your Grace, the teabag is inside. That’s just a bag I used to make it less prominent that I…” Leilah started explaining, before falling to a whisper. “Stole it.”

“Ah, understood. Thank you so much, Misses, I really appreciate the helping hand you’ve offered in our investigation,” Griffin smiled, tucking the bag into his coat.

“I’m doing this for two reasons. One being that I have a rather large dislike for my new boss and the other being- you and Marina should have the love story you deserve.”

The next morning Griffin was quick to awake. Beth had no longer been present when he arrived back at the Stanton Manor, so he had to wait until the next day. As he was pacing about the corridor, he was finally met with a knock.

“Beth!” he excitedly exclaimed he opened the door, but instead he was handed a letter by a man on horseback. He took the letter from the man’s hand, a bit embarrassed for throwing the excitement for Beth upon him.

“Your Grace,” Griffin heard a faint voice from behind him.

“Ah, Beth!” Griffin exclaimed, the excitement returning to him as he saw Beth enter the threshold. “How do you do?”

“Well, Your Grace. Apparently not as happy as you seem to be,” Beth laughed, noticing Griffin’s apparent excitement. “Any good news you might be willing to share?”

“I’m unsure if it’s excitement or nervousness keeping me going today, Beth, but it sure feels like a mixture. I’ve been waiting for your arrival all morning,” Griffin smiled, happy to finally have his botanist back in the working environment.

“Why have you been awaiting me, Your Grace?” Beth asked in confusion, having a brief struggle with applying the apron. She was well adapted to her disability, knowing how to adjust to environments and situations that might serve her more difficult. Today, it was tying her apron behind her back.

“I need your assistance in a matter, or might I say your professional opinion?” Griffin asked, noticing Beth’s struggles with her apron but hesitant to offer help. Beth enjoyed her independence, often turning his help down.

“I gather it to be about the Belladonna you discovered the other day, Your Grace,” Beth guessed, finally satisfied with how her apron fit.

“Indeed,” Griffin replied in a bout of surprise, unsure how Beth was able to guess the topic at hand so easily. It took him a while to realise he had always been a bit confused by gardening and plants in general, merely giving the garden to Beth as her playground without question. It had only been after the discovery of the deadly nightshade that Griffin had to put his interest toward plants.

“Well, what may I be of help with, Your Grace?” Beth asked, giving her dress a last couple of pats before placing her full attention upon Griffin.

“Follow me, follow me,” Griffin giggled excitedly as he led Beth toward the study. In the corner, he had cleaned a spot for Beth to be sat. He ensured candlelight to be placed around the tiny desk he had settled for her, equipped with a large magnifying glass and the tea bag, neatly placed in the centre.

“Ah, we’re having some tea, I see” Beth joked as she neared the desk. She picked up the teabag and gently held it toward the sunlight emanating from the window.

“Please, Beth. Whatever you might do just be sure not to drink the tea,” Griffin chuckled, plucking the tea bag from her hands.

“Alright, I understand my purpose here. I guess I’ll be left to identify the tea leaves, Your Grace?” Beth commented, starting to sit by the desk and clear the space to her desires. Griffin placed the teabag back in front of her.

“That would leave me greatly satisfied,” Griffin said, watching Beth carefully lay out a small pile of leaves from the teabag. He couldn’t help but think of the day that Marina had so blissfully unaware twirled the leaf between her fingertips.

“You may leave me to work, Your Grace. I am in no need of a babysitter, I promise not to drink any of the tea,” Beth chuckled, starting to be a bit bothered by Griffin looming over her. He nodded in compliance, making his way toward his own desk where he pulled out the letter from earlier.

In his mind it could possibly be his mother, who had convinced her cousin to accompany her on a trip to Ireland. She was shattered to extremes Griffin couldn’t imagine when his father had passed away. She didn’t move, eat or speak for a large amount of time, convincing Griffin that perhaps she might fade away as well.

That was, until she heard of a medium residing in Ireland that had attained large praises. She left with her cousin in hopes of reconnecting her contact to her late husband, wondering what might have happened to him. That’s a similarity could admit he shared with his mother- they both need to know what had happened.

Instead, he found the letter from Marina. At first, he took a moment to admire her neat handwriting, after all, she had been teasing him consistently about his own handwriting. But after the slight moment of admiration, his heart sunk slightly.

He overheard the conversation between Nancy and Marina the prior night, well aware of the threats Nancy had thrown at Marina. But what could Nancy possibly find that could incriminate the two of them? Their investigation had gone unnoticed by most, and those who had caught them had been great allies in the action.

Yet, he felt his heart sink as he read the words: “I apologize for the letter you are about to receive.”