Lord Cavendish Returns (20 page)

Harper
shared a look with Arrabella, who merely lifted her brows and
sighed. She knew that the keys had been used by the person who had
taken the register, but it was slightly odd in that the keys had
been returned. Why would someone, especially a stranger in the
area, take the risk of being seen returning keys they shouldn’t
have? How would they have even known where to find the keys if they
were a stranger? She fought the urge to scratch her head and sat
back to study the fire while Harper enjoyed the huge array of
wonderful foods Mrs Able deposited on his lap. Sure enough, Mrs
Able had done herself proud in that there was everything there a
man could want: freshly baked meat pie with lots of potatoes, a
huge slice of fruit cake as well as an apple and a large goblet of
her father’s best brandy. It was a feast befitting a king and
Harper dug in with the enthusiasm of a starving man.

While he
ate he contemplated the latest news. “When were they
found?”

“
They were on the desk when I got back last night. They just
appeared, so I assume that someone in the village had
them.”

Harper
frowned at that. He just didn’t see that anyone in the village
would want to steal the register. He was fairly confident that it
wasn’t Joseph and, apart from Angus, Robert and Arrabella, nobody
knew that he even wanted the registers.

“
Tell me, Arrabella. Does Moldton church have the same key
system going as here?”

“
Oh, no. There is nothing like that in Moldton. Mr Turner acts
as verger. He opens the church in the morning and locks it at dusk.
Nobody else has access to the keys, or the church out of hours
apart from father and me. We have our own set of keys for both
churches of course.”

“
Then why have spare keys for people to help themselves to
here?” It sounded like a ridiculous way to go on as far as he was
concerned and, if it was down to him, everyone would respect the
fact that the vicarage is a home and people should not feel at
liberty to help themselves to any part of it.

“
I don’t know really. It is something that happened when my
father took over from the old vicar. It works well usually because
when I am busy and my father is out, people can get access to the
church. Some of the cleaning ladies sometimes go in early in the
morning before father has had a chance to open the church up, so
they just come in to the study, collect the keys and go and do what
they need to do. We just allowed it to keep happening and have
gotten used to people coming and going. Besides, my mother has
always been here and likes to converse with the people who drop by.
It stops her feeling so isolated.”

“
But this is a home, Arrabella. A private home. You wouldn’t
feel at liberty to walk straight into Robert’s house, or the
doctor’s house, now would you?”

“
Oh, no of course not,” she replied, aghast at the thought of
such a thing.

“
Then why allow other people to take such liberties with you?”
he asked gently.

At first
she wasn’t sure if he was talking about the liberties he had taken
with her, but his steady gaze took any hint of chastisement out of
the conversation.

“
I know, but some of the people in the village have been
dropping into the vicarage for years. I really don’t see how we can
stop it now.”

“
Keep your door locked and move the keys, Arrabella. It is as
simple as that. The people will knock and, if you tell them it is
because of the theft of the register and for safety reasons, they
will understand. If they don’t, then that is something they will
have to deal with.”

Harper
sighed. His stomach was now pleasantly full. He was nice and warm,
and about as comfortable as it was possible for any man to get. For
the first time in a long time he actually felt that he was truly
relaxed, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had been like
it. He glanced over at Arrabella, whose gentle features were bathed
in the warm firelight glow. The lushness of her lips was like a
siren’s call and he just wished that they were familiar enough with
each other for him to sit beside her on the chaise and gather her
into his arms.

“
Now, I think we need to go over everything we know so far,”
Arrabella said as she stared into the flames. She felt him look at
her but he didn’t speak. She held her hand up and began to count
facts off with her fingers.

“
We were locked into the crypt at Moldton by an unknown person
who kept us there for several hours, only for some reason only
known to themselves, let us out again.”

“
Right.”

“
We found the register we needed here, but it was stolen from
here before we got chance to take a look inside.”

“
Right.”

“
So someone knew we were looking for the register.”

“
Right.”

“
Someone must have been following us, or must have overheard
one of our conversations and knew what we were doing.” She quickly
blanked out the thought that Mrs Able might have something to do
with it, but the niggling doubt wouldn’t go away.

“
Right. So far, you, me, Robert, Angus, Joseph know for
definite why we need the registers. Everyone else knows that we
just needed information out of them but not why.”

“
Right,” Arrabella sighed. “Whenever I have been out and about
though, I haven’t noticed anyone following us. The only person I
have seen a little more of lately is Joseph, and he cannot possibly
be involved in this.”

Harper
shook his head. “He isn’t. I spoke to him first thing this morning
on my way to Moldton. We had good long chat about a lot of things
and he has offered to help if we need him. I am confident that he
is not connected to this.”

“
So who could be? The men who told you about your parentage,
what were they like?”

“
The Cavendish brothers? They have a sterling reputation for
being fighters. They have served their time in the army and come
away relatively unscathed. They went through a difficult period a
few years ago. I heard something about one of them being sentenced
to hang or something, and one of their relatives was imprisoned for
attempting to kill one of them, but I don’t know the details. I do
know, however, that they not averse to a little criminal activity
to achieve their goals.” He briefly described the kidnap and the
men’s determination to ensure that Harper listened to
them.

“
I hate to say this, Harper,” Arrabella began
hesitantly.

“
I know,” Harper nodded as though he had read her mind. He
lifted is brows. “My father?” He watched her nod. “I have to admit
that I have asked myself this question again and again. It could be
him, I suppose. He may object to having his skeletons released from
the closet, so to speak.”

“
Have you been to see him yourself?” Arrabella wondered what
the man could look like. Harper was tall, devastatingly handsome
and was as gentle as he could be harsh, yet she had never felt
frightened by him; a little unnerved perhaps when he was really
angry, but never frightened.

“
No. The Cavendish brothers went to see him and he told them
about the affair he had with their mother, Alice something or
other. Anyway, he said that the house here has been mine all along
and a good friend of his, Bartholomew Lawton, agreed to look after
me in exchange for a large stipend every month, and use of the
house to live in.”

“
Good Lord. Your brothers -” Arrabella sighed and wafted her
hand around vaguely. “Do Robert, Angus and Joseph know all of
this?”

He
nodded. “It just doesn’t fit that they would want to stop me
finding out. I mean, the house is mine regardless of what’s in the
register. They have nothing to either gain or lose.”

“
Except for you,” Arrabella replied gently. “You have been
their brother, Harper, throughout your lives. Now, I am not
suggesting for one second that any one of them is responsible, but
they might not want to lose you.”

“
It is just not in their nature to do such a thing as steal
something so vital to me.” He refused to consider it. “I mean,
Joseph is busy with his farm. Angus wanted me back here urgently so
he could hand over the house and get on with his own life and
Robert, well, he is –” Harper frowned as he considered Robert for a
moment, and tried to think of a word that would describe
him.

“
Robert is a highly respected member of the community, Harper.
People travel from miles around to see him. He has a good group of
friends in the village and is always on hand to help out should
anyone need him.” She shook her head. “No, I won’t consider for a
moment that it could be Robert.”

“
Me either, if I am honest.”

“
So that leaves the man who said he is your father.” Arrabella
watched a dark frown appear on Harper’s face and wondered what was
going through his mind. It was bad enough to find out that the
parents who raised you weren’t actually your parents, but to then
have to consider that the person who was related didn’t want you
having confirmation of the fact was shockingly awful.

“
What I don’t understand is why he hit you over the head? I
mean, what were you looking for?” she murmured after several
moments of companionable silence.

“
I don’t know really. I was just going to go back to the
church to see if I had missed anything or if someone had seen the
register sitting there and decided to move it for some
reason.”

“
And?”

Harper
looked at her. “I didn’t get that far. I stood inside the church
and the next thing I knew, someone came at me. The attacker knew
how to fight, but not the down and dirty fighting I am used to.” He
grinned at her unrepentantly and she found herself smiling back as
she shook her head.

He
didn’t mention the shadowed figure who had been watching the house
the other night because he didn’t want to frighten her, but was
fairly certain now that he was the attacker in the church. Why had
he been watching the vicarage though?

“
Can you tell me something, Arrabella?”

“
If I can.”

“
The first night that I was here,” he waited until she nodded.
“Did you lock your doors that night?”

Arrabella looked at him blankly for a moment before a ripple
of unease swept through her. Goose bumps rippled her flesh and she
stared at him in mute horror for a moment before she slowly, and
very carefully, shook her head.

“
It is alright. I am just asking if you lock your doors at
night when you went to bed, that’s all.”

“
Are you suggesting that someone entered the vicarage and got
the keys while I was
asleep?”
She was horrified. Although she remained silent,
her eyes begged him to refute the notion.

“
No,” he lied. “I am not suggesting that for a moment. I just
wondered what usually happens in the village in the way of
security, that’s all.”

“
So what now?” She hoped that he wouldn’t say that he was
going to head off to London to talk to his father, and turned her
attention to her fingers that lay entwined in her lap while she
waited.

The
thought of Harper leaving filled her with dread, not just because
there was a menacing attacker lurking in the area. Just the thought
that someone might have walked around her house in the middle of
the night while she was asleep gave her the chills. Having Harper
in the house was hugely reassuring and, although she didn’t wish
ill on anyone, especially Harper, she wanted him to stay for
several days.

“
There is one thing I know for definite,” he sighed. “It isn’t
safe for you to be here alone right now. If the person who attacked
me decides to stop us trying to find the register, I really think
that we have to be prepared. First things first, we have to keep
the doors locked whether we are here or not. Secondly, I need to
remain here until we get that register.”

“
Do you think they will come here?” She whispered with wide,
terrified eyes that made Harper immediately wish he hadn’t
spoken.

Still,
he couldn’t lie to her. “To be honest with you, Arrabella, I would
like to say no, but I really do not know.” His gaze, when he turned
it on her, was full of ruthless determination that made her shiver
even more.

“
Would you tell me something?”

“
If I can,” Harper murmured. He had to admit it, he was quite
enjoying their intimate little chat, and couldn’t help but wonder
if this is what married life would be like: sharing their evening
before the fire while they talked about their day.

“
What did you do in London?” She couldn’t place someone like
Harper. Although he dressed in expensive finery that must have cost
hundreds of pounds, there wasn’t a snooty bone in him. He was down
to earth, and fitted in well around Hambley Wood – well, sort of,
if you ignored the fact that he was by far the most handsome man
for miles around, even dressed in a nightgown, with a blanket over
his knees and a thick bandage on his head.

Harper
knew that he had shaken her with his warning that she wasn’t to
take any risks, and felt partly responsible for the fear that she
couldn’t quite hide. After all, he had been the one who had engaged
her help in finding the registers. He had been the one who had
decided to spend some time with her and allow her to ‘help’ him. It
was partly down to him being in her life, and bringing his problems
with him, that had put her in this predicament. Yet she didn’t seem
to hold him to account for any of it.