The Inheritance (11 page)

"Oh!" she
exclaimed. "They're leaving this morning? I didn't know they'd be
going so soon. I must run and find them."

"Yes - you do
that. Let's see, it's ten-thirty," he said, standing up and walking
out of the room at her side. "I'll meet you back here for lunch
around one o'clock. I'm sure you'll have an appetite by then,
especially after your ride."

She stopped in
the hallway and took his hand.

"Master," she
whispered, "thank you so very much for everything. You saved
me."

She was
looking at him intently, her eyes full of love and gratitude, with
a slight suggestion of a tear. He squeezed her hand and after a
quick check to make sure they were completely alone, he kissed her
lightly on the lips.

"My dearest, I
am so happy you are well and back with us," he said softly. "Now go
- find your father and brother."

Her heart
full, she turned and walked down the hallway, looking back over her
shoulder at him as she headed toward the foyer and out of
sight.

Lord Michael
took a deep breath. It would be marvellous to have the house to
themselves for a few days, and he would have been happy to walk to
the stables with her, or stay behind and see James and George on
their way, but he had said his goodbyes at the breakfast table. He
had some exploring to do. Some very important exploring.

He made his
way back to his room and picked up the bag he had prepared some
days before. It contained two candles with their holders, some
thick gloves, some rope, a towel, and a pen and paper.

During one of
the many walks with Elizabeth through Hanley Hall the first week of
his arrival, he had spied something he found most intriguing. The
house had been built centuries before, and like many of the houses
from that time he suspected it had secret passageways and chambers.
He thought he'd seen the suggestion of such in the far right wing
of the house.

It was an
unused area, though kept thoroughly clean and maintained. There
were several staircases and it was quite confusing determining
which led where, but he had committed to memory the map to this
particular area. He turned in the opposite direction of the foyer,
followed several corridors, up a staircase, along further hallways,
and came upon the very large room.

It was a room,
but it wasn't a room. A hallway fed into it as a river would run
into a lake. It was a voluminous space with wood-panelled walls on
one side with an impressive fireplace about halfway down. Opposing
the wall stood tall, paned windows broken up every few feet by wide
columns of wood.

Striding to
the windows he peered through the grime evident on the outside of
the glass. He could see Elizabeth walking down the lawn to the
stables. It brought a smile to his lips and he had to stop for a
few minutes to watch the delicious sway of her hips and shapely
curve of her bottom. He felt his member acknowledge its attraction
and sighing happily, pulled himself away from the enticing visage
and turned attention back to the matter at hand.

He moved
across the expansive hall to the right side of the fireplace and
stared at the wall. At first glance the panels looked perfectly
aligned. Except for one tiny departure. He would not have even
noticed it had Elizabeth not made her exclamation of "poof" - and
twirled her hand in the air.

He had dropped
his head and turned his eye in order to hide his displeasure, and
his gaze fell upon a small area of wood that appeared to be
protruding from the rest of the panel. It could simply be the wood
buckling - but none of the other panels had a similar deformity. He
was convinced it was a telltale sign of a secret entryway.

His eyes
scanned the bottom of the wall and he spotted it immediately. It
was at the right hand corner of the second panel, just about two
inches wide. Kneeling down he touched around and behind it,
wondering if another curious person had attempted to pry the panel
from its frame creating the blemish. He knew panels covering covert
passageways could not be pulled out. They were held by a series of
mechanical devices.

Moving to the
fireplace he ran his hand along the bricks trying to determine if
any were loose. Unsuccessful he glided his fingers across the top
of the mantle - nothing there. He felt underneath - and caught his
breath. He had found it.

There was a
groove about six inches long, in which rested a rod. He lowered his
head and studied what his fingers had discovered. It was just as it
had felt, the rod being about an inch in diameter with a round ball
at the end.

He took hold
with his fingers. It wasn't so small that it felt fragile, or so
big that he had difficulty maneuvering his fingers into the groove
and around the bulb. Cautiously he pulled downwards. He certainly
didn't want to break it off and there was no telling how much time
had passed since last it was used.

Encountering
some resistance he shifted his stance. Rather than stay crouched
down as he was he stood as though a person would, knowing the rod
was there. As soon as he assumed the position and pulled on the
bulb he heard the telltale sounds of creaking cogs. The lever came
down about six inches and the panel swung open.

He moved
quickly and walked through the opening. There was a small landing
which took him directly to a staircase. The light offered by the
opening did little to cast its glow down the winding steps, and he
didn't want to leave it ajar in any case. Pulling his bag from his
shoulder he withdrew one of the candles, pushed it in the holder
and set it to light. Placing it on the floor, he checked the panel
carefully to see if he could become trapped. It was impossible to
tell so he pulled slowly, leaving it cracked about four inches.

Picking up his
bag and placing it over his shoulder, he held the candle in front
of him and followed the stairwell down. It circled around and
around until finally it came to its end. Holding the candle high he
peered into the gloom and could scarcely believe his eyes. It was a
bedchamber, complete with a four-posted, canopied bed. Moving
forward he spied a desk and chair against the wall. Putting the
candle down on the desk, he pulled out the second and proceeded to
use it to walk forward.

The two
candles together were enough to illuminate the space. It was
smaller than the bedrooms in the house but offered everything one
could wish for, including a small anteroom with a cabinet upon
which sat a washbasin and jug.

Then he spied
what appeared to be another passageway leading off and ventured
forward. In just a few steps he found himself looking at a
perfectly fine coat rack and to his right, a door, but not a door
that one would find leading from one room to another. It was a
heavy looking door that might lead to the outside, and he held the
candle closer to study it further. He discerned three strong metal
sliding rods holding the door closed, and in the very center a
large, robust hammered ring. It was obvious this hideaway was
designed to keep those from the outside from coming in, not the
other way around.

It took a few
minutes of jiggling with the bolts but he managed to slide each of
them across, then placing the candle on the floor off to one side
he wrapped both hands around the ring and pulled.

There was a
loud squeaking sound but the door moved with surprising ease. Once
it was fully open he found himself surrounded by shrubbery, but not
so much as to prevent his leaving the apartment if he so
desired.

Stepping
through the thicket he came out to a beautiful vista and saw
Elizabeth aboard Mindy, trotting and cantering around the lush
green lawn. It was a lovely sight, and now he had discovered the
perfect hideaway for their escapades. Everything was working out
perfectly.

He was about
to turn back when he saw something that he couldn't quite
understand. Zeus was galloping out of the woods, a fine rider on
his back. It certainly wasn't the stable lad who was a mere slip of
a lad. This was a gentleman who sat tall and straight and was
clearly an excellent horseman. Lord Michael watched as the man
brought the mighty horse back to a trot and stop next to Elizabeth,
whose horse looked quite diminutive in comparison.

Lord Michael
frowned. It appeared the man was inviting Elizabeth to join him
atop his mount. He couldn't hear them but the manner in which he
was gesturing made his intent perfectly clear. When he saw her move
from her saddle he was instantly filled with ire, but the girl
appeared to have a change of heart and stopped halfway off,
settling back on to her seat.

Just as well
, he thought, shaking off
his anger.
But I must know who that man is.
And I must know immediately
.

Turning on his
heel he made his way back through the brambles and closed and
bolted the door behind him, using only one of the sliding rods.
Back in the dusty bedchamber he pulled his pad and pen from his bag
and made a list of everything he would need to return the chamber
to its former glory. And he knew just how he was going to do
it.

By the time he
was back in his quarters it was almost midday; just enough time to
put his plan into action. He pulled his bell cord and within
minutes Carstairs arrived.

"Please have
Grace come here. I need to discuss some matters regarding her
Mistress."

"Yes, my
Lord," the efficient butler replied, giving a sharp little bow as
he did.

Lord Michael
began pacing. He was very pleased with his discovery but it needed
some serious cleaning up, and he wanted it to be done before he
showed it to Elizabeth. It would be a delightful surprise for her.
There was only one answer and that was Grace. But he needed to make
sure the secret would not be revealed, and it required more than a
spoken promise by the young girl. She needed to fear him, and any
reprisals that might arise should she speak out of turn. A gentle
knock at the door told him she had arrived.

"Come in,
Grace," he called.

She entered
meekly, looking a little unsure, and offered a little curtsy.

"We have been
through quite a bit together, haven't we Grace? You, me and Miss
Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Sir,"
she answered, totally at a loss as to what he could possibly want
with her.

"There is a
very important task I am going to ask of you Grace," he said, then
paused and added, "You're not very busy here are you? I mean, you
really only have to look after Miss Elizabeth. The household does
not require your services for other matters. Is that correct?"

"Yes Sir."

"And do you
get along with the rest of the staff downstairs?"

"Most of them
Sir, but some of the footmen can be a bit - um - flirty, Sir."

"I see. Well
Grace, if you have any trouble with anybody you come straight to
me. I will protect you."

He saw a
flicker of relief in her eyes.

"Oh thank you,
Sir. I don't want to be any trouble."

"It would be
no trouble, Grace. Now please prepare yourself. I am going to tell
you something that will surprise you."

Grace took a
deep breath.

"Yes, Sir. I'm
ready Sir."

"I'm afraid I
have to spank you. Quite hard."

Grace's eyes
widened as her jaw dropped.

"Oh Sir, but
why?" she cried. "Have I displeased you or Miss Elizabeth? I
certainly didn't mean to, Sir."

"On the
contrary Grace, you have done an exemplary - rather - a very good
job indeed. I am not displeased with you at all."

"I don't
understand," she stammered.

"The task I am
about to give you requires the utmost secrecy. While I know you are
most loyal, I must make sure you understand the consequences should
you not remain so. If anyone should discover what I am going to
share with you I will know you have spoken out of turn."

"Oh Sir, I
won't tell. I won't, I promise."

"And a good
spanking will guarantee that, I believe."

She was
crinkling her face in distress and Lord Michael realized he
wouldn't have to spank her very hard at all. He moved to the large
chair by the fireplace and stood by one of the arms.

"Come here
please, Grace. Immediately!" His voice was clipped and commanding,
but not unkind.

Grace scurried
to the chair and looked at him fearfully. The poor girl was scared
but Lord Michael could not take her angst into account. Needs
must.

"Please bend
across the arm," he ordered.

The girl threw
herself forward and buried her head in the seat cushion, completely
mortified.

"I will lift
your dress now but not bare your bottom," he promised. "Should you
ever cross me the punishment I will inflict will be after your
pantaloons are pulled down and your bottom is naked to my eye. And
I can assure you, it will be far more severe than what you are
about to experience. Do I make myself clear?" he asked,
brusquely.

"Oh yes, Sir.
Very clear, Sir."

"Excellent,"
he said firmly, then reached down and lifted her dress up and over
her waist. It fell across her head, which Lord Michael found
particularly appealing. The single petticoat suffered the same fate
and he heard her gasp in horror as that last vestige of fabric
across her most private linen was moved out of place.

Lord Michael
studied the bottom awaiting his attention. It was pleasantly plump
and had a full, chubby roundness that he had not expected.

"I shall spank
you now, Grace, but not as hard as I had originally intended. I
believe you are as loyal as you say."

He heard a
muffled response as he rested his hand on her right cheek, then ran
it across the rest of her backside as she whimpered her
humiliation. So much the better.