Captivated by the Viscount (The Captivating Debutantes Series Book 1) (9 page)

He sprang up
and raced to his own chamber. Didn’t bother to wash, but threw on new breeches,
shirt and boots. His valet could be appalled some other time – he needed to
find Lucy. Jasper dashed down the stairs towards the breakfast room. He
fervently hoped he would find Lucy tucking into eggs and tea, he’d even be
happy if she was spitting fire at him over the table – as long as she was
there.

“Elspeth,
have you seen Miss Lazenby?” he caught the maid on the way to the breakfast
room with his morning dose of coffee.

“No, my lord.
We thought she was still abed and what with the sleeping draught I gave her
last night I thought I’d leave her till later.” Jasper grimaced with the
mention of the bloody draught.

“I…er…popped
my head round the door, she’s not there.” Jasper countered.

“Oh, well,
maybe she went for a walk, it’s a lovely morning, and if she wanted to clear
her head.”

“Yes, yes a
walk. I’ll check. Can you also ask everybody else if they have seen her? Have
Robinson report back to me, I’ll be in the garden.”

Elspeth
bobbed a curtsy. She liked her master and she also liked Miss Lazenby, she just
wished they’d sort out their differences. Anybody could see they were in love
with each other. She sighed and went in search of Mr Robinson, toffs made it so
difficult for themselves.

Jasper dashed
to the main gardens at the back of the house, but all was still and quiet in
the unsullied morning. He tried the courtyard, popped his head round the door
into the kitchen garden, the stables (no horses missing) and even braved the
crumbling grotto – she was nowhere to be seen. Surely she would not have gone
near the forest, not now she knew about the mantraps. The only other
alternative was that she had made across the parkland trying to head for the
village. Jasper sighed and ran his hand over his rough unshaved face, he
supposed it was possible. If she couldn’t be found inside he would search the
surrounding countryside, William the groom could help.

Robinson met
him at the door to relay the information that Lucy wasn’t inside.

“We have
searched the whole house my lord, and Miss Lazenby is not to be found. I
noticed the bolts were already drawn this morning. Can I suggest she might have
walked to the village?”

“My thoughts
exactly Robinson. Let Will know I want Morgan saddled and a horse for himself –
he can help me search.”

“Of course, I
will have cook provide you with some food to take with you.”

“I don’t want
- ” the butler interrupted Jasper’s response.

“An empty
stomach is not conducive to a clear mind…my lord,” adding the latter as though
he suddenly remembered to whom he was speaking…and to whom he had interrupted.

“Wish we’d
had you on the Peninsular Robinson. Never would have gone hungry,” Jasper
replied unconcerned with the man’s interruption. “As you will then, tell Will
I’ll be there soon.”

Robinson
shook his head as he watched his master take the stairs two at a time. He had
joined the household when the young Lord had been at war and Robinson now had a
firm attachment to the house and its occupants. He also liked Miss Lazenby and
he felt she would make a good mistress of the house. He turned shaking his
head; it was the ‘oddest’ courtship he’d ever seen.

►▼◄

Two hours.
Jasper and Will had spent two hours searching and there had been no signs of
Lucy. He had called in at tenants and the village alike and there was no
indication that Lucy had been anywhere near.

The only
thing that had happened that morning was that one of the village children had
said he’d seen a coach, travelling on the road to London. Not a very unusual
sight but it had been early and something….something didn’t feel right. Could
Lucy have appealed for a lift with the occupant of the carriage? The boy had
said it was clipping a fair pace so it seemed unlikely it would have stopped.
Jasper’s horse threw his head in disgust as he pulled the reins too tightly.

“Sorry, old
boy. Just damned worried for her,” Jasper said as he stroked Morgan’s neck.
He’d head back to the house to see if there was any news, if not he’d gather
more men and search the woods.

Robinson met
him at the doorway.

“Has she been
found?” Jasper shouted as he flung himself off his horse.

“No, my lord.
However Elspeth the maid has found something.”

Jasper made
his way to the study asking Robinson to fetch Elspeth. God, he hoped for some
good news. There was a knock and both Elspeth and Robinson entered closing the
door behind them.

“What have
you found Elspeth?” Jasper asked. He was too impatient to bother with niceties.

“I was in the
kitchen garden, my lord. Tending the parsley. It’s been looking very poorly
lately and I’ve been…” a cleared throat from Robinson interrupted Elspeth’s
diatribe of parsley woes. She didn’t look suitably chastened. “As I was saying…I
was tending the parsley when I saw something glinting on the path in front of
it. I believe it’s Miss Lazenby’s bracelet, but I dunno if she just lost it. I
just remember seeing it on her when she was poorly.”

Elspeth held
out a gold bracelet, it was a sturdy piece but seemed delicate in contrast to
Elspeth’s rough calloused hand, and Jasper instantly recognised it. It was
unusual in its design, having joined hands for a clasp.

Jasper took
it from the maid and inspected it. One thing he was sure of - Lucy had been
wearing it last night. He remembered feeling it at the nape of his neck when
her fingers had caressed him there. It was also broken. The clasp was intact
but the links were snapped. He supposed that she could have caught it on her
dress or somesuch this morning whilst in the garden, but the links were strong
and it was as if…

“I believe
it’s been torn off…either by Lucy or…” he didn’t finish. “Where is your parsley
located in the kitchen garden Elspeth?”

“On the far
side, by the wall.”

“Take me
there,” Jasper demanded. He didn’t think he’d actually walked within the
kitchen garden since he’d been a lad. Once there, they headed for the side
door. The path looked undisturbed but the weeds by the old door had been pushed
back as though it had been recently opened. Jasper unlatched the door and they
all trooped through. Outside, all looked restful and silent, but a patch of
grass by the wall had been flattened and partially eaten.

“Do any of
the tenants graze their animals here?” Jasper asked. But he knew the answer
already.

“No, my lord.
Likely it will wait till haymaking now.” Jasper nodded distractedly. He looked
over the landscape and his eyes caught on the copse of trees to the north.

“Is that old
hunting gate still by that copse of trees?” Jasper asked.

“I don’t know
of it my lord,” Robinson replied, but Elspeth interrupted.

“Yes, my lord.
Poachers sometimes use it, as there’s good rabbit’ing to be had….apparently…so
I have heard,” she trailed off.

Jasper stared
into the distance, his eyes glazed with memories. “And then there’s a lane that
leads to the main road to London, correct?”

“Yes my
lord,” Elspeth replied. For once keeping it short.

Then Jasper
knew.

That niggling
feeling about the coach. The torn bracelet. The disturbed vegetation. Lucy
hadn’t run away again. When she had awoken, if she had been displeased, he would
have been awoken by a slap. No, Lucy had been taken, probably whilst walking in
the garden.

It was either
Ketridge or her brother.

Jasper
started back to the house, his entourage trooping behind him. The only thing
troubling him was how either of those men knew Lucy was here. His staff were
loyal, they had shown him that. Bill he would trust with his life, as he had
fought with him in Spain. That only left…Eloise. Surely she wouldn’t…but Jasper
knew better than that. He remembered her bitter threats, her anger at being
thwarted. Well, there was only one way to find out. Eloise was in London and that was the direction the carriage had also taken.

“Tell Will to
saddle up…” Bloody hell, he’d worn out his fastest horse searching the estate
and village this morning. However if Lucy had been taken by carriage, it didn’t
matter he could reach London quicker on horseback. The roads were rutted from
the spring rains and however viscous the driver was with the whip they could
only go so fast.

“Tell Will to
saddle Black Bart; and Robinson, meet me in the arms room.”

►▼◄

“Even the
nastiest little dogs can change with kind handling, meaty bones and lots of
fresh air. No different with humans...your cousin Wilberforce even liked the
meaty bones.” Aunt Augusta.

Jasper made London in good time. It had been a while since he had ridden his Arabian horse Black Bart and
it felt good to let him have his head. Eloise had a house in Henrietta Street a surprisingly respectable area of town. He gave a scruffy looking lad a
coin to walk his horse and made his way to Eloise’s door.

He was aware
that he didn’t look his best. During the ride he’d gotten dusty, his cravat was
now askew and he smelt of horse and leather, he was doubtful the butler would
let him through the door.

“Viscount
Danbury to see Mrs Hamilton,” Jasper informed the rather handsome looking
butler handing over his calling card at the same time.

“Mrs Hamilton
is indisposed and is not taking callers for the next few days. I shall inform
her of your arrival….and departure.”

Cheeky bugger
thought Jasper. He sized the man up, although young, he didn’t look
particularly strong. Eloise seemed to like the pale, thin consumptive look if
her butler and Lazenby was anything to go by.

The fellow
was in the process of closing the door when Jasper stuck his foot in to prevent
it closing. He thrust the door back, taking the butler by surprise; the poor
man was nearly knocked out by the weight of the door bashing his face.

“My lord…”
but the words were muffled by his hand holding his nose which was starting to
bleed. Jasper handed him a handkerchief and then strode into the reception hall
shouting Eloise’s name.

“What is all
the commotion about, Albert I told you…” Jasper saw Eloise pause at the top of
the stairs.

“Jasper,” she
gasped in shock.

“Don’t know
why you are so surprised to see me Eloise; you must have known this would be
the first place I’d look for her. Where is she?” he kept his voice calm and
controlled. He still wasn’t sure if Eloise had a part in Lucy’s disappearance,
but he would call her bluff.

“W..who
Jasper?” her voice quavering.

“Don’t play
games Eloise. Don’t pretend you don’t know why I’m here. Now are you going to
come downstairs or shall I broadcast your dirty linen to the servants?”

“Come
upstairs Jasper.”

“No tricks,”
he said harshly “there’s no time.”

“No, no
tricks,” Eloise replied. He was surprised to hear capitulation in her voice,
and he was now sure that she knew something. Jasper bounded up the stairs two
at a time. When he was finally at the top Eloise had already turned away and
was headed to her boudoir. If this was a trick to seduce him he’d never forgive
her.

Gritting his
teeth he followed. Eloise turned once she was in the room and for the first
time he saw her face. A purple bruise was forming under her left eye and her
lip was split and puffy.

“God Eloise,
what happened?”

“I, I thought
I could get Richard back. I thought he’d appreciate the information I had,” she
sobbed. “I told him we were good together, we had things in common. Those
matrons of the Ton, looking down on me sneering – they are no better than me.
And Richard, he hated their snobbish ways as well, but he’s changed. He called
me a scheming trollop, and...and he hit me Jasper. He’s never hit me before.”
Eloise broke down sobbing into her hands.

This was no
trick.

He went over
to Eloise and sat her down on the chaise lounge. He went on his haunches before
her and took her hands away from her face. Tears, streamed down her cheeks and
he knew they were real. Her eyes were red and her nose was wet, Eloise would
never have let that happen unless she was honestly distressed. He removed his second
handkerchief and dried her tears.

Eloise sniffed
loudly

“You’ll heal
Eloise. You’re stunningly beautiful, witty and when you want to be, kind. Any
man would be thrilled to have you.”

“You didn’t
want me Jasper,” she countered

“I didn’t
want any woman at that time Eloise; Helen of Troy couldn’t have tempted me.”

“But you’ve
fallen for that little Miss, haven’t you? I saw the way you looked at her
during that dinner. I said she looked at you with ‘sheep’s eyes’ but I didn’t
say that you looked at her like a wolf.”

‘Sheep’s
eyes’
he would’ve loved to have seen Lucy’s face at that insult. He had
never considered Lucy as such. He may consider the ‘wolf’ an apt description
but Lucy was more like a doe. Graceful and calm yet strong, with large eyes
gleaming with intelligence.

“Hmm,” Jasper
replied “and would I have chosen to fall for the sister of the very man whom I
hold responsible for my brothers death. No. But she’s an innocent in all of
this Eloise. I did her wrong and if she can ever forgive me I would consider
myself the luckiest of men. Please Eloise if you know anything…”

“I told
Richard where she was, he was so angry. I said we would be a good partnership
but he just laughed and hit me. You have to be careful Jasper. He didn’t used
to be violent. I spoke to some of his crowd. There is gossip that there are
creditors on his back and some not very nice ones either. I’ve heard he has
been seen at opium dens.”

Jasper
sighed. “Opium can do nasty things Eloise. The laudanum form of it helps with
pain but if you take too much…well, it seems to me it damages the mind too. One
of my friends became addicted to it when he was very ill. Those close to him
said he became….different. No-one mattered to him anymore, he was almost better
off dead.”

“Did he
survive? Your friend?”

Jasper thought
of Mainwaring now. He was still healing but ‘iron balls’ brought a smile to his
face. And who could really have blamed him for his addiction to the stuff when
he had been burned so badly.

“Yes he
healed, and is nearly back to his old self.”

“Maybe Richard
could be persuaded…” Eloise tried. Jasper thought otherwise but didn’t like to
disappoint her.

“Maybe, but they
have to want to give it up. My friend, he struck out at a serving boy for
dropping his dinner on him. It horrified him to realise he had struck a child;
there was still enough of ‘himself’ to change. Do you understand Eloise?” She
nodded, wiping her eyes.

“Do you have
any idea where they are? He could be hurting Lucy.”

“Richard is
still hoping that the Duke of Ketridge will marry her so I doubt he would harm
her. I have heard gossip that Richard has taken lodgings in a tavern in order
to escape his creditors. But be careful Jasper, I believe it’s in St Giles.”

“Do you know
the name of the tavern?”

“I can’t be
sure, but Albert overheard Richard and his coachman – something about a ‘duck’…”

“Well it’s a
start. I’ll go straight away. Shall I call your maid? Or maybe Albert?” Jasper
winked.

Eloise let
out a half sob, half laugh. “Albert and the maid too if you please Jasper. I
believe my butler may need some coddling after you forced the door in his face.
And I would so hate to loose him. He has wonderful…hands.”

 “Eloise,
you’re incorrigible. Take care and should you need anything, send word.” Seeing
Eloise nod, Jasper turned and rushed down the stairs, intent on finding Lucy.

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