Tenacious Trents 02 - A Perfect Gentleman (19 page)

Matthew tried to concentrate on everything
occurring, make sense of it all. Foremost in his mind was taking
care of Miss Cooper. For a moment he feared her collapsing. At the
news of her father her body had begun to shake and her skin turned
a deathly white. Though she appeared to be recovered, he did not
want to let go just yet in case of a relapse.

He couldn’t grasp that first Mr. Cooper had
tried to kill himself and was finding equally hard to accept
someone might have tried to murder him. But, the letter was not
written in his hand and Miss Cooper was correct in that the man
could not have climbed the stairs. He learned this yesterday when
he assisted the man to his room. Though on a good day Mr. Cooper
could walk on his own, on a level ground, stairs would be forever
impossible for the man, unless he had a miraculous recovery.

But who would try to kill him?

“May I see the letter again?”

Matthew handed it to Jordan who took it to
the desk and laid it down before taking a seat. He then began
looking in drawers.

“What are you doing?” Matthew reluctantly
pulled away from Miss Cooper and walked toward his brother. He
immediately felt her loss when he was no longer touching her. He
glanced back to make sure she was all right to stand on her own.
The color had returned to her cheeks and she appeared sturdy
enough.

“I am looking for another sample of his
handwriting.”

“Second drawer on the right,” Miss Cooper
instructed, following Matthew to the desk. She grasped the ledger
Jordan had pulled out of the drawer and flipped through pages,
stopping somewhere in the middle of the book. On this page the
handwriting changed from one person to another. She pointed to an
upper line. “This is what my father wrote prior to his injury.” She
skimmed her finger down the page stopping toward the bottom. “This
is my handwriting.”

Jordan pulled the note toward the ledger and
compared the two. “They do look identical.”

Matthew reached into his pocket and withdrew
the two pieces of paper he now carried with him always. The first
was the verse he had written long ago from Matthew 5:45. This he
put back in his pocket. The second was the verse Mr. Cooper had
written for him after their first visit. He laid it beside the
letter. “This is what he wrote last week.” If one didn’t know
better one would never believe the same man who wrote so neatly in
the ledger was the same one who penned the near illegible
verse.

“My father had long given up trying to write
after he lost a good deal of use of his right hand. Only Vicar
Trent prompted him to attempt it again.” She picked up the piece of
paper. “
There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is
right and never sin. Ecclesiastes7:20.”

“I can only guess what prompted that
discussion,” Jordan offered dryly.

Now was not the time to discuss the merits of
their own father and Matthew ignored his comment. “As you can see,
Mr. Cooper did not write that note.”

Jordan let the papers lay on the desk and
leaned back. “Which begs the question, who tried to kill Mr.
Cooper?”

“Oh dear,” Mrs. Thomas gasped from her place
on the settee.

“Do you have any thoughts on the matter,
Perkins?” Matthew asked and turned to the doorway, but the valet
was no longer in the room.

Surely Perkins wasn’t responsible. He took a
step in the direction of the door but Miss Cooper was ahead of
him.

“Perkins?” she called. “Where are you? Where
did you go?”

The man had disappeared but the front door
was still closed and they would have heard it open and shut
wouldn’t they. Miss Cooper turned down the hall and hastened to her
father’s room. The door was cracked and she pushed it open. Matthew
stopped behind her and looked in to the room. Her father lay on his
bed, a coverlet pulled up to his chest. His eyes were closed and
his pallor as white as the sheets he rested upon. A bandage was
wrapped around his head and blood seeped through the pristine
material, staining it a bright crimson. Perkins stood at the window
in discussion with Dr. Norton. The men glanced up when Miss Cooper
walked into the room.

“How is my father?”

Her voice shook but she held steady. Once
again Matthew placed a hand at her waist to offer steady support
and be there if she collapsed from the strain and shock of this
situation.

“He remains unconscious.” The doctor began
putting items into a bag.

“When will he wake up?” Miss Cooper
demanded.

The doctor looked up, his face grim. “I am
not sure.”

She went slack for a moment and Matthew
tightened his grip but Miss Cooper quickly recovered, though
Matthew did not relinquish his hold.

“I don’t understand.”

The doctor straightened and came forward. “He
had a nasty fall. I am not sure he doesn’t have broken bones, but
it is his head I am concerned with. He already suffered from
previous injuries; this may be more than he can take.”

“What are you saying?” Miss Cooper leaned
into Matt, as if seeking support or safety, he wasn’t sure.

“I doubt he will ever wake and it is only a
matter of time before he …”

“No,” Miss Cooper shouted, cutting the doctor
off. “I don’t want to hear it. You said that before and he lived.
You could be wrong again.”

The man sadly shook his head and looked over
her to Matt. “Send word if I am needed.” Dr. Norton brushed past
those gathered in the room and down the hall. Miss Cooper pulled
away from Matthew and sank down in a chair beside her father’s bed.
She grasped his hand in hers. “You must wake up, Papa. You
must.”

Matthew wanted to go to her, take Miss Cooper
in his arms and shield her from her pain, but what comfort he could
offer would not lessen her grief. Jordan grabbed his arm and
motioned for Matthew to follow him in to the hall. He did so, with
one last look at Miss Cooper. She wouldn’t know if they were in the
room or not, and Perkins could come get him if he were needed, and
the only reason he would be needed is if Mr. Cooper passed on. He
hoped that didn’t come to be.

Jordan waited for him in the foyer. “Who do
you think tried to kill Mr. Cooper?” he asked in a hushed tone.

“If I were one to make a wager, I would
suspect your client.” Only Lord Stillwaite had anything to gain by
the demise of his brother. The three suitors only had one-third of
a chance of Miss Cooper choosing them so murder was hardly worth
the risk if one ended up without the prize in the end.

Jordan stiffened. “Stillwaite wanted Cooper
put away, and had a chance of that happening, and at the very least
end up with guardianship and control of the estate. Why result to
murder before a decision was made?”

Matthew didn’t have an answer.

“It would have to be someone strong enough to
get Mr. Cooper up the stairs.”

He walked to the landing and glance up to the
second floor.

“And younger than Stillwaite?” Jordan
added.

Matthew had to agree. The man may be older
and healthier than his younger brother, but he knew from experience
from helping Mr. Cooper that the older man could not have
accomplished this on his own, if he were responsible.”

There were dents in the wall and a few of the
wood bannisters were broken. Blood smeared on the lower part of the
wall the closer to the landing, as well as the lower steps, with a
small pool on the floor after the first step. “Was the damage
caused from the fall or did Mr. Cooper fight while being hauled up
the stairs?”

“Possibly both,” Jordan answered. He and
Matthew slowly walked up the stairs, examining the dents and
splintering caused to Mr. Cooper or his assailant. He placed his
hand on the railing, it moved easily. “I will need to have someone
come in and fix this before anyone is injured or it gives way.

Jordan nodded and went down on his haunches,
looking toward the foyer. Matthew followed his line of vision.
There were sixteen steps on the stairs. It was impossible for Mr.
Cooper to navigate himself, even with the help of the bannister.
Someone brought him up here and then pushed him down. But who?

Matthew stood and slowly walked back down the
steps, once again examining the broken brackets, chips in the wall
and blood on the steps, trying to determine when and how the damage
had been done. When he reached the bottom he looked back up at
Jordan. “I think Mr. Cooper fought with his murderer going up the
stairs, which is how the spindles were broken.”

Jordan nodded in agreement.

“The damage to the walls was from when Mr.
Cooper was pushed.

“I agree.” Jordan sauntered down the steps
and stopped three steps from the bottom.

“That is where his head hit the wall last,
and then hit each step before he came to a stop here.” Matthew
pointed to each area smeared with blood and finally at the pool
drying by his feet.

Mrs. Thomas came around the corner, her
pelisse in place, hat on her head and gripping her reticule.

“Would you be so kind as to clean this before
Miss Cooper sees the blood?”

The woman took a step back, eyes wide with
shock. “I will do no such thing. I am leaving this house.”

Matthew moved forward. “I understand you are
upset but Miss Cooper could be overset when she sees her father’s
blood and her day has already been trying enough.”

Mrs. Thomas continued to back toward the
door. “A murderer came to this house and I am lucky to have
survived it. There is no saying he won’t be back so I am going home
and plan on never returning.”

With that she spun on her heel and
practically ran out the door.

Matthew moved to go after her.

“Let her go. There is nothing you can say
that will make her remain.”

He stopped at the entry and watched Mrs.
Thomas hustle down the road. With a sigh he closed the door. Mrs.
Thomas was right about one thing, the murderer could return. If he
learned that Mr. Cooper did not die, would he come back to finish
the task in fear of being identified and simply to take care of
what he finished? If he did, what would stop him from harming Miss
Cooper as well? They didn’t even know the reason someone tried to
kill Mr. Cooper and until they did, she was not safe.

“I’ll clean this up. You should be with Miss
Cooper.”

Jordan clean? How much did he not know of his
brother? Or, perhaps Jordan was simply used to cleaning up after
his own messes and didn’t mind doing so for someone else. Matthew
stopped himself before asking. He should not assume the worst of
his brother and vowed that when the more pressing issues were
behind them he was going to sit down with his brother and have a
long talk. There were so many questions and Matthew wasn’t exactly
sure if he was prepared for the answers just yet.

“Thank you,” Matthew finally uttered.

“When I am finished I will go see Brachton.
He should know of this.”

Matthew turned to face his brother and thrust
his fingers through his hair. “You are right.” His eyes met
Jordan’s. “Hopefully Mrs. Montgomery and her daughter have taken
their leave before you arrive.”

Jordan winced and looked away, saying
nothing. Why couldn’t his brother meet his eyes? “What happened
between the two of you?”

“Now is not the time to worry about a past
misunderstanding.”

Misunderstanding? Miss Montgomery’s reaction
to Jordan was much more than a mere misunderstanding. Matthew
continued to watch his brother, hoping for more of an explanation.
Finally Jordan looked at him. “Let it go, Matt. At least for
now.”

The pain was evident by the darkening of his
brother’s normally light blue eyes. Yes, there was more to the
situation than a mere misunderstanding but he would not press right
now. Jordan didn’t wish to talk about the events and Miss Cooper
needed him. With that, Matthew turned on his heel and returned to
the bedchamber where he paused in the doorway.

Nothing had changed. Perkins stood at the
ready while Mr. Cooper lay silent and unconscious in his bed and
Miss Cooper held his hand, begging him to wake. It tore at his
heart and Matthew sent a quick prayer asking that Mr. Cooper open
his eyes or if that was not God’s will, that he take the pain and
give Miss Cooper the strength for what was to come.