Despite the fact that she had locked her door and shoved a few solid looking chairs against it, Jacintha did not sleep well. She tossed and turned for most of the night, caught by the pain of what she had done, confused over Henry and horrified by Lord Slate. By the time morning came, she was already thinking about packing her things.

Unfortunately, the maid arrived with her breakfast tray as well as a note from Harmonia, which Jacintha read at once. It was brief, asking her to come to Harmonia’s chamber as soon as she was ready – although it did not say why.

Instructing the maid to take her breakfast tray to Harmonia’s room, Jacintha dressed hurriedly with the help of her maid and quickly made her way along the corridor, trying her best not to feel the swirl of panic in her chest as she passed the staircase where Lord Slate had been only the day before.

“Harmonia?”

Her sister looked up at once from where she sat, her breakfast tray in front of her.

“Sit, please,” she said at once, gesturing for the maids to go. “I am glad you are here, Jacintha. Father has been taken ill.”

Jacintha stared at her sister as the maids closed the door, before coming to sit down opposite her.

“It is nothing too serious, I assure you,” Harmonia continued, quickly. “You need not look so concerned. I think that it is nothing more than being overtired as well as partaking in too much liquor. You know how that makes his gout flare up.”

Letting out a long breath, Jacintha closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. The dawning realization that they would not be able to leave Lord Slate’s home any time soon crept over her, making her stomach tighten with anxiety.

“I know this is rather trying, but he will be better in a few days,” Harmonia continued, when Jacintha did not reply. “Besides, I am sure that you and Lord Slate will be able to get to know one another better.”

“Lord Slate and I have no longer any association,” Jacintha replied, hoarsely, opening her eyes to see Harmonia’s astonished face. “He was most uncouth last evening, Harmonia.”

Her sister blinked, shaking her head. “I am aware that he was a little coarse last evening, Jacintha, but I do not think that there is any reason to – ”

“Lord Slate followed me to my room last night,” Jacintha interrupted, leaning forward to capture her sister’s gaze. “He – he tried to….” She trailed off, rather ashamed to admit what had occurred. “I do not understand it,” she finished, her voice nothing more than a breathy whisper. “I thought I knew him so well.”

There was a brief silence, where Harmonia sat forward in her chair and reached for Jacintha’s hands. It was only then that Jacintha realized she was shaking, the concern in her sister’s eyes making her realize just how truly awful Lord Slate’s behavior had been.

“We must leave at once,” Harmonia whispered, her cheeks paling. “He cannot be allowed to treat you in such a way!”

“I had hoped to convince father to leave at once, but now he is ill, we cannot risk it,” Jacintha replied, shivering just a little as she realized that she was now fully without any kind of protection. “Oh, Harmonia, what have I done? I thought I knew him so well.”

Harmonia shook her head, her hand tightening on Jacintha’s. “This is not your fault, Jacintha. Lord Slate hid his true nature behind a façade in London and given that he clearly believes he has captured your affections – or at least, our father’s consent, he need not pretend any longer.”

“Or maybe it was the liquor that forced him to come out from underneath his layered mask,” Jacintha muttered, passing one hand over her eyes in an attempt to control her tears. “I want to leave this place, Harmonia, but I feel as though we are trapped here for the time being.”

Her sister sat back in her chair, frowning as she thought hard. “Then we shall both simply tend papa.”

“I do not believe he will accept that,” Jacintha replied, shaking her head. “Not when he believes that we are all but betrothed.”

“it does not matter what he believes,” Harmonia said, firmly. “We can simply state that papa requires us and that will be that. When it comes time to dine with him, we shall do so together and I shall accompany you back to your room. You will not need to be alone unless he has gone from the house for whatever reason.”

A slow sense of relief began to fill Jacintha, appreciating Harmonia’s sensible and calm decisions.

“I believe he has already gone out this morning,” Harmonia finished, sitting back. “Papa is resting also. If you wished to rest a little more, then I will send the maid to fetch you when papa awakens – or if Lord Slate returns.”

Glad that they had brought their own maids with them, Jacintha let out a long, slow breath, already feeling more settled. “That is a good idea, Harmonia – I confess that I did not sleep well last evening.”

“Then go and rest,” Harmonia replied, “And ensure your maid knows to wake you should Lord Slate return.”

Jacintha had enjoyed the rest of her breakfast with her sister and had benefitted greatly from returning to her bed for an hour or so. However, now that she had risen for the second time – and on being assured that Lord Slate was still gone from the house, Jacintha thought she might go in search of the library, thinking to find a good book for both herself and her sister to read whilst they waited for their father to recover. Giving her maid strict instructions to find her should Lord Slate’s horse be seen returning to the estate, and telling her that she intended to find the library – which, unfortunately, the maid could not assist her with, Jacintha set off on her exploration. The worry and anxiety she had felt only earlier this morning was already beginning to lessen.

There were a great many rooms in Lord Slate’s home, although there were dust covers on quite a few of his belongings. Evidently, the house was not always in use, as though he did not often have guests or the like visiting him. She did not find any staff about, which in itself was rather surprising, forcing her to open the door of each room in order to find the library

Having made her way to the first floor, she quietly made her way from room to room, wondering if she might find out more about Lord Slate. He was not the man she had thought, which meant she knew very little about him. She did question how he had managed to hide his fierce anger and his determination to get what he wanted so well, shaking her head that she had been so easily duped.

Turning the handle of yet another door, she looked inside, only to see shelves of books lining the walls, making her sigh with relief. Stepping inside, she closed the door firmly behind her, relieved to see that the windows overlooked the front of the estate. She should be able to see Lord Slate’s return and hide herself from him before he came back into the house.

Brushing her fingertips lightly along the row of books, Jacintha stopped at one particular row, reading the titles quickly but finding nothing to interest her. Continuing to wander along the length of the room, she paused to pick up a novel of some kind, thinking that Harmonia might like to read it. There was another novel underneath, which, at first glance, appeared to be some kind of grisly murder. With a slight shudder, Jacintha replaced it hurriedly, banging her elbow into a small portrait on the wall by the bookshelf in her haste.

Something creaked behind her.

A jolt of fear had her clinging to the shelf for a moment, terrified that Lord Slate had somehow returned and was coming towards her but, without the sound of footsteps, that worry quickly died away. Turning around, she saw that, much to her astonishment, that part of the wall on the opposite side appeared to have come away.

Slowly moving towards it, Jacintha placed the book in her hands down on the table, her heart beginning to pick up its pace as she drew near. Her fingertips ran down the length of the wall, realizing that it was a door.

It was not particularly unusual for manor houses to have secret passages or priest holes within them, so it did not surprise Jacintha all that much – although she could not help but acknowledge the spark of curiosity. Finding a candle on the mantlepiece, she lit it quickly and, without hesitating, opened the door and stepped inside.

Much to her disappointment, the passage did not seem to go anywhere. She took a few short steps inside, only to come face to face with a blank wall. There was no other door as far as she could see, and the only thing she could discover was a trapdoor that was locked with a key.

The key was still in the lock, however, and Jacintha hesitated, wrestling with the desire to unlock it and see what lay beneath. Bending down, she studied the lock and key for a moment, realizing that they were neither rusty nor fragile. This place had been used recently. Looking around the trapdoor a bit more, she saw one wooden box in the corner of the tunnel, hidden by the darkness. It was covered with a cloth and, making to lift it, Jacintha felt a rush of anticipation.

When a sudden whisper met her ears, she dropped the cloth. Hurrying towards the door she looked carefully back into the library, seeing her maid searching for her.

“Has he returned?” Jacintha asked, hurriedly putting the candle back on the mantlepiece and blowing it out before ensuring the secret door was closed tightly.

“Yes, my lady,” the maid replied, who still appeared a little confused as to why her mistress was avoiding the gentleman who had been courting her for so long.

“Thank you,” Jacintha said, quickly making her way back towards the door. “If anyone asks where I am, tell them that Harmonia and I are tending to our father, although we intend to dine with Lord Slate for dinner.”

“Of course,” the maid replied, coming behind her. “I quite understand, my lady.”