CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Mercy stared as the affable man she was familiar with transformed before her eyes. His posture stiffened, his gaze hardening to one of fury as it darted about the clearing in search of a hidden foe. In the blink of an eye he had became someone that expected danger to leap upon them. A man who would give as good as he got when faced with a threat.
His fingers closed over her arm and drew her against him. In the next instant, he drew a weapon, a small pistol, from his coat pocket and held it at his side, muzzle pointing down at their feet. Leopold might have shown signs of jealousy a moment before when he’d thought a beau was writing to her, but those emotions had vanished as if they had never been.
If not for the danger they faced, Mercy might have been pleased that he liked her well enough to feel threatened by the madman writing to her. She might have even gently teased him with the idea that she had become dear to him. But the time for forgetting her troubles was over. The fears she had kept to herself were out in the open now.
That he believed her immediately was a comfort. That he would shoot first and ask questions later troubled her a great deal.
His grip tightened and then he released her. “The picnic is over, Mercy. We’ll collect Edwin and return to the abbey now.”
Hearing the stern ‘no arguments’ tone in his voice, Mercy picked up her skirts and turned toward where Edwin played. However, she hadn’t taken more than two steps in his direction before Leopold cautioned her. “Do not rush about and frighten the boy. We do not want to draw unnecessary attention to our departure. Behave naturally.”
Behave naturally? How exactly was that possible when his words and manner had sent her fear spinning out of control. They were exposed here and she had not realized that very important fact when she had decided on the location. She had put Edwin in danger unnecessarily in order to partake of a romantic picnic with Leopold, blinded by her infatuation with the man. She must have lost her mind the minute she gazed upon his dimpled cheeks in the drawing room.
By the time Mercy had convinced Edwin that the day was too warm for a picnic, her nerves were in tatters. Leopold issued orders to the servants as she settled Edwin beside her in the carriage, fussing with his clothing because she had to do something with her hands or she’d scream.
When Leopold joined them inside, he dropped the blinds completely over the windows. “We need to change positions now,” he said quietly as the carriage lurched forward.
It was a little awkward to do while the carriage was in motion, but they swapped sides so she and Edwin sat in the rear facing seats. She met Leopold’s gaze across the dim compartment and a shiver of fear raced up her spine. Leopold’s firearm remained out of Edwin’s sight and for that Mercy was extremely grateful. But he offered her no reassurance. His smiles were all gone. He appeared furious, both with the situation, and with her for involving him in her problems.
The short drive back to the abbey was conducted in tense silence. Leopold did not speak. Even Edwin seemed to realize that all was not right with his world. His gaze darted between them and then he set his hand in Mercy’s and gripped her tightly.
Leopold shifted the blind to peer out. “Almost there. I will step out first. Hold the boy and do not let him escape you until I give you leave. Understood?”
Mercy blinked. After years as a duchess, she was quite unused to being ordered about. However, given the circumstances, she would not make a fuss. She needed someone who knew what to do in this situation. She was completely out of her depth. Mercy draped her arm about her son’s shoulders and held him against her side.
The carriage rolled to a stop and Wilcox hurried to open the door. Mercy sucked in a deep, calming breath as Leopold stepped out first, hand hidden beneath his coat to conceal the pistol. He stood in the doorway a long moment then turned and held out his hand for Edwin. “No jumping this time, Your Grace. Your mother has many things to do today.”
Although his words were spoken calmly—for Edwin’s benefit—his graze flittered restlessly about the surrounding gardens. He held onto Edwin’s arm until Mercy joined them and then released her son to her care.
Mercy stumbled up the stairs as pinpricks of discomfort raced along her limbs. She struggled not to clutch her son to her and run for the safety of the main door. Leopold followed along, slightly behind them, until they passed over the threshold of Romsey Abbey.
When the front door closed, Leopold curled his hand around her upper arm in a tight grip. “To the study. Bring the boy.”
Mercy stumbled down the hall pulling Edwin with her as fast as his legs would carry him. Once ensconced in the chamber, Leopold checked the locks on the windows, drew the drapes, and even checked under his desk before he was satisfied that they were alone. “Take a seat.”
Mercy’s knees thanked her for sitting down. Her legs had become jelly in the face of Leopold’s tension. He moved about the chamber, following Edwin as he clambered up on the desk chair and peeked into a drawer. Leopold moved his papers aside, placed a blank sheet of paper on the surface, and left Edwin to draw.
“Now,” Leopold began as he approached. “I think you had better explain to me your understanding of that note.”
Judging by his harsh, uncompromising expression no evasions would be forgiven. “We’ve been receiving letters, infrequently, from a man I’ve come to fear. He speaks as if we are well acquainted, but I cannot imagine whom he might be. I cannot tell where the letters come from, and he never signs them with a name.”
Mercy clutched her hands tightly together as Leopold sat on the cushion beside her.
“He speaks as if you are intimate acquaintances, Mercy. How long has this been going on?”
Mercy rubbed her hands along her thighs, startled by how long she’d lived under this cloud. “It’s been a year since I read the first, but I have found older ones hidden in this room. My husband and father-in-law must have known about them, I think. But since my husband’s death, the letters have become more frequent. The last was just two nights ago. The night before you agreed to move into the abbey.”
Leopold’s lips twisted as if he had tasted bitter fruit. “You invited me to live in the abbey only because of the threats against you and the boy, didn’t you?”
Mercy caught his hand. “No. That is simply not true.” She had invited him here because she had wanted to get to know him far better than she did. If he had stayed at the Vulture they would never have made love last night. Even without the threats hanging over her life, she would have wanted him here.
He worked his hand free; his expression, when he turned his head, was bleak. Did he not believe her?
“I’ll need to see the other letters if you still have them, Your Grace. Are they in this room?”
Mercy swallowed, hurt that he would speak formally with her again after they had been so close just last night. “No, I keep them upstairs in my bedchamber under lock and key. I didn’t want the servants to stumble over them.”
He nodded and then tugged the bell to summon her butler. Mercy cast a quick glance at Edwin. Her son’s dark head was bent over the page; oblivious to what happened around him for now. Leopold had chosen well to give him paper. The boy loved nothing better than to sketch whatever came to hand.
Mercy jumped as a knock sounded on the door.
“Come,” Leopold called, withdrawing his weapon and tucking it against his thigh, out of sight but at the ready.
The door creaked ominously as Wilcox entered. “I’ll have that seen to immediately, Your Grace. You called?”
“I called for you,” Leopold corrected. “Don’t fix the door, just close it behind you. The creak may come in handy later. Come in.”
Wilcox hurried forward, but stopped when he noticed the weapon in Leopold’s hand. His expression grew grim. “What has happened?”
Leopold put the pistol away slowly, eyeing the butler with suspicion. “You don’t seem surprised to see me armed in the duke’s presence and you tried to warn me this morning by asking if I traveled with a weapon. I take it you are aware of Her Grace’s admirer.”
“It is a sick form of admiration to torment a woman and a child this way.”
Leopold frowned and held up the letter. “This reads like a love letter, Wilcox.”
The butler glanced at her guiltily and she knew he would tell Leopold about the animal killings if she didn’t. Mercy drew a deep breath but kept her gaze on her hands. “There has been more to the treats than just letters, I’m afraid.”
“How much more?” Leopold demanded.
Wilcox cleared his throat to take over the telling. “The abbey has been penetrated. Gifts have been left in Her Grace’s private quarters.”
“What kind of gifts?”
“The most recent was a body of a rabbit, slaughtered on her bed and left to be found.”
Leopold’s gasp chilled Mercy. She risked a glance up at him and wished she hadn’t. His lips had drawn back from his teeth in a murderous snarl. He turned away, stalked toward her son and, after a brief conversation, managed to wrest the pencil from Edwin’s fingers. Then he picked Edwin up in his arms and tucked the boy against his chest. “Precautions must be taken. Come with me. Wilcox, there is a second pistol in that drawer behind you. Take it and remain close to Her Grace.”
Mercy’s heart raced as Edwin wrapped his arms tighter about Leopold’s neck. Her boy must be scared if he would seek comfort from Leopold, a virtual stranger in his life. Mercy wished she might do the same, but she had to behave with some propriety in front of the servants. She stood, hoping her legs would hold and not buckle beneath her. “Where are we going?”
Leopold’s head tilted to touch Edwin’s and he spoke quietly to her son. When Edwin relaxed, his gaze fixed on them. “Up. To your bedchamber first to retrieve those letters and then we will secure you both in more defensible rooms, somewhere you won’t be found so easily.”
That sounded a sensible plan to Mercy so she nodded and followed them to the door. Wilcox lightly gripped her arm and steered them in Leopold’s wake. The fast trip up the stairs and to her chamber was conducted in tense silence.
When the door of her bedchamber closed behind their backs, Leopold searched the room to ensure they were alone. He placed Edwin on the center of the bed, ruffling his hair as he stepped back. “The letters?” He thrust his large hand palm up in her direction.
Mercy hurried for the writing desk and opened the drawer, fumbling with the correspondence in her haste. When Leopold’s hand settled on her shoulder and rubbed, she took a deep breath, calming from his touch and then handed them to him.
Leopold brushed her cheek with his fingertips. “You’ve been frightened for a long time, haven’t you? That’s why you were wary when we first met, and why the boy has a servant with him even when he sleeps. Go and rest with him while I read these. I’ll be watching over you both.”
“Thank you.”
As she joined her son on the bed and began to play silly games with him, Wilcox crossed the room and spoke urgently with Leopold. Edwin touched her face and she turned to look into his sleepy eyes. She encouraged Edwin to lie down and rest and very soon he was asleep. But the men continued to talk and she closed her eyes and her ears to the sound of their discussion. Wilcox knew enough of what went on here and she trusted him to tell Leopold everything.
She woke abruptly as Leopold closed the bedroom door behind Wilcox. His expression was grim as he approached. Mercy sat up to face him and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
Leopold stopped a few feet away, just out of her reach. “I wish you had told me sooner.”
She wriggled to the edge of the bed. “I wanted to. I didn’t know you well enough and I didn’t want to scare you away by unburdening my fears on you. It is hardly a conversation to have upon a first meeting, is it?”
“You didn’t trust me.” He nodded. “That was the correct thing to do. We must protect the boy, and you, at all costs.” At last, Leopold closed the distance between them. He pulled her into his embrace and she wrapped her arms about him. Safe. He smoothed his hands over her back, lulling her until her heart no longer beat with fear. “Well, you have your wish, Your Grace. After this discovery, I’ll not be leaving you and Edwin anytime soon.”
Despite the reason, Mercy’s heart soared, but she was wise enough to hide her smile in the folds of Leopold’s waistcoat.
~ * ~
Leopold forced himself to be calm, despite the fury coursing through him at this unknown threat to Mercy and Edwin. As he had hoped, Wilcox agreed with him that serious steps must be taken to protect Mercy and the young duke from harm. Although Wilcox’s suggestion that Mercy flee to London with Edwin had merit, they were safer here.
He glanced at the sleeping child and fury built anew. He would not stand for anyone harming the boy. Not while he drew breath. Mercy’s fingers clutched at his waist and he bent to press a kiss to the top of her head to reassure her that all would be well.
He wished Mercy had told him earlier.
He wished she hadn’t let him care for her so much before she did.
He untangled himself from her grip and tipped her face up to his. “You must gather the few personal items you’ll need for the night, things that won’t be noticed as missing immediately, and be ready to move to another chamber after dining tonight. As far as the servants will know, you slept here. But you, Edwin, and I will spend the night elsewhere. Neither of you will be alone during the day or go on jaunts outside the abbey walls alone. Is that understood?”
The frown creasing Mercy’s face would have been comical under any other circumstances. She had clearly grown used to being in charge and having everyone defer to her wishes. He wondered how difficult she would become when he told her to stay away from even the windows.
To his surprise, she nodded. “I won’t need much. I’ll need very little if you are with me.”
He withdrew his hand from her face with regret. They couldn’t be intimate again, not with danger stalking them.
Mercy captured his hands and pulled him into another embrace. “What I meant is that with you for company I’ll have you to speak with to occupy the quiet hours at night if I cannot sleep.” She drew back and glanced up at him. “How long do you think we’ll need to take precautions in our home? I should not like to hide forever.”
Leopold cupped the side of her face, brushing his thumb along the soft skin of her cheek. “Until the danger has passed. But judging from the tone of those letters, and actions, we’ll not have long to wait. His writing has a pattern of growing zeal. Whoever he is, he’ll work himself up into a frenzy before striking at you direct.”
“You think him mad?”
Leopold nodded. The letters on their own were disturbing enough without the brutal and callous killing of innocent creatures. Wilcox’s description of the discoveries had chilled him. No sane person behaved in such a way. “You don’t have to worry now. Whoever he is, we’ll be ready.”
When the madman came after Mercy and Edwin, Leopold would be squarely in the way. He stepped back.
Without prompting, she moved silently around the room, digging out a hairbrush and a handkerchief, and wrapped them in a shawl. She placed the bundle beneath her bed, out of sight, and turned to him. “Ready.”
“Good. Now, I want you to behave as normally as possible. Wilcox will have taken the housekeeper’s keys by now and will search and secure the unused parts of the abbey. Although we have interviewed all the staff since my return and approve of them all, only a few will be taken into our confidence about the threats against you and the boy. Tonight, I would like you to dine with Edwin, as I understand you often do, and send his nurse away early. I’ll be listening from down the hall and will come for you both to take you to somewhere safer for the night.”
Mercy advanced on him and ran her hands up his waistcoat. “Why not dine with us? Edwin would like that, I think. Perhaps you could persuade him to use better table manners.”
Leopold couldn’t help the short burst of laughter that escaped him. He’d seen the boy’s careless manners at the picnic and had already guessed he might be a tad messy. “If he is anything like my younger siblings, that feat will take some years to accomplish. Tobias, in particular, showed exceedingly messy tendencies. I cannot join you. I must keep watch.”
Mercy’s sad sigh touched his heart. “Let’s hope Tobias has grown out of those poor habits by the time we bring him home, otherwise it might not be safe to introduce him to my sister. Blythe takes order to extremes and will likely cause friction.”
“Tobias will sink or swim when it comes to your family. I have no idea what kind of life he has been living, but I hope the duke kept his word and Tobias has enough gentlemanly qualities to appease Lady Venables and you.”
“We will rub together well enough, I hope. If not, then Blythe could always offer your brother instruction in the social graces.”
Egad! That sounded like a nightmare. “Few grown men like to be told what to do, Your Grace.”
Mercy cuddled into him, “I was teasing you, Leopold. I’d never inflict my sister’s standards onto any man. But let’s worry about him when the time comes, shall we?”
Mercy was correct; there was more than enough trouble in their lives to worry about now without imagining problems to come in the future. He shifted until he sat in a wing chair and pulled Mercy down onto his lap to simply hold her close. But as he pressed his lips to her brow, his future wavered and shifted, hinting at a future that terrified him utterly.